GB2579952A

GB2579952A - Electric leakage circuit breaker

Info

Publication number: GB2579952A
Application number: GB2003179.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Qiu Weibing; Wang Hongliang
Original assignee: Schneider Electric SE
Current assignee: Schneider Electric SE
Priority date: 2017-08-09
Filing date: 2018-08-06
Publication date: 2020-07-08
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-06
Also published as: NO20200270A1; WO2019029492A1; GB202003179D0; CN207441642U; GB2579952B; RU2741568C1; GB2579952A8

Abstract

An electric leakage circuit breaker (100) comprises: at least two poles provided with a first pole and a second pole that are adjacently disposed; and a test mechanism (103), partially disposed between the first pole and the second pole so as to connect or disconnect a test circuit used for testing the validity of the electric leakage circuit breaker.

Description

LEAKAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER

FIELD

100011 The present disclosure relates to a circuit breaker,and more particularly, to a leakage circuit breaker.

BACKGROUND

100021 A leakage circuit breaker which is also known as a residual current protection device (RCD) is a kind of air circuit breaker with a special protection function (leakage protection). The leakage circuit breaker is a protection electrical device that performs trip action by detecting a magnitude of leakage current or electric shock current from phase to ground as a trip signal. The leakage circuit breaker is currently mainly used to provide protection in the event of leakage faults of equipment. In addition, the leakage circuit breaker which also has an overload and short-circuit protection functions, can be used to protect or prevent the line or equipment from overload and short circuit, and can also be used for infrequent switch activation of the circuit under normal circumstances. In view of safety considerations, the leakage circuit breaker is required to be installed in the circuit at some public sites such as hotels, schools, construction sites and swimming pools.

100031 Generally, the leakage circuit breaker is provided with a test button and a test circuit, and the test button needs to be periodically pressed to test the validity of the test circuit. However, the conventional leakage circuit breakers all have the test circuit set in a housing of one pole of the leakage circuit breaker, which makes it requisite to increase dimensions such as a width of the leakage circuit breaker to dispose the test circuit. This further makes it impossible to install a leakage circuit breaker that meets the power requirements in the case of limited installation space.

SUMMARY

100041 Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a leakage circuit breaker to at least partially solve the above and other potential problems of the conventional solutions.

100051 An aspect of the present disclosure provides a leakage circuit breaker. The leakage circuit break comprises at least two poles comprising a first pole and a second pole adjacent to each other; and a test mechanism provided at least partially between the first pole and the second pole and configured to switch on or off a test circuit for testing validity of the leakage circuit breaker.

[0006] The embodiments of the present disclosure can achieve many advantageous technical effects. For example, by arranging the test mechanism at least partially between the two poles of the leakage circuit breaker, it is possible to make full use of the limited space between the two poles, and reduce the size of the leakage circuit breaker while meeting the requirement about power.

100071 In an embodiment, the test mechanism comprises a first breakpoint mechanism for switching on or off a first breakpoint of the test circuit; and a second breakpoint mechanism for switching on or off a second breakpoint of the test circuit; wherein the first breakpoint and the second breakpoint are connected in series in the test circuit.

100081 In such an embodiment, with two breakpoints being provided in the test circuit, the test circuit has double protection, to thereby further improve the safety.

100091 In an embodiment, the first pole comprises a first pole housing which comprises a first wall adjacent to the second pole; the second pole comprises a second pole housing which has a second wall adjacent to the first pole housing; the test mechanism further comprises: a first pivot vertically disposed on a first side of the second wall facing towards the first pole housing, and configured to electrically connect the first breakpoint mechanism with the second breakpoint mechanism.

[0010] In an embodiment, a pivot hole is provided on the first wall of the first pole housing, and the first pivot can extend through the pivot hole to a second side of the first wall away from the second pole housing.

[0011] In an embodiment, the first breakpoint mechanism comprises: a first elastic member disposed on the first pivot and configured to electrically connect with the first pivot, the first elastic member comprising a first communication arm; the first communication arm can contact a conductive sheet to switch on the first breakpoint of the test circuit; and a cylindrical rotating member, a side wall of the rotating member vertically disposed on the second side (1015) and around the first pivot, the rotating member being rotatable about the first pivot, and the first communication arm being fixed on the side wall.

[0012] In an embodiment, the rotating member is rotatable between a first position and a second position about the first pivot and can be held at the first position and the second position; the first communication arm protrudes from the side wall of the rotating member and configured to be rotatable together with the rotating member; at the first position, an end of the first communication arm contacts the conductive sheet to thereby switch on the first breakpoint of the test circuit; at the second position, the end of the first communication arm gets away from the conductive sheet to thereby switch off the first breakpoint of the test circuit; [0013] In an embodiment, a restoring force of the first communication arm can drive the rotating member to rotate from the second position to the first position.

[0014] In an embodiment, the leakage circuit breaker further comprises an operation handle which partially protrudes out of operations surfaces of the first pole housing and the second pole housing perpendicular to the first wall, the operation handle being switchable between an ON position and an OFF position to thereby switch on or off the circuit to which the leakage circuit breaker is connected; and a driving membe pivotably provided on the second side of the first wall and configured to drive the rotating member to rotate from the first position to the second position in response to the operation handle switching from the OFF position to the ON position.

