Electromechanical switching device comprising switching contacts

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11201018-B2
Application number	US-201816496629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2018
Priority date	Mar 23, 2017
Publication date	Dec 14, 2021
Grant date	Dec 14, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electromechanical switching device comprising switching contacts configured to close an electrical circuit, wherein the switching contacts have a first switching contact and a second switching contact, wherein the first switching contact and the second switching contact can be brought into contact in order to close the electrical circuit, wherein at least one of the switching contacts s formed from a plurality of closed bodies which are arranged against one another, and wherein hollow spaces for receiving liquid are arranged between the closed bodies.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electromechanical switching device, comprising:
a plurality of switching contacts configured to close an electrical circuit, wherein the switching contacts comprise a first switching contact and a second switching contact, wherein the first switching contact and the second switching contact are configured to contact each other to close the electrical circuit,
wherein at least one of the switching contacts is formed from a plurality of closed bodies arranged against one another, and wherein hollow spaces configured to receive liquid are arranged between the closed bodies,
wherein the at least one switching contact is configured as a cone comprising a cone to surface configured to close the electrical circuit, wherein the cone is formed by a plurality of layers of the closed bodies arranged against one another, and
wherein the first switching contact is formed from a first plurality of closed bodies arranged against one another and the second switching contact is formed from a second plurality of closed bodies arranged against one another, and wherein the first plurality of closed bodies comprises a first plurality of hollow spaces arranged between the first plurality of closed bodies and configured to receive the liquid, and wherein the second plurality of closed bodies comprises a second plurality of hollow spaces arranged between the second plurality of closed bodies and configured to receive the liquid.

2. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the first switching contact comprises at least a first switching contact surface, wherein the second switching contact comprises a second switching contact surface, wherein the first switching contact surface and the second switching contact surface are configured to contact each other to close the electrical circuit, and wherein one or more of the first switching contact surface or the second switching contact surface comprises one or more of: a rounded surface, an edge, a tip, or an edge comprising a tip.

3. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the closed bodies are configured as one or more of: pyramids, tetrahedrons, drop-shaped bodies, spheroids, macaroon-shaped bodies, or spherical bodies.

4. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the closed bodies have body contact surfaces, wherein the body contact surfaces of the closed bodies are arranged against one another and in contact inside the at least one of the switching contacts to delimit the hollow spaces arranged between the closed bodies.

5. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow spaces between the closed bodies are configured as capillary columns, and wherein the capillary columns are configured to retain liquid in the capillary columns through a capillary action.

6. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one switching contact is configured as a pyramid, which comprises a pyramid tip for closing the electrical circuit, wherein the pyramid is formed from several layers of closed bodies arranged against one another, wherein the pyramid is configured as a tetrahedron, a square pyramid, a five-sided pyramid or a six-sided pyramid.

7. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the cone top surface comprises a cone tip configured to close the electrical circuit.

8. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 7 , wherein at least one switching contact is configured as a double cone comprising a first cone comprising a first cone tip configured to close the electrical circuit and a second cone comprising a second cone tip configured to close the electrical circuit.

9. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the closed bodies are configured as metallic closed bodies comprising a metal selected from the group comprising copper, silver, gold or a mixture thereof.

10. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the electromechanical switching device comprises a housing enclosing the first switching contact and the second switching contact and configured to hermetically seal the first switching contact and the second switching contact with respect to an outer region of the housing, wherein the housing comprises a housing interior filled with a protective gas.

11. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 10 , wherein the protective gas is selected from the group comprising nitrogen, sulphur hexafluoride, inert gas, or a mixture thereof.

12. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one switching contact respectively comprises a carrier plate on which the plurality of closed bodies arranged against one another is formed.

13. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 12 , wherein the carrier plate is configured to deform to bring the first switching contact and the second switching contact into contact.

14. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 1 , wherein the closed bodies comprise a metallic coating comprising a metal selected from the group comprising copper, silver, gold, or a mixture thereof.

15. An electromechanical switching device, comprising:
a plurality of switching contacts configured to close an electrical circuit, wherein the switching contacts comprise a first switching contact and a second switching contact, wherein the first switching contact and the second switching contact are configured to contact each other to close the electrical circuit,
wherein at least one of the switching contacts is formed from a plurality of closed bodies arranged against one another, and wherein hollow spaces configured to receive liquid are arranged between the closed bodies,
wherein only one of the switching contacts is formed from the plurality of closed bodies, wherein the other switching contact is configured as a solid switching contact without any hollow spaces for receiving the liquid, wherein the solid switching contact is configured as a switching contact plate or as a switching contact bar, and
wherein the solid switching contact comprises a first contact thickness, and wherein the switching contact formed from the plurality of closed bodies comprises a second contact thickness, wherein the second contact thickness is greater than the first contact thickness.

16. The electromechanical switching device according to claim 15 , wherein the second contact thickness is more than twice as large as the first contact thickness.

Assignees

• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co

Inventors

• Hoffmann Ralf
• Gundlach Thomas

Classifications

• H01H1/66

  Contacts sealed in an evacuated or gas-filled envelope, e.g. magnetic dry-reed contacts · CPC title

• H01H1/02

  characterised by the material thereof {(containing gas-evolving material H01H33/765)} · CPC title

• H01H1/06 Primary

  characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved · CPC title

• H01H2201/024

  precious · CPC title

• H01H2201/026

  non precious · CPC title