Electric charge mechanism and air circuit breaker

Abstract

Provided is an electric charge mechanism that accumulates energy for a closing spring that is used for operation of a contact. The electric charge mechanism comprises: a driving motor (55) that outputs power; an eccentric cam (57) that rotates upon receiving power from the driving motor (55); an advancement pawl (30) that is rotatably connected at a position offset from the rotational axis of the eccentric cam (57), and that rocks with rotation of the eccentric cam (57); a ratchet gear that is advanced by the rocking advancement pawl (30) and that rotates one tooth at a time; an energy accumulation mechanism transmits rotational motion of the ratchet gear to a closing spring to accumulate energy; and an assist member (64) that assists rotation of the eccentric cam (57) when energy is being accumulated in the closing spring.

Description

Electric charging mechanism and air circuit breaker

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric charging mechanism and an air circuit breaker.

[0002] In air circuit breakers with large breaking capacity, the force of a stored closing spring is used to operate the contacts. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an air circuit breaker in which energy is stored in the closing spring by an electric charging mechanism having a drive motor.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-24869

[0004] In order to cope with further increases in the breaking current in the future, it will be necessary to increase the energy stored in the closing spring. To do this, it will be necessary to increase the output of the electric charging mechanism. However, increasing the output of the electric charging mechanism increases its size, which creates the problem of making it difficult to incorporate into air circuit breakers, which have space constraints.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a small, high-output electric charging mechanism and an air circuit breaker having this electric charging mechanism.

[0006] The electric charging mechanism of the present disclosure is a mechanism for storing energy in a closing spring used to operate the contacts, and includes a drive motor that outputs power, an eccentric cam that rotates upon receiving power from the drive motor, a feed pawl that is rotatably connected at a position offset from the rotation axis of the eccentric cam and oscillates as the eccentric cam rotates, a ratchet gear that is fed out by the oscillating feed pawl and rotates one tooth at a time, a storage mechanism that transmits the rotational motion of the ratchet gear to the closing spring to store energy, and an auxiliary member that assists the rotation of the eccentric cam when storing energy in the closing spring.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the electric charging mechanism is provided with an auxiliary member that assists the rotation of the eccentric cam when the closing spring is charged, thereby reducing the load on the drive motor. This makes it possible to provide a small, high-output electric charging mechanism and an air circuit breaker having this electric charging mechanism.

[0008] Side cross-sectional view of the air circuit breaker having the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure Side cross-sectional view of the air circuit breaker having the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure in the ON state Partial bottom view of the air circuit breaker shown in FIG. 1 View focusing on the mechanical system part of the air circuit breaker shown in FIG. 1 View focusing on the mechanical system part of the air circuit breaker shown in FIG. 2 View focusing on the ratchet mechanism and feed claw of the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure Front view focusing on the motor drive part of the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure Side view of the motor drive part of the electric charging mechanism shown in FIG. 7 Diagram showing the charging operation of the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure in the order of operations Continued from FIG. 9A Diagram showing the charging operation of the electric charging mechanism in the order of operations Continued from FIG. 9B Diagram showing the charging operation of the electric charging mechanism in the order of operations Continued from FIG. 10A Diagram showing the charging operation of the electric charging mechanism in the order of operations Continued from FIG. 10B Diagram showing the charging operation of the electric charging mechanism Diagram showing the charging operation of the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure Front view focusing on the motor drive part of the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure Diagram showing the state where the feed claw has started to press the ratchet gear in the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure Diagram showing the state where the feed claw is idling in the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure Side view of the motor drive part of the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure Side view of the motor drive part of the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 4 of the present disclosure Side view of the motor drive part of the electric charging mechanism according to Embodiment 5 of the present disclosure

[0009] Hereinafter, the electric charging mechanism and the air circuit breaker according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) First, the basic configuration of the air circuit breaker 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the main components of the air circuit breaker 1 are housed in a housing 4 including a mold case 2 and a mold cover 3. Inside the housing 4, on the right side in the drawing, components of the electrical system mainly for opening and closing the main circuit are arranged, and on the left side, components of the mechanical system mainly for opening and closing the main circuit are arranged.

[0011] First, the components of the electrical system will be described. A pair of conductors 5, 6 protrude from the molded case 2, one above the other in the figure, for electrical connection to the power supply side and the other to the load side. A fixed contact 7 is fixed to the end of the conductor 5 protruding from the upper side in the figure, which is inside the molded case 2. A movable contact 8 facing the fixed contact 7 is fixed to a mover 9 so that it can make and break contact with the fixed contact 7. The base end of the mover 9 is electrically connected to the conductor 6 via a flexible conductor 10. The mover 9 is held by a mover holder 11.

[0012] The lower end of the mover holder 11 in the figure is rotatably supported by a shaft 12 fixed to the molded case 2. The upper end of the mover holder 11 in the figure is connected by a connecting pin 13 to the end of an insulating link 14 of the mechanical system (described later). The mover 9 is urged in a direction away from the inner wall surface (leftward in the figure) by a pressure spring 15 provided between the mover and the inner wall surface of the molded case 2 on the right side in the figure. In the OFF state where the contacts are open as shown in FIG. 1, the pressure spring 15 urges the mover 9 in a direction separating it from the fixed contact 7. On the other hand, due to its relationship with the insulating link 14, in the ON state as shown in FIG. 2, the pressure spring 15 rotates the mover 9 clockwise in FIG. 2 around the connecting pin 13, urging the mover 9 in a direction pressing the mover 8 against the fixed contact 7. An arc extinguishing chamber 16 for cutting off an arc generated when the movable contact 8 is separated from the fixed contact 7 is disposed at the upper right in FIGS.

[0013] As shown in Figure 3, the components of the mechanical system are arranged between a left frame 19 and a right frame 20, which are connected at a distance by a shaft 17 and a nut 18. The fixing method is not limited to using the nut 18, and known fixing methods such as caulking or welding may also be used. Unless otherwise specified, each shaft in the mechanical system is parallel to the shaft 17.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1 , the cam mechanism 61 includes a ratchet gear 23 and a cam 22 connected to and driven by the ratchet gear 23. The ratchet gear 23 and the cam 22 are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the ratchet gear 23 is pushed out by a feed pawl 30 and rotates one tooth at a time. The cam-side roller 24 is provided between the cam 22 and the ratchet gear 23 shown in FIG. 1 . The charging arm 25 is located above the cam mechanism 61 in the drawing and rotates around a cam shaft 26 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 . The arm-side roller 27 is provided at one end of the charging arm 25. The arm-side roller 27 slides over the outer edge of the cam 22 of the cam mechanism 61, thereby rotating the charging arm 25. A cam surface 28 is formed in the middle of the charging arm 25 to push up a closing toggle link mechanism (described later).

