Compact ultra-high speed mechanical switch and method of use

Abstract

The application discloses a compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch and a use method. The movable contact combines a traditional driving repulsion disc and a conductive contact together, thereby reducing the volume of the mechanical switch. A bridge type contact mechanism is adopted to increase the gap between the breaking points and the arc voltage, so that the arc extinguishing speed can be improved. A grading pushing opening strategy is adopted to reduce the mass of the movable part, thereby reducing the response time, effectively buffering the opening speed, greatly improving the mechanical life of the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, and having the advantages of small volume, simple structure and easy-to-implement function.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of mechanical switch, in particular to a compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch and a use method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, with the access of distributed flexible resources such as photovoltaic power generation and sharp power generation and energy storage devices, and the rapid development of various power electronic technologies, the construction of a new power system mainly based on new energy has attracted widespread attention. Flexible DC distribution network technology has become a research hotspot due to its high power quality, strong stability and flexible control. The DC system has low impedance characteristics. When a short-circuit grounding fault occurs, the transient fault current rises quickly and has a large amplitude. If not handled in time, it will cause great loss to the system. Therefore, a DC circuit breaker capable of quickly and effectively cutting off the fault current is needed to improve the power supply reliability of the DC distribution network and protect the devices in the DC network.

[0003] In the low-voltage field, the main application of DC circuit breakers is mechanical DC circuit breakers. Mechanical DC circuit breakers have low cost and small on-state loss. However, they have slow response time, and the time to cut off the fault current is usually more than 10 ms. In addition, there are also all-solid-state circuit breakers, which have the advantages of fast response speed, high reliability and long service life. However, solid-state circuit breakers have the disadvantages of large on-state loss and serious heating. Hybrid circuit breakers combine the advantages of mechanical circuit breakers and solid-state circuit breakers, meeting the requirement of fast response time, and having the advantages of low on-state loss and long service life. There is a great demand for small ultra-high-speed mechanical switches on the current market.

[0004] The information disclosed in the background section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present application, and therefore can contain information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the deficiencies or shortcomings of the prior art, a compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch and a use method thereof are provided, which have the advantages of fast breaking speed, large breaking gap, long service life and small size. At the same time, for application fields with strict requirements for small size, the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch makes the hybrid solid-state circuit breaker have the characteristics of small on-state loss and long service life.

[0006] The purpose of the present application is achieved by the following technical solutions.

[0007] A compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch comprises,

[0008] a housing, which is a hollow structure, the housing comprising a base and an upper cover detachably connected to the base,

[0009] a contact structure, which comprises,

[0010] The stationary contact is fixed to the lower side of the upper cover by screws.

[0011] The tripping coil is cast onto the lower side of the upper cover via epoxy resin.

[0012] The closing coil is fixed to the base and is positioned relative to the opening coil.

[0013] A buffer pad, which is fixed to the base and positioned above the closing coil.

[0014] An insulating block is disposed inside the housing and located above the buffer pad and below the trip coil.

[0015] The closing repulsion plate is fixed to the bottom of the insulating block.

[0016] The moving contact is separable from the stationary contact via a silver contact point. The moving contact and the stationary contact have two breaks. The moving contact is connected to the insulating block via a contact spring.

[0017] Bistable spring mechanism, which includes,

[0018] The main shaft passes sequentially through the closing coil and the buffer pad, and is threadedly connected to the closing repulsion disk.

[0019] The linkage component is fixedly connected to the other end of the main shaft away from the closing repulsion disk.

[0020] A pair of links, connected by a bistable shaft to a linkage component, allows the links to rotate about the bistable shaft.

[0021] A pair of sliders are fixedly connected to the connecting rod via a slider shaft, allowing the connecting rod to rotate about the slider shaft.

[0022] A pair of copper sleeves are fitted onto the slider, which abuts against the inner wall of the copper sleeves via a spring.

