Locking device for switchgear and switchgear

Abstract

A locking device for a switchgear and a switchgear are provided. The locking device includes a lock cylinder shaft arranged in a through hole of a cabinet door of the switchgear and adapted for a key to be inserted to rotate about its own axis with rotation of the key; a driving part coupled to the lock cylinder shaft and adapted to rotate with rotation of the lock cylinder shaft; and a locking part coupled to the driving part and including a locking slot, the locking part being adapted to slide between a locking position and an unlocking position in response to rotation of the driving part, wherein in the locking position, an operation shaft for operating closing and opening of a circuit breaker is received in the locking slot to prevent the operation shaft from being operated; in the unlocking position, the operation shaft is disengaged from the locking slot. The locking device maintains reliability and safety when maintaining the switchgear and the circuit breaker.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this disclosure relate to the technical field of switch cabinets, and more specifically, to a locking device for switch cabinets. Background Technology

[0002] A switchgear is an electrical device used in power systems to open, close, control, and protect electrical equipment during power generation, transmission, distribution, and energy conversion. Circuit breakers are a crucial component of switchgear. Under normal operating conditions, a circuit breaker is in the closed state, connecting the circuit. During automatic control or protection control operations, the circuit breaker can disconnect or connect the circuit under the control of the integrated protection device. Circuit breakers can not only connect and disconnect normal load currents but also withstand short-circuit currents for a certain period and can interrupt short-circuit currents, isolating faulty lines and equipment. Therefore, the primary function of a circuit breaker is to disconnect and connect circuits.

[0003] To ensure personnel and electrical safety, before opening the switchgear to operate the circuit breaker for maintenance, the operating handle located on the cabinet door must be used to open the circuit breaker to the tripped position. To prevent accidental operation, a locking device is usually installed on the operating handle to prevent accidents caused by misoperation and ensure personnel and electrical safety. However, current locking devices are inconvenient to use, difficult to modify and assemble, and have relatively low safety performance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of this disclosure provide a locking device for switch cabinets that solves, or at least partially solves, some of the problems present in conventional locking devices.

[0005] In a first aspect of this disclosure, a locking device for a switchgear is provided. The locking device includes a lock cylinder shaft disposed in a through-hole of the switchgear door and adapted for key insertion to rotate about its own axis with rotation of the key; a drive unit coupled to the lock cylinder shaft and adapted to rotate with rotation of the lock cylinder shaft; and a locking portion coupled to the drive unit and including a locking groove, the locking portion being adapted to slide between a locked position and an unlocked position in response to rotation of the drive unit, wherein in the locked position, an operating shaft for operating a circuit breaker to close and open is received in the locking groove to prevent operation of the operating shaft; and in the unlocked position, the operating shaft disengages from the locking groove.

[0006] The locking device according to embodiments of the present disclosure can effectively lock the operating shaft of the circuit breaker when the circuit breaker is in the open or closed position, thereby improving the reliability of the locking device and the safety when maintaining the switchgear and circuit breaker. Furthermore, the locking device according to embodiments of the present disclosure can unlock under any circumstances, improving the operability of the locking device. Additionally, the locking device according to embodiments of the present disclosure allows the circuit breaker to trip while the operating shaft is locked, and allows the trip indication to be displayed on the operating handle outside the cabinet door, thereby effectively improving the reliability of maintaining the switchgear using the locking device.

[0007] In some embodiments, the difference between the width of the sidewalls of the locking groove and the width of the operating shaft is within a threshold range, so that the sidewalls stop the rotation of the operating shaft between the closed and open positions. In this way, the operating shaft can be effectively locked.

[0008] In some embodiments, a portion of one sidewall adjacent to the opening is configured as an inclined section to allow rotation of the operating shaft within the locking slot caused by the circuit breaker tripping. In this manner, the locking device allows the circuit breaker to trip while the operating shaft is locked, and also allows the tripping indication to be displayed on the operating handle outside the cabinet door, thereby effectively improving the reliability of maintaining the switchgear using the locking device. Furthermore, the locking device can be unlocked under any circumstances (e.g., in the tripped state), improving the operability of the locking device.

[0009] In some embodiments, the drive portion includes a drive pin arranged parallel to the lock cylinder shaft, and the locking portion further includes a drive groove adapted to allow the drive pin to slide therein during rotation of the drive portion to drive the locking portion to slide between the locked position and the unlocked position. This arrangement allows the drive portion to drive the locking portion to slide in a simple and reliable manner.

