Circuit breaker

Abstract

To provide an electric path cutting device that cuts off an electric path without fail when a storage battery or an electric path is immersed in water.SOLUTION: The present invention includes: a pair of fixed terminals 2 having a joint part 6 for connecting / cutting off an electric path in both terminal parts of a cut-off electric path; and a movable conductor 3 hung between the fixed terminals 2 for electrically connecting the fixed terminals 2 to each other. A float 5 flowing on water is connected to a movable conductor 3 directly or with a connector in between, and the movable conductor 3 is separated from the fixed terminal 2 due to rising of the float 5 so that the electric path is cut off.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric circuit interrupting device, and more particularly to an electric circuit interrupting device that can reliably interrupt an electric circuit to avoid a dangerous state such as flooding of an electric circuit when such a dangerous state occurs. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Storage batteries are becoming widespread for use as a power source in emergencies, for storing electricity generated by solar power generation devices, for storing electricity during the night, or for storing electricity generated during emergencies. Such batteries are often installed at a low position due to their weight, which means they are subject to flooding during heavy rains, etc. This not only causes the batteries to deteriorate, but also leads to short circuits in the circuitry during the flooding process, which can cause fires, etc., so measures to prevent this have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a water-swellable material is placed at an opening such as an exhaust port of a box that houses a storage battery, and this acts to close the opening when water enters the battery, thereby preventing water from entering the battery and preventing the battery itself from becoming flooded. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-131416 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the technology of Patent Document 1, when a situation occurs in which the device is submerged due to a flood disaster, etc., the device continues to be submerged for a long time, making it difficult to maintain a good waterproof state. In addition, although there is no risk of fire because a power outage occurs when the device is submerged, fires are likely to occur due to electrical leakage when the water recedes and power is restored, so a structure was required to reliably cut off the electrical circuit when the device is submerged.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide an electric circuit interrupting device that reliably interrupts an electric circuit when a storage battery or its electric circuit is flooded. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 provides a contact portion for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit, which comprises a pair of fixed terminals provided at the ends of a divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, and a float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, and when the float rises, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminals, thereby breaking the electric circuit. In this structure, the fixed terminal is disposed in the horizontal direction, the movable conductor is disposed across the upper part of the fixed terminal, and a guide member is provided to guide the vertical movement of the movable conductor. Furthermore, a float is connected to the lower part of the movable conductor and formed integrally therewith. When the float rises, the movable conductor also rises and is disengaged from the fixed terminal. Meanwhile, the guide member has a holding means for holding the disengaged movable conductor in the disengaged position, and the held movable conductor does not fall even if the float falls or is in a state where it can fall. It is characterized by: With this configuration, the float rises when water gets in and the contacts open, so the electric circuit can be securely cut off when water gets in, preventing accidents caused by leakage or short circuits. In addition, because no control circuit or control power supply is required, a configuration that operates reliably can be realized at low cost.

[0007] Also, Since the float is directly connected to the movable conductor, it can be constructed simply and inexpensively.

[0008] In addition, The contacts that open due to submersion in water, etc., do not return to their original position even when the submersion is removed because the movable conductor is held by the retaining means. This prevents the circuit from being reconnected when the submersion ceases, and avoids the risk of fire due to electrical leakage or malfunction.

[0009] Claim 2 The invention is as follows: 1 In the configuration described above, the contact portion is accommodated in a box body that is open only downward, and the float is arranged so that only a part of the float is exposed downward from the box body. According to this configuration, even if the box is submerged in water, the air pressure inside the box prevents water from reaching the contact portion, thereby protecting the contact portion.

[0010] Claim 3 The invention is A contact part for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit has a pair of fixed terminals provided at the ends of the divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, and a float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, and when the float rises, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminals, thereby breaking the electric circuit.The fixed terminals are arranged horizontally, while the movable conductor is placed across the top of the fixed terminals. Along with, The device has a guide member that guides the up and down movement of the movable conductor, and the float and movable conductor are connected in a bendable manner to two rod bodies: a first rod body to which the float is connected and a second rod body to which the movable conductor is connected, and each rod body is arranged to be swingable about a pivot point, and when the float rises, the tip of the second rod body to which the movable conductor is connected rises, and the movable conductor becomes detached from the fixed terminal. According to this configuration, When water gets in, the float rises and the contacts open, so the circuit is reliably cut off when water gets in, preventing accidents caused by leakage or short circuits. In addition, because no control circuit or control power supply is required, a configuration that operates reliably can be realized at low cost. Since the float and the movable conductor are separated, it is easy to position the contact portion so that it is not submerged in water.

