阅读说明：本技术 电气开关 (Electrical switch ) 是由 尤索·利亚 亚尔莫·莱赫蒂迈基 于 2021-05-28 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种电气开关,包括框架(2)、第一静触头(31)、第二静触头(32)、滚动元件(4)以及安装至滚动元件(4)的动触头。滚动元件(4)可相对于框架(2)在第一位置与第二位置之间绕旋转轴线旋转。动触头包括第一接触部分(51)和第二接触部分(52)。在滚动元件(4)的第一位置中,动触头将第一静触头(31)与第二静触头(32)导电地连接,并且在滚动元件(4)的第二位置中,第一静触头(31)与第二静触头(32)断开电连接。第一接触部分(51)和第二接触部分(52)位于与旋转轴线垂直的中心平面的相反两侧。(An electrical switch comprises a frame (2), a first stationary contact (31), a second stationary contact (32), a rolling element (4) and a movable contact mounted to the rolling element (4). The rolling element (4) is rotatable relative to the frame (2) about an axis of rotation between a first position and a second position. The movable contact comprises a first contact portion (51) and a second contact portion (52). In a first position of the rolling element (4), the movable contact electrically conductively connects the first stationary contact (31) with the second stationary contact (32), and in a second position of the rolling element (4), the first stationary contact (31) is electrically disconnected from the second stationary contact (32). The first contact portion (51) and the second contact portion (52) are located on opposite sides of a central plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.)

1. An electrical switch, comprising:

a frame (2);

a first stationary contact (31) fixedly mounted with respect to the frame (2);

a second stationary contact (32) fixedly mounted with respect to the frame (2);

a rolling element (4), the rolling element (4) being rotatable relative to the frame (2) about an axis of rotation between a first position and a second position, wherein the rolling element (4) is adapted to be transferred from the first position to the second position in a disconnection event; and

a movable contact mounted to said rolling element (4) and comprising a first contact portion (51) and a second contact portion (52), wherein, in said first position of said rolling element (4), said first contact portion (51) is in a first position of said first contact portion in which said first contact portion (51) is in contact with said first stationary contact (31) and said second contact portion (52) is in a first position of said second contact portion in which said second contact portion (52) is in contact with said second stationary contact (32), such that said movable contact electrically connects said first stationary contact (31) with said second stationary contact (32), and in said second position of said rolling element (4), said first contact portion (51) and said second contact portion (52) are in a second position of said first contact portion and said second contact portion, electrically disconnecting the first stationary contact (31) from the second stationary contact (32), wherein a first disconnection region is present between the first stationary contact (31) and the second position of the first contact portion (51) and a second disconnection region is present between the second stationary contact (32) and the second position of the second contact portion (52),

characterized in that the first contact portion (51) and the second contact portion (52) are located on opposite sides of a central plane perpendicular to the rotation axis.

2. An electrical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an insulation system electrically insulating said first breaking region from said second breaking region, said central plane passing through said insulation system.

3. An electrical switch according to claim 2, characterised in that the insulation system comprises an insulating part of the frame (2).

4. Electrical switch according to claim 2, characterised in that the insulation system comprises an insulation portion (64) of the rolling element (4).

5. The electrical switch of claim 1, comprising an arc plate system for extinguishing an arc during the opening event, the arc plate system comprising a first plurality of arc plates (901) in the first breaking zone and a second plurality of arc plates in the second breaking zone.

6. Electrical switch according to claim 5, characterized in that the mutual angular distance between consecutive first arc plates (901-911) increases as a function of the angular distance from said first stationary contact (31) and the mutual angular distance between consecutive second arc plates increases as a function of the angular distance from said second stationary contact (32).

7. The electrical switch of claim 5, wherein each first arc plate of the plurality of first arc plates (901 + 911) is a substantially U-shaped element and is positioned such that during the opening event, the first contact portion (51) of the movable contact is adapted to pass between the lateral branches of the first arc plates (901 + 911), and each second arc plate of the plurality of second arc plates is a substantially U-shaped element and is positioned such that during the opening event, the second contact portion (52) of the movable contact is adapted to pass between the lateral branches of the second arc plates.

8. An electrical switch according to claim 1, characterised in that the distance between the free end of the first contact portion (51) and the free end of the second contact portion (52) in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation is smaller than the distance between the free end of the first contact portion (51) and the free end of the second contact portion (52) in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

9. An electrical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that the first contact portion (51) and the second contact portion (52) are adapted to operate as blade contacts.

10. Electrical switch according to claim 1, characterised in that the angle of rotation between the first position of the rolling element (4) and the second position of the rolling element (4) is greater than or equal to 180 °.

11. Electrical switch according to claim 10, characterised in that the angle of rotation between the first position of the rolling element (4) and the second position of the rolling element (4) is greater than or equal to 300 °.

