Circuit breaker comprising fixed terminal

Abstract

The invention relates to a circuit breaker (100) comprising a molded base (200) comprising: at least one housing (220) of a thermomagnetic assembly (600) comprising at least one terminal housing (201), a plurality of tongue housings (202), a plurality of first rear tongue housings (203) and a plurality of second rear tongue housings (204). The invention also relates to a circuit breaker (100) comprising a molded base (200) comprising: at least one arc extinguish chamber (230) housing comprising at least one terminal housing (244), at least one pair of tongue housings (245), a first rear tongue housing (247) and a second rear tongue housing (246).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of circuit breakers having arc extinguishing or arc preventing devices. The present invention also relates to the field of circuit breaker terminals.

[0002] The present invention relates to a circuit breaker, and more particularly to a circuit breaker that generally has a front side (associated with a thermal-magnetic assembly) and a rear side (opposite to the first side, generally associated with gas arc extinguishing and an outlet chamber), the circuit breaker comprising: at least one fixed terminal including an upper tongue and a rear tongue; a molded cover including a fixed rod; and a molded base including a housing, wherein the set of elements simultaneously prevents rotation and translation of the terminal, giving the terminal sufficient mechanical resistance and position resistance to withstand the screwing torque and pulling force of a conductor (such as a wire or a rod) connected to the terminal. Background Art

[0003] As is well known to those skilled in the art, molded case circuit breakers can operate based on thermal, magnetic, thermal-magnetic or even electronic principles by the movement of electrical contacts, and most importantly can be used to protect a circuit from short circuits and / or electrical overloads caused by a current level exceeding the nominal limit previously established by connecting to a power supply circuit to be protected through input and output terminals.

[0004] Therefore, it can be seen that the working principle of a circuit breaker is basically similar to that of an electrical switch, that is, their working principle is to change the conductive state of a circuit between the "on" state and the "off" state. In addition to automatic actuation, traditional circuit breakers also include an operating handle that can be operated by a user. In such a molded case structure, the current-carrying capacity generally supports relatively high values, such as 30A to 1600A or higher.

[0005] This type of electrical equipment requires the user to perform manual installation steps in order to be able to use the circuit breaker in a circuit. Therefore, a solution that can optimize and facilitate the assembly of these circuit breakers will not only be able to prevent accidents and damages that occur during such operations performed by the user, but also be able to optimize the time and cost required for installing the circuit breaker.

[0006] Solutions known in the prior art for circuit breakers of the type discussed here can be verified in prior art documents, such as the European document EP 2863410 named "Circuit Breaker Tripping Device", which proposes a tripping device for a circuit breaker, comprising a first terminal connected to the power supply side, a second terminal connected to the load side, and a bimetallic element with one side connected to the first terminal and the other side connected to the second terminal so that current can flow through, wherein the bimetallic element is in surface contact with at least one of the first terminal and the second terminal, and an arc-resistant element is inserted between them.

[0007] Although EP 2863410 proposes that a circuit breaker includes a tripping device having two terminals and a bimetallic element located between the two terminals, it does not propose any type of surface tongue for clamping these terminals, or even an internal structure on the cover that presses these terminals to prevent the rotation and translation of the terminals simultaneously without using screws or pressing elements or other fixing elements. Therefore, such a structure makes it more difficult to stabilize the terminals, and in addition increases the resistance to torque and reduces the maximum pulling force of the assembly. For example, when a wire or rod is fixed to the terminals and when they are already connected and subjected to various forces.

[0008] Other solutions, such as document US 6448876, entitled "Load Terminal with Conductive Shank Used in a Circuit Breaker", for example, relate to a load conductor used with a circuit breaker, including a load terminal and a conductive shank that are engaged with each other. The load terminal is made of a first material having a first conductivity, and the shank is made of a second material having a second conductivity. The first conductivity of the first material causes the load terminal to remain at a high temperature during the operation of the circuit breaker to prevent interference with the function of the bimetallic strip assembled on the load terminal. The shank extends through a bend formed at the load terminal to prevent the bend from heating up during the operation of the circuit breaker.

[0009] Similar to other known solutions, although document US 6448876 proposes a circuit breaker terminal having an arm that slides through an opening in the inner wall of the circuit breaker base, it does not propose a molded cover having a lower rod that presses these arms, or even a system that includes a bimetallic element in the terminal. Therefore, when connecting a wire, such a structure not only reduces the maximum pulling force of the assembly, but also cannot ensure the stability of the terminal. In addition, such a structure cannot prevent the unnecessary rotation and translation of the internal terminal without using screws or pressing elements or other clamping elements.

[0010] Therefore, the prior art does not provide a robust, simple, and low-cost solution for a connection terminal clamping system that can be firmly fixed to a circuit breaker without using screws or pressing and can prevent the accidental rotation and translation of the terminal without using screws or other clamping elements.

[0011] Therefore, there is room for improvement in the circuit breaker in the following aspects:

[0012] a) Prevent the accidental rotation of the internal terminal in a simple manner with low implementation cost and low material consumption;

[0013] b) Do not use screws, reinforcing washers, rivets, and equivalent clamping elements that specifically clamp the terminal within the molded base; and

[0014] c) Allow the rotation and translational locking of the terminal by means of at least a pair of upper and rear tongues of the terminal. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] One object of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker according to the features of claim 1 in the appended claims.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker according to the features of claim 2 in the appended claims.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to achieve a high resistance to the pulling out of the terminal from the terminal block when the terminal is connected to the wire.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to enhance the stability of the wire fixed to the fixed terminal of the circuit breaker.

[0019] Another object of the present invention is to reduce the deformation of the wall adjacent to the fixed terminal during the pull-out test based on the IEC 60947-1 standard.