[0023] In the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the moving contact includes a central circular portion for sensing current and rectangular portions for supporting the two ends of the silver contact.

[0024] In the compact ultra-high speed mechanical switch, the top surface of the insulating block is provided with a moving contact limiter for preventing the moving contact from falling off and guiding the moving contact to move vertically.

[0025] In the aforementioned compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the moving contact limiter is configured as an ear-shaped structure.

[0026] In the aforementioned compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the insulating block is made of resin material.

[0027] In the aforementioned compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the spring transmits force to the moving contact through a linkage component.

[0028] In the compact ultra-high speed mechanical switch, the bistable spring mechanism has two stable states: one is when the linkage component is on top and the ultra-high speed mechanical switch is in the closed state; the other is when the linkage component is on the bottom and the ultra-high speed mechanical switch is in the open state.

[0029] In the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, both of the sliders extend horizontally.

[0030] The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch described herein has a symmetrical structure.

[0031] The usage of a compact, ultra-high-speed mechanical switch includes the following steps.

[0032] In the first step, during normal current flow, the moving contact and the stationary contact are closed. The moving contact is subjected to two closing holding forces provided by the contact spring, and the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch achieves normal current flow.

[0033] In the second step, a short circuit fault occurs in the circuit. The pre-charged capacitor in the drive circuit discharges to the trip coil. Under the action of the pulse current, the moving contact induces eddy currents, which in turn generate a downward electromagnetic repulsion force to move downward at high speed and compress the contact spring. After hitting the insulating block, it decelerates. When the moving contact moves to the bottom, the insulating block is in close contact with the buffer pad. The bistable spring mechanism provides the trip holding force, and the ultra-high speed mechanical switch completes the trip.

[0034] In the third step, after the short circuit fault is cleared, the driving capacitor with reverse voltage discharges to the closing coil, the closing repulsion disk induces eddy currents and is subjected to an upward electromagnetic repulsion force, the movable parts move upward as a whole, the silver contacts of the stationary contact and the moving contact make contact and stabilize, and the ultra-high speed mechanical switch completes the closing action.

[0035] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0036] This invention combines a traditional driving repulsion disk and conductive contact into a moving contact, reducing the size of the mechanical switch. The bridge-type contact mechanism increases the break gap and arc voltage, thereby improving the arc extinguishing speed. The graded push-type opening strategy reduces the mass of moving parts, thus reducing response time and effectively buffering the opening speed. This significantly improves the mechanical life of the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch and has the advantages of small size, simple structure, and easy function implementation.

[0037] The description provided is merely an overview of the technical solution of this invention. In order to make the technical means of this invention clearer and more understandable, so that those skilled in the art can implement it according to the contents of the specification, and to make the described and other objects, features and advantages of this invention more obvious and understandable, specific embodiments of this invention are described below. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Various other advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of the invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings.

[0039] In the attached diagram:

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall body of the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of an ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is provided.

[0042] Figures 3(a) to 3(c) A schematic diagram of the contacts, graded actuation, and bistable spring mechanism of an ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is provided.

[0043] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the tripping principle of an ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is provided.

[0044] Figures 5(a) to 5(c) A schematic diagram of the drive circuit for an ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is provided.

[0045] The present invention will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0046] Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While specific embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the invention and to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0047] It should be noted that certain terms are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will understand that different terms may be used to refer to the same component. This specification and claims do not distinguish components based on differences in terminology, but rather on differences in function. The terms "comprising" or "including" used throughout the specification and claims are open-ended and should be interpreted as "comprising but not limited to." The following descriptions are preferred embodiments for carrying out the invention; however, these descriptions are for the purpose of understanding the general principles of the specification and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The scope of protection of this invention is determined by the appended claims.

[0048] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the following will provide further explanation and description with reference to the accompanying drawings and several specific embodiments, and the accompanying drawings do not constitute a limitation on the embodiments of the present invention.

