Changeover switch

Abstract

To provide a changeover switch capable of connecting a specific cable run while changing over the connection destination thereof to any one of three or more cable runs with one changeover switch.SOLUTION: A stationary contact 2a is disposed outward on a circumference of a circle with a predetermined diameter. On the other hand, a movable contact 3a is disposed movable for a fixed distance from a shaft rod 7 provided in a center of the circle so as to be in contact with any stationary contact 2a from the outside. A handle member 4 including a handle 4a and implementing the movement of the movable contact 3a while connecting a proximal of a movable contactor 3, which includes the movable contact 3a in a distal end, thereto is pivoted in the shaft rod 7. The movable contact 3a is moved along the circumference of the circle by a rotating operation of the handle 4a, the stationary contact 2a to be in contact is changed, such that a cable run is changed over.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a changeover switch that changes the connection destination of a specific electric circuit. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There have been conventionally available changeover switches that switch the connection destination of a specific electric circuit to one of two electric circuits. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a switching device that switches the electrical circuit connected to a specific electrical circuit by tilting the operating handle forward or backward, and creates an off state in which no electrical circuit is connected when the operating handle is upright. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-216098 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional changeover switches have the function of selecting two electrical circuits and connecting them to a specific electrical circuit, as described above, but there were no changeover switches that could select the connection destination of a specific electrical circuit from three electrical circuits. Meanwhile, the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been recognized in recent years, and there is a demand for changeover switches that can easily switch the load's power source to one of multiple distributed power sources, such as solar power generation or storage batteries, depending on the situation, in addition to the power provided by the power supplier. However, as mentioned above, there is no changeover switch that can select the connection destination of a specific electric circuit from three or more electric circuits and connect it to any one of them.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a changeover switch that can change the connection destination of a specific electric circuit to any one of three or more electric circuits with a single changeover switch. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is a changeover switch having fixed contacts arranged in multiple pairs, one pair of movable contacts, and a handle for switching the fixed contacts to which the movable contacts are connected, and for switching the connection destination of a specific electric circuit between multiple electric circuits, wherein the fixed contacts are arranged facing outward on the circumference of a circle of a predetermined diameter, while the movable contact is arranged so as to be movable circumferentially at a certain distance from an axial rod arranged in the center of the circle so as to contact any fixed contact from the outside, and a handle member is journaled on the axial rod to which is connected the base of a movable contactor having a handle and a movable contact at its tip, for moving the movable contact, and when the handle is rotated, the movable contact moves along the circumference of the circle, changing the fixed contacts it comes into contact with and switching the electric circuit. With this configuration, the fixed contacts are arranged on the circumference of a circle, and the movable contacts are arranged around them and moved along the circumference to perform switching operations, so switching can be easily performed even if there are three or more sets of fixed contacts.In addition, even if the number of fixed contacts increases, switching can be performed with the same configuration, making it scalable.

[0007] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the configuration described in claim 1, a guide member is arranged on the shaft rod which engages with the movable contactor midway and guides the connection / disconnection of the movable contact to the fixed contact, and when the movable contactor is moved by operating the handle, the movable contactor moves in the radial direction of the circle due to the action of the guide member. According to this configuration, the guide member functions to bring the movable contact into contact with and separate from the fixed contact, thereby ensuring reliable contact and separation.

