Arc control device for vacuum bulb

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9460874-B2
Application number	US-201314400436-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2013
Priority date	May 24, 2012
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

To control the arc that forms during cut-off in a vacuum bulb, a contact device makes it possible to inflict a rotational motion on the arc, while keeping the arc diffuse. The rotating diffuse arc is obtained with each of two electrodes of the contact device including a solid wafer associated with a base of petal type, the two electrodes mirroring one another.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A contact device for a vacuum bulb, the contact device comprising:
two electrodes each rigidly attached to a respective shaft, the shafts being axially aligned with each other, each electrode comprising a tablet-shaped element associated with a base element via a coupling surface, the two electrodes configured to take a position in which the tablet-shaped elements are in contact and a position in which they are separated from one another by a relative translation along the shafts;
wherein the coupling surface comprises cut-outs extending between a first end at a periphery of the base element and a second end internal to the base element, each cut-out being tangent to a circle centered on the respective shaft at the second end;
wherein the cut-outs pass through a thickness of the base element, the cut-outs of a base element are all in a same direction to form sectors of an arc base element broadening from a center toward the periphery, and the two electrodes are a mirror image of each other, such that the cut-outs are superposed in the contact device; and
wherein each base element includes a peripheral lip to couple with the tablet-shaped element, each lip comprising at least one recess adjacent to at least one cut-out.

2. The contact device according to claim 1 , wherein the tablet-shaped element is a substantially plane full disk.

3. The contact device according to claim 2 , wherein the coupling surface is included in a circle inscribed within the disk of the tablet-shaped element.

4. The contact device according to claim 1 , wherein each base element comprises a central hollow, forming the peripheral lip that couples with the tablet-shaped element.

5. The contact device according to claim 4 , wherein each electrode further comprises a reinforcement within the hollow for supporting the tablet-shaped element.

6. The contact device according to claim 4 , wherein each lip comprises the at least one recess in an extension of the hollow and opening onto the periphery.

7. The contact device according to claim 6 , wherein the coupling surface comprises five portions of a lip ring separated by five recesses and bounded at one end by a cut-out.

8. The contact device according to claim 4 , wherein the tablet-shaped element is a substantially plane full disk and the coupling surface is included in a circle inscribed within the disk of the tablet-shaped element.

9. The contact device according to claim 7 , wherein the tablet-shaped element is a substantially plane full disk and the coupling surface is included in a circle inscribed within the disk of the tablet-shaped element, and each electrode further comprises a reinforcement within the hollow for supporting the tablet-shaped element.

10. The contact device according to claim 1 , wherein the cut-outs are slots opening out at their first end.

11. The contact device according to claim 1 , wherein the cut-outs are identical, offset from one another by rotation around the shaft.

12. The contact device according to claim 11 , wherein the cut-outs and sectors are distributed uniformly around the shaft.

13. The contact device according to claim 8 , wherein the cut-outs are identical slots opening out at their first end and offset from one another by rotation around the shaft, so that the cut-outs and sectors are distributed uniformly around the shaft.

14. A vacuum bulb comprising an air-tight chamber in which a contact device according to claim 1 is positioned, at least one of the shafts of the device being associated with an actuation mechanism allowing the tablet-shaped elements to take the two positions.

15. A switchgear device comprising a vacuum bulb as claimed in claim 14 .

16. A vacuum bulb comprising:
an air-tight chamber in which a contact device comprising two electrodes is positioned, each electrode being rigidly attached to a respective shaft, the shafts being axially aligned with each other, each electrode comprising a tablet-shaped element associated with a base element via a coupling surface, the two electrodes configured to take a position in which the tablet-shaped elements are in contact and a position in which they are separated from one another by a relative translation along the shafts;
wherein the coupling surface comprises cut-outs extending between a first end at a periphery of the base element and a second end internal to the base element, each cut-out being tangent to a circle centered on the respective shaft at the second end;
wherein the cut-outs pass through a thickness of the base element, the cut-outs of a base element are all in a same direction to form sectors of an arc base element broadening from a center toward the periphery, and the two electrodes are a mirror image of each other, such that the cut-outs are superposed in the contact device; and
wherein each base element includes a peripheral lip to couple with the tablet-shaped element, each lip comprising at least one recess adjacent to at least one cut-out.

17. The vacuum bulb according to claim 16 , wherein the tablet-shaped element is a substantially plane full disk and the coupling surface is included in a circle inscribed within the disk of the tablet-shaped element.

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Ind Sas

Inventors

• Kantas Said

Classifications

• H01H33/6644

  having coil-like electrical connections between contact rod and the proper contact · CPC title

• H01H33/6643 Primary

  having disc-shaped contacts subdivided in petal-like segments, e.g. by helical grooves · CPC title

• H01H33/664 Primary

  Contacts; Arc-extinguishing means, e.g. arcing rings · CPC title