[0020] Additional features and their details are given in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] For a better understanding and visualization of the object of the present invention, the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, which show the technical effects obtained by way of example embodiments without limiting the scope of the present invention, wherein:

[0022] Figure 1 : Perspective view of a circuit breaker of a stable system including at least one terminal according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 : According to the present invention Figure 1 Perspective view of the circuit breaker shown, shown open and without a molded cover;

[0024] Figure 3 : According to the present invention Figure 1 Cross-sectional side view of the circuit breaker shown;

[0025] Figure 4 : According to the present invention Figure 1 Exploded view of the upper perspective assembly of the circuit breaker according to the present invention, highlighting the terminal stability system;

[0026] Figure 5 : According to the present invention Figure 1 Upper perspective view of the circuit breaker according to the present invention, highlighting the terminal stability system in the final position;

[0027] Figure 6 : According to the present invention Figure 1Exploded perspective view of the circuit breaker, highlighting the final assembly position of the conductor terminals;

[0028] Figure 7 : Upper perspective view of the fixed terminal according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 : According to the present invention Figure 7 Lower perspective view of the fixed terminal;

[0030] Figure 9 : Rear perspective view of the assembled thermal-magnetic component including the fixed terminal according to the present invention;

[0031] Figure 10 : Front perspective view of the terminal assembly including the fixed terminal according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 11 : Upper perspective view of the molded base according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 12 : Figure 1 Exploded rear perspective view of the circuit breaker shown in the open state;

[0034] Figure 13 : Showing Figure 1 Rear perspective view of the circuit breaker shown in the closed state without the cover;

[0035] Figure 14 : Front upper perspective view of the fixed terminal according to the present invention, showing the central hole;

[0036] Figure 15 : Front lower perspective view of the fixed terminal according to the present invention, showing the central hole;

[0037] Figure 16 : Front upper partial perspective view of the molded base according to the present invention; and

[0038] Figure 17 : Partial top view of the rear side of the molded base according to the present invention. Detailed Description

[0039] Figure 1 Shows a front upper perspective view of the circuit breaker 100, including a molded base 200, an operating mechanism 300, at least one fixed terminal 800, a molded cover 400, a housing fixing device 403, and a cap 500.

[0040] Figure 2 Shows Figure 1Front perspective view of circuit breaker 100, shown open, without molded cover 400 or cap 500, showing at least one housing 220 of a thermomagnetic assembly 600 including at least one fixed terminal 800 inside the circuit breaker, at least one arc chute 230, an operating mechanism 300, a lateral trip bar 635, a handle 388, a movable contact 631, and a conductor fastener 601. The housings of the thermomagnetic assembly are preferably three and are equally spaced apart from each other. Among them, the handle 388 of the circuit breaker 100 can translate relative to the molded cover 400 to change the conductive state of the circuit between the "ON" state and the "OFF" state, or present another operating state, such as "tripped".

[0041] Figure 3 Shows Figure 1 Longitudinal cross-sectional side view of circuit breaker 100, showing a part of the main internal components of circuit breaker 100. More precisely, Figure 3 Shows the molded base 200, the molded cover 400, the cap 500, the magnetic actuator 221, the thermomagnetic assembly 600 including a ferromagnetic core 602, at least one conductor fixing member 601, a fixed contact 630 including an electrical connection terminal 632, a contact system 634 including at least one movable contact 631, a movable contact arm 636, and a spring 633, a lateral trip bar 635, and an arc extinguishing plate 650. Figure 3 Shows the circuit breaker in the "OFF" state, that is, the fixed contact 630 and the movable contact 631 are separated from each other. In addition, Figure 3 Shows that the thermomagnetic assembly 600 and its ferromagnetic core 602 are assembled inside the circuit breaker 100 and connected to the corresponding conductor fixing member 601.

[0042] Figure 4 Shows Figure 1 Front exploded perspective view of circuit breaker 100, shown open, the molded base 200 includes holes 210, the molded cover 400 and a plurality of holes 410, 411, 412, highlighting a stabilizing system of at least one fixed terminal 800 formed between the molded base 200 and the molded cover 400, including: at least one terminal housing 201, a tongue housing 202 in the molded base 200, the molded cover 400 includes at least a pair of lower rods 402, the fixed terminal 800 (shown in detail in Figure 7 and Figure 8 includes a central hole 801 and at least one upper tongue 802. In addition to the rotation axes RX, RY, RZ, the X, Y, Z (linear) degrees of freedom axes are also shown.

[0043] Figure 5 Shows Figure 1 Front perspective view of the circuit breaker 100 shown, closed, without the cap 500, showing the molded cover 400 assembled on the molded base 200. Figure 5Also shown are the holes 410, 412 of the molded cover 400, the fixed terminals 800 and their respective central holes 801, with the fixed terminals positioned on the surface of the terminal housing 201 of the molded base 200 (see Figure 4 ), pressed on the side by a pair of lower rods 402 and on the rear by the wall 401 of the molded cover 400.

[0044] Figure 6 Shown is Figure 1 an enlarged partial perspective view of the circuit breaker 100 in the closed state, showing the molded cover 400 assembled on the molded base 200 and the conductor fixture 601 clamped on the fixed terminal 800. Also observable in Figure 6 is that in addition to including the retaining side wall 206, the molded base 200 also includes a locking chamfer 205 that can be fitted into the opposing surface 806 of the fixed terminal 800.

[0045] Figure 7 Shown is a front upper perspective view of the fixed terminal 800, showing the central hole 801, the upper tongue 802 of the surface 808, and the first rear tongue 803, the second rear tongue 804, and the lower hole 805 included in the second rear tongue 804. Preferably, one face 807 of the second rear tongue 804 is preferably oriented and positioned perpendicular to the upper surface 808 of the fixed terminal 800. It can be observed that the second rear tongue 804 also includes a rough area around the lower hole 805.

