Fast electric switching relay

Abstract

An electric switching relay (1) is disclosed, comprising a contact carrier (5), which is rotatably arranged in a housing or on a frame (2), and a drive piece (6, 6*), which is rotatably arranged therein, too, and which is connected to the contact carrier (5) by means of an elastically twistable connector (7). Powering an electromagnetic drive (8) of the switching relay (1) causes rotation of the drive piece (6, 6*) and in turn of the contact carrier (5) thereby causing closing or opening of switching contacts (3a, 3b, 9a, 9b). The connector (7) is elastically twisted and biased, forcing the contact carrier (5) in a rotational forward direction relative to the drive piece (6, 6*) in a state, in which the switching contacts (3a, 3b, 9a, 9b) are displaced. Moreover, a hybrid circuit breaker (20) is disclosed, the electro-mechanical bypass switch (21) of which is embodied as a switching relay (1) of the proposed kind.

Description

[0001] Fast Electric Switching Relay

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention relates to an electric switching relay, which comprises a housing or frame, a first fixed switching contact fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame and a contact carrier, which is rotatably arranged in the housing or on the frame around a rotation axis. Moreover, the electric switching relay comprises a drive piece or armature, which is rotatably arranged in the housing or on the frame around said rotation axis, too, and which is connected to the contact carrier by means of an elastically twistable connector. Additionally, the electric switching relay comprises an electromagnetic drive, which is fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame and which upon powering causes forward rotation of the drive piece around the rotation axis in a rotational forward direction and in turn a forward rotation of the contact carrier around the rotation axis in said rotational forward direction. Finally, the electric switching relay comprises a first movable switching contact, which is arranged on the contact carrier and which upon said forward rotation is pressed onto the first fixed switching contact.

[0004] The invention furthermore relates to a hybrid circuit breaker, which comprises input connectors to receive electrical energy from a power grid, output connectors to transfer electrical energy to a load and current paths each connecting an input connector and an output connector. Moreover, the hybrid circuit breaker comprises an electro-mechanical bypass switch in at least one of the current paths and a semiconductor circuit in parallel with the electro-mechanical bypass switch, wherein the electro-mechanical bypass switch is embodied as electric switching relay of the above kind. Finally, the hybrid circuit breaker comprises a control unit being capable of controlling a commutation from a current path, in which the electro-mechanical bypass switch is arranged, to the semiconductor circuit in case of a switching operation. BACKGROUND ART

[0005] An electric switching relay and a hybrid circuit breaker of the above kinds are generally known in prior art, for example from WO 2021 / 008991 A1 . When the electromagnetic drive is powered, the drive piece or armature is set into rotation and transmits its movement to the contact carrier via the elastically twistable connector. This elasticity provides the advantage that contact erosion can be compensated if the rotation angle of the drive piece exceeds the rotation angle contact carrier in the unused condition of the electric switching relay. However, a drawback of this solution is the existence of a time lag between the motion of the drive piece and the contact carrier based on this elasticity and based on the inertia of the contact carrier. So, there is a delayed rotation of the contact carrier leading to increased switching times. In particular but not only when the electric switching relay is used as electromechanical bypass switch of a hybrid circuit breaker, an ultrafast switching time is vital for a proper function of the hybrid circuit breaker. The slower the electromechanical bypass switch is the higher the current in the semiconductor circuit is. So, the aforementioned time lag is a considerable drawback of known electric switching relays.

[0006] DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

[0007] Accordingly, an object of the invention is the provision of an improved electric switching relay and the provision of an improved hybrid circuit breaker. In particular, an electric switching relay shall be proposed, which on the one hand provides contact erosion compensation and which on the other hand provides fast switching.

[0008] The object of the invention is solved by an electric switching relay of the type disclosed in the opening paragraph, wherein the elastically twistable connector is elastically twisted and biased and wherein the contact carrier is forced in the rotational forward direction relative to the drive piece in a first state, in which the movable ^.switching contact is lifted off the first fixed switching contact.

