Key lock device for circuit breaker

Abstract

 Disclosed is a key lock device for a circuit breaker configuring a lock member for preventing a connection link from being moved to be linearly movable, thereby enabling to enhance the reliability in a locked state, as well as reducing an installation space. Further, the key lock device for the circuit breaker is fixed onto a panel fixed to the upper portion of a switching mechanism, thereby enabling to enhance the reliability of the operation, comparing with the related key lock device fixed to a cover covering the front side of the circuit breaker. Further, the key lock device for the circuit breaker is provided with a plurality of key bodies, and the key bodies are operated at the same time so as to release the circuit breaker from the locked state, thereby enabling to enhance the reliability with respect to the locked state.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a subject matter contained in priority Korean Application Nos. 20-2006-0033042 and 20-2006-0033043 both filed on December 29^th, 2006, which are herein expressly incorporated by reference in their entities.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a key lock device for a circuit breaker, and more particularly, to a key lock device for a circuit breaker which is capable of reducing an installation space and enhancing a reliability of a locked state.

2. Background of the Invention

[0003] Generally, a circuit breaker is an electric device built in a distributing board so as to protect a circuit and a device of an electric system by performing a switching operation of an electric line when a normal current is generated, and by breaking an abnormal current when the abnormal current such as an overload, a short circuit, a ground fault, or the like of the electric line is generated.

[0004] As shown in Figure 1, a key lock device 120 for a circuit breaker in a related art is installed at a cover 111 covering a switching mechanism 110 for switching a circuit by compressing a closing spring resulting from converting a rotation force of a rotation shaft through a mechanical connection, and then moving a movable contactor by using an elastic restoring force of the compressed closing spring.

[0005] An on-button 112 and an off-button 113 are installed at the cover 111 of the switching mechanism 110 so as for the circuit breaker to be turned on/off.

[0006] The key lock device 120 for the circuit breaker is a device for mechanically locking the circuit breaker in an off state. When the circuit breaker is in the locked state by the key lock device 120, as long as a user having a key releases the circuit breaker from the locked state, the circuit breaker cannot be in an on state.

[0007] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the key lock device 120 for the circuit breaker in the related art includes a key body 122 fixed to the cover 111 of the switching mechanism 110 and provided with a key insertion hole 121 into which the key is inserted, a clip 123 for fixing the key body 122 at the cover 111 of the switching mechanism 110, and a lock member 124 connected to the key body 122 and rotated by the rotation of the key.

[0008] The lock member 124 includes a connection portion 126 provided with a coupling hole 125 so as to be connected to the key body 122 and a lock portion 127 extended to be eccentric from the connection portion 126.

[0009] Meanwhile, as shown in Figure 5, a structure for switching off the circuit breaker from the on state includes an off latch 131 rotatably installed at a frame 114 supporting the switching mechanism 110 and transferring mechanical signals for turning off the circuit breaker with a plurality of links by rotation, and a connection link 132 installed between the off-button 113 and the off latch 131 so as to rotate the off latch 131 by being moved according to the operation of the off-button 113.

[0010] In such key lock device 120 for the circuit breaker in the related art, when the user presses the off-button 113, the off-button 13 is rotated with centering a certain shaft, and then the connection link 132 is moved by the rotation of the off-button 113, accordingly the off latch 131 is rotated. And, the rotation force of the off latch 131 is transferred to the plurality of links connected to the off latch 131, accordingly the circuit breaker is restored in the off state.

[0011] And, when the user rotates the key after inserting it into the key insertion hole 121 of the key body 122, the lock member 124 is rotated and then the lock portion 127 of the lock member 124 is contacted with a protrusion 133 formed at the connection link 132, thereby preventing the connection link 132 from being moved.

[0012] Thus, the off latch 131 maintains its rotated state such that the circuit breaker is turned off, accordingly it is impossible for the circuit breaker to be in the on state.

[0013] However, such key lock device 120 for the circuit breaker in the related art is attached to the cover 111 of the switching mechanism 110. Thus, when a gap is generated between the lock member 124 and the connection link 132 due to a deformation of the cover 111 formed of a synthetic resin, etc., the reliability of the circuit breaker in the locked state may be deteriorated.

[0014] Further, the key lock device 120 for the circuit breaker in the related art has the structure that the lock member 124 is rotated to restrict the movement of the connection link 132, thus it is required to have the installation space as large as a rotation radius of the lock member 124.

SUMMARY

[0015] The present inventors recognized the drawbacks of the related art described above. Based upon such recognition, the following features have been conceived.