[0008] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the configuration described in claim 1 or 2, a dummy contact to which no electric circuit is connected is arranged between adjacent fixed contacts, and when a switching operation of the movable contact is performed, the movable contact that has been dissociated from the fixed contact is first connected to the dummy contact, and as the switching operation is further continued, the movable contact is dissociated from the dummy contact and connected to the adjacent fixed contact. According to this configuration, an OFF state in which the device is not connected to any electric circuit can be easily established, and maintenance of the electric circuit can be easily performed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the fixed contacts are arranged on the circumference of a circle, and the movable contacts are arranged around them and moved along the circumference to perform switching operations, so switching can be easily performed even if there are three or more sets of fixed contacts.In addition, even if the number of fixed contacts increases, switching can be performed with the same configuration, making it scalable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a changeover switch according to the present invention, showing a perspective view of a main part with a handle member separated therefrom. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of the separated state of FIG. 1 as seen from below. FIG. [Figure 3] 10 is an explanatory diagram of the guide member, showing a state in which the contact points are in contact with each other. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is an explanatory diagram of the guide member, showing the state in which the contacts are separated from each other. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of a changeover switch according to the present invention, showing the changeover mechanism, which is the main part. Both figures show the state in which the handle member is separated, and Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views showing the state as viewed from different angles. The changeover switch 1 is configured by accommodating the switching mechanism 1a shown in the figure in a housing (not shown) equipped with connection terminals for connecting individual electrical circuits. Note that here, a configuration is shown in which three electrical circuits are switched to connect to a specific electrical circuit, and connection terminals for all four electrical circuits are arranged in the housing.

[0012] In the figure, 2 is a fixed contactor having fixed contacts 2a, 3 is a movable contactor having movable contacts 3a, 4 is a handle member having a handle 4a for switching operation, 5 is a guide member that engages with the movable contactor 3, 6 is a dummy contactor having dummy contacts 6a for stabilizing the open state of the movable contact 3a, and 7 is the central axis of the handle 4a, which is an axial rod that supports the handle member 4. In the following description, the upper part shown in the figure is the upper part of the switching mechanism part 1a, and the lower part shown in the figure is the lower part of the handle 4a.

[0013] The fixed contact 2 and the movable contact 3 are configured in pairs to correspond to an electric circuit consisting of two electric wires. When the fixed contact 2a and the movable contact 3a come into contact with each other, the switch is turned on, and the electric circuit to which the fixed contact 2 is connected is connected to the electric circuit to which the movable contact 3 is connected.

[0014] The shaft 7 has a central portion made of metal, but is integrally formed with a cylindrical body 10 made of synthetic resin and formed to stand upright from the bottom of the housing.

[0015] The movable contactor 3 is a rod-shaped conductor, with a movable contact 3a at the bottom and a connecting portion 3b at the top that is connected to the handle member 4, and a flexible conductor 9 arranged from a predetermined connecting terminal provided in the housing is connected to the central body portion 3c. The movable contact 3a is arranged facing the shaft rod 7 and facing the fixed contact 2a. The connecting portion 3b is inserted into and connected to a retaining hole 4c provided in the handle member 4, and the movable contact 3 is arranged to hang down from the handle member 4. Furthermore, the body portion 3c is cylindrical, and a stretched coil spring 11 is arranged between the body portion 3c and the shaft rod 7, so that the body portion 3c is constantly biased in the direction of the shaft rod 7. In this suspended state, the movable contact 3 performs a switching operation along the guide member 5, drawing an arc around the shaft rod 7.

[0016] The body 3c on which the coil spring 11 is engaged is covered with an insulating coating 12, thereby insulating the coil spring 11 from the movable contact 3. The fixed contacts 2 are also connected to conductors, which are then connected to predetermined connection terminals provided in the housing.

[0017] To further explain the connecting portion 3b, its cross section is oval, narrow in the horizontal direction along which the movable contact 3 moves, and long in the direction of the shaft rod 7. The holding hole 4c is formed to match the shape of this connecting portion 3b, and is formed to prevent the inserted movable contact 3 from rotating. A recess 3d is formed on the side of the connecting portion 3b, and engages with a protrusion (not shown) provided in the holding hole 4c to prevent it from coming off.

[0018] Here, the lengths of the fixed contact 2 and the movable contact 3 will be explained. The pair of movable contacts 3 (first movable contact 31, second movable contact 32) are different in length and the mounting positions of their movable contacts 3a are different. The first movable contact 31 is short and the movable contact 3a is positioned high, while the second movable contact 32 is long and the movable contact 3a is positioned low. By changing the contact positions in this way, the fixed contact 2a to be contacted is selected, and it is configured so that connections of different polarities do not occur and connections across different electrical circuits do not occur. The corresponding fixed contacts 2a also have different lengths (heights) of the paired fixed contacts 2 (first fixed contact 21 and second fixed contact 22) to match the positions of the movable contacts 3a.

