Modular contactor

Abstract

A modular contactor comprises: an electrical module in which at least one breaking unit for connecting or disconnecting a circuit is arranged; the control module is installed in front of the electrical module, and the control module comprises a static iron core assembly, a coil fixedly installed on the static iron core assembly, a movable iron core assembly capable of moving relative to the static iron core assembly, and an electronic circuit board; wherein the electronic circuit board is connected to the coil in a pluggable mode so as to control the coil to drive the movable iron core assembly to move, and therefore opening or closing of a breaking unit in the electrical module is driven.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of low-voltage electrical appliances, and more specifically, to a contactor with a highly modular design. Background Art

[0002] A contactor is a device used to connect and disconnect current, including a coil, a moving iron core, a stationary iron core, and an electronic circuit board that controls the coil's power supply. When the coil is powered on, the current in the coil generates a magnetic field, which causes the stationary iron core to generate an electromagnetic attraction that attracts the moving iron core toward the stationary iron core, thereby driving the disconnecting unit to operate. When the coil is powered off, the electromagnetic attraction disappears, the moving iron core moves away from the stationary iron core, and drives the disconnecting unit to reset.

[0003] However, since there are great differences in the reliability and service life of the electronic components and mechanical components in the contactor, it is desirable to provide a contactor with a modular design that is easy to assemble and capable of maintaining each module separately. Summary of the invention

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a modular contactor that can at least partially solve the above problems to improve the ease of use for users.

[0005] The modular contactor according to the present invention includes: an electrical module, in which at least one disconnecting unit for connecting or disconnecting a circuit is arranged; a control module, which is installed in front of the electrical module, and the control module includes a static iron core assembly, a coil fixedly installed on the static iron core assembly, a moving iron core assembly movable relative to the static iron core assembly, and an electronic circuit board; wherein the wiring harness connector of the electronic circuit board is pluggably connected to the wiring harness of the coil to control the movement of the coil to drive the moving iron core assembly, thereby driving the opening or closing of the disconnecting unit in the electrical module.

[0006] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control module includes a control module housing, which is fixed to the electric module from the front of the electric module and encloses the moving iron core assembly, the stationary iron core assembly and the coil therein.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic circuit board is mounted to the control module housing outside the control module housing, and the wiring harness extends from the coil through a through hole provided on the control module housing and is inserted into the wiring harness connector of the electronic circuit board to connect the coil to the electronic circuit board.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic circuit board is pluggably installed above the control module housing.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the modular contactor further comprises a support member, which is detachably mounted to the front of the electrical module and is configured to support the control module, and the support member is enclosed in the control module housing.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the moving iron core assembly is located in front of the electrical module and abuts against the moving contact of the disconnecting unit of the electrical module, so that the movement of the moving iron core assembly can drive the moving contact to open or close the disconnecting unit, and the stationary iron core assembly and the coil are located in front of the moving iron core assembly, and the moving iron core in the moving iron core assembly and the stationary iron core in the stationary iron core assembly are at least partially located in the coil.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the modular contactor further comprises a positive auxiliary contact module having at least one contact, and the positive auxiliary contact module is installed to the moving iron core assembly through a through hole on the control module housing from below the moving iron core assembly.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the modular contactor further comprises a side auxiliary contact module having at least one contact, and the side auxiliary contact module is mounted to the moving iron core assembly from any side of the moving iron core assembly through a through hole on the control module housing.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the modular contactor further comprises a cover plate which is mounted to the control module housing on a side where the side auxiliary contact module is not mounted to close the through hole on the control module housing to prevent dust from entering the control module.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a packaging shell is disposed outside the electronic circuit board, and the connection terminals of the electronic circuit board are disposed inside the outer contour of the packaging shell and face forward.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electric module includes housings mounted to each other in a front-rear direction or housings mounted to each other in a left-right direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A view showing an assembled state of a modular contactor according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 An exploded view of a modular contactor according to the present invention is shown;

[0018] Figure 3 shows a support for a modular contactor according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 The static iron core assembly and the coil of the modular contactor according to the present invention are shown;

[0020] Figure 5The front side of the moving iron core assembly of the modular contactor according to the present invention is shown;

[0021] Figure 6 The back side of the moving iron core assembly of the modular contactor according to the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view showing an electrical module and a moving iron core assembly connected to the electrical module;

[0023] Figure 8 The connection between the electronic circuit board of the modular contactor and the wiring harness of the coil according to the present invention is shown;

[0024] Fig. 9 A detailed view showing the positive auxiliary contact module and the side auxiliary contact module mounted to the moving iron core assembly and the connections. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the technical solution of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of specific embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same components.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used herein shall have the usual meanings understood by persons of ordinary skill in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the patent application specification and claims of the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, words such as "one" or "one" do not necessarily indicate a quantity restriction. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Front", "back", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0027] The present invention will be described in detail below by describing exemplary embodiments.