[0009] For example, the connector can be embodied as a torsional leaf spring, which longitudinally extends in the direction of the rotation axis. According to the proposed solution, the torsional leaf spring is pretensioned or biased in said first state. The object of the invention is also solved by a hybrid circuit breaker of the type disclosed in the opening paragraph, wherein the electro-mechanical bypass switch is embodied as electric switching relay of the above kind.

[0010] By use of the proposed measures, the torque, which can be transmitted from the drive piece to the contact carrier is considerably increased compared to the known solution. Accordingly, the contact carrier is accelerated faster upon a movement of the drive piece leading to faster switching. Test have shown that there is almost no delay or lag time between a movement of the drive piece and the contact carrier bringing down the switching time from around 570 ps to around 420 ps which is an improvement of mor than 25%. Tests have also shown that the use of a stiffer connector does not lead to such favorable results. The reason is that the torque starts at higher values in case of the pretensioned connector when the drive piece starts to move what is not the case for stiffer but non-biased connectors. The pretension does also lead to higher contact forces in general what improves thermal performance by reducing the contact resistance.

[0011] It should also be noted that “arranged in the housing or on the frame” in the context of this disclosure does just mean that there is no intended movement between the housing I frame and the part in question and does not necessarily mean that the part in question is directly be mounted to the housing I frame. Instead, such a part may also indirectly be arranged in the housing or on the frame with other parts inbetween.

[0012] Further advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the claims and in the description as well as in the figures.

[0013] Advantageously, the electric switching relay can comprise a first stop, which inhibits a rotation of the contact carrier relative to the drive piece in the first state, wherein the first stop a) is fixedly mounted to or part of the contact carrier or b) is fixedly mounted to or part of the drive piece.

[0014] In this way, the connector can be held in a pretensioned state easily. The first stop also provides substantial improvement for opening the electric switching relay, i.e. for lifting off the movable switching contact from the fixed switching contact. Once the drive piece reaches the first stop upon a backward rotation of the drive piece around the rotation axis in a rotational backward direction, the drive piece directly pushes the contact carrier in the rotational backward direction. Accordingly, the drive piece and the contact carrier synchronously rotate without any time lag then. Hence, fast opening of the switching contacts can be provided by the proposed measures.

[0015] In another advantageous embodiment, a force can be transmitted from the drive piece to the contact carrier by continued elastic twist of the connector in a second state, in which the first movable switching contact contacts the first fixed switching contact, wherein in case a) the drive piece lifts off the first stop or in case b) the contact carrier lifts off the first stop.

[0016] In this way, contact erosion can be compensated because the drive piece may go on traveling even when the contact carrier has stopped. When the contacts are eroded, contact force still is high because of the proposed pretension of the connector. Moreover, contact forces in the unused condition of the electric switching relay and when the contacts are eroded do not differ very much because the spring constant of the elastically twistable connector can be kept low. In other words, the contact force is almost constant during lifetime of the electric switching relay. In contrast, contact forces vary very much in the aforementioned states when a connector with low elasticity and without pretension is used.

[0017] In yet another advantageous embodiment, the electric switching relay can comprise a second stop, which inhibits a continued elastic twist of the connector after a specific twist angle and which c) is fixedly mounted to or part of the contact carrier or d) is fixedly mounted to or part of the drive piece.

[0018] In other word, there is a gap between second stop and drive piece in the first state, in which the movable switching contact is lifted off the first fixed switching contact. By the proposed measures, a torque imposed on the drive piece by the electromagnetic drive can directly be transmitted to the contact carrier independent of an elasticity of the connector.

[0019] Beneficially, the electric switching relay can comprise a spring arranged in the housing or on the frame, which acts on the contact carrier and causes a forward rotation of contact carrier. In this way, the movable switching contact can be pressed on the fixed switching contact even when the electromagnetic drive is non-powered and / or the force, with which the movable switching contact is pressed on the fixed switching contact, is increased when the electromagnetic drive is powered compared to solutions without such a spring.

