阅读说明：本技术 引导低压开关中的内部附件设备安装的方法 (Method for guiding installation of internal accessory equipment in low-voltage switch ) 是由 S·G·白萨纳 G·佩龙 于 2020-01-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开涉及引导低压开关中的内部附件设备安装的方法。使用包括图像获取设备、显示器和执行引导安装程序以引导附件设备在低压开关设备中安装的处理装置的引导安装装置引导附件设备在具有附件设备的安装位置的低压开关设备中安装的方法。包括：获取低压开关设备图像并显示于显示器；识别低压开关设备；将可能附件设备安装位置叠加到低压开关设备图像,以增强现实视图显示低压开关设备的兴趣点；显示可安装于低压开关设备的可能附件设备的信息；选择可能附件设备并以增强现实视图识别所选附件设备的可能安装位置,或选择可能附件设备安装位置并以增强现实视图识别可安装在所选安装位置的附件设备；显示所选附件设备在所选安装位置的安装过程的信息。(The present disclosure relates to a method of guiding the installation of internal accessory devices in low voltage switches. A method of guiding an accessory device to be installed in a low voltage switchgear having an installation location of the accessory device using a guide installation apparatus including an image acquisition device, a display, and a processing apparatus that executes a guide installation program to guide the accessory device to be installed in the low voltage switchgear. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring an image of the low-voltage switch equipment and displaying the image on a display; identifying a low voltage switching device; superimposing the possible accessory equipment installation positions on the low-voltage switch equipment image to display the interest points of the low-voltage switch equipment in an augmented reality view; displaying information of possible accessory devices mountable to the low voltage switchgear; selecting a possible accessory device and identifying a possible mounting location of the selected accessory device in an augmented reality view, or selecting a possible accessory device mounting location and identifying an accessory device mountable at the selected mounting location in an augmented reality view; displaying information of an installation process of the selected accessory device at the selected installation location.)

1. A method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) using a guiding installation apparatus (40), wherein the low-voltage switchgear device (2) has one or more installation locations (30) for one or more accessory devices (1), the guiding installation apparatus (40) comprising an image acquisition device, a display (41) and processing means to execute a guiding installation procedure to guide the installation of the accessory device (1) in the low-voltage switchgear device (2), the method being characterized in that it comprises the steps of:

-acquiring an image of the low-voltage switchgear device (2) and displaying it on the display (41);

-identifying the low voltage switching device (2);

-displaying one or more points of interest of the low voltage switchgear device (2) in an augmented reality view by superimposing possible accessory device mounting locations (30) on an image (201) of the low voltage switchgear device (2);

-displaying information (401) about possible accessory devices (1) that can be installed in the low-voltage switchgear device (2);

-selecting one of the possible accessory devices (1) and identifying one or more possible mounting locations (30) of the selected accessory device (1) in the low voltage switchgear device (2) in an augmented reality view, or selecting one of the possible accessory device mounting locations (30) and identifying one or more accessory devices (1) installable in the selected mounting location (30) in an augmented reality view;

-displaying information (601) about the installation process of the selected accessory device (1) in the selected installation location (30) in the low voltage switchgear device (2),

701，801)。

2. method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that said processing means comprise a processor and a memory device storing said guiding installation program executed by said processor and data relating to said low-voltage switchgear device (1) and to said one or more accessory devices (1) usable by said guiding installation program.

3. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said step of identifying said low-voltage switchgear device (2) comprises identifying and tracking said low-voltage switchgear device (2) in the presence of relative movements between said low-voltage switchgear device (2) and said image acquisition device.

4. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said step of displaying one or more points of interest of said low-voltage switchgear device (2) in an augmented reality view comprises superimposing a 2D or 3D view of said possible accessory device installation positions (30) on an image of said low-voltage switchgear device (2).

5. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear (2) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said step of displaying one or more points of interest of said low-voltage switchgear (2) in an augmented reality view comprises identifying in an augmented reality view an idle installation position (31) and/or an already occupied installation position (32) of said accessory device (1) in said low-voltage switchgear (2).

6. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said step of selecting one of said possible accessory devices (1) and identifying one or more possible installation positions (30) of the selected accessory device (1) in the low-voltage switchgear device (2) further comprises the step of selecting a desired installation position (33) for the selected accessory device.

7. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to one or more of claims 1-5, characterized in that said step of selecting one of said possible accessory device installation positions and identifying one or more accessory devices that can be installed in the selected installation position further comprises the step of selecting a desired accessory device for the selected installation position.

8. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises the step of displaying information (501, 502, 503) about the selected accessory device (1).

9. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises the step of displaying a plurality of combinations between accessory devices and corresponding installation positions.

10. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises the step of selecting a method of displaying said information (601, 701, 801) about the installation process of the selected accessory device (1) in the selected installation location (30) of the low-voltage switchgear device (2).

11. Method for guiding the installation of an accessory device (1) in a low-voltage switchgear device (2) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said guiding installation means are a smart device (40) comprising a camera, a display (41) and processing means, said processing means running an application for guiding a user during the installation of the accessory device (1) in the low-voltage switchgear device (2).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for guiding a user during the installation of one or more accessory devices inside a low-voltage switchgear.

Background

As is known, low-voltage switchgear devices (for example circuit breakers, disconnectors, contactors, limiters, hereinafter generally referred to as switches for the sake of brevity) generally comprise a casing and one or more poles, associated with each of which there is at least one pair of contacts that can be coupled and uncoupled to each other. The switches of the known art also comprise control means which cause the relative movement of the pairs of contacts so that they can adopt at least a first coupled position (circuit closed) and a second decoupled position (circuit open).

It is also known that low-voltage switchgear devices can be equipped, as required, with a number of accessory devices, such as alarm and auxiliary contact systems, shunt tripping, undervoltage tripping devices and similar auxiliary devices, which can be placed in dedicated positions inside the housing of the low-voltage switch.

Due to the large number of accessory devices and their possible combinations, low-voltage switches can generally be sold without pre-installed auxiliary devices, the installation of which inside the switch is generally performed by an installation technician once the final configuration is decided. Moreover, it may occur that when a low-voltage switch has been installed, it may be desirable to change or upgrade its configuration by changing/adding/removing one or more accessory devices.

For these reasons, low voltage switches are often provided with multiple mounting locations for multiple different accessory devices. To assist the operator in identifying the various mounting locations and properly coupling them with the corresponding accessory devices, the points of interest for mounting are typically marked with a logo or color within the housing of the low voltage switch that identifies the one or more accessory devices that are appropriate for mounting at that particular mounting location. A separate instruction (e.g., a printed manual or PDF file) is typically required to specify the correct combination of logo/color and one or more corresponding accessory devices and to give an installation instruction to the operator.

However, even if suitable for the needs, the known solutions have a number of drawbacks and drawbacks.

For example, once the low voltage switch has been produced, it is not possible, or at least cumbersome, to change or update the symbol/colour marked thereon.

Moreover, especially when there are a large number of mounting locations and potentially mountable accessory devices, it is difficult to code complex combinations of accessory devices to match the symbol/color marked on the mounting location of the low-voltage switch.

In general, all possible configurations of the low-voltage switch and therefore all possible combinations of accessory devices that can be installed inside it need to be considered, which complicates the production and/or installation operations, increasing them.

Disclosure of Invention

Based on the above considerations, it is clear that there is a need for an alternative solution that will be able to overcome the above limitations and problems.

The present disclosure therefore aims to provide a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus, which allows to overcome at least some of the drawbacks mentioned above.

In particular, the present invention aims to provide a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus, which method makes it possible to simplify the installation process of the accessory device in the low-voltage switchgear.

Furthermore, the invention aims to provide a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus, which method allows easily providing the desired accessory device for the low-voltage switchgear apparatus.

Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus, which enables to reduce the assembly time of the accessory device inside the casing of the low-voltage switchgear apparatus.

Furthermore, the invention aims to provide a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switch device, which method allows possible errors by an operator when assembling the accessory device within the housing of the low-voltage switch to be avoided or reduced to a minimum.

Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus, which allows an operator to easily identify the installation position of the accessory device inside the housing of the low-voltage switchgear and match it with one or more corresponding specific accessory devices.

Moreover, the present invention aims to provide a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus, which is reliable and relatively easy to perform at competitive costs.

The invention therefore relates to a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus having one or more installation locations for one or more accessory devices using a guide installation apparatus, wherein the guide installation apparatus comprises an image acquisition device, a display and a processing device, the processing device executing a guide installation program for guiding the installation of the accessory device in the low-voltage switchgear apparatus. The method according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

-acquiring an image of the low voltage switchgear device and displaying it on the display;

-identifying the low voltage switching device;

-displaying one or more points of interest of the low voltage switchgear in an augmented reality view by superimposing possible accessory device mounting locations on an image of the low voltage switchgear;

-displaying information about possible accessory devices installable in the low-voltage switchgear device;

-selecting one of the possible accessory devices and identifying one or more possible mounting locations of the selected accessory device in the low voltage switchgear device in an augmented reality view, or selecting one of the possible accessory device mounting locations and identifying one or more accessory devices installable in the selected mounting location in an augmented reality view;

-displaying information about the installation process of the selected accessory device in the selected installation position of the low voltage switchgear.

As better explained in the following description, in the method of the invention, the use of processing means for executing a boot loader based on augmented reality allows to avoid or at least to greatly reduce the above-mentioned problems.

In practice, once an image of the low-voltage switch is acquired and displayed on the display, the boot installation program identifies the low-voltage switch and superimposes a view of possible installation locations of the accessory device onto the image of the low-voltage switch. The user is then guided to select the correct combination of accessory device and corresponding mounting location, for example based on information stored in the processing means, in order to achieve the desired final configuration of the low-voltage switch.

It is noted that the method of the invention can be performed with relatively simple and inexpensive equipment, such as commonly used smart devices (e.g. smartphones or tablets), and is therefore very cost-effective.

In a typical embodiment of the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear device according to the invention, said processing means generally comprise a processor and a memory device storing said boot installation program executed by said processor and data relating to said low-voltage switchgear device and to said one or more accessory devices usable by said boot installation program. As previously mentioned, the installation procedure is relatively simple and the amount of stored data is relatively reduced, so that the boot installation procedure can be easily performed by processing means commonly available in conventional smart devices.

In a particular embodiment of the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear device according to the invention, said step of identifying said low-voltage switchgear device comprises identifying and tracking said low-voltage switchgear device in the presence of relative movement between said low-voltage switchgear device and said image acquisition device.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the step of displaying one or more points of interest of the low voltage switchgear in an augmented reality view comprises overlaying a 2D or 3D view of the possible accessory device mounting locations onto an image of the low voltage switchgear.

In a particular embodiment of the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear according to the invention, said step of displaying one or more points of interest of said low-voltage switchgear in an augmented reality view comprises identifying an idle installation position and/or an already occupied installation position of said accessory device in said low-voltage switchgear in an augmented reality view. In other words, according to this embodiment, when the low voltage switch has been equipped with one or more accessory devices, the user is immediately presented with information about the mounting locations still available for mounting one or more further accessory devices.

In a first general embodiment of the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low voltage switchgear according to the invention, said step of selecting one of said possible accessory devices and identifying one or more possible installation positions of the selected accessory device in the low voltage switchgear further comprises the step of selecting a desired installation position for the selected accessory device. In practice, according to this embodiment, the mounting process foresees firstly the selection of the desired accessory device and secondly the selection of the corresponding mounting position for this particular accessory device.

In a second alternative general embodiment of the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low voltage switchgear according to the invention, said step of selecting one of said possible accessory device installation locations and identifying one or more accessory devices installable in the selected installation location further comprises the step of selecting a desired accessory device for the selected installation location. In practice, according to this embodiment, the installation process foresees firstly the selection of the desired installation position inside the low-voltage switch and secondly the selection of the corresponding accessory device for installation in this particular installation position.