[0028] Figure 1A schematic diagram of the assembled state of the modular contactor 1 according to the present invention is shown. The modular contactor 1 includes an electrical module 100 and a control module 200, and at least one disconnecting unit for connecting or disconnecting a circuit is arranged in the electrical module 100. The electrical module 100 serves as the base of the modular contactor 1, and its back is used to be fixed to the back plate of the electrical device. The control module 200 is installed to the electrical module 100 from the front, and is used to drive the disconnecting unit in the electrical module 100 to open or close. The electronic circuit board 210 is installed above the control module housing 240, and the remaining components of the control module 200 are enclosed between the control module housing 240 and the electrical module 100.

[0029] Figure 2 An exploded view of a modular contactor 1 according to the present invention is shown. As shown in the figure, the control module 200 includes an electronic circuit board 210, a static iron core assembly 220, a moving iron core assembly 230, and a coil 221 fixedly mounted to the static iron core assembly 220. The moving iron core assembly 230 is located in front of the electrical module 100 along the front-to-back direction X1, and abuts against the moving contact of the disconnecting unit of the electrical module 100. The static iron core assembly 220 is located in front of the moving iron core assembly 230 along the front-to-back direction X1, and the gap inside the coil 221 is aligned with the moving iron core 231 of the moving iron core assembly 230, so that the moving iron core 231 can move forward and backward relative to the static iron core assembly 220.

[0030] The control module housing 240 is fixed to the electrical module 100 from the front, and encloses the moving iron core assembly 230, the static iron core assembly 220, and the coil 221. The electronic circuit board 210 is located above the moving iron core assembly 230 and the static iron core assembly 220 along the up-down direction X3, and is preferably arranged above the control module housing 240. The wire harness 222 extending from the coil 221 passes through the through hole 241 provided on the control module housing 240, and is inserted into the wire harness connector 211 of the electronic circuit board 210, so that the coil 221 is pluggably connected to the electronic circuit board 210, and the details of the connection are as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown. Figure 2 As shown, the connection terminal 212 of the electronic circuit board 210 partially protrudes downward from the lower surface of the electronic circuit board 210, and the shape of the protruding portion is suitable for matching the shape of the recess 242 on the upper surface of the control module housing 240, and a suitable space is reserved on the rear side of the recess 242 (i.e., the side close to the electrical module 100) to facilitate the docking of the wire harness connector 211 with the wire harness 222. Preferably, the control module housing 240 also has positioning features 243 and 244 to facilitate the correct positioning of the electronic circuit board 210 on the control module housing 240 and fastening it to the control module housing 240 by means of snap fit or screws. Figure 1 and Figure 2As can be seen in the figure, when the electronic circuit board 210 is installed in place on the control module housing 240, the connection terminal 212 of the electronic circuit board 210 faces forward to facilitate user plugging and powering the electronic circuit board 210.

[0031] Figure 6 FIG. 2 shows the back side of the moving iron core assembly 230 of the modular contactor 1 according to the present invention. Figure 6 As can be seen in the figure, the bracket 232 of the moving iron core assembly 230 is provided with a matching slot 233 on the side facing the electrical module 100. The number of the matching slots 233 corresponds to the number of poles of the electrical module 100, so as to cooperate with the moving contact 102 of the disconnecting unit of the electrical module 100 to drive the disconnecting unit to close or open. Figure 2 As shown, the moving contact 102 extends forward from the front surface of the housing of the electrical module 100, is wider on the front side (the side close to the control module 200) and narrower on the rear side (the side close to the electrical module 100), and its shape is suitable for matching with the shape of the matching slot 233, so that when installed in place, the movement of the moving iron core assembly 230 can drive the movement of the moving contact 102 accordingly. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the matching of the moving contact 102 and the bracket 232 of the moving iron core assembly 230 is not limited to the above-mentioned manner, and can adopt a slide-in connection, a snap-fit, or a through-shaft connection, etc., as long as the moving iron core assembly 230 can be detachably installed on the moving contact 102 of the electrical module 100 and the movement of the moving iron core assembly 230 can drive the moving contact 102 to move so that the disconnecting unit is closed or opened.