[0020] In one further embodiment, the electric switching relay can comprise a second fixed switching contact fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame, a second movable switching contact, which is arranged on the contact carrier vis-a-vis of the first movable switching contact in view of the rotation axis and which upon said forward rotation is pressed onto the second fixed switching contact.

[0021] In this way, the contact carrier can be designed symmetrically what provides advantages for its dynamic behavior.

[0022] Advantageously, the electromagnetic drive can comprises a first yoke and a second yoke, a first actuation coil around the first yoke and a second actuation coil around the second yoke, a first permanent magnet and a second permanent magnet arranged between the first yoke and the second yoke, wherein the first actuation coil and second actuation coil upon powering the electromagnetic drive cause a magnetic flux in the first yoke and the second yoke forcing the drive piece in the rotational forward direction.

[0023] This type of electromagnetic drive imposes high forces on the drive piece or armature and hence provides high acceleration of the contact carrier and short switching times.

[0024] Beneficially, the electromagnetic drive can be embodied as a bistable drive. In this way, electric power is just needed for the transition from one switching state to the other.

[0025] In an example of the disclosure, an electric switching relay is provided. The electric relay comprises: a housing or frame, a first fixed switching contact fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame, a contact carrier, which is rotatably arranged in the housing or on the frame around a rotation axis, a drive piece, which is rotatably arranged in the housing or on the frame around said rotation axis, too, and which is connected to the contact carrier by means of an elastically twistable connector, an electromagnetic drive, which is fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame and which upon powering causes forward rotation of the drive piece around the rotation axis in a rotational forward direction and in turn a forward rotation of the contact carrier around the rotation axis in said rotational forward direction, a first movable switching contact, which is arranged on the contact carrier and which upon said forward rotation is pressed onto the first fixed switching contact, wherein the elastically twistable connector is elastically twisted and biased, wherein the contact carrier is forced in the rotational forward direction relative to the drive piece in a first state, in which the movable switching contact is lifted off the first fixed switching contact.

[0026] In some examples, a first stop, which inhibits a rotation of the contact carrier relative to the drive piece in the first state, wherein the first stop a) is fixedly mounted to or part of the contact carrier (5) or b) is fixedly mounted to or part of the drive piece.

[0027] In some examples a force is transmitted from the drive piece to the contact carrier by continued elastic twist of the connector in a second state, in which the first movable switching contact contacts the first fixed switching contact, wherein in case a) the drive piece lifts off the first stop or in case b) the contact carrier lifts off the first stop.

[0028] In some examples, a second stop, which inhibits a continued elastic twist of the connector after a specific twist angle and which c) is fixedly mounted to or part of the contact carrier or d) is fixedly mounted to or part of the drive piece. In some examples, the connector is embodied as a torsional leaf spring, which longitudinally extends in the direction of the rotation axis..

[0029] In some examples a spring is arranged in the housing or on the frame, which acts on the contact carrier and causes a forward rotation of contact carrier.

[0030] In some examples a second fixed switching contact is fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame, and a second movable switching contact is arranged on the contact carrier vis-a-vis of the first movable switching contact in view of the rotation axis and, upon said forward rotation, is pressed onto the second fixed switching contact.

[0031] In some examples, the electromagnetic drive comprises: a first yoke and a second yoke, a first actuation coil around the first yoke and a second actuation coil around the second yoke, a first permanent magnet and a second permanent magnet arranged between the first yoke and the second yoke, wherein the first actuation coil and second actuation coil upon powering the electromagnetic drive cause a magnetic flux in the first yoke and the second yoke forcing the drive piece in the rotational forward direction.

[0032] In some examples, the electromagnetic drive is embodied as a bistable drive.