[0049] To better understand, such as Figures 1 to 5(c) As shown, a compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch includes,

[0050] The outer shell has a hollow structure and includes a base 1-2 and a top cover 1-1 that is detachably connected to the base 1-2.

[0051] The contact structure includes,

[0052] The stationary contact 2-1 is fixed to the lower side of the upper cover 1-1 by screws.

[0053] The trip coil 2-2 is cast onto the lower side of the upper cover 1-1 via epoxy resin.

[0054] The closing coil 2-8 is fixed to the base 1-2 and is positioned relative to the opening coil 2-2.

[0055] The buffer pad 2-7 is fixed to the base 1-2 and positioned above the closing coil 2-8.

[0056] Insulating block 2-5 is disposed inside the housing and located above buffer pad 2-7 and below tripping coil 2-2.

[0057] The closing repulsion plate 2-6 is fixed to the bottom of the insulating block 2-5.

[0058] The moving contact 2-3 is separable from the stationary contact 2-1 via a silver contact point. The moving contact 2-3 and the stationary contact 2-1 have two breaks. The moving contact 2-3 is connected to the insulating block 2-5 via a contact spring 2-4.

[0059] Bistable spring mechanism, which includes,

[0060] The main shaft 3-1 passes sequentially through the closing coil 2-8 and the buffer pad 2-7, and is threadedly connected to the closing repulsion disk 2-6.

[0061] Linkage component 3-4 is fixedly connected to the other end of the main shaft 3-1 away from the closing repulsion disk 2-6.

[0062] A pair of connecting rods 3-5 are connected to a linkage component 3-4 via a bistable shaft 3-6, allowing the connecting rods 3-5 to rotate about the bistable shaft 3-6.

[0063] A pair of sliders 3-3 are fixedly connected to the connecting rod 3-5 via an axis of sliders 3-3, allowing the connecting rod 3-5 to rotate around the axis of sliders 3-3.

[0064] A pair of copper sleeves 3-2 are fitted onto the slider 3-3, and the slider 3-3 abuts against the inner wall of the copper sleeves 3-2 via a spring.

[0065] In a preferred embodiment of the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the moving contact 2-3 includes a central circular portion for sensing current and rectangular portions for supporting the two ends of the silver contact.

[0066] In a preferred embodiment of the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the top surface of the insulating block 2-5 is provided with a moving contact limiter 2-9 for preventing the moving contact 2-3 from falling off and for guiding the moving contact 2-3 to move vertically.

[0067] In a preferred embodiment of the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the moving contact limiter 2-9 is configured as an ear-shaped structure.

[0068] In a preferred embodiment of the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the insulating blocks 2-5 are made of resin material.

[0069] In a preferred embodiment of the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the spring transmits force to the moving contact 2-3 via the linkage component 3-4.

[0070] In a preferred embodiment of the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the bistable spring mechanism has two stable states: one is when the linkage component 3-4 is on top and the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is in the closed state; the other is when the linkage component 3-4 is on the bottom and the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is in the open state.

[0071] In a preferred embodiment of the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, both sliders 3-3 extend horizontally.

[0072] In a preferred embodiment of the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch has a symmetrical structure.

[0073] The usage of a compact, ultra-high-speed mechanical switch includes the following steps.

[0074] In the first step, during normal current flow, the moving contact 2-3 closes with the stationary contact 2-1, and the moving contact 2-3 is subjected to two closing holding forces provided by the contact spring 2-4, thus enabling the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch to achieve normal current flow.

[0075] In the second step, a short circuit fault occurs in the circuit. The pre-charged capacitor in the drive circuit discharges to the trip coil 2-2. Under the action of the pulse current, the moving contact 2-3 induces eddy currents, which in turn generate a downward electromagnetic repulsion force to move downward at high speed and compress the contact spring 2-4. After hitting the insulating block 2-5, it decelerates. When the moving contact 2-3 moves to the bottom, the insulating block 2-5 is in close contact with the buffer pad 2-7. The bistable spring mechanism provides the trip holding force, and the ultra-high speed mechanical switch completes the trip. Furthermore, at this time, the drive capacitor has a reverse voltage.