[0046] Figure 8 Shown is Figure 7 a front lower perspective view of the fixed terminal 800, showing the central hole 801, the upper tongue 802, the first tongue 803 includes a width L1, the second rear tongue 804 includes a width L2, the lower hole 805 is spaced apart from the lower part of the first rear tongue 804 by a distance d3, and the first tongue 803 and the second rear tongue 804 are spaced apart from each other by a distance d2. Also shown is the first indentation distance d1, where the smaller faces (sides) are also preferably parallel and spaced apart, with a second distance d2 therebetween.

[0047] Figure 9 Shown is a front perspective view of the assembled thermomagnetic assembly 600, including a bimetallic element 700 (which includes a thermally adjustable actuator 721), a heating resistor 710, two clamping devices 740 (preferably rivets), a connecting device (specifically a cable support 750), a tongue support 730 that includes a hole 731 and receives a tongue 222 (see Figure 10 ), a magnetic core 732 preferably fixed in the deformation area 733, and a magnetic actuator 221 of the armature 223. In addition, it also includes a fixed terminal 800 that includes a central hole 801, an upper tongue 802 of the surface 808, a first tongue 803, and a second rear tongue 804.

[0048] Figure 10 Shows a rear perspective view of the assembled thermomagnetic component 600, which includes a bimetallic element 700 (which includes a thermally adjustable actuator 721), two support ends 701, a cable support 750, a heating resistor 710, a magnetic core 732, a tongue support 730 for the magnetic core 732 (the tongue support 730 includes holes 731 in each of its tongues for receiving the support tongues 222 of the actuator 221 of the armature 223), at least two clamping devices 740, and also includes a fixed terminal 800, which in addition to the upper tongue 802 including the surface 808 also includes a visible second rear tongue 804 and a central hole 801.

[0049] Figure 11 Shows a front upper partial perspective view of the molded base 200, showing at least two holes 210, at least two holes 212, spaces provided as at least two housings of the terminal housing 201, the tongue housing 202, at least two tongue housings 203 of the first tongue 803, and the second rear tongue 204.

[0050] Figure 12 Shows Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of the circuit breaker 100, shown open, showing that the molded base 200 includes holes 210, the molded cover 400 and multiple holes 410, 411, 412, highlighting a stabilizing system for at least one fixed terminal 632 formed between the molded base 200 and the molded cover 400, including: at least one terminal housing 244, a tongue housing 245 in the molded base 200, the molded cover 400 includes at least a pair of lower rods 422, and the fixed terminal 632 (as Figure 14 And Figure 15 Shown in detail) includes a central hole 637 and at least a pair of upper tongues 638.

[0051] Figure 13 Shows Figure 1 A rear perspective view of the circuit breaker 100 shown, closed, without the cap 500, showing the molded cover 400 assembled on the molded base 200. Figure 13 Also shows the holes 410, 412 of the molded cover 400, at least one fixed terminal 632 includes a central hole 637 for screwing the conductor fixing member 601 (also see Figure 3 ) The at least one fixed terminal 632 is positioned on the surface of the housing 244 of the molded base 200 (see Figure 12 ), its tongue 638 (see Figure 13 And Figure 14 ) Is pressed by a pair of lower rods 422, and its rear part is preferably pressed by the wall 423 of the molded cover 400 (including at least one gas outlet hole 424) or by other closing elements (such as the arc extinguishing chamber housing, not shown).

[0052] Figure 14 Shows a front upper perspective view of the fixed terminal 632, showing the central hole 637, the upper tongue piece 638 of the upper surface 639, and the first rear tongue piece 640 and the second rear tongue piece 641 (best seen Figure 15 ). Preferably, one surface 642 of the first rear tongue piece 640 and one surface 643 of the second rear tongue piece 641 are preferably constructed to have an orientation perpendicular to the upper surface 639 of the fixed terminal 632. Figure 14 Also shown is that the fixed terminal 632 has a second conductive end 644, which is connected to the support folding portion 645 of the fixed contact 630 for the fixed terminal 632.

[0053] Figure 15 Shows a front lower perspective view of the fixed terminal 632, showing the central hole 637 including the structure 646, the upper tongue piece 638, and the first rear tongue piece 640 and the second rear tongue piece 641 that are generally parallel to each other and spaced apart and are connected to the upper surface 639 by a wall 647 that is generally perpendicular to the upper surface 639. Figure 15 Also shown is connected to Figure 14 the second conductive end 644 of the support folding portion 645 of the fixed contact 630 shown in. The first rear tongue piece 640 and the second rear tongue piece 641 include a length C3 and a width L3.

[0054] Figure 16 Shows a front upper partial perspective view of the molded base 200, showing the hole 210, at least two holes 212, the terminal housing 244, the tongue housing 245, at least one housing 246 of the first rear tongue piece 640, and at least one housing 247 of the second rear tongue piece 641 (best seen Figure 17 ).

[0055] Figure 17 Shows a partial top view of the rear side of the molded base 200, showing the hole 210, at least two holes 212, the fixed terminal 632, the tongue housing 245 that receives the assembled upper tongue piece 638, and at least one housing 246 of the first rear tongue piece 640 and at least one housing 247 of the second rear tongue piece 641 that are separated from each other and preferably parallel.

[0056] The low-voltage molded case circuit breaker 100 according to the present invention includes a molded base 200, at least one operating mechanism 300, a molded cover 400, a plurality of fixed terminals 800, 632, and optionally at least one cap 500 disposed above the molded cover 400.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment, the molded base 200 includes a plurality of holes 210, a plurality of holes 212, a plurality of housings 220 of the thermomagnetic assembly 600, at least one arc extinguishing chamber 230, a plurality of terminal housings 201, a plurality of tongue housings 202, a plurality of tongue housings 203 for receiving the first tongue 803 of the fixed terminal 800 located in front of the circuit breaker 100, and a plurality of tongue housings 204 for receiving the second rear tongue 804. In an alternative embodiment, the molded base 200 further includes a space provided as at least one housing 246 for the terminal housing 244, the tongue housing 245, the first rear tongue 640, and at least one housing 247 for the second rear tongue 641, located at the rear of the circuit breaker 100.

