An intelligent circuit breaker

Abstract

The utility model discloses an intelligent circuit breaker, including base, middle cover and upper cover, and the base is enclosed with the middle cover and forms lower cavity, is provided with PCBA control panel, motor and gear drive mechanism, and the middle cover is enclosed with the upper cover and forms upper cavity, is provided with operating mechanism, electric heat release gear, electromagnetic release and arc extinguishing system, realizes strong and weak electricity isolation. The output gear of gear drive mechanism is equipped with cam, and the lock catch of operating mechanism can be directly pushed to realize release gear when electrically opening. The utility model discloses through the layout of the cavity and gear - cam direct release gear design, compact structure, reduces the circuit breaker width of 125A shell frame current to 27mm, and is compatible with traditional installation size, has manual, electric remote and electronic overload, electromagnetic instantaneous, thermal magnetic triple release gear protection mechanism, and the safety is high, and the reaction is sensitive, and the reliability is good, is applicable to intelligent power grid, smart home etc. Scene.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of low-voltage electrical appliance technology, specifically relating to an intelligent circuit breaker. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of IoT, 5G communication, smart grids, and smart home technologies, low-voltage power distribution systems are evolving towards intelligence, digitalization, and networking. Traditional circuit breakers that rely entirely on manual operation can no longer meet the demands of modern applications for remote monitoring, remote control, energy management, and fault diagnosis. Therefore, intelligent circuit breakers with remote control and status monitoring capabilities have emerged and become an inevitable trend in the industry.

[0003] Currently, miniature intelligent circuit breakers on the market are typically based on traditional circuit breakers with an external or assembled independent electric operating mechanism module. This "body + external mechanism" splicing design has significant drawbacks: it greatly increases the overall size of the product, especially its width. However, in many practical applications, such as the renovation of power distribution in old urban residential areas and the installation of household distribution boxes, the installation space (such as the number of slots in the distribution rail) is strictly limited, requiring the circuit breaker's width to be consistent with or even smaller than that of traditional circuit breakers. The excessive width of existing spliced ​​intelligent circuit breakers makes it difficult to directly replace and widely adopt them in these space-constrained scenarios.

[0004] Furthermore, existing smart circuit breakers often fail to adequately isolate strong and weak currents in their structural layout. When a short-circuit current occurs in the main circuit of the circuit breaker, a strong electric arc is generated between the contacts. If the control circuit (weak current part) is too close to the strong current part, the high temperature and electromagnetic interference generated by the arc can easily damage delicate electronic components (such as PCBA control boards), causing the intelligent control function to fail, or even causing safety accidents, thus reducing the reliability and service life of the product. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, the purpose of this utility model is to provide an intelligent circuit breaker that is small in width, compact in structure, compatible with the installation dimensions of traditional circuit breakers, has a reasonable internal structural layout, effectively isolates strong and weak currents, and has high reliability.

[0006] The objective of this utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: An intelligent circuit breaker includes a base, a middle cover, and a top cover; the base and the middle cover together form a lower cavity, and the middle cover and the top cover together form an upper cavity, with strict isolation between strong and weak currents achieved through the middle cover.

[0007] The lower cavity houses the low-voltage control unit, including a PCBA control board, a motor, and a gear transmission mechanism driven by the motor. The upper cavity houses the high-voltage main circuit unit, including an operating mechanism, a thermal trip unit, an electromagnetic trip unit, and an arc-extinguishing system.

[0008] A cam is integrally provided on the output gear of the gear transmission mechanism. This cam is configured to directly push the extension structure on the latch of the operating mechanism when a motor tripping command is received, thereby disengaging the operating mechanism and realizing remote motor tripping.

[0009] Furthermore, the intelligent circuit breaker also includes a handle and a connecting rod, which enable manual closing and opening. The connecting rod passes through an arc groove on the contact support of the operating mechanism and connects to the operating mechanism. This arc groove provides precise clearance space for the movement of the connecting rod. Through the above settings, the intelligent circuit breaker can achieve the free tripping function.

