Electrical installation switching device

The disclosure relates to an electrical installation switching device, having a switching mechanism with a latching point which can be unlatched manually by means of a switching toggle or by means of an electromagnetic or thermal release, having a tripping lever which can be operated by the electromagnetic and thermal release and acts on the latching point, having a latching lever which forms one element of the latching point, and having a movable contact lever, which can pivot, is acted on by the electrical release in the event of a short-circuit and is moved permanently to the disconnected position by the switching mechanism in the event of a short-circuit or overcurrent. The latching lever (which is mounted in the enclosure such that it can rotate) together with the tripping lever forms the latching point. The tripping lever is mounted such that it can rotate on the same rotation axis as the switching toggle. A projection which holds a first limb of a U-bracket is integrally formed on the switching toggle, diametrically opposite the switching handle, and its other, second limb is guided such that it can move in an elongated hole in the elongated latching lever and is connected in an articulated manner to a connecting lug, whose other end is connected to the contact lever, which is mounted such that it can rotate.

The invention relates to an electrical service switching device.

The invention relates in particular to the switching mechanism for an electrical service switching device such as this.

A service switching device of the type mentioned initially has been proposed in patent application 10 2004 012919.3 dated Mar. 17, 2004.

The object of the invention is to even further improve an electrical service switching device of the type mentioned initially.

According to the invention, the latching lever (which is mounted in the enclosure such that it can rotate) together with the tripping lever forms the latching point, in that the tripping lever is mounted such that it can rotate on the same axis as the switching toggle. A projection which holds a first limb of a U-shapped bracket is integrally formed on the switching toggle, diametrically opposite the switching handle, and its other limb is guided such that it can move in an elongated hole in the elongated latching lever and is connected in an articulated manner to a connecting lug, whose other end is connected to the contact lever, which is mounted such that it can rotate.

The particular advantage of the present invention is that the number of parts which form the switching mechanism is small by virtue of the design, in particular having fewer parts than the switching mechanism according to the patent application cited above, and, furthermore, it can also be produced simply by fitting it directly into the circuit breaker enclosure.

Since the lug and the tripping lever are produced from a plastic, there is no potential on the switching-handle area.

A further advantageous refinement of the invention consists in that the latching lever runs approximately parallel to the connecting lug and alongside it, with the connecting lug together with the latching lever forming an obtuse angle which is open in the direction of the front face, only in the connected state, and with the connecting lug being moved approximately parallel to the latching lever and approximately parallel to the front face in the direction of the latching point during a disconnection switching operation.

A further advantageous arrangement may consist in that the latching lever is mounted in the enclosure such that it can rotate, at its opposite end to the latching point.

This means that the tripping behavior is reproducible, because of the simple installation process.

In one advantageous refinement, the latching lever is mounted in only one enclosure half-shell, and to this extent is a simple refinement.

In order to improve the mounting, the latching lever can be guided by the lug, and can be held in the bearing point in the enclosure half-shell.

Since a projection is integrally formed on each of the two sides of the latching lever, and is used for mounting it in the two enclosure half-shells, this results in the latching lever being mounted symmetrically, thus reliably avoiding any rotation transversely with respect to the rotation axis of the bearing point.

In order that this can be achieved, the lug has an aperture through which one of the projections on the latching lever passes.

Further advantageous refinements of the invention can be found in the further dependent claims.

Reference will now be made toFIG. 1.

A circuit breaker which is annotated in its totality with the reference number10has an enclosure which is formed from two enclosure half-shells, of which only the first enclosure half-shell11is illustrated. Like the complementary enclosure half-shell, this enclosure half-shell11has a front front wall12as well as two rear front walls13and14, which are connected to one another by means of front narrow-face walls15and16.FIG. 1does not clearly show rear narrow-face walls associated with these; and they also have nothing to do with the invention.

It is, of course, also possible to use only one enclosure half-shell, which is closed by means of a cover. In the situation in which two enclosure half-shells are provided, each enclosure half-shell has a width which corresponds to half the module width; in the situation in which the enclosure half-shell is closed by means of a cover, the enclosure half-shell is correspondingly of a size which is chosen such that, together with the cover, it matches the module width.

Located in the front front wall12there is an opening17through which the switching handle18of a switching toggle19projects, which is mounted in the enclosure such that it can rotate about a shaft20which runs at right angles to the inner surface of the enclosure half-shell11. A projection21with an opening22in the shape of an eye is located on the diametrically opposite side of the shaft20to the switching handle18, with the longitudinal center axis of the switching handle18passing through the center point of the shaft20and of the opening22. One limb (without any reference symbol) of a bracket23which is curved in a U-shape engages in the opening22, while the other limb of the U-shaped bracket engages in a hinge opening24in a lug25. The limb which passes through the hinge opening23is designed to be longer than the other limb which is inserted into the hole22, so that this limb (not illustrated) engages in an elongated hole26in a latching lever27which is arranged behind the lug, that is to say between the lug25and the inner surface of the enclosure half-shell11. The two limbs of the U-shaped bracket23run at right angles to the inner surface of the enclosure half-shell11, in the direction of the enclosure half-shell11.

A tripping lever28is mounted such that it can rotate about the shaft20and has a projection29which, in the connected state, runs approximately at right angles to the front front wall12. In the connected position, the latching lever27runs approximately parallel to the front front wall12, and the lug25also runs in the same manner approximately parallel to the front front wall12, with an obtuse angle being formed between the two of them in the connected state, and with this angle being open to the front front wall12. The obtuse angle is approximately 180°.

