An insulating discharge rod for capacitors

Abstract

This invention discloses an insulating discharge rod for capacitors, enabling maintenance personnel to discharge capacitors without removing the insulating sheath. The insulating discharge rod includes at least one discharge section; the discharge section includes two discharge contacts, two discharge terminals, a conductive steel plate, and a wire. The discharge terminals are located at the end of the discharge contacts furthest from the conductive steel plate. The length of the discharge contacts is greater than the depth of the capacitor's insulating sheath. The wire is connected to ground for releasing charge. When discharge is required, the discharge contacts extend into the capacitor's insulating sheath. The width of the discharge contacts is required to ensure they can penetrate the insulating sheath, and the length is required to ensure the discharge terminals can contact the capacitor's electrical terminals, achieving electrical conduction. Simultaneously, the discharge terminals conduct the charge to the conductive steel plate, which is connected to the wire. The wire, through its connection to ground, releases the charge in the capacitor to the earth, achieving the function of discharging the capacitor without removing the insulating sheath.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrical auxiliary equipment, and more particularly to an insulating discharge rod for capacitors. Background Technology

[0002] Capacitors play a crucial role in substations, primarily storing electrical energy and improving the substation's power factor. When maintenance work is required at a substation, the power is first disconnected to prevent electric shock for maintenance personnel. Because capacitors store a large amount of charge, posing a significant safety hazard, discharge rods are typically used to completely discharge the charge from the capacitors.

[0003] Typically, maintenance personnel need to ground the discharge rod and then simultaneously contact it with both polarity terminals of the capacitor to achieve discharge. However, current capacitors each have an insulating sheath installed at each terminal, making it difficult for a standard discharge rod to directly contact the electrical polarity terminals. Therefore, maintenance personnel, wearing insulating gloves, usually remove the insulating sheaths. This process poses a significant safety hazard and can easily result in electric shock to the maintenance personnel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an insulating discharge rod for capacitors, so as to solve the problem that capacitors currently require the removal of the insulating sheath before they can discharge.

[0005] To achieve this objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] An insulating discharge rod for capacitors, comprising at least one discharge section;

[0007] The discharge section includes two discharge contacts, two discharge terminals, a conductive steel plate, and a wire. The discharge terminals are located at the end of the discharge contacts that is away from the conductive steel plate.

[0008] The length of the discharge contact is greater than the depth of the insulating sheath of the capacitor. When the discharge contact extends into the insulating sheath, the discharge terminal contacts the polarity terminal of the capacitor, releasing the charge to the conductive steel plate. The conductive steel plate is connected to the wire.

[0009] The wire is connected to ground to release electrical charge.

[0010] Optionally, the insulating discharge rod further includes a prompting part and a connecting rod for indicating that the discharge is complete;

[0011] The prompting part includes an electromagnet, a spring, a prompting post, and a mounting plate; the electromagnet is disposed on one side of the conductive steel plate and is used to magnetically connect with the prompting post when discharging;

[0012] The mounting plate and the conductive steel plate are arranged opposite to each other. The mounting plate has a hole, and the indicator post is movably inserted into the hole. The spring is arranged between one end of the indicator post and one side of the mounting plate.

[0013] Optionally, one terminal of the electromagnet is connected to one of the discharge terminals, the other terminal of the electromagnet is connected to the conductive steel plate, the conductive steel plate is connected to the other discharge terminal, and the wire is disposed on the conductive steel plate.

[0014] Optionally, the insulating discharge rod further includes at least two insulating rods, which are fixedly connected to the connecting rod and connected to each other by a splice.

[0015] Optionally, the end of the insulating rod is fitted with a protective ring, and the protective ring is connected to an insulating sleeve for gripping.

[0016] Optionally, the insulating sleeve has textured patterns for easy gripping.

[0017] Optionally, the top of the insulating rod is fitted with a retaining ring for fixing the connecting rod, and the wire is fixedly connected to the retaining ring by a second fastener.

[0018] Optionally, the insulating rod is an epoxy resin rod.

