Title of Invention

AN ELECTRIC SWITCH ASSEMBLY

Abstract

The invention concerns an electric switch assembly comprising multipolar quick-assembly appliance and quick-connect appliances which can be quickly assembled. The body of an appliance, or its power terminal strip, is directly fixed to the body of the adjacent appliance, for example by fitting protuberances (37) in slots (26) and interlocking. The interconnection between the various appliances is rapidly performed by multipolar blocks capable of being pressed on the front surfaces of appliances and of being elastically plugged in their terminals. The invention is applicable to a motor-starter block.

Full Text

The present invention relates to an electric switch assembly comprising two multipolar appliances, each of which comprises an external body provided with a front face, upper and lower transverse faces, side faces and a rear face notably for fixing to a support, wherein at least one of the appliances has breaker properties; the appliances have polar power links including internal power conductors housed in the body and upstream and/or downstream power connection terminals having apertures which open onto the front face for connecting external conductors to the power conductors. Such a unit may notably be a so-called motor starter. The switching unit may be a contactor, a breaker, a disconnector or any another similar switch appliance which may be used in lower voltage electricity distribution or control. Such an appliance is described in document EP-0 869 594. Facilitating its mechanical assembly is desirable and it is further desirable that the operator may assemble and wire up a motor starter appliance, or more generally a set of electric switch appliances, manually, i.e. without having to resort to a tool. The document US 4,729,744 deals with a device for assembling modular blocks of electric equipment side by side by using hooks that cooperate with respective mating housings. Thus, in this device, the appliances are not superimposed and the linking means are hooks and not fitting means like protrusions or slots. Moreover, this document does not disclose the use of a multipolar interconnection block to electrically link the two appliances and does not specify that the pins of this interconnection block cooperate with the connection terminals by a resilient effect. The document CA 1,109,744 concerns an elastic terminal able to receive both quick connect terminals and stripped wires. This kind of terminal is another embodiment of the power connection terminals used in the invention. This kind of terminal might be used in the terminal strip of the appliances. The object of the present invention is to simplify the setting-up of an assembly of electric switch appliances, notably of a motor starter assembly, and to provide easy assembly and quick wiring up and as far as possible without having to resort to a tool. According to the invention, in an assembly of the described type, coupling means are provided for maintaining both appliances mechanically coupled, a multipolar interconnection block is applied on at least one of the front faces of the coupled appliances, and it includes plugged pins in the power terminals facing the matching poles of the appliances in order to provide the respective polar links between the appliances, and the pins of the block and the power connection terminals facing each other cooperate by means of a resilient effect. The coupling means may be a common base or a fastening part, but they are preferably provided on the bodies of the appliances in order to ensure direct coupling of the bodies. The connection terminals are preferably laid out so as to enable cables to be connected with a tool and pins to be connected without a tool; they may also be of the tulip-shaped type with radial clamping. In this way, the electric power link between the appliances takes place, after their coupling without any intermediate part (preferably by fastening them together) by engaging a interconnection multipolar block with pins, and this without requiring any tool. It is advantageous when the coupling means comprise fitting means with protrusions or slots provided on an upper or lower face of a specific power terminal strip forming the upper or lower face of the body of an appliance either partly or entirely. The relevant appliance may thus be manufactured in a standard version with screw terminals, easily adaptable to the described coupling by simply adding a power terminal strip with resilient or tulip-shaped terminals. Interlocking means also enable the casing of the contactor to be directly and securely fixed to the casing of the breaker. Accordingly, the present invention provides an electric switch assembly comprising: two multipolar appliances, each comprising an external body provided with a front face, with upper and lower transverse faces, side faces and a rear face notably for fixing to a support, at least one of the appliances having current breaker properties an electric circuit; polar power links having internal power conductors housed in the body and upstream and/or downstream power connection terminals having apertures which open onto the front face for connecting external conductors to the power conductors, characterized in that : coupling means are provided for mechanically coupling both appliances together; a multipolar interconnection block is applied on at least one of the front faces of the coupled appliances and has pins plugged into power terminals facing the matching poles for ensuring the respective polar links between the appliances; the pins of the block and the power connection terminals facing each other cooperate by a resilient effect; a power terminal strip comprising the power terminals is fixed to the extremes body of at least one of the appliances for partly or entirely forming, by its upper or lower face, the upper or lower transverse face of the at least one of the appliances, and the coupling means comprise fitting means composed