[0010] In some embodiments, the drive slot includes a sliding section and a drive section, wherein the drive pin drives the locking portion to slide from the unlocked position to the locked position during sliding from the sliding section to the drive section.

[0011] In some embodiments, the locking device further includes an elastic element disposed between the lock cylinder shaft and the locking portion, and adapted to be stretched during the sliding of the locking portion to the locked position and to return to its original position during the sliding of the drive pin from the drive section to the sliding section, thereby driving the locking portion back to the unlocked position. The elastic element ensures that the locking portion returns to the unlocked position, thereby improving the reliability of the locking device.

[0012] In some embodiments, the locking portion further includes a coupling pin adapted to accommodate one end of the elastic element thereon. The coupling pin facilitates the installation of the elastic element.

[0013] In some embodiments, the drive pin is arranged such that the angle between the line connecting the locking part and the lock cylinder shaft when the locking part is in the locked position and the sliding direction of the locking part is less than a predetermined threshold range, to prevent the locking part from driving the drive part to rotate. This arrangement ensures that the locking part cannot be driven by the drive part to accidentally return to its original position when it is in the locked position, thereby improving the security of the locking device.

[0014] In some embodiments, the locking portion further includes a sliding groove extending along the sliding direction of the locking portion and adapted to allow the lock cylinder shaft to be slidably disposed therein.

[0015] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a switch cabinet is provided. The switch cabinet includes the locking device described in the first aspect above.

[0016] It should be understood that the summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings, which describe exemplary embodiments of the disclosure in more detail, wherein the same reference numerals generally denote the same parts.

[0018] Figure 1 An exploded view of a locking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 A perspective view of a locking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 A front view of the locking part in the locking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in the unlocked position is shown;

[0021] Figure 4 A front view of the locking part in the locking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in the locked position is shown;

[0022] Figure 5 A front view of a locking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, which allows a circuit breaker to trip.

[0023] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are used to denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the technical solutions disclosed herein.

[0025] As used herein, the term "comprising" and its variations shall be interpreted as an open-ended term meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" shall be interpreted as "based on at least a portion". The terms "one embodiment" and "embodiment" shall be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" shall be understood as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first", "second", etc., may refer to different or the same objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the definitions of terms are consistent throughout the specification.

[0026] To ensure the safety of switchgear during operation and maintenance, the operating handles at the switchgear doors used to operate the circuit breakers typically need to be locked during operation and maintenance. The operating handle controls the opening and closing of the circuit breaker via the operating shaft between the handle and the circuit breaker. Locking the operating handle usually requires a locking device to prevent accidental operation. Currently, locking devices used in switchgear typically require additional installation. This presents the problem that such locking devices must be prepared in advance and specially managed; otherwise, they may be unusable when needed, leading to safety hazards. This causes inconvenience and safety risks in the use of switchgear.

[0027] Currently, there are locking devices on the market that can be directly installed on cabinet doors. However, these devices typically require modification of the operating shaft during installation, which increases assembly complexity and costs. Furthermore, the components used in these locking devices often do not fit well with the switch cabinet, leading to malfunctions and reduced product safety.

[0028] Furthermore, traditional locking devices have the problem of failing to trip the circuit breaker or display the tripped status when locked. In addition, some locking devices cannot be unlocked in certain situations (e.g., after tripping), causing inconvenience in use and operation.

[0029] In order to solve, or at least partially solve, the above-mentioned or other potential problems of locking devices in the prior art, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a locking device 100 for a switch cabinet.

[0030] Figure 1 An exploded view of the locking device 100 is shown. Figure 2 A perspective view of the locking device 100 is shown. (As shown) Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the locking device 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure generally includes a lock cylinder 101, a drive unit 102, and a locking unit 103. The lock cylinder 101 is adapted to be arranged in a through hole 2011 of a switch cabinet door 201. The lock cylinder 101 includes a key hole 1011 through which a corresponding key 1011 can be inserted to rotate about its own axis as the key 1011 rotates. To facilitate the installation and rotation of the lock cylinder 101, in some embodiments, the locking device 100 may further include a sleeve 1012 that can be fixedly fitted into the through hole 2011 of the cabinet door 201. The lock cylinder 101 can be fitted into the through hole 2011 via the sleeve 1012. The outer periphery of the sleeve 1012 may be provided with a flat portion that can cooperate with a corresponding flat portion on the through hole 2011 to prevent the sleeve 1012 from rotating when the lock cylinder 101 rotates.