[0015] In this embodiment, the first breakpoint mechanism makes full use of the driving member in the operation handle of the leakage circuit breaker. In response to the driving member switching from the OFF position to the ON position, the first breakpoint in the test circuit is automatically switchedoff, thereby disabling the test circuit when the circuit is switched on, and ensuring the safety of components in the circuit and operators. Furthermore, after the driving member switches from the ON position to the OFF position, the first breakpoint of the test circuit is automatically switched on with the restoring force of the first communication arm, leading to more intelligent and convenient use.

[0016] In an embodiment, the driving member comprises a projection, the rotating member comprises an annular surface away from the first wall, and the annular surface comprises a protrusion; wherein in response to the operation handle switching from the OFF position to the ON position, the projection presses the protrusion of the rotating member to thereby enable the rotating member to rotate from the first position to the second position.

[0017] In this embodiment, by providing the protrusion on the holder, it is possible to, make full use of the existing structure of the driving member. The switch-on and switch-off of the first breakpoint can be automatically achieved without changing the structure of the original mechanism, so that the utilization rate of the components of the product is made higher.

[0018] In an embodiment, the first elastic member further comprises a first limiting arm, the first limiting arm crosses over the annular surface of the rotating member, and an end of the first limiting arm is fixed on the first wall.

[0019] In this embodiment, by fixing the end of the first limiting arm of the first elastic member to the first wall and keeping it fixed, it is possible to provide sufficient elastic force for the restoring of the first communication arm.

[0020] In an embodiment, the rotating member further comprises a catching portion located on the side wall of the rotating member, and the first communication arm of the first elastic member is detachably fixed on the side wall via the catching portion.

[0021] In this embodiment, the assembling and maintenance are made more convenient by detachably fixing the first communication arm in the catching portion of the side wall of the rotating member.

[0022] In an embodiment, the second pole comprises a second pole housing which has a second wall adjacent to the first pole housing; and the second breakpoint mechanism comprises a second elastic member provided on a second pivot, the second pivot being located on the first side of the second wall facing towards the first pole housing, the second elastic member comprising a second communication arm; and a test button partially protruding out of operation surfaces of the first pole housing and the second pole housing perpendicular to the first wall at an initial position, and configured to drive the second communication arm to contact the first pivot, so that the second elastic member switches on the second breakpoint of the test circuit.

[0023] In this embodiment, the second elastic member of the second breakpoint mechanism is disposed on a side of the second pole housing facing towards the first pole housing, i.e., disposed between the walls of the first pole housing and the second pole housing. The limited space is sufficiently used so that the leakage circuit breaker can be more spatially effective.

100241 In an embodiment, the second communication arm is moveable from a third position to a fourth position in response to the test button moving towards the second communication arm; at the third position, the second communication arm keeps disconnected from the first pivot, thereby switching off the second breakpoint of the test circuit; at the fourth position, the second communication arm contacts the first pivot, thereby switching on the second breakpoint of the test circuit.

100251 In an embodiment, the test button is capable of returning to the initial position in response to the restoring force of the second communication arm.

100261 In this embodiment, the second communication arm can be driven by the test button and directly contacts the first pivot to thereby switch on the second breakpoint, so that it is possible to make the control more direct and effective, reduce the interference between components, improve the convenience of control, and ensure the hand feeling upon pressing.

100271 In an embodiment, the second elastic member further comprises a second limiting arm; and a limiting slot is formed on the first side of the second wall, and the second limiting arm is received in the limiting slot.

100281 In an embodiment, a limiting post is vertically arranged in an area of the first side of the second wall adjacent to the limiting slot, and a radial portion of the limiting post extends into the limiting slot to limit the second limiting arm.

100291 In this embodiment, the limiting slot is disposed and the limiting post is disposed in the area adjacent to the limiting slot, and the second limiting arm of the second elastic member is disposed in the limiting slot so that the positioning of the second elastic member is more stable, and a sufficient restoring force can be provided to the second communication arm to allow the test button to return to the initial position.

100301 In an embodiment, a movement groove is further provided on the first side of the second wall and the third wall of the first wall facing towards the second pole housing, the second communication arm is moveable in the movement groove, and at the third position, the second communication arm abuts against an edge of the movement groove adjacent to the operation surface.

100311 In an embodiment, the test button comprises a pressing portion protruding out of the operation surfaces of the first pole housing and second pole housing and configured to be pressed to move toward the second communication arm; and a guide portion provided between the first wall and the second wall and configured to provide guidance for a movement of the test button.

[0032] In this embodiment, by providing the guide portion, although the pressing portion is far away from the second communication portion, the pressing can be performed smoothly and the pressing hand feeling can be ensured.

[0033] In an embodiment, the guide portion is disposed between the first wall and the second wall, the guide portion is offset toward a side of the operation handle and extends obliquely toward the second communication arm, and an end of the guide portion away from the pressing portion abuts against the second communication arm.