[0076] In the third step, after the short-circuit fault is cleared, the driving capacitor with reverse voltage discharges to the closing coil 2-8. Eddy currents are induced in the closing repulsion disk 2-6, which is subjected to an upward electromagnetic repulsion force. The movable parts move upward as a whole, and the silver contacts of the stationary contact 2-1 and the moving contact 2-3 make contact and stabilize. The ultra-high-speed mechanical switch completes the closing action. The circuit continues to flow normally.

[0077] In one embodiment, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an ultra-high-speed mechanical switch. A compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is mainly composed of components such as a housing, contact structure, bistable spring mechanism, and coil components.

[0078] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of an ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is given. The contact structure adopts a bridge-type contact structure with two breaks, which increases the gap between the breaks and improves the arc voltage, thereby accelerating the arc extinguishing speed. Furthermore, the moving contact 2-3 has both the function of inducing eddy currents and the function of normal current flow.

[0079] Figure 3(a) shows a schematic diagram of the contact portion of the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch. The moving contact 2-3 is shaped like a central disc with two square sides. The central disc is used to induce eddy currents, generate electromagnetic repulsion, and perform the opening operation. The two sides of the moving contact 2-3 are connected to the stationary contact 2-1 for circuit conduction. This moving contact 2-3 structure combines electromagnetic induction and conduction functions into one, resulting in a simple structure, improved reliability, and a significant reduction in the size of the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch.

[0080] Figure 3(b) shows a schematic diagram of the graded push part of the ultra-high speed mechanical switch. The graded push process is as follows: When the circuit breaker starts to open, only the moving contact 2-3 moves downward and the contact spring 2-4 is compressed. This process is the first stage of action. The moving contact 2-3 moves downward to hit the insulating block 2-5, which achieves a buffering effect. The moving contact 2-3 decelerates instantly, and the insulating block 2-5 begins to move downward.

[0081] Figure 3(c) shows a schematic diagram of the bistable spring mechanism of the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch. The principle of this bistable spring is the same as that of a traditional mechanism, having two steady states that provide closing and opening holding forces respectively. Due to space constraints and limited spring size, a bistable spring mechanism with two springs was designed. The springs transmit the force to the moving contact 2-3 through the linkage component 3-4. Furthermore, the combined force of the two springs makes the force output of the bistable spring mechanism more stable.

[0082] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the tripping principle of the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is given. Under normal current flow, the direction of the current is shown in the figure. When the switch is tripped, under the action of the pulse current of the tripping coil 2-2, eddy currents are induced in the repulsion disk, which is instantaneously subjected to a downward electromagnetic repulsion force F1, and the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch begins to trip.

[0083] Figures 5(a) to 5(c) A schematic diagram of the drive circuit for an ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is given, mainly including capacitor C, trip coil 2-2, closing coil 2-8, and thyristors T1 and T2. As shown in Figure 5(b), when tripping, the capacitor needs to be pre-charged. After thyristor T1 is turned on, the capacitor discharges to trip coil 2-2. As shown in Figure 5(c), when closing, the capacitor has a reverse charging voltage from the tripping phase. After thyristor T2 is turned on, the capacitor discharges in the reverse direction to closing coil 2-8. This design has the effect of saving energy.

