Rail mounting structure of electrical equipment

Abstract

Provided is a structure for attaching an electric device to a rail, the structure enabling elimination of tools when detaching the electric device from the rail. This structure for attaching an electric device to a rail is provided with: first engagement parts (11a), (11b) that engage with a first rail portion (2a) of the rail (2) on one side in the width direction; second engagement parts (12a), (12b) that engage with a second rail portion (2b) of the rail (2) on the other side in the width direction; a spring member (20) disposed at the front side of the first engagement parts (11a), (11b); and a slider (30) that is disposed in a manner as to be slidable back and forth on the bottom surface of a slider housing recess (14) and that is biased backward by the biasing force of the spring member (20). Upon attachment of an electric device (1) to the rail (2), the slider (30) comes into contact with the first rail portion (2a) so as to enable the biasing force of the spring member (20) to be applied to the first rail portion (2a) and to cause the second engagement parts (12a), (12b) to be in a state of pressing the second rail portion (2b).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rail mounting structure for electrical equipment such as a circuit breaker for wiring and an electromagnetic contactor, for mounting the electrical equipment on rails laid in a panel such as a distribution board.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a rail mounting structure for an electromagnetic contactor, for example, an electromagnetic contactor shown in Patent Document 1 is known. The electromagnetic contactor shown in Patent Document 1 mounts and fixes a hook portion formed on the back surface of the electromagnetic contactor frame and a slider across a rail provided in a case.

[0003] In the electromagnetic contactor shown in Patent Document 1, when mounting the electromagnetic contactor on the rail, first, the frame of the electromagnetic contactor is tilted, and the hook portion formed on the back surface of the frame is engaged with one rail portion of the rail. Next, the side opposite to the hook portion of the frame of the electromagnetic contactor is pushed down so that the edge of the hook hole of the slider abuts against the tip slope of the column provided in the case. Then, the electromagnetic contactor is further pushed down to slide the slider to the side opposite to the hook portion, and the tip of the column is passed through the hook hole of the slider, and the hook-shaped portion of the column is projected onto the upper surface of the hook hole. Then, the slider slides to the hook portion side by the action of the spring, and at the same time as the tip recess of the slider engages with the other rail portion, the hook-shaped portion of the column engages with the hook hole of the slider. Thereby, the electromagnetic contactor is mounted on the rail.

[0004] On the other hand, to remove the electromagnetic contactor mounted on the rail, first, the hook-shaped portion of the column is pushed with a fingertip to tilt the column, and a tool such as a driver tool is inserted between the hook-shaped portion and the hook hole of the slider, and this is operated to release the engagement between the hook-shaped portion and the hook hole. Thereby, the slider can be pulled back to the side opposite to the hook portion, and the electromagnetic contactor can be removed from the rail.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-139893 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] However, the electromagnetic contactor disclosed in this conventional Patent Document 1 has the following problems. That is, in the electromagnetic contactor disclosed in Patent Document 1, when removing the electromagnetic contactor from the rail, there is an inconvenience in that a tool such as a driver tool is required to disengage the hook portion of the support column and the engagement hole of the slider. Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve this conventional problem, and an object thereof is to provide a rail mounting structure for an electrical device that can eliminate the need for a tool when removing the electrical device from the rail. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a rail mounting structure of an electric device according to an aspect of the present invention is a rail mounting structure of an electric device for mounting the electric device across a rail, and is provided on the front side of the bottom surface of the housing of the electric device extending in the left-right direction identical to the longitudinal direction of the rail and the front-rear direction identical to the width direction of the rail. A first engaging portion that engages with a first rail portion 2a on one side in the width direction of the rail when the electric device is mounted on the rail, and a rear side of the bottom surface of the housing and provided so as to face the first engaging portion. A second engaging portion that engages with a second rail portion 2b on the other side in the width direction of the rail when the electric device is mounted on the rail, a spring member disposed on the front side with respect to the first engaging portion of the bottom surface of the housing, and formed on the bottom surface of the housing. And a slider slidably disposed in the front-rear direction on the bottom surface of the slider accommodating recess and biased rearward by the biasing force of the spring member. When the electric device is mounted on the rail, the slider abuts against the first rail portion of the rail and causes the biasing force of the spring member to act on the first rail portion of the rail, and the second engaging portion presses the second rail portion of the rail. The gist is to be in a state.

[0008] Also, a rail mounting structure of an electrical device according to another aspect of the present invention is a rail mounting structure of an electrical device that mounts the electrical device across a rail, and is provided on the front side of the bottom surface of the housing of the electrical device that extends in the left - right direction identical to the longitudinal direction of the rail and the front - rear direction identical to the width direction of the rail. When the electrical device is mounted on the rail, a first engaging portion that engages with a first rail portion on one side in the width direction of the rail, and a second engaging portion that is provided on the rear side of the bottom surface of the housing so as to face the first engaging portion and engages with a second rail portion on the other side in the width direction of the rail when the electrical device is mounted on the rail. A leaf spring support portion provided on the front side of the first engaging portion on the bottom surface of the housing, a longitudinal extension portion that extends in the longitudinal direction identical to the longitudinal direction of the rail, a pair of inclined portions that extend obliquely from both longitudinal ends of the longitudinal extension portion so that the distance between them widens in the width direction of the rail, and a pair of pressing portions provided at the tips of each of the pair of inclined portions. The leaf spring is provided with a leaf spring supported by the leaf spring support portion so that the pair of inclined portions can be displaced. When the electrical device is mounted on the rail, the pair of pressing portions of the leaf spring abut against the first rail portion of the rail and actuate the biasing force of the leaf spring on the first rail portion of the rail, and the second engaging portion presses the second rail portion of the rail. This is the gist of the invention.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the rail mounting structure of the electrical device according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rail mounting structure of an electrical device that does not require a tool when removing the electrical device from the rail.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following plurality of embodiments illustrate devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. The technical idea of the present invention does not specify the material, shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of the components as follows. The technical idea of the present invention can be variously modified within the technical scope defined by the claims described in the claims. Also, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and the planar dimensions, the ratio of the thicknesses of the respective layers, etc. are different from the actual ones. Therefore, specific thicknesses and dimensions should be determined with reference to the following description. Also, it goes without saying that there are portions where the dimensional relationships and ratios are different between the drawings.

[0012] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a rail mounting structure of an electromagnetic contactor as an electrical device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the rail mounting structure mounts an electromagnetic contactor 1 as an electrical device across a rail 2.

[0013] Hereinafter, in the first embodiment, when explaining the electromagnetic contactor 1, the terms indicating the directions of "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", and "back" are defined based on the directions indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 10. Also, in the first reference example, when explaining the electromagnetic contactor 101, the terms indicating the directions of "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", and "back" are defined based on the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. 15. Further, in the second embodiment, when explaining the electromagnetic contactor 1, the terms indicating the directions of "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", and "back" are defined based on the directions indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 17 to 22. Also, in the third embodiment, when explaining the electromagnetic contactor 1, the terms indicating the directions of "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", and "back" are defined based on the directions indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 25 to 27 and FIGS. 30 to 32. Further, in the second reference example, when explaining the electromagnetic contactor 201, the terms indicating the directions of "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", and "back" are defined based on the directions indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 33 and 34.

