Phase barrier for circuit breaker and circuit breaker
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC IND SAS
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-07
Smart Images
Figure CN224609837U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to the field of electrical equipment, and particularly to phase spacers and circuit breakers for circuit breakers. Background Technology
[0002] Phase spacers are key components installed inside circuit breakers to isolate different phases. Their core function is to prevent phase-to-phase short circuits, arc propagation, and electrical breakdown, ensuring the safety and reliability of circuit breaker operation.
[0003] As protective accessories, phase partitions need to be installed on the circuit breaker housing. However, as customer needs change, more requirements are being placed on the installation method of phase partitions. Utility Model Content
[0004] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a phase partition for a circuit breaker is provided. The phase partition includes: a partition body adapted to be partially inserted into a fixing slot in the housing of the circuit breaker; at least one fixing assembly disposed on one side of the partition body along its width direction and adapted to couple with the housing, each fixing assembly including: a mounting guide post disposed on a side wall of the partition body along its width direction and extending along the length direction of the partition body, the side of the mounting guide post at least partially protruding from the partition body to insert into a mounting hole in the housing, the mounting hole being formed on the bottom surface of the fixing slot away from the opening and communicating with the fixing slot; and a pair of horizontal snap fasteners disposed at one end of the partition body along its length direction away from the mounting guide post and protruding from the partition body along its thickness direction, the pair of horizontal snap fasteners being adapted to engage with the mounting hole and the edge of the fixing slot.
[0005] In some embodiments, the fixing component further includes a vertical snap formed on the edge of the partition body and disposed between the mounting guide post and a pair of horizontal snaps to couple with a limiting protrusion in the fixing groove.
[0006] In some embodiments, the vertical latch includes a positioning step formed on the side of the partition body and arranged to abut against a limiting protrusion.
[0007] In some embodiments, the positioning step has a predetermined chamfer.
[0008] In some embodiments, the height of the horizontal latch protruding from the partition body gradually decreases as it approaches the corresponding side of the partition body.
[0009] In some embodiments, the fixing component is a partition-side fixing component or a base-side fixing component, wherein the partition-side fixing component is coupled between adjacent phases of the circuit breaker, and the base-side fixing component is coupled to the bottom surface of the circuit breaker.
[0010] In some embodiments, the length of the mounting guide post of the partition-side fixing assembly along the length direction exceeds the length of the mounting guide post of the bottom plate-side fixing assembly, and / or the distance from the horizontal latch of the partition-side fixing assembly to the side of the partition body away from the mounting guide post is shorter than the distance from the horizontal latch of the bottom plate-side fixing assembly to the side of the partition body away from the mounting guide post, and / or the distance from the vertical latch of the partition-side fixing assembly to the mounting guide post is shorter than the distance from the vertical latch of the bottom plate-side fixing assembly to the mounting guide post.
[0011] In some embodiments, the phase spacer further includes an indicator formed on the spacer body to indicate the installation direction of the phase spacer.
[0012] According to the phase partition provided in this disclosure, the phase partition is coupled to the circuit breaker housing by a fixing component arranged on the side of the partition body, thereby separating adjacent phases of the circuit breaker and providing insulation isolation. Furthermore, in installation scenarios where the circuit breaker is side-mounted, the phase partition can also serve as an insulating base plate for the circuit breaker to improve the insulation performance between the circuit breaker and the control cabinet. Since the phase partition and the circuit breaker housing are fixed together by a plug-in connection, installation of the circuit breaker and phase partition in confined spaces is convenient.
[0013] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a circuit breaker is provided. The circuit breaker includes: a phase spacer provided according to a first aspect of this disclosure; and a housing including at least one fixing slot adapted to fix the phase spacer, the at least one fixing slot including: a fixing groove extending in a length direction; and at least one mounting hole formed on the bottom surface of the fixing groove, the mounting hole having a diameter exceeding the width of the fixing groove.
[0014] In some embodiments, the fixing gap includes a pair of mounting holes, which are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixing groove along the extension direction of the fixing groove.