[0019] The fixed contacts 2 are formed by bending a strip-shaped conductor into an L-shape, and three sets are provided, for a total of six fixed contacts 2. The lower part of each is fixed to the housing of the changeover switch. Conductors (not shown) are connected to these fixed lower parts by welding or the like, and are then connected to predetermined connection terminals provided in the housing. In addition, dummy contacts 6 with dummy contacts 6a are arranged between each fixed contact 2, and a total of 12 contacts are arranged upright around a shaft 7 along a circumference with a diameter of, for example, 3 cm, and the whole is arranged in a cylindrical shape.

[0020] The dummy contacts 6 are held in an upright position by holders (not shown) provided on the housing. Two dummy contacts 6a, one above the other, are provided to correspond to the two positions of the movable contact 3a. Figures 1 and 2 show the state in which the dummy contacts 6a are in contact with the movable contact 3a, i.e., the off state of the changeover switch 1.

[0021] The movable contact 3 is always biased in the direction of the shaft rod 7 by the contraction force of the coil spring 11, but is engaged with a disk-shaped guide member 5 attached to the shaft rod 7, and does not approach the shaft rod 7 below the diameter of the guide member 5, but rotates at a certain distance from the shaft rod 7. The guide member 5 has roots 5a and peaks 5b and is formed in a gear shape. The roots 5a are formed at equal intervals to match the positions of the fixed contacts 2 and dummy contacts 6, and the roots 5a are cut so that the movable contact 3 is in a substantially vertical state and the movable contact 3a makes good contact with the fixed contacts 2a and dummy contacts 6a.

[0022] On the other hand, the peaks 5b are provided to separate the movable contact 3a from the fixed contact 2a when the movable contactor 3 is switched. 3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams of the guide member 5, showing the state of engagement with the first movable contactor 31. Fig. 3 shows the ON state where the contacts are in contact with each other, and Fig. 4 shows the OFF state where the contacts are separated from each other. As shown in Figure 3, when the contacts are in contact with each other, the movable contactor 3 is located in the valley portion 5a of the guide member 5. When the movable contactor 3 is moved from this state to switch the electrical path, the movable contactor 3 moves from the valley portion 5a to the peak portion 5b, and the contacts are largely separated from each other as shown in Figure 4. When the movable contactor 3 is then moved further, it moves to the adjacent valley portion 5a and comes into contact with the dummy contact 6a, resulting in a stable OFF state. In this way, the movable contact 3 moves in the circumferential direction around the shaft 7, while also moving in the radial direction away from the shaft 7.

[0023] The handle member 4 is formed in a disk shape, and has a handle 4a on the top surface that is gripped during switching operation, and a shaft hole 4b in the center of the bottom surface into which a shaft rod 7 is inserted. The device is supported by the inserted shaft rod 7, allowing it to be rotated around the shaft rod 7. Furthermore, on the bottom surface, there are formed holding holes 4c with a predetermined gap between them, into which two movable contacts 3 are inserted. The holding holes 4c are formed with sufficient depth so that when the inserted movable contact 3 is subjected to a switching operation, it does not tilt in the opposite direction to the moving direction, and are formed so as to stably support the inserted connecting part 3b.

[0024] Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the on state of the changeover switch 1 configured as described above. As shown in Fig. 5, the two movable contacts 3 forming a pair have movable contacts 3a in different positions, so even when the connected electrical circuit is switched, the first movable contact 31 is always connected to the first fixed contact 21, and the second movable contact 32 is always connected to the second fixed contact 22. In other words, the paired movable contacts 3a never come into contact with the same fixed contact 2a. Therefore, the polarity of the electric wire connected to the movable contact 3 can be matched with the polarity of the electric wire connected to the movable contact 3, and it can be used to switch not only AC electric circuits but also DC electric circuits.

