Automatic reclosing circuit breaker

Abstract

The present invention relates to an automatic reclosing circuit breaker, comprising a handle, wherein the handle has a swinging trajectory for realizing the opening and closing of the circuit breaker, and also comprises an electric operating mechanism for automatically controlling the handle to swing, wherein the electric operating mechanism is arranged on one side of the motion plane where the swinging trajectory is located, and is linked with the handle to reduce the height dimension of the circuit breaker. The electric operating mechanism and the handle are detachably connected through a clutch mechanism, so that when the circuit breaker is manually operated, it is not necessary to overcome the resistance of the motor reduction gear set, and the manual operating force is small. A gear reduction group transmission is also used to connect the driving member of the motor and the electric operating mechanism. Through the deceleration of multi-stage gears, the gear transmission ratio is increased, the pitch circle diameter of the gear is reduced, and the number of transmission members and the size of parts are greatly reduced, so that the selected motor has low power, low power consumption but sufficient torque, and the entire electric operating mechanism is simple, small in size, low in cost, and good in reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an automatic reclosing circuit breaker, and belongs to the technical field of manufacturing circuit breakers capable of remotely controlling opening and closing according to the International Patent Classification (IPC). Background Art

[0002] With the development of power distribution technology, the need for intelligent, automated, and highly reliable and safe use has become increasingly apparent. The Internet of Things remote control technology can realize automatic management of power circuits. When a circuit fails, there is no need for manual operation, and the system can be used to control the circuit breaker to close automatically; when the line needs to be inspected and maintained, the circuit breaker can be remotely controlled to open and close, avoiding the tedious work of manual closing. At the same time, compared with manual operation, it is safer, more convenient, more efficient, and more reliable.

[0003] The traditional automatic reclosing molded case circuit breaker consists of two independent parts: the circuit breaker and the control drive device. The control drive device includes a controller and an electric operating mechanism. The controller is used to identify line faults, control the operation of the electric operating mechanism, and communicate wirelessly with the outside; the electric operating mechanism is used to execute the closing and opening commands of the circuit breaker. In the prior art, the electric operating mechanism is usually vertically stacked above the circuit breaker, and the circuit breaker handle is driven to move by the internal cam position to achieve opening and closing. However, in order to ensure the correct operation sequence, its mechanism and control are relatively complex, which often results in a large product size and high height, which affects the installation and use in the cabinet, and has high mass and high cost. Summary of the invention

[0004] Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention proposes an automatic reclosing circuit breaker with optimized structure.

[0005] The present invention is implemented by the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present invention proposes an automatic reclosing circuit breaker, comprising a handle, wherein the handle has a swing trajectory for realizing the opening and closing of the circuit breaker, and also comprises an electric operating mechanism for automatically controlling the handle to swing. The electric operating mechanism is arranged on one side of the motion plane where the swing trajectory is located, and is linked with the handle to control the handle to swing.

[0007] In order to reduce the operating force required for manually operating the handle, in one embodiment, the electric operating mechanism includes a driving member for driving the handle to swing, and the driving member is detachably connected to the handle directly or indirectly, so that when the handle is manually moved, the driving member does not hinder the swing of the handle.

[0008] In order to enable the handle and the electric operating mechanism to be arranged closely together, further reduce the width and volume of the circuit breaker, and facilitate the miniaturization of the circuit breaker, in one embodiment, the driving member forms a separable interference fit with the handle or the support member of the handle by its movement, and the driving member is close to the side of the handle, and the movement plane of the driving member is parallel to the movement plane of the swing trajectory.

[0009] Among them, based on manufacturing and assembly considerations and in order to improve the life of parts, in one embodiment, the handle or the support of the handle is provided with a protruding portion protruding toward the driving member, and the driving member is provided with a matching groove opened along its movement direction, and the protruding portion is inserted into the matching groove to directly or indirectly realize the separable interference fit.

[0010] Among them, based on manufacturing and cost considerations, and in order to reduce the number of transmission parts, in one embodiment, the automatic reclosing circuit breaker also includes a spring operating mechanism for linking the circuit breaker moving contact and the handle, the spring operating mechanism includes a swing bracket fixedly connected to the handle as the support member, the protruding portion is a push pin provided on the swing bracket and protruding toward the driving member, the driving member is a turntable, and the matching groove is a fan-shaped groove opened on the turntable along its rotation direction, the push pin is inserted and matched in the fan-shaped groove, and the push pin is abutted against one end of the fan-shaped groove to realize the combination of the handle and the driving member, so that the handle can swing under the push of the driving member, or the protruding portion slides in the fan-shaped groove to realize the separation of the handle and the driving member, so that when the handle is manually pushed, the driving member does not hinder the swing of the handle.

