Switch

Abstract

This invention provides a technology to prevent re-ignition of a switch by preventing the movable electrode from re-entering the arc extinguishing chamber immediately after it has exited the arc extinguishing chamber and been extinguished when the switch is opened. [Solution] The switch includes an opening / closing lever connected to a movable electrode for operating the movable electrode, and an opening / closing lever movement restricting member having an opening for restricting the movement of the opening / closing lever. The opening has a first opening extending in a first direction in which the opening / closing lever moves when the switch is opened and closed, and a second opening extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and communicating with the first opening. The second opening communicates with one side of the first opening at the open-circuit side end in which the opening / closing lever moves when the switch is opened, and the other open-circuit side of the first opening is provided with a first inclined portion for guiding the opening / closing lever into the second opening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification discloses a technology related to switches.

Background Art

[0002] A switch is used to switch the conduction / non-conduction between a power source and a load. Patent Document 1 discloses a switch using a movable electrode and a fixed electrode. The switch in Patent Document 1 makes the movable electrode contact the fixed electrode when closing the circuit, and operates the movable electrode to make the movable electrode and the fixed electrode non-contact when opening the circuit.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes opening and closing a switch by operating a movable electrode. One method of operating the movable electrode is to use an opening / closing lever 24 as shown in Figure 4. The opening / closing lever 24 is connected to the movable electrode (not shown) by a link structure located within the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20. The opening / closing lever 24 extends outside the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20 through an opening 22 provided in the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20. Outside the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20, the opening / closing lever 24 and the switch body 30 are connected by a spring member 26. As shown in (a), when the movable electrode is in contact with the fixed electrode (when the switch is closed), the position of the opening / closing lever 24 is fixed with the spring member 26 extended. In state (a), a tensile force is applied to the opening / closing lever 24. To make the movable electrode and the fixed electrode non-contact (to open the switch), the fixing of the opening / closing lever 24 is released. As a result, as shown in (b), the spring member 26 contracts and the position of the opening / closing lever 24 changes (in Figure 4, the opening / closing lever 24 is raised). When the position of the opening / closing lever 24 changes, the movable electrode is activated and the movable electrode and the fixed electrode become non-contact (the switch opens). Note that when the movable electrode is in contact with the fixed electrode, the movable electrode (the part in contact with the fixed electrode) is located within the arc extinguishing chamber.

[0005] Figure 5 shows the positional relationship between the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20 and the opening / closing lever 24 when the opening / closing lever 24 is operated. As described above, the opening / closing lever 24 changes its position using the contraction force of the spring member 26. Specifically, when opening the switch, the opening / closing lever 24 moves (rises) from the position shown by the solid line to the position shown by the dashed line. When the opening / closing lever 24 rises, it may collide with the upper part of the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20 (the upper end of the opening 22) and rebound, causing the opening / closing lever 24 to move downward, as shown by arrow 52. When the opening / closing lever 24 moves downward, it may cause the movable electrode to exit the arc extinguishing chamber and then re-enter the arc extinguishing chamber. To dampen the force when the opening / closing lever 24 collides with the upper part of the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20, for example, a cushioning material can be placed at the upper end of the opening 22. However, simply placing a cushioning material at the upper end of the opening 22 makes it difficult to completely absorb the collision force of the opening / closing lever 24. Furthermore, the addition of cushioning material increases the number of components in the switch, which presents another problem.