[0014] In the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the rail 2 extends longitudinally in an elongated shape and includes a first rail portion 2a and a second rail portion 2b that face each other in the width direction and with which the electromagnetic contactor 1 engages. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the rail 2 is attached to a panel 8 such as a switchboard with the first rail portion 2a on the upper side and the second rail portion 2b on the lower side. The electromagnetic contactor 1 in the first embodiment includes a lower case 3 and an upper case 4 as housings formed of an insulating synthetic resin, as shown in FIG. 1. Terminal portions 5a to 5d having contacts are arranged on the upper case 4. An arc extinguishing cover 6 and a terminal cover 7 that covers the terminal portions 5a to 5d are attached to the upper case 4.

[0015] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, the lower case 3 of the electromagnetic contactor 1 has a substantially rectangular bottom surface 3a extending in the left-right direction identical to the longitudinal direction of the rail 2 and in the front-rear direction identical to the width direction of the rail 2. And, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, first engaging portions 11a, 11b and second engaging portions 12a, 12b are provided on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. The first engaging portions 11a, 11b are provided on the front side of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 and engage with one first rail portion 2a in the width direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, as shown in FIG. 10. The first engaging portions 11a, 11b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Each of the first engaging portions 11a, 11b is formed in a hook shape downward from the bottom surface 3a while providing a gap into which the first rail portion 2a fits, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0016] Also, the second engaging portions 12a, 12b are provided on the rear side of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 so as to face the first engaging portions 11a, 11b and engage with the other second rail portion 2b in the width direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, as shown in FIG. 10. The second engaging portions 12a, 12b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Each of the second engaging portions 12a, 12b is formed in a hook shape downward from the bottom surface 3a while providing a gap into which the second rail portion 2b fits. Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a leaf spring 20 and a slider 30 as spring members are provided on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3.

[0017] The leaf spring 20 is disposed on the front side with respect to the first engaging portions 11a and 11b on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, and is formed in a rectangular shape extending in the same longitudinal direction as the longitudinal direction of the rail 2. The leaf spring 20 is formed by punching a metal plate material having spring properties. The leaf spring 20 is supported at both longitudinal ends by a pair of leaf spring support portions 13 provided on the front side and inside the first engaging portions 11a and 11b with respect to the first engaging portions 11a and 11b on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Each leaf spring support portion 13 includes a front support wall 13a and a rear support wall 13b formed to extend downward from the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. The front support wall 13a and the rear support wall 13b are each formed in a flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction, and a gap 13c is formed between the front support wall 13a and the rear support wall 13b so that the longitudinal end portions of the leaf spring 20 are supported with a clearance in the front-rear direction.

[0018] Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. 10, the slider 30 is disposed slidably in the front-rear direction on the bottom surface of the slider accommodation recess 14 formed in the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 at the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring 20, and is biased rearward by the biasing force of the leaf spring 20. Then, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, the slider 30 abuts against the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 to apply the biasing force of the leaf spring 20 to the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, and the second engaging portions 12a and 12b are brought into a state of pressing the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, this slider 30 includes a slider body 31 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a rear end surface 31a, a leaf spring insertion recess 32 formed from the bottom surface of the slider body 31, and a cantilevered elastic locking piece 33 provided on the slider body 31, and is integrally formed by molding an insulating synthetic resin. The rear end surface 31a of the slider body 31 abuts against the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, and the biasing force of the leaf spring 20 acts on the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2. Further, in the leaf spring insertion recess 32, a substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring 20 is inserted with a clearance in the front-rear direction, and the slider 30 is attached between both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring 20. On the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 14, a stopper 15 is protruding and formed, against which the elastic locking piece 33 provided on the slider 30 is locked to restrict the backward movement of the slider 30.

[0020] Also, on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 10, a pair of slider front guides 16a and a pair of slider rear guides 16b for guiding the movement of the slider 30 in the front-rear direction are provided. The slider front guides 16a and the slider rear guides 16b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction, and the leaf spring 20 can be inserted between the slider front guides 16a and the slider rear guides 16b.

[0021] Also, at both left and right ends of the rear end surface 31a of the slider 30, as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 12, a pair of displacement prevention portions 34 for preventing displacement of the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2 are provided. Each displacement prevention portion 34 protrudes from the rear end surface 31a of the slider 30, and the plate thickness t1 of each displacement prevention portion 34 is formed to be slightly larger than the depth of the slider housing recess 14 and protrude slightly from the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. For this reason, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, as shown in FIG. 12, the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 enters between the first engaging portions 11a, 11b and the displacement prevention portion 34 of the slider 30, thereby preventing displacement of the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rail 2.

[0022] When the thickness of the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 is changed, by changing to the slider 30 having the displacement prevention portions 34 with different thicknesses t1, it is possible to cope with the change in the thickness of the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2. If the displacement prevention portions 34 are not provided on the slider 30 but are directed toward the bottom surface 3a side of the lower case 3, when the thickness of the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 is changed, the lower case 3 itself has to be changed, and the corresponding response becomes difficult.

[0023] Next, a method of assembling the leaf spring 20 and the slider 30 to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. When assembling the leaf spring 20 and the slider 30 to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, first, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom surface 3a side of the lower case 3 of the electromagnetic contactor 1 is set to be on the upper side. Then, both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring 20 are dropped from above into a gap 13c formed between the front support wall 13a and the rear support wall 13b of the pair of leaf spring support portions 13. Thereby, both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring 20 are supported by the pair of leaf spring support portions 13 in a state having a clearance in the front-rear direction.

[0024] Next, the leaf spring insertion recess 32 of the slider 30 is dropped from above into the longitudinal center portion of the leaf spring so that the longitudinal center portion of the leaf spring 20 supported by the pair of leaf spring support portions 13 is inserted into the leaf spring insertion recess 32 of the slider 30 in a state having a clearance in the front-rear direction, and the slider 30 is attached between both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring 20. At that time, the slider 30 is arranged between the pair of slider front guide portions 16a and between the pair of slider rear guide portions 16b. Finally, as shown in FIG. 5, the rear end surface 31a of the slider 30 is pressed forward against the biasing force of the leaf spring 20, and the elastic locking piece 33 provided on the slider 30 gets over a stopper 15 formed on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 14 and is locked to the stopper 15. Thereby, the backward movement of the slider 30 is restricted and it is attached to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3.

[0025] Thus, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first embodiment, the assembly can be performed by the steps of supporting both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring 20 by a pair of leaf spring support portions 13, attaching the slider 30 between both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring 20, and locking the elastic locking pieces 33 of the slider 30 to the stopper 15. Therefore, the assembly of the rail mounting structure can be easily performed.

[0026] Next, a method of mounting the electromagnetic contactor 1 across the rail 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. First, as shown in FIG. 7, the first engaging portions 11a and 11b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are hooked on the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, and a load is applied downward to the electromagnetic contactor 1, so that the leaf spring 20 supported at both longitudinal ends via the slider 30 in contact with the first rail portion 2a is elastically deformed upward. At this time, since the slider 30 is attached to the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring 20, the leaf spring 20 can be elastically deformed in a well-balanced manner in the longitudinal direction. Then, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are pressed against the lower surface of the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2.

