Switch assembly with drive system and method for driving a switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12412707-B2
Application number	US-202017608998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2020
Priority date	May 15, 2019
Publication date	Sep 9, 2025
Grant date	Sep 9, 2025

Abstract

A switch assembly includes a switch; and a drive system for the switch. The drive system includes: a drive shaft connecting the drive system to the switch; a motor configured to drive the drive shaft; and a feedback system, which is configured to determine at least two values for a position of the drive shaft; and to generate a feedback signal on the basis of the at least two values; and a control device which is configured to influence an operation of the motor depending on the feedback signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A switch assembly, the switch assembly comprising:
a switch; and
a drive system for the switch, the drive system comprising:
a drive shaft connecting the drive system to the switch;
a motor configured to drive the drive shaft; and
a feedback system, which is configured
to determine at least two values for a position of the drive shaft; and
to generate a feedback signal on the basis of the at least two values; and

a control device which is configured to influence an operation of the motor depending on the feedback signal.

2. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the feedback system is configured to determine each of the at least two values for the position of the drive shaft in accordance with an associated method, and
wherein all methods for determining the at least two values differ from each other or are identical.

3. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the at least two values for the position of the drive shaft is a first value for an absolute position of the drive shaft.

4. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the at least two values for the position of the drive shaft is a second value for an absolute position of the drive shaft.

5. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the at least two values for the position of the drive shaft is an incremental value for a position of the drive shaft or a value for a relative position of the drive shaft.

6. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the feedback system is configured to determine a rotor position of the motor and to determine one of the at least two values for the position of the drive shaft depending on the rotor position.

7. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the switch is an on-load tap-changer or a diverter switch or selector or a double reversing change-over selector or a reversing change-over selector or a change-over selector or a circuit breaker or an on-load switch or a disconnecting switch.

8. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 1 ,
wherein the feedback system comprises an absolute encoder which is configured and arranged to detect the absolute position of the drive shaft or an absolute position of another shaft connected to the drive shaft and to generate at least one output signal on the basis of the detected position; and
wherein the feedback system is configured to determine one of the at least two values for the position of the drive shaft based on the at least one output signal.

9. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the absolute encoder is designed as a multi-turn encoder.

10. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the absolute encoder is connected to the drive shaft or the further shaft in an interlocked manner.

11. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the absolute encoder is additionally connected to the drive shaft or the further shaft in a frictionally engaged or integrally bonded manner.

12. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the absolute encoder is configured to detect the position of the drive shaft or the position of the further shaft on the basis of a first sampling method.

13. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the absolute encoder is configured to additionally detect the position of the drive shaft or the position of the further shaft on the basis of a second sampling method that is independent of the first sampling method.

14. The switch assembly as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first sampling method comprises an optical, a magnetic, a capacitive or an inductive sampling method.

15. A method for driving a switch, the method comprising:
determining at least two values for an absolute position of a drive shaft for driving the switch;
generating a feedback signal on the basis of the at least two values; and
controlling a motor for driving the switch depending on the feedback signal.

16. A drive system for actuating a switch, the drive system comprising:
a drive shaft configured to connect the drive system to the switch;
a motor configured to drive the drive shaft; and
a feedback system for double position determination of the drive shaft, the feedback system being configured:
to separately and concurrently determine;
a first position value from which a position of the drive shaft is unambiguously determinable; and
a second position value from which the position of the drive shaft is unambiguously determinable independently from the first position value, and

to generate a feedback signal on the basis of the first position value and the second position value; and

a control device which is configured to influence an operation of the motor depending on the feedback signal.

17. The drive system according to claim 16 , wherein the control device is further configured to output an error message or initiate a safety measure based on comparing the first position value and the second position value.

18. The drive system according to claim 16 , wherein the feedback system comprises an absolute encoder configured and arranged to:
determine the first position value based on detecting the position of the driveshaft using a first sampling method; and
determine the second position value based on detecting the position of the driveshaft using a second sampling method that is independent of the first sampling method.

19. The drive system according to claim 17 ,
wherein the absolute encoder is directly or indirectly attached to a motor shaft, the drive shaft, or a shaft coupled to the drive shaft,
wherein the motor comprises the motor shaft and the motor shaft is coupled to the drive shaft,
wherein the first sampling method and the second sampling method are selected from the group consisting of an optical sampling method, a magnetic sampling method, a capacitive sampling method, a resistive sampling method, and an inductive sampling method, and
wherein the first sampling method is different than the second sampling method.

20. A switch assembly, the switch assembly comprising the switch configured as an on-load tap-changer, and the drive system according to claim 16 ,
wherein the drive shaft connects the drive system to the switch,
wherein the motor comprises a rotor coupled to and configured to drive the drive shaft,
wherein the feedback system is further configured to:
determine a rotor position of the motor; and
determine the first position value based on the rotor position,

wherein the rotor position is an angular range in which the rotor of the motor is located combined with a number of complete rotations of the rotor.

Assignees

• Reinhausen Maschf Scheubeck

Inventors

• Dittmann Benjamin
• Nagel Eugen
• Schmid Sebastian

Classifications

• H01H2003/266

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

• H01H9/0027

  Operating mechanisms · CPC title

• H01H3/26 Primary

  using dynamo-electric motor (for storing energy in a spring motor H01H3/30) · CPC title