WO2006018416A1

WO2006018416A1 - Safety switch device comprising an electrical display, and corresponding method

Info

Publication number: WO2006018416A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/053944
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ludwig Birkl; Gunther Eckert; Stefan Höhe
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 2004-08-19
Filing date: 2005-08-10
Publication date: 2006-02-23
Also published as: DE102004040289A1

Abstract

The aim of the invention is to render the different states of a safety switch appliance clearly identifiable from outside. To this end, an electrical display (5) is provided, the display variants thereof being clearly associated with the switching states of the safety switch appliance. For example, a multicolour LED (5) is controlled not only by a short-circuit current generator (2), but also by an overload current generator (3). In the event of a short-circuit current, the LED (5) then lights up in a different colour to that in which it lights up in the event of an overload current. In this way, the user can clearly determine whether the safety switch has been triggered by a short-circuit or an overload.

Description

description

Safety switching device with electrical display and corresponding method

The present invention relates to a Schutzschaltvorrich¬ device with an interruptible contact device for Strom¬ leadership and a triggering device for interrupting the contact device in a fault current, short circuit and / or overload event. Moreover, the present invention relates to a method of indicating a state of a circuit breaker after the trip of the circuit breaker. The term "protective switching device" is understood in this document in particular also a protective switching device or a built-in installation device.

Circuit breakers often have an overload release and a short-circuit release, possibly also a Fehlerstrom¬ trigger. These three triggering mechanisms operate independently of one another and trigger the circuit breaker in the case of fault current, overload current or short-circuit current, i. the contacts of the circuit breaker are opened. After tripping and a subsequent elimination of the cause, the circuit breaker can be switched on again. To remedy the cause, however, it is favorable to know whether the protective circuit breaker was triggered by a fault current, overload current or short-circuit current. However, such information is not available from the circuit breakers currently on the market.

In this connection, Kopp a Leitungs¬ protection switch is known, in which the handle is provided a so-called reset position. When the circuit breaker is switched off, the handle does not spring back into the basic position but into this reset or middle position. From this position the device can not be switched on again. The grip must first be manually transferred to the basic Position to be able to turn on the device again. However, the user does not receive any information as to what the actual reason for the shutdown was, ie whether there is an overload or a short circuit.

The object of the present invention is therefore to give the user in the case of triggering a circuit breaker information about why the tripping sen has taken place.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a protective switching device with an interruptible contact device for conducting current and a triggering device for interrupting the contact device in the case of a residual current, short circuit and / or overload event, and an electrical indicator which is connected to the tripping device ver¬ is bound, and clearly with the fault current, short circuit and / or overload event can be represented.

In addition, the invention provides a method for indicating a state of a circuit breaker by tripping the circuit breaker by a fault current event, short circuit event or overload event, and specifi¬ cal display of the fault current event, short circuit and / or overload event with a elektri¬'s indicator ,

Advantageously, the user can visually recognize to which cause the intended triggering of the protective switching device is due. He receives a unique

Information about whether the circuit breaker was switched off by a Über¬ load current, a short-circuit current or a fault current.

Preferably, the electrical display device comprises an LED. LEDs are characterized by being very robust and have low power consumption. The at least one LED may be a multi-color LED. By using such a multi-color LED installation space can be saved.

Alternatively, the electrical display device may comprise an incandescent lamp, a glow lamp or an LCD element. Thus, it is also possible, for example, logos or symbols optically, possibly bright display.

The fault current, short circuit or overload event can be represented uniquely by switching off the electrical display device. If, for example, a line protection switch has a short-circuit release and an overload release, it is sufficient if the short-circuit event is indicated by switching on the electrical display.

If the circuit breaker has been triggered automatically and the display device is in the off state, this is a clear sign that an overload event has occurred. This can be expanded analogously to three different events and two display options.

According to a preferred embodiment, the respective triggering events are represented by different colors. This makes it very easy for the operator to clearly assign the cause of the trip.