[0015] As shown in FIG. 4 , the spring hook pin 31 is fixed or held at the other end of the energy storing arm 25. The spring hook pin 31 also holds the upper end of the closing spring 21 in the figure. The spring hook pin 31 is inserted into elongated guide holes formed in the left frame 19 and the right frame 20 shown in FIG. 3 , and moves downward and right in the figure along the long axis of the guide hole, thereby storing energy in the closing spring 21. Note that FIG. 4 also shows the elongated guide hole 19 a formed in the left frame 19. Then, as will be described later, the spring hook pin 31 moves upward and left in the figure along the long axis of the guide hole due to the energy stored in the closing spring 21, thereby turning on the movable contact 8 and the fixed contact 7.

[0016] The close latch portion 32 is rotatably held by a rotary shaft 33, has a latch-side roller 34 in its middle, and one end engages with the cam-side roller 24. The close latch 35 rotates around a common fixed shaft 36. The lower end of the close latch 35 in the drawing engages with the latch-side roller 34, and the upper end in the drawing engages with a close bar 37. The close bar 37 is operated manually or by a solenoid (not shown) or the like.

[0017] The main shaft 38 is rotatably supported by the housing 4 shown in Fig. 1. Three arms 39 of the main shaft 38 are fixed at equal intervals to the main shaft 38. As shown in Fig. 1, each arm 39 is connected to an insulating link 14 via a connecting pin 40.

[0018] 4, the closing toggle link mechanism has a lower link 41 and an upper link 42 connected by a center pin 46. The lower link 41 is connected to the arm 39 by a connecting pin (not shown in the figure) (hidden behind the connecting pin 40). The upper link 42 is connected to the link lever 44 by a link connecting pin (not shown in the figure).

[0019] 5, the link-side central roller 45 is rotatably supported by a center pin 46 of the closing toggle link mechanism, and abuts against the cam surface 28 of the energy storing arm 25. The closing toggle link mechanism bends about the center pin 46. The link lever 44 is rotatably supported by a link fixing shaft 47, and one end side is connected to the upper link 42 via the center pin 46. The link lever-side roller 48 is rotatably disposed in the middle portion of the link lever 44.

[0020] The trip latch 49 is rotatably supported by the common fixed shaft 36. As shown in Figure 4, the trip latch 49 has a recess 50 in the middle that engages with the link lever side roller 48, and an upper end that engages with a trip bar 51. The trip bar 51 is turned off manually or by a solenoid (not shown).

[0021] The details of the electric charging mechanism 29 will be described later, but an overview will be given here. As shown in Fig. 7, the electric charging mechanism 29 has a drive motor 55, a reduction gear train 56 connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 55, an eccentric cam 57 rotated by the reduction gear train 56, and a feed pawl 30 connected to the eccentric cam 57. The power output by the drive motor 55 is transmitted to the feed pawl 30 via the reduction gear train 56 and the eccentric cam 57, and rotates the ratchet gear 23 shown in Fig. 6 by one tooth at a time.

[0022] Next, the basic operation of the air circuit breaker 1 will be described. Fig. 5 shows a case where the closing spring 21 is in a deenergized state and the air circuit breaker 1 is in an off state. In the state shown in Fig. 5, the drive motor 55 shown in Fig. 7 is operated. This causes the feed pawl 30 shown in Fig. 6 to swing, and the ratchet gear 23 to rotate counterclockwise in the figure. Accompanying the rotation of the ratchet gear 23, the cam 22 shown in Fig. 5 also rotates counterclockwise in the figure. As a result, the arm-side roller 27 provided at one end of the energy-storing arm 25 slides on the outer edge of the cam 22 of the cam mechanism 61, and the energy-storing arm 25 is rotated clockwise in the figure. Eventually, the energy-storing arm 25 rotates to the position shown in Fig. 4, and the spring hook pin 31 presses down on the closing spring 21 to store energy. In this way, the closing spring 21 reaches a fully charged state. The mechanism that transmits the rotational motion of the ratchet gear 23 and charges the closing spring 21 in this way, i.e., the mechanism including the cam 22, the charging arm 25, and the spring hook pin 31, is referred to as the charging mechanism. Note that, in the fully charged state, the cam side roller 24 of the cam mechanism 61 engages with the close latch portion 32, preventing rotation of the cam mechanism 61. Furthermore, the latch side roller 34 of the close latch portion 32 engages with the close latch 35, preventing rotation of the close latch portion 32. The close latch 35 is locked by the close bar 37.

[0023] Next, the operation of closing the contacts and turning the switch on from the fully charged state will be described. First, the close bar 37 in the state shown in Figure 4 is rotated clockwise in the figure either manually or by a solenoid (not shown). This causes the close latch 35 to rotate clockwise in the figure, and the latch-side roller 34 is disengaged from the close latch 35. Accordingly, the close latch portion 32 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, which unlocks the cam mechanism 61 and causes the cam mechanism 61 to begin rotating counterclockwise in the figure.

[0024] When the cam mechanism 61 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, the arm-side roller 27 drops from the cliff portion of the cam mechanism 61 into the recess 62 as shown in Figure 5, and the accumulator arm 25 becomes free. This releases the energy stored in the closing spring 21, causing the accumulator arm 25 to rotate counterclockwise in the figure and jump up from the position shown in Figure 4 to the position shown in Figure 5. When the accumulator arm 25 jumps up in this way, the link-side central roller 45 abuts against the cam surface 28 of the accumulator arm 25. Then, the jumping force of the accumulator arm 25 causes the closing toggle link mechanism to enter the extended state shown in Figure 2, and the contacts enter the ON state.

[0025] Next, the operation when the contacts transition from the ON state to the OFF state will be described. When the trip bar 51 shown in Figure 2 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure while the contacts are in the ON state, the trip latch 49 shown in Figure 4 rotates counterclockwise. This disengages the link lever roller 48 from the recess 50 in the middle of the trip latch 49, causing the link lever 44 to rotate clockwise around the link fixed shaft 47, bending the closing toggle link mechanism to the OFF state. The above operation is then repeated.