[0032] The electronic circuit board 210 is connected to the coil 221 through a wiring harness 222 to control the power on or off of the coil 221, thereby driving the movement of the moving iron core assembly 230 relative to the static iron core assembly 220. Specifically, when the coil 221 is energized, the current in the coil 221 generates a magnetic field, so that the static iron core generates an electromagnetic attraction to attract the moving iron core 231 to move toward the static iron core assembly 220. In the modular contactor 1 according to the present invention, the movement of the moving iron core 231 toward the static iron core assembly 220 is a forward movement along the front-to-back direction X1. Due to the cooperation between the bracket 232 of the moving iron core assembly 230 and the moving contact 102 of the electrical module 100, when the moving iron core assembly 230 moves forward, the bracket 232 drives the moving contact 102 to move forward along the front-to-back direction X1, so that the disconnecting unit of the electrical module 100 is closed. When the coil 221 is powered off, the magnetic field generated by the coil current disappears, and the electromagnetic attraction between the static iron core and the moving iron core no longer exists. At this time, the return spring 103 (in Figure 7 (shown in the figure) pulls the moving contact 102 backwards, and the moving contact 102 drives the moving iron core assembly 230 back to its original position, and the disconnecting unit is opened.

[0033] In addition to the connection terminals 212 on the electronic circuit board 210, sometimes the user also wants to provide more plug-in ports on the contactor. Therefore, in order to improve the usability of the contactor, the modular contactor 1 according to the present invention also provides an auxiliary contact module to meet the diverse needs of different users. The auxiliary contact module may include a positive auxiliary contact module 250, on which at least one additional contact is provided; the auxiliary contact module may also include a side auxiliary contact module 260, on which at least one additional contact is provided. Fig. 9 2 shows an example installation form of the positive auxiliary contact module 250 and the side auxiliary contact module 260. It can be seen from the figure that the positive auxiliary contact module 250 is installed to the moving iron core assembly 230 from the front side by screws below the moving iron core assembly 230, and the side auxiliary contact module 260 is installed to the moving iron core assembly 230 from the side of the moving iron core assembly 230 by snap-fit ​​features. It should be noted that for the sake of clarity, Fig. 9 The control module housing 240 is omitted in the figure. In fact, the positive auxiliary contact module 250 and the side auxiliary contact module 260 are installed to the moving iron core assembly 230 through the through holes provided on the control module housing 240. In addition, the installation method of the positive auxiliary contact module 250 and the side auxiliary contact module 260 on the moving iron core assembly 230 is only exemplary. In addition to the fixing means shown in the figure, the positive auxiliary contact module 250 and the side auxiliary contact module 260 can also be installed to the moving iron core assembly 230 in any way that is convenient for user operation.

[0034] Preferably, the modular contactor 1 according to the present invention further comprises a cover plate 270. When the side auxiliary contact module 260 is not installed, the cover plate 270 is used to close the installation through hole reserved for the side auxiliary contact module 260 on the control module housing 240. Since the contactor may be used in a harsh environment, such as a high temperature or dusty environment, it is necessary to seal the through hole on the control module housing 240 to protect the components inside the housing. In addition, although Figure 2 It is shown that the cover plate 270 is installed to the moving iron core assembly 230 from the left side along the left-right direction X2, and the side auxiliary contact module 260 is installed to the moving iron core assembly 230 from the right side, but those skilled in the art can also conceive of other configurations, such as the side auxiliary contact module is installed to the left side and the cover plate is installed to the right side, or the side auxiliary contact modules are installed on both sides of the moving iron core assembly 230, or the side auxiliary contact modules are not installed on both sides of the moving iron core assembly 230, and the through holes on both sides of the control module housing 240 are covered by the cover plate.

[0035] Similarly, for the purpose of protecting electronic components, a packaging shell 213 is provided outside the electronic circuit board 210 to prevent dust from entering the interior of the electronic circuit board. Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the connection terminals 212 of the electronic circuit board 210 are arranged inside the outer contour of the packaging shell and face forward.