The present invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

1 shows a schematic circuit diagram of a circuit breaker according to the invention;

FIG 2 shows plan views of the circuit breaker of Figure 1 in different states; 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of a Leitungs¬ protection switch with residual current release; and

4 shows several plan views of the combined line circuit breaker with residual current release in unter¬ different states.

The embodiments described in more detail below represent preferred embodiments of the present invention.

The circuit diagram of FIG. 1 shows a circuit breaker in cross section. In its characteristic housing 1, a short-circuit current generator 2 and an overload current generator 3 is arranged. The phase Ip, which is fed to the input side of the circuit breaker, is conducted both to the short-circuit current generator 2 and to the overload current generator 3. For the sake of clarity, the switching mechanism and the contact device, with which the phase is continued to the output side, are not shown in the figure.

At the top of the circuit breaker next to the handle or lever 4, a multi-color LED 5 is arranged. Such a multi-color LED 5 lights up, for example, in the colors red and yellow. It has two positive poles Pl and P2, which are each connected to the individual diodes integrated in the multicolor LED 5. The negative terminal M of both individual diodes is combined and applied to a specially provided neutral input N at the input side. The plus pole Pl of a diode is connected to the short-circuit current generator 2 so that this diode is switched on when the short-circuit current generator detects that a short-circuit current has been present or has occurred or the short-circuit current release has not triggered. In the same way, the positive pole P2 of the other single-cell diode integrated in the multicolor LED 5 is connected to the overload current generator 3, so that this diode lights up when the overload current generator 3 generates an overload current. detected load current or has triggered the overload release also not shown.

With this arrangement according to the invention, the triggering state of the circuit breaker for visual perception is transported to the outside. In this case, the multi-color LED 5 in the event of a short-circuit release, for example, red and yellow in the event of an overload trip.

In Figure 2, the top or front sides of the circuit breaker of FIG 1 are reproduced for several states of Leitungsschutz¬ switch. In FIG. 2A, the protective switch is in the switched-off state. This state represents the state of the circuit breaker before startup or after a manual shutdown. In this state, the lever 4 is placed downwards and the multicolor LED 5 is switched off.

In the normal operating state, the lever 4 is pressed upward in accordance with FIG. 2B so that the circuit breaker is in the switched-on state. The multi-color LED 5 does not light up.

In case of an overload, the circuit breaker is thermally triggered according to FIG 2C. This means that the lever 4 snaps down and the LED 5 glows yellow in this Ausführungsbei¬.

If a short circuit event occurs, the circuit breaker according to FIG 2D is switched off by a short-circuit release and the lever 4 also snaps down. Ange¬ controlled by the short-circuit current sensor 2, which detects the short circuit or the short-circuit release, the LED 5 lights red.

The switching position of the lever 4 and the display of the LED 5 give the user clearly the state of the protective circuit ters. The normal switched-on state of the circuit breaker can be clearly recognized by the position of the lever 4. The three switched-off states of the circuit breaker differ unambiguously from being switched off, the yellow light and the red light from the LED 5.

The user can now react as follows on the basis of the displays. If the circuit breaker is in the OFF state and the LED 5 lights up red, then a short-circuit in the circuit must have occurred, which is why the user is called to special prudence. In fact, he is made aware of a possible fault in his system and can react accordingly, for example by consulting a specialist. If the circuit breaker is in the OFF state and the LED 5 is yellow, then the user can

Close circuit safely again, because only a temporary overloading of the circuit is present and the consumer with the unacceptably high power consumption only needs to be switched off. Finally, if the circuit breaker switch is in the OFF state and the LED 5 does not light up, then the circuit was deliberately or unconsciously switched off by hand. There is then no error in the system.