[0027] Next, the application of the downward load to the electromagnetic contactor 1 is released. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the biasing force of the leaf spring 20 acts on the first rail portion 2a via the slider 30, and the electromagnetic contactor 1 moves relatively upward. At this time, since the movement of the slider 30 is guided by the pair of front slider guides 16a and the pair of rear slider guides 16b, the electromagnetic contactor 1 moves relatively upward smoothly. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are in a state of pressing the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2, and the electromagnetic contactor 1 is mounted across the rail 2.

[0028] Here, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, as shown in FIG. 12, the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 enters between the first engaging portions 11a and 11b and the position displacement prevention portion 34 of the slider 30, thereby preventing the displacement of the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rail 2. Further, the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2 enters between the second engaging portions 12a and 12b and the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. On the other hand, when removing the electromagnetic contactor 1 from the rail 2, first, as shown in FIG. 13, the electromagnetic contactor 1 is pressed downward (toward the second rail portion 2b side), and the leaf spring 20 is elastically deformed through the slider 30 in contact with the first rail portion 2a, thereby releasing the engagement state of the second engaging portions 12a and 12b with respect to the second rail portion 2b.

[0029] Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are pushed upward in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 14 to remove the second engaging portions 12a and 12b from the second rail portion 2b. Furthermore, although not shown, the engagement state of the first engaging portions 11a and 11b with respect to the first rail portion 2a is released, and the first engaging portions 11a and 11b are removed from the first rail portion 2a. Thereby, the electromagnetic contactor 1 is removed from the rail 2. Thus, according to the rail attachment structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first embodiment, the leaf spring 20 as a spring member is elastically deformed through the slider 30 in contact with the first rail portion 2a by pressing the electromagnetic contactor 1 toward the second rail portion 2b side, and the engagement state of the second engaging portions 12a and 12 with respect to the second rail portion 2b is released. By the step of releasing the engagement state of the first engaging portions 11a and 11b with respect to the first rail portion 2a, the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be removed from the rail 2, so that the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be removed from the rail 2 without using a tool.

[0030] On the other hand, the rail attachment structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first reference example will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. In FIGS. 15 and 16, the same reference numerals as those of the members shown in FIGS. 1 to 15 may be given, and the description thereof may be omitted. The rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first reference example shown in FIG. 15 has the same basic structure as the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. However, in the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first embodiment, the leaf spring 20 and the slider 30 are used, while in the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the reference example, the coil spring 113 is used, which is the difference.

[0031] That is, on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 of the electromagnetic contactor 101 shown in FIG. 15, a first engaging portion 111 and a second engaging portion (not shown) are provided. The first engaging portion 111 is provided on the front side of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 and engages with one first rail portion 2a in the width direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 101 is mounted on the rail 2. The second engaging portion is provided on the rear side of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 so as to face the first engaging portion 111 and engages with the other second rail portion 2b in the width direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 101 is mounted on the rail 2.

[0032] In addition, a coil spring 113 is provided on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. The coil spring 113 is a metallic member having spring properties wound in a cylindrical shape. The coil spring 113 is supported by a coil spring support portion 112 provided on the front side with respect to the first engaging portion 111 on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. The coil spring support portion 112 includes a front wall 112a extending from the lower case 3, a right side wall 112b extending rearward from the right end of the front wall 112a, a left side wall 112c extending rearward from the left end of the front wall 112a, and the aforementioned first engaging portion 111 connecting the right side wall 112b and the left side wall 112c. And in the space surrounded by the front wall 112a, the right side wall 112b, the left side wall 112c, and the first engaging portion 111 of the coil spring support portion 112, a pair of coil spring support cylinder portions 112d extending from the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 are provided. Each coil spring support cylinder portion 112d is formed in a substantially 1 / 4 cylindrical shape from the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3.

[0033] The coil spring 113 is housed in the space surrounded by the pair of coil spring support cylinders 112d of the coil spring support portion 112. When the electromagnetic contactor 101 is attached to the rail 2, its end face 113a abuts against the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, and its biasing force acts on the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, causing the second engaging portion to press against the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2. According to the rail attachment structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to this first reference example, the electromagnetic contactor 101 can be removed from the rail 2 without using tools. However, housing the coil spring 113 in the space surrounded by the pair of coil spring support cylinders 112d of the coil spring support portion 112 requires a considerable external force or a complicated trajectory to be incorporated when housing it in the space surrounded by the pair of coil spring support cylinders 112d of the coil spring 113, and its assembly is difficult.

[0034] Also, when manufacturing the quarter-cylindrical shape of each coil spring support cylinder 112d, the structure of the mold becomes complicated, and the shape of each coil spring support cylinder 112d may also become unstable. Also, in the rail attachment structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first reference example, since the end face 113a of the coil spring 113 directly abuts against the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, it is necessary to polish the end face 113a of the coil spring 113 in order to ensure contact stability with the first rail portion 2a. As a result, there is a problem that the coil spring becomes expensive. On the other hand, according to the rail attachment structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first embodiment, the assembly can be performed by a process of supporting both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring 20 by a pair of leaf spring support portions 13, a process of attaching the slider 30 between both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring 20, and a process of locking the elastic locking piece 33 of the slider 30 to the stopper 15. Therefore, the assembly of the rail attachment structure can be easily performed.

[0035] Also, in the rail attachment structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first embodiment, since it is not necessary to form a cylindrical member to support the leaf spring, the structure of the mold is also simplified, and the shape stability of the member supporting the leaf spring can also be made good. Furthermore, in the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the first embodiment, the leaf spring 20 does not directly contact the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, but the slider 30 contacts the first rail portion 2a, so there is no need to polish the leaf spring 20, and the unit cost of the part can be reduced.

[0036] Second embodiment Next, a rail mounting structure for an electromagnetic contactor, which is an electric device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, will be described with reference to Figs. In the rail mounting structure for an electromagnetic contactor according to the second embodiment, the rail 2 extends elongatedly in the longitudinal direction and has a first rail portion 2a and a second rail portion 2b that engage with the electromagnetic contactor 1, facing each other in the width direction, as shown in Fig. 17. The rail 2 is mounted on a panel 8 such as a switchboard with the first rail portion 2a on the upper side and the second rail portion 2b on the lower side, similar to those shown in Figs. 7 to 9.

[0037] 17, the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the second embodiment includes a lower case 3 and an upper case 4 as housings formed of insulating synthetic resin. A terminal portion (not shown) having contacts is disposed in the upper case 4. An arc-extinguishing cover (not shown) and a terminal cover 7 that covers the terminal portion are attached to the upper case 4. 18 and 19, the lower case 3 of the electromagnetic contactor 1 has a substantially rectangular bottom surface 3a extending in the left-right direction, which is the same as the longitudinal direction of the rail 2, and in the front-rear direction, which is the same as the width direction of the rail 2. The bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 is provided with first engagement portions 11a, 11b and second engagement portions 12a, 12b.

[0038] The first engaging portions 11a and 11b are provided on the front side of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, and engage with one of the first rail portions 2a in the width direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2 as shown in FIG. 17. The first engaging portions 11a and 11b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left - right direction on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Each of the first engaging portions 11a and 11b is formed in a hook shape extending downward from the bottom surface 3a while providing a gap into which the first rail portion 2a fits, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 22.