[0015] It should be understood that the content described in this content section is not intended to limit the key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to restrict the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description
[0016] The above and other features, advantages, and aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements, wherein:
[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the phase spacer and the housing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;
[0018] Figure 2A schematic diagram showing the connection relationship between the phase spacer and the housing according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;
[0019] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the phase spacer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;
[0020] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the phase spacer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown from another view.
[0021] Figure 5 An exploded view showing the mating relationship between the phase spacer and the housing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;
[0022] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view showing the connection between the phase spacer and the housing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;
[0023] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing the connection state of the phase spacer and the housing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and
[0024] Figure 8 A schematic diagram is shown of a phase spacer serving as an insulating base plate for a circuit breaker according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation
[0025] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.
[0026] It should be noted that the headings of any section / subsection provided herein are not limiting. Various embodiments are described throughout this document, and embodiments of any type may be included under any section / subsection. Furthermore, embodiments described in any section / subsection may be combined in any way with any other embodiments described in the same section / subsection and / or different sections / subsections.
[0027] In the description of embodiments of this disclosure, the term "comprising" and similar terms should be understood as open-ended inclusion, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "at least partially based on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "some embodiments" should be understood as "at least some embodiments". Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below. The terms "first", "second", etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.
[0028] As briefly mentioned earlier, traditional phase partitions are fixed to the circuit breaker housing using bolts and other connectors. However, this fixing method cannot meet all installation scenarios. For example, in scenarios where the circuit breaker is installed sideways inside a control cabinet, if there is insufficient space above, it is difficult to install traditional phase partitions. In addition, traditional phase partitions are not compatible with the function of the circuit breaker's insulating base plate.
[0029] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a phase partition for a circuit breaker and a circuit breaker itself, to solve or at least partially solve the aforementioned problems or other potential problems existing in the conventional art. According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the phase partition is coupled to the circuit breaker housing via a fixing assembly arranged on the side of the partition body, thereby separating adjacent phases of the circuit breaker and providing insulation isolation. Furthermore, in installation scenarios where the circuit breaker is mounted on its side, the phase partition can also serve as an insulating base plate for the circuit breaker to improve the insulation performance between the circuit breaker and the control cabinet. Since the phase partition and the circuit breaker housing are fixed to each other by a plug-in connection, installation of the circuit breaker and phase partition in confined spaces is facilitated.
[0030] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide a circuit breaker in which the phase partitions are connected to the circuit breaker housing via a plug-in connection, and the phase partitions and housing are fixed together by a fixing assembly. This connection method improves the ease of installing the phase partitions to the housing and reduces the required operating space for the phase partitions, allowing installation in a smaller space. This also facilitates the arrangement of the circuit breaker within the control cabinet; for example, the circuit breaker can be arranged in a side-mounted manner within the control cabinet. Furthermore, the phase partitions can be installed in other suitable locations on the circuit breaker to provide insulation and protection. For example, for a side-mounted circuit breaker, the phase partition can serve as an insulating base plate between the circuit breaker and the control cabinet shelves, improving the electrical isolation performance between the circuit breaker and the control cabinet. The phase partitions and their connection structure with the housing will be described in more detail below.
[0031] Figure 1 and Figure 2A schematic diagram illustrating the connection relationship between the phase spacer and the housing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a portion of the phase partition near its side can be coupled to the circuit breaker housing 7 via a plug-in connection. Furthermore, considering different installation methods of the circuit breaker within the control cabinet, the phase partition can be connected to the housing 7 in different installation directions. For example, the phase partition can be connected along the positive direction of the installation direction (e.g., ...). Figure 1 As shown, the phase spacer can also be inserted into the housing 7 in the opposite direction of the installation direction.
[0032] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of the overall structure of the phase spacers according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown from different perspectives. For example... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the partition generally includes a partition body 1 and at least one fixing component arranged on at least one side of the partition body 1 in the width direction. The partition body 1 is generally a flat plate structure, and depending on the space that needs to be partitioned inside the circuit breaker, the partition body 1 can be any suitable polygonal planar plate. For example, the partition body 1 can be a rectangular plate, a trapezoidal plate, etc. The following description will mainly take a rectangular plate as an example. It should be understood that the implementation of the technical solution is similar for other shapes of the partition body 1, and no limitation is made in this regard.