[0026] As described above, when closing the contacts of the air circuit breaker 1, the elastic energy of the closing spring 21 stored by the electric charging mechanism 29 having the drive motor 55 is utilized. Next, the details and operation of the electric charging mechanism 29 that stores energy in the closing spring 21 will be described.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 7, the electric charging mechanism 29 has a left frame 52 and a right frame 53 connected to each other with a gap in the X-axis direction. The various components of the electric charging mechanism 29, such as a drive motor 55, a reduction gear train 56 to which the output of the drive motor 55 is transmitted, an eccentric cam 57 connected to the output shaft of the reduction gear train 56, a feed pawl 30 rotatably attached at a position offset from the rotation axis of the eccentric cam 57, a biasing spring 54, and an auxiliary spring 64, are attached to the left frame 52 and the right frame 53. The right frame 53 is fixed to the side surface of the left frame 19 shown in Fig. 3. This allows the feed pawl 30 to mesh with the ratchet gear 23, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0028] The drive motor 55 is, for example, a DC motor, but a well-known motor such as a stepping motor can also be used. The drive motor 55 is attached to the side surface of the left frame 52 facing the -Y side, as shown in FIG.

[0029] The reduction gear train 56 has a plurality of gears that mesh with each other. The reduction gear train 56 is provided between the left frame 52 and the right frame 53, and reduces the speed of the output of the drive motor 55 before transmitting it to the eccentric cam 57.

[0030] The eccentric cam 57 is disk-shaped as shown in Fig. 6, and an output shaft (not shown) of the reduction gear train 56 is connected to its center C. This causes the eccentric cam 57 to rotate counterclockwise in the drawing around the center C. In other words, the center C of the eccentric cam 57 also serves as the rotation axis C. The eccentric cam 57 also has an auxiliary shaft 65 at a position offset from the center C that protrudes in the +X direction shown in Fig. 7.

[0031] As shown in Figure 6, the feed pawl 30 is rotatably attached to an auxiliary shaft 65 that protrudes from the eccentric cam 57. When the eccentric cam 57 rotates, the feed pawl 30 swings, rotating the ratchet gear 23 one tooth at a time. The feed pawl 30 is provided with a protruding portion 30a that protrudes from the outer edge and a feeding portion 30b that feeds the meshed ratchet gear 23 counterclockwise in the figure, at positions that sandwich the auxiliary shaft 65. One end of a biasing spring 54 is attached to the protruding portion 30a of the feed pawl 30.

[0032] The biasing spring 54 is, for example, a tension coil spring. As shown in FIG. 7, the other end of the biasing spring 54 is attached to a protrusion 53a protruding from the right frame 53. The biasing spring 54 applies torque to the feed pawl 30 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 6. As a result, the delivery portion 30b of the feed pawl 30 is pressed against the outer edge of the ratchet gear 23.

[0033] The auxiliary spring 64 is, for example, a tension coil spring. As shown in Figures 7 and 8, one end of the auxiliary spring 64 as an auxiliary member is attached to an auxiliary shaft 65 provided on the eccentric cam 57. This auxiliary shaft 65 is the connection position where the feed pawl 30 is connected to the eccentric cam 57. The other end of the auxiliary spring 64 is attached to a fixed shaft 66 provided on the right frame 53, which is the frame body of the electric charging mechanism 29. As will be described later, the auxiliary spring 64 acts as a part of the power for storing energy in the closing spring 21, thereby reducing the load on the drive motor 55.

[0034] As shown in Figure 6, the outer edge of the ratchet gear 23 has a toothless portion 63 where no teeth are provided in a certain area. The ratchet gear 23 rotates as the feed pawl 30 is pushed out, and when the charging of the closing spring 21 is completed, the feed pawl 30 is positioned at the toothless portion 63. Even when the drive motor 55 receives a stop command from a control unit (not shown), it may not immediately stop due to inertia, and the feed pawl 30 may continue to operate. Even in such a case, by providing the toothless portion 63 on the ratchet gear 23, it is possible to prevent the ratchet gear 23 from over-rotating.

[0035] A reverse rotation prevention pawl 58 that prevents clockwise rotation of the ratchet gear 23 is provided around the periphery of the ratchet gear 23. The reverse rotation prevention pawl 58 has an engagement portion 59 that meshes with the outer edge of the ratchet gear 23. The engagement portion 59 is pressed against the outer edge of the ratchet gear 23 by a compression spring 60 that presses the reverse rotation prevention pawl 58. The compression spring 60 is, for example, a compression coil spring.

[0036] 7 and 8, the right frame 53 is provided with a limit switch 67 that detects the rotation angle of the ratchet gear 23. The ratchet gear 23 rotates due to the output of the drive motor 55, thereby storing energy in the closing spring 21 shown in Fig. 4. When a control unit (not shown) determines that the storage of energy in the closing spring 21 has been completed based on the rotation angle of the ratchet gear 23 detected by the limit switch 67, it stops the drive motor 55.

[0037] Next, the operation within the electric charging mechanism 29 when energizing the closing spring 21 will be described. Figures 9A to 11 show the sequence of operations in which the eccentric cam 57 rotates once to rotate the ratchet gear 23 by one tooth. Note that in Figures 9A to 11, the biasing spring 54 and the auxiliary spring 64 are illustrated as straight lines to facilitate understanding of the operation of each component within the electric charging mechanism 29. In each figure, the auxiliary shaft 65 is sequentially assigned sub-numbers a to e and is illustrated as a rectangle. Furthermore, in Figures 9A to 11, a virtual line L1 passing through the rotation axis C of the eccentric cam 57 and the fixed shaft 66 is illustrated as a two-dot chain line. As will be described later, the direction of the torque T2 due to the force F1 of the auxiliary spring 64 changes depending on whether the auxiliary shaft 65 is in the first region 80 or the second region 81 separated by the line L1.

