Circuit breaker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9905377-B2
Application number	US-201615148466-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	May 7, 2015
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a circuit breaker comprising a first and a second contact assembly, wherein one of the contact assemblies comprises contact fingers arranged in a finger cage configuration and the other contact assembly comprises a tube or rod contact. The contact fingers comprise an impact point where the tube or rod impacts the contact fingers for the first time during electrical connection establishment, and a contact zone which contacts the tube or rod when the electrical connection is established. The contact zone comprises two contact points separated from one another and arranged on a line which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A circuit breaker comprising a first contact assembly and a second contact assembly cooperating with one another for closing and opening an electrical connection of the circuit breaker, wherein at least one of the contact assemblies is movable along a longitudinal axis of the circuit breaker,
wherein one of the contact assemblies comprises contact fingers arranged in a finger cage configuration and the other contact assembly comprises a tube or rod contact, wherein the tube or rod enters the finger cage for establishing an electrical connection and exits the finger cage for disconnecting the electrical connection,
wherein the contact fingers comprise an impact point where the tube or rod impacts the contact fingers for the first time during electrical connection establishment, and a contact zone which contacts the tube or rod when the electrical connection has been established, and
the contact zone comprises two contact points separated from one another and arranged on a line which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

2. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the contact points of the contact zone are separated by a dent extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein the dent is arranged in such a way that it never contacts the tube or rod.

3. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein a distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis between the impact point and the contact points is greater than 5 mm.

4. The circuit breaker according to claim 3 , wherein all contact points of all contact fingers of the finger cage are arranged at said distance from the impact point.

5. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the contact fingers are shaped in such a way that they form an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis in an area between the impact point and the contact points, which angle ranges between 10° and 30°.

6. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein an area of the contact fingers which is located between the impact point and the contact points forms a substantially plane surface towards a location of the impact point and a curved surface following the substantially plane surface towards a location of each one of the contact points.

7. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein a material of the impact point differs from a material of the contact points.

8. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the contact fingers comprise each a spring pushing the respective contact finger substantially towards the contact points.

9. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second contact assemblies are nominal contact assemblies of the circuit breaker.

10. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the contact fingers have precisely two contact points.

11. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the contact points are at a distance from one another ranging between 4 mm and 8 mm.

12. The circuit breaker of claim 1 , wherein the circuit breaker is configured as one of a high voltage single-motion circuit breaker or a high voltage double-motion circuit breaker or a high voltage triple-motion circuit breaker.

13. The circuit breaker of claim 2 , wherein the dent is 7 mm to 8 mm long.

14. The circuit breaker according to claim 2 , wherein a distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis between the impact point and the contact points is greater than 5 mm.

15. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the contact fingers are shaped in such a way that they form an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis in an area between the impact point and the contact points, which angle is substantially 20°.

16. The circuit breaker according to claim 2 , wherein an area of the contact fingers which is located between the impact point and the contact points forms a substantially plane surface towards a location of the impact point and a curved surface following the substantially plane surface towards a location of each one of the contact points.

17. The circuit breaker of claim 1 , wherein the impact point is spaced apart from the each of the two contact points in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

18. The circuit breaker of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of sliding contact paths are defined by a sliding motion between the finger cage and the tube or rod when the finger cage and the tube or rod are in contact with each other during relative motion along the longitudinal axis between each other;
wherein a first sliding contact path of the plurality of sliding contact paths extends along the finger from the impact point and diverges into second and third sliding contact paths of the plurality of sliding contact paths, the second and third sliding contact paths being spaced apart from the first sliding contact path in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and
wherein the second sliding contact path and the third sliding contact path culminate respectively in the two contact points.

19. The circuit breaker of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of sliding contact paths are defined by a sliding motion between the finger cage and the tube or rod when the finger cage and the tube or rod are in contact with each other during relative motion along the longitudinal axis between each other;
wherein the contact between the finger and the tube or rod diverges at or after the impact point on the finger into two sliding contact paths spaced apart from each other in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis; and
wherein the two contact paths culminate in the respective two contact points.

20. A circuit breaker comprising a first contact assembly and a second contact assembly cooperating with one another for closing and opening an electrical connection of the circuit breaker, wherein at least one of the contact assemblies is movable along a longitudinal axis of the circuit breaker,
wherein one of the contact assemblies comprises contact fingers arranged in a finger cage configuration and the other contact assembly comprises a tube or rod contact, wherein the tube or rod enters the finger cage for establishing an electrical connection and exits the finger cage for disconnecting the electrical connection,
wherein the contact fingers comprise an impact point where the tube or rod impacts the contact fingers for the first time during electrical connection establishment, and a contact point which contacts the tube or rod when the electrical connection is established, and
a distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis between the impact point and the contact point is larger than 5 mm.

21. The circuit breaker according to claim 20 , wherein a distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis between the impact point and the contact point ranges between 5 mm and 12 mm.

22. The circuit breaker according to claim 20 , wherein all contact points of all contact fingers of the finger cage are arranged at said distance from the impact point.

23. The circuit breaker according to claim 21 , wherein all contact points of all contact fingers of the finger cage are arranged at said distance from the impact point.

24. A circuit breaker comprising a first contact assembly and a second contact assembly cooperating with one another for closing and opening an electrical connection of the circuit breaker, wherein at least one of the contact assemblies is movable along a longitudinal axis of the circuit break

Assignees

• Abb Technology Ag
• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Pisu Francesco
• Lundqvist Fredrik
• Korbel Jakub
• Costyson Johan
• Krunal Kansara
• Runnberg Mattias
• Kotilainen Sami
• Rijo Rude Raphael

Classifications

• H01H33/02

  Details · CPC title

• H01H1/50

  Means for increasing contact pressure, preventing vibration of contacts, holding contacts together after engagement, or biasing contacts to the open position · CPC title

• H01H1/06 Primary

  characterised by the shape or structure of the contact-making surface, e.g. grooved · CPC title

• H01H1/385 Primary

  Contact arrangements for high voltage gas blast circuit breakers · CPC title

• H01H1/44

  with resilient mounting · CPC title