[0010] Furthermore, the intelligent circuit breaker has a triple tripping protection mechanism: Electronic overload trip: The main circuit current is collected in real time by the shunt, and the PCBA control board analyzes and judges the data. When an overload occurs, the motor is controlled to drive the gear-cam mechanism to perform the trip.

[0011] Electromagnetic instantaneous trip: A snap-action electromagnetic trip unit is adopted, in which the armature and the iron core form an acute angle (preferably 12°), which quickly engages when a short circuit occurs and impacts the latch to achieve tripping.

[0012] Thermomagnetic trip: The thermomagnetic trip unit is connected to the latch via a pull rod. In case of overload, the latch is released by the thermal bending of the bimetallic strip.

[0013] Furthermore, the PCBA control board integrates a communication module, which can receive remote commands from mobile APP, PC or cloud platform to realize remote closing, opening and status monitoring.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages: (1) Compact structure and reasonable layout: Through the isolation layout of strong and weak current chambers and the direct tripping design of gear-cam integration, the internal space utilization rate is greatly optimized, and the width of the intelligent circuit breaker with a frame current of 125A is successfully reduced to 27mm, which is comparable to the size of traditional non-intelligent circuit breakers, perfectly adapting to scenarios with strict restrictions on installation space, such as urban renovation and household distribution boxes.

[0015] (2) Good safety and high reliability: The high-voltage part (main circuit, electric arc) and the low-voltage part (control board) are physically isolated by the middle cover, which effectively prevents the impact and damage of the high-energy electric arc generated by the short circuit of the main circuit to the low-voltage components, and greatly improves the electrical safety and long-term operational reliability of the product.

[0016] (3) Sensitive response and comprehensive protection: Electronic overload tripping protection is introduced into the overload protection. The response speed of electronic overload tripping is much faster than that of traditional electric thermal tripping devices. It can quickly cut off the circuit when the current is overloaded but has not reached the short circuit threshold, avoiding the risk of damage to the line and equipment due to long-term overload, and providing higher precision protection. At the same time, it is combined with traditional thermal magnetic tripping to form a multi-level protection system covering various fault conditions such as overload and short circuit.

[0017] (4) Reliable operation and low energy consumption: The cam structure on the gear acts directly on the latch, resulting in a short transmission chain, decisive and reliable operation, and low energy consumption. At the same time, it achieves a perfect integration of manual operation, remote electric operation, and multiple automatic protection tripping, providing a good user experience and wide applicability. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The structure of this utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly cross-section of the intelligent circuit breaker described in this utility model.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the lower cavity of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the upper cavity of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a structural schematic diagram (front view) of the main circuit component of the intelligent circuit breaker described in this utility model.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the relative positions of the gear and the operating mechanism described in this utility model.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the latch described in this utility model. Figure 1 .

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the latch described in this utility model. Figure 2 .

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the output gear described in this utility model.

[0027] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the electromagnetic trip device described in this utility model.

[0028] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the operating mechanism described in this utility model.

[0029] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the contact support structure described in this utility model.

[0030] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the handle described in this utility model.

[0031] The figure shows: 1-base, 2-motor, 3-gear transmission mechanism, 4-handle, 5-PCBA control board, 6-linkage, 7-operating mechanism, 8-thermal trip unit, 9-shunt, 10-arc extinguishing system, 11-electromagnetic trip unit, 12-pull rod, 13-middle cover, 14-upper cover, 15-upper cavity, 16-lower cavity, 301-output gear, 3011-cam, 302-sector gear II, 401-handle hole, 402-sector gear I, 701-lock, 7011-protrusion, 7012-extension structure, 703-contact support, 7031-arc groove, 1101-armature, 1102-iron core, 1103-stationary contact, 1104-spring, 1105-shaft. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of this utility model. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this utility model from the content disclosed in this specification. The described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0033] It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art and to facilitate understanding. They are not intended to limit the scope of this invention and therefore have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, provided they do not affect the effectiveness or purpose of this invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed herein. Furthermore, terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and "middle" used in this specification are merely for clarity and not intended to limit the scope of this invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of this invention.

[0034] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "connected" or "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, it can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances. It should be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Example

[0035] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides an intelligent circuit breaker, which mainly includes a base 1, a middle cover 13, and an upper cover 14.