[0011] In order to realize automatic separation of the connection between the driving member and the handle when the handle is manually operated, a position detection device is also included. The position detection device is used to detect the rotation position of the turntable and feed back the position signal to the controller of the electric operating mechanism. After the turntable pushes the handle to swing forward, it is automatically reset in the reverse direction under the control of the controller, so that when the handle is manually toggled in the reverse direction, the toggle pin slides in the matching groove, so that the manual opening and closing of the circuit breaker will not be hindered by the driving member.

[0012] Among them, based on cost and installation considerations, the position detection device includes an incomplete gear and a micro switch, the incomplete gear is coaxially connected to the turntable, and the micro switch is arranged on the circumferential side of the incomplete gear. When the incomplete gear rotates, the micro switch slides on the side without gear teeth until the edge of the gear teeth of the incomplete gear triggers the micro switch, thereby generating a position signal to be fed back to the controller.

[0013] In order to reduce the number of transmission parts and the size of parts and lower the torque requirement of the selected motor, in one embodiment, the electric operating mechanism includes a driving member for driving the handle to swing, and a motor for providing power to the driving member, and the motor is connected to the driving member through a reduction gear set.

[0014] In order to fully utilize the installation space in the multi-pole circuit breaker, in one embodiment, the reduction gear set and the handle are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the movement plane.

[0015] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: the present invention arranges the electric operating mechanism on one side of the motion plane where the handle swing trajectory is located, so that the handle and the electric operating mechanism are opposite to each other in the width direction of the circuit breaker, thereby reducing the height dimension of the circuit breaker; and the driving member is detachably connected to the handle in linkage, so that there is no need to overcome the resistance of the motor reduction gear group during manual operation, and the manual operation force is small. During electric operation, the circuit breaker can be quickly closed and opened and flexibly controlled, effectively improving the electrical life of the product and the service life of the electric operating mechanism. A gear reduction group is also used to drive the motor and the driving member of the electric operating mechanism. Through the deceleration of multi-stage gears, the gear transmission ratio is increased, the pitch circle diameter of the gear is reduced, and the number of transmission members and the size of parts are greatly reduced, so that the selected motor has low power, low power consumption but sufficient torque, and the entire electric operating mechanism is simple, small in size, low in cost, and good in reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an automatic reclosing circuit breaker in an embodiment (part 1);

[0017] Figure 2 is a structural exploded diagram of an automatic reclosing circuit breaker in an embodiment;

[0018] Figure 3 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an automatic reclosing circuit breaker in an embodiment (the second one, with the upper cover hidden);

[0019] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an electric operating mechanism in an embodiment;

[0020] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a turntable in an embodiment;

[0021] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a handle in an embodiment;

[0022] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the cooperative installation of the swing bracket of the handle and the electric operating mechanism in the embodiment;

[0023] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the embodiment in which the motor and the turntable are connected through a reduction gear set;

[0024] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the micro switch detecting the position of the turntable in the embodiment;

[0025] Fig.10 1 is a top view of the automatic reclosing circuit breaker in the embodiment (the upper cover is hidden). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] To further illustrate the various embodiments, the present invention provides drawings. These drawings are part of the disclosure of the present invention, which are mainly used to illustrate the embodiments and can be used in conjunction with the relevant descriptions in the specification to explain the operating principles of the embodiments. With reference to these contents, a person of ordinary skill in the art should be able to understand other possible implementations and advantages of the present invention. The components in the figures are not drawn to scale, and similar component symbols are generally used to represent similar components.

[0027] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0028] See also Figure 1-2 As shown, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automatic reclosing circuit breaker is provided, which includes a base 10, a middle cover 20 and an upper cover 30, which are sequentially joined to form an outer shell of the circuit breaker. The circuit breaker also includes a contact system 40 installed in the outer shell. Conventionally, the contact system 40 includes a moving contact and a static contact. The movement of the moving contact relative to the static contact realizes the conduction and disconnection of the circuit breaker. The movement of the moving contact is realized by the spring operating mechanism 50 and the release 60. The handle 1 is used to actively open and close the circuit breaker. The handle 1 can swing back and forth and has a swinging trajectory. Under the action of external force, the handle 1 can swing to link the spring operating mechanism 50 and the moving contact to realize the opening and closing of the circuit breaker.