[0031] The drive unit 102 is fixedly coupled to the lock cylinder shaft 101 and can rotate synchronously with the rotation of the lock cylinder shaft 101. That is, by turning the key 1011, the drive unit 102 and the lock cylinder shaft 101 will rotate synchronously. In some embodiments, this can be achieved through a square shaft and square hole mating. In this document, a square shaft refers to a shaft with a square cross-sectional shape. For example... Figure 1 As shown, a square shaft 1013 can be formed or provided at the opposite end of the lock cylinder shaft 101 to the end where the key 1011 is inserted. A square hole 1022 is formed at a suitable position in the drive unit 102. The square shaft 1013 can be inserted into the square hole 1022 and fixed together by suitable fasteners, thereby applying torque to the drive unit 102 when the key 1011 is turned, thereby causing the drive unit 102 to rotate. In this way, the drive unit 102 can be driven to rotate efficiently with a simple and effective structure.

[0032] Of course, it should be understood that the engagement of the lock cylinder 101 and the drive unit 102 via the square shaft 1013 and square hole 1022 is merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Any other suitable coupling method between them is also possible. For example, in some alternative embodiments, the lock cylinder 101 and the drive unit 102 may also be coupled together by a key engagement.

[0033] The locking part 103 is coupled to the drive part 102 via a suitable connecting mechanism and includes a locking groove 1031. The locking groove 1031 can be coupled to and decoupled from the operating shaft 202, which connects the operating handle to the circuit breaker and is used to operate the circuit breaker to close and open.

[0034] Specifically, during the rotation of the drive unit 102, the locking unit 103 is able to remain in a fixed position via the connection mechanism between the locking unit 103 and the drive unit 102. Figure 3 The unlock location and Figure 4 The operating shaft 202 slides between the shown locking positions. In the locked position, the operating shaft 202 is received in the locking slot 1031, thereby preventing the operating shaft 202 from being operated. In the unlocked position, the locking slot 1031 and the operating shaft 202 are separated, and the operating shaft 202 can be used to close and open the circuit breaker under the operation of the operating handle.

[0035] As can be seen, by using the locking device 100 according to the embodiments of this disclosure, no complex modifications to the switchgear are required. Only a through hole 2011 needs to be provided on the switchgear door 201, and the lock cylinder 101 can be assembled therein. This significantly reduces the assembly and maintenance costs required to install the locking device 100. Furthermore, since the locking part 103 is coupled and disengaged from the operating shaft 202 in a sliding manner, there is no risk of misoperation or failure, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the locking device 100.

[0036] Furthermore, this locking device 100 does not restrict the cross-sectional shape of the operating shaft 202. That is, any suitable cross-sectional shape of the operating shaft 202 can be used with the locking device 100 of this disclosure to achieve the intended function. The figure shows that the operating shaft 202 can be a square shaft, i.e., it has a square cross-sectional shape. It should be understood that this is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Other suitable cross-sectional shapes are also possible, for example, an operating shaft 202 with a hexagonal cross-sectional shape. That is, the scope of application of the embodiments of this disclosure is broader. The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below primarily using a square shaft 202 as an example; it should be understood that other cases are similar and will not be described in detail below.

[0037] To facilitate the sliding of the locking part 103, in some embodiments, the locking part 103 further includes a sliding groove 1037. The sliding groove 1037 extends along the sliding direction of the locking part 103 and allows the lock cylinder 101 to be slidably arranged therein. In this way, the lock cylinder 101, the locking part 103, and the drive part 102 can be assembled in a simple and reliable manner, thereby realizing a reliable locking device 100 with a simple structure.

[0038] In some embodiments, to further facilitate the sliding of the locking part 103, a bent portion is formed at an appropriate position on the locking part 103, bending towards the cabinet door 201. For example, a bent portion is formed near the four corners of the locking part 103, thereby effectively reducing the contact area with the cabinet door 201 during sliding, thereby facilitating the sliding of the locking part 103 along the cabinet door 201.

