Monitoring system for a low voltage, medium voltage, or high voltage circuit breaker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12025664-B2
Application number	US-202217871026-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2022
Priority date	Jul 27, 2021
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

A monitoring system includes a frame, a fixed contact, a moveable contact, a drive mechanism, and a linkage mechanism, wherein the fixed contact is fixed in position with respect to the frame, and wherein the linkage mechanism is coupled to the drive and the moveable contact, and wherein activation of the drive is configured to move the linkage mechanism such that the moveable contact is moved towards or away from the fixed contact, and wherein the monitoring system comprises a sensor system having a position sensor and a processor, the position sensor configured to be positioned with respect to the frame and the linkage mechanism such that lateral movement of a part of the linkage mechanism generates at least one displacement signal; and the processor configured to convert the at least one displacement signal to a displacement movement of the moveable contact toward or away from the fixed contact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A monitoring system for a low voltage, medium voltage or high voltage circuit breaker, the circuit breaker comprising:
a frame;
a fixed contact;
a moveable contact;
a drive mechanism; and
a linkage mechanism;
wherein the fixed contact is fixed in position, and wherein the linkage mechanism is coupled to the drive mechanism and the moveable contact, and wherein activation of the drive mechanism is configured to move the linkage mechanism such that the moveable contact is moved towards or away from the fixed contact;
wherein the monitoring system comprises a sensor system, the sensor system including a position sensor and a processor, and wherein the position sensor comprises an inductive transducer;
wherein the position sensor is configured to be positioned with respect to the frame and the linkage mechanism such that lateral movement of a part of the linkage mechanism generates at least one displacement signal, wherein the position sensor is configured to be mounted to a part of the frame spaced from the part of the linkage mechanism, and wherein the lateral movement of the part of the linkage mechanism with respect to the position sensor is configured to generate the at least one displacement signal, and wherein the inductive transducer comprises at least one transmitter and a first receiver and a second receiver, wherein the first receiver is configured to generate a first displacement signal of the at least one displacement signal and the second receiver is configured to generate a second displacement signal of the at least one displacement signal;
wherein the processor is configured to convert the at least one displacement signal to a displacement movement of the moveable contact toward or away from the fixed contact; and
wherein the sensor system comprises a target or detector part configured to be mounted to the part of the linkage mechanism such that it is spaced from the position sensor, wherein lateral movement of the part of the linkage mechanism is configured to lead to a corresponding lateral movement of the target or detector part, and wherein lateral movement of the target or detector part with respect to the position sensor is configured to generate the at least one displacement signal.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the first receiver and second receiver are configured and/or located such that the first displacement signal is different to the second displacement signal.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 2 , wherein the first displacement signal varies in an opposite manner to the second displacement signal.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the first receiver has a sinusoidal coil shape along a length of the transducer and the second receiver has a cosine coil shape along the length of the transducer.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one transmitter is one transmitter associated with both the first receiver and the second receiver.

6. The monitoring system according to claim 4 , wherein the first receiver is located at substantially the same position as the second receiver.

7. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein a first part of the target or detector part has a first shape and a second part of the target or detector part has a second shape different to the first shape, wherein the first receiver is offset spatially from the second receiver, and wherein the lateral movement of the target or detector part is configured to move the first part of the target or detector part over the first receiver and at the same time move the second part of the target or detector part over the second receiver.

8. The monitoring system according to claim 7 , wherein the first part of the target or detector part has a sinusoidal shape and the second part of the target or detector part has a cosine shape.

9. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one transmitter comprises a first transmitter associated with the first receiver and a second transmitter associated with the second receiver.

10. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the position sensor is configured to be mounted to a part of the linkage mechanism spaced from the frame, and wherein the lateral movement of the part of the linkage mechanism is configured to result in a corresponding lateral movement of the position sensor, and wherein the lateral movement of the position sensor with respect to the frame is configured to generate the at least one displacement signal.

11. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the position sensor is further configured to be positioned orthogonally with respect to the lateral movement of the part of the linkage mechanism.

12. The monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to convert the at least one displacement signal to the displacement movement based on a predetermined frequency of the at least one displacement signal.

Assignees

• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Migunov Vadim
• Boyaci Aydin
• Hozoi Adrian
• Cortinovis Gianluca

Classifications

• H01H3/32

  Driving mechanisms, i.e. for transmitting driving force to the contacts (snap-action arrangements H01H5/00; introducing a predetermined time delay H01H7/00) · CPC title

• H01H1/14

  by abutting · CPC title

• G01D5/20

  by varying inductance, e.g. by a movable armature · CPC title

• H01H33/593

  for ensuring operation of the switch at a predetermined point of the AC cycle (for multipolar switches H01H9/563) · CPC title

• H01H2003/266

  having control circuits for motor operating switches, e.g. controlling the opening or closing speed of the contacts · CPC title