[0058] The through holes 412 are adapted to receive one or more types of housing fixing devices 403, such as screws, rivets, etc., which pass through the holes 212 of the molded cover 400 and the molded base 200 for fixing the circuit breaker 100 to, for example, a panel or a DIN rail. The holes 410 are through holes for receiving one or more types of clamping devices, such as screws 403, rivets, etc., which pass through the molded cover 400 and are fixed in the holes 210 of the molded base 200 to keep the two elements connected together when the circuit breaker 100 is closed.

[0059] The housing 220 of the thermomagnetic assembly 600 is a chamber provided within the molded base 200, located in the pole region of the current interruption path as seen in the "XY" cross-section ( Figure 3 ) of the circuit breaker 100. The current interruption path pole region preferably has 3 poles, and each pole receives a thermomagnetic assembly 600, which preferably includes a tripping magnetic actuator 221 and a tripping thermally adjustable actuator 721.

[0060] The magnetic driver 221 or the tripping thermally adjustable actuator 721 of the movable core has the function of regulating the actuation process of the thermomagnetic assembly 600 located on the front side of the circuit breaker 100, so as to actuate the lateral tripping lever 635 in the operating mechanism 300 and open the circuit breaker 100.

[0061] The arc extinguishing chamber 230 is a chamber arranged in the inlet region inside the rear side of the molded base 200 and separated from the region of the housing 220 of the thermomagnetic assembly 600. The arc extinguishing chamber 230 receives the movable contact 631 and the fixed contact 630 from the contact system 634.

[0062] The terminal housing 201 is a housing located on the front side of the circuit breaker 100, corresponding in shape and size to the fixed terminal 800 to allow the terminal housing 201 to receive and accommodate the fixed terminal 800. Similarly, the terminal housing 244 is a housing located on the rear side of the circuit breaker 100, corresponding in shape and size to the fixed terminal 632 to allow the terminal housing 244 to receive and accommodate the fixed terminal 632.

[0063] The tongue piece housings 202, 245 are vertical cavities with open upper ends, arranged in the terminal housings 201, 244 of the molded base 200, and the depth corresponds at least to the thickness of the upper tongue pieces 802, 638 of the surfaces 808, 639. Among them, the tongue piece housings 202, 245 serve as guide rails to allow the fixed terminals 800, 632 to move vertically therethrough, while preventing unnecessary rotation of the fixed terminals 800, 632 when the screwing torque of the conductor fixing member 601 is applied to the fixed terminals 800, 632 for a conductor (wire or rod, not shown) of the circuit to which the circuit breaker 100 is to be received. In addition, the tongue piece housings 202, 245 are preferably arranged in pairs on the opposite side faces of each terminal housing 201, 244.

[0064] The first tongue piece housings 203, 246 are vertical cavities located inside the molded base 200 with open upper parts, for receiving and accommodating the first rear tongue pieces 803, 640 of the fixed terminals 800, 632. Preferably, there is at least one first tongue piece housing 203, 246 corresponding to each fixed terminal 800, 632.

[0065] Each of the first tongue piece housings 203, 246 must correspond to each of the first rear tongue pieces 803, 640 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 in terms of size, shape, quantity, and positioning.

[0066] The second rear tongue piece housings 204, 247 are vertical cavities located inside the molded base 200 with open upper parts, for receiving and accommodating the second rear tongue pieces 804, 641 of the fixed terminals 800, 632. Preferably, there is at least one second rear tongue piece housing 204, 247 corresponding to each fixed terminal 800, 632.

[0067] Each of the second rear tongue piece housings 204, 247 must correspond to each of the second tongue pieces 804, 641 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 in terms of size, shape, quantity, and positioning.

[0068] The operating mechanism 300 is a single-pole, double-pole, triple-pole, quadruple-pole electric trigger mechanism, etc., including known and commonly used elements in the prior art, such as: a plurality of side plates arranged on opposite sides. The handle mechanism 388, located in the upper region, is responsible for the internal manual movement of the components of the operating mechanism 300; has a plurality of positioning engagement parts; at least one contact spring; at least one positioning shaft; at least one positioning hole; at least one return spring; at least one return shaft; and at least one return hole for accommodating the return shaft and the return spring, which are all known to those skilled in the art. In addition, the operating mechanism 300 further includes at least one spring 633, a contact system 634, and at least one handle 388, which interact with each other to operate the opening and closing movement of the fixed contact 630 and the movable contact 631.

[0069] The handle 388 is a switch that can be manually switched freely between the closed, open, or on positions by the user applying an external driving force after tripping due to a fault. Preferably, if there is only one handle 388, the handle is typically centered relative to the molded cover 400 and / or relative to the cap 500 of the circuit breaker 100. If there are more than two handles 388, they are preferably arranged side by side at the center relative to the molded cover 400 and / or relative to the cap 500 of the circuit breaker 100, and they can also be connected to each other.

[0070] The molded cover 400 is sized to correspond to the molded base 200 so as to be able to produce a corresponding fit with each other, thereby sealing and protecting the interior of the circuit breaker 100. Among them, the molded cover 400 includes at least one through hole 410 for receiving one or more fixing devices 403, at least one through hole 411 for the handle 388, at least two through holes 412, and at least a pair of lower rods 402.

[0071] The lower rod 402 is a vertical protrusion of the molded cover 400, preferably protruding vertically from the lower surface of the molded cover 400 to be inserted into the tongue housing 242. In addition, when the molded cover 400 is positioned on the molded base 200, each lower rod 402 slides and is received in the corresponding tongue housings 202, 245, and can preferably slide freely along the entire path of the corresponding lower rod 402. While in its final position, they enhance the assembly by providing a rotational lock of the molded cover 400 relative to the molded base 200, and at the same time provide a rotational lock for the fixed terminals 800, 638, thereby locking the upper tongues 802, 638.