12. Electrical switch according to claim 1, characterized in that during said opening event, said first contact portion (51) is adapted to move past an angular position of said second stationary contact (32) and said second contact portion (52) is adapted to move past an angular position of said first stationary contact (31).

13. An electrical switch according to claim 2, characterized in that the area of the projection of the insulation system on the central plane is larger than a circle having a diameter equal to the distance between the free end of the first contact portion (51) and the free end of the second contact portion (52).

14. An electrical switch according to claim 2, characterized in that the insulation system comprises an insulation part of the frame and an insulation part (64) of the rolling element, wherein the projection of the insulation part (64) of the rolling element on the central plane overlaps with the projection of the insulation part of the frame on the central plane, thereby ensuring that there is no path for an electric arc in the joint between the insulation part of the frame and the insulation part (64) of the rolling element.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to electrical switches, and more particularly to extinguishing an arc in an electrical switch.

Background

During an opening event, an arc may form between the stationary contact and the movable contact moving away from the stationary contact. The arc is conductive and must therefore be extinguished in order to switch the electrical switch into the open state, which is a non-conductive state. Furthermore, arcing can be detrimental to electrical switches, particularly where arcing is long in duration and/or occurs frequently.

A method for enhancing arc extinction in an electrical switch increases a clearance angle between a stationary contact and a corresponding movable contact in an off state of the electrical switch.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical switch which is adapted to extinguish an arc more efficiently than known electrical switches. The object of the invention is achieved by an electrical switch as described below.

In a first aspect of the invention, an electrical switch is provided. The electrical switch includes: a frame; a first stationary contact fixedly mounted with respect to the frame; a second stationary contact fixedly mounted relative to the frame; a rolling element rotatable relative to the frame about an axis of rotation between a first position and a second position, wherein the rolling element is adapted to transition from the first position to the second position in a disconnect event; and a movable contact mounted to the rolling element and including a first contact portion and a second contact portion, wherein, in the first position of the rolling element, the first contact portion is in its first position in which the first contact portion is in contact with the first stationary contact, and the second contact portion is in its first position in which the second contact portion is in contact with the second stationary contact, so that the movable contact conductively connects the first stationary contact with the second stationary contact, in the second position of the rolling element, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are in their second position such that the first stationary contact is electrically disconnected from the second stationary contact, wherein a first disconnection region is present between the first stationary contact and the second position of the first contact portion, and a second disconnection region is present between the second stationary contact and a second position of the second contact portion, characterized in that the first contact portion and the second contact portion are located on opposite sides of a central plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

The invention is based on the idea of providing an electrical switch with a movable contact having a first contact portion and a second contact portion on opposite sides of a central plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the movable contact, wherein the first contact portion is a portion adapted to be in contact with a first stationary contact of the electrical switch and the second contact portion is a portion adapted to be in contact with a second stationary contact of the electrical switch.

The electrical switch has the advantage that in the off state of the electrical switch, the clearance angle between each fixed contact and the corresponding movable contact is larger. According to the invention, in the off state of the electric switch, the clearance angle between each fixed contact and the corresponding moving contact is larger than 350 degrees. In an embodiment, each contact portion of the movable contact is adapted to move through an angular position of the stationary contact corresponding to the other contact portion.

Drawings

The invention will be described in more detail hereinafter by means of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 2a and 2b show the rolling elements and the movable contacts of the electrical switch of fig. 1;

fig. 3a and 3b show a rolling element and a movable contact of an electrical switch according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4a to 4c show the rolling element of the electrical switch of fig. 1 in different positions with respect to the first and second stationary contacts;

fig. 5a to 5c show rolling elements of an electrical switch according to a further embodiment of the present invention in different positions with respect to a first stationary contact and a second stationary contact; and

figure 6 shows a cross-section of the electrical switch of figure 1 such that the arc plates corresponding to one breaking area are visible.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows an electrical switch comprising a frame 2, a first stationary contact 31, a second stationary contact 32, rolling elements 4, a movable contact, an arc-quenching plate system and an insulating system. Fig. 2a and 2b show the internal structure of the electrical switch. Fig. 4a to 4c show the rolling element 4 in different positions with respect to the first stationary contact 31 and the second stationary contact 32. Fig. 6 shows a cross-section of the electrical switch of fig. 1.

The first stationary contact 31 and the second stationary contact 32 are made of an electrically conductive material and are fixedly mounted with respect to the frame 2. The rolling element 4 is made of an electrically insulating material and is rotatable with respect to the frame 2 about an axis of rotation between a first position and a second position. The rolling element 4 is adapted to be transferred from the first position to the second position in an opening event and from the second position to the first position in a closing event.

The movable contact is mounted to the rolling element 4 and comprises a first contact portion 51 and a second contact portion 52. The movable contact is fixed with respect to the rolling element 4. The movable contact is made of a conductive material so that the first contact portion 51 and the second contact portion 52 are conductively connected.