[0039] Also, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b are provided on the rear side of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 so as to face the first engaging portions 11a and 11b, and engage with the other second rail portion 2b in the width direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2. The second engaging portions 12a and 12b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left - right direction on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Each of the second engaging portions 12a and 12b is formed in a hook shape extending downward from the bottom surface 3a while providing a gap into which the second rail portion 2b fits.

[0040] Further, a leaf - spring support portion 40 and a leaf - spring 50 are provided on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. The leaf - spring support portion 40 is provided on the front side of the first engaging portions 11a and 11b on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 and inside the first engaging portions 11a and 11b. The leaf - spring support portion 40 is formed on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, and includes a leaf - spring housing recess 41 that houses the leaf - spring 50 and restricts the upward and rearward movement and upward rotational movement of the leaf - spring 50, a forward - movement restricting portion 42 formed at the front end of the bottom surface of the leaf - spring housing recess 41 to restrict the forward movement of the leaf - spring 50, a front wall portion 45 that is connected to the forward - movement restricting portion 42 and extends in the left - right direction, and a downward - movement restricting portion 43 that extends from the front wall portion 45 so as to project toward the leaf - spring housing recess 41 side and restricts the downward movement and downward rotational movement of the leaf - spring 50.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 17 to 23, the leaf spring 50 includes a longitudinally extending portion 51 extending in the same longitudinal direction (left - right direction) as the longitudinal direction of the rail 2, a pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b obliquely extending from both longitudinal ends of the longitudinally extending portion 51 in the width direction (rear direction) of the rail 2 so that the distance between them widens, and a pair of pressing portions 53a and 53b provided at the tips of the pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b. The leaf spring 50 is formed by punching and bending a metallic plate material having spring properties. The leaf spring 50 is supported by the leaf - spring support portion 40 so that the pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b can be displaced.

[0042] Specifically explaining the support of the leaf spring 50 by the leaf - spring support portion 40, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 22, the leaf spring 50 is housed in the leaf - spring housing recess 41 such that the longitudinally extending portion 51 is on the front side and the pair of pressing portions 53a and 53b are on the rear side. When the leaf spring 50 is housed in the leaf - spring housing recess 41, the longitudinally extending portion 51 of the leaf spring 50 enters between the bottom surface of the leaf - spring housing recess 41 and the upward movement restricting portion 43. Thereby, the upward movement and upward rotational movement of the leaf spring 50 are restricted by the entire leaf spring 50 coming into contact with the bottom surface of the leaf - spring housing recess 41, and the rearward movement of the leaf spring 50 is restricted by the pair of pressing portions 53a and 53b coming into contact with the rear end surface of the leaf - spring housing recess 41. Also, the forward movement of the leaf spring 50 is restricted by the longitudinally extending portion 51 of the leaf spring 50 coming into contact with the forward movement restricting portion 42. Further, the downward movement and downward rotational movement of the leaf spring 50 are restricted by the longitudinally extending portion 51 and the pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b of the leaf spring 50 coming into contact with the downward movement restricting portion 43. The pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b of the leaf spring 50 can be displaced in the front - rear direction within the leaf - spring housing recess 41.

[0043] Then, as shown in FIGS. 23(a) and (b), the longitudinal extension portion 51 of the leaf spring 50 is formed by continuously connecting a plurality (three in this embodiment) of curved portions 51a, 51b, and 51c. The curved portion 51a is formed to protrude rearward and is provided at the center of the longitudinal extension portion 51. The curved portion 51b is formed to protrude forward and is provided on the left side with respect to the curved portion 51a. The curved portion 51c is formed to protrude forward and is provided on the right side with respect to the curved portion 51a. In this way, by continuously connecting a plurality (three in this embodiment) of curved portions 51a, 51b, and 51c to the longitudinal extension portion 51 of the leaf spring 50, the spring length of the leaf spring 50 is increased, and plastic deformation of the leaf spring 50 can be prevented when an excessive force acts on the leaf spring 50.

[0044] Further, notches 54 are respectively formed at the upper and lower edges of the curved portion 51a of the longitudinal extension portion 51 of the leaf spring 50. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 22, on the bottom surface of the leaf spring housing recess 41 formed on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, a left-right movement restricting portion 44 that enters the notch 54 of the leaf spring 50 and restricts the left-right movement of the leaf spring 50 is protrudingly formed. Thereby, when the leaf spring 50 is housed in the leaf spring housing recess 41, the left-right movement (longitudinal direction of the rail 2) of the leaf spring 50 can be restricted. Then, as shown in FIG. 17, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, the pair of pressing portions 53a and 53b of the leaf spring 50 supported by the leaf spring support portion 40 abut against the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, and the biasing force of the leaf spring 50 acts on the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, so that the second engaging portions 12a and 12b press the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2.

[0045] In the leaf spring 50, the longitudinally extending portion 51 may be formed linearly along the longitudinal direction as shown in FIGS. 24(a) and 24(b). When the load on the leaf spring 50 and the generated stress are small and the risk of plastic deformation is low, by using the leaf spring 50 in which the longitudinally extending portion 51 is formed linearly along the longitudinal direction, the manufacture of the leaf spring 50 can be simplified and the quality of the leaf spring 50 can be stabilized. In this case, the notch 54 is formed at the upper and lower edges of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the longitudinally extending portion 51.

[0046] Next, a method of assembling the leaf spring 50 to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. When assembling the leaf spring 50 to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, first, as shown in FIG. 20, the bottom surface 3a side of the lower case 3 of the electromagnetic contactor 1 is set to be the upper side. Then, as shown in FIG. 20, with the longitudinally extending portion 51 side of the leaf spring 50 at the front, the longitudinally extending portion 51 is inserted between the downward movement restricting portion 43 and the bottom surface of the leaf spring housing recess 41 from the obliquely upper side of the leaf spring housing recess 41.

[0047] As a result, as shown in FIG. 21, the leaf spring 50 is housed in the leaf spring housing recess 41 with the longitudinally extending portion 51 of the leaf spring 50 entering between the bottom surface of the leaf spring housing recess 41 and the downward movement restricting portion 43, the leaf spring 50 is supported by the leaf spring support portion 40, and the leaf spring 50 is assembled to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Thus, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second embodiment, since the assembly can be performed by the step of housing the leaf spring 50 in the leaf spring housing recess 41 and supporting the leaf spring 50 by the leaf spring support portion 40, the assembly of the rail mounting structure can be easily performed.

[0048] Further, in the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second embodiment, since it is not necessary to form a cylindrical member for supporting the leaf spring 50, the structure of the mold is also simplified, and the shape stability of the member for supporting the leaf spring 20 can also be made good. Furthermore, in the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second embodiment, although the pair of pressing portions 53a and 53b of the leaf spring 50 directly contact the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, since the plate surfaces of the pressing portions 53a and 53b contact the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, there is no need to polish the portion of the leaf spring 50 that contacts the first rail portion 2a, and the component unit price can be suppressed.

[0049] Next, a method of mounting the electromagnetic contactor 1 across the rail 2 will be described. First, to mount the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the second embodiment across the rail 2, similar to the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the first engaging portions 11a and 11b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are hooked on the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, and by applying a downward load to the electromagnetic contactor 1, the pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b of the leaf spring 50 that contact the first rail portion 2a are elastically deformed upward. At this time, the pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b of the leaf spring 50 are elastically deformed upward with the longitudinal extension portion 51 at the center in the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring 50 as a fulcrum when the pair of pressing portions 53a and 53b at the tips are pressed, so that they can be elastically deformed in a well-balanced manner in the longitudinal direction. Then, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are pressed against the lower surface of the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2.