[0084] When the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is in normal current-carrying condition, the moving and stationary contacts are closed, the bistable spring mechanism is in the closed position, and the spring force is applied to the insulating block through the connecting rod, linkage component, and main shaft. The insulating block compresses the contact spring, and the moving contact is subjected to two upward holding forces applied by the contact spring mechanism, achieving tight contact between the moving and stationary contacts, and enabling normal current-carrying of the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch. During opening, the thyristor in the opening circuit conducts, the capacitor discharges to the coil, the coil applies electromagnetic repulsion to the moving contact, the moving contact compresses the spring to open, and then strikes the insulating block, driving the linkage component downward. When the bistable spring mechanism reaches the opening position, the opening is complete. After opening, the capacitor has a reverse voltage. During closing, the thyristor in the closing circuit conducts, the capacitor discharges to the closing coil, the coil applies electromagnetic repulsion to the closing repulsion disk, the repulsion disk moves upward until the stationary contact closes, the bistable spring mechanism is in the closed position and provides holding force, the closing is complete, and the circuit continues to conduct.

[0085] The basic principles of this application have been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this application are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this application. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations. These details do not limit the application to the necessity of employing the aforementioned specific details for implementation.

[0086] The above description has been given for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A compact, ultra-high-speed mechanical switch, characterized in that, It includes, The outer shell has a hollow structure and includes a base and a top cover that is detachably connected to the base. The contact structure includes, The stationary contact is fixed to the lower side of the upper cover by screws. The tripping coil is cast onto the lower side of the upper cover via epoxy resin. The closing coil is fixed to the base and is positioned relative to the opening coil. A buffer pad, which is fixed to the base and positioned above the closing coil. An insulating block is disposed inside the housing and located above the buffer pad and below the trip coil. The closing repulsion plate is fixed to the bottom of the insulating block. The moving contact is separable from the stationary contact via a silver contact point. The moving contact and the stationary contact have two breaks. The moving contact is connected to the insulating block via a contact spring. Bistable spring mechanism, which includes, The main shaft passes sequentially through the closing coil and the buffer pad, and is threadedly connected to the closing repulsion disk. The linkage component is fixedly connected to the other end of the main shaft away from the closing repulsion disk. A pair of links, connected by a bistable shaft to a linkage mechanism, allows the links to rotate about the bistable shaft. A pair of sliders are fixedly connected to the connecting rod via a slider shaft, allowing the connecting rod to rotate about the slider shaft. A pair of copper sleeves are fitted onto the slider, which abuts against the inner wall of the copper sleeves via a spring.

2. The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The moving contact includes a central circular portion for sensing current and rectangular portions at both ends for supporting the silver contact.

3. The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The top surface of the insulating block is provided with a moving contact limiter to prevent the moving contact from falling off and to guide the moving contact to move vertically.

4. The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The moving contact limiter is configured as an ear-shaped structure.

5. The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating block is made of resin material.

6. The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The spring transmits force to the moving contact through a linkage component.

7. The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bistable spring mechanism has two stable states: one where the linkage component is on top and the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is in the closed state; and the other where the linkage component is on the bottom and the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch is in the open state.

8. The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Both sliders extend horizontally.

9. The compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The compact, ultra-high-speed mechanical switch has a symmetrical structure.

10. The method of using the compact ultra-high-speed mechanical switch as described in any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, It includes the following steps, In the first step, during normal current flow, the moving contact and the stationary contact are closed. The moving contact is subjected to two closing holding forces provided by the contact spring, and the ultra-high-speed mechanical switch achieves normal current flow. In the second step, a short circuit fault occurs in the circuit. The pre-charge capacitor in the drive circuit discharges to the trip coil. Under the action of the pulse current, the moving contact induces eddy currents, which in turn generate a downward electromagnetic repulsion force to move downward at high speed and compress the contact spring. After hitting the insulating block, it decelerates. When the moving contact moves to the bottom, the insulating block is in close contact with the buffer pad. The bistable spring mechanism provides the trip holding force, and the ultra-high speed mechanical switch completes the trip. In the third step, after the short circuit fault is cleared, the driving capacitor with reverse voltage discharges to the closing coil, the closing repulsion disk induces eddy currents and is subjected to an upward electromagnetic repulsion force, the movable parts move upward as a whole, the silver contacts of the stationary contact and the moving contact make contact and stabilize, and the ultra-high speed mechanical switch completes the closing action.

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