[0038] FIG. 9A shows a state in which the feed pawl 30 begins to press the ratchet gear 23 during the charging operation. The output from the drive motor 55 shown in FIG. 7 is transmitted to the eccentric cam 57 via the reduction gear train 56. As a result, a counterclockwise torque T1 acts on the eccentric cam 57 as shown in FIG. 9A . Thus, torque T1 is generated by the output of the drive motor 55. Meanwhile, the auxiliary spring 64 applies a force F1 toward the fixed shaft 66 to the auxiliary shaft 65a. At this time, the auxiliary shaft 65a is in the first region 80 at the upper left of the line L1 in the figure, and a counterclockwise torque T2 acts on the eccentric cam 57 due to the force F1. Thus, torque T2 is generated by the force F1 of the auxiliary spring 64, and its acting direction is the same as that of torque T1.

[0039] The eccentric cam 57 rotates counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow R1 in the figure due to the torques T1 and T2 acting in the same direction. This causes the feed pawl 30 to rotate the ratchet gear 23 counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow R2 in the figure, and the closing spring 21 shown in Figure 5 begins to store energy. In this way, the auxiliary spring 64 applies part of the torque to the eccentric cam 57 when the ratchet gear 23 begins to rotate.

[0040] FIG. 9B shows the state in which the eccentric cam 57 continues to rotate counterclockwise and rotates approximately 45 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 9A . At this time, the ratchet gear 23 is pushed and rotated by the feed pawl 30. The auxiliary shaft 65b, to which one end of the auxiliary spring 64 is fixed, is in the first region 80, as in the state shown in FIG. 9A . As a result, a counterclockwise torque T2 in the figure acts on the eccentric cam 57 due to the force F1. Thus, while the feed pawl 30 drives the ratchet gear 23, the counterclockwise torque T2 continues to act on the eccentric cam 57, thereby suppressing the output of the drive motor 55. Note that, as shown in FIG. 9B , the auxiliary shaft 65b is closer to the fixed shaft 66 than the auxiliary shaft 65a in the state shown in FIG. 9A , indicated by the dashed line. As a result, the auxiliary spring 64 gradually releases energy and shortens while applying the counterclockwise torque T2.

[0041] FIG. 10A shows the state in which the eccentric cam 57 has rotated approximately 60 degrees counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 9B . This completes the rotation of the ratchet gear 23 by one tooth caused by the feed pawl 30. At this time, the auxiliary shaft 65c, to which one end of the auxiliary spring 64 is fixed, is located on the line L1 passing through the rotation axis C. Therefore, the distance between the force F1 acting on the auxiliary shaft 65 and the rotation axis C disappears, and torque due to the force F1 is not generated on the eccentric cam 57. As a result, when the drive of the ratchet gear 23 ends, the counterclockwise torque T2 from the auxiliary spring 64 no longer acts. Note that, as shown in FIG. 10A , the auxiliary shaft 65c is closer to the fixed shaft 66 than the auxiliary shaft 65b in the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 9B . In this way, from the start to the end of the drive of the ratchet gear 23, the auxiliary spring 64 gradually releases energy and shortens while applying the counterclockwise torque T2.

[0042] When the drive motor 55 rotates the eccentric cam 57 counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 10A , the feed pawl 30 rotates idly while sliding on the ratchet gear 23. FIG. 10B shows the state in which the eccentric cam 57 rotates another 90 degrees counterclockwise. At this time, the auxiliary shaft 65a is located in the second region 81 at the lower right of the line L1. As a result, a torque T2 in the clockwise direction in the figure is applied to the eccentric cam 57 by the force F1 of the auxiliary spring 64. As the auxiliary shaft 65 moves from the first region 80 to the second region 81 and crosses the line L1, the direction of the torque T2 generated by the force F1 of the auxiliary spring 64 is reversed. The eccentric cam 57 receives the torque T2 in the clockwise direction from the auxiliary spring 64, while also receiving a torque T1 from the drive motor 55, which is a larger torque in the opposite direction, and rotates counterclockwise.

[0043] 10B, the auxiliary shaft 65d is farther from the fixed shaft 66 than the auxiliary shaft 65c in the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 10A. In this way, while the feed pawl 30 rotates idly and the ratchet gear 23 is stopped, the auxiliary spring 64 gradually lengthens and stores energy while applying clockwise torque T2.

[0044] If the eccentric cam 57 is further rotated counterclockwise by the drive motor 55 from the state shown in Figure 10B, the feed pawl 30 continues to rotate idly, and the ratchet gear 23 remains stopped. Eventually, as shown in Figure 11, the auxiliary shaft 65e is positioned on line L1. As a result, torque caused by force F1 is no longer generated. At this time, the auxiliary spring 64 reaches its maximum length, and the auxiliary spring 64 is completely charged.

[0045] 11, when the drive motor 55 further rotates the eccentric cam 57 counterclockwise in the figure, the auxiliary shaft 65 is again positioned in the first region 80, and the counterclockwise torque T2 due to the force F1 of the auxiliary spring 64 begins to act. Eventually, the electric charging mechanism 29 returns to the state shown in FIG. 9A, and the feed pawl 30 begins to press the ratchet gear 23. In this way, the operations described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 11 are repeated until the charging of the closing spring 21 shown in FIG. 5 is completed.

[0046] As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the drive motor 55 causes the feed pawl 30 to perform the feed operation and drives the eccentric cam 57 in order to store energy in the closing spring 21, the auxiliary spring 64 applies torque T2, which assists the drive motor 55, to the eccentric cam 57. This reduces the load on the drive motor 55, and makes it possible to reduce the size and increase the output of the electric charging mechanism 29.

[0047] Furthermore, when the closing spring 21 is not energized, i.e., when the feed pawl 30 is rotating idly, the auxiliary spring 64 can be gradually lengthened and energized by the output of the drive motor 55. This allows the torque T2 that assists the drive motor 55 to act from the auxiliary spring 64 in accordance with the time when the closing spring 21 is energized.

[0048] (Embodiment 2) Next, an electric charging mechanism and an air circuit breaker according to embodiment 2 will be described. In embodiment 1, a tension coil spring was used as the auxiliary spring 64 that assists the drive motor 55, but in this embodiment, an auxiliary spring 70 that employs a leaf spring is used. Since the other configurations have much in common with the configuration of embodiment 1, the common configurations are assigned the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0049] 12, the electric charging mechanism 129 has a drive motor 55, a reduction gear train 56 connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 55, an auxiliary cam 69 and an eccentric cam 57 that rotate by the power transmitted from the reduction gear train 56, and a feed pawl 30 connected to the eccentric cam 57. The electric charging mechanism 129 also has an auxiliary spring 70 that presses the outer edge of the auxiliary cam 69. The power output by the drive motor 55 is transmitted to the feed pawl 30 via the reduction gear train 56, the auxiliary cam 69, and the eccentric cam 57, and rotates the ratchet gear 23 shown in FIG. 13 by one tooth at a time.