A further general embodiment of the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus according to the invention further comprises the step of displaying information about the selected accessory device.

It is worth noting that the method of the present invention is very flexible, as it allows presenting to the user all possible combinations of accessory devices and their positions in the low-voltage switch.

In other words, since one or more mounting locations may accommodate a plurality of different accessory devices, in a particular embodiment of the method for guiding the mounting of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus according to the invention, such method further comprises the step of displaying a plurality of combinations between the accessory device and its mounting location inside the low-voltage switch.

Once the desired combination of accessory device and mounting location has been selected, the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear device of the invention conveniently comprises the step of selecting a method of displaying said information relating to the installation process of the selected accessory device in the selected mounting location of said low-voltage switchgear device.

In practice, for a selected combination of accessory device and mounting location, the user may choose how to display the corresponding mounting indication, for example with a video or image or PDF file, or by any augmented reality process.

The hardware requirements for performing the method of the invention are relatively simple. In practice, the guiding installation means may be conveniently incorporated in a conventional smart device (e.g. a smartphone or tablet or smart wearable device) comprising a camera, a display and processing means running an application for guiding the user during installation of the accessory device in the low-voltage switching device.

Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus, according to the invention, illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a low voltage switchgear in which the method of the present invention may be used;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the low voltage switchgear of FIG. 1 with the cover removed to show an internal mounting location of the accessory device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the low voltage switching device of FIG. 2, shown with a smart device (i.e., a smart phone) that may be used in the method of the present invention;

4-13 illustrate different steps of the method of the present invention shown on the display of a smart device (i.e., a smart phone);

FIG. 14 is a first flowchart of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a second flowchart of the method of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In the figures, the method of the invention is described with reference to a low-voltage circuit breaker 2 (for example a molded case circuit breaker). Referring to fig. 1, the circuit breaker 2 generally includes a housing 20 having a front cover 21. As shown in fig. 2, with the cover 20 removed, a plurality of mounting locations 30 for receiving a plurality of accessory devices are provided within the housing 20, depending on the desired configuration of the circuit breaker. The circuit breaker (in general a low voltage switching device) and the accessory device may be of conventional type and will not be described in further detail.

The method of the invention is carried out by using a boot mounting device, represented in the figures by a smart device (i.e. a smartphone 40 of conventional type).

The smartphone 40 generally comprises an image acquisition device (for example a built-in camera), a display 41 and processing means that can execute a boot installation program for guiding the installation of the accessory device 1 in the low-voltage circuit breaker 2.

In a preferred embodiment of the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device 1 according to the invention, the processing means comprise a processor and a memory device storing said installation program such that it can be executed by said processor. The memory device also stores data relating to the low voltage switchgear device 2 and data relating to the one or more accessory devices 1, which data can be used by the boot installer.

In other words, the processor of the smart device 40 executes an application stored in its memory for guiding the user during the installation of the accessory device 1 in the low voltage circuit breaker 2, based on the data relating to the circuit breaker 2 and the accessory device 1 also stored in the memory of the smart device 40.

Once the application is started and the camera has acquired the image 201 of the low voltage circuit breaker 2, said image 201 is displayed on the display 41 of the smart device 40 (steps 100 and 200) and the low voltage circuit breaker 2 is correctly identified (fig. 3, 4).

In a particular embodiment of the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device 1 in a low-voltage switchgear device 2 of the invention, not shown in the drawings, the processing means are conveniently adapted to perform not only the identification of said low-voltage switchgear device 2, but also the identification and tracking of said low-voltage switchgear device 2, which is particularly useful in the case of relative movements between said low-voltage switchgear device 2 and said image acquisition device.

Once the low voltage circuit breaker 2 has been identified and displayed on the display 41, the method of the invention foresees that one or more points of interest of said low voltage circuit breaker 2 will be presented in an augmented reality view on the display 41 using augmented reality functionality (step 300).

In practice, this can be achieved by superimposing the possible mounting positions 30 for one or more accessory devices on the image 201 of the low voltage circuit breaker 2, as shown in fig. 5.