[0033] In another aspect of the disclosure, a hybrid circuit breaker is provided, the hybrid circuit breaker comprising: input connectors to receive electrical energy from a power grid, output connectors to transfer electrical energy to a load, current paths each connecting an input connector and an output connector, an electro-mechanical bypass switch in at least one of the current paths, a semiconductor circuit in parallel with the electro-mechanical bypass switch and a control unit being capable of controlling a commutation from a current path, in which the electro-mechanical bypass switch is arranged, to the semiconductor circuit in case of a switching operation, wherein the electro-mechanical bypass switch is embodied as electric switching relay according to any one of the above examples.

[0034] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] The invention now is described in more detail hereinafter with reference to particular embodiments, which the invention however is not limited to.

[0036] Fig. 1 shows a view on an example of a switching relay in a first plane at the contact carrier;

[0037] Fig. 2 shows the switching relay of Fig. 1 in a second plane at the drive piece;

[0038] Fig. 3 shows an oblique view of inter alia the contact carrier, the drive piece, the connector and the stop piece;

[0039] Fig. 4 shows a detailed view of the stop piece;

[0040] Fig. 5 shows an oblique sectional view of the contact carrier, the drive piece, and the connector;

[0041] Fig. 6 shows a detailed front view of the drive piece, the contact carrier and the stop piece;

[0042] Fig. 7 shows rotation angles over time of the of a prior art contact carrier and drive piece without the pretension feature;

[0043] Fig. 8 shows rotation angles over time of the of the contact carrier and the drive piece with the proposed pretension feature;

[0044] Fig. 9 shows rotation angles over time for a prior art contact carrier and a proposed contact carrier and

[0045] Fig. 10 shows a schematic view of a hybrid circuit breaker.

[0046] DETAILED DESCRIPTION Generally, same parts or similar parts are denoted with the same / similar names and reference signs. The features disclosed in the description apply to parts with the same / similar names respectively same / similar reference signs. Indicating the orientation and relative position is related to the associated figure, and indication of the orientation and / or relative position has to be amended in different figures accordingly as the case may be.

[0047] Figs. 1 and 2 show an example of an electric switching relay 1 , wherein Fig. 1 shows the switching relay 1 in a first plane and Fig. 2 shows the switching relay 1 in a second parallel plane.

[0048] The electric switching relay 1 comprises a frame 2, a first fixed switching contact 3a on a first contact plate 4a fixedly arranged on the frame 2, and a contact carrier 5, which is rotatably arranged on the frame 2 around a rotation axis B (see also Fig. 3). Moreover, the switching relay 1 comprises a drive piece 6 or armature, which is rotatably arranged on the frame 2 around said rotation axis B, too, and which is connected to the contact carrier 5 by means of an elastically twistable connector 7. In addition, the switching relay 1 comprises an electromagnetic drive 8, which is fixedly arranged on the frame 2 and which upon powering causes forward rotation of the drive piece 6 around the rotation axis B in a rotational forward direction C and in turn a forward rotation of the contact carrier 5 around the rotation axis B in said rotational forward direction C. Further on, the switching relay 1 comprises a first movable switching contact 9a, which is arranged on the contact carrier 5 and which upon said forward rotation is pressed onto the first fixed switching contact 3a. Thereby, an electric circuit (not shown) can be closed.

[0049] In this embodiment, the electromagnetic drive 8 comprises a first yoke 10a and a second yoke 10b, a first actuation coil 11 a around the first yoke 10a and a second actuation coil 11 b around the second yoke 10b as well as a first permanent magnet 12a and a second permanent magnet 12b arranged between the first yoke 10a and the second yoke 10b. Upon powering the electromagnetic drive 8, the first actuation coil 11 a and the second actuation coil 11 b cause a magnetic flux in the first yoke 10a and the second yoke 10b, which forces the drive piece 6 in the rotational forward direction C thereby causing the aforementioned rotation. In this example, the electromagnetic drive 8 is embodied as a bistable drive. In this way, electric power is just needed for the transition from one switching state to the other. In detail, opposite currents through the actuation coils 11a, 11 b cause a rotation in the opposite rotation direction thereby lifting the first movable switching contact 9a from the first fixed switching contact 3a and thereby opening an electric circuit. However, using a monostable electromagnetic drive 8 and an electromagnetic drive 8 of a different type of construction can be used as well for the switching relay 1 . For example, such an alternative electromagnetic drive 8 may have just a first yoke 10a and just a first actuation coil 11a for generating the desired electromagnetic force.