[0033] It should be noted that the length direction mentioned below can be understood as the direction parallel to the long side of the rectangular plate (also known as the length of the rectangle corresponding to the rectangular plate); the width direction can be understood as the direction parallel to the short side of the rectangular plate (also known as the width of the rectangle corresponding to the rectangular plate); and the thickness direction can be understood as the direction perpendicular to the rectangular plate.
[0034] The fixing assembly includes mounting guide posts 4 and a pair of horizontal clips 5. The mounting guide posts 4 are arranged on the sidewalls of the partition body 1 along its width and extend along its length. The mounting guide posts 4 can be cylindrical or prismatic in shape, and their sides at least partially protrude from the partition body 1. A pair of horizontal clips 5 are respectively arranged on both sides of the partition body 1 along its thickness, and are located on the side of the partition body 1 away from the mounting guide posts 4 along its length. Each horizontal clip 5 protrudes from the surface of the partition body 1 along its thickness.
[0035] Figure 5 An exploded view showing the mating relationship between the spacer and the housing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 A cross-sectional view showing the connection between the phase spacer and the housing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the housing 7 has multiple fixing slots for fixing phase spacers. The location of the fixing slots is related to the power supply structure of adjacent two phases of the circuit breaker or the preset installation state of the circuit breaker. For example, the fixing slots can be arranged between the working chambers of adjacent two phases of the circuit breaker. Thus, after the phase spacers are coupled to the fixing slots 8, they can provide insulation isolation between the adjacent two phases of the circuit breaker. The fixing slots include fixing slots 8 and mounting holes 9 formed on the bottom surface of the fixing slots 8 opposite to the opening. The fixing slots 8 are straight slots for partial insertion of the spacer body 1. The extending direction of the mounting holes 9 is parallel to the extending direction of the fixing slots 8, and the mounting holes 9 communicate with the bottom surface of the fixing slots 8. The diameter of the mounting holes 9 is larger than the width of the fixing slots 8 to accommodate the mounting guide posts 4 and / or horizontal clips 5 of the phase spacers.
[0036] In some embodiments, the fixing gap includes mounting holes 9, a pair of mounting holes 9 being symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixing groove 8 along the extension direction of the fixing groove 8, thereby facilitating the insertion of the partition plates into the fixing gap from any suitable direction (e.g., the forward and reverse directions of the aforementioned mounting directions).
[0037] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the connection state of the phase spacer and the housing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 7 As shown and combined Figure 6 The diameter of the mounting guide post 4 exceeds the width of the fixing groove 8, allowing the mounting guide post 4 to be inserted into the mounting hole 9. The overall thickness of a pair of horizontal latches 5 is greater than the width of the fixing groove 8. The horizontal latches 5 can be pressed from the outside of the fixing groove 8 through the fixing groove 8 into the mounting hole 9 and engage with the edge of the fixing groove 8. During the installation connection between the phase partition and the circuit breaker housing 7, the operator first inserts the mounting guide post 4 into the mounting hole 9, at which point the horizontal latches 5 are still outside the fixing groove 8. Due to the appropriate gap between the mounting guide post 4 and the mounting hole 9, the phase partition can slide relative to the axis of the mounting hole 9. When the mounting guide post 4 is fully inserted into the mounting hole 9 (i.e., the mounting guide post 4 is fully inserted into the mounting hole 9, and the end of the mounting guide post 4 facing the horizontal latches 5 abuts against the stepped surface formed by the corresponding mounting hole 9 and the fixing groove 8), the horizontal latches 5 can be manually pushed into the fixing groove 8 and engaged into the mounting hole 9 by pushing the partition body 1. In this way, the phase partition can be installed on the housing 7.
[0038] In some embodiments, the horizontal latch 5 is further configured such that its height protruding from the partition body 1 gradually decreases as it approaches the corresponding side of the partition body 1. This structure facilitates the entry of the horizontal latch 5 into the fixing groove 8, while also improving the stability of the horizontal latch 5 engaging with the edge of the fixing groove 8 within the mounting hole 9.