[0050] Next, the application of the downward load to the electromagnetic contactor 1 is released. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the biasing force of the leaf spring 50 acts on the first rail portion 2a, and the electromagnetic contactor 1 moves relatively upward. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are in a state of pressing the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2, and the electromagnetic contactor 1 is mounted across the rail 2. Here, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is mounted on the rail 2, as shown in FIG. 17, the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 enters between the first engaging portions 11a and 11b and the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Also, the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2 enters between the second engaging portions 12a and 12b and the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3.

[0051] On the other hand, when removing the electromagnetic contactor 1 from the rail 2, first, as in the electromagnetic contactor 1 of the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the electromagnetic contactor 1 is pressed downward (toward the second rail portion 2b), and a pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b of the leaf spring 50 that abuts against the first rail portion 2a are elastically deformed upward to release the engagement state of the second engaging portions 12a and 12b with respect to the second rail portion 2b. Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are pushed upward in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 14 to remove the second engaging portions 12a and 12b from the second rail portion 2b. Furthermore, although not shown, the engagement state of the first engaging portions 11a and 11b with respect to the first rail portion 2a is released, and the first engaging portions 11a and 11b are removed from the first rail portion 2a. Thereby, the electromagnetic contactor 1 is removed from the rail 2.

[0052] Thus, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second embodiment, by pressing the electromagnetic contactor 1 toward the second rail portion 2b to elastically deform a pair of inclined portions 52a and 52b of the leaf spring 50 that abuts against the first rail portion 2a and releasing the engagement state of the second engaging portions 12a and 12 with respect to the second rail portion 2b, and by releasing the engagement state of the first engaging portions 11a and 11b with respect to the first rail portion 2a, the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be removed from the rail 2. Therefore, the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be removed from the rail 2 without using a tool.

[0053] In addition, in the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second embodiment, it is also conceivable to use a wire spring instead of the leaf spring 50 to abut against the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 when mounting the electromagnetic contactor 1 on the rail 2 and apply a biasing force to the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2. However, in the case of a wire spring, since the outer shape is circular, the contact portion with the first rail portion 2a becomes an R shape, and there is a possibility of slippage between the wire spring and the first rail portion 2a, and contact stability cannot be achieved. In particular, when the contact surface of the first rail portion 2a is an R shape, slippage is particularly likely to occur between the R shape of the wire spring and the R shape of the first rail portion 2a.

[0054] On the other hand, when using the leaf spring 50 as in the second embodiment, the leaf spring 50 is a flat plate member, and since the plate surfaces of the pair of pressing portions 53a and 53b of the leaf spring 50 come into contact with the first rail portion 2a, there is a low possibility of slippage occurring between the plate surfaces of the pair of pressing portions 53a and 53b and the first rail portion 2a, and contact stability can be achieved.

[0055] (Third Embodiment) Next, the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor as an electric device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 to 32. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 25, the rail 2 extends longitudinally in an elongated shape and includes a first rail portion 2a and a second rail portion 2b that the electromagnetic contactor 1 engages with in the width direction, facing each other. The rail 2 is mounted on the panel 8 such as a switchboard with the first rail portion 2a on the upper side and the second rail portion 2b on the lower side, as shown in FIGS. 7 to 9.

[0056] The electromagnetic contactor 1 in the third embodiment includes a lower case 3 and an upper case 4 that are formed of an insulating synthetic resin and serve as a housing, as shown in FIG. 25. A plurality of terminal portions 5 having contacts are arranged on the upper case 4. An arc extinguishing cover 6 is attached to the upper case 4. The lower case 3 of the electromagnetic contactor 1 has a substantially rectangular bottom surface 3a that extends in the left - right direction that is the same as the longitudinal direction of the rail 2 and in the front - rear direction that is the same as the width direction of the rail 2, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26. And on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, first engaging portions 11a, 11b and second engaging portions 12a, 12b are provided.

[0057] The first engaging portions 11a, 11b are provided on the front side of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 and engage with one of the first rail portions 2a in the width direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, as shown in FIG. 25. The first engaging portions 11a, 11b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left - right direction on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Each of the first engaging portions 11a, 11b is formed in a hook shape extending downward from the bottom surface 3a while providing a gap into which the first rail portion 2a fits, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

[0058] Further, as shown in FIG. 26, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b are provided on the rear side of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 so as to face the first engaging portions 11a and 11b, and engage with the second rail portion 2b on the other side in the width direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2. The second engaging portions 12a and 12b are arranged at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Each of the second engaging portions 12a and 12b is formed in a hook shape facing downward while providing a gap into which the second rail portion 2b fits.

[0059] Further, as shown in FIGS. 25, 26, and 30, a compression spring 70 and a slider 80 as spring members are provided on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Two compression springs 70 are provided in parallel in the left-right direction on the front side with respect to the first engaging portions 11a and 11b of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, a slider housing recess 60 in which the slider 80 is arranged is formed at substantially the center in the left-right direction on the side of the first engaging portions 11a and 11b of the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Then, two spring member housing recesses 61 are formed at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 60 of the lower case 3, and two wall portions 62 are erected from the front edges of the respective spring member housing recesses 61 on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 60. Each compression spring 70 is arranged in each spring member housing recess 61.

[0060] The dimensions of each compression spring 70 are shown in FIG. 29, and the free length Lo of each compression spring 70 is 4 times or less the coil mean diameter D. That is, the following equation holds. Lo / D ≦ 4 Here, when the coil inner diameter is Di and the coil outer diameter is De, the coil mean diameter D is represented by D = (Di + De) / 2. The above-described equation regarding the relationship between the free length Lo and the coil mean diameter D of each compression spring 70 is recommended in JIS B2701-1.

[0061] Further, as shown in FIGS. 25, 26, and 30 to 32, the slider 80 is disposed slidably in the front-rear direction on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 60 formed on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 and is biased rearward by the biasing force of the two compression springs 70. Then, as shown in FIGS. 30 to 32, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, the slider 80 abuts against the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 and causes the biasing force of the compression spring 70 to act on the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, so that the second engaging portions 12a and 12b press the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2.

[0062] As shown in FIGS. 28(a), (b), and (c), this slider 80 includes a slider body 81 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a rear end surface 81a, a left side surface 81b, and a right side surface 81c. Then, as shown in FIGS. 28(a), (b), (c), and 31, two storage recesses 82 for storing the two compression springs 70 disposed in the two wall portions 62 erected on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 60 and the spring member housing recess 61 are formed in the slider body 81. An opening 83 for inserting the compression spring 70 that opens downward is formed in each storage recess 82. Further, on each of the left side surface 81b and the right side surface 81c of the slider body 81, when the slider 80 is disposed in the slider housing recess 60, a movement restricting protrusion 85 for abutting against the restricting protrusion 63 of the lower case 3 and restricting the downward movement of the slider 80 is provided.