[0050] It should also be noted that the use of a frame 2 is not mandatory but alternatively or in addition the aforementioned parts can also be arranged in a housing. Arranging the aforementioned parts in a housing or on the frame 2 particularly includes indirect connection with other parts in-between.

[0051] The embodiment shown in Fig. 1 moreover comprises an optional second fixed switching contact 3b on a second contact plate 4b fixedly arranged on the frame 2 and an optional second movable switching contact 9b, which is arranged on the contact carrier 5 vis-a-vis of the first movable switching contact 9a in view of the rotation axis B. Upon a forward rotation in the rotational forward direction C, the second movable switching contact 9b is pressed onto the second fixed switching contact 3b, too.

[0052] In addition, the switching relay 1 comprises two leaf springs 14a, 14b arranged on the frame 2, which are held by leaf spring holders 15a, 15b and which act on the contact carrier 5 thereby causing a forward rotation of contact carrier 5 in the rotational forward direction C.

[0053] The elastically twistable connector 7 is elastically twisted and biased, wherein the contact carrier 5 is forced in the rotational forward direction relative to the drive piece 6 in a first state, in which the movable switching contacts 9a, 9b are lifted off the fixed switching contacts 3a, 3b. For example, the connector 7 can be embodied as a torsional leaf spring, which longitudinally extends in the direction of the rotation axis B as it is the case in the example shown in Figs. 1 and 2. To hold the drive piece 6 in position, the switching relay 1 comprises a stop piece 13 (see Fig. 4 for details).

[0054] Generally, the contact carrier 5 can be made of metal or of an insulator (e.g. ceramics or plastics). In case that the contact carrier 5 is made of metal, the movable switching contacts 9a, 9b may simply be regions on the contact carrier 5 which are intended to cooperate with the contact plates 4a, 4b. In case that the contact carrier 5 is made of an insulator, the the movable switching contacts 9a, 9b are distinct parts attached to the contact carrier 5. In addition, a distinct electrical conductor connecting the movable switching contacts 9a, 9b should be provided then on or in the contact carrier 5.

[0055] For better understanding, Fig. 3 shows an oblique view of the contact plates 4a, 4b with the fixed switching contacts 3a, 3b, the contact carrier 5 with the movable switching contacts 9a, 9b and the drive piece 6, which is connected to the contact carrier 5 by means of the elastically twistable connector 7.

[0056] Fig. 4 shows a detailed view of the stop piece 13. The stop piece 13 has a stop piece base body 16 with a cutout 17 for the connector 7 and a radial groove for the drive piece 6, wherein the groove is formed by two optional first stops 18a, 18b opposite of two optional second stops 19a, 19b, the function of which is explained by use of Fig. 6.

[0057] In addition, Fig. 5 shows an oblique sectional view of the contact carrier 5, the drive piece 6 and the connector 7. Note that in Fig. 5 the stop piece 13 is not shown.