of protrusions or slots located on an upper or lower face of the power terminal strip. Accordingly, the present invention also provides an assembly comprising two superimposed switch appliances, notably a motor starter assembly as described herein above, both appliances each having an extemal body provided with a front face, a rear face, upper and lower transverse faces and side faces, and means for fixing one of the appliances to a rear support, characterized in that : one of the appliances at least comprises a power terminal strip as an insert on an extemal body and is provided close to its front face with terminals opening onto the latter through passages for connection; the lower appliance is directly fastened to the upper appliance by its power terminal strip, which is provided on its lower or upper plane face with first protrusions or slots for fitting into the second protrusions or slots of a complementary shape provided on the upper or lower face of the other apparatus. The description of a non-limiting embodiment of the invention will be made hereafter with reference to the appended drawings. Fig. 1 illustrates a side view of a motor starter assembly according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows the motor starter assembly with its different components in an exploded view, with a power supply alternative. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the contactor. Fig. 4 shows a resilient terminal used in the components of the motor starter assembly. Fig. 5 shows an alternative of the assembly according to the invention. Fig. 6 illustrates a detail of the power connection for the assembly of Fig. 5. The motor starter assembly 10 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises a mechanically coupled breaker 20, and contactor 30. The assembly is fixed to a rear support 11 such as a rail or another support via usual fixing means 12, notably interlocking means, provided at the rear of the breaker, whereas the contactor 3 0 is directly fixed to the breaker 20 below the latter. The terms front, rear, upper and lower are assigned to components of the assembly according to the normal mounting of this assembly and to its servicing by an operator, who would be located on the right of Figs. 1 and 2 . The breaker 20 has a front face 20a located in a plane PI, a rear face 20b, upper and lower faces 20c, 20d and side faces 20e and similarly the contactor has a front face 30a, for example also located in plane PI, as well as a rear face 30b, upper and lower faces 30c, 3 0d and side faces 3 0e. In this embodiment, the breaker has power terminals with resilient clamping, hereafter designated as "resilient terminals", i.e. upstream terminals 21 and downstream terminals 23 located near its front face. When the external body 20f of the breaker is formed by its actual casing 2 0g (Fig. 1), terminals 21, 23 are housed in this casing; when the external body 2Of of the breaker is partly formed by the casing and partly by the respective upstream 22 and downstream 24 terminal strips fixed on the upper and lower portions of the casing (Fig. 2), terminals 21, 23 are then housed in the terminal strips. Usual on/off buttons 2Oh or other dialog components are positioned on a portion 20a" of the front face 20a if the breaker, protruding forwards with respect to the remainder of face 2 0a, in order to act on a mechanism which interrupts the internal current links connected to the aforementioned terminals. An aperture 20i is provided in face 20a above the upstream terminals 21 in order to house a signaling addition not shown. Each terminal 21, 23 of the breaker comprises a resilient cage 13 of a known type (see Fig. 4) having a clamping lead 14 provided with an aperture 15 for clamping a cable by jamming it, a lead 16 applied on a conducting support 18 and a loop with a convex back portion 17 connecting leads 14, 16. A cable may be introduced into the aperture 15 after loosening the cage by exerting pressure with a tool on loop 17; a pin, in the present case an interconnection pin, between both appliances may be put into contact, without any tool, with a conducting part 19 by direct pressure on loop 17; this part 19 is positioned in parallel to lead 16 opposite the cage. Each terminal 21, 23 of the breaker is thus laid out so that a cable may be connected with a tool and an interconnection pin may be connected without a tool. The terminal housing opens onto the front face 2 0a through a passage 21a, 23a for introducing a cable to be jammed in the aperture 15 and through a passage 21b, 23b for introducing either a tool capable of loosening the terminal by pressure on the loop, or an interconnection pin, as described later. Power supply of the terminals 21 is provided by a set 4 0 of power conductors, notably bars, placed and fixed on the upper face 2 0c of the breaker. The set of bars 4 0 comprises distribution bars 41 and terminals, each of which is connected to one of the bars. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the set of bars 40 includes protrusions 43, for example studs or projections with a suitable profile, for cooperating with the fitting slots or button holes 2 5 provided as the case may be, in the upper face 2 0c of the casing 2 0g or of the upstream terminal strip 22 for anchoring the set of bars 4 0 to the breaker 20. Alternatively, the upstream appliance fitted on the breaker may be a disconnector or limiter. In the embodiment of Fig. 2, the set of bars 4 0 includes the rear support 11 of the breaker and does not need to be fitted onto the face 20c of the breaker. A power interconnection multipolar block 50 is provided for ensuring the power supply of the breaker. It includes an insulating body 51 and upstream 52 and downstream 53 pins to be plugged into the respective resilient terminals 42, 21 of the set of bars and of the breaker. A retaining unit 54 ensures blocking of the block against the breaker or the set of bars in order to prevent any untimely unfastening. The casing 2 0g of the