[0063] When each compression spring 70 is disposed in each spring member housing recess 61, as shown in FIG. 31, the front end 70a abuts against the wall portion 62, and the rear end 70b abuts against the rear wall portion 81d of the storage recess 82 of the slider 80. Thus, the slider 80 is constantly biased rearward by the biasing force of the two compression springs 70. As shown in FIGS. 28(a), (b), (c), and 31, a plurality of anti - slipping - out protrusions 84a to 84d for preventing the compression spring 70 from slipping out of the opening 73 of the compression spring 70 when the compression spring 70 is stored in the storage recess 82 are provided in each opening 83 of the slider body 81.

[0064] Further, at both left and right ends of the rear end surface 81a of the slider 80, as shown in FIGS. 8(a), (b), (c), FIGS. 31 and 32, a pair of displacement prevention portions 86 for preventing displacement of the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2 are provided. Each displacement prevention portion 86 is formed to protrude from the rear end surface 81a of the slider 80, and the plate thickness of each displacement prevention portion 86 is formed to be slightly larger than the depth of the slider accommodation recess 60 and to protrude slightly from the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Therefore, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, as shown in FIG. 32, the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 enters between the first engagement portions 11a, 11b and the displacement prevention portion 86 of the slider 80, thereby preventing displacement of the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rail 2.

[0065] Next, a method of assembling the compression spring 70 and the slider 80 to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 to 31. When assembling the compression spring 70 and the slider 80 to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, first, as shown in FIG. 27, the bottom surface 3a side of the lower case 3 of the electromagnetic contactor 1 is set to be on the upper side. Then, the slider 80 is arranged on the slider accommodation recess 60 such that each accommodation recess 82 accommodates the wall portion 62. On each of the left side surface 81b and the right side surface 81c of the slider main body 81, when the slider 80 is arranged in the slider accommodation recess 60, the movement restricting protrusion 85 provided on the slider 80 is arranged below the restricting protrusion 63 of the lower case 3 as shown in FIG. 26, and the upward movement of the slider 80, that is, the downward movement of the slider 80 is restricted.

[0066] Next, each of the two compression springs 70 is housed from each of the two openings 83 formed in the slider 80 into the housing recess 82 of the slider 80, and each compression spring 70 is arranged in each spring member housing recess 61. At this time, the front end 70a of each compression spring 70 abuts against the wall portion 62, and the rear end 70b abuts against the rear wall portion 81d of the housing recess 82 of the slider 80. As a result, the slider 80 is constantly biased rearward by the biasing forces of the two compression springs 70, and in this state, the compression springs 70 and the slider 80 are assembled to the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. Thus, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment, the assembly can be performed by the steps of arranging the slider 80 in the slider housing recess 60 and housing the compression spring 70 from the opening 83 formed in the slider 80 into the housing recess 82 of the slider 80 and arranging the compression spring 70 in the spring member housing recess 61. Therefore, the assembly of the rail mounting structure can be easily performed.

[0067] Next, a method of mounting the electromagnetic contactor 1 across the rail 2 will be described. In this third embodiment, the method of mounting the electromagnetic contactor 1 across the rail 2 is performed in the same manner as the method shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 described in the first embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 7, the first engaging portions 11a and 11b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are hooked on the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, and by applying a downward load to the electromagnetic contactor 1, the two compression springs 70 are elastically deformed upward via the slider 80 that abuts against the first rail portion 2a. Then, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are pressed against the lower surface of the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2.

[0068] Next, the application of the downward load to the electromagnetic contactor 1 is released. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the biasing forces of the two compression springs 70 act on the first rail portion 2a via the slider 80, and the electromagnetic contactor 1 moves relatively upward. Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are in a state of pressing the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2, and the electromagnetic contactor 1 is mounted across the rail 2. Here, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, as shown in FIG. 32, the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 enters between the first engaging portions 11a, 11b and the position displacement preventing portion 86 of the slider 80, thereby preventing the displacement of the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rail 2. Further, the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2 enters between the second engaging portions 12a, 12b and the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3.

[0069] On the other hand, when removing the electromagnetic contactor 1 from the rail 2, it is performed in the same manner as the method shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 described in the first embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 13, the electromagnetic contactor 1 is pressed downward (toward the second rail portion 2b side) to elastically deform the compression spring 70 via the slider 80 in contact with the first rail portion 2a, and the engagement state of the second engaging portions 12a, 12b with respect to the second rail portion 2b is released.

[0070] Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the second engaging portions 12a, 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 are pushed upward in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 14 to remove the second engaging portions 12a, 12b from the second rail portion 2b. Furthermore, although not shown, the engagement state of the first engaging portions 11a, 11b with respect to the first rail portion 2a is released, and the first engaging portions 11a, 11b are removed from the first rail portion 2a. Thereby, the electromagnetic contactor 1 is removed from the rail 2. Thus, according to the rail attachment structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment, the compression spring 70 is elastically deformed via the slider 80 in contact with the first rail portion 2a by pressing the electromagnetic contactor 1 toward the second rail portion 2b side, and the engagement state of the second engaging portions 12a, 12 with respect to the second rail portion 2b is released. By the step of releasing the engagement state of the first engaging portions 11a, 11b with respect to the first rail portion 2a, the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be removed from the rail 2, so that the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be removed from the rail 2 without using a tool.

[0071] Also, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment, the spring member is a compression spring 70 disposed in a spring member housing recess 61 formed on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 60. The slider 80 includes a wall portion 62 erected from the front edge of the spring member housing recess 61 and a storage recess 82 for storing the compression spring 70 disposed in the spring member housing recess 61, on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 60. The compression spring 70 constituting the spring member is disposed in the spring member housing recess 61 such that the front end 70a abuts against the wall portion 62 and the rear end 70b abuts against the rear wall portion 81d of the storage recess 82 of the slider 80. Thus, by using the compression spring 70 as the spring member, the biasing force for biasing the slider 80 rearward can be increased compared to the leaf spring 20 of the first embodiment, the pressing force when the second engaging portions 12a and 12b of the electromagnetic contactor 1 press the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2 can be increased, and the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be stably mounted across the rail 2. Since the compression spring can have a larger deflection amount and a larger load compared to the leaf spring, it is easy to manage and has the advantage of being less likely to plastically deform compared to the leaf spring.

[0072] Also, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment, since two compression springs 70 constituting the spring member are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, the biasing force for biasing the slider 80 rearward can be further increased (twice the biasing force when there is one compression spring 70). Also, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment, the free length Lo of the compression spring 70 constituting the spring member is 4 times or less the coil mean diameter D. Thereby, when the compression spring 70 elastically deforms, it bends straight without buckling, making it easy to manage the load and achieving stabilization.

[0073] In contrast, the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second reference example will be described with reference to FIGS. 33 to 35. In FIGS. 33 to 35, the same reference numerals as those of the members shown in FIGS. 25 to 32 may be given, and the description thereof may be omitted. The rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second reference example shown in Fig. 33 is provided with second engagement portions 12a, 12b that engage with the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is mounted on the rail 2 on the lower case 3, but is different from the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment in that it is not provided with a first engagement portion that engages with the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is mounted on the rail 2 on the lower case 3, and is provided with an engagement portion 284 that engages with the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is mounted on the rail 2 on the slider 280. Due to this difference in structure, it is different from the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment in that the free length Lo of the compression spring 270 constituting the spring member is larger than four times the coil average diameter D, as shown in Fig. 35.