[0011] Claim 4 The invention is A contact part for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit has a pair of fixed terminals provided at the ends of the divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, and a float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, and when the float rises, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminals, thereby breaking the electric circuit. The fixed terminals are arranged vertically, while the movable conductor is arranged vertically so as to span both fixed terminals, and further has a guide member that guides the vertical sliding movement of the movable conductor along the fixed terminal.The float is connected to the movable conductor and formed integrally with it, and when the float rises, the movable conductor also slides upward, thereby dissolving the electrical connection with the fixed terminal. According to this configuration, When water gets in, the float rises and the contacts open, so the circuit is reliably cut off when water gets in, preventing accidents caused by leakage or short circuits. In addition, because no control circuit or control power supply is required, a configuration that operates reliably can be realized at low cost. When the float rises, the movable conductor slides upward relative to the vertically arranged contacts, breaking the electrical connection. This allows the circuit to be broken with a simple structure.

[0012] Claim 5 The invention is A contact part for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit has a pair of fixed terminals provided at the ends of the divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, and a float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, and when the float rises, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminals, thereby breaking the electric circuit. The fixed terminals are arranged vertically, while the movable conductor is arranged vertically so as to span both fixed terminals, and further has a guide member that guides the upward and downward sliding movement of the movable conductor along the fixed terminal.The movable conductor is connected to the float via a connecting member so that its relative position with the float does not change, and when the float rises, the movable conductor also slides upward, thereby dissolving the electrical connection with the fixed terminal. According to this configuration, When water gets in, the float rises and the contacts open, so the circuit is reliably cut off when water gets in, preventing accidents caused by leakage or short circuits. In addition, because no control circuit or control power supply is required, a configuration that operates reliably can be realized at low cost.When the float rises, the movable conductor slides upward and the electrical connection is broken relative to the vertically arranged contact part, breaking the electrical circuit with a simple structure. In addition, because the float and the movable conductor are separated, it is easy to arrange the contact part so that it does not become submerged in water. The invention of claim 6 is an electric circuit interrupting device characterized in that the contact part for connecting / breaking an electric circuit has a pair of fixed terminals provided at the ends of a divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is hung between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, and a float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, and when the float rises, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminal, thereby interrupting the electric circuit, the fixed terminal is arranged horizontally, while the movable conductor is arranged to be hung over the fixed terminal and has a guide member that guides the vertical movement of the movable conductor, and further, the float is connected to the lower part of the movable conductor and formed integrally with it, and when the float rises, the movable conductor also rises and becomes detached from the fixed terminal, while the contact part is housed in a box that is open only at the bottom, and is arranged so that only a part of the float is exposed below the box. According to this configuration, the float rises when water enters and the contact opens, so the electric circuit can be reliably cut off when water enters, preventing accidents caused by leakage or short circuits. In addition, since no control circuit or control power supply is required, a configuration that operates reliably can be realized at low cost. Furthermore, even if the box is submerged, the air pressure inside the box prevents water from reaching the contact, protecting the contact. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the float rises due to ingress of water, causing the contacts to open, so that the electric circuit can be reliably interrupted if water gets in, preventing accidents and fires caused by leakage or short circuits. In addition, because it operates using the buoyancy of the float, no control circuit or control power supply is required, and a configuration that operates reliably can be realized at low cost. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are explanatory views showing an example of an electrical circuit interrupting device according to the present invention, in which (a) is a side view and (b) is a front view. [Diagram 2] 2 shows the movable conductor in FIG. 1 in a raised state, (a) being a side view and (b) being a front view. [Diagram 3] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the electrical circuit interrupting device of FIG. 1 housed in a box. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are front explanatory views showing another embodiment of an electric circuit interrupting device, in which FIG. [Diagram 5] 10A and 10B are explanatory views showing another embodiment of an electric circuit interrupting device, in which FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the movable conductor in FIG. 5 is raised, (a) being a side view, and (b) being a partial front view. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are explanatory views showing another embodiment of an electric circuit interrupting device, in which FIG. [Figure 8] 8 is an explanatory diagram of the state in which the movable conductor in FIG. 7 is raised, (a) being a side view and (b) being a partial front view. [Figure 9]1 is an explanatory diagram showing an electric circuit interrupting device of the present invention attached to an electric circuit equipped with a storage battery module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an electric circuit interrupting device according to the present invention, where (a) is a side view and (b) is a front view. The electric circuit interrupting device 1 is composed of a fixed terminal 2, a movable conductor 3, a guide member 4, and a float 5. The fixed terminal 2, the movable conductor 3, and the guide member 4 form a contact portion 6. The fixed terminals 2 divide the horizontally arranged electric paths and are arranged at both ends with a specified distance between them. The movable conductor 3 is arranged above the pair of fixed terminals 2 so as to span them.