[0036] Preferably, the modular contactor 1 according to the present invention further comprises a support member 300, to which the static iron core assembly 220 and the moving iron core assembly 230 can be fixed, so that the control module 200 can be integrally fixed to the electrical module 100 through the support member 300, and the support member 300 is enclosed between the control module housing 240 and the electrical module 100. The specific structure of the support member 300 is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, a plurality of mounting holes 301 are provided thereon, and the plurality of mounting holes 301 are arranged to be aligned with the mounting holes 101 on the electrical module 100 respectively, so that the support member 300 can be fixed to the electrical module 100 by fasteners such as screws.

[0037] In addition, although the present invention shows an electrical module 100 including three poles, those skilled in the art can imagine that the inventive concept of such a modular contactor can also be applied to an electrical module 100 including four poles or other pole numbers. In an electrical module including four poles, there should be four moving contacts, and the back of the moving iron core assembly should have four matching grooves that match the corresponding moving contacts to drive the closing or opening of the disconnecting unit. Although in the present invention, the housings of the electrical module 100 are mounted to each other in the front-to-back direction, those skilled in the art can imagine that the housings that are mounted to each other in the left-to-right direction can also be designed for the electrical module, so that the number of poles can be increased or decreased in the left-to-right direction as needed.

[0038] In summary, a highly modular contactor is provided, which enables the components of the control module to be maintained and replaced from the front when the electrical module base is mounted on the back plate. In particular, the electronic circuit board is installed in a pluggable manner above the control module housing, which is convenient for users to plug in and also convenient for repair and replacement when the electronic circuit board is damaged. This design allows the electronic components and mechanical components of the contactor to be maintained independently, which increases the service life of the contactor while improving ease of use.

[0039] This document describes in detail multiple exemplary embodiments of the improved modular contactor according to the present invention with reference to preferred embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, without departing from the concept of the present invention, various modifications and variations may be made to the above-mentioned specific embodiments, and the various technical features and structures proposed in the present invention may also be combined without exceeding the protection scope of the present invention, which is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A modular contactor, comprising: An electrical module, wherein at least one disconnecting unit for connecting or disconnecting a circuit is provided in the electrical module; A control module is installed in front of the electrical module, the control module includes a static iron core assembly, a coil fixedly installed to the static iron core assembly, a moving iron core assembly movable relative to the static iron core assembly, and an electronic circuit board; The wiring harness connector of the electronic circuit board is pluggably connected to the wiring harness of the coil to control the coil to drive the movement of the moving iron core assembly, thereby driving the opening or closing of the disconnecting unit in the electrical module.

2. The modular contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The control module includes a control module housing that is fixed to the electric module from the front of the electric module and encloses the moving iron core assembly, the stationary iron core assembly, and the coil therein.

3. The modular contactor according to claim 2, wherein: The electronic circuit board is mounted to the control module housing outside the control module housing, and the wiring harness extends from the coil through a through hole provided on the control module housing and is inserted into a wiring harness connector of the electronic circuit board to connect the coil to the electronic circuit board.

4. The modular contactor according to claim 3, wherein: The electronic circuit board is installed above the control module housing. 5 . The modular contactor according to claim 2 , further comprising a support member detachably mounted to the front of the electrical module, configured to support the control module, and enclosed in the control module housing.

6. The modular contactor according to claim 1, wherein: The moving iron core assembly is located in front of the electrical module and abuts against the moving contact of the disconnecting unit of the electrical module, so that the movement of the moving iron core assembly can drive the moving contact to open or close the disconnecting unit. The stationary iron core assembly and the coil are located in front of the moving iron core assembly, and the moving iron core in the moving iron core assembly and the stationary iron core in the stationary iron core assembly are at least partially located in the coil.

7. The modular contactor according to claim 4, further comprising a positive auxiliary contact module having at least one contact, wherein the positive auxiliary contact module is mounted to the moving iron core assembly through a through hole of the control module housing from below the moving iron core assembly.

8. The modular contactor according to claim 2, further comprising a side auxiliary contact module having at least one contact, wherein the side auxiliary contact module is mounted to the moving iron core assembly through a through hole of the control module housing from either side of the moving iron core assembly. 9 . The modular contactor according to claim 8 , further comprising a cover plate mounted to the control module housing on a side where the side auxiliary contact module is not mounted to close a through hole on the control module housing.

10. The modular contactor according to claim 3, wherein: A packaging shell is arranged outside the electronic circuit board, and the connection terminals of the electronic circuit board are arranged inside the outer contour of the packaging shell and face forward.

11. The modular contactor according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: The electric module includes housings mounted to each other in a front-rear direction or housings mounted to each other in a left-right direction.

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