[0074] Also, the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second reference example differs from the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment in that the slider 280 is provided with a tool hole 285. That is, in the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the second reference example, the rail 2 extends elongatedly in the longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. 33, and has a first rail portion 2a and a second rail portion 2b opposed to each other in the width direction, with which the electromagnetic contactor 1 engages. In the second reference example, the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 of the electromagnetic contactor 1 does not have a first engagement portion that engages with the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, but instead has second engagement portions 12a, 12b.

[0075] Furthermore, the second engagement portions 12a, 12b engage with the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, as shown in FIGS. Further, on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, a compression spring 270 and a slider 280 are provided, as shown in FIGS. A slider accommodating portion 260 in which a slider 280 is disposed is formed in the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3, approximately in the center in the left-right direction on the opposite side in the width direction to the second engagement portions 12a, 12b. And on the bottom surface of the slider housing portion 260 of the lower case 3, a spring member housing recess 261 is formed, and a wall portion 262 is erected from the front edge of each spring member housing recess 261 on the bottom surface of the slider housing portion 260. And the compression spring 270 is disposed in the spring member housing recess 261.

[0076] The dimensions of the compression spring 270 are described in FIG. 35, and the free length Lo of the compression spring 270 is longer than 4 times the coil mean diameter D. It is as follows. That is, the following equation holds. Lo / D>4 Here, when the coil inner diameter is Di and the coil outer diameter is De for the coil mean diameter D, D=(Di + De) / 2. Thus, the reason for making the free length Lo of the compression spring 270 long is that when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, an engaging portion 284 (described later) provided on the slider 280 engages with the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2 to obtain a holding force against the rail 2. For this reason, it is to increase the biasing force of the compression spring 270 acting on the slider 280.

[0077] Also, the slider 280 is slidably arranged in the front - rear direction on the bottom surface of the slider housing portion 260 formed on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3 and is biased rearward by the biasing force of the compression spring 270. And as shown in FIG. 34, when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, the engaging portion 284 engages with the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, causing the biasing force of the compression spring 270 to act on the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, and bringing the second engaging portions 12a, 12b into a state of pressing the second rail portion 2b of the rail 2.

[0078] As shown in FIGS. 28(a), (b), and (c), this slider 80 includes a slider body 281 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The slider body 81 is formed with a storage recess 282 for storing a wall portion 262 erected on the bottom surface of the slider housing portion 260 and a compression spring 270 disposed in the spring member storage recess 261. The storage recess 282 is formed with an opening 283 for inserting the compression spring 270 that opens downward. Further, the slider body 281 is formed with a tool hole 285 for inserting a tool (not shown) to move the slider 280 when removing the electromagnetic contactor 1 from the rail 2. When the compression spring 270 is disposed in the spring member storage recess 261, as shown in FIG. 34, the front end 270a abuts against the wall portion 262, and the rear end 270b abuts against the rear wall portion of the storage recess 282 of the slider 280. Thereby, the slider 280 is constantly urged rearward by the biasing force of the compression spring 270.

[0079] In the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to this second reference example, when removing the electromagnetic contactor 1 from the rail 2, it is necessary to insert a tool into the tool hole 285 to move the slider 280 forward to release the engaged state of the engaging portion 284 with respect to the first rail portion 2a of the rail 2, which makes the removal operation of the electromagnetic contactor 1 from the rail 2 troublesome. Also, in the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to this second reference example, as described above, the free length Lo of the compression spring 270 is longer than four times the coil mean diameter D. Therefore, when the compression spring 270 elastically deforms, it buckles and does not bend straight, making it difficult to manage the load and not stabilizing.

[0080] On the other hand, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment, the compression spring 70 is elastically deformed through the slider 80 that presses the electromagnetic contactor 1 against the second rail portion 2b and abuts against the first rail portion 2a, and the engaging state of the second engaging portions 12a and 12b with respect to the second rail portion 2b is released. And the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be removed from the rail 2 by the step of releasing the engaging state of the first engaging portions 11a and 11b with respect to the first rail portion 2a. Therefore, the electromagnetic contactor 1 can be removed from the rail 2 without using tools. Further, according to the rail mounting structure of the electromagnetic contactor according to the third embodiment, the free length Lo of the compression spring 70 constituting the spring member is 4 times or less the coil mean diameter D. As a result, when the compression spring 70 is elastically deformed, it bends straight without buckling, making it easy to manage the load and achieving stabilization.

[0081] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to this and various changes and improvements can be made. For example, in the first and second embodiments, the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2, but other electrical devices such as a circuit breaker other than the electromagnetic contactor 1 may be attached to the rail 2. Also, in the first embodiment, the slider 30 does not necessarily have to be attached to the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring 20, and it may be attached between both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the leaf spring 20.

[0082] Also, in the first embodiment, it is not always necessary to form a stopper 15 on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess 14 to restrict the backward movement of the slider 30. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, it is not always necessary to provide a displacement prevention portion 34 on the slider 30 to prevent displacement of the electromagnetic contactor 1 in the longitudinal direction of the rail 2 when the electromagnetic contactor 1 is attached to the rail 2. In this case, the displacement prevention portion may be provided on the bottom surface 3a of the lower case 3. The same applies to the displacement prevention portion 86 provided on the slider 80 in the third embodiment.

[0083] Also, in the second embodiment, the leaf spring support portion 40 only needs to be able to support the leaf spring 50 such that the pair of inclined portions 52a, 52b of the leaf spring 50 can be displaced, and is not limited to a configuration including a leaf spring housing recess 41, a forward movement restricting portion 42, a front wall portion 45, and a downward movement restricting portion 43. Also, in the second embodiment, it is not always necessary to form a notch 54 in the longitudinally extending portion 51 of the leaf spring 50 and provide a left - right movement restricting portion 44 on the bottom surface of the leaf spring housing recess 41. Also, in the third embodiment, although two compression springs 270 are arranged in parallel in the left - right direction, one compression spring may be arranged, or three or more compression springs may be arranged.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0084] 1 Electromagnetic contactor (electrical equipment) 2 Rail 2a First rail portion 2b Second rail portion 3 Lower case (housing) 3a Bottom surface 4 Upper case (housing) 5a - 5d Terminal portions 6 Arc extinguishing cover 7 Terminal cover 8 Panel 11a, 11b First engaging portions 12a, 12b Second engaging portions 13 Leaf spring support portion 13a Front support wall 13b Rear support wall 13c Gap 14 Slider housing recess 15 Stopper 16a Slider front guide portion 16b Slider rear guide portion 20 Leaf spring (spring member) 30 Slider 31 Slider body 31a Rear end face 32 Recess for inserting leaf spring 33 Elastic locking piece 34 Position displacement prevention portion 40 Leaf spring support portion 41 Leaf spring housing recess 42 Forward movement restricting part 43 Downward movement restricting part 44 Left - right direction movement restricting part 45 Front wall part 50 Leaf spring 51 Longitudinal extension part 51a, 51b, 51c Bending part 52a, 52b Inclined part 53a, 53b Pressing part 54 Notch 60 Slider housing recess 61 Spring member housing recess 62 Wall part 63 Restricting protrusion 70 Compression spring (spring member) 70a Front end 70b Rear end 80 Slider 81 Slider body 81a Rear end face 81b Left side face 81c Right side face 82 Storage recess 83 Opening 84a - 84d Pull - out prevention protrusion 85 Movement restricting protrusion 86 Position deviation prevention part