[0034] In this embodiment, since the guide portion is offset towards a side of the operation handle, the pressing portion at the upper portion can get away from the operation handle to prevent a hand which presses the pressing portion from being struck by the operation handle.

[0035] In an embodiment, the test mechanism further comprises a protective cover provided on the operation surface, and the protective cover is provided with a through hole for the pressing portion of the test button to pass through.

[0036] In this embodiment, assembling and maintenance are made more convenient by providing the separate protective cover. Furthermore, the protective cover can effectively cover the exposed portion of the operation surface, thereby further improving the aesthetics and safety of the leakage circuit breaker.

[0037] In an embodiment, the test mechanism further comprises a test resistor, a first end of the test resistor protrudes out of the limiting slot and keeps electrical contact with the second limiting arm, and a second end of the test resistor opposite to the first end passes through the second wall and protrudes out of a fourth side of the second wall facing away from the first wall.

[0038] In this embodiment, one end of the test resistor is disposed between the first wall and the second wall, and allowed to pass through the second wall, which makes full use of the limited space between the two poles and improves the utilization rate of the space.

[0039] Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following 30 description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of example embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] The above and other objectives, features, and advantages of example embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the figures, a plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in an exemplary and unrestrictive manner, wherein: [0042] FIG. I illustrates a top view of a leakage circuit breaker according to an example

embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view showing a first pole housing and a second pole housing of a leakage circuit breaker which are separately displayed according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; [0044] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a test circuit according to an example

embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a second pole of a leakage circuit breaker according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; [0046] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a first elastic member according to an

example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a rotating member according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; [0048] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view in which the first elastic member and the rotating member are assembled together according to an example embodiment of the present 25 disclosure; [0049] FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a first pivot according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; [0050] FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram when an operation handle of an operation mechanism is at an ON position according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where the rotating member is at in a second position; [0051] FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram when the operation handle of the operation mechanism is at a disconnected position according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where the rotating member is at a first position; [0052] FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a second elastic member according to an

example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a test button according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; [0054] FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of a protective cover according to an example

embodiment of the present disclosure;

100551 FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a second pole according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where the test button is at an initial position; 100561 FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a second pole according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where the test button is pressed so that a second comminication arm is at a fourth position in contact with the first pivot; [0057] FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective view a portion of a first pole according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where a movement groove on the first pole is shown; and [0058] FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a fourth side of a second wall of a second pole according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where a test resistor extends out of the second wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0059] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to various example embodiments shown in the drawings. It should be understood that the description of these embodiments is merely intended to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and further implement the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. It should be noted that similar or identical reference numerals may be used in the drawings where feasible, and similar or identical reference numerals may represent similar or identical functions. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that from the following description, alternative embodiments of the structures and methods described herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the present disclosure described herein.

[0060] As used herein, the term "includes" and its variants are to be read as open terms that mean "includes, but is not limited to." The term "based on" is to be read as "based at least in part on." The term "an embodiment" is to be read as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is to be read as "at least one other embodiment".

[0061] Currently, there are various types of leakage circuit breakers on the market. Leakage circuit breakers usually all have a test circuit. A test mechanism for switching on/off the test circuit in each conventional leakage circuit breaker is located at a side of one of the poles, which requires the leakage circuit breaker to have a larger width to receive the test mechanism in the pole, such that a larger space is needed to install the leakage circuit breaker. A user having a power box with insufficient space has to employ a small-power and small-sized leakage circuit breaker, thereby causing a safety hazard caused by insufficient power.

[0062] In addition, test buttons of some conventional leakage circuit breakers are arranged close to the operation handle. Furthermore, when test buttons of some conventional leakage circuit breakers are pressed, the breakers will trip, thereby causing the hand which presses the circuit breaker to be struck. Furthermore, some test buttons are arranged far away from the acting mechanism and there is no guidance between the test button and the acting mechanism, thereby causing drawbacks of poor hand feeling and failure connection of the test circuit upon pressing the test button.

[0063] Reference is made below to FIG. 1 through FIG. 14 to describe in detail a structure of a leakage circuit breaker 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of the leakage circuit breaker 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view showing a first pole housing 101 and a second pole housing 102 of the leakage circuit breaker 100 which are separately displayed according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a test circuit according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the second pole housing 102 of the leakage circuit breaker 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a first elastic member 1051 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a rotating member 1052 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view in which the first elastic member 1051 and the rotating member 1052 are assembled together according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of a first pivot 107 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic diagram when an operation handle 104 of an operation mechanism is at an ON position according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where the rotating member 1052 is at a second position; FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic diagram when the operation handle 104 of the operation mechanism is at a disconnected position according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where the rotating member 1052 is at a first position; FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a second elastic member 1062 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of a test button 1061 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of a protective cover 1031 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the second pole housing 102 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where the test button 1061 is at an initial position; FIG. 15 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of the second pole housing 102 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where the test button 1061 is pressed so that a second communication arm is at a fourth position in contact with the first pivot; FIG. 16 illustrates a perspective view a portion of the first pole housing 101 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where a movement groove 1014 on the first pole housing 101 is shown; and FIG. 17 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a fourth side of a second wall 1021 of the second pole housing 102 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, where a test resistor extends out of the second wall 1021 100641 Generally, the leakage circuit breaker 100 described herein includes at least two poles, such as two poles, three poles or four poles. In order to facilitate the description of the principles of the present disclosure, a two-pole leakage circuit breaker 100 will be used for illustration below. As shown in FIG. 1, the two poles are called a first pole and a second pole, respectively, and the two poles are arranged next to each other in parallel to form the overall structure of the leakage circuit breaker 100. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the leakage circuit breaker 100 includes a test mechanism 103 for switching on or off a test circuit for testing the validity of the leakage circuit breaker 100.