[0019] Optionally, the discharge terminal is tapered.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] The present invention provides an insulating discharge rod comprising a discharge section, which includes at least one discharge part; the discharge section includes two discharge contacts, two discharge terminals, a conductive steel plate, and a wire. The discharge terminals are located at the end of the discharge contacts furthest from the conductive steel plate. The length of the discharge contacts is greater than the depth of the insulating sheath of the capacitor. When the discharge contacts extend into the insulating sheath, the discharge terminals contact the polarity terminals of the capacitor, releasing charge to the conductive steel plate. The conductive steel plate is connected to the wire, and the wire is connected to ground. When discharge is required, the discharge contacts extend into the insulating sheath of the capacitor. The width of the discharge contacts is required to ensure that they can extend into the insulating sheath, and the length is required to ensure that the discharge terminals can contact the electrical terminals of the capacitor, achieving electrical conduction. Simultaneously, the discharge terminals conduct the charge to the conductive steel plate, which is connected to the wire. The wire, through its connection to ground, releases the charge in the capacitor to the ground, achieving the function of discharging the capacitor without removing the insulating sheath. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc., shown in the accompanying drawings of this specification are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed in the specification, and are not intended to limit the conditions under which the present invention can be implemented. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives that the present invention can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure provided for an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram provided for an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the terminal structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Illustration: 1. Discharge section; 11. Discharge contact; 12. Discharge terminal; 13. Conductive steel plate; 14. First fastener; 15. Second fastener; 16. Wire; 2. Indicator section; 21. Electromagnet; 22. Spring; 23. Indicator post; 24. Mounting plate; 3. Connecting rod; 4. Fixing ring; 5. Connecting buckle; 6. Insulating rod; 7. Protective ring; 8. Insulating sleeve. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this invention more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described below are only some embodiments of this invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0029] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. It should be noted that when a component is considered to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be a component positioned centrally in the connection.

[0030] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the terminal structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The insulating discharge rod provided in this embodiment of the invention is applied to capacitor discharge scenarios. Specifically, the capacitor's discharge terminals are covered with an insulating sleeve to prevent the two polarity terminals of the capacitor from being short-circuited by air, thus preventing a safety accident. Therefore, when discharging a capacitor, maintenance personnel often need to remove the insulating sleeve and then press the discharge rod firmly against the capacitor's polarity terminals to achieve discharge.

[0033] In one embodiment of an insulating discharge rod specifically applied to a capacitor, such as Figure 2As shown, the insulating discharge rod includes a discharge section 1, which includes two discharge contacts 11, two discharge terminals 12, and a wire 16. The maximum width of the discharge contacts 11 is smaller than the minimum tangent circle of the insulating sheath, allowing the discharge contacts 11 to extend into the insulating sheath without being blocked. The length of the discharge contacts 11 is greater than the depth of the insulating sheath, ensuring that the discharge contacts 11 do not fail to contact the polarity terminals of the capacitor due to insufficient length. The discharge terminals 12 are located at the ends of the discharge contacts 11, specifically at the end furthest from the conductive steel plate 13. By simply extending the discharge contacts 11 into the insulating sheath, the discharge terminals 12 and the polarity terminals of the capacitor can achieve electrical contact, thereby guiding the charge to the conductive steel plate 13. When discharge is required, the two discharge terminals 12 of the insulating discharge rod are connected to the two polarity terminals of the capacitor, short-circuiting the polarity terminals to form a closed loop. This method of forming a closed loop results in faster and more stable discharge compared to the non-short-circuiting method. Meanwhile, the conductor 16 is connected to the conductive steel plate 13 through the first fastener 14. The conductor 16 is connected to the ground, and the insulating discharge rod can release the charge of the capacitor to the ground through the conductor 16.

[0034] Based on the above embodiments, the insulating discharge rod has two discharge sections 1, and each discharge contact 11 has a discharge terminal 12 at its end. The size of the discharge contact 11 is limited to the same extent as in the above embodiments, allowing the discharge contact 11 to extend into the insulating sheath, and the discharge terminal 12 to contact the polarity terminal of the capacitor, thereby realizing the discharge function. The specific size of the distribution of these four discharge contacts 11 is not limited, but this distribution allows the insulating discharge rod to simultaneously insert into the four insulating sheaths of a group of adjacent capacitors, realizing the function of simultaneously discharging multiple capacitors. Of course, the insulating discharge rod may also have three or more discharge sections 1.