[0036] The base 1 and the middle cover 13 are connected by snaps or screws to form a lower cavity 16. The middle cover 13 and the upper cover 14 are also connected by snaps or screws to form an upper cavity 15. This compartmentalized structure achieves strong and weak current isolation.

[0037] The low-voltage control section is centrally located within the lower cavity 16. This section mainly includes the PCBA control board 5, the motor 2, and the gear transmission mechanism 3 driven by the motor 2. The PCBA control board 5 integrates a microprocessor, drive circuitry, and communication modules (such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NB-IoT, etc.) to receive remote commands, process sensor signals, and control the movement of the motor 2.

[0038] The main power circuit is centrally located within the upper cavity 15. This main power circuit includes an operating mechanism 7, a thermal trip unit 8, an electromagnetic trip unit 11, an arc-extinguishing system 10, and a shunt 9. The operating mechanism 7, used to open and close the contacts, is a standard component of the circuit breaker. The main operating mechanism 7 comprises a contact support 703 rotatably mounted within the upper cavity 15, a latch 701 rotatably mounted on the contact support 703, a trip latch rotatably mounted on the contact support 703 and engaging with the latch 701, and a return spring. The latch 701 of the operating mechanism 7 has an extension structure 7012, which rotatably passes through a pre-drilled hole in the middle cover 13 and extends into the lower cavity 16, corresponding to the position of the cam 3011 on the output gear 301 of the gear transmission mechanism 3. Furthermore, the contact support 703 has an arc-shaped groove 7031 for the clearance of the connecting rod 6. The electric thermal trip unit 8 and the electromagnetic trip unit 11 provide overload and short circuit protection, respectively, and the arc extinguishing system 10 is used to extinguish the electric arc generated when the contacts break.

[0039] like Figures 5 to 8 As shown, the gear transmission mechanism 3 consists of several meshing (tower-shaped) gears. Its output gear 301 is rotatably mounted in the lower cavity 16, and its input gear meshes with the gear on the motor output shaft. The output gear 301 (outer circumference) of the gear transmission mechanism 3 is provided with an integrally formed cam 3011, the top of which is higher than the tooth tip of the output gear 301 (outer circumference). During electric tripping, the motor 2 drives the gear transmission mechanism 3, causing the cam 3011 on the output gear 301 to directly push the extension structure 7012 on the latch 701 of the operating mechanism 7, forcing the latch 701 to rotate, thereby realizing the tripping of the operating mechanism 7. This design has a short transmission chain and reliable operation.

[0040] like Figure 3 , Figure 10 , Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, the intelligent circuit breaker also includes a handle 4 and a connecting rod 6. The handle 4 is rotatably mounted inside the intelligent circuit breaker via a handle shaft (its handle extends out of the intelligent circuit breaker, while its rotating part is located inside the intelligent circuit breaker). The handle 4 is connected to one end of the connecting rod 6 through a pre-set handle hole 401 on its rotating part. The other end of the connecting rod 6 passes through a pre-set arc groove 7031 on the contact support 703 of the operating mechanism 7. When the handle 4 is manually operated, the connecting rod 6 slides in the arc groove 7031 and drives the contact support 703 to move, thereby achieving closing or opening (when the handle 4 is manually operated in the opening direction, the connecting rod 6 slides to one end of the arc groove 7031 under the action of the handle 4 and pulls the contact support 703 to rotate in the opening direction, causing the operating mechanism 7 to open; when the handle 4 is manually operated in the closing direction, the connecting rod 6 pushes the contact support 703 to rotate in the closing direction under the action of the handle 4, causing the operating mechanism 7 to close). The arc groove 7031 provides precise clearance and guidance for the movement of the connecting rod 6, and cooperates with the connecting rod 6 to convert the rotational movement of the handle 4 into power to drive the linear movement of the contact support 703.