[0025] Here, the operation of transitioning from the OFF state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the ON state shown in FIG. 5 will be described. Figure 6 is an explanatory plan view of the switching mechanism 1a, showing the arrangement of the fixed contacts 2 and dummy contacts 6, the position of the movable contact 3, and their relationship to the guide member 5. Note that A, B, and C indicate the three electric circuits to be connected, and the movable contact 3 is shown in the OFF position shown in Figures 1 and 2. In this case, since the configuration is such that three electric circuits can be selected, there are six fixed contacts 2 and six dummy contacts 6, as described above, and the guide member 5 has twelve valleys 5a.

[0026] Now, it is assumed that the electric circuit connected to the movable contact 3 is connected to a load, and the power source for the load is selected from three sources A, B, and C. To connect a load to the electrical circuit A from this OFF position, it is sufficient to move over one ridge 5b of the guide member 5 by operating the handle 4a in the direction of the arrow P2 to move over one ridge 5b. On the other hand, when connecting to the electric circuit B, the first movable contact 31 needs to be connected to the first fixed contact 21, so the connection is made by moving it over three peaks 5b in the direction of the arrow P1. When connecting to the electric circuit C, the connection is made by moving it over five peaks 5b in the direction of the arrow P1. The electric circuits are switched by such an operation. A flexible conductor 9 is connected to the movable contact 3, and the handle 4 is limited to a maximum of 180 degrees in one direction.

[0027] In this way, the fixed contacts 2a are arranged on the circumference of a circle, and the movable contacts 3a are arranged around them and moved along the circumference to perform switching operations, so even three sets of fixed contacts 2a can be easily switched. Also, the guide member 5 allows the movable contacts 3a to make contact with and release from the fixed contacts 2a, ensuring reliable contact and release operations. Furthermore, since the dummy contact 6a is provided, an OFF state in which no electrical circuit is connected can be easily established, facilitating maintenance of the electrical circuits.

[0028] 7 is an explanatory diagram of how to use the changeover switch 1, and shows a configuration in which the changeover switch 1 is incorporated into a distribution board 45 to switch the power source of a specific load 40 to either a commercial power source 41, a solar power generation device 42, or an electric vehicle 43. In this way, it can be suitably applied when selecting from three types of power sources.

[0029] In the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the connection destination of a specific electric circuit is selected from three electric circuits, but since the fixed contacts 2a are arranged on the circumference, it is easy to increase the number of fixed contacts 2a. In this case, there is no need to change the configuration of the movable contactor 3. Therefore, the switching mechanism is expandable, and switching between four electric circuits and five electric circuits can be implemented with the same configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1··Changeover switch, 1a··Changeover mechanism, 2··Fixed contact, 2a··Fixed contact, 3··Moving contact, 3a··Moving contact, 4··Handle member, 4a··Handle, 5··Guide member, 6··Dummy contact, 6a··Dummy contact, 7··Shaft rod, 10··Cylinder.

Claims

1. A changeover switch having a plurality of pairs of fixed contacts, a pair of movable contacts, and a handle for switching the fixed contacts that connect the movable contacts, and for switching a connection destination of a specific electric circuit between a plurality of electric circuits, The fixed contacts are arranged on the circumference of a circle having a predetermined diameter and facing outward. The movable contact is arranged to be movable in the circumferential direction at a fixed distance from a shaft provided at the center of the circle so as to contact any of the fixed contacts from outside, a handle member is supported on the shaft rod and connected to a base of a movable contactor having the handle and the movable contact at its tip, for moving the movable contact; A changeover switch characterized in that, by rotating the handle, the movable contact moves along the circumference of the circle, changing the fixed contact with which it comes into contact, thereby switching the electric circuit.

2. a guide member is disposed on the shaft rod, which engages with a middle of the movable contactor and guides the connection / disconnection of the movable contact to the fixed contact; 2. The changeover switch according to claim 1, wherein when the movable contactor is moved by operating the handle, the movable contact moves in the radial direction of the circle due to the action of the guide member.

3. A dummy contact to which no electric path is connected is disposed between adjacent fixed contacts, 3. A changeover switch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when a switching operation of the movable contact is performed, the movable contact that has been dissociated from the fixed contact is first connected to the dummy contact, and as the switching operation is further continued, the movable contact is dissociated from the dummy contact and connected to the adjacent fixed contact.

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