In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, this step of displaying one or more points of interest of the low voltage switchgear device 2 in an augmented reality view can be conveniently performed by superimposing 2D or 3D views of a plurality of possible mounting locations 30 for a plurality of accessory devices 1 on the image 201 of the low voltage switchgear device 2.

In a next step 400, the method of the invention foresees displaying information 401 about possible accessory devices 1 that can be installed in said low-voltage circuit breaker 2. In practice, a list of all possible accessory devices 1 is presented in an augmented reality view, as shown in fig. 7, together with an image 201 of the low voltage circuit breaker 2 and its possible mounting positions 30.

In a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention shown in fig. 6, the step of displaying one or more points of interest of the low-voltage switchgear device 2 in an augmented reality view comprises identifying in the augmented reality view an idle mounting position 31 and an already occupied mounting position 32 of the accessory device 1 in the low-voltage circuit breaker 2.

In practice, as shown in fig. 6, since the mounting position 32 is already occupied by the accessory device, the mounting position 32 is represented in a different manner in the augmented reality view with respect to the still idle mounting position 31 of the low-voltage circuit breaker 2.

With reference to fig. 8-10, in its more general embodiment, the method of the invention then foresees the step of selecting one of said possible accessory devices 1 and identifying, in an augmented reality view, one or more possible mounting positions 33 of the selected accessory device 1 in the low-voltage switchgear device 2.

In practice, in step 500, with reference to fig. 8-10, by selecting a desired accessory device 1, it is possible to have on the display an augmented reality view of the information 501, 502, 503 relating to the selected accessory device 1, and an augmented reality view of one or more suitable mounting positions 33 for the low voltage circuit breaker 2, these suitable mounting positions 33 being represented in a different way with respect to the unsuitable (but still free) potential mounting positions 30.

It is worth noting that the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device 1 in a low-voltage switchgear 2 according to the present invention also allows to display a plurality of combinations between accessory devices 1 and corresponding installation locations 30, thereby providing the user with all possible accessory device installation alternatives for a given circuit breaker configuration.

In an alternative general embodiment, instead of first selecting an accessory device and then selecting a corresponding mounting location, one of the possible still-free mounting locations 30 may first be selected, and then one or more accessory devices 1 that may be mounted at the selected mounting location 30 are identified in the augmented reality view.

In other words, with the method of the invention it is possible to first select one of the possible accessory devices 1 and identify one or more possible mounting locations 30 for it, and then select the most suitable mounting location 30 among these mounting locations 30, resulting in the desired combination of accessory device 1 and mounting location 30.

Alternatively, one of the possible mounting locations 30 may be selected first and one or more accessory devices 1 mountable therein identified, and the most suitable accessory device 1 among these accessory devices 1 is selected, resulting in the desired combination of accessory device 1 and mounting location 30 as such.

As shown in fig. 11-13, in a final step, the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device 1 in a low-voltage switchgear 2 according to the invention comprises selecting a way of displaying information 601, 701, 801 about the installation process of the selected accessory device 1 in the selected installation location 30 of the low-voltage switchgear 2.

As shown in the above-mentioned figures, for a selected combination of accessory device 1 and mounting location 30, the user can select how to display the corresponding mounting indication 601, 701, 801, for example with a video or image or PDF file.

From the above it is clear that the method of the invention allows solving the technical problems previously highlighted.

In fact, with the method of the invention, the installation process of the accessory device in the low-voltage switch is greatly simplified and the required accessory device is easily provided for the low-voltage switch.

Moreover, the assembly time and possible errors of the operator during the assembly of the accessory device inside the housing of the low-voltage switch are reduced.

Furthermore, the operator can easily identify the mounting position of the accessory devices inside the housing of the low-voltage switch and match them with one or more corresponding specific accessory devices, without having to provide an identification mark/colour on the mounting position of the low-voltage switch.

Several variations can be made to the method for guiding the installation of an accessory device in a low-voltage switchgear apparatus thus conceived, all falling within the scope of the appended claims. In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.