Protection unit for control/command units of an electrical enclosure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12191104-B2
Application number	US-202218081730-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2022
Priority date	Dec 17, 2021
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

A protection unit, including a power switching device, with a mechanical switch. To improve the multipurpose nature of the power switching while making lockout easier and more reliable, provision is made for the power switching device to include an electrical actuator actuating the mechanical switch and being controlled by an electronic control unit, which is itself powered via an auxiliary switching device. A lockout system with a lock is provided, which, in a lockout configuration, mechanically keeps the mechanical switch and the auxiliary switching device in an isolation configuration, and, in operating configuration, allows the mechanical switch and the auxiliary switching device to move between the conduction configuration and the isolation configuration.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A protection unit, for electrically connecting an electrical power supply to control/command units of an electrical enclosure, the protection unit comprising a housing and at least one power switching device, which is disposed in the housing and which comprises:
a power input, configured to be electrically connected to the electrical power supply;
a power output, intended to be electrically connected to the control/command units; and
a mechanical switch, which moves between a conduction configuration, in which the mechanical switch electrically links the power output to the power input, and an isolation configuration, in which the mechanical switch electrically isolates the power output from the power input;
wherein said at least one power switching device comprises an electrical actuator, which is configured to actuate the mechanical switch between the conduction configuration and the isolation configuration and wherein the protection unit further comprises:
an electronic control unit, which is disposed in the housing and which is configured to control said at least one power switching device, by electrically controlling the electrical actuator;
an auxiliary switching device, which is disposed in the housing and which comprises an auxiliary input, to be electrically connected to the electrical power supply, an auxiliary output, to be electrically connected to the electronic control unit, and a mechanical control, to switch the auxiliary switching device over between a conduction configuration, in which the auxiliary output is electrically linked to the auxiliary input, and an isolation configuration, in which the auxiliary output is electrically isolated from the auxiliary input; and
a lockout system, which comprises a lock, which is movable with respect to the housing, the lockout system being configured to move between:
a lockout configuration, in which the lock is positioned in a lockout position and mechanically keeps the mechanical switch of said at least one power switching device in the isolation configuration and mechanically keeps the auxiliary switching device in the isolation configuration; and
an operating configuration, in which the lock is positioned so as to allow the mechanical switch of said at least one power switching device to move between the isolation configuration and the conduction configuration and allows the auxiliary switching device to move between the conduction configuration and the isolation configuration.

2. The protection unit according to claim 1 , wherein, in operating configuration, said at least one power switching device mechanically prevents the lock from being set to lockout position, when the mechanical switch is in conduction configuration, and mechanically allows the lock to be set to lockout position, when the mechanical switch is in isolation configuration.

3. The protection unit according to claim 1 , wherein:
the lockout system comprises a slide, which is disposed in the housing and which slides with respect to the housing along a main axis that is fixed with respect to the housing;
in lockout configuration, to mechanically keep the mechanical switch of said at least one power switching device in isolation configuration, the lock keeps the slide in a retaining position with respect to the housing, in which the slide mechanically keeps the mechanical switch in isolation configuration; and
in operating configuration, the slide is driven by the mechanical switch ( 23 ) of said at least one power switching device, between:
a prevention position, when the mechanical switch is in conduction configuration, in which the lock is prevented from being set to lockout position, and
an authorization position, when the mechanical switch is in isolation configuration, in which the lock is allowed to be set to lockout position.

4. The protection unit according to claim 3 , wherein:
the lock pivots with respect to the slide about the main axis, between a lockout orientation, when the lock is in lockout position, and a lockout release orientation, adopted in operating configuration;
the slide and the lock comprise axial stops, which are disposed so as to:
be opposite one another parallel to the main axis when the lock is in the lockout position, so that, in lockout configuration, the lock retains the slide in retaining position by an abutting of the axial stops thus opposite one another; and
be offset with respect to one another about the main axis when the lock is in the lockout release orientation, so that, in operating configuration, the lock allows the slide to be displaced between the prevention position and the authorization position.

5. The protection unit according to claim 4 , wherein the lock and the slide comprise rotation stops, which are disposed so as to:
be at a same height along the main axis, when the lockout system is in operating configuration with the slide in prevention position, for the slide to keep the lock in the lockout release orientation by abutment of the rotation stops; and
be at different heights along the main axis, when the lockout system is in lockout configuration, for the slide to allow the lock to be pivoted between the lockout orientation and the lockout release orientation.

6. The protection unit according to claim 4 , wherein the lock is fixed in translation along the main axis, with respect to the housing.

7. The protection unit according to claim 3 , wherein the lockout system comprises a slide spring, which exerts an elastic force on the slide, by bearing on the housing, tending to displace the slide towards the prevention position, when the slide is in retaining position.

8. The protection unit according to claim 1 , the lock comprises a ramp, which is configured to actuate the mechanical control of the auxiliary switching device, to set the auxiliary switching device to isolation configuration, when the lock is in lockout position and which is configured to not actuate the mechanical control when the lockout system is in operating configuration.

9. The protection unit according to claim 1 , wherein the lock comprises a lockout orifice and the lockout system comprises a masking system, which is configured to:
allow the lockout orifice to receive a padlock, when the lockout system is in lockout configuration; and
mask the lockout orifice when the lockout system is in operating configuration, to prevent the lockout orifice from receiving the padlock.

10. An electrical enclosure, comprising:
the protection unit according to claim 1 ; and
the control/command units, electrically connected to the power output of said at least one power switching device.

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Ind Sas

Inventors

• Orban Rémy
• Bouchard Jean-Luc
• Heraud Sébastien
• Nguyen Eric

Classifications

• H02B1/36

  with withdrawable units · CPC title

• H01H9/02

  Bases, casings, or covers (accommodating more than one switch or a switch and another electrical component H02B1/26) · CPC title

• H01H50/002

  particular to three-phase electromagnetic relays (synchronous switching H01H9/563) · CPC title

• H01H9/0072

  particular to three-phase switches (synchronous switching H01H9/563) · CPC title

• H01H71/46

  having means for operating auxiliary contacts additional to the main contacts · CPC title