[0029] Continue reading Figure 1-2 In addition to the manual operation handle 1 for opening and closing, the automatic reclosing circuit breaker also includes an electric operating mechanism 2. The electric operating mechanism 2 can drive the handle 1 to move under the instruction of the controller 3 to perform remote opening and closing operations, thereby ensuring operational safety. The external terminals of the controller 3 have 5 passive interfaces for electric closing, opening control and 485 communication. When it is necessary to add functions such as power metering and fire input or expand other functions, the number of interfaces can be increased.

[0030] like Figure 3As shown, the electric operating mechanism 2 is arranged on the side of the swing direction of the handle 1, that is, the electric operating mechanism 2 is arranged on one side of the plane P where the swing trajectory of the handle 1 is located. Corresponding to the position shown in the figure, the handle 1 and the electric operating mechanism 2 are opposite to each other on the left and right. Compared with the solution in the prior art that the electric operating mechanism is arranged above the handle 1 (in this embodiment, the upper cover 30 is located above the base 10), this embodiment can reduce the height size of the circuit breaker, so that the circuit breaker can be used in a distribution cabinet with a relatively small space.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown, the electric operating mechanism 2 specifically includes a turntable 21, a reduction gear set 22 and a motor 23. The turntable 21 is used as a driving member to drive the handle 1 to swing, and the motor 23 is connected to the turntable 21 through the reduction gear set 22 to provide rotational power for the turntable 21, thereby driving the handle 1 to swing.

[0032] like Figure 5-7As shown, the turntable 21 has a rotating shaft 212, and the turntable 21 is connected to the rotating shaft 212 by cutting a circular hole, so as to receive the transmission of the motor 23 to rotate. A fan-shaped annular groove 211 is opened on the turntable 21 along the rotation direction of the turntable 21. The spring operating mechanism 50 includes a swing bracket 51 for supporting the handle 1 to swing. The swing bracket 51 is rotatably connected to the circuit breaker housing. The handle 1 is fixedly connected to the swing bracket 51 and swings with the swing bracket 51 (that is, the swing bracket 51 serves as a supporting member of the handle 1). A toggle pin 511 protruding toward the turntable 21 is fixedly provided on the side of the swing bracket 51 facing the turntable 21. The toggle pin 511 on the swing bracket 51 is inserted into the fan-shaped annular groove 211, so that the electric operating mechanism 2 and the handle 1 can be adjusted according to each other. The relative motion state forms a clutch-engagement relationship. For example, when the turntable 21 is driven to rotate by the motor 23, one of the two ends 213, 214 of the fan annular groove 211 can contact and resist the push pin 511, so that the electric operating mechanism 2 pushes the handle 1 to swing; or, if the handle 1 is subjected to force so that the push pin 511 slides in the fan annular groove 211, the electric operating mechanism 2 and the handle 1 are no longer in contact, that is, the handle 1 is separated from the electric operating mechanism 2. In this case, the electric operating mechanism 2 will not hinder the movement of the handle 1. In conventional technology, the electric operating mechanism and the handle are directly connected. When the handle is manually operated, the obstruction of the electric operating mechanism needs to be overcome. If the electric operating mechanism adopts a gear reduction group, the larger resistance generated during the meshing of the multi-pole gears needs to be overcome. In this embodiment, the electric operating mechanism 2 and the handle 1 are connected by a clutch mechanism formed by the fan annular groove 211 and the push pin 511 of the turntable 21. In actual application, the position of the turntable 21 can be fed back to the controller 3 by a position detection device, and the position of the turntable 21 is controlled by the controller 3. For example, when the turntable 21 pushes the handle 1 forward to the opening position, it automatically rotates in the opposite direction to reset. In this way, when the worker manually operates the handle 1 to close the switch, the push pin 511 will slide in the fan annular groove 211, and the turntable 21 will not hinder the movement of the handle 1. The same is true if the handle 1 needs to be manually operated to open the switch.