[0039] When the operating shaft 202 is a square shaft, switching the circuit breaker from the closed state to the open state requires rotating the operating shaft 202 approximately 90° around its own axis, and vice versa. Considering these factors, and also the possibility of tripping the circuit breaker in the closed-locked state, in some embodiments, the width W1 between the sidewalls of the locking groove 1031 is greater than the width W2 of the operating shaft 202, but the difference is within a predetermined threshold range. This ensures that the width W1 of the locking groove 1031 is sufficient to restrict the switching of the operating shaft 202 from the closed state to the open state or from the open state to the waiting-to-close state. For example, this threshold range can be greater than the width W2 of the operating shaft 202 but less than the length of the diagonal of the operating shaft 202. In this way, in the locked state, the operating shaft 202 cannot rotate 90°, thereby effectively restricting the switching from the closed state to the open state or from the open state to the waiting-to-close state, thus ensuring the reliability of the locking device 100.

[0040] Meanwhile, to ensure the circuit breaker can trip in the locked state, the difference between the width W1 of the locking groove 1031 and the width W2 of the operating shaft 202 allows the operating shaft 202 to rotate within a certain angular range. Furthermore, to further ensure the operating shaft 202 can rotate to the tripped position, in some embodiments, a portion of one sidewall of the locking groove 1031 adjacent to the opening is configured as an inclined section 1032, such as... Figure 5 As shown. The inclined section 1032 allows the operating shaft 202 to rotate to the corresponding trip position in the event of circuit breaker tripping.

[0041] In this way, when the circuit breaker is locked in the closed state, the operating shaft 202 can rotate in response to the circuit breaker's tripping, thereby accurately indicating the tripping position at the operating handle on the cabinet door 201, such as... Figure 5 As shown. The operator can perform corresponding operations according to the release indicator on the cabinet door 201, thereby improving the ease of use of the locking device 100. In addition, the inclined section 1032 makes the opening funnel-shaped. This arrangement allows the locking part 103 to be moved from the locked position to the unlocked position even when the operating shaft 202 is in the released state. That is to say, the locking device 100 allows the operating shaft 202 to be unlocked in any state, which further improves the reliability of the locking device 100.

[0042] To convert the rotation of the drive unit 102 into movement of the locking unit 103 between a locked position and an unlocked position, in some embodiments, the drive unit 102 may include a drive pin 1021 arranged parallel to the lock cylinder shaft 101. Correspondingly, the locking unit 103 may include a corresponding drive groove 1033. The drive pin 1021 is capable of sliding in the drive groove 1033 during the rotation of the drive unit 102, thereby driving the locking unit 103 to slide between the locked position and the unlocked position.

[0043] In some embodiments, the drive groove 1033 may generally include two sections: a sliding section 1034 and a drive section 1035. The sliding section 1034 extends substantially vertically, and the drive section 1035 extends from the lower end of the sliding section 1034 toward the lower side, such as... Figure 4 As shown. During the sliding of the drive pin 1021 from the sliding section 1034 to the drive section 1035, the drive pin 1021 can drive the locking part 103 to slide from the unlocked position to the locked position. In this way, the drive of the locking part 103 by the drive part 102 can be realized in a simple and reliable manner.

[0044] In some embodiments, to facilitate movement of the locking portion 103 from the locked position to the unlocked position, the locking device 100 may further include an elastic element 104. The elastic element 104 may be disposed between the lock cylinder shaft 101 and the locking portion 103. In some embodiments, the elastic element 104 may be a spring. During the sliding of the locking portion 103 from the locked position to the locked position, the elastic element 104 may be stretched, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown. When the operator wants to unlock the operating shaft 202, the operator will operate the key 1011 to drive the drive pin 1021 to slide from the arc-shaped section of the drive groove 1033 to the sliding section 1034. During this period, the elastic element 104 will return from the stretched state to drive the locking part 103 from... Figure 4 Slide back to the locked position shown. Figure 3 The unlock position is shown. In this way, the locking part 103 can be switched between the locked position and the unlock position more conveniently and reliably, thereby improving the operational convenience and reliability of the locking device 100.

[0045] To secure the elastic element 104, in some embodiments, the locking portion 103 further includes a coupling pin 1036, such as... Figure 2As shown, one end for supplying the elastic element 104 is disposed thereon. The coupling pin 1036 and other parts of the locking part 103 can be integrally formed. That is, the locking part 103 can be generally stamped. For example, the locking groove 1031, the driving groove 1033, the coupling pin 1036, and the bent portion located at the corner are formed on a metal sheet of a predetermined shape by means of stamping or the like. In this way, the strength of the locking part 103 can be further improved, and thus the reliability of the locking device 100 can be improved.

