Plug-in circuit breaker discharge and disengagement energy...

Details Plug-in circuit breaker discharge and disengagement energy... Plug-in circuit breaker discharge and disengagement energy...

1999-03-31

2001-01-23

Scott, J. R. (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Interlocking

Drawout-type switchgear

C200S400000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06177641

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a circuit breaker of the kind described in the document EP-A-0,222,645, comprising at least one pair of contacts at least one of which is movable and can take with respect to the other contact a closed position corresponding to mechanical and electrical contact and an open position, this circuit breaker being of the type equipped with a closing device provided with an energy storage device.
A pole
10
of a known circuit breaker
1
of this type and its opening mechanism
20
have been represented in
FIGS. 1
to
3
.
FIG. 4
represents a loading and closing mechanism
30
of this circuit breaker, the unloaded position.
FIG. 5
represents the circuit breaker's loading and closing mechanism in the loaded position.
The pole
10
comprises in conventional manner a pair of breaking contacts
11
,
12
. The contact
11
is stationary and the contact
12
is mounted pivotally between an open position which can be seen in
FIG. 1
, in which it is separated from the stationary contact, and a closed position which can be seen in
FIG. 3
, in which mechanical and electrical contact between the contacts
11
and
12
is established. The pole
10
also comprises an arc extinguishing chamber
19
and a pair of main terminals
14
,
15
extending outwards from the rear face of the circuit breaker
1
and designed to engage by means of engagement contacts on connection terminal strips. The circuit breaker
1
comprises a plurality of poles
10
arranged in parallel planes, perpendicular to a pole shaft
16
which is common to these poles. The closing or opening order of the poles is transmitted to each movable contact
12
by means of a connecting rod
13
operating in conjunction with a lever securedly affixed to the pole shaft
16
.
The opening mechanism
20
comprises a toggle mechanism
21
with two small rods articulated on one another by a pivoting spindle. One of these rods is mechanically coupled to a crank
23
of the pole shaft common to all the poles, this crank moreover forming one of the levers operating in conjunction with the rods
13
. The other rod is articulated in rotation on a trip hook
22
pivotally mounted on a fixed spindle. An opening spring
24
is secured between the crank
23
and a fixed securing pin and tends to return the crank
23
to its open position shown in
FIG. 1
, in the counter-clockwise direction in this figure. An opening catch
25
formed by a lever pivoting around a fixed spindle is controlled by an opening latch
26
in the shape of a half-moon. The catch
25
is biased by a spring in a direction in which it is moved away from the half-moon and towards the hook
22
. The opening latch
26
is returned to its latched position. In other words, the half-moon is biased by a spring in a direction opposing rotation of the catch
25
as can be seen in
FIGS. 2 and 3
. A roller
27
arranged on the opening catch
25
between its ends is designed to operate in conjunction with a V-shaped recess of the trip hook
22
, in the positions of
FIGS. 2 and 3
. The hook
22
is biased by a spring in a counter-clockwise direction in
FIG. 1
, tending to shorten the distance between the articulation axis of the toggle mechanism
21
on the hook
22
and the articulation axis of the toggle mechanism
21
on the crank
23
.
The loading and closing mechanism
30
is represented in
FIG. 4
in its unloaded state. This mechanism comprises a drive lever
31
pivotally mounted around a fixed spindle
32
. A flexible energy storage device comprising at least one closing spring
34
is pivotally mounted on the side of one of its ends on a fixed point and on the side of the other of its ends to a finger of the drive lever
31
. The drive lever bears a roller
33
designed to cooperate with a loading cam
46
keyed onto a shaft
41
of a drive mechanism. The cam
46
comprises a roller
47
designed to operate in conjunction with a closing ratchet
36
which is pivotally mounted around a fixed spindle
37
. A closing latch
38
in the shape of a half-moon is designed to lock the ratchet
36
in the position of FIG.
5
. This latch
38
is flexibly biased by a spring to its closed position. The ratchet
36
is itself biased by a spring to its latched position represented in FIG.
5
.
The opening mechanism and the loading and closing mechanism are mounted on one or more flanges constituting a fixed support and the two planes of projection of
FIGS. 1
to
3
on the one hand and of
FIGS. 4 and 5
on the other hand are disposed approximately parallel to one another. A link between the opening mechanism and the loading and closing mechanism is achieved by a finger
39
securedly united to the drive lever
31
and designed to operate in conjunction with the toggle mechanism
21
, this finger extending according to an axis essentially perpendicular to the sectional planes of
FIGS. 1 and 4
. The opening mechanism and the loading and closing mechanism are both provided with end of travel stops which can be seen in the figures.
The circuit breaker opening and closing sequences can be schematized from
FIGS. 1
to
5
. In
FIG. 4
, the loading and closing mechanism is in its unloaded state: the closing spring
34
is relaxed; the roller
47
is pressing against the closing ratchet
36
; the closing half-moon is open and also operates in conjunction with the closing ratchet
36
. Movement from the unloaded state of
FIG. 4
to the loaded state of
FIG. 5
is achieved by clockwise rotation of the shaft
41
and cam
46
in the figures. In a first stage, the roller
47
releases the ratchet
36
which moves due to the force of its return spring to the position represented in FIG.
5
. At the same time, the closing latch
38
recloses due to the action of its return spring and latches the ratchet
36
in position. The cam
46
, continuing its rotation, comes into contact with the roller
33
of the drive lever
31
, driving the latter in clockwise rotation to the position of FIG.
5
. In its rotation, the drive lever loads the spring
34
. In the position reached in
FIG. 5
, the cam has passed a dead point and has become receiving: the roller
33
has reached a zone of the cam in which it biases the latter clockwise, whereas the ratchet
36
forms a stop for the roller
47
and opposes any movement in the clockwise direction. The mechanism is then loaded.
Impulse relaxation of the closing spring
34
is obtained by unlocking the latch
38
. This unlocking in fact releases the ratchet
36
biased by the roller
47
of the cam
46
. The cam
46
, itself biased by the roller
33
of the drive lever
31
, rotates clockwise and totally releases the roller
33
, resulting in counter-clockwise impulse rotation of the drive lever due to the impulse of the relaxing spring
33
. At the end of the closing spring relaxation phase the mechanism is in the position shown in FIG.
4
.
The closing spring loading phase and relaxation phase can be performed whatever the state of the opening mechanism. During the loading phase, the finger
39
pivots clockwise around the spindle
32
. In the opposite manner, during the relaxation phase, the finger
39
pivots counter-clockwise and returns to its previous position.
These pivotings of the finger
39
have different effects on the opening mechanism depending on whether the latter is initially open or closed.
The unloaded open switchgear apparatus is represented in FIG.
1
. The finger
39
is then pressing against a recess of one of the rods of the toggle mechanism
21
and opposes counter-clockwise rotation of the hook
22
due to the biasing effect of its return spring. Rotation of the finger
39
during the loading phase releases the toggle mechanism
21
and the hook
22
which progressively move to the position represented in
FIG. 2
due to the biasing effect of the return spring of the hook: the hook
22
has rotated counter-clockwise and the distance between the ends of the toggle mechanism has decreased. The hook, by operating in conjunction with the stop
27
of the catch
25
, allows counte

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