[0035] Furthermore, the insulating discharge rod also includes a prompting part 2 for indicating the completion of discharge. The prompting part 2 includes an electromagnet 21, a spring 22, a prompting post 23, and a mounting plate 24. The electromagnet 21 is disposed on one side of the conductive steel plate 13 and is used to magnetically connect with the prompting post 23 during discharge; the mounting plate 24 is disposed opposite to the conductive steel plate 13, and the mounting plate 24 has a sliding groove in which the prompting post 23 is slidably connected; the spring 22 is disposed between one end of the prompting post 23 and one side of the mounting plate 24.

[0036] Specifically, the outer shell of electromagnet 21 is connected to one side of conductive steel plate 13, opposite to the discharge contact 12 located above, facilitating the flow of current received by discharge contact 12. When discharge contact 12 extends into the insulating sheath of capacitor, discharge terminal 12 contacts the polarity terminal of capacitor, forming a discharge circuit. At this time, current flows through electromagnet 21. According to Lorentz's law, the electromagnet will generate a unidirectional magnetic attraction force, moving the indicator post 23 towards electromagnet 21. Spring 22 stores a certain amount of elastic potential energy through compression. It should be noted that conductive steel plate 13 and mounting plate 24 are arranged opposite each other, ensuring that the magnetic attraction force generated by electromagnet 21 is directly opposite the indicator post 23, preventing the conductive steel plate 13 or mounting plate 24 from tilting during the attraction process. To prevent the indicator post 23 from shifting when attracted by electromagnet 21, a groove is provided on mounting plate 24. The groove ensures that the indicator post 23 can only move along the direction of magnetic force, which helps improve the stability of the structure. After the capacitor has discharged completely, no current flows through the electromagnet 21, and the magnetic attraction disappears. The indicator post 23 is dumbbell-shaped, with both ends unable to pass through the slide groove, and only the middle part can slide in the slide groove. The indicator post 23 is reset by the action of the spring 22. The spring 22 releases elastic potential energy to move the indicator post 23 back to its original position. Because the indicator post 23 cannot pass through the slide groove, when the indicator post 23 contacts the mounting plate 24, the two collide. The mounting plate 24 cancels out the kinetic energy through its own deformation, and at the same time, a collision sound, a "click", is produced, indicating to the maintenance personnel that the discharge is complete. It has the advantages of accuracy, intuitiveness, and stability.

[0037] It should be added that the above effect can also be achieved when the magnetic force generated by the electromagnet 21 on the indicator post 23 is a magnetic repulsive force. Specifically, the magnetic repulsive force generated by the electromagnet 21 causes the indicator post 23 to slide away from the electromagnet 21, and the slide groove also restricts the electromagnet 21. When the indicator post 23 is pushed away from the electromagnet 21 by the magnetic repulsive force, the spring 22 is stretched and stores a certain amount of elastic potential energy. When the discharge is completed, the magnetic repulsive force disappears, and the indicator post 23 returns to its original position. Because the spring 22 is installed between one end of the indicator post 23 and one side of the mounting plate, the indicator post 23 will not collide with the mounting plate. However, the spring 22 will generate a certain frequency of vibration when it is stretched and reset, thereby emitting a sound to indicate to the maintenance personnel that the discharge is completed. It also has the advantages of accuracy, intuitiveness, and stability. Therefore, the spring 22 can be set on the side of the mounting plate 24 facing the conductive steel plate 13 or on the side opposite to the conductive steel plate 13, and there is no restriction on the direction of the current in the closed circuit. Of course, the prompting unit 2 can also prompt the maintenance personnel that the discharge is complete in other ways, such as by connecting a voltmeter to detect the voltage to determine whether the discharge is complete, but the maintenance personnel need to keep an eye on the voltmeter, which is rather cumbersome.