[0016] The movable conductor 3 is composed of movable terminals 31, which are contacts provided at both ends and electrically connected to the fixed terminals 2, and a connecting conductor 32 that connects the movable terminals 31 together. When the two movable terminals 31 are connected to the respective fixed terminals 2, the contact portion 6 is in a closed state. The connecting conductor 32 is connected and integrated with the float 5 arranged below. The float 5 is made of, for example, foamed resin and has a cubic shape. It is formed so as to have sufficient buoyancy in water.

[0017] The guide members 4 are members that guide the vertical movement of the movable conductor 3, and are arranged upright on the left and right of both fixed terminals 2, so as to sandwich the movable terminal 31. The guide member 4 is provided with claw pieces 41 that engage with the raised movable conductor 3 and hold it in the raised position. The claw pieces 41 have a horizontal upper surface and an inclined lower surface, are configured to be retractable into the guide member 4, and are arranged while being biased in the protruding direction. When the movable conductor 3 rises, the claw 41 is recessed and the movable conductor 3 rises smoothly. On the other hand, the protruding claw 41 is engaged with the lower surface of the raised movable conductor 3, preventing the movable conductor 3 from descending.

[0018] Fig. 2 shows the movable conductor 3 in a raised state, with (a) being an explanatory side view and (b) being an explanatory front view. In Fig. 2, W indicates intruded water. As shown in Fig. 2, when the float 5 rises due to buoyancy caused by the intrusion of water W, the movable conductor 3 also rises. The raised movable conductor 3 is prevented from descending by the action of the claw piece 41.

[0019] 3 shows a configuration in which the contact unit 6 of FIG. 1 is housed in a box body 8, with the movable conductor 3 in a raised state. The entire bottom of the box body 8 is open, and the contact unit 6 is housed therein with the lower part of the float 5 exposed from the open bottom surface. The box body 8 has a waterproof structure with each surface being watertight, and is configured so that even if water W enters from below, the air pressure inside the box body 8 prevents the water W from entering the upper part of the inside of the box body 8. Therefore, the amount of water W that enters can be made small, and most of the internal area is made a waterproof area.

[0020] In this way, the float 5 rises due to the intruding water W, and the contacts 6 open to cut off the electric circuit, so that the electric circuit can be reliably cut off when water W intrudes, preventing accidents and fires caused by leakage or short circuits. In addition, since it operates using the buoyancy of the float 5, no control circuit or control power supply is required, and a configuration that operates reliably can be realized at low cost. Furthermore, since the float 5 is directly connected to the movable conductor 3, the structure is simple and can be constructed at low cost. Furthermore, the contact 6 that has been opened will not return to its original position even if the submersion is resolved, because the movable conductor 3 is held by the tab 41 provided on the guide member 4. Therefore, the circuit will not be reconnected even if the submersion is resolved, and the risk of fire due to leakage or malfunction can be avoided. In addition, when the box 8 is provided, even if the circuit breaker 1 is submerged in water, the air pressure inside the box 8 can be configured to prevent water W from reaching the contact portion 6, thereby protecting the contact portion 6.

[0021] Fig. 4 is a front explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the electric circuit interrupting device 1, where (a) shows the energized state and (b) shows the interrupted state. Fig. 4 shows a configuration in which the float 5 is separated from the movable conductor. Since the configuration of the contact part 6 is the same as that of Fig. 1, the explanation will be omitted and the explanation will focus on the connection structure between the float 5 and the contact part 6. The movable conductor 3 of the contact portion 6 and the float 5 are connected via a rod body (connecting member) 11 made of an insulating material. The rod body 11 is configured by swingably connecting a first rod body 11a connected to the float 5 and a second rod body 11b connected to the movable conductor 3, and the pair of rod bodies 11 are attached to the front and rear ends of the movable conductor 3, respectively. In this example, the float 5 is cylindrical in shape.

