Low voltage residual current device with solid neutral

Abstract

A residual current device 1 comprising: a shaped casing 2; at least a couple of electric contacts comprising a moving contact and an fixed contact, which are adapted to be electrically connected to a phase conductor 101 of an electric line and which are adapted to be mutually coupled with or separated from one another; and residual current protection means 11 positioned in said shaped casing 2, which are preferably adapted to detect a residual current among the conductors 101, 102 of the electric line and generate a first tripping signal on the basis of the trend of said residual current. The residual current device comprises also a movable first connection element 3, which comprises a first connection portion 31, at which said first connection element is connectable to a first conductor 41 operatively coupled to said residual current protection means 11, and a second connection portion 32, at which said first connection element is connectable to a second connection element 42 adapted to be connected to the neutral conductor 102 of the electric line.

Description

technical field [0001] The invention relates to the field of residual current devices for low-voltage electrical lines. [0002] More particularly, the invention relates to low voltage residual current installations with a solid (non-segmented) neutral. Background technique [0003] In the framework of the present invention, the term "low voltage" refers to voltages below 1 kV AC and 1.5 kV DC. [0004] Numerous examples of residual current devices, in particular for single-phase or three-phase low-voltage electrical lines, are available on the market. [0005] It should be known that a residual current device (RCD) is a circuit breaker capable of interrupting an electrical line connecting a power source and an electrical load when an on-board protection unit detects the presence of an unbalanced current (residual current) between the conductors of the electrical line. [0006] Some RCDs are arranged to provide protection against the flow of overload current along electric...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0015] Although it has the advantage of being able to easily and quickly customize the neutral connection cable, this solution still has some drawbacks depending on the needs of the installation

[0016] RCDs provided with external contact plates are relatively bulky and they can be difficult to mount on the switch plate, especially when the available mounting space is relatively small, as usually happens

[0017] Furthermore, complex and expensive insulation structures are required to guarantee a suitable level of safety, since the electrical connection between the RCD and the neutral connection cable is arranged outside the RCD housing

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