[0038] Based on the above embodiment, one terminal of the electromagnet 21 is connected to one of the discharge terminals 12, and the other terminal of the electromagnet 21 is connected to the conductive steel plate 13. The conductive steel plate 13 is connected to the other discharge terminal 12, and the wire 16 is disposed on the conductive steel plate 13. The conductive steel plate 13 has a connection hole corresponding to one of the discharge terminals 12, and the discharge terminal 12 is connected to the terminal of the electromagnet 21 through the connection hole. When a discharge circuit is formed, the current released by the capacitor forms a discharge circuit through the electromagnet 21 and the conductive steel plate 13, and then the charge is released to the ground through the wire 16. Among them, the discharge terminal 12 connected to the electromagnet 21 is the discharge terminal 12 located above the discharge part 1. In this way, the prompt part 2 is disposed on the top of the insulating discharge rod, so that the connecting rod 3 can be connected to the middle part of the conductive steel plate 13 and the middle part of the mounting plate 24 respectively, avoiding bending due to torque and making the structure more stable.

[0039] It should be further noted that the electromagnet 21 can be connected to a discharge terminal 12, which can also be a discharge terminal 12 located below the discharge section 1. In order to avoid interference between the connecting rod 3 and the indicator section 2, the connecting rod 3 needs to be adjusted accordingly. For example, the two ends of the connecting rod 3 can be connected to the bottom of the mounting plate 24 and the conductive steel plate 13, respectively. However, the mounting plate 24 may bend due to the torque generated by its own weight. Therefore, the height of the mounting plate 24 needs to be reduced. Similarly, to prevent the conductive steel plate 13 from deforming, some reinforcing ribs need to be added to the conductive steel plate 13.

[0040] Furthermore, the two ends of the connecting rod 3 are respectively connected to the conductive steel plate 13 and the mounting plate 24. Since the electromagnet 21 set on the conductive steel plate 13 needs to attract the indicator post 23 on the mounting plate 24, maintaining a stable distance is necessary to ensure the stability of the entire attraction or release process. The connecting rod 3 plays a role in stabilizing the distance between the conductive steel plate 13 and the mounting plate 24. Therefore, the connecting rod 3 is connected to the middle of the conductive steel plate 13 and the mounting plate 24 respectively to reduce the influence of torque on the structure and prevent the conductive steel plate 13 or the mounting plate 24 from shifting.

[0041] Furthermore, such as Figure 1 As shown, the insulating discharge rod includes at least two insulating rods 6, which are connected by a connecting buckle 5. The insulating rods 6 are interlocked, and the connecting buckle 5 allows for different extension lengths of the insulating rods 6, thus adjusting the length of the insulating discharge rod to accommodate capacitors located at different heights.

[0042] Based on the above embodiment, a protective ring 7 is fitted onto the end of the insulating rod 6, and an insulating sleeve 8 for gripping is connected to the protective ring 7. The protective ring 7 serves two purposes: firstly, it provides insulation to prevent electrical charge from conducting through the air and causing safety accidents; secondly, it facilitates gripping by maintenance personnel, who only need to press the web of their wrist against the protective ring 7. The insulating sleeve 8 connected to the protective ring 7 further increases the insulation capacity of the insulating discharge rod, preventing safety accidents.

[0043] Meanwhile, the insulating sleeve 8 has textured patterns to facilitate gripping by maintenance personnel and prevent the insulating discharge rod from slipping and causing an accident. The specific texture is not limited and can be striped, dotted, wavy, etc.

[0044] Furthermore, a fixing ring 4 is fitted onto the top of the insulating rod 6, and the wire 16 is fixedly connected to the insulating rod 6 by a second fastener 15. The inner diameter of the fixing ring 4 matches the outer diameter of the insulating rod 6, and a flat surface is formed on the side wall of the fixing ring 4 for placing the wire 6. Perpendicular to this flat surface, the fixing ring 4 and the insulating rod 6 have corresponding holes through which the bolt of the second fastener 15 passes. A corresponding ring is provided on the wire 6, which fits onto the bolt. Then, the nut of the second fastener 15 presses the ring tightly onto the flat surface, thus fixing the wire 6 and preventing the wire 6 from swinging during discharge, which could cause a safety accident.