[0039] Although the phase spacer is coupled to the housing 7 through the cooperation of the mounting guide post 4 and the horizontal latch 5, there may still be some wobbling between the phase spacer and the housing 7 in the extension direction of the fixing groove 8 (i.e., the length direction of the phase spacer). Therefore, in some embodiments, the phase spacer also includes a vertical latch 6. The vertical latch 6 is arranged between the horizontal latch 5 and the mounting guide post 4, and the vertical latch 6 is adapted to cooperate with the limiting protrusion 81 in the fixing groove 8 to improve the coupling strength between the phase spacer and the housing 7 in the extension direction of the fixing groove 8.
[0040] In some embodiments, the vertical snap fastener 6 may include a positioning step formed by a set of planes with a height difference. The positioning step is formed on the side of the partition body 1, and the positioning step can abut against the limiting protrusion 81 in the fixing groove 8 after the fixing component is inserted into the fixing groove 8. In some embodiments, the limiting protrusion 81 in the fixing groove 8 may also be formed by a stepped surface, for example, the limiting protrusion 81 may be a limiting step formed by the hole wall of the mounting hole 9 and the bottom wall of the fixing groove 8. When the horizontal snap fastener 5 is engaged in the mounting hole 9, the positioning step and the limiting step abut against each other, thereby limiting the swaying of the partition and the housing 7 along the installation direction and improving the stability of the partition fixing. In some embodiments, the positioning step may have an appropriate chamfer. The beveled surface of the chamfer can provide a preload force along the installation direction after contacting the limiting step, thereby further improving the coupling stability of the partition and the housing 7. In addition, the mounting guide post 4 can also cooperate with the vertical snap fastener 6 to further improve the stability of the partition and the housing 7 fixing. Specifically, on the one hand, the end of the mounting guide post 4 near the vertical buckle 6 abuts against the end of the corresponding mounting hole 9, which can restrict the sliding of the partition plate in the positive direction along the installation direction. On the other hand, the mutual abutment of the positioning step and the limiting step can also restrict the sliding of the partition plate in the reverse direction along the installation direction.
[0041] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a phase spacer as an insulating base plate of a circuit breaker according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, such as... Figure 8 As mentioned above, the phase spacer can also serve as the insulating base plate of the circuit breaker. In some embodiments, the two fixing components arranged along the width direction of the phase spacer can be a spacer-side fixing component 2 and a base plate-side fixing component 3, respectively. The spacer-side fixing component 2 can be connected to the fixing gap of the housing 7 when the phase spacer is installed between two adjacent phases of the circuit breaker. The base plate-side fixing component 3 can be connected to the fixing gap of the housing 7 when the phase spacer serves as the insulating base plate. In some embodiments, in order to enable the phase spacer to meet the electrical isolation requirements when serving as the insulating base plate, the spacer-side fixing component 2 and the base plate-side fixing component 3 have certain differences in size.
[0042] Specifically, the length of the mounting guide post 4 of the partition-side fixing assembly 2 exceeds the length of the mounting guide post 4 of the base plate-side fixing assembly 3. The distance from the horizontal latch 5 of the partition-side fixing assembly 2 to the side of the partition body 1 away from the mounting guide post 4 is shorter than the distance from the horizontal latch 5 of the base plate-side fixing assembly 3 to the side of the partition body 1 away from the mounting guide post 4. The distance from the vertical latch 6 of the partition-side fixing assembly 2 to the mounting guide post 4 is shorter than the distance from the vertical latch 6 of the base plate-side fixing assembly 3 to the mounting guide post 4. Based on these constraints, after the phase partition is installed as an insulating base plate on the bottom surface of the circuit breaker, the side of the phase partition along its length can protrude from the corresponding side wall of the circuit breaker by a predetermined distance. In this way, the electrical clearance between the circuit breaker and the control cabinet can be extended, improving the insulation performance of the circuit breaker.