[0033] The toggle pin 511 in this embodiment is arranged on the swing bracket 51 (i.e., the support of the handle 1), so that the turntable 21 is indirectly detachably connected to the handle 1, but in other embodiments, it can also be arranged on the handle 1, so that the turntable 21 is directly detachably connected to the handle 1. In this embodiment, the toggle pin 511 is arranged on the swing bracket 51, so that the matching position of the electric operating mechanism 2 can be lower, which is more conducive to reducing the height size of the circuit breaker. In this embodiment, the toggle pin 511 is integrally formed on the swing bracket 51, and in other embodiments, it can also be separately installed on the swing bracket 51 by a fixed connection (such as the toggle pin 511 is a screw screwed on the swing bracket 51). Further, the angle of the fan-shaped central angle of the fan annular groove 211 is between 95 degrees and 110 degrees to adapt to the swing angle of the conventional circuit breaker mechanism and handle.

[0034] In addition to the clutch mechanism formed by the rotating fan annular groove 211 and the toggle pin 511 provided in this embodiment, in other embodiments, other clutch mechanisms can be selected to realize the detachable connection between the turntable 21 and the handle 1, for example, an arc-shaped rack with its center located at the swing fulcrum of the handle 1 is fixedly set on the handle 1 or the swing bracket 51, and an incomplete gear that can mesh with the arc-shaped rack is coaxially set on the output shaft of the motor 23 to realize transmission. When the output shaft of the motor 23 rotates, the incomplete gear is engaged or not engaged with the gear on the handle 1 to achieve detachable connection. In both schemes, the drive member (turntable 21 or incomplete gear) is separably abutted with the handle 1 or the support member of the handle 1, and no matter whether the arc-shaped rack is engaged with the incomplete gear or the toggle pin 511 is inserted into the fan annular groove 211, the drive member can be close to the side of the handle 1, and the motion plane of the drive member for abutment is parallel to the motion plane P where the swing trajectory of the handle 1 is located (such as Fig.10 , the motion plane M of the turntable 21 is parallel to the motion plane P of the swing trajectory of the handle 1). In this way, the handle 1 and the electric operating mechanism 2 can be arranged close to each other, further reducing the width and volume of the circuit breaker, which is conducive to the miniaturization of the circuit breaker. This embodiment preferably adopts a solution in which the toggle pin 511 and the fan annular groove 211 on the turntable 21 are matched. On the one hand, it is convenient for manufacturing and has low assembly precision requirements. At the same time, compared with the solution of meshing the arc rack with the incomplete gear, it can also avoid the radial force on the gear teeth during the meshing process, thereby improving the life of the parts.

[0035] In this embodiment, the turntable 21 is a rotating type. In other embodiments, the turntable 21 can also be set to a sliding type. The handle is swung by sliding, and a matching groove is also provided in its sliding direction to cooperate with the push pin 511. The sliding drive can adopt a screw nut transmission, a worm gear transmission and other common methods in the field. This embodiment preferably adopts a rotating turntable 21, which can reduce the number of connecting parts connected to the reduction gear set, thereby reducing the size of the circuit breaker.

[0036] In addition, in this embodiment, the motor 23 is connected to the rotating disk 21 through the reduction gear set 22. Figure 8 The reduction gear set 22 increases the gear ratio and reduces the pitch circle diameter of the gear through multi-stage gear reduction, which greatly reduces the number of transmission parts and the size of parts, so that the selected motor has low power, low power consumption but sufficient torque, and the entire electric operating mechanism is simple, small in size, low in cost and good in reliability.

[0037] As described above, the position detection device is used to control the detachable connection state between the turntable 21 and the handle 1. The position detection device can be implemented by various means commonly used in the art, see Figure 8-9 In this embodiment, a micro switch 4 is set on the circumference of the incomplete gear 220 (the incomplete gear 220 is the last gear of the reduction gear set 22) coaxially connected to the turntable 21. When the incomplete gear 220 rotates, the micro switch 4 slides on the side without gear teeth until the edge of the gear teeth triggers the micro switch 4 to generate a position signal to feed back to the controller 3. For another example, a sensor can also be set to detect the position of the turntable 21, such as an interruption type photoelectric sensor. However, in this embodiment, the position detection of the turntable 21 is realized by the structure of the incomplete gear 220 and the micro switch 4, which has low cost, good reliability and high precision.