3 shows a schematic circuit diagram of a combined circuit breaker and residual current circuit breaker (LS / FI). In this case, a residual current release can be arranged in the housing of the circuit breaker or in a separate housing. The circuit diagram of FIG. 3 essentially corresponds to that of FIG. 1. In addition, however, a fault current transmitter 6 is also provided, which detects a fault current or a fault current tripping. With its output signal, it controls a positive pole P3 of a third individual diode in a multi-color diode 5 ', which can shine with three different colors. The fault current generator 6 is also connected to the phase connection Ip. Incidentally, reference is made to the description of the wiring of FIG. In Figure 4, the end faces of a combined LS / FI circuit breaker for different OFF states of Leitungs¬ are now shown circuit breaker. The residual current circuit breaker FI is coupled to the circuit breaker LS. The structure of the circuit breaker LS corresponds to that of Figures 2A to 2D. The residual current circuit breaker FI has a test button 7, which can be used to check its functionality.

In all FIGS. 4A to 4D, the line protection switch LS is in the switched off or tripped state, for which reason the shift lever 4 is snapped downwards. The cause of the switching off or tripping may be a fault current, an overload current or a short-circuit current. But it can also be done a manual shutdown.

By the three-color LED 5 'three light states and an OFF state can be displayed. Thus, the above-mentioned four states of the circuit breaker can be uniquely assigned to a state of the multi-color LED 5 '. In the concrete example, the state of the manual switch-off of the circuit breaker LS is represented by the OFF state of the LED 5 'according to FIG. 4A. When fault current tripping the LED 5 'lights blue, as shown in FIG 4B. In contrast, the LED 5 'shines yellow in the case of overload current tripping according to FIG. 4C and red in the case of a short-circuit current tripping according to FIG. 4D.

When the device is switched on again, the LED display goes out again, so that in principle the display state of FIG. 2B results.

The unambiguous indication of the states of the combined circuit-breaker allows the user to unambiguously recognize the state of the device and, as already explained in connection with FIGS. 2A to 2D, can react. In the special case that the combined CB switch is OFF and the LED 5 is blue, If there is a fault current, the user can consult a specialist, for example.

Alternative embodiments exist u. a. in that, instead of the multicolor LED, a plurality of monochromatic LEDs with different colors are used. Of course, it is also possible to use a plurality of LEDs of the same color, wherein the individual switching states are indicated by the number of LEDs that are lit.

Another alternative of electrical display forms would be that translucent elements are backlit by appropriate illuminants. These translucency elements can contain symbols, letters or numbers.

Likewise, different symbols for the individual states can be represented by an LCD display.

Claims

claims

1. Protection switching device with

- An interruptible contact device for power management and

- a triggering device (2, 3, 6) for interrupting the contact device in the case of a fault current, short circuit and / or overload event, characterized by - an electrical display device (5, 5 ') connected to the triggering device (2, 3, 6) is connected, and clearly with the fault current, short circuit and / or Überlast¬ event can be displayed.

2. Protection circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the elek¬ cal display device (5, 5 ') comprises at least one LED.

3. The circuit breaker of claim 2, wherein the at least one LED is a multi-color LED.

4. Protection switching device according to one of the preceding An¬ claims, wherein the electrical display device (5, 5 ') ei¬ ne incandescent lamp, a glow lamp or an LCD element comprises.

5. Protection switching device according to one of the preceding An¬ claims, wherein the fault current, short circuit or Überlast¬ event by switching off the electrical Anzeigeeinrich¬ device (5, 5 ') is clearly represented.

6. Protection switching device according to one of the preceding An¬ claims, wherein the respective triggering events can be represented by unter¬ different colors.

7. A method for displaying a state of a Schutzschal¬ age by - tripping of the circuit breaker by a residual current event, short circuit event or overload event, characterized by

- Specific display of the fault current event, short-circuiting event and / or the overload event with ei¬ ner electrical display (5, 5 ').

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fault current, short circuit or overload event by switching on the electrical see indicator (5, 5 ') is clearly represented.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, wherein the respective triggering events are represented by different colors.