The first contact portion 51 and the second contact portion 52 are located on opposite sides of a central plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The central plane is an imaginary plane. The distance between the free end of the first contact portion 51 and the free end of the second contact portion 52 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis is smaller than the distance between the free end of the first contact portion 51 and the free end of the second contact portion 52 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis.

In the first position of the rolling element 4, the first contact portion 51 is in contact with the first stationary contact 31 and the second contact portion 52 is in contact with the second stationary contact 32, so that the movable contact conductively connects the first stationary contact 31 with the second stationary contact 32. In the second position of rolling element 4, first contact portion 51 is kept at a distance from first stationary contact 31 and second contact portion 52 is kept at a distance from second stationary contact 32, so that first stationary contact 31 is electrically disconnected from second stationary contact 32. Thus, an opening event is adapted to switch the electrical switch from the on-state to the off-state, and a closing event is adapted to switch the electrical switch from the off-state to the on-state.

Referring to fig. 2b, the first contact portion 51 and the second contact portion 52 extend in a direction parallel to the central plane, and they are connected to each other and have an intermediate portion extending at an angle of about 35 ° with respect to the central plane. Fig. 3a and 3b show a rolling element and a movable contact of an electrical switch according to an alternative embodiment, wherein the movable contact extends linearly through the rolling element 4 ', the first contact portion 51 ' and the second contact portion 52 ' extending at an angle of about 35 ° with respect to the central plane. The movable contacts have a flexible structure that allows the first contact portion 51 'and the second contact portion 52' to bend in order to connect and disconnect from the corresponding stationary contacts.

The angular distance between the first stationary contact 31 and the second stationary contact 32 is 180 °. The angular distance between the first stationary contact 31 and the second stationary contact 32 is the angle between a first vector from the axis of rotation to the first stationary contact 31 and a second vector from the axis of rotation to the second stationary contact 32. The first and second vectors are perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and the angular distance is measured in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

The angle of rotation between the first and second positions of the rolling element 4 is 310 °. In the open state of the electrical switch, the gap angle between the first stationary contact 31 and the first contact portion 51 is 310 °, and the gap angle between the second stationary contact 32 and the second contact portion 52 is also 310 °. Thus, the total clearance angle of the electrical switch is 620 °. During the opening event, the first contact portion 51 is adapted to move past the angular position of the second stationary contact 32 and the second contact portion 52 is adapted to move past the angular position of the first stationary contact 31. Herein, the angular position of a component is the position of the projection of the component on the central plane. In an alternative embodiment, the total clearance angle of the electrical switch is less than or equal to 710 °.

The angular distance between the first stationary contact and the second stationary contact may be chosen very freely, so that the angular distance may be, for example, 90 °, 180 °, 225 °, or 360 °. The rotation angle between the first and second position of the rolling element can be designed to be close to 360 ° regardless of the angular distance between the first and second stationary contact. It should be noted that in an embodiment in which the angular distance between the first stationary contact and the second stationary contact is 360 °, the first contact portion is not adapted to move past the angular position of the second stationary contact during an opening event, and the second contact portion is not adapted to move past the angular position of the first stationary contact during an opening event.

Due to the structure of the first stationary contact 31 and the second stationary contact 32, the rolling element 4 is adapted to rotate in a first direction during an opening event and in a second direction during a closing event, wherein the first direction and the second direction are opposite directions. In an alternative embodiment, the rolling element is adapted to rotate in the same direction during both the opening event and the closing event. With this one-way design, the rotational angle associated with the closing event is the difference between 360 ° and the rotational angle associated with the opening event. For example, where the rotational angle associated with an open event is 355 °, then the rotational angle associated with a close event is 5 °.

There is a first breaking area between the first stationary contact 31 and the second position of the first contact portion 51 and a second breaking area between the second stationary contact 32 and the second position of the second contact portion 52. The angular dimension of each of the first and second break-up areas is equal to the angle of rotation between the first and second positions of the rolling element.

If there is a current between the first stationary contact 31 and the second stationary contact 32 before the opening event, a first arc is generated between the first stationary contact 31 and the first contact portion 51 and a second arc is generated between the second stationary contact 32 and the second contact portion 52 at the beginning of the opening event. During a disconnection event, a first arc needs to be extinguished in the first disconnection region and a second arc needs to be extinguished in the second disconnection region.

The arc plate system is adapted to enhance the extinguishing of the arc during the opening event. The arc plate system comprises a plurality of first arc plates 901 to 911 in a first divided area and a plurality of second arc plates in a second divided area. Each of the first arc plates 901-911 and the second arc plates is a generally U-shaped member made of an electrically conductive material. The first break area and the first arc plates 901 to 911 can be seen in figure 6.