[0050] The auxiliary cam 69 is disposed between the left frame 52 and the right frame 53. The rotation shaft (not shown) of the auxiliary cam 69 is connected to the output shaft of the reduction gear train 56. The rotation shaft of the auxiliary cam 69 is also connected to the rotation shaft C (shown in FIG. 13 ) of the eccentric cam 57. As shown in FIG. 13 , the auxiliary cam 69 has a disk-shaped disk portion 69a and a protruding portion 69b that protrudes radially from a portion of the outer edge of the disk portion 69a. The protruding portion 69b is formed over a range of, for example, 120° from the outer edge of the disk portion 69a. Tracing the protruding portion 69b counterclockwise in the figure reveals a cliff portion 69c that rises sharply on the outside of the disk portion 69a and a curved portion 69d that connects to the cliff portion 69c and approaches the center of the auxiliary cam 69 as it progresses counterclockwise. That is, the outer edge of the auxiliary cam 69 has a curved surface whose distance from the rotation axis C is not constant due to the formation of the protruding portion 69b.

[0051] The auxiliary spring 70 is, for example, a leaf spring, and as shown in Fig. 13, has an attachment portion 72 in which an attachment hole 72a is formed, an arm portion 75 extending from the attachment portion 72, and a pressing portion 71 bent from the arm portion 75 and pressing the auxiliary cam 69. As shown in Fig. 12, the attachment portion 72 is fixed to an intermediate plate 74 disposed between the left frame 52 and the right frame 53 via a screw 73 inserted through the attachment hole 72a (Fig. 13). As shown in Fig. 13, the pressing portion 71 comes into contact with the outer edge of the auxiliary cam 69 and applies a force F2.

[0052] Next, the operation of the auxiliary spring 70 to assist the drive motor 55 in the electric charging mechanism 129 will be described with reference to Figures 13 and 14. In Figures 13 and 14, the ratchet gear 23 is shown by a two-dot chain line to make it easier to understand the movement of each part in the electric charging mechanism 129.

[0053] FIG. 13 shows a state in which the feed pawl 30 begins to press the ratchet gear 23. At this time, the pressing portion 71 of the auxiliary spring 70 presses the protruding portion 69b of the auxiliary cam 69. The output from the drive motor 55 shown in FIG. 12 is transmitted to the eccentric cam 57 via the reduction gear train 56 and the auxiliary cam 69. As a result, a counterclockwise torque T3 acts on the eccentric cam 57, as shown in FIG. 13. In this manner, the torque T3 is generated by the output of the drive motor 55. Meanwhile, the auxiliary spring 70 applies a force F2 toward the inside of the auxiliary cam 69 at point P1 on the outer edge of the protruding portion 69b. The direction in which this force F2 acts is shifted to the upper right in the figure with respect to the rotation axis C of the eccentric cam 57. As a result, a counterclockwise torque T4 acts on the eccentric cam 57. Thus, the torque T4 is generated by the force F2 of the auxiliary spring 70, and acts in the same direction as the torque T3.

[0054] The eccentric cam 57 rotates counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow R1 in the figure due to torques T3 and T4 acting in the same direction. As a result, the feed pawl 30 pushes the ratchet gear 23, causing it to rotate counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow R2 in the figure, and the closing spring 21 shown in Figure 5 begins to store energy. In this way, the auxiliary spring 70 applies part of the torque that starts to rotate the ratchet gear 23 to the eccentric cam 57.

[0055] From the state shown in Fig. 13, the eccentric cam 57 continues to rotate counterclockwise due to the output of the drive motor 55 shown in Fig. 12, and while the pressing portion 71 presses the protruding portion 69b, a counterclockwise torque T4 is applied to the eccentric cam 57 by force F2. As the eccentric cam 57 rotates counterclockwise, the pressing point of the pressing portion 71 gradually approaches the center C of the eccentric cam 57, and the energy stored in the auxiliary spring 70 is gradually released. When the pressing portion 71 presses point P2 on the outer edge of the protruding portion 69b, the feed pawl 30 finishes feeding the ratchet gear 23 by one tooth. While the ratchet gear 23 is being fed out in this manner, the pressing portion 71 presses the protruding portion 69b, and the counterclockwise torque T4 in the figure continues to act on the eccentric cam 57, so the output of the drive motor 55 can be suppressed.

[0056] Furthermore, when the drive motor 55 rotates the eccentric cam 57 counterclockwise in the figure, the pressing portion 71 presses against the outer edge of the disk portion 69a, as shown in Figure 14. As a result, the direction of action of the force F2 by the pressing portion 71 changes from when it was pressing against the protruding portion 69b, and it shifts to the lower left in the figure with respect to the rotation axis C of the eccentric cam 57. As a result, a clockwise torque T4 acts on the eccentric cam 57. At this time, the feed pawl 30 is in an idling state, and the ratchet gear 23 is stopped.

[0057] When the eccentric cam 57 is further rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in Figure 14 by the output of the drive motor 55, the pressing portion 71 overcomes the cliff portion 69c of the auxiliary cam 69. This causes the auxiliary spring 70 to open outward and store energy. When the eccentric cam 57 is further rotated counterclockwise in the figure, it returns to the state shown in Figure 13. In this way, the operation described with reference to Figures 13 and 14 is repeated until the energy storage of the closing spring 21 shown in Figure 5 is completed.

[0058] As described above, the outer edge of the auxiliary cam 69 is pressed by the auxiliary spring 70, thereby forming a first section in which a counterclockwise torque T3 in the figure acts on the eccentric cam 57, and a second section in which a clockwise torque T3 in the figure acts on the eccentric cam 57. Here, the first section is a section that includes the outer edge of the protruding portion 69b, and the second section is a section that includes the outer edge of the disk portion 69a. The shape of the auxiliary cam 69 may be any shape as long as it has an outer edge that includes the first and second sections. For example, as in the second embodiment, the first section may be shaped such that the pressing position of the pressing portion 71 gradually approaches the center C as the eccentric cam 57 rotates, and the second section may be shaped such that the pressing position of the pressing portion 71 gradually moves away from the center C as the eccentric cam 57 rotates.