Claims

1. A rail mounting structure for an electrical device that mounts the electrical device across a rail, comprising: a first engaging portion provided on the front side of the bottom surface of the housing of the electrical device extending in the left-right direction identical to the longitudinal direction of the rail and in the front-rear direction identical to the width direction of the rail, and engaging with one first rail portion in the width direction of the rail when the electrical device is mounted on the rail; a second engaging portion provided on the rear side of the bottom surface of the housing so as to face the first engaging portion, and engaging with the other second rail portion in the width direction of the rail when the electrical device is mounted on the rail; a spring member disposed on the front side with respect to the first engaging portion on the bottom surface of the housing; a slider slidably disposed in the front-rear direction on the bottom surface of a slider accommodation recess formed in the bottom surface of the housing and biased rearward by the biasing force of the spring member; the first engaging portion is formed in a hook shape extending from the bottom surface of the housing while providing a gap into which the first rail portion fits; the slider is movable in the front-rear direction within a predetermined range on the front side from the middle in the front-rear direction of the gap formed by the first engaging portion at its rear surface; when the electrical device is mounted on the rail, the first rail portion is received in the gap formed by the first engaging portion, and when the electrical device is pressed from the first rail portion side toward the second rail portion side, the first rail portion is movable until it abuts against the base portion of the first engaging portion with respect to the bottom surface of the housing; the second engaging portion is formed in a hook shape extending from the bottom surface of the housing while providing a gap into which the second rail portion fits; when the electrical device is mounted on the rail, the second rail portion is received in the gap formed by the second engaging portion, and the depth of the gap formed by the second engaging portion is set to a size such that the engagement state of the second engaging portion with the second rail portion is released during the movement of the first rail portion until it abuts against the base portion of the first engaging portion with respect to the bottom surface of the housing when the electrical device is pressed from the first engaging portion side toward the second rail portion side; the slider is characterized in that when the electrical device is mounted on the rail, its rear surface abuts against the first rail portion of the rail to cause the biasing force of the spring member to act on the first rail portion of the rail, and the second engaging portion presses the second rail portion of the rail. A rail mounting structure for an electrical device.

2. The spring member is formed to extend in the same longitudinal direction as the longitudinal direction of the rail, and is a leaf spring whose both longitudinal ends are supported by a pair of leaf spring support portions provided on the front side with respect to the first engaging portion on the bottom surface of the housing. The rail mounting structure of an electric device according to claim 1, wherein the slider is attached between both longitudinal ends of the leaf spring constituting the spring member.

3. The rail mounting structure of an electric device according to claim 2, wherein a stopper for restricting the rearward movement of the slider is formed on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess.

4. The rail mounting structure of an electric device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a displacement preventing portion for preventing displacement of the electric device in the longitudinal direction of the rail when the electric device is mounted on the rail is provided on the slider.

5. The spring member is a compression spring disposed in a spring member housing recess formed in the bottom surface of the slider housing recess. The slider includes a wall portion erected from the front edge of the spring member housing recess and a storage recess for storing the compression spring disposed in the spring member housing recess, which are on the bottom surface of the slider housing recess. The rail mounting structure of an electric device according to claim 1, wherein the compression spring constituting the spring member is disposed in the spring member housing recess such that the front end abuts against the wall portion and the rear end abuts against the rear wall portion of the storage recess of the slider.

6. The rail mounting structure of an electric device according to claim 5, wherein a plurality of compression springs constituting the spring member are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction.

7. The rail mounting structure of an electric device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the free length of the compression spring constituting the spring member is 4 times or less the coil mean diameter.

8. The rail mounting structure of an electric device according to claim 5, wherein a displacement preventing portion for preventing displacement of the electric device in the longitudinal direction of the rail when the electric device is mounted on the rail is provided on the slider.

9. A rail mounting structure for an electric device that mounts the electric device across the rail. Provided on the front side of the bottom surface of the housing of the electric device that extends in the left - right direction identical to the longitudinal direction of the rail and in the front - rear direction identical to the width direction of the rail, a first engaging portion that engages with one first rail portion in the width direction of the rail when the electric device is attached to the rail, Provided on the rear side of the bottom surface of the housing so as to face the first engaging portion, a second engaging portion that engages with the other second rail portion in the width direction of the rail when the electric device is attached to the rail, A leaf spring support portion provided on the front side with respect to the first engaging portion on the bottom surface of the housing, A longitudinal extension portion extending in the longitudinal direction identical to the longitudinal direction of the rail, a pair of inclined portions obliquely extending from both longitudinal ends of the longitudinal extension portion so that the distance between them widens in the width direction of the rail, and a pair of pressing portions provided at the tips of each of the pair of inclined portions. The leaf spring is provided with a leaf spring supported by the leaf spring support portion so that the pair of inclined portions can be displaced, The first engaging portion is formed in a hook shape extending from the bottom surface of the housing while providing a gap into which the first rail portion fits, In the leaf spring, each of the pair of pressing portions can move in the front - rear direction within a predetermined range on the front side from the middle in the front - rear direction of the gap formed by the first engaging portion, When the electric device is attached to the rail, the first rail portion is received in the gap formed by the first engaging portion, and when the electric device is pressed from the first rail portion side to the second rail portion side, the first rail portion can move until it abuts against the root portion of the first engaging portion with respect to the bottom surface of the housing, The second engaging portion is formed in a hook shape extending from the bottom surface of the housing while providing a gap into which the second rail portion fits, When the electric device is attached to the rail, the second rail portion is received in the gap formed by the second engaging portion, and the depth of the gap formed by the second engaging portion is set to a size such that the engagement state of the second engaging portion with respect to the second rail portion is released during the movement of the first rail portion until it abuts against the root portion of the first engaging portion with respect to the bottom surface of the housing when the electric device is pressed from the first rail portion side to the second rail portion side, When the pair of pressing portions of the leaf spring contact the first rail portion of the rail when the electrical equipment is attached to the rail, the biasing force of the leaf spring acts on the first rail portion of the rail, and the second engaging portion presses the second rail portion of the rail. The rail mounting structure of the electrical equipment is characterized in that it is in a state.

10. The leaf spring support portion is formed on the bottom surface of the housing, and includes a leaf spring housing recess that houses the leaf spring and restricts upward, backward, and upward rotational movement of the leaf spring, and a front end of the bottom surface of the leaf spring housing recess. A forward movement restricting portion that restricts the forward movement of the leaf spring, a front wall portion that is connected to the forward movement restricting portion and extends in the left-right direction, and a downward movement that extends so as to protrude from the front wall portion toward the leaf spring housing recess. The rail mounting structure of the electrical equipment according to claim 9, further comprising a restricting portion that restricts downward movement and downward rotational movement of the leaf spring.

11. A notch is formed in the longitudinally extending portion of the leaf spring, and a left-right movement restricting portion that enters the notch and restricts the left-right movement of the leaf spring is provided on the bottom surface of the leaf spring housing recess. The rail mounting structure of the electrical equipment according to claim 10, characterized by the above.

12. The longitudinally extending portion of the leaf spring is formed by continuously connecting a plurality of curved portions. The rail mounting structure of the electrical equipment according to claim 10 or 11, characterized by the above.

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