Each arc plate is electrically insulated from the other arc plates of the arc plate system. During an opening event, the first contact portion 51 of the movable contact is adapted to pass between the lateral branches of the first arc plates, while the second contact portion 52 of the movable contact is adapted to pass between the lateral branches of the second arc plates. Such arc plates are well known in the art and are therefore not discussed in detail herein.

The mutual angular distance between consecutive first arc-plates increases according to the angular distance from the first stationary contact 31, and the mutual angular distance between consecutive second arc-plates increases according to the angular distance from the second stationary contact 32. Referring to figure 6, the angular distance between the first arc plates 901 and 902 is much less than the angular distance between the first arc plates 910 and 911.

In an alternative embodiment, the first arc plates are located in the following angular positions with respect to the first stationary contact: 5 °, 10 °, 20 °, 40 °, 80 °, 130 °, 190 °, 260 °, 340 °, and the second arc plates are located at corresponding angular positions with respect to the second stationary contact. The arc plate system, which is arranged in such a way that the mutual angular distance between successive arc plates increases, is particularly suitable for electrical switches having a total clearance angle of greater than or equal to 360 °.

In another alternative embodiment, the arc plate system comprises a plurality of arc plates in the breaking area such that an angular distance between a third arc plate and a second arc plate of the plurality of arc plates is at least 50% greater than an angular distance between a second arc plate and a first arc plate of the plurality of arc plates and an angular distance between a last arc plate and a penultimate arc plate of the plurality of arc plates is at least 45 °. The sequential numbering of the plurality of arc plates in a breaking region begins with the arc plate through which the corresponding contact portion of the movable contact first moves during an opening event.

In another alternative embodiment, the arc plate system comprises a plurality of arc plates, the mutual angular distance between successive first arc plates being constant and the mutual angular distance between successive second arc plates being constant. In other words, the arc plates may be arranged in the same manner as arc plates in prior art electrical switches.

An insulation system electrically insulates the first break-off region from the second break-off region. The insulation system is adapted to prevent an arc from transferring from one side of the insulation system to the other side during an opening event of the electrical switch. For example, when the first contact portion 51 moves past the angular position of the second stationary contact 32, the insulating system prevents the arc from transferring from the first contact portion 51 towards the second stationary contact 32, which would be detrimental as it would prevent the electrical switch from switching into the non-conductive state.

The central plane passes through the insulation system. The area of the projection of the insulation system on the central plane is larger than a circle having a diameter equal to the distance between the free end of the first contact portion 51 and the free end of the second contact portion 52.

The insulation system comprises an insulating part of the frame and an insulating part 64 of the rolling elements, both made of an electrically insulating material. The insulating part of the frame is not shown in the drawings. The projection of the insulating part 64 of the rolling element on the central plane overlaps with the projection of the insulating part of the frame on the central plane, ensuring that there is no path for the arc at the junction between the insulating part of the frame and the insulating part 64 of the rolling element.

The first and second contact portions 51, 52 are adapted to operate as blade contacts. This means that in the first position of the rolling element 4, the current is adapted to flow substantially in a direction parallel to the rotation axis between the first stationary contact 31 and the first contact portion 51 and between the second stationary contact 32 and the second contact portion 52. In an alternative embodiment, the first contact portion and the second contact portion are adapted to operate as bumper-type contacts, wherein in the first position of the rolling element an electric current is adapted to flow between the first stationary contact and the first contact portion and between the second stationary contact and the second contact portion substantially along a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis.

Fig. 4a to 4c illustrate different positions of the rolling element 4 during a switch-off event. In fig. 4a, the rolling element 4 is in a first position. In fig. 4c, the rolling element 4 is in the second position. In fig. 4b, the rolling element 4 has rotated clockwise to a position between the first position and the second position, and the first contact portion 51 has just passed the angular position of the second stationary contact 32. In fig. 4a to 4c, the rotation axis is perpendicular to the image plane.

Fig. 5a to 5c show a rolling element 4 ″ of an electrical switch according to a further embodiment of the invention in a position corresponding to fig. 4a to 4 c. The electrical switches of fig. 5a to 5c have the unidirectional design discussed above. Thus, by rotating the rolling element 4 "clockwise, a transition from the second position shown in fig. 5c to the first position shown in fig. 5a can be achieved. The contact surface of the first stationary contact 31 "and the contact surface of the second stationary contact 32" are flat surfaces with a small angle with respect to the central plane, allowing the first contact portion 51 "to rotate beyond the angular position of the first stationary contact 31" and allowing the second contact portion to rotate beyond the angular position of the second stationary contact 32 ". The contact surface of the first stationary contact 31 "is a surface adapted to be in contact with the first contact portion 51" in the first position of the rolling element 4 ", and the contact surface of the second stationary contact 32" is a surface adapted to be in contact with the second contact portion in the first position of the rolling element 4 ".

It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.