[0065] Unlike the conventional leakage circuit breaker 100, at least a portion of the test mechanism 103 of the present disclosure is disposed between the two poles. This arrangement is achieved by redesigning the various components of the test mechanism 103. With this arrangement, the limited space between the two poles of the leakage circuit breaker 100 can be fully utilized, so that the width of the leakage circuit breaker 100 can be greatly reduced without changing the rated power of the leakage circuit breaker 100. In an embodiment, the leakage circuit breaker 100 with a certain power is made have a width of 36 mm, whereas in the prior art, the leakage circuit breaker 100 with the same power often has a width of 72 mm. Therefore, it can be seen that the space utilization inside the leakage circuit breaker 100 is effectively improved by disposing the test mechanism at least partially between the two poles, thereby reducing the size of the leakage circuit breaker 100.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 2, the first pole and the second pole of the leakage circuit breaker respectively have a first pole housing 101 and a second pole housing 102, wherein each pole housing has two parallel side walls, an inner space of the pole housing is formed between the two side walls to accommodate various components of the leakage circuit breaker 101. FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram wherein the first pole housing 101 and he second pole housing 102 are displayed separately. One (hereinafter referred to as a first wall 1011) of the side walls of the first pole housing 101 in the leakage circuit breaker 100 is adjacent to one (hereinafter referred to as a second wall 1021) of the side walls of the second pole housing 102.

[0067] FIG. 3 illustrates that the test circuit of the leakage circuit breaker 100 according to the present disclosure has two test breakpoints. It can be seen that the two test breakpoints are connected in series on the test circuit. With the two test breakpoints connected in series, the test circuit of the leakage circuit breaker 100 has double protection. This can further prevent potential safety hazards caused by reasons such as misoperation, and improve safety. Accordingly, each breakpoint has a corresponding breakpoint mechanism to enable the corresponding breakpoint to be switched on or off. For convenience of description, the two breakpoint mechanisms are hereinafter referred to as a first breakpoint mechanism 105 and a second breakpoint mechanism 106, respectively.

100681 In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the first breakpoint mechanism 105 includes an elastic member (hereinafter referred to as a first elastic member 1051 for convenience of description) and a rotating member 1052. A conductive pivot (hereinafter referred to as a first pivot 107; see FIG. 8, FIG. 14 and FIG. 15) for electrically communicating the first breakpoint with the second breakpoint is fixedly disposed on a side 1022 of the second wall 1021 of the second pole housing 102 facing towards the first pole housing 101. A pivot hole 1016 is provided at a corresponding position of the first wall 1011 of the first pole housing 101 (see FIG. 16). The first pivot shaft 107 enters the interior of the first pole housing 101 through the pivot hole 1016. The first elastic member 1051 is provided on the first pivot shaft 107 and adjacent to a side of the first wall 1011 of the first pole housing 101 facing towards the interior of the first pole housing 101, that is, the side away from the second pole (hereinafter referred to as a second side 1015). The first elastic member 1051 is an electrically conductive member, for example, made of metal, and can be electrically connected to the first pivot shaft 107.

[0069] The specific structure of the first elastic member 1051 is as shown in FIG. 5. The first elastic member 1051 includes a spiral portion 1501 and a first communication arm 1055. The first communication arm 1055 is an extensionof one end of the spiral portion 1501. The spiral portion 1501 is sleeved on the first pivot shaft 107. In some embodiments, the spiral portion 1501 can be tightly fitted with the first pivot shaft 107 to ensure the electrical connection with the first pivot shaft 107. In some embodiments, the spiral portion 1501 are electrically connected with the first pivot shaft 107by filling an electrically conductive substance between the spiral portion 1051 and the first pivot shaft 107. The first communication arm 1055 can contact with a conductive sheet 110 provided in the first pole housing 101, thereby switching on the first breakpoint of the test circuit.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 6, the rotating member 1052 has a substantially cylindrical structure. The rotating member 1052 is disposed on the second side 1015 of the first wall 1011 coaxially with the first elastic member 1051 and perpendicular to the first wall 1011, as shown in FIG. 7. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the spiral portion 1501 of the first elastic member 1051 is located inside the cylindrical rotating member 1052, and the first communication arm 1055 of the first elastic member 1051 is fixed on the side wall 1059 of the rotating member 1052. The rotating member 1052 can rotate around the first pivot 107, thereby causing the first communication arm 1055 to rotate or causing the first communication arm 1055 to drive the rotating member 1052 to rotate.