[0059] As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the drive motor 55 drives the eccentric cam 57 to energize the closing spring 21, the auxiliary spring 70 applies a torque T4 to the eccentric cam 57 to assist the drive motor 55. The effect of the auxiliary spring 70 is similar to that of the first embodiment.

[0060] Furthermore, when the closing spring 21 is not energized, i.e., when the feed pawl 30 is idling, the pressing portion 71 of the auxiliary spring 70 can be caused to overcome the cliff portion 69c to energize the closing spring 21. This allows the auxiliary spring 70 to apply a torque T4 that assists the drive motor 55 in accordance with the time when the closing spring 21 is energized.

[0061] (Embodiment 3) Next, an electric charging mechanism and an air circuit breaker according to embodiment 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 15. In embodiment 1, a tension coil spring was used as an auxiliary member for assisting the drive motor 55, but in this embodiment, an auxiliary rubber 83 is used as the auxiliary member. As the other configurations have much in common with the configuration of embodiment 1, the common configurations are assigned the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0062] The auxiliary rubber 83 is formed, for example, in a ring shape and is made of an elastic rubber material. The auxiliary rubber 83 can be selected from various rubber materials such as natural rubber, chloroprene rubber, and styrene rubber. In a stretched state, the auxiliary rubber 83 is hooked onto the auxiliary shaft 65 provided on the eccentric cam 57 and the fixed shaft 66 provided on the right frame 53. As a result, the auxiliary rubber 83 connects the auxiliary shaft 65 and the fixed shaft 66, similar to the auxiliary spring 64 shown in FIG. 8, and applies a force F3 to the auxiliary shaft 65 in the direction toward the fixed shaft 66.

[0063] The operation within the electric charging mechanism 229 when energizing the closing spring 21 is the same as in embodiment 1. That is, when the drive motor 55 causes the feed pawl 30 to perform a feed operation and drives the eccentric cam 57 to energize the closing spring 21, the auxiliary rubber 83 applies a torque that assists the drive motor 55 to the eccentric cam 57. Furthermore, when the closing spring 21 is not energized, that is, when the feed pawl 30 is rotating idly, the output of the drive motor 55 can gradually lengthen the auxiliary rubber 83 to thereby energize the closing spring 21.

[0064] The auxiliary member that applies torque to assist the drive motor 55 may be formed from a single auxiliary rubber 83 formed in a ring shape, or may be formed by bundling multiple auxiliary rubbers 83 formed in a ring shape. Alternatively, the auxiliary member may have ring-shaped portions at both ends for hooking onto the auxiliary shaft 65 and the fixed shaft 66, and connecting portions for connecting the ring-shaped portions at both ends. In this case, the ring-shaped portions formed at both ends may be formed from string or rubber. Meanwhile, the connecting portions for connecting the ring-shaped portions are formed from rubber. In this way, rubber may be used for at least a portion of the auxiliary member.

[0065] As described above, according to the third embodiment, the effect of the auxiliary rubber 83 is similar to the effect of the auxiliary spring 64 described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, rubber, which has a higher degree of freedom in design of elongation and tension than a coil spring, is used for at least a part of the auxiliary member. This makes it possible to arrange an auxiliary member made of rubber even when the design constraints of a coil spring make it difficult to arrange an auxiliary member.

[0066] (Fourth embodiment) Next, an electric charging mechanism and an air circuit breaker according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 12, a leaf spring was used as the auxiliary spring 70 serving as an auxiliary member for assisting the drive motor 55, but in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 16, a pushing member 84 and an auxiliary sphere 90 are used as the auxiliary members. As the other configurations have much in common with the configuration of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the common configurations and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0067] The pushing member 84 is made of, for example, metal, and is thicker and more rigid than the auxiliary spring 70 shown in Fig. 12. The pushing member 84 has an attachment portion 86 through which the rotation shaft 85 passes, an arm portion 87 extending from the attachment portion 86, and a pressing portion 88 bent from the arm portion 87 to press the auxiliary cam 69. The rotation shaft 85 passes through the attachment portion 86, and the attachment portion 86 is attached between the intermediate plate 74 and left frame 52 shown in Fig. 12 so as to be rotatable about the Y axis.

[0068] The auxiliary sphere 90 is spherical and made of, for example, rubber. The material of the auxiliary sphere 90 is not limited to rubber, and any elastic material can be used as long as it is elastically deformable. The auxiliary sphere 90 is sandwiched between a stationary fixed portion 89 and an arm portion 87 of the pushing member 84, which is rotatable around a rotation axis 85, and elastically deforms. The fixed portion 89 is erected on the left frame 52 in the -Y direction as shown in FIG. 12 , but may also be formed on the intermediate plate 74. As the auxiliary sphere 90 elastically deforms, the pushing member 84 receives a force F5 in the counterclockwise direction in the figure. As a result, the pressing portion 88 of the pushing member 84 presses the outer edge of the auxiliary cam 69 with a force F4.

[0069] The relationship between the auxiliary cam 69 and the pressing portion 88 is the same as the relationship between the auxiliary cam 69 and the pressing portion 71 of the auxiliary spring 70 in the second embodiment, except that the structure that exerts the elastic force is changed from a leaf spring to an auxiliary sphere 90. Therefore, the operation within the electric charging mechanism 329 when energizing the closing spring 21 is the same as in the second embodiment. That is, when the drive motor 55 causes the feed pawl 30 to perform a feeding operation and drive the eccentric cam 57 to energize the closing spring 21, the auxiliary sphere 90 applies torque to the eccentric cam 57 to assist the drive motor 55. Furthermore, when the closing spring 21 is not energized, i.e., when the feed pawl 30 is idling, the pressing portion 88 can overcome the cliff portion 69c, thereby elastically deforming the auxiliary sphere 90 and energizing it. The effects of the actions of the pushing member 84 and the auxiliary sphere 90 are the same as those of the second embodiment.

[0070] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the function of applying force F4 to auxiliary cam 69 is shared with pushing member 84, and the function of generating force F4 is shared with auxiliary sphere 90. This improves the degree of freedom in designing the structure that generates torque T4 shown in Figures 13 and 14, and makes it easy to arrange an auxiliary member even when it is difficult to do so under the design constraints of the above embodiment.