[0072] Preferably, the lower rod 402 is polygonal, and its length is equal to the height of the tongue housings 202, 245 minus the thickness of the fixed terminals 800, 632, so that each lower rod 404 is held within the corresponding tongue housings 202, 245, contacts the corresponding upper tongues 802, 638, and keeps pressing the corresponding upper tongues 802, 638. It should be noted that each lower rod 402 corresponds to its corresponding tongue housings 202, 245 in terms of quantity, shape, size, and positioning.

[0073] Optionally, the circuit breaker 100 may not include the cap 500, so that the circuit breaker 100 is closed only by clamping the molded cover 400 to the molded base 200.

[0074] The circuit breaker 100 further includes at least one thermomagnetic component 600, at least one fixed contact 630, at least one movable contact 631, at least one electrical connection terminal 632, at least one spring 633, at least one contact system 634, at least one lateral trip bar 635, at least one conductor fixing member 601, and a plurality of arc extinguishing plates 650.

[0075] Each thermomagnetic component 600 includes at least one bimetallic element 700, a heating resistor 710, at least one tongue support 730, fixed terminals 800, a thermally adjustable actuator 721, a magnetic actuator 221, and a clamping device 740.

[0076] The movable contact 631 is moved via a contact system 634 to close or open the movable contact 631 relative to the fixed contact 630. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the arc quenching chamber 230 includes arc quenching plates 650, whose common purpose is to prevent damage to the equipment caused by the arc formed during a sudden interruption of the circuit during a fault event, especially when the current is high, as occurs in a short circuit; and the operating mechanism 300 of the circuit breaker 100 is actuated by the thermomagnetic component 600 acting on the lateral release lever 635 communicating with the operating mechanism 300 to open the movable contacts 630, 631, cut off the circuit breaker 100 and protect the circuit connected thereto.

[0077] The contacts 630, 631 are internal switching elements whose purpose is (i) to allow electric energy to pass through when they are in contact with each other; or (ii) to interrupt the passage of electric energy when they are not in contact with each other.

[0078] In both cases, each fixed contact 630 remains fixed to the terminal 632 and receives a movable or permanent conductor fixing member 601 that fixes a conductor of the circuit to the circuit breaker 100.

[0079] Further, in case of a fault, especially overload or short circuit, the contacts 630, 631 are designed to disconnect from the thermal interaction of the bimetallic element 700, which bends due to the excessive current in the system and the difference in thermal expansion between two different materials, and the bimetallic element 700 is pushed by the thermally adjustable actuator 721 or even by the magnetic actuator 221, displaced by the instantaneous large current circulating through the magnetic core 732, which is also connected to the heating resistor 710 and the bimetallic element 700, and the magnetic core attracts the armature 223 connected to the magnetic actuator 221, thereby pushing the lateral release lever 635, which acts on the operating mechanism 300 and disconnects the circuit breaker 100, resulting in the separation of the contacts 630, 631 and the interruption of the circuit.

[0080] By receiving the fixed terminal 800 of the conductor fixture 601, the circuit breaker 100 protects the circuit by including at least one current interruption path on the front side. The fixed terminal 800 is included in the thermomagnetic assembly 600, and the thermomagnetic assembly can preferably be electrically connected to a cable (not shown) or other optional connection devices. The contact system 634 includes at least one movable contact 631 and a spring 633. The fixed contact 630 is included in the electrical connection terminal 632 on the opposite side behind the connected circuit breaker 100. The power supply and / or load are completed by either connection side, and the circuit breaker 100 is located therebetween to protect the circuit.

[0081] The spring 633 is located inside the contact system 634 and functions to hold the operating mechanism 300 in the "closed" or standby position defined by the drive handle 388 until a fault trip occurs from the thermomagnetic assembly 600 and the spring 633 is released. Otherwise, from the "open" or released position, when the handle 388 is switched to the "on" position to re-engage the operating mechanism (not shown) to the "closed" or standby position of the circuit breaker 100, the spring 633 will be tensioned to be ready to protect the circuit in a new fault event.

[0082] The conductor fixture 601 is preferably a movable fixing device, such as a screw, arranged at the end of the circuit breaker 100 for the purpose of fixing the conductors of the power grid to the circuit breaker 100 respectively.

[0083] The arc extinguishing plates 650 are known in the prior art and are stacked and separated from each other in each arc extinguishing chamber 230 respectively. More precisely, each arc extinguishing chamber 230 is located around each contact 630, 631 respectively to attract and prevent the propagation of the electric sparks formed during the transition of the circuit breaker 100 from the "open position" to the "closed position" and vice versa.

[0084] The bimetallic element 700 preferably includes a plurality of support ends 701 and a thermally adjustable actuator 721. In addition, the bimetallic element 700 allows current to pass through the fixed terminal 800 and through the bimetallic element 700, and then preferably conducts through a cable (not shown) or other conductors to the movable contact arm 636 of the contact system 634 of the circuit breaker 100.

[0085] The ends of the bimetallic element 701 are preferably arranged in pairs and in a bifurcated configuration, including at least one clamping through hole (not shown) at the ends to receive the clamping device 740.

[0086] The heating resistor 710 preferably includes a bifurcated shape and holes (not shown) at the ends for fixing it to the bimetallic element 700, and actuates at least one corresponding magnetic actuator 221 through the armature 223. The armature is sensitized by the current induced by the circulating current in the mutually connected bimetallic element 700 and the heating resistor 710 of the thermomagnetic assembly 600, so as to actuate the operating mechanism 300 of the circuit breaker 100.