[0071] In some embodiments, the rotation of the rotating member 1052 is limited between two positions (hereinafter referred to as a first position and a second position for convenience of description), and the rotating member 1052 can be held at the first position or second position. In these embodiments, the first communication arm 1055 extends outward from the inside of the rotating member 1052 through the side wall 1059. As shown in FIG. 10, when the rotating member 1052 rotates to the first position and is held at the first position, an end 1056 of the first communication arm 1055 located outside the rotating member 1052 electrically contacts the conductive sheet 110 so that the first breakpoint of the test circuit can be switched on; and when the rotating member 1052 rotates to the second position and is held at that position, as shown in FIG. 9, an end 1056 of the first communication arm 1055 separates from the conductive sheet to switch off the first breakpoint.

[0072] Reference is made below to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 to illustrate how the rotating member 1052 rotates from the first position to the second position, and illustrate the acting manner of the first breakpoint mechanism 105 in detail. As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, in some embodiments, the leakage circuit breaker 100 further includes an operation mechanism having an operation handle 104 protruding from upper surfaces (hereinafter referred to as operation surfaces) of the first pole housing 101 and second pole housing 102. It can be seen from the Figures that the operation surfaces are perpendicular to the first wall 1011. The operation handle 104 can be switched between an ON position and an OFF position, and held at the ON position and the OFF position. At the ON position, namely, generally called a closed position, the leakage circuit breaker 100 switches on the circuit to which it is connected (as shown in FIG. 9). At the OFF position, namely, at an open position shown in FIG. 10, the leakage circuit breaker 100 switches off the circuit to which it is connected.

[0073] The leakage circuit breaker 100 further includes a driving member 109. The driving member 109 is pivotably disposed on the second side 1015 of the first wall 1011 of the first pole housing 101. The operation handle 104 is switched from the OFF position to the ON position, that is, from the position shown in FIG. 10 to the position shown in FIG. 9, and can drive the driving member 109 to switch from one position to the other position. Accordingly, the driving member 109 can mate with the rotating member 1052 so that the switching of the driving member 109 between the two positions causes the rotating member 1052 to rotate from the first position to the second position against a restoring force of the first communication arm 1055. In contrast to this process, the operation handle 104 is switched from the ON position to the OFF position, namely, from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 10, the driving member 109 separates from the rotating member 1052, so that the rotating member 1052 rotates from the second position to the first position due to the restoring force of the first communication arm 1055.

[0074] The mating and separation of the driving member 109 and the rotating member 1052 is achieved in the following manner. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a projection 1091 is provided on a side of the rotating member 109 adjacent to the rotating member 1052. A protrusion 1058 is provided on the rotating member 1052, and the protrusion 1058 is disposed on a surface 1057 (hereinafter referred to as an annular surface 1057) away from the first wall 1011. In the process of switching the operation handle 104 from the OFF position to the ON position, the operation handle 104 will drive the operation mechanism to move accordingly, and the corresponding movement of the operation mechanism drives the driving member 109 to rotate counterclockwise about its pivot. During the rotation, the projection 1091 of the driving member 109 contacts the protrusion 1058 of the rotating member 1052, and with further counterclockwise rotation, presses the protrusion 1058 to thereby drive the rotating member 1052 to rotate clockwise. Finally, by the pressure of the projection 1091, the protrusion 1058 of the rotating member 1052 is rotated from the first position to the second position and held at the second position. At this position, that is, when the operation handle 104 is in the OFF state, the first breakpoint remains in the ON state.

[0075] Contrary to the above process, when the operation handle 104 is switched from the ON position to the OFF position, the driving member 109 is rotated clockwise about its pivot by the operation mechanism, and the rotating member 1052 is rotated counterclockwise with the restoring force of a first limiting arm 1054. Finally, the projection 1091 of the driving member 109 separates from the protrusion 1058 of the rotating member 1052, and the rotating member 1052 is rotated from the second position to the first position and held at the first position. At this position, i.e., when the operation handle 104 is in the ON state, the first breakpoint remains in the OFF state. The above mechanisms can ensure that the first breakpoint remains OFF when the operation handle is in the ON state, which ensures the safety of the components of the circuit and operators.

[0076] In some embodiments, the first elastic member 1051 further includes the first limiting arm 1054 extending outward from the other end of the spiral portion 1501. The first limiting arm 1054 crosses over the annular surface 1057 and is fixed on the first wall 1011 with its end, that is, the first limiting arm 1054 remains stationary relative to the first wall 1011. Due to the spiral portion 1501, the smaller an angle between the first limiting arm 1054 and the first communication arm 1055, the larger the restoring force provided by the first communication arm 1055. For example, when the first communication arm 1055 switches from the first position to the second position, the angle between the first communication arm 1055 and the first limiting arm 1054 becomes smaller, so that the first communication arm 1055 can provide a relatively large restoring force.

[0077] The first communication arm 1055 can be fixed on the side wall of the rotating member 1052 in various forms. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, the rotating member 1052 includes a catching portion 1053 on a side wall 1059 thereof The catching portion 1053 presses and fixes a middle portion of the first communication arm 1055 on the side wall 1059 with the side wall 1059 being openable. This arrangement belongs to a detachable fixing manner. Of course, it is to be understood that the first communication arm 1055 may also be fixed on the side wall 1059 of the rotating member 1052 in other ways, for example, in a way that the first communication arm 1055 passes through a hole in the side wall 1059.

[0078] The example structure of the first breakpoint mechanism 105 is mainly illustrated above. It is to be understood that the above structure is only an optimal example structure for illustrating the first breakpoint mechanism 105, and those skilled in the art can also envisage using other structures as the first breakpoint mechanism 105, as long as the they can achieve the function of switching on oroff the first breakpoint of the test circuit. The second breakpoint mechanism 106 is described below by way of an example embodiment.

[0079] The second breakpoint mechanism 106 includes a second elastic member 1062 and a test button 1061. The second elastic member 1062 is disposed on a second pivot 108which is located on a side (hereinafter referred to as the first side 1022) of the second wall 1021 of the second pole housing 102 facing toward the first pole housing 101, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15. The second elastic member 1062 also includes a spiral portion (hereinafter referred to as a second spiral portion 1067), as shown in FIG. 11. Compared with the spiral portion 1501 of the first elastic member, the second spiral portion 1067 has fewer turns to enable the second elastic member 1067 to be disposed between the two poles. In some embodiments, the number of turns of the two spiral portions may also be the same. The second spiral portion 1067 is sleeved on the second pivot 108. A second communication arm 1063 extends outward from one end of the second spiral portion 1067. The second communication arm 1063 can electrically contact the first pivot 107 under the action of the test button 1061 so that the second elastic member 1062 switches on the second breakpoint of the test circuit.

100801 In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 12, the test button 1061 includes a pressing portion 1065 and a guide portion 1066. The pressing portion protrudes from the operation surfaces of the first pole housing 101 and second pole housing 102 when at an initial position, as shown in FIG. 14. The pressing portion 1065 can be pressed by the user to move towards the second communication arm 1063, and the second communication arm 1063 can move from one position (hereinafter referred to as a third position) to the other position (hereinafter referred to as a fourth position) in response to the movement of the pressing portion 1065. When the pressing portion 1065 is at the initial position as shown in FIG. 14, the second communication arm 1063 is at the third position, where the second communication arm 1063 remains disconnected from the first pivot 107. When the pressing portion 1065 is pressed, the test button 1061 moves from the initial position shown in FIG. 14 to the position shown in FIG. 15 so that the second communication arm 1063 moves to the fourth position. At this position, the second communication arm 1063 can electrically contact the first pivot 107 to thereby switch on the second breakpoint of the test circuit. In some embodiments, after the pressing of the pressing portion 1065 is stopped, the test button 1061 returns to the initial position due to the restoring force of the second communication arm 1063.

100811 In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 11, a second limiting arm 1064 extends outward at the other end of the second spiral portion 1067 of the second elastic member 1062. A limiting slot 1012 is provided on the first side 1022 of the second wall 1021 of the second pole housing 102. As shown in FIG. 14, the limiting arm 1064 is received in the limiting slot 1012. Limiting posts 1013 are provided at a plurality of positions of the first side 1022 of the second wall 1021 adjacent to the limiting slot 1012, and a portion of each of the limiting posts 1013 in a radial direction extends into the limiting slot 1012 to limit the second limiting arm 1064.

[0082] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, a movement groove 1014 is formed respectively on the first side 1022 of the second wall 1021 of the second pole housing 102 and on a side (hereinafter referred to as a third side 1017) of the first wall 1011 of the first pole housing 101facing towards the second pole housing 102. It can be seen that the movement groove 1014 and the limiting slot 1012 are both formed between the first pole housing 101 and the second pole housing 102. The movement grooves 1014 formed on the first side 1022 of the second wall 1021 and the third side 1017 of the first wall 1011 are substantially the same in shape as well as in depth. Hence, the second communication arm 1063 can be received in the movement groove 1014 and move between the third position and the fourth position in the movement groove 1014. At the third position, the second communication arm 1063 abuts against an edge, namely, an upper edge of the movement groove 1014 adjacent the operation surface.

[0083] As can be seen from FIG. 14, in some embodiments, the guide portion 1066 of the test button 1061 is also disposed between the first wall 1011 of the first pole housing 101 and the second wall 1021 of the second pole housing 102. In addition, the guide portion 1066 is offset towards the operation handle 104 as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 12. The offset structure enables the pressing portion 1065 to be located at a more rearward position relative to the operation handle 104, that is, further away from the operation handle, thereby preventing the hand from being struck while the pressing portion 1065 is pressed. Furthermore, the guide portion 1066 extends towards the second communication arm 1063, namely, extends downwardly, while being offset to the operation handle 104, and the end portion of the guide portion 1066 away from the pressing portion 1065 abuts against the second communication arm 1063.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 17, in some embodiments, one end (hereinafter referred to as a first end 1033) of a test resistor R of the test mechanism 103 extends from the limiting slot 1012 of the first side 1022 of the second wall 1021 towards the first pole housing 101. Furthermore, the second limiting arm 1064 of the second elastic member 1062 keep in electrical contact with the test resistor R. With the test button 1061 being pressed toward the second limiting arm 1064, the second limiting arm 1064 will electrically contact the first pivot 107, thereby conducting the circuit from the first pivot 107 to the test resistor R, thereby switching on the second breakpoint. The other end (hereinafter referred to as a second end 1034) of the test resistor R passes through the second wall 1021 and extends out from a side (hereinafter referred to as a fourth side 1023) of the second wall 1021 away from the first wall 1011, as shown in FIG. 17. The second end 1034 of the test resistor R is connected to a second conductive sheet 1025 of the second pole housing 102 through the electrically conductive member 1024. Therefore, it can be seen from the above description that one end of the test circuit of the test mechanism starts from the conductive sheet 110 and is finally connected to the second conductive sheet 1025 via the first elastic member 1051, the first pivot 107, the second elastic member 1062 and the test resistor R. [0085] As the elastic members, the first elastic member 1051 and the second elastic member 1062 can provide a conductive function while providing a restoring force, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of each member. Furthermore, by disposing the second elastic member 1062 and the guide portion 1066 of the test button 1061 between the first wall 1011 of the first pole housing 101 and the second wall 1021 of the second pole housing 102, it is possible to sufficiently use limited space, improve the space utilization efficiency and thereby reduce the size of the leakage circuit breaker 100.

[0086] In order to further protect the internal components of the leakage circuit breaker 100 and improve its aesthetics, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 13, a protective cover 1031 is provided areas of the operation surfaces of the first pole housing 101 and second pole housing 102 adjacent to the pressing portion1065, and the protective cover 1031 is provided with a through hole 1032 for the pressing portion 1065 to pass through, so that the pressing portion 1065 can extend out of the surface of the protective cover 1031 for being pressed.

[0087] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are intended to be illustrative only, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciated that the above embodiments may be modified without departing from the scope and essence of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0088] In the description and the following claims, unless otherwise needed by the context, the terms "comprising" and "including" are understood to include the stated components or component groups, but do not exclude any other components or component groups.

100891 References to any prior art in this specification are not, and should not be taken as an admission or a suggestion that these prior art constitute common general knowledge.

100901 It should be appreciated that the following claims are only temporary claims and are examples of possible claims, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims to any future patent applications based on the present application. Components may be added to or deleted from the exemplified claims in the future to further define or redefine the present disclosure.

Claims

I/We Claim: I. A leakage circuit breaker (100), comprising: at least two poles comprising a first pole and a second pole arranged adjacent to each other; and a test mechanism (103) provided at least partially between the first pole and the second pole and configured to switch on or off a test circuit for testing validity of the leakage circuit breaker (100).
2. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 1, wherein the test mechanism (103) 10 comprises: a first breakpoint mechanism (105) for switching on or off a first breakpoint of the test circuit; and a second breakpoint mechanism (106) for switching on or off a second breakpoint of the test circuit; wherein the first breakpoint and the second breakpoint are connected in series in the test circuit.
3. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 2, wherein the first pole comprises a first pole housing (101) which comprises a first wall (1011) adjacent to the second pole; the second pole comprises a second pole housing (102) which has a second wall (1021) adjacent to the first pole housing (101); the test mechanism (103) further comprises: a first pivot (107) vertically disposed on a first side (1022) of the second wall (1021) facing towards the first pole housing (101), and configured to electrically connect the first breakpoint mechanism (105) with the second breakpoint mechanism (106).
4. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 3, wherein a pivot hole (1016) is provided on the first wall (1011) of the first pole housing (101), and the first pivot (107) can extend through the pivot hole (1016) to a second side (1015) of the first wall (1011) away from the second pole housing (102).
5. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 4, wherein the first breakpoint mechanism (105) comprises: a first elastic member (1051) disposed on the second side (1015) around the first pivot (107) and configured to electrically connect with the first pivot (107), the first elastic member (1051) comprising a first communication arm (1055) capable of contacting a conductive sheet (110) to switch on the first breakpoint of the test circuit; and a cylindrical rotating member (1052), a side wall (1059) of the rotating member (1052) vertically disposed on the second side (1015) and around the first pivot (107), the rotating member (1052) being rotatable about the first pivot (107), and the first communication arm (1055) being fixed on the side wall (1059).
6. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 5, wherein the rotating member (1052) is rotatable between a first position and a second position about the first pivot (107) and can be remained at the first position and the second position; the first communication arm (1055) protrudes from the side wall (1059) of the rotating member (1052) and configured to be rotatable together with the rotating member (1052); at the first position, an end (1056) of the first communication arm (1055) contacts the conductive sheet (110) to thereby switch on the first breakpoint of the test circuit; at the second position, the end (1056) of the first communication arm (1055) gets away from the conductive sheet (110) to thereby switch off the first breakpoint of the test circuit;
7. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 6, wherein a restoring force of the first communication arm (1055) can drive the rotating member (1052) to rotate from the second position to the first position.
8. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 7, wherein the leakage circuit breaker (100) further comprises: an operation mechanism comprising an operation handle (104) which partially protrudes out of operations surfaces of the first pole housing (101) and the second pole housing (102) perpendicular to the first wall (1011), the operation handle being switchable between an ON position and an OFF position to thereby switch on or off the circuit to which the leakage circuit breaker (100) is connected; and a driving member (109) pivotably provided on the second side (1015) of the first wall (1011) and configured to drive the rotating member (1052) to rotate from the first position to the second position in response to the operation handle switching from the OFF position to the ON position.
9. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 8, wherein the driving member (109) comprises a projection (1091); the rotating member (1052) comprises an annular surface (1057) away from the first wall (1011), and the annular surface (1057) comprises a protrusion (1058); wherein in response to the operation handle (104) switching from the OFF position to the ON position, the projection (1091) presses the protrusion (1058) of the rotating member (1052) to thereby enable the rotating member (1052) to rotate from the first position to the second position.
10. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 9, wherein the first elastic member (1051) further comprises a first limiting arm (1054), the first limiting arm (1054) crosses over the annular surface (1057) of the rotating member (1052), and an end of the first limiting arm (1054) is fixed on the first wall (1011).
11. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 10, wherein the rotating member (1052) further comprises a catching portion (1053) located on the side wall (1059) of the rotating member (1052), and the first communication arm (1055) of the first elastic member (1051) is detachably fixed on the side wall (1059) via the catching portion (1053).
12. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 5 or 6, wherein the second breakpoint mechanism (106) comprises: a second elastic member (1062) provided on a second pivot (108), the second pivot (108) being located on the first side (1022) of the second wall (1021) facing towards the first pole housing (101), the second elastic member (1062) comprising a second communication arm (1063); and a test button (1061) partially protruding out of operation surfaces of the first pole housing (101) and the second pole housing (102) perpendicular to the first wall (1011) at an initial position, and configured to drive the second communication arm (1063) to contact the first pivot (107), so that the second elastic member (1062) switches on the second breakpoint of the test circuit.
13. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 12, wherein the second communication arm (1063) is moveable from a third position to a fourth position in response to the test button (1061) moving towards the second communication arm (1063); at the third position, the second communication arm (1063) keeps disconnected from the first pivot (107), thereby switching off the second breakpoint of the test circuit; at the fourth position, the second communication arm (1063) contacts the first pivot (107), thereby switching on the second breakpoint of the test circuit.
14. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 13, wherein the test button (1061) is capable of returning to the initial position in response to a restoring force of the second communication arm (1063).
15. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 14, wherein the second elastic member (1062) further comprises a second limiting arm (1064); and a limiting slot (1012) is formed on the first side (1022) of the second wall (1021), and the second limiting arm (1064) is received in the limiting slot (1012).
16. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 15, wherein limiting posts (1013) are vertically arranged in an area of the first side (1022) of the second wall (1021) adjacent to the limiting slot (1012), and a radial portion of each of the limiting posts (1013) extends into the limiting slot (1012) to limit the second limiting arm (1064).
17. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 14, 15 or 16, wherein a movement groove (1014) is further provided on the first side (1022) of the second wall (1021) and a third wall (1017) of the first wall (1011) facing towards the second pole housing (102), the second communication arm (1063) is moveable in the movement groove (1014), and at the third position, the second communication arm (1063) abuts against an edge of the movement groove (1014) adjacent to the operation surface.
18. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 12, wherein the test button (1061) comprises: a pressing portion (1065) protruding out of the operation surfaces of the first pole housing (101) and second pole housing (102) and configured to be pressed to move toward the second communication arm (1063); and a guide portion (1066) provided between the first wall (1011) and the second wall (1021) and configured to provide guidance for a movement of the test button (1061).
19. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 18, wherein the guide portion (1066) is disposed between the first wall (1011) and the second wall (1021), the guide portion (1066) is offset toward a side of the operation handle (104) and extends obliquely toward the second communication arm (1063), and an end of the guide portion (1066) away from the pressing portion (1065) abuts against the second communication arm (1063).
20. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 19, wherein the test mechanism (103) further comprises a protective cover (1031) provided on the operation surface, and the protective cover (1031) is provided with a through hole (1032) for the pressing portion (1065) of the test button (1061) to pass through.
21. The leakage circuit breaker (100) of claim 15, wherein the test mechanism (103) further comprises a test resistor (R), a first end (1033) of the test resistor (R) protrudes out of the limiting slot (1012) and keeps electrical contact with the second limiting arm (1064), and a second end (1034) of the test resistor (R) opposite to the first end (1033) passes through the second wall (1021) and protrudes out of a fourth side (1023) of the second wall (1021) away from the first wall (1 011)