[0006] Therefore, when opening a switch, there is a need for a technology that stops the operation without allowing the movable electrode to re-enter the arc extinguishing chamber after it has exited the arc extinguishing chamber. This specification provides a technology that prevents the movable electrode from re-entering the arc extinguishing chamber and causing re-ignition immediately after it has exited the arc extinguishing chamber and been extinguished when opening a switch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The switch disclosed herein has a movable electrode and a fixed electrode. The switch includes an opening / closing lever connected to the movable electrode for operating the movable electrode, and an opening / closing lever movement restricting member having an opening for restricting the movement of the opening / closing lever. The opening has a first opening extending in a first direction in which the opening / closing lever moves when the switch is opened and closed, and a second opening extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and communicating with the first opening, which restricts the movable electrode from moving toward the fixed electrode. In this switch, the second opening communicates with one side of the first opening at the end on the open side in which the opening / closing lever moves when the switch is opened, and the other side on the open side of the first opening is provided with a first inclined portion for guiding the opening / closing lever into the second opening. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram of the switch is shown. [Figure 2] A diagram illustrating the operation of the opening / closing lever when the circuit is open is shown. [Figure 3] A diagram illustrating the operation of the opening / closing lever when the circuit is closed is shown. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the operation of the opening / closing lever of a conventional switch. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the operation of the opening / closing lever of a conventional switch. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The switch disclosed herein is installed between a power source and a load on a power distribution line. The switch has a movable electrode and a fixed electrode, and opens the circuit between the power source and the load when the movable electrode moves away from the fixed electrode. The switch is equipped with an opening / closing lever connected to the movable electrode to actuate the movable electrode, and an opening / closing lever movement restricting member having an opening for restricting the movement of the opening / closing lever. The opening / closing lever is accessible from both sides of the opening / closing lever movement restricting member through the opening. When opening or closing the switch, the opening / closing lever changes position within the opening and actsuates the movable electrode. Specifically, the opening / closing lever changes position in a linear direction and actsuates the movable electrode. For example, when the opening / closing lever is in an upward position, the movable electrode is open (away from the fixed electrode), and when the opening / closing lever is in a downward position, the movable electrode is closed (in contact with the fixed electrode).

[0010] The opening has a first opening extending in a first direction in which the opening / closing lever moves when opening and closing the switch, and a second opening extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second opening communicates with the first opening. When opening the switch, the opening / closing lever moves within the first opening in one direction in the first direction (for example, upwards to the first opening). When closing the switch, the opening / closing lever moves in the opposite direction to the direction in which it moved when opening the switch (for example, downwards to the first opening). In the switch disclosed herein, with respect to the first opening, for example, if the side to which the opening / closing lever moves when opening the switch is defined as the open side, and the side to which the opening / closing lever moves when closing the switch is defined as the closed side, then the second opening communicates with one side of the first opening at the end of the first opening on the open side. Furthermore, the other side of the first opening on the open side is provided with a first inclined portion for guiding the opening / closing lever into the second opening.

[0011] In the above-described switch, while the switch is closed, the opening / closing lever is fixed in a predetermined position within the first opening. Specifically, the opening / closing lever is pulled upward (towards the side where the switch opens) by a spring member (hereinafter referred to as the first spring member) and fixed below the first opening to resist the tensile force of the first spring member. When opening the switch, the fixing of the opening / closing lever is released. As a result, the opening / closing lever moves upward (towards the side where the switch opens) due to the tensile force of the first spring member, and the switch opens. As described above, a first inclined section is provided on the upper (open side) of the first opening. Therefore, when the opening / closing lever and the member connected to the opening / closing lever move upward due to the tensile force of the first spring member, the opening / closing lever comes into contact with the first inclined section and is guided into the second opening by the inertial force generated when it moves. Furthermore, if there is not enough inertial force to cause the movable electrode to re-enter the arc extinguishing chamber after it has left it, the opening / closing lever will not be guided to the second opening. The lever will move to the second opening only when a certain level of inertial force is generated.

[0012] The second opening extends in a second direction from the open end of the first opening. That is, the second opening is not located on the closed side of the first opening. Therefore, as long as the opening / closing lever is located inside the second opening, even if the opening / closing lever moves up and down due to the repulsive force when the opening / closing lever moves, the opening / closing lever will not move to the position that closes the switch (the closed position). In other words, while the opening / closing lever is located inside the second opening, the movable electrode is restricted from moving toward the fixed electrode, thus preventing the movable electrode from re-entering the arc extinguishing chamber after it has exited it. When the up and down movement of the opening / closing lever is completed, the release lever is held above the first opening by the tensile force of the first spring member. The above switch can reliably prevent the movable electrode from re-entering the arc extinguishing chamber after it has exited it when the switch is opened.