[0058] Fig. 6 now shows a detailed front view of the drive piece 6, the contact carrier 5 and the stop piece 13. For better understanding the stops 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b are drawn as dedicated blocks. However, in reality, the stops 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b may simply have a shape as depicted in Fig. 4 or any other applicable shape. In particular, the stops 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b can have angular flat faces as depicted or may have other curvatures as well. Fig. 6 shows the drive piece 6 drawn in bold lines in the first state, in which the movable switching contacts 9a, 9b are lifted off the fixed switching contacts 3a, 3b. As can be seen, the elastic twistable connector 7 is already pretensioned in this state. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 6, the stop piece 13 and its stops 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b are fixedly mounted to the contact carrier 5. However, in an alternative embodiment, a stop piece 13 and its stops 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b may fixedly mounted to the drive piece 6, provided that the contact carrier 5 and the stop piece 13 have suitable (cooperating) shapes. The stops 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b may also be part of the contact carrier 5 or the drive piece 6 without the need of a dedicated stop piece 13.

[0059] When the drive piece 6 is driven in forward direction C, its rotational movement is transmitted to the contact carrier 5 by the connector 7. At some point in time, the movable switching contacts 9a, 9b contact the fixed switching contacts 3a, 3b thereby hindering a further rotation of the contact carrier 5. However, a force is transmitted from the drive piece 6 to the contact carrier 5 by continued elastic twist of the connector 7 in this second state, wherein the drive piece lifts 6 off the first stops 18a, 18b (in an alternate embodiment, the contact carrier 5 can lift off the first stop 18a, 18b instead).

[0060] The optional second stops 19a, 19b, which inhibit a continued elastic twist of the connector 7 after a specific twist angle, are fixedly mounted to or part of the contact carrier 5 in this embodiment. Alternatively, the second stops 19a, 19b can be fixedly mounted to or part of the drive piece 6. This state is depicted in Fig. 6 by means of the drive piece 6* drawn with dashed lines.

[0061] The pretension of the connector 7, in particular in combination with the first stops 18a, 18b provide a number of advantages:

[0062] The torque, which can be transmitted from the drive piece 6 to the contact carrier 5 in the rotational forward direction C, is considerably increased by the pretension feature compared to known solutions. Accordingly, the contact carrier 5 is accelerated faster upon a movement of the drive piece 6 leading to faster switching. Using a stiffer connector 7 without pretension does not lead to such favorable results. The reason is that the torque, which is transmitted from the drive piece 6 to the contact carrier 5, starts at higher values in case of the pretensioned connector 7 already when the drive piece 6 starts to move what is not the case for stiffer but nonbiased connectors 7.

[0063] The pretension does lead to higher contact forces in general what improves thermal performance by reducing the contact resistance.

[0064] Contact erosion can be compensated, and the contact force still is high in such a state because of the proposed pretension of the connector 7.

[0065] Contact forces in the unused condition of the electric switching relay 1 and when the switching contacts 3a, 3b, 9a, 9b are eroded do not differ very much because the spring constant of the elastically twistable connector 7 can be kept low. In other words, the contact force is almost constant during lifetime of the electric switching relay 1 . In contrast, contact forces vary very much in the aforementioned states when a connector 7 with low elasticity and without pretension is used.

[0066] The first stops 18a, 18b provide substantial improvement for opening the electric switching relay 1 , i.e. for lifting off the movable switching contacts 9a, 9b from the fixed switching contacts 3a, 3b. Once the drive piece 6 reaches the first stops 18a, 18b upon a backward rotation in a rotational backward direction (i.e. against the rotational forward direction C), the drive piece 6 directly pushes the contact carrier 5 in the rotational backward direction. Accordingly, the drive piece 6 and the contact carrier 5 synchronously rotate then without any time lag. Hence, fast opening of the switching contacts 3a, 3b, 9a, 9b can be provided by the proposed measures.

