High-voltage electrical contactor comprising four arc chambers

Abstract

The invention relates to a contactor (1) comprising two pairs (C1, C2) of adjacent arc chambers (2) arranged in a rectangular shape and each divided into two arc extinguishing areas (8). In each pair, each arc chamber comprises: a movable terminal (4) provided with a first movable contact (5a) and a second movable contact (5b); a first fixed terminal (6a) provided with a first fixed contact (7a) positioned to face the first movable contact (5a); -a second fixed terminal (6b) common to the two arc chambers (2) and provided with a second fixed contact (7b) positioned facing the second movable contact (5b),-two arc extinguishing devices (17), each located in the extinguishing area (8). The contactor further comprises an actuator (18) connected to the four movable terminals, actuation of the actuator moving the four movable terminals simultaneously between the closed state and the open state.

Description

High-voltage electric contactor including four arc chambers Technical Field

[0001] The technical field of this invention is a multi-pole high-voltage DC contactor, which includes an arc-extinguishing fin block for dividing an electric arc into multiple arcs.

[0002] The present invention relates to a high voltage DC contactor comprising four circuit breaking chambers, each of which is divided into two arc extinguishing zones. Background Technology

[0003] High-voltage direct current (HVDC) is a power electronics technology used to transmit high-voltage direct current.

[0004] High-voltage direct current (HVDC) contactors consist of two electrical contacts used in aerospace or automotive applications to establish, support, and interrupt conductive connections with continuous currents, typically ranging from 270 to 3000 volts. When the contacts separate, an electric arc occurs, accompanied by high thermal stress and a difficult-to-extinguish electrical connection. These arcs are typically extinguished by passing them through a magnetic field and directing them toward an arc-extinguishing zone comprising arc-extinguishing fins. Splitting the arc across multiple fins increases the arc voltage, thereby extinguishing it.

[0005] Among HVDC contactors, there are known double-pole contactors, where each pole simultaneously disconnects both the positive and negative terminals of the current source. Such a contactor 1' is shown in Figures 1 through 3.

[0006] The prior art contactor 1' includes two parallel circuit-breaking chambers 2' connected to minimize the overall size. Each circuit-breaking chamber includes a movable bridge 3' with a movable terminal 4' carrying two movable contacts 5' and two fixed terminals 6', each carrying a fixed contact 7' facing the movable contact 5'. Each circuit-breaking chamber 2' is divided into two arc-extinguishing zones 8' by a partition 9', and each circuit-breaking chamber 2' includes an arc-extinguishing device 17'. Each extinguishing device 17' includes at least one constant-directional magnetic field emitting device 10', such as a magnet, which generates a magnetic field M (its orientation is indicated by a thick black arrow) and applies an electromagnetic Laplace force F (its orientation is indicated by a thick white arrow) to each arc 11' that may form between the two facing contacts, so as to move it toward an arc-extinguishing block 12' equipped with fins 13'. These movements can be guided by arc guides 14', each located between the arc extