Control device for vacuum bottle contacts of an electrical switching device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11101087-B2
Application number	US-202016782303-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2020
Priority date	Feb 21, 2019
Publication date	Aug 24, 2021
Grant date	Aug 24, 2021

Abstract

A control device for a movable contact relative to a fixed contact of a vacuum bottle of an electrical switching device. The control device includes a principal mechanism for disconnection and connection of the contacts, of the mechanical energy accumulation type. The control device further includes an auxiliary disconnection-assistance mechanism arranged such as to accumulate mechanical energy when the movable contact is moved towards the connection position and such as to restore the mechanical energy thus accumulated in such a manner as to exert an additional disconnection force in the form of an impact tending to move the movable contact from the connection position towards the disconnection position when the movable contact is immobilized in the connection position despite the action of the principal disconnection force.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device for a movable contact relative to a fixed contact of at least one vacuum bottle for an electrical switching device, between a connection position in which the movable contact bears against the fixed contact and a disconnection position in which the movable contact is at a distance from the fixed contact, the control device comprising a principal disconnection and connection mechanism arranged such as:
to move the movable contact towards the connection position when the control device receives a connection command and to accumulate mechanical energy when the movable contact is moved towards the connection position,
to restore the mechanical energy thus accumulated in such a manner as to exert a principal disconnection force tending to move the movable contact from the connection position towards the disconnection position when the device receives a disconnection command,
wherein the control device comprises an auxiliary disconnection-assistance mechanism arranged such as:
to accumulate mechanical energy when the movable contact is moved towards the connection position,
to restore the mechanical energy thus accumulated in such a manner as to exert an additional disconnection force tending to move the movable contact from the connection position towards the disconnection position when the movable contact is immobilized in the connection position despite an action of the principal disconnection force.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein said principal mechanism comprises an entrainment member to which the movable contact is connected, a disconnection spring capable of accumulating and restoring intrinsic mechanical energy to the principal mechanism, the disconnection spring being arranged to exert said principal disconnection force on the entrainment member in such a manner as to move the movable contact towards the disconnection position when the control device receives said disconnection command, the principal mechanism further comprising a control shaft and a principal transmission system connecting the control shaft to the entrainment member, the control device being configured such as:
to liberate rotation of the control shaft when the control device receives said disconnection command,
to entrain the control shaft in rotation in a connection direction when the control device receives said connection command, the rotation of the control shaft moving the movable contact towards the connection position by means of the entrainment member such that the disconnection spring accumulates said mechanical energy,
to immobilize the rotation of the control shaft when the movable contact is in the connection position.

3. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the entrainment member comprises a pole shaft, the entrainment member forming a first lever integral in rotation with the pole shaft, and wherein the control shaft is provided with a second lever integral in rotation with the control shaft, said principal transmission system comprising a connection connecting rod connected to the first and to the second lever.

4. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein the auxiliary disconnection-assistance mechanism comprises an auxiliary disconnection spring, the auxiliary disconnection spring being capable of accumulating and restoring said intrinsic mechanical energy to the auxiliary mechanism, the auxiliary mechanism further comprising a strike arm that can move in rotation about a fixed shaft, the auxiliary disconnection spring being arranged such as to exert said additional disconnection force on the strike arm in such a manner as to entrain it in rotation about said fixed shaft when the control device receives said disconnection command, the strike arm being arranged such as to transmit the additional disconnection force to said entrainment member in a form of an impact when the movable contact is immobilized in the connection position despite the action of the principal disconnection force, and wherein the auxiliary mechanism further comprises an auxiliary transmission system, the auxiliary transmission system comprising a release connecting rod connecting the connection connecting rod to the second lever and also a disconnection connecting rod connecting the strike arm to the second lever in such a manner as to link the control shaft and the strike arm in rotation, said auxiliary mechanism being arranged such that, when the control device receives the disconnection command and the movable contact is immobilized in the connection position despite the action of the principal disconnection force:
the connection and release connecting rods are moved in rotation relative to one another through an action of the auxiliary disconnection spring, reducing a distance between an end of the connection connecting rod connected to the first lever and an end of the release connecting rod connected to the second lever,
the strike arm is entrained in rotation about said fixed shaft through the action of the auxiliary disconnection spring until one of the ends thereof strikes the first lever or a component connected thereto, the strike transmitting said additional disconnection force to the entrainment member.

5. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein the auxiliary mechanism comprises a torsion spring arranged such as to orient a rotation direction of the release connecting rod relative to the connection connecting rod.

6. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein the auxiliary disconnection spring is a tension spring.

7. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the auxiliary disconnection-assistance mechanism comprises an auxiliary disconnection spring, the auxiliary disconnection spring being capable of accumulating and restoring intrinsic mechanical energy to the auxiliary mechanism, the auxiliary mechanism further comprising a strike arm that can move in rotation about a fixed shaft, the auxiliary disconnection spring being arranged such as to exert said additional disconnection force on the strike arm in such a manner as to entrain it in rotation about said fixed shaft when the control device receives said disconnection command, the strike arm being arranged such as to transmit the additional disconnection force to said entrainment member in a form of an impact when the movable contact is immobilized in the connection position despite the action of the principal disconnection force.

8. The control device according to claim 7 , wherein the fixed shaft of the strike arm is parallel to axes of rotation of the pole shaft and of the control shaft.

9. The control device according to claim 7 , wherein the auxiliary disconnection spring is a tension spring.

10. The control device according to claim 2 , wherein the disconnection spring is a compression spring.

11. An electrical switching device comprising one or more vacuum bottles, each comprising a movable contact and a fixed contact, the electrical switching device further comprising the control device according to claim 1 .

12. The electrical switching device according to claim 11 , further comprising a high-voltage circuit breaker.

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Ind Sas

Inventors

• Terpend Serge

Classifications

• H01H3/001 Primary

  Means for preventing or breaking contact-welding · CPC title

• H01H33/662

  Housings or protective screens · CPC title

• H01H2235/01

  Spiral spring · CPC title

• H01H33/42

  Driving mechanisms · CPC title

• H01H71/501

  Means for breaking welded contacts; Indicating contact welding or other malfunction of the circuit breaker · CPC title