[0071] (Embodiment 5) Next, an electric charging mechanism and an air circuit breaker according to embodiment 5 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. In embodiment 4, as shown in Fig. 16, a pushing member 84 and an auxiliary sphere 90 are employed as auxiliary members that assist the drive motor 55, but in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 17, an auxiliary circular pipe 91 is used instead of the auxiliary sphere 90. As the other configurations have much in common with the configuration of embodiment 4, the common configurations are assigned the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0072] The auxiliary circular tube 91 is a columnar body having a circular cross section when cut perpendicular to its axis, and is made of, for example, rubber. The material of the auxiliary circular tube 91 is not limited to rubber, and any elastic material can be used as long as it is elastically deformable. The auxiliary circular tube 91 is disposed between the intermediate plate 74 and the left frame 52 shown in FIG. 12 , with its axis aligned with the Y-axis. As shown in FIG. 17 , the auxiliary circular tube 91 is sandwiched between a stationary fixed portion 89 and an arm portion 87 of the pushing member 84, which is rotatable about a rotation shaft 85, and elastically deforms. As the outer circumferential surface of the auxiliary circular tube 91 is pressed inward and elastically deforms, the pushing member 84 receives a force F7 in the counterclockwise direction in the figure. As a result, the pressing portion 88 of the pushing member 84 presses the outer edge of the auxiliary cam 69 with a force F6.

[0073] In this embodiment, the only difference is that the structure that exerts elastic force is changed from auxiliary sphere 90 of embodiment 4 to auxiliary circular tube 91. Therefore, the operation within electric charging mechanism 429 when charging closing spring 21 is the same as in embodiment 4. Therefore, the effects achieved by the actions of push-in member 84 and auxiliary circular tube 91, which are auxiliary members, are the same as those in embodiment 4.

[0074] Also, in this embodiment, similarly to embodiment 4, the function of applying force F6 to auxiliary cam 69 is shared by pushing member 84, and the function of generating force F6 is shared by auxiliary circular pipe 91. This improves the degree of freedom in designing the structure that generates torque T4 shown in Figures 13 and 14, and makes it easy to arrange an auxiliary member even when it is difficult to do so under the design constraints of the above embodiment.

[0075] Although the elastic member that generates the elastic force has been described as the auxiliary circular tube 91 with a circular cavity, a cylindrical elastic member without a cavity may also be used. Also, a columnar body with a semicircular cross section cut in the axial direction may be used. The cross section of the columnar body may have any shape as long as it can appropriately apply force F7 to the pushing member 84.

[0076] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0077] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-010205, filed on January 26, 2023. The entire specification, claims, and drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-010205 are incorporated herein by reference.

[0078] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Air circuit breaker, 2 Molded case, 3 Molded cover, 4 Housing, 5, 6 Conductor, 7 Fixed contact, 8 Movable contact, 9 Movable element, 10 Flexible conductor, 11 Movable element holder, 12 Shaft, 13 Connecting pin, 14 Insulated link, 15 Contact pressure spring, 16 Arc extinguishing chamber, 17 Shaft, 18 Nut, 19 Left frame, 19a Guide elongated hole, 20 Right frame, 21 Closing spring, 22 Cam, 23 Ratchet gear, 24 Cam side roller, 25 Energy storage arm, 26 Cam shaft, 27 Arm side roller, 28 Cam surface, 29 Electric charging mechanism, 30 Feed pawl, 30a Protrusion, 30b Feed portion, 31 Spring hook pin, 32 Close latch portion, 34 Latch side roller, 35 Close latch, 36 Shared fixed shaft, 37 Close bar, 38 Main shaft, 39 Arm, 40 Connecting pin, 41 Lower link, 42 ​​Upper link, 44 Link lever, 45 Link side central roller, 46 Center pin, 47 Link fixed shaft, 48 Link lever side roller, 49 Trip latch, 50 Recessed portion, 51 Trip bar, 52 Left frame, 53 Right frame, 53a Projection portion, 54 Biasing spring, 55 Drive motor, 56 Reduction gear train, 57 Eccentric cam, 58 Reverse rotation prevention pawl, 59 Engagement portion, 60 Compression spring, 61 Cam mechanism, 62 Recessed portion, 63 Missing tooth portion, 64 Auxiliary spring (auxiliary member), 65, 65a, 65b, 65c, 65d, 65e Auxiliary shaft, 66 Fixed shaft, 67 Limit switch, 69 Auxiliary cam, 69a Disc portion, 69b Projection portion, 69c Cliff portion, 69d Bending portion, 70 auxiliary spring, 71 pressing portion, 72 mounting portion, 72a mounting hole, 73 screw, 74 intermediate plate, 75 arm portion, 80 first region, 81 second region, 83 auxiliary rubber, 84 pushing member, 85 rotation axis, 86 mounting portion, 87 arm portion, 88 pressing portion, 89 fixing portion, 90 auxiliary sphere, 91 auxiliary circular tube, 129, 229, 329, 429 electric charging mechanism, C center (rotation axis), F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7 force, L1 line, P1, P2 point, T1, T2, T3, T4 torque.

Claims

1. An electric charging mechanism for storing energy in a closing spring used for operating the contacts, A drive motor that outputs power; a cam that receives power from the drive motor and rotates, and has a connection position set at a position offset from a rotation shaft; a feed pawl that is rotatably connected to the connection position of the cam and swings when the cam rotates; a ratchet gear that is rotated one tooth at a time by being fed by the swinging feed pawl; a force-storing mechanism that transmits the rotational motion of the ratchet gear to the closing spring to store the force; an auxiliary member that assists the rotation of the cam when the closing spring is charged; the operation of rotating the cam to oscillate the feed pawl includes a sending operation in which the feed pawl pushes out the ratchet gear by one tooth at a time to rotate the ratchet gear, and an idling operation in which the feed pawl idly rotates relative to the ratchet gear, the auxiliary member applies a torque to the cam in the same direction as the rotation direction of the cam during the feeding operation, and applies a torque to the cam in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the cam during the idling operation. Electric charging mechanism.

2. The auxiliary member is a tension coil spring, One end of the tension coil spring is connected to a connection position between the cam and the feed pawl, The other end of the tension coil spring is connected to a frame body of the electric charging mechanism. The electric charging mechanism of claim 1.