[0045] Furthermore, the insulating rod 6 is made of epoxy resin. Epoxy resin is a thermosetting material with good shaping properties and a certain degree of insulation. Of course, the insulating rod 6 can also be made of materials such as bakelite, silicone, and rubber.

[0046] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the discharge terminal 12 is tapered. When discharging the capacitor, the discharge contact 11 is inserted into the capacitor's insulating sheath. Because both the discharge contact 11 and the capacitor's polarity terminal can extend into the insulating sheath, poor contact between the discharge terminal 12 at the end of the discharge contact 11 and the polarity terminal can easily occur, leading to discharge failure and creating a safety hazard. To prevent poor contact, the discharge terminal 12 is tapered. A tapered shape has a larger area than a flat surface, making it easier to contact the polarity terminal and reducing the likelihood of poor contact between the discharge terminal 12 and the polarity terminal.

[0047] In summary, the insulating discharge rod provided by this novel embodiment of the invention, through the arrangement of the discharge contacts, allows the insulating discharge rod to discharge the capacitor without removing the insulating sheath, eliminating the step of removing the insulating sheath by maintenance personnel, reducing the maintenance burden on maintenance personnel, and preventing safety accidents. The inclusion of a prompting feature allows maintenance personnel to intuitively determine whether the discharge has ended, improving maintenance efficiency.

[0048] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An insulating discharge rod for capacitors, characterized in that, The insulating discharge rod includes at least one discharge part (1). The discharge section (1) includes two discharge contacts (11), two discharge terminals (12), a conductive steel plate (13), and a wire (16). The discharge terminals (12) are located at the end of the discharge contacts (11) away from the conductive steel plate (13). The length of the discharge contact (11) is greater than the depth of the insulating sheath of the capacitor. When the discharge contact (11) extends into the insulating sheath, the discharge terminal (12) contacts the polar terminal of the capacitor and releases the charge to the conductive steel plate (13). The conductive steel plate (13) is connected to the wire (16). The wire (16) is connected to ground to release charge; The insulating discharge rod also includes a prompting part (2) for indicating that the discharge is complete and a connecting rod (3); The prompting part (2) includes an electromagnet (21), a spring (22), a prompting post (23), and a mounting plate (24); the electromagnet (21) is disposed on one side of the conductive steel plate (13) and is disposed opposite to the discharge contact (11); the electromagnet (21) is magnetically connected to the prompting post (23) when discharging. The mounting plate (24) and the conductive steel plate (13) are arranged opposite to each other. The mounting plate (24) has a hole, and the indicator post (23) is movably inserted into the hole. The mounting plate (24) is provided with a sliding groove, which is used to allow the indicator post (23) to move only along the magnetic direction. The indicator post (23) is dumbbell-shaped, and its two ends cannot pass through the sliding groove. Only the middle part can slide in the sliding groove. The spring (22) is arranged between one end of the indicator post (23) and one side of the mounting plate (24).

2. The insulating discharge rod according to claim 1, characterized in that, One terminal of the electromagnet (21) is connected to one of the discharge terminals (12), the other terminal of the electromagnet (21) is connected to the conductive steel plate (13), the conductive steel plate (13) is connected to the other discharge terminal (12), and the wire (16) is disposed on the conductive steel plate (13).

3. The insulating discharge rod according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating discharge rod also includes at least two insulating rods (6), which are fixedly connected to the connecting rod (3), and the insulating rods (6) are connected to each other by a connector (5).

4. The insulating discharge rod according to claim 3, characterized in that, The end of the insulating rod (6) is fitted with a protective ring (7), and the protective ring (7) is connected to an insulating sleeve (8) for gripping.

5. The insulating discharge rod according to claim 4, characterized in that, The insulating sleeve (8) has a textured surface for easy gripping.

6. The insulating discharge rod according to claim 3, characterized in that, The top of the insulating rod (6) is fitted with a fixing ring (4) for fixing the connecting rod (3), and the wire (16) is fixedly connected to the fixing ring (4) by a second fastener (15).

7. The insulating discharge rod according to claim 4, characterized in that, The insulating rod (6) is an epoxy resin rod.

8. The insulating discharge rod according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge terminal (12) is conical.

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