[0087] Preferably, one of the through holes (not shown) for clamping the ends 701 of the heating resistor 710 and the bimetallic element 700 is used to clamp them to the fixed terminal 800, and the other is used to clamp the cable support 750 (not shown) or other conductive devices that can be welded thereto.

[0088] The bimetallic element 700 is known in the prior art and includes more than two metal elements with different properties from each other. When temperature and / or excessive current are applied to the system, the bimetallic element 700 bends due to thermal expansion and pushes the bimetallic element 700 through the thermally adjustable actuator 721, thereby pushing the lateral trip bar 635 and disconnecting the circuit breaker 100, resulting in the interruption of the circuit.

[0089] The central holes 801, 637 can protrude beyond the lower bottom of the fixed terminal 800 and contain lower structures 809, 646 to receive the conductor fixing member 601, thus facilitating assembly. Preferably, the central hole 801 is a threaded hole.

[0090] The upper tongues 802, 638 are preferably tongues located on the surface 808 in the central region of the fixed terminals 800, 632. The edges preferably have a rounded shape and a thickness equal to that of the fixed terminals 800, 632. In addition, the upper tongue 802 has a shape and size corresponding to the tongue housing 202 to allow the tongue housing 202 to receive the upper tongue 802 and allow the upper tongue to pass freely.

[0091] In addition, while being held within the tongue housing 202, the upper tongue 802 of the fixed terminal 800 is squeezed by the lower rod 402 and optionally pressed by the wall 401 of the molded cover 400. Therefore, the upper tongue 802 is held within the tongue housing 202 while being pressed downward by the lower rod 402 and the wall 401, contacts the fixed terminal 800, and ensures the prevention of the rotation of the fixed terminal through the upper tongue and the prevention of the vertical translation of the fixed terminal through the lower rod 402 and the wall 401, while the molded base 200 and the molded cover 400 remain positioned and pressed tightly against each other. It should be noted that the molded cover 400 includes walls 401, 423 that contact the surface 808 of the fixed terminal 800.

[0092] Preferably, the first tongues 803, 640 include first lengths c1, c3 and first widths L1, L3, and are the shortest tongues of the fixed terminal 800, which then project to the edges of the surfaces 808, 639 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 and project in a direction preferably perpendicular to the lower region of the fixed terminal 800, wherein the first tongues 803, 640 are preferably polygonal.

[0093] In addition, the first tongue 803 is received in the tongue housing 203 of the molded base 200, and the tongue housing 203 serves as a guide for the fixed terminal 800 when assembling the fixed terminal into the molded base 200, in addition to helping to prevent the fixed terminal 800 from rotating when applying a screwing torque to the conductor fixture 601 in contact with the fixed terminal 800.

[0094] Preferably, the second rear tongue 804 includes a second length c2 and a second width L2, and is the longest wing of the fixed terminal 800. Like the first tongue 803, it then projects to the edge of the surface 808 of the fixed terminal 800 and projects in a direction preferably perpendicular to the surface 808 of the fixed terminal 800. The second rear tongue 804 is preferably polygonal and has a rough portion around the lower hole 805, which helps to fix the clamping devices 740 for the bimetal element 700 and the heating resistor 710 on both sides of the thickness.

[0095] In addition, the end of the second rear tongue 804 is received in the second rear tongue housing 204 of the molded base 200. The second rear tongue housing 204 serves as a guide for the fixed terminal 800 when assembling the fixed terminal into the molded base, in addition to preventing the fixed terminal 800 from rotating when applying the screwing torque of the conductor fixture 601 to the fixed terminal 800. In addition, it makes it difficult to pull out the fixed terminal because both the first rear tongue 803 and the second rear tongue 804 are constructed in a direction preferably perpendicular to the surface 808 of the fixed terminal 800. Therefore, in the case of pulling a conductor (not shown) along the current path direction of the circuit breaker 100, the tongue housings 203, 204 of the molded base 200 serve as a vertical obstacle to pulling out the inserted tongues 803, 804.

[0096] Preferably, the second length c2 of the second rear tongue 804 is 2 to 5 times, preferably at least 3 times, the first length c1 of the first tongue 803.

[0097] Preferably, the first rear tongue piece 803 and the second rear tongue piece 804 are parallel to each other and are arranged perpendicular to the surface 808 of the fixed terminal 800. Their larger faces are preferably parallel to each other and form a first indentation distance d1 therebetween, and the first indentation distance corresponds to a value between 0.2 times and 1 time of the first length c1, preferably between 0.5 times and 0.9 times. Considering that the widths L1 and L2 are equal to each other, their smaller faces are also preferably parallel and spaced apart from each other by a second distance d2, and the second distance corresponds to a value between 0.1 times and 2 times of the first width L1 or the second width L2, preferably 1 time. The purpose of the indentation distance d1 is to create space for the positioning of the support 730 of the tongue piece 222 of the armature 223 in the deformation region 733. Preferably, the faces of the tongue pieces 640 and 641 are parallel, and are spaced apart from each other and form a distance d3, and the distance corresponds to a value between 0.5 and 0.9 times of the total width of the fixed terminal 632.

[0098] The lower through hole 805 included in the second rear tongue piece 804 is located at the distance d3, and the distance is preferably between 0.25 times and 0.5 times of the second length c2 of the second rear tongue piece 804, and receives one of the clamping devices 740.

[0099] The clamping device 740 is arranged at the two support ends 701 of the bimetallic element 700, the two ends of the heating resistor 710, and the second rear tongue piece 804 of the fixed terminal 800, and is used to hold the bimetallic element 700 and the heating resistor 710 attached to the fixed terminal 800.