In the connected state, seeFIG. 1, the web of the bracket23runs at an acute angle to the connecting line V between the shaft20and the center point of the opening22, with the resultant obtuse angle being open between the two towards the latching point (see further below), as a result of which the bracket23and the switching toggle are located in a first, stable position.

Reference will now be made toFIG. 4.

This shows an assembly step in which the latching lever27and the tripping lever28have been inserted into the enclosure half-shell11. The latching lever27is mounted at30at one of its ends such that it can rotate, and at its opposite end has a tab31which engages behind a step32on the tripping lever28. As can be seen fromFIG. 4, the rotation point30of the latching lever27is arranged in the direction of the contact point (see further below), while in contrast the tab31points towards the tripping lever28and is located in an area which is closer to the shaft20.

As can be seen fromFIG. 1, in the latched state, the tab31rests on the step32; the tab31together with the step32thus forms a latching point. The opposite end of the lug25to the opening24is connected in an articulated manner via a pin33(which is not illustrated in any more detail) to a contact lever35which can pivot about a fixed-position shaft34and at the free end of which contact lever, which runs approximately at right angles to the front front surface12, a moving contact piece36is integrally formed, which, together with a stationary contact piece37, forms the contact point of the circuit breaker10. The contact lever35is a sort of double-armed lever; the first arm35a,in this case the shorter arm, is connected in an articulated manner to the lug25, and the moving contact piece26is fitted to the other arm35b.

The contact lever35, which can pivot, runs approximately at right angles to the lug25in the connected state, approximately parallel to the web of the bracket23, and at an angle of about 90° to the front wall. That arm on which the moving contact piece36is located projects in the direction of the mounting plane on the circuit breaker, which is opposite the front wall12.

If tripping now takes place by means of a release, for example a thermal release or an electromagnetic release, then the tripping lever28is pivoted in the counterclockwise sense in the direction of the arrow G, as a result of which the tab31is released from the step32, and the latching lever27can pivot in the clockwise sense, in the direction of the arrow U, so that, as can be seen inFIG. 2, the longer limb of the U-shaped bracket23can move within the elongated hole26in the direction of the latching point, so that, during this process, the switching handle18and the switching toggle19move to the disconnected position, rotating in the counterclockwise sense in the direction of the arrow G, with the lug25being released in the process, so that a spring force is exerted on the contact lever35, and the contact lever35can be pivoted about its shaft34in the clockwise sense U.

In order to move the switch back to the connected position, the switching handle18is pivoted in the clockwise sense U, thus resulting in the U-shaped bracket23, whose limb is guided by the elongated hole26in the lug27, being moved in the direction of the bearing point of the latching lever, so that the contact lever35is also pressed via the lug25to the connected position. This is done because the tripping lever is moved to the latched position, and is thus held firmly, by means of a spring arrangement40with two projecting arms41and42, of which the arm41acts on the switching toggle and the arm42acts on the tripping lever, so that the longer limb of the bracket is positively guided. The longer limb is that which does not pass through the opening22on the eye21of the switching toggle18.

FIG. 3shows the circuit breaker or the switching mechanism in the so-called free-tripping position, that is to say in a position in which the tripping lever28is pivoted to the tripped position, so that the tab31on the latching lever27cannot engage behind the step32on the tripping lever.

An impact stud25ais located on the extension of the lug25and projects against a step43on the tripping lever28; during disconnection, this projection25aacts on the tripping lever28, so that it is moved to a position which is beyond the position produced by the thermal or magnetic release, so that the tripping lever of a circuit breaker arranged adjacent to it (in the case of a multipole embodiment) can be operated reliably by the tripping lever, by means of a coupling device which is not illustrated in any more detail.

FIG. 4shows the assembly step in which the latching lever27as well as the tripping lever and the moving contact lever have been inserted into the enclosure half-shell11;FIG. 5shows a further assembly step, in which the lug has additionally been fitted; the bracket23is inserted in an even later assembly step, with one of its limbs being pushed through the opening22, and its other limb being pushed through the opening24as well as the elongated hole26. This allows the switching mechanism of the circuit breaker to be inserted in a simple manner into the enclosure half-shell11, at right angles to the surface of the latter's broad face, thus considerably simplifying automatic manufacture.

FIGS. 6 and 7each show one further embodiment of the invention; in the embodiments shown inFIGS. 1 to 5, the latching lever is mounted only in one of the enclosure half-shells11; if the latching lever is intended to be mounted in both enclosure half-shells, then a pin is integrally formed on both sides of the latching lever; that pin which is intended to be mounted in the enclosure shell part that is not illustrated is annotated with the reference number50inFIG. 6. This pin50passes through an opening51in a lug52, whose effect corresponds to that of the lug25.

In the embodiment shown inFIG. 7, a pin53which corresponds to the pin51is integrally formed on the tripping lever and is mounted in the enclosure shell that is not illustrated. In this case, the pin53is integrally formed on a step54which runs approximately at right angles to the longitudinal extent. A lug55which corresponds to the lug51but has no aperture52is then at least partially covered by the step54, so that the lug55is essentially located above the connecting line between the pin53and the pin which cannot be seen inFIG. 7, which is then mounted in the enclosure half-shell11.