[0013] A spring member (hereinafter referred to as the second spring member) may be connected to the opening / closing lever to bias the lever so that it moves from inside the second opening to inside the first opening. This allows the opening / closing lever, which has moved into the second opening, to be automatically moved into the first opening. When closing the switch, the opening / closing lever can be smoothly moved to the closed position. In addition, a second inclined portion may be provided at the closed end of the second opening to guide the opening / closing lever into the first opening. In this case as well, when closing the switch, the opening / closing lever can be smoothly moved to the closed position. The first spring member and the second spring member may be separate parts or the same part; that is, by adjusting the arrangement of the "springs," the functions of both the first and second spring members can be performed by a single "spring." [Examples]

[0014] Referring to Figure 1, the basic structure of the switch 10 will be explained. The switch 10 consists of a power supply terminal 8, a fixed electrode 6, a load-side terminal 2, a movable electrode 4, and an arc extinguishing chamber (not shown). The power supply terminal 8 is connected to the fixed electrode 6, and power supply wiring etc. (not shown) is connected to it. The load-side terminal 2 is connected to the movable electrode 4, and load-side wiring etc. (not shown) is connected to it. The movable electrode 4 can be switched between a position in contact with the fixed electrode 6 (solid line position) and a position away from the fixed electrode 6 (dashed line position). When the movable electrode 4 is in contact with the fixed electrode 6, the switch 10 is closed, and power is supplied from the power supply to the load. When the movable electrode 4 is in contact with the fixed electrode 6, the tip of the movable electrode 4 is located in the arc extinguishing chamber. When opening the switch 10, if current is flowing from the power supply to the load, an arc is generated when the movable electrode 4 moves and begins to move away from the fixed electrode 6. The arc is extinguished when the movable electrode 4 exits the arc extinguishing chamber, and the circuit is interrupted when the movable electrode 4 remains in the exited state, stopping the power supply from the power source to the load. The movable electrode 4 is connected to an on / off lever 24, which will be described later, and by operating the on / off lever 24, the position of the movable electrode 4 is switched between the closed position (solid line position) and the open position (dashed line position).

[0015] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20 and the opening / closing lever 24. The opening / closing lever 24 is connected to the movable electrode 4 by a link structure (not shown) located within the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20. The operation of the movable electrode 4 by the opening / closing lever 24 has been described above with reference to Figure 4, so the explanation is omitted here. The opening / closing lever 24 is located within an opening 22 provided in the opening / closing lever movement restricting member 20. The opening 22 has a first opening 22a extending in the Y direction and a second opening 22b extending in the X direction. The Y direction is an example of the first direction, and the X direction is an example of the second direction. The X and Y directions are orthogonal.

[0016] The second opening 22b is the Y+ side end of the first opening 22a and communicates with the X+ side surface of the first opening 22a. Furthermore, a first inclined portion 23 is provided on the Y+ side of the first opening 22a, connecting the Y+ end face to the X- side surface. A second inclined portion 25 is provided on the Y- side of the second opening 22b, connecting the Y- end face to the X+ side surface of the first opening 22a. The Y+ side is an example of the open side, and the Y- side is an example of the closed side. Note that the first spring member 26 and the second spring member 28 are connected to the opening / closing lever 24 at positions not shown in Figure 2. The first spring member 26 biases the opening / closing lever 24 towards the Y+ side, and the second spring member 28 biases the opening / closing lever 24 towards the X- side.

[0017] Figure 2(a) shows the movement of the opening / closing lever 24 when the switch 10 changes from a closed state to an open state. When the switch 10 is closed, the opening / closing lever 24 is fixed in the position shown by the solid line. In this case, the first spring member 26 is extended and the second spring member 28 is contracted. Therefore, the opening / closing lever 24 is fixed in the position shown by the solid line (Y- side of the first opening 22a) against the tensile force of the first spring member 26. In this state, no force is applied to the opening / closing lever 24 from the second spring member 28. When the opening / closing lever 24 is released, the contraction force of the first spring member 26 causes the opening / closing lever 24 to move to the Y+ side as shown by the dashed line. The opening / closing lever 24 then contacts the first inclined portion 23 and is guided by the first inclined portion 23 to move into the second opening 22b.