3. the operation of rotating the cam to oscillate the feed pawl includes a sending operation in which the feed pawl pushes out the ratchet gear by one tooth at a time to rotate the ratchet gear, and an idling operation in which the feed pawl idly rotates relative to the ratchet gear, The tension coil spring is energized during the idling operation. The electric charging mechanism of claim 2.

4. The auxiliary member at least partially includes rubber, One end of the auxiliary member is connected to a connection position between the cam and the feed pawl, The other end of the auxiliary member is connected to a frame body of the electric charging mechanism. The electric charging mechanism of claim 1.

5. An electric charging mechanism for charging a closing spring used to operate a contact, comprising: A drive motor that outputs power; A cam that rotates by receiving power from the drive motor; a feed pawl that is rotatably connected to the cam at a position offset from the rotation axis of the cam and that swings when the cam rotates; a ratchet gear that is rotated one tooth at a time by being fed by the swinging feed pawl; a force-storing mechanism that transmits the rotational motion of the ratchet gear to the closing spring to store the force; an auxiliary member that assists the rotation of the cam when the closing spring is charged; The auxiliary member is a tension coil spring, One end of the tension coil spring is connected to a connection position between the cam and the feed pawl, The other end of the tension coil spring is connected to a frame body of the electric charging mechanism, the operation of rotating the cam to oscillate the feed pawl includes a sending operation in which the feed pawl pushes out the ratchet gear by one tooth at a time to rotate the ratchet gear, and an idling operation in which the feed pawl idly rotates relative to the ratchet gear, The tension coil spring is energized during the idling operation. Electric charging mechanism.

6. An electric charging mechanism for charging a closing spring used to operate a contact, comprising: A drive motor that outputs power; A cam that rotates by receiving power from the drive motor; a feed pawl that is rotatably connected to the cam at a position offset from the rotation axis of the cam and that swings when the cam rotates; a ratchet gear that is rotated one tooth at a time by being fed by the swinging feed pawl; a force-storing mechanism that transmits the rotational motion of the ratchet gear to the closing spring to store the force; an auxiliary member that assists the rotation of the cam when the closing spring is charged; Further, an auxiliary cam having a rotation axis coinciding with the rotation axis of the cam and rotating together with the cam is provided. The auxiliary member is a leaf spring that presses the outer edge of the rotating auxiliary cam. Electric charging mechanism.

7. The operation of rotating the cam to oscillate the feed pawl includes a sending operation in which the feed pawl pushes out the ratchet gear one tooth at a time to rotate the ratchet gear, and an idling operation in which the feed pawl idly rotates relative to the ratchet gear, the auxiliary member applies a torque to the cam in the same direction as the rotation direction of the cam during the feeding operation, and applies a torque to the cam in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the cam during the idling operation.

7. The electric charging mechanism of claim 6.

8. The outer edge of the auxiliary cam has a curved surface that is not constant in distance from the rotation axis, and has a first section in which a torque acts in the same direction as the rotation direction of the cam by being pressed by the leaf spring, and a second section in which a torque acts in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the cam.

7. The electric charging mechanism of claim 6.

9. An electric charging mechanism for charging a closing spring used to operate a contact, comprising: A drive motor that outputs power; A cam that rotates by receiving power from the drive motor; a feed pawl that is rotatably connected to the cam at a position offset from the rotation axis of the cam and that swings when the cam rotates; a ratchet gear that is rotated one tooth at a time by being fed by the swinging feed pawl; a force-storing mechanism that transmits the rotational motion of the ratchet gear to the closing spring to store the force; an auxiliary member that assists the rotation of the cam when the closing spring is charged; Further, an auxiliary cam having a rotation axis coinciding with the rotation axis of the cam and rotating together with the cam is provided. The auxiliary member includes an auxiliary sphere, which is an elastic sphere, and a pushing member that receives elastic force from the auxiliary sphere and pushes the outer edge of the rotating auxiliary cam. Electric charging mechanism.

10. The operation of rotating the cam to oscillate the feed pawl includes a sending-out operation in which the feed pawl pushes out the ratchet gear one tooth at a time to rotate the ratchet gear, and an idling operation in which the feed pawl idly rotates relative to the ratchet gear, the auxiliary member applies a torque to the cam in the same direction as the rotation direction of the cam during the feeding operation, and applies a torque to the cam in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the cam during the idling operation.

10. The electric charging mechanism of claim 9.

11. The outer edge of the auxiliary cam has a curved surface whose distance from the rotation axis is not constant, and when pressed by the pushing member, has a first section in which a torque acts in the same direction as the rotation direction of the cam, and a second section in which a torque acts in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the cam.

10. The electric charging mechanism of claim 9.

12. An electric charging mechanism for charging a closing spring used to operate a contact, comprising: A drive motor that outputs power; A cam that rotates by receiving power from the drive motor; a feed pawl that is rotatably connected to the cam at a position offset from the rotation axis of the cam and that swings when the cam rotates; a ratchet gear that is rotated one tooth at a time by being fed by the swinging feed pawl; a force-storing mechanism that transmits the rotational motion of the ratchet gear to the closing spring to store the force; an auxiliary member that assists the rotation of the cam when the closing spring is charged; Further, an auxiliary cam having a rotation axis coinciding with the rotation axis of the cam and rotating together with the cam is provided. The auxiliary member includes an auxiliary tube that is an elastic tube, and a pushing member that receives elastic force from the auxiliary tube and pushes an outer edge of the rotating auxiliary cam. Electric charging mechanism.

13. The operation of rotating the cam to oscillate the feed pawl includes a sending-out operation in which the feed pawl pushes out the ratchet gear one tooth at a time to rotate the ratchet gear, and an idling operation in which the feed pawl idly rotates relative to the ratchet gear, the auxiliary member applies a torque to the cam in the same direction as the rotation direction of the cam during the feeding operation, and applies a torque to the cam in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the cam during the idling operation.

13. The electric charging mechanism of claim 12.

14. The outer edge of the auxiliary cam has a curved surface whose distance from the rotation axis is not constant, and has a first section in which a torque acts in the same direction as the rotation direction of the cam by being pressed by the pushing member, and a second section in which a torque acts in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of the cam.

13. The electric charging mechanism of claim 12.

15. An electric charging mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 14; The contact is provided so as to be openable and closable; The closing spring is energized via the energy storage mechanism and operates the contacts by the stored energy. Air circuit breaker.