[0016] Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a key lock device for a circuit breaker which is capable of reducing an installation space and enhancing a reliability of the circuit breaker in a locked state.

[0017] The present invention is directed to providing a key lock device for a circuit breaker installed onto a panel of switching mechanism of the circuit breaker.

[0018] Preferably, the key lock device for the circuit breaker may include a key body provided with a key insertion hole into which a key is inserted; a lock member for restricting a connection link configured to move so that the circuit breaker can be in an off state, by being linearly moved by the rotation of the key; a hook connected to the key body to be rotated by the rotation of the key; and a spring elastically supporting the lock member.

[0019] Preferably, the hook may include a connection portion connected to the key body; and a protrusion protruded at one side of the connection portion toward the lock member, and the lock member may include a body; a contact portion formed at one side of the body and contacted with the protrusion to be cooperated therewith; a spring sheet extended from the body so as to support the spring; and a lock portion extended toward a lower side of the body so as to restrict the connection link by being inserted into the spring and moved by the rotation of the hook.

[0020] Further, preferably, the key lock device for the circuit breaker may include a plurality of key bodies respectively provided with a key insertion hole into which a key is inserted; a plurality of hooks connected to the plurality of key bodies, respectively, to be rotated by the rotation of the key; a lock member for restricting a connection link configured to move so that the circuit breaker can be in an off state, by being linearly moved by the rotation of the key; and a spring elastically supporting the lock member.

[0021] Preferably, the plurality of hooks may include a connection body connected to the key body; and a protrusion protruded at one side of the connection body toward the lock member, respectively, and the lock member may include a body; a plurality of contact portion sequentially formed in a direction extended from the body and contacted with the protrusions of the plurality of hooks to be cooperated therewith, respectively; a spring sheet extended from the body to support the spring; and a lock portion extended toward the lower side of the spring sheet so as to restrict the connection link by being inserted into the spring and moved by the rotation of the plurality of hooks.

[0022] The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0024] In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a general circuit breaker;

Figure 2 is a plan view showing a key lock device in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear perspective view showing the key lock device in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the key lock device in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a plan view showing a structure for turning off the key lock device and the circuit breaker in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a key lock device for a circuit breaker in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 is a plan view showing the key lock device in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a rear perspective view showing the key lock device in Figure 6;

Figure 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the key lock device in Figure 6;

Figure 10 is a perspective view showing a fixed state of the key lock device in Figure 6

Figure 11 is a plan view showing a structure for turning off the key lock device and the circuit breaker in Figure 6;

Figure 12 is a perspective view showing a key lock device for a circuit breaker in accordance with a second embodiment;

Figure 13 is a perspective view showing the key lock device in Figure 12;

Figure 14 is an exploded perspective view showing the key lock device in Figure 12; and

Figures 15 to 18 illustrate operations of the key lock device for the circuit breaker in Figure 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Hereinafter, description will be given in detail of a first embodiment of the present invention with reference to accompanying drawings.

[0026] As shown in Figure 6, a key lock device 240 for the circuit breaker in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention may installed at an upper side of a switching mechanism 210 An on-button 212 and an off-button 213 may be installed at a cover 211 covering a front side of the switching mechanism 210 so as to turn on/off the circuit breaker. When a user presses the on-button 212, the compressed closing spring may be tensioned by its elastic restoring force. And the elastic restoring force of the closing spring may be transferred to the movable contactor through the connection of the plurality of links, accordingly the movable contactor may be moved so that the circuit breaker may be turned on.

[0027] Also, when the user presses the off-button 213, the movable contactor may be restored to its original state through the connection of the plurality of links so that the circuit breaker may be turned off.

[0028] As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the key lock device 240 for the circuit breaker may include a case 250 fixed onto a panel 215 installed at the upper side of the switching mechanism 210 and including a front frame 251 and a rear frame 252, a key body 260 inserted into a fixing hole 253 formed at the front frame 251 and provided with a key insertion hole 261 into which a key is inserted, a clip 270 for fixing the key body 260 to the front frame 251, a hook 280 connected to the key body 260 to be rotated by the rotation of the key, a lock member 290 connected to the hook 280 to be linearly moved by the rotation of the hook 280, and a spring 299 elastically supporting the lock member 290 at the rear frame 252.

[0029] The clip 270 may include a support portion 271 fixed to the front frame 251, and a pair of legs 272 extended from the support portion 271 by a distance corresponding to a width of the key body 260 to be fixed to the key body 260.

[0030] The hook 280 may include a connection portion 282 provided with a coupling hole 281 to be connected to the key body 260, and a protrusion 283 protruded at one side of the connection portion 282 toward the lock member 290.