[0067] Figs. 7 to 9 show some diagrams of a rotation angle a over time t to illustrate the advantage of the pretensioned or biased connector 7. In detail, Fig. 7 shows a rotation angle a(5’) of the contact carrier 5 without pretension and the rotation angle a(6’) of the drive piece 6 without pretension, in other words the rotation angles a(5’) and a(6’) of a prior art design. Fig. 8 shows a corresponding diagram, however for the rotation angle a(5) of the contact carrier 5 with pretension and the rotation angle a(6) of the drive piece 6 with pretension, in other words the rotation angles a(5) and a(6) of the proposed design. Fig. 7 clearly shows a time lag between the prior art contact carrier 5 and the prior art drive piece 6, whereas in Fig. 8 there is no such time lag, neither for a forward rotation nor for a backward rotation. The pretension of the connector 7 allows to transmit high torque from the drive piece 6 to the contact carrier 5 and thus allows for high angular acceleration of the contact carrier 5 in the rotational forward direction C, whereas the first stop 18a, 18b provide synchronous movement of the drive piece 6 and the contact carrier 5 in the rotational backward direction. Fig. 9 shows the rotation angle a(5’) of the prior art contact carrier 5 without pretension and the rotation angle a(5) of the proposed contact carrier 5 with pretension. Fig. 9 clearly shows that the proposed contact carrier 5 reacts much faster on a rotation of the drive piece 6.

[0068] Finally, Fig. 10 shows a schematic view of a hybrid circuit breaker 20, which comprises input connectors TI1 , TI2 to receive electrical energy from a power grid, output connectors TO1 , TO2 to transfer electrical energy to a load and current paths each connecting an input connector TI1 , TI2 and an output connector TO1 , TO2. Moreover, the hybrid circuit breaker 20 comprises an electro-mechanical bypass switch 21 in at least one of the current paths, a semiconductor circuit 22 in parallel with the electro-mechanical bypass switch 21 and a control unit 23 being capable of controlling a commutation from a current path, in which the electro-mechanical bypass switch 21 is arranged, to the semiconductor circuit 22 in case of a switching operation. By using an electric switching relay 1 of the proposed design for the electro-mechanical bypass switch 21 , currents in the semiconductor circuit 22 can be kept comparably low.

[0069] In reality, the electric switching relay 1 and the hybrid circuit breaker 20 may have more or less parts than shown in the figures. It should also be noted that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Moreover, the description may comprise subject matter of further independent inventions.

[0070] It should also be noted that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements and the use of articles "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Also elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined. It should also be noted that reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0071] 1 electric switching relay

[0072] 2 frame

[0073] 3a, 3b fixed switching contact

[0074] 4a, 4b contact plate

[0075] 5 contact carrier

[0076] 6, 6* drive piece I armature

[0077] 7 elastically twistable connector I torsional spring

[0078] 8 electromagnetic drive

[0079] 9a, 9b movable switching contact 10a, 10b yoke I magnetic core

[0080] 11a, 11b coil

[0081] 12a, 12b permanent magnet

[0082] 13 stop piece

[0083] 14a, 14b leaf spring

[0084] 15a, 15b leaf spring holder

[0085] 16 stop piece base body

[0086] 17 cutout

[0087] 18a, 18b first stop

[0088] 19a, 19b second stop

[0089] 20 hybrid circuit breaker

[0090] 21 electro-mechanical bypass switch

[0091] 22 semiconductor circuit

[0092] 23 control unit a rotation angle a(5) rotation angle of contact carrier a(5’) rotation angle of contact carrier without pretension a(6) rotation angle of drive piece a(6’) rotation angle of drive piece without pretension

