Substation containing switch-gear or control-gear with unmanned operation and maintenance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11626713-B2
Application number	US-201916724499-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2019
Priority date	Jun 28, 2017
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

A substation containing a switch-gear or control-gear system, in particular a switch-gear or control-gear system includes at least one low voltage switch-gear or control-gear, with unmanned operation and maintenance. The inner room, where the switch-gear or control-gear are located in, is hermetically enclosed by an outer housing, the switch-gear or control-gear system is provided for unmanned operation and maintenance with a robotic system or manipulator, and/or the robotic system or manipulator is provided with a camera system, and/or an image recognition system and/or the inner room is locked against the outer housing by an inner, automatically operated door, and/or the robot system is implemented in such, that the robot systems acting area is extended from the inner room, partly in the area outside the inner room, but inside the outer housing, where spare parts are stored in a spare parts hand over area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A substation, comprising:
an outer housing including an internal space; and
a switch-gear or control-gear system comprising at least one low voltage switch-gear or control-gear with unmanned operation and maintenance,
wherein an inner room, where the switch-gear or control-gear are located, is hermetically enclosed by an arc proof enclosure,
wherein the switch-gear or control-gear system is provided for unmanned operation and maintenance with a robotic system or manipulator,
wherein the robotic system or manipulator is provided with a camera system and/or an image recognition system,
wherein the inner room is configured to lock the internal space using an inner, automatically operated door,
wherein an acting area of the robot system extends from the inner room, and partly in an area outside the inner room, but inside the outer housing, where spare parts are stored in a spare parts hand over area, and
wherein human operator presence sensors are disposed inside the internal space of the outer housing such that if current carrying parts inside the inner room, where the switch-gear or control-gear are located, are energized, a lock at an inner, automatically operated door automatically locks so that inside the inner room only the robotic system is allowed to operate.

2. The substation according to claim 1 , wherein spare parts are stored in a spare parts hand over area, for maintenance.

3. The substation according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a tool storage for storing and providing various tools for a tool changing system of the robotic system or manipulator.

4. The substation according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one low voltage switch-gear or control-gear comprises one or more withdrawable modules.

5. A method for operating a substation containing switch-gear or control-gear, in particular at least one low voltage switch-gear or control-gear, with unmanned operation, comprising:
logically controlling a locking and/or a de-locking of a door by evaluation of an automatic sensing of a presence of a human operator and an energizing status of current carrying parts of the switch-gear.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein for maintenance or repair of the robot, an area is predefined as a repair and maintenance area, which is located outside an inner room and inside an outer housing and where the human operator is not allowed to enter, if the inner room, where the switch-gear or control-gear of the inner room are energized, is locked by the door.

7. A switch-gear or control-gear system, in particular a low voltage switch-gear or control-gear system, with unmanned operation and maintenance, comprising:
a robotic system or manipulator comprising a camera system and an image recognition system;
switch-gear or control-gear for unmanned operation and maintenance with the robotic system or manipulator; and
human operator presence sensors,
wherein, upon energization of current carrying parts of the switch-gear or control-gear, the system is configured to automatically lock a door so as to allow operation of the robotic system or manipulator.

8. The switch-gear or control-gear system according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one low voltage switch-gear or control-gear comprises one or more withdrawable modules.

9. A method for operating a switch-gear or control-gear system, in particular a low voltage switch-gear or control-gear system with unmanned operation and maintenance, comprising:
providing a robotic system or manipulator comprising a camera system and an image recognition system for technical diagnosis;
providing switch-gear or control-gear for unmanned operation and maintenance with the robotic system or manipulator;
steering the robotic system or manipulator at least partly by a software system;
providing human operator presence sensors; and
upon energization of current carrying parts of the switch-gear or control gear, automatically locking a door so as to allow operation of the robotic system or manipulator.

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Kozel Tomas
• Schmidtchen Thomas
• Stefanka Martin

Classifications

• H02B3/00 Primary

  Apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture, assembly, or maintenance of boards or switchgear · CPC title

• B25J11/005

  Manipulators for mechanical processing tasks · CPC title

• H02B7/00

  Enclosed substations, e.g. compact substations · CPC title

• H02B11/12

  with isolation by horizontal withdrawal · CPC title

• G05B2219/39

  Robotics, robotics to robotics hand · CPC title