[0031] The lock member 290 may include a body 291, a contact portion 292 formed at the upper side of the body 291 in a plane shape and contacted with the protrusion 283 of the hook 280 to be cooperated therewith, a spring sheet 295 extended in a lateral direction of the body 291 to support the spring 299, and a lock portion 280 extended toward a lower side of the body 291 to be inserted into the sprig 299 and moved by the rotation of the hook 280 to be protruded toward an outer side of the case 250.

[0032] Meanwhile, the key lock device 240 for the circuit breaker in accordance with the first embodiment may be fixed onto the panel 215 fixed to the upper portion of the switching mechanism 210 so as to enhance a reliability of its operation.

[0033] That is, as shown in Figure 10, a first protrusion 254 extended downwardly and a second protrusion 255 having a curved shape after being extended downwardly may be formed at the lower portion of the case 250, and a first insertion hole 218 into which the first protrusion 254 is inserted and a second insertion hole 219 at which the second protrusion 255 is locked may be formed on the panel 215.

[0034] Accordingly, after the first and second protrusions 254, 255 of the case 250 are inserted into the first and second insertion holes 218, 219 of the panel 215, respectively, the case 250 and the panel 215 may be coupled to each other.

[0035] Here, preferably, the case 250 and the panel 215 may be coupled to each other by a bolt. However, they may be coupled to each other by a rivet or a welding method, etc..

[0036] As shown in Figure 11, the structure for switching off the circuit breaker from the on state may include an off latch 231 rotatably installed at the frame 214 supporting the switching mechanism 210 and rotated to transfer mechanical signals for turning off the circuit breaker by the plurality of links, and a connection link 232 installed between the off-button 213 and the off latch 231 so as to rotate the off latch 231 by being moved according to the operation of the off-button 213.

[0037] In such key lock device 240 for the circuit breaker, when a user presses the off-button 213, the off-button 213 may be rotated with centering a certain shaft, and the connection link 232 may be moved by the rotation of the off-button 213. Accordingly, the off latch 231 may be rotated by being pushed by the connection link 232. And, the rotation force of the off latch 231 may be transferred to the plurality of links connected to the off latch 231, accordingly the circuit breaker may be restored to the off state.

[0038] And, when the user rotates the key after inserting it into the key insertion hole 261 of the key body 260, the hook 280 may be rotated. Accordingly, the protrusion 283 of the hook 280 may push the lock member 290 in a state contacted with the contact portion 292 of the lock member 290. Accordingly, the lock member 290 may be moved downwardly. Thereby, restricting the connection link 232 by contacting the lock portion 293 of the lock member 290 with the protrusion 233 provided at the connection link 232.

[0039] Thus, the off latch 231 may maintain its rotated state such that the circuit breaker is turned off, accordingly it is impossible for the circuit breaker to be arbitrarily closed.

[0040] Meanwhile, in a process for releasing the locked state of the circuit breaker, first, when the user rotates the key after inserting it into the key insertion hole 261 of the key body 260, the hook 280 may be rotated to release the restricted state of the lock member 290. Here, the lock member 290 may be moved upwardly by the elastic restoring force of the spring 299. Accordingly, the lock portion 293 of the lock member 290 may be separated from the connection link 232, thereby releasing the restriction of the connection link 232.

[0041] Accordingly, the connection link 232 may come to be movable, thereby releasing the circuit breaker from the locked state.

[0042] Hereinafter, a key lock device for a circuit breaker in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.

[0043] As shown in Figure 12, a key lock device 340 for the circuit breaker in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention may be installed at an upper side of a switching mechanism 310 for switching a circuit by moving a movable contactor by using an elastic restoring force of a closing spring compressed resulting from converting a rotation force of a rotation shaft through a mechanical connection.

[0044] An on-button 312 and an off-button 313 may be installed at a cover 311 covering a front side of the switching mechanism 310 so as to turn on/off the circuit breaker. When a user presses the on-button 312, the compressed closing spring may be tensioned by its elastic restoring force. And the elastic restoring force of the closing spring may be transferred to the movable contactor through the connection of the plurality of links, accordingly the movable contactor may be moved so that the circuit breaker may be turned on.

[0045] Also, when the user presses the off-button 313, the movable contactor may be restored to its original state through the connection of the plurality of links so that the circuit breaker may be turned off.