[0100] It should be noted that the fixed terminal 800 includes components such as the upper tongue piece 802, the first tongue piece 803, and the second rear tongue piece 804. Together with the lower rod 402 of the molded cover 400, the tongue piece housing 202 of the molded base 200, at least one first tongue piece housing 203, and at least one second rear tongue piece housing 204, when the screwing torque of the conductor fixing member 601 is applied to the fixed terminal 800 to clamp the conductor of the circuit to be received by the circuit breaker 100, the rotation and translation of the fixed terminal 800 are simultaneously prevented. In addition, after fixation, the stability system provides increased resistance to the accidental pulling out of the wire attached to the terminal 800 of the circuit breaker 100.

[0101] More specifically, in order to prevent the fixed terminal 800 from rotating or translating during the application of the screwing torque of the conductor fixing member 601, one or more upper tongue pieces 802 must be received in the corresponding tongue piece housing 202 and be pressed by the lower rod 402 of the molded cover 400; the first tongue piece 803 must be received in the first tongue piece housing 203; and the second rear tongue piece 804 must be received in the second rear tongue piece housing 204 of the circuit breaker 100.

[0102] In an alternative embodiment, a stabilization system for at least one fixed terminal 632 formed between a molded base 200 and a molded cover 400 is implemented at the rear side of the circuit breaker 100 where the gas outlet hole 424 of the arc extinguishing chamber 230 can be observed. The molded base 200 includes at least one terminal housing 244 and a tongue housing 245, and the molded cover 400 includes at least a pair of lower rods 422. The fixed terminal 632 includes an upper tongue 638 on the upper surface 639, a central hole 637, and at least a pair of upper tongues 638. In addition, it further includes a first rear tongue 640 and a second rear tongue 641; and a second conductive end 644 connected to a support folding portion 645 for fixing the contact 630. The surface 642 of the first rear tongue 640 and the surface 643 of the second rear tongue 641 are preferably constructed perpendicular to the upper surface 639 of the fixed terminal 632 and are inserted adjacent to the arc extinguishing chamber 230.

[0103] The result obtained is locking on all the "X", "Y", "Z" linear axes in addition to locking on the "RX", "RY", "RZ" rotation axes. The advantage of locking up to 6 degrees-of-freedom axes is obtained:

[0104] On the "X" axis, an obstruction formed in the assembly by fitting the upper tongue 802 of the surface 808 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 into the tongue housing 202 of the molded base 200;

[0105] On the "Y" axis, an obstruction formed in the assembly by placing at least one fixed terminal 800, 632 in the terminal housing 201 of the base 200 and a retaining side wall 206 for retaining relative to the edge of the surface 808 of the fixed terminal 800, 632;

[0106] On the "Z" axis, an obstruction formed in the assembly by placing the fixed terminal 800, 632 on the base of at least one terminal housing 201 of the molded base 200, pressing or contacting the surface 808 of the fixed terminal 800, 632 by the lower rod 402 of the molded cover 400, and clamping the circuit breaker 100 assisted by a housing clamping device 403 passing through the hole 212 of the molded cover 400 and the molded base 200;

[0107] On the "RX" axis, an obstruction formed in the assembly by fitting the upper tongue 802 of the surface 808 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 into the tongue housing 202 of the molded base 200 and positioning by at least a pair of lower rods 402 of the molded cover 400, and clamping the circuit breaker 100 assisted by a housing clamping device 403 passing through the hole 212 of the molded cover 400 and the molded base 200;

[0108] On the "RY" axis, an obstruction formed in the assembly by disposing at least one fixed terminal 800, 632 in the terminal housing 201 of the molded base 200, upper tongues 802, 638 on the surface 808 of the fixed terminals 800, 632, and first and second rear tongues 803, 804, 640, 641 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 that are arranged perpendicular to the surfaces 808, 639 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 and are respectively assembled into the first tongue housing 203, 246 and the second rear tongue housing 204, 247;

[0109] On the "RZ" axis, an obstruction formed in the assembly by disposing the fixed terminals 800, 632 on the base of at least one of the terminal housings 201, 245 of the molded base 200, the first and second rear tongues 803, 804, 640, 641 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 that are arranged perpendicular to the surface 808 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 and are respectively assembled in the first tongue housing 203, 246 and the second rear tongue housing 204, 247, and the tongues 803, 804, 640, 641 and the housings 201, 245 of the fixed terminals 800, 632 of the circuit breaker 100 being spaced apart from each other (preferably parallel to each other), to pass through the obstruction formed in the assembly.

[0110] It should be noted that the number of elements such as the arc extinguishing chamber 230, the terminal housing 201, the movable contact 631, the electrical connection terminal 632, the spring 633, the contact system 634, the conductor fixing member 601, and the thermomagnetic assembly 600 directly depends on the number of current paths or poles present in the circuit breaker 100.

[0111] Obviously, the number of poles of the circuit breaker 100 can vary depending on the selected model. Preferably, the circuit breaker 100 can be single-phase, two-phase, three-pole, or four-pole. In the exemplary case of the drawings, a three-phase circuit breaker 100 model is representatively shown. However, this representative example is only intended to illustrate a feasible exemplary configuration and does not limit the circuit breaker 100 to being only a three-phase circuit breaker.

[0112] As additional details, it should be mentioned that the terms "closed position" and "open position" are used to describe the circuit of the circuit breaker 100, where: the "closed position" represents a closed circuit that allows electrical energy to pass through the contacts 630, 631; and the "open position" represents an open circuit that does not allow electrical energy to pass through the contacts because the contacts are separated from each other in this position.

[0113] Final comment

[0114] The present invention describes a circuit breaker 100, which at least includes a molded base 200, an operating mechanism 300, a molded cover 400, and a cap 500. Among them, the upper tongue pieces 802, 638, the first rear tongue piece 803, 640, and the second rear tongue piece 804, 641 are respectively received in the tongue piece housing 202, 245, the first rear tongue piece housing 204, 247, and the second rear tongue piece housing 203, 246. Among them, the upper tongue piece 802 is pressed by the lower rod 402 of the molded cover 400 and optionally by the wall 401 to prevent the accidental rotation of the fixed terminals 800, 632 when the screwing torque of the conductor fixing member 601 is applied to the fixed terminals 800, 632 to fix the conductor of the electrical system that will receive the circuit breaker 100, or even to prevent the accidental pulling away of the fixed terminals 800, 632 due to the pulling of the conductor (not shown) of the circuit for which the circuit breaker 100 is arranged for protection. This protection has been proven on all possible starting axes "X", "Y", "Z", "RX", "RY", and "RZ".