breaker or its downstream terminal strip 24 has slots 26, certain of which assuming the shape of button holes, provided on the lower face 20d, for cooperating as it will be seen with complementary shapes of the contactor in order to ensure direct fixing of the latter to the breaker. The contactor 3 0 provides a structure such that its external body 30f is substantially formed by an arc casing 31 which houses fixed and mobile contacts and by a power terminal strip 32 fixed to the arc casing. Power terminal strip 32 houses upstream resilient terminals 33 and downstream resilient terminals 34 provided with cages 13 similar to those of the breaker. The resilient terminals 33, 34 of the contactor are similar to those 21, 23 of the breaker. They open onto the upper face 3 0a of the body 3 Of through passages 33a, 34a for engaging an interconnection pin and through a passage 33b, 34b for engaging a cable to be connected in the jamming aperture 15 of the resilient cage. When an interconnection pin is used, passage 33b, 34b is not used. When a cable is used, passage 33a, 34a is used for introducing a tool which forces the loosening of the cage. Of course, instead of a monoblock terminal strip, it is possible to design two upstream and downstream distinct terminal strips as inserts on the arc casing 31. A monitoring and control terminal strip 35 which houses resilient terminals for connection with the coil and with the signalling units, is fixed on the front side of the power terminal strip in order to let fixing and maneuvering projections 36 through from an optional added block. The terminal strip forms the main part of the contactor"s upper face 30c and lower face 30d, and comprises at least on the upper face, protrusions 3 7 for cooperating with the lower fitting slots 26 of the breaker 20. It should be noted that the face 2 0a" of the body of the breaker and the front face 3 0a" of the terminal strip 35 of the contactor are in a same parallel plane P2, and jutting out with respect to PI. The movement for engaging the contactor is performed by a first move Zl for example parallel to the front faces 20a, 30a of both appliances, and then by a second move Z2 perpendicularly to these faces. A retaining component 38, notably an interlocking component, provided on the upper or rear face of the contactor, ensures its blocking against any pulling out forward movement when it is fastened to the breaker. Resilient loosening means preferably by manual maneuvering, are associated with component 3 8 for clearing it, in order to release the contactor from the breaker. Each terminal 33, 34 opens onto the front face 30a of the contactor through a passage 33a, 34a for a cable to be connected in the aperture 15 of the jamming lead of the resilient cage and a passage 33b, 34b for a loosening tool, or for an interconnection pin with the breaker. A power interconnection multipolar block 60, preferably identical to block 50, includes an insulating body 61, upstream "62 and downstream 63 pins and a retaining component 64. The pins are for plugging into the breaker"s downstream resilient terminals 23 without any tool and the contactor"s upstream resilient terminals 33 and the retaining component 64 prevents any untimely pulling out of the block. Another block may be provided for connecting the contactor to the load. The mounting of the motor starter assembly 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The breaker is fixed on its support 11 forming part of the set of bars 40, and then the contactor is fitted in under the breaker, in order for it to be coupled with the latter in a well determined position, and the pins of the interconnection blocks 60 are plugged into the power resilient terminals 23, 33 while being maintained in the plugged position by their retaining component 64. Supplying power to the whole is achieved by inserting pins of the interconnection blocks 50 into the terminals 21 of the breaker and 42 of the set of bars. It should be noted that the mounting and the dismounting of the assembly are performed without requiring any tool. Of course, several assemblies 10 may be juxtaposed by affixing the side faces 20e, 30e of their different contactor-breaker pairs. The contactor, here of the electromechanical type, may be of the static type. Further, the contactor may be provided on its lower face 30d with fitting protrusions or slots for bearing an additional or communications module or more generally, an auxiliary appliance to be quickly assembled and connected. It is a matter of fact that the fitting protrusions and slots provided on both of these appliances may be reversed. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the multipolar blocks 50, 60 have pins 52, 53, 62, 63, the ends of which 71 have a resilient configuration, in particular in the radial direction as indicated in Fig. 6. The matching terminals 42, 21, 23, 33 of the appliances have stiff sockets 72 formed by the portions of conducting parts such as 19 or by auxiliary parts fixed onto these conducting parts. Placing of the blocks 50, 60 is again performed by a perpendicular movement to the front faces 20a, 30a of the appliances. Alternatively, the sockets may be resilient tulips cooperating with rigid stiff pins. It should be noted that the upstream multipolar interconnection block 5 0 has a height such that the aperture 20i dedicated to the introduction of an addition into the body 20f of the breaker is left clear, and that the multipolar interconnection blocks 50, 60 are quasi embedded, with a depth such that their front face is substantially aligned with plane P2 of the dialog and monitoring faces of the appliances. WE CLAIM 1. An electric switch assembly comprising: two multipolar appliances, each comprising an external body (20f 30f) provided with a front face (20c ,30a), with upper and lower transverse faces, side faces and a rear face notably for fixing to a support, at least one of the appliances having current breaker properties in an electric circuit; polar power