[0046] As shown in Figures 13 to 14, the key lock device 340 for the circuit breaker may include a support frame 350 fixed onto a panel 315 installed at the upper side of the switching mechanism 310, first and second key bodies 361, 362 fixed to the support frame 350 and provided with a key insertion hole 365 into which a key is inserted, respectively, first and second clips 370a, 370b for fixing the first and second bodies 361, 362 to the support frame 350, respectively, first and second hooks 380a, 380b connected to the first and second key bodies 361, 362, respectively, to be rotated by the rotation of the key, a lock member 390 connected to the first and second hooks 380a, 380b, respectively, to be linearly moved by the rotation of the first and second hooks 380a, 380b, and a spring 399 elastically supporting the lock member 390 at the support frame 350.

[0047] The support frame 350 may include a fixing portion 353 provided with insertion holes 351, 352 into the first and second key bodies 361, 362 are inserted, respectively, a support portion 354 fixed onto the panel 315 installed at the upper side of the switching mechanism 310 by being curved from the fixing portion 353, and a guide portion 356 extended from the support portion 354 and provided with an insertion hole 355 slidably supporting the lock member 390 so as to support the lock member 390 and guide a linear motion of the lock member 390.

[0048] Here, preferably, the support portion 354 of the support frame 350 and the panel 315 may be coupled to each other by a bolt. However, they may be coupled to each other by a rivet or a welding method, etc..

[0049] The first and second clips 370a, 370b may include support portions 371 a, 371 b fixed to the fixing portion 353 of the support frame 350, and a pair of legs 372a, 372b extended from the support portions 371 a, 371 b by a distance corresponding to a width of the first and second key bodies 361, 362 to be fixed to the first and second key bodies 361, 362.

[0050] The first and second hooks 380a, 380b may include connection portions 382a, 382b provided with a coupling hole 381 so that the first and second key bodies 361, 362 are connected to, and protrusions 383a, 383b protruded at one side of the connection portions 382a, 382b toward the lock member 390.

[0051] The lock member 390 may include a body 391, a first contact portion 392 formed at the upper side of the body 391 in a plane shape and contacted with the protrusion 383a of the first hook 380a to be cooperated therewith, a second contact portion 393 formed at the lower side of the first contact portion 392 in the plane shape and contacted with the protrusion 383b of the second hook 380b to be cooperated therewith, a spring sheet 395 extended in a lateral direction of the body 391 to support the spring 399, a lock portion 392 extended toward a lower side of the spring sheet 395 and protruded toward the outer side of the case 350 by being inserted into the sprig 399 and moved by the rotation of the first and second hooks 380a, 380b.

[0052] As shown in Figure 15, the structure for switching off the circuit breaker from the on state may include an off latch 331 rotatably installed at the frame 314 supporting the switching mechanism 310 and rotated to transfer mechanical signals for turning off the circuit breaker by the plurality of links, and a connection link 332 installed between the off-button 313 and the off latch 331 so as to rotate the off latch 331 by being linearly moved according to the operation of the off-button 313.

[0053] In such key lock device 340 for the circuit breaker in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention, when a user presses the off-button 313, the off-button 313 may be rotated with centering a certain shaft, and the connection link 332 may be moved by the rotation of the off-button 313. Accordingly, the off latch 331 may be rotated by being pushed by the connection link 332. And, the rotation force of the off latch 331 may be transferred to the plurality of links connected to the off latch 331, accordingly the circuit breaker may be restored to the off state.

[0054] And, when the user rotates the key after inserting it into the key insertion hole 365 of the first and second key bodies 361, 362, the first and second hooks 380a, 380b may be rotated. Accordingly, the protrusion 383a of the first hook 380a and the protrusion 383b of the second hook 380b may push the lock member 390 in a state contacted with the first and second contact portions 392, 393 of the lock member 390. Accordingly, the lock member 390 may be moved downwardly.

[0055] Accordingly, the lock portion 394 of the lock member 390 may be contacted with the protrusion 333 provided at the connection link 332, thereby preventing the connection link 332 from being moved.

[0056] Thus, the off latch 331 may maintain its rotated state such that the circuit breaker is turned off, accordingly it is impossible for the circuit breaker to be arbitrarily closed.

[0057] Meanwhile, in the process for releasing the locked state of the circuit breaker, as shown in Figure 16, when the user rotates the key after inserting it into the key insertion hole 365 of the second key body 362, the protrusion 383b of the second hook 380b may be spaced from the second contact portion 393 of the lock member 390 by the rotation of the second hook 380b. However, the protrusion 383a of the first hook 380a is contacted with the first contact portion 392 of the lock member 390, accordingly the lock member 390 may not be released from the restricted state.