[0115] Obviously, the relationships between the dimensions described in the present invention can vary according to the dimensions of the molded base 200, the operating mechanism 300, the molded cover 400, the fixed terminals 800, 632, the thermal-magnetic component 600, the arc extinguishing chamber 230, and the internal components of the circuit breaker 100. However, the said dimensions and their relationships are reproducible, and in addition to being efficient and effective, they significantly increase the mechanical resistance of the assembly of the fixed terminals 800, 632 between the molded base 200 and the molded cover 400 of the circuit breaker 100.

[0116] Conclusion

[0117] It can be concluded from the above description that the object according to the present invention goes beyond the solutions provided by the prior art and is an object that is completely easy to be industrially applied, having novelty and creativity.

Claims

1. A circuit breaker (100), comprising a molded base (200), a molded cover (400), a thermal magnetic assembly (600), an electrical connection terminal (632), and an operating mechanism (300), wherein the thermal magnetic assembly comprises at least one fixed terminal (800) electrically connected to at least one contact system (634), the contact system comprises at least one movable contact (631), the electrical connection terminal comprises a fixed contact (630), and the operating mechanism is used to close or open the movable contact (631) relative to the fixed contact (630), It is characterized in that The molded base (200) comprises: A housing (220) of at least one thermal magnetic assembly (600), comprising at least one terminal housing (201), a plurality of tongue housings (202), a plurality of first rear tongue housings (203), and a plurality of second rear tongue housings (204); The molded cover (400) includes a plurality of lower rods (402); and The fixed terminal (800) comprises: At least one pair of upper tongue pieces (802), a first rear tongue piece (803), and a second rear tongue piece (804); When the molded cover (400) is assembled on the molded base (200), for each fixed terminal (800): The at least one pair of upper tongues (802) are accommodated in at least one pair of tongue housings (202) and are pressed downward by the lower rod (402); At least one first rear tongue (803) is housed in a first rear tongue housing (203) of the molded base (200); and At least one second rear tongue (804) is housed in a second rear tongue housing (204) of the molded base (200).

2. A circuit breaker (100), comprising a molded base (200), a molded cover (400), a thermal magnetic assembly (600), an electrical connection terminal (632), and an operating mechanism (300), wherein the thermal magnetic assembly comprises at least one fixed terminal (800) electrically connected to at least one contact system (634), the contact system comprises at least one movable contact (631), the electrical connection terminal comprises a fixed contact (630), and the operating mechanism is used to close or open the movable contact (631) relative to the fixed contact (630), It is characterized in that The molded base (200) comprises: At least one arc extinguishing chamber (230) housing, comprising at least one terminal housing (244), at least one pair of tongue housings (245), at least one first rear tongue housing (247) and at least one second rear tongue housing (246); The molded cover (400) includes at least a pair of lower bars (402); and The fixed terminal (632) comprises: At least one pair of upper tongues (638), a first rear tongue (640), and a second rear tongue (641); When the molded cover (400) is assembled on the molded base (200), for each fixed terminal (632): The at least one pair of upper tongues (632) is accommodated in the tongue housing (245) and is pressed downward by at least one of the at least one pair of lower rods (402); The first rear tongue (640) is received in the first rear tongue housing (247) of the molded base (200); and The second rear tongue (641) is accommodated in the second rear tongue housing (246) of the molded base (200).

3. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The molded cover (400) includes walls (401, 423) that contact a surface (808) of the fixed terminal (800).

4. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The circuit breaker includes at least one cap (500) disposed on a molded cover (400).

5. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The circuit breaker includes a threaded center hole (801, 637), which protrudes beyond the bottom of the fixed terminal (800) and includes a lower structure (809, 646).

6. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper tongue piece (802, 638) is a tongue piece located in the central area of ​​the fixed terminal (800, 632), and has a thickness equal to that of the fixed terminal (800, 632).

7. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first tongue (803, 640) protrudes beyond the edge of the fixed terminal (800, 632) in a direction preferably perpendicular to the surface (808, 639) of the fixed terminal (800, 632), wherein the first tongue (803, 640) includes a first length (c1, c3) and a first width (L1, L3).

8. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The faces of the tongues (803, 804) are parallel and form a first setback distance (d1) between each other, which corresponds to a value between 0.2 and 1 times, preferably between 0.5 and 0.9 times, the first length (c1).

9. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The smaller faces of the tongues (803, 804) are also parallel and spaced apart from each other.

10. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that: The faces of the tongues (803, 804) have a second distance (d2) from each other, the second distance corresponding to a value between 0.1 and 2 times the first width (L1) and a value between 0.1 and 2 times the second width (L2).

11. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second rear tongue piece (804) protrudes beyond the edge of the fixed terminal (800) in a direction preferably perpendicular to the surface (808) of the fixed terminal (800), wherein the second rear tongue piece (804) includes a rough portion surrounding the lower hole (805), a second length (c2) and a second width (L2).

12. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that: The second length (c2) of the second rear tongue piece (804) is 2 to 5 times the first length (c1) of the first tongue piece (803).

13. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower hole (805) is a through hole located at a distance (d3) between 0.25 times and 0.5 times the second length (c2) of the second rear tongue piece (804), and receives at least one clamping device (740).

14. The circuit breaker (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The faces of the tongues (640, 641) are parallel, spaced apart and form a distance (d3) between each other corresponding to a value between 0.5 and 0.9 times the total width of the fixed terminal (632).

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