[0022] Furthermore, the first rod body 11a and the second rod body 11b have rotation fulcrums P1 and P2, respectively. The rotation fulcrum P1 of the first rod body 11a is provided and fixed to a fixed member (not shown). The rotation fulcrum P2 of the second rod body 11b is provided to the guide member 4. By connecting the float 5 and the movable conductor 3 with the rod body 11 arranged in this manner, when the float 5 rises due to infiltrating water, the movable conductor 3 also rises and becomes detached from the fixed terminal 2 as shown in Fig. 4(b), and the contact part 6 performs an interruption operation. And because the float 5 and the movable conductor 3 are separated, it is easy to arrange the contact part 6 so that it will not be submerged in water.

[0023] 5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams showing other forms of the electrical circuit interrupting device 1, showing a configuration in which the contact portion 6 is arranged vertically. Fig. 5 shows the energized state, and Fig. 6 shows the interrupted state, with (a) being a side view and (b) being a front view of the periphery of one of the guide members 4 arranged at the top. As shown in the figure, the movable conductor 3 is vertically arranged so as to be in close contact with the vertically arranged fixed terminal 2, and is suspended between both fixed terminals 2. The vertical sliding movement of the movable conductor 3 is guided by guide members 4 provided on the left and right sides of the fixed terminal 2, and the movable conductor 3 is configured to slide upwards due to the action of a float 5.

[0024] The float 5 is disposed so as to surround the movable conductor 3, and is connected to and integrated with the movable conductor 3. The float 5 is also attached so that the movable conductor 3 can slide upward. In this case, of the two guide members 4 arranged in accordance with both fixed terminals 2 as shown in the figure, a claw piece 41 is placed on the one arranged at the top, and it is configured to slide upward to keep the movable conductor 3 disengaged from the lower fixed terminal 2 and prevent it from descending.

[0025] In this way, when the float 5 rises relative to the vertically arranged contact portion 6, the movable conductor 3 slides upward and separates from at least one of the fixed terminals 2, thereby breaking the electrical connection. This makes it possible to break the electrical circuit with a simple structure. In this case, a part of the contact portion 6 is submerged before the electrical connection is released, but in the case of a large-scale disaster in which the contact portion 6 is submerged, a power outage will occur in the commercial power supply, etc., and it is more important to prevent a fire caused by electrical current when the power is restored than to prevent a leakage current caused by submersion. Therefore, this configuration is quite effective.

[0026] 7 and 8 are explanatory diagrams showing other configurations of the electric circuit interrupting device 1, showing a configuration in which the contact portion 6 is arranged vertically. Fig. 7 shows the energized state, and Fig. 8 shows the interrupted state, with (a) being a side view and (b) being a front view of one of the guide members 4 arranged at the top and its surroundings. As shown in the figures, the fixed terminal 2 and the movable conductor 3 are arranged vertically as in the configuration of Fig. 5 above, and the movable conductor 3 is configured to slide upward by the action of the float 5. The float 5 and the movable conductor 3 are connected via a connecting rod (connecting member) 13. The connecting rod 13 is firmly connected to both of them, and is configured so that the relative positions of both of them do not change. The connecting rod 13 may be made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin, or may be made of metal.

[0027] In this manner, when the float 5 rises relative to the vertically arranged contact portion 6, the movable conductor 3 rises and at least one of the contacts is separated. Therefore, the electric circuit can be broken with a simple structure. Furthermore, since the float 5 and the movable conductor 3 are separated, the contact portion 6 can be easily arranged so as not to be submerged in water.