[0018] FIG. 2(b) shows the operation of the opening / closing lever 24 within the second opening 22b. As described above, when the fixing of the opening / closing lever 24 is released, the opening / closing lever 24 moves to the Y+ side. When the opening / closing lever 24 collides with the upper end (Y+ side end) of the opening 22, it rebounds from the collision, and the opening / closing lever 24 vibrates up and down (in the Y+ and Y− directions). Specifically, the opening / closing lever 24 vibrates up and down within the second opening 22b. In the switch 10, even when the opening / closing lever 24 tries to move in the Y− direction (i.e., the closed-circuit side) due to the repulsive force when opening the switch 10, the movement is restricted by the lower end (Y− side end) of the second opening 22b. Therefore, when opening the switch 10, it is possible to prevent the movable electrode 4 from re-contacting the fixed electrode 6 (the switch 10 from being re-closed). When the opening / closing lever 24 is located within the second opening 22b, the first spring member 26 is contracted and the second spring member 28 is extended.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows the movement of the opening / closing lever 24 when the switch 10 changes from the open state to the closed state. As described above, when the opening / closing lever 24 is located within the second opening 22b, the second spring member 28 is extended. Therefore, as shown in (a), when the vibration of the opening / closing lever 24 converges within the second opening 22b, the opening / closing lever 24 moves to the X− side (the first opening 22a side) due to the contracting force of the second spring member 28. That is, when the switch 10 is in the open state, the opening / closing lever 24 is wholly or partly located within the first opening 22a (on the Y+ side of the first opening 22a).

[0020] When closing the switch 10, as shown in (b), move the opening / closing lever 24 to the Y-side of the first opening 22a and fix the opening / closing lever 24. Since at least a part of the opening / closing lever 24 is located within the first opening 22a in the open state, when closing the switch 10, it is only necessary to move the opening / closing lever 24 in one direction (Y-direction). That is, when closing the switch 10, there is no need to apply a force to the opening / closing lever 24 in the X direction. As described above, a second inclined portion 25 is provided on the Y-side of the second opening 22b. Therefore, even if a part of the opening / closing lever 24 is located within the second opening 22b in the open state, by applying only a force in the Y-direction to the opening / closing lever 24, the opening / closing lever 24 can be guided into the first opening 22a, and the opening / closing lever 24 can be smoothly moved to the open position (the position shown in Fig. 3(b)).

[0021] In the above embodiment, an example in which the first spring member 26 extends and the second spring member 28 contracts when the switch 10 is closed has been described. However, the first spring member 26 may contract when the switch 10 is closed. When the first spring member 26 contracts when the switch 10 is closed, the first spring member 26 may be connected to the opening / closing lever 24 such that the opening / closing lever 24 is fixed to the Y-side of the first opening 22a in a state of resisting the extension force of the first spring member 26.

[0022] In the above embodiment, an example in which the power supply side terminal 8 is connected to the fixed electrode 6 and the load side terminal 2 is connected to the movable electrode 4 has been described. However, the power supply side and the load side may be opposite. That is, the power supply side terminal 8 may be connected to the movable electrode 4 and the load side terminal 2 may be connected to the fixed electrode 6.

[0023] Although specific examples of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technologies described in the claims include various modifications and changes to the specific examples illustrated above. Furthermore, the technical elements described in this specification or drawings exhibit technical usefulness individually or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technologies illustrated in this specification or drawings can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously, and achieving even one of these objectives itself constitutes technical usefulness. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 4: Movable electrode 6: Fixed electrode 10: Switch 20: Opening / closing lever movement restricting member 22:Aperture 22a: 1st opening 22b: 2nd opening 23:First slope part 24: Opening / closing lever

Claims

1. A switch having a movable electrode and a fixed electrode, It comprises an opening / closing lever connected to a movable electrode for operating the movable electrode, and an opening / closing lever movement restricting member having an opening for restricting the movement of the opening / closing lever. The opening has a first opening that extends in a first direction in which the opening / closing lever moves when the switch is opened and closed, and a second opening that extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and communicates with the first opening, and restricts the movable electrode from moving toward the fixed electrode. The second opening is in communication with one side of the first opening at the open-circuit end where the opening / closing lever moves when the switch is opened. A switch is provided with a first inclined portion on the other side of the first opening that is on the open side, for guiding the opening / closing lever into the second opening.

2. The switch according to claim 1, wherein a spring member is connected to the switch, which biases the switch so that the switch moves from inside the second opening to inside the first opening.

3. The switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a second inclined portion for guiding an opening / closing lever into the first opening is provided at the closed end of the second opening.

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