[0041] To achieve electric closing, such as Figure 8 and Figure 12 As shown, a sector gear 402 is integrally fixed on the outer periphery of the rotating part of the handle 4, and the center of the sector gear 402 coincides with the center of the rotation path (rotating part) of the handle 4; a sector gear 302 is coaxially overlapped on the output gear 301. When the motor 2 receives the closing command and rotates forward, it drives the output gear 301 to rotate through the gear transmission mechanism 3, so that the sector gear 302 meshes with the sector gear 402 on the handle 4, thereby driving the handle 4 to rotate in the closing direction, and finally realizing the closing through the connecting rod 6 and the operating mechanism 7.

[0042] This utility model has three types of tripping mechanisms: (1) Electronic overload tripping: Shunt 9 is connected in series in the main circuit (connected to one side of the electric heating trip unit 8, shunt 9 is used to detect the main circuit current), and the current signal is collected in real time and transmitted to the PCBA control board 5. When the PCBA control board 5 determines that the current exceeds the set overload threshold, it immediately controls the motor 2 to drive the gear transmission mechanism 3, and pushes the latch 701 through the cam 3011 to realize electric tripping. This method has fast response speed and high accuracy.

[0043] (2) Electromagnetic instantaneous tripping: such as Figure 9 As shown, the electromagnetic trip unit 11 has a snap-fit ​​structure, comprising an iron core 1102, an armature 1101, a stationary contact 1103, a spring 1104, and a shaft 1105. The iron core 1102 has a groove-shaped structure. The stationary contact 1103 passes through the iron core 1102. The armature 1101 is rotatably mounted on one side of the iron core 1102 via the shaft 1105, with the other end of the armature 1101 facing the latch 701, and an acute angle (preferably 12°) formed between the armature 1101 and the iron core 1102. The spring 1104 provides a torque (reset torque) to the armature 1101 to move it away from the iron core 1102. The spring 1104 is sleeved on the shaft 1105, and the two ends of the shaft 1105 are rotatably mounted on the middle cover 13 and the upper cover. On the upper part of the 14th layer, spring 1104 is a torsion spring. One torsion arm of spring 1104 is installed in a pre-set hole in a plate between the middle cover 13 and the upper cover 14 (fixed setting), and the other torsion arm is locked on the surface of armature 1101 facing the iron core 1102 (acting on armature 1101). At the same time, correspondingly, a protrusion 7011 corresponding to the other end of armature 1101 is provided on the latch 701 of the operating mechanism 7. When the short-circuit current flows through the stationary contact 1103, the electromagnetic force generated under the reinforcing effect of the iron core 1102 attracts armature 1101. Armature 1101 overcomes the torque of spring 1104 and rotates clockwise around the rotating shaft 1105, colliding with the protrusion 7011 on latch 701, pushing latch 701 to move, thereby disengaging the operating mechanism 7 and completing the circuit breaker opening.

[0044] (3) Heating trip: The heating trip unit 8 is connected to the latch 701 of the operating mechanism 7 via the pull rod 12. When the line is overloaded, the bimetallic strip pre-installed in the heating trip unit 8 and connected to the pull rod 12 bends due to heat, thereby pulling the pull rod 12 to move. The pull rod 12 then pulls the latch 701 to trip, thus achieving circuit breaker tripping.

[0045] In addition, the intelligent circuit breaker also has a remote control function, which is implemented by the PCBA control board 5. Users can send closing or opening commands through a mobile APP, PC or cloud platform. The commands are transmitted to the PCBA control board 5 through the communication module. After parsing the commands, the PCBA control board 5 controls the motor 2 to rotate forward or reverse to perform closing or opening operations respectively. When closing, the motor 2 rotates and transmits torque to the sector gear 401 of the handle 4 through the sector gear 302 of the gear transmission mechanism 3, so that the handle 4 rotates clockwise to achieve closing. After successful closing, the moving contact (702) contacts the stationary contact (1103), the main circuit is connected, and the line is energized. When opening, the motor 2 rotates and drives the extension structure 7012 through the cam 3011 on the output gear 301 of the gear transmission mechanism 3, forcing the latch 701 to rotate, thereby realizing the tripping and opening of the operating mechanism 7. Meanwhile, PCBA control board 5 can also upload the status information of the circuit breaker (such as closing and opening status, current value, fault information, etc.) to the cloud or user terminal to realize status monitoring.