[0038] See also Fig.10 As shown, the reduction gear set 22 and the handle 1 are arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the motion plane of the swing trajectory of the handle 1. When applied in a multi-pole circuit breaker such as the present embodiment, since the contact systems in the multi-pole circuit breaker are connected, only one handle 1 is required to control the synchronous opening and closing of the multi-pole circuit breaker. Therefore, the reduction gear set 22 can be installed in the installation space corresponding to the handle 1 on the circuit breaker of the pole where the handle 1 is not provided, so as to save space and reduce the size of the circuit breaker.

[0039] This embodiment reduces the height of the circuit breaker by placing the electric operating mechanism 2 and the handle 1 opposite to each other in the width direction of the circuit breaker perpendicular to the motion plane of the swing trajectory of the handle 1, and through the clutch mechanism formed by the turntable 21 and the toggle pin 511, it is not necessary to overcome the resistance of the motor reduction gear set during manual operation, and the manual operation force is small; during electric operation, the circuit breaker can be quickly closed and opened and flexibly controlled, effectively improving the electrical life of the product and the service life of the electric operating mechanism. The controller 3 is used for low-voltage circuits, and this embodiment uses a gear reduction group, which does not require a large current drive motor 23 to ensure the output torque, nor does it require a large power DC power supply, thus saving a great deal of device volume.

[0040] This embodiment can be used for indoor and outdoor circuit management and control, making full use of the Internet of Things technology to control the connection between the drive device and the circuit breaker, realize remote electric opening and closing of the circuit breaker, realize automatic closing after fault elimination, and improve power-on efficiency.

[0041] Although the present invention has been specifically shown and described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims will fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic reclosing circuit breaker, comprising a handle, the handle having a swing trajectory for realizing the opening and closing of the circuit breaker, and also comprising an electric operating mechanism for automatically controlling the swing of the handle, characterized in that: The electric operating mechanism is arranged on one side of the motion plane where the swing trajectory is located, and is linked to the handle to control the handle to swing. The electric operating mechanism and the handle are opposite to each other in a direction perpendicular to the motion plane where the swing trajectory is located.

2. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric operating mechanism comprises a driving member for driving the handle to swing, and the driving member is detachably connected to the handle directly or indirectly in linkage, so that when the handle is manually moved, the driving member does not hinder the swing of the handle.

3. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving member forms a separable interference fit with the handle or the support member of the handle by its movement. The driving member is close to the side of the handle, and the movement plane of the driving member is parallel to the movement plane of the swing trajectory.

4. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 3, characterized in that: The handle or the support of the handle is provided with a protruding portion protruding toward the driving member, and the driving member is provided with a matching groove opened along its movement direction. The protruding portion is inserted into the matching groove to directly or indirectly realize the separable interference fit.

5. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a spring operating mechanism for linking the moving contact of the circuit breaker and the handle, the spring operating mechanism includes a swing bracket fixedly connected to the handle as the support, the protruding portion is a toggle pin arranged on the swing bracket and protruding toward the driving member, the driving member is a turntable, the matching groove is a fan-shaped groove opened on the turntable along its rotation direction, the toggle pin is inserted and matched in the fan-shaped groove, and the toggle pin is abutted against one end of the fan-shaped groove to realize the combination of the handle and the driving member, so that the handle can swing under the push of the driving member, or the protruding portion slides in the fan-shaped groove to realize the separation of the handle and the driving member, so that when the handle is manually toggled, the driving member does not hinder the swing of the handle.

6. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that: It also includes a position detection device, which is used to detect the moving position of the driving member.

7. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a position detection device, which is used to detect the rotational position of the turntable and feed back the position signal to the controller of the electric operating mechanism. After the turntable pushes the handle to swing in the forward direction, it is automatically reset in the reverse direction under the control of the controller, so that when the handle is manually pushed in the reverse direction, the pushing pin slides in the matching groove.

8. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 7, characterized in that: The position detection device includes an incomplete gear and a micro switch, wherein the incomplete gear is coaxially connected to the turntable, and the micro switch is arranged on the circumferential side of the incomplete gear. When the incomplete gear rotates, the micro switch slides on the side without gear teeth until the edge of the gear teeth of the incomplete gear triggers the micro switch, thereby generating a position signal to be fed back to the controller.

9. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric operating mechanism comprises a driving member for driving the handle to swing, and a motor for providing power to the driving member, and the motor is transmission-connected to the driving member via a reduction gear set.

10. The automatic reclosing circuit breaker according to claim 9, characterized in that: The reduction gear set and the handle are arranged side by side along a direction perpendicular to the motion plane.

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