links having internal power 10 conductors housed in the body and upstream (21,33) and/or downstream (23,34) power connection terminals having caperers which open onto the front face for connecting external conductors to the power conductors, characterized in that : coupling means (37,26;43,25) are provided for mechanically coupling both appliances together; a multipolar interconnection block (50,60) is applied on at least one of the front faces (20a ,30a) of the coupled appliances and has pins (52,53;62,63) plugged into power terminals (23,33;42,21) facing the matching poles for ensuring the respective polar links between the appliances; the pins (62,63;52,53) of the block and the power connection terminals (23 33;42,21) facing each other cooperate by a resilient effect; a power terminal strip (32,24) comprising the power terminals (33, 34; 21 23) is fixed to the external body of at least one of the appliances for partly or entirely forming, by its upper or lower face, the upper or lower transverse face (30c, 20d) of the at least one of the appliances, and the coupling means (37, 26) comprise fitting means composed of protrusions or slots located on an upper or lower face of the power terminal strip (32 ,24). 2, The electric assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power connection terminals (33,34; 21,23;42) are laid out in order to enable cables to be connected with a tool and pins to be connected without any tool. 3. The electric assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power connection terminals (33,34;21’3;42) and/or the pins (62,63;52,53) of the multipolar block (50,60) are of the socket and radial clamping type. 4. The electric assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the coupling means (37,26) are provided on the bodies of the appliances and laid out in order to enable the appliances to be directly fastened by mutual displacement (Z2) perpendicularly to their front faces (30a, 20a). 5. The electric assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the coupling means (37,26) comprise means for directly interlocking (38) the body of one appliance on the body of the other appliance, the means being such that they prevent any untimely pulling off. 6. The electric assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upstream multipolar interconnection block (50) has a height such that an aperture (20i) is left clear for introducing an additive element into the body (20f) of the breaker (20). 7. The electric assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multipolar interconnection blocks (50,60) have a depth such that their front face is substantially aligned with the plane (P2) of the dialog and monitoring faces of the appliances. 8. An assembly comprising two superimposed switch appliances, notably a motor starter assembly, both appliances each having an external body (30f,20f) provided with a front face, a rear face, upper and lower transverse faces and side faces, and means for fixing one of the appliances to a rear support, characterized in that : one of the appliances (30,20) at least comprises a power terminal strip (32,24) as an insert on an external body and is provided close to its front face (30a,20a) with terminals (33,23) opening onto the latter through passages (33a,23a) for cormection; the lower appliance (30) is directly fastened to the upper appliance (20) by its power terminal strip (32,24), which is provided on its lower or upper plane face (30c,20d) with first protrusions or slots (37) for fitting into the second protrusions or slots (26) of a complementary shape provided on the upper or lower face (20d,30c) of the other apparatus (20,30). 9. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein both appliances (20;30) have resilient terminals (23,33) and that the connection between the resilient terminals of both appliances is provided by a multipolar interconnection part (60) with pairs of stiff pins (62,63) for penetrating into the resilient terminals. 10. The assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein both appliances (20,30) have terminals (23,33) with a tulip (72) and that the connection between the terminals of both appliances is provided by a multipolar interconnection block (60) with pairs of resilient pins (62,63) for penetrating into the terminals through the resilient ends (71). 11. The assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein the multipolar interconnection block (60) is engaged and establishes the contact without any tool, in the resilient terminals (23,33) of both appliances, the latter being able to connect to cables with a tool and to connect to pins without a tool. 12. An electric switch assembly, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 13. An assembly comprising two superimposed switch appliances, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

in-pct-2001-1037-che-abstract-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-abstract.jpg

in-pct-2001-1037-che-abstract.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-claims-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-claims.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-correspondence-others.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-correspondence-po.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-description (complete)-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-description-(complete).pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-drawings-duplicate.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-drawings.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-form-1.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-form-19.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-form-26.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-form-3.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-form-5.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-others.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-pct.pdf

in-pct-2001-1037-che-petition.pdf