[0046] Other aspects of this utility model that are not detailed herein are all conventional techniques known to those skilled in the art.

[0047] It should be noted that the terms “comprising,” “including,” or any other variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0048] The scope of protection of this utility model is not limited to the technical solutions disclosed in the specific embodiments. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this utility model shall fall within the scope of protection of this utility model.

Claims

1. An intelligent circuit breaker, characterized in that: It includes a base (1), a middle cover (13) disposed on the base (1), and an upper cover (14) covering the middle cover (13). The base (1) and the middle cover (13) enclose to form a lower cavity (16), and the middle cover (13) and the upper cover (14) enclose to form an upper cavity (15), thereby achieving strong and weak electrical isolation; The lower cavity (16) is provided with a PCBA control board (5), a motor (2) and a gear transmission mechanism (3) driven by the motor (2). The upper cavity (15) is provided with an operating mechanism (7), an electric heating trip unit (8), an electromagnetic trip unit (11), and an arc extinguishing system (10). The output gear (301) of the gear transmission mechanism (3) is provided with a cam (3011), which is configured to directly push the extension structure (7012) on the latch (701) of the operating mechanism (7) during electric tripping, so that the operating mechanism (7) is disengaged.

2. The intelligent circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top of the cam (3011) is higher than the tooth tip of the output gear (301).

3. The intelligent circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a rotatable handle (4) and a connecting rod (6); the handle (4) is connected to one end of the connecting rod (6) through a handle hole (401), and the other end of the connecting rod (6) is connected to the operating mechanism (7) through an arc groove (7031) provided on the contact support (703) of the operating mechanism (7); the handle (4) is configured to be able to rotate by manual operation or by the drive of the motor (2) and the gear transmission mechanism (3) to drive the operating mechanism (7) to complete the closing and opening actions.

4. The intelligent circuit breaker according to claim 3, characterized in that: A sector gear one (402) is integrally fixed on the outer periphery of the handle (4), and the center of the sector gear one (402) coincides with the center of the rotation path of the handle (4); correspondingly, a sector gear two (302) is coaxially overlapped on the gear (301); when the motor (2) receives the closing command and rotates forward, it drives the output gear (301) to rotate through the gear transmission mechanism (3), so that the sector gear two (302) meshes with the sector gear one (402) on the handle (4), thereby driving the handle (4) to rotate in the closing direction, and finally realizes the closing through the connecting rod (6) and the operating mechanism (7).

5. The intelligent circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a shunt (9), which is connected in series in the main circuit and electrically connected to the PCBA control board (5); the PCBA control board (5) is configured to receive the current signal collected by the shunt (9) and control the motor (2) and the gear transmission mechanism (3) to perform electric tripping when the current is judged to be overloaded, so as to realize electronic overload tripping.

6. The intelligent circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electromagnetic trip unit (11) is a snap-action electromagnetic trip unit, including an iron core (1102), an armature (1101), a spring (1104), and a stationary contact (1103); the stationary contact (1103) passes through the iron core (1102); the armature (1101) is rotatably disposed on one side of the iron core (1102), and forms an acute angle with the iron core (1102); the spring (1104) provides a torque to the armature (1101) to move it away from the iron core (1102); when a short-circuit current flows through the stationary contact (1103), the armature (1101) is attracted and rotates against the torque of the spring (1104), striking the latch (701) of the operating mechanism (7) to release it.

7. The intelligent circuit breaker according to claim 6, characterized in that: The included angle between the armature (1101) and the iron core (1102) is 12°.

8. The intelligent circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric heating trip unit (8) is connected to the latch (701) of the operating mechanism (7) via a pull rod (12). When the electric heating trip unit (8) is activated due to overload current, the latch (701) is released by pulling the pull rod (12).

9. The intelligent circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that, The frame current of the intelligent circuit breaker is 125A.

10. The intelligent circuit breaker according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The PCBA control board (5) is configured to receive closing or opening commands from a remote control terminal and accordingly control the motor (2) to perform electric closing or electric opening operations.

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