[0046] Furthermore, to prevent the restoring force of the elastic member 104 from driving the drive unit 102 to move when the locking part 103 is in the locked position, in some embodiments, the angle between the line connecting the drive pin 1021 and the lock cylinder shaft 101 and the sliding direction of the locking part 103 when the locking part 103 is in the locked position can be less than a predetermined threshold. For example, the line connecting the drive pin 1021 and the lock cylinder shaft 101 can extend approximately along the sliding direction of the locking part 103. In this way, even under the action of the elastic restoring force of the elastic member 104, because the angle between the line connecting the drive pin 1021 and the lock cylinder shaft 101 and the sliding direction of the locking part 103 is small, the torque generated by the component of the restoring force in the direction of movement of the locking part 103 is small. Therefore, the locking part 103 cannot drive the drive unit 102 in the locked position, thus forming a self-locking state, thereby further improving the reliability of the locking device 100.

[0047] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a switch cabinet is also provided. The switch cabinet includes a locking device 100 as described above. By using the locking device 100 according to embodiments of this disclosure, the safety and reliability of the entire switch cabinet can be improved.

[0048] Although the subject matter has been described using language specific to structural features and / or methodological logic, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are merely illustrative examples of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A locking device for a switchgear, comprising: The lock cylinder shaft (101) is arranged in the through hole (2011) of the cabinet door (201) of the switch cabinet and is adapted to allow the key (1011) to be inserted so as to rotate about its own axis as the key (1011) rotates. The drive unit (102) is coupled to the lock cylinder shaft (101) and is adapted to rotate with the rotation of the lock cylinder shaft (101); as well as A locking part (103), coupled to the driving part (102) and including a locking groove (1031), is adapted to slide between a locked position and an unlocked position in response to rotation of the driving part (102). In the locked position, the operating shaft (202) for operating the circuit breaker to close and open is received in the locking slot (1031) to prevent the operating shaft (202) from being operated; in the unlocked position, the operating shaft (202) is disengaged from the locking slot (1031). The difference between the width (W1) between the sidewalls of the locking groove (1031) and the width (W2) of the operating shaft (202) is within a threshold range, so that the sidewalls stop the rotation of the operating shaft (202) between the closed and open positions. The portion of one of the sidewalls adjacent to the opening is configured as an inclined section (1032) to allow rotation of the operating shaft (202) in the locking groove (1031) caused by the tripping of the circuit breaker.

2. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit (102) comprises: The drive pin (1021) is arranged parallel to the lock cylinder shaft (101), and The locking part (103) further includes a drive groove (1033) adapted to allow the drive pin (1021) to slide therein during rotation of the drive part (102) to drive the locking part (103) to slide between the locked position and the unlocked position.

3. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the drive slot (1033) comprises: The sliding section (1034) and the driving section (1035), and The drive pin (1021) drives the locking part (103) to slide from the unlocked position to the locked position during the sliding from the sliding section (1034) to the drive section (1035).

4. The locking device according to claim 3, further comprising: An elastic element (104) is disposed between the lock cylinder shaft (101) and the locking portion (103) and is adapted to be stretched during the sliding of the locking portion (103) to the locked position and to return to its original position during the sliding of the drive pin (1021) from the drive section (1035) to the slide section (1034) to drive the locking portion (103) back to the unlocked position.

5. The locking device according to claim 4, wherein the locking part (103) further comprises: A coupling pin (1036) is provided thereon to accommodate one end of the elastic element (104).

6. The locking device according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein the drive pin (1021) is arranged such that the angle between the line connecting the locking part (103) and the lock cylinder shaft (101) when the locking part (103) is in the locked position and the sliding direction of the locking part (103) is less than a predetermined threshold range, so as to prevent the locking part (103) from driving the drive part to rotate.

7. The locking device according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein the locking part (103) further comprises: A sliding groove (1037) extends along the sliding direction of the locking part (103) and is adapted to allow the lock cylinder (101) to be slidably arranged therein.

8. A switch cabinet comprising a locking device (100) according to any one of claims 1-7.

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