[0043] In some embodiments, the phase partition further includes an indicator 11, which is coupled to the partition body 1 and adapted to indicate the installation direction of the phase partition. In some embodiments, the indicator 11 may be printed, engraved, or adhered to the partition body 1. The indicator 11 may have any suitable shape, arrows, text, or other explanatory information to facilitate user understanding of the phase partition installation method. In some embodiments, the indicator 11 may also distinguish between the partition-side fixing assembly 2 and the base plate-side fixing assembly 3, thereby facilitating user installation of the phase partition.
[0044] Various implementations of this disclosure have been described above. These descriptions are exemplary and not exhaustive, nor are they limited to the disclosed implementations. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described implementations. The terminology used herein is chosen to best explain the principles, practical applications, or improvements to technology in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the various implementations disclosed herein.
Claims
1. A phase spacer for a circuit breaker, characterized in that, include: The partition body (1) is adapted to be partially inserted into the fixing groove (8) of the housing (7) of the circuit breaker; At least one fixing component is disposed on one side of the partition body (1) along the width direction and is adapted to couple with the housing (7), each fixing component comprising: Mounting guide post (4) is arranged on the side wall of the partition body (1) in the width direction and extends along the length direction of the partition body (1). The side of the mounting guide post (4) protrudes at least partially from the partition body (1) to be inserted into the mounting hole (9) on the housing (7). The mounting hole (9) is formed on the bottom surface of the fixing groove (8) away from the opening and communicates with the fixing groove (8). A pair of horizontal buckles (5) are arranged at one end of the partition body (1) away from the mounting guide post (4) along the length direction, and protrude from the partition body (1) along the thickness direction of the partition body (1). The pair of horizontal buckles (5) are adapted to be embedded in the mounting hole (9) and engage with the edge of the fixing groove (8).
2. The phase spacer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixing component also includes a vertical buckle (6) formed on the edge of the partition body (1) and arranged between the mounting guide post (4) and the pair of horizontal buckles (5) to couple with the limiting protrusion (81) in the fixing groove (8).
3. The phase spacer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The vertical buckle (6) includes a positioning step formed on the side of the partition body (1) and is arranged to abut against the limiting protrusion (81).
4. The phase spacer according to claim 3, characterized in that, The positioning step has a predetermined chamfer.
5. The phase spacer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the horizontal buckle (5) protruding from the partition body (1) gradually decreases as it approaches the corresponding side of the partition body (1).
6. The phase partition according to any one of claims 2-4, wherein the fixing component is a partition-side fixing component (2) or a bottom-side fixing component (3), and The partition-side fixing assembly (2) is coupled between adjacent phases of the circuit breaker, and the base plate-side fixing assembly (3) is coupled to the bottom surface of the circuit breaker.
7. The phase spacer according to claim 6, characterized in that, The length of the mounting guide post (4) of the partition side fixing assembly (2) along the length direction exceeds the length of the mounting guide post (4) of the bottom plate side fixing assembly (3), and / or The distance from the horizontal buckle (5) of the partition side fixing assembly (2) to the side of the partition body (1) away from the mounting guide post (4) is shorter than the distance from the horizontal buckle (5) of the bottom plate side fixing assembly (3) to the side of the partition body (1) away from the mounting guide post (4), and / or The distance from the vertical buckle (6) of the partition side fixing assembly (2) to the mounting guide post (4) is shorter than the distance from the vertical buckle (6) of the bottom plate side fixing assembly (3) to the mounting guide post (4).
8. The phase spacer according to any one of claims 1-5 and 7, characterized in that, It also includes an indicator (11) formed on the partition body (1) to indicate the installation direction of the phase partition.
9. A circuit breaker, characterized in that, include: Phase spacer according to any one of claims 1-8; as well as The housing (7) includes at least one fixing slot adapted to fix the phase spacer plate, the at least one fixing slot comprising: A fixing groove (8) extends along the length direction; as well as At least one mounting hole (9) is formed on the bottom surface of the fixing groove (8), and the diameter of the mounting hole (9) exceeds the width of the fixing groove (8).
10. The circuit breaker according to claim 9, characterized in that, The fixing gap includes a pair of mounting holes (9), which are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the fixing groove (8) along the extension direction of the fixing groove (8).