[0093] B rotation axis

[0094] C rotational forward direction

[0095] TI1 , TI2 input connector

[0096] TO1 , TO2 output connector

Claims

CLAIMS1 . Electric switching relay (1 ), comprising a housing or frame (2), a first fixed switching contact (3a) fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame (2), a contact carrier (5), which is rotatably arranged in the housing or on the frame (2) around a rotation axis (B), a drive piece (6, 6*), which is rotatably arranged in the housing or on the frame (2) around said rotation axis (B), too, and which is connected to the contact carrier (5) by means of an elastically twistable connector (7), an electromagnetic drive (8), which is fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame (2) and which upon powering causes forward rotation of the drive piece (6, 6*) around the rotation axis (B) in a rotational forward direction (C) and in turn a forward rotation of the contact carrier (5) around the rotation axis (B) in said rotational forward direction (C) from a first state to a second state, a first movable switching contact (9a), which is arranged on the contact carrier (5) and which is separated from the first fixed switching contact (3a) in the first state, wherein, upon said forward rotation into the second state, the first movable switching contact (9a) is pressed onto the first fixed switching contact (3a), characterized in that the elastically twistable connector (7) is elastically twisted and biased in the first state, and the contact carrier (5) is forced in the rotational forward direction relative to the drive piece (6, 6*) in the first state.

2. Electric switching relay (1 ) as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in a first stop (18a, 18b), which inhibits a rotation of the contact carrier (5) relative to the drive piece (6, 6*) in the first state, wherein the first stop (18a, 18b) a) is fixedly mounted to or part of the contact carrier (5) or b) is fixedly mounted to or part of the drive piece (6, 6*).

3. Electric switching relay (1 ) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that a force is transmitted from the drive piece (6, 6*) to the contact carrier (5) by continued elastic twist of the connector (7) in the second state, in which the first movable switching contact (9a) contacts the first fixed switching contact (3a), wherein in case a) the drive piece lifts (6, 6*) off the first stop (18a, 18b) or in case b) the contact carrier (5) lifts off the first stop (18a, 18b).

4. Electric switching relay (1 ) as claimed in claim 3, characterized in a second stop (19a, 19b), which inhibits a continued elastic twist of the connector (7) after a specific twist angle and which c) is fixedly mounted to or part of the contact carrier (5) or d) is fixedly mounted to or part of the drive piece (6, 6*).

5. Electric switching relay (1 ) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in the connector (7) is embodied as a torsional leaf spring, which longitudinally extends in the direction of the rotation axis (B).

6. Electric switching relay (1 ) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in a spring (14a, 14b) arranged in the housing or on the frame (2), which acts on the contact carrier (5) and causes a forward rotation of contact carrier (5).

7. Electric switching relay (1 ) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in a second fixed switching contact (3b) fixedly arranged in the housing or on the frame (2), a second movable switching contact (9b), which is arranged on the contact carrier (5) vis-a-vis of the first movable switching contact (9a) in view of the rotation axis (B) and which upon said forward rotation is pressed onto the second fixed switching contact (3b).

8. Electric switching relay (1 ) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the electromagnetic drive (8) comprisesa first yoke (1 Oa) and a second yoke (10b), a first actuation coil (11 a) around the first yoke (1 Oa) and a second actuation coil (11 b) around the second yoke (1 Ob), a first permanent magnet (12a) and a second permanent magnet (12b) arranged between the first yoke (10a) and the second yoke (10b), wherein the first actuation coil (11 a) and second actuation coil (11 b) upon powering the electromagnetic drive (8) cause a magnetic flux in the first yoke (10a) and the second yoke (10b) forcing the drive piece (6, 6*) in the rotational forward direction (C).

9. Electric switching relay (1 ) as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the electromagnetic drive (8) is embodied as a bistable drive.

10. Hybrid circuit breaker (20), comprising input connectors (TI1 , TI2) to receive electrical energy from a power grid, output connectors (TO1 , TO2) to transfer electrical energy to a load, current paths each connecting an input connector (TI1 , TI2) and an output connector (TO1 , TO2), an electro-mechanical bypass switch (21 ) in at least one of the current paths, a semiconductor circuit (22) in parallel with the electro-mechanical bypass switch (21 ) and a control unit (23) being capable of controlling a commutation from a current path, in which the electro-mechanical bypass switch (21 ) is arranged, to the semiconductor circuit (22) in case of a switching operation, characterized in that the electro-mechanical bypass switch (21 ) is embodied as electric switching relay (1 ) according to any one of the claims 1 to 9.

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