[0028] Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram of an electric circuit L1 equipped with a storage battery module 15 to which an electric circuit interrupting device 1 of the present invention is attached. Fig. 9 shows a configuration in which a plurality of storage battery modules 15 are connected in series to an electric circuit L1 extending from a commercial power source 16 to a load 17. Reference numeral 18 denotes an input converter that converts the commercial power source 16 into direct current, and reference numeral 19 denotes an output converter that boosts the voltage of the storage battery module 15. An electric circuit interrupting device 1 is attached to each storage battery module 15, and an electric circuit interrupting device 1 is also disposed on the commercial power source 16 so that it is interrupted from the electric circuit L1. Since the circuit breaker 1 does not require a control power supply, by attaching the circuit breaker 1 to each storage battery module 15 in this way, the storage battery modules 15 connected in series can be individually separated even in a power outage, and high voltage generation can be prevented in an emergency. Therefore, high voltage generation can be prevented even if the module is submerged, and damage caused by submersion can be kept to a minimum.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the movable conductor 3 is composed of the movable terminal 31 and the connecting conductor 32, but the entire movable conductor may be formed as a single rod body as a conductor. Furthermore, the shape of the float 5 is a cube or a cylinder, but it may be another shape, such as a sphere. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] Reference Signs List 1...electric circuit interrupting device, 2...fixed terminal, 3...movable conductor, 4...guide member, 5...float, 6...contact portion, 8...box (case), 11...rod body, 11a...first rod body, 11b...second rod body, 13...connecting rod, 41...claw piece, P1, P2...pivot fulcrum, W...water.

Claims

1. a contact portion for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit includes a pair of fixed terminals provided at ends of the divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals to each other; A float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, In response to the rise of the float, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminal, thereby interrupting the electric circuit, the fixed terminal is disposed in a horizontal direction, the movable conductor is disposed across an upper portion of the fixed terminal, and a guide member is provided for guiding the vertical movement of the movable conductor; Furthermore, the float is connected to the lower part of the movable conductor and is formed integrally therewith, and when the float rises, the movable conductor also rises and is separated from the fixed terminal. The guide member has a holding means for holding the movable conductor in the released position after the release operation, and the held movable conductor does not descend even if the float descends or is in a state where it can descend.

2. The contact portion is housed in a box that is open only downward, 2. The circuit breaking device according to claim 1, wherein the float is disposed so that only a portion of the float is exposed downward from the box body.

3. A contact portion for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit has a pair of fixed terminals provided at ends of the divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, A float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, In response to the rise of the float, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminal, thereby interrupting the electric circuit, the fixed terminal is disposed in a horizontal direction, the movable conductor is disposed across the upper portion of the fixed terminal, and a guide member is provided for guiding the vertical movement of the movable conductor; The float and the movable conductor are connected to a first rod body to which the float is connected and a second rod body to which the movable conductor is connected in a bendable manner, and each of the rod bodies is arranged to be swingable about a pivot point. When the float rises, the tip of the second rod body to which the movable conductor is connected rises, and the movable conductor becomes detached from the fixed terminal.

4. A contact portion for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit has a pair of fixed terminals provided at ends of the divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, A float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, In response to the rise of the float, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminal, thereby interrupting the electric circuit, The fixed terminals are disposed in a vertical direction, while the movable conductor is disposed vertically so as to span both the fixed terminals, a guide member for guiding the movable conductor in a vertical sliding movement along the fixed terminal, An electrical circuit interrupting device, characterized in that the float is connected to a movable conductor and formed as one unit, and when the float rises, the movable conductor also slides upward, thereby breaking the electrical connection with the fixed terminal.

5. A contact portion for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit has a pair of fixed terminals provided at ends of the divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, A float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, In response to the rise of the float, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminal, thereby interrupting the electric circuit, The fixed terminals are disposed in a vertical direction, while the movable conductor is disposed vertically so as to span both the fixed terminals, a guide member for guiding the movable conductor in a vertical sliding movement along the fixed terminal, The movable conductor is connected to the float via a connecting member so that the relative position of the movable conductor with respect to the float does not change, When the float rises, the movable conductor also slides upward, thereby breaking the electrical connection with the fixed terminal.

6. A contact portion for connecting / disconnecting an electric circuit has a pair of fixed terminals provided at ends of the divided electric circuit, and a movable conductor that is stretched between the fixed terminals to electrically connect the fixed terminals, A float that floats on water is connected to the movable conductor directly or via a connecting member, In response to the rise of the float, the movable conductor separates from the fixed terminal, thereby interrupting the electric circuit, the fixed terminal is disposed in a horizontal direction, the movable conductor is disposed across an upper portion of the fixed terminal, and a guide member is provided for guiding the vertical movement of the movable conductor; Furthermore, the float is connected to the lower part of the movable conductor and is formed integrally therewith, and when the float rises, the movable conductor also rises and is separated from the fixed terminal. The contact portion is housed in a box that is open only downward, 13. An electric circuit breaking device, comprising: a float disposed so that only a portion of the float is exposed downward from the box body.

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