[0058] Here, as shown in Figure 18, when the user rotates the key after inserting it into the key insertion hole 365 of the first key body 361, the protrusion 383a of the first hook 380a may be spaced from the first contact portion 392 of the lock member 390 by rotation of the first hook 380a. Accordingly, the lock member 390 may be released from the restricted state and moved upwardly by the elastic restoring force of the spring 399. Accordingly, the lock portion 394 of the lock member 390 may be spaced from the protrusion 333 of the connection link 332 so that the connection link 332 may be released from the restriction. Accordingly, the connection link 332 may come to be movable, thereby releasing the locked state of the circuit breaker.

[0059] Meanwhile, as shown in Figure 17, even though the user rotates the key after inserting it into the key insertion hole 365 of the first key body 361, if there is no insertion of the second key body 362 into the key insertion hole 365 for rotation, the protrusion 383b of the second hook 380b may be still contacted with the second contact portion 393 of the lock member 390, though the protrusion 383a of the first hook 380a is spaced from the first contact portion 392 of the lock member 390. Accordingly, the lock member 390 may not be released from the restricted state.

[0060] Here, as shown in Figure 18, when the user rotates the key after inserting it into the key insertion hole 365 of the second key body 362, the protrusion 383b of the second hook 380b may be spaced from the second contact portion 393 of the lock member 390 by rotation of the second hook 380b. Accordingly, the lock member 390 may be released from the restricted state and moved upwardly by the elastic restoring force of the spring 399. Thus, the lock portion 394 of the lock member 390 may be separated from the protrusion 333 of the connection link 332, accordingly the connection link 332 may be released from the restriction. Then, the connection link 332 may come to be movable, thereby releasing the circuit breaker from the locked state.

[0061] Therefore, in the key lock device 340 for the circuit breaker in accordance with the present invention, the circuit breaker is not released from the locked state until the connection link 332 comes to be movable resulting from releasing of the restriction of the lock member 390 by inserting the key into the first and second key bodies 361, 362 for rotation, thereby being capable of enhancing a stability with respect to the locked state, comparing with the related circuit breaker having one key body.

[0062] As aforementioned, in the key lock device for the circuit breaker in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention, the lock member for preventing the connection link from being moved is configured to be linearly movable, thereby being capable of enhancing the reliability in the locked state, as well as reducing the installation space.

[0063] Further, the key lock device for the circuit breaker is fixed onto the panel fixed to the upper portion of the switching mechanism, thereby being capable of enhancing the reliability of the operation, comparing with the related key lock device fixed to the cover covering the front side of the circuit breaker.

[0064] Further, the key lock device for the circuit breaker is provided with the plurality of key bodies, and the key bodies are operated at the same time so as to release the circuit breaker from the locked state, thereby being capable of enhancing the reliability with respect to the locked state.

[0065] The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments.

[0066] As the present inventive features may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A key lock device for a circuit breaker fixed onto a panel of a switching mechanism of the circuit breaker.

2. The key lock device of claim 1, comprising:

a key body provided with a key insertion hole into which a key is inserted;

a lock member for restricting a connection link configured to move so that the circuit breaker can be in an off state, by being linearly moved by the rotation of the key;

a hook connected to the key body to be rotated by the rotation of the key; and

a spring elastically supporting the lock member.

3. The key lock device of claim 2, wherein the hook comprises:

a connection portion connected to the key body; and

a protrusion protruded at one side of the connection portion toward the lock member.

4. The key lock device of claim 3, wherein the lock member comprises:

a body;

a contact portion formed at one side of the body and contacted with the protrusion to be cooperated therewith;

a spring sheet extended from the body so as to support the spring; and

a lock portion extended toward a lower side of the body so as to restrict the connection link by being inserted into the spring and moved by the rotation of the hook.

5. The key lock device of claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of key bodies respectively provided with a key insertion hole into which a key is inserted;

a plurality of hooks connected to the plurality of key bodies, respectively, to be rotated by the rotation of the key;

a lock member for restricting a connection link configured to move so that the circuit breaker can be in an off state, by being linearly moved by the rotation of the key; and

a spring elastically supporting the lock member.

6. The key lock device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of hooks comprise:

a connection body connected to the key body; and

a protrusion protruded at one side of the connection body toward the lock member, respectively.

7. The key lock device of claim 6, wherein the lock member comprises:

a body;

a plurality of contact portion sequentially formed in a direction extended from the body and contacted with the protrusions of the plurality of hooks to be cooperated therewith, respectively;

a spring sheet extended from the body to support the spring; and

a lock portion extended toward the lower side of the spring sheet so as to restrict the connection link by being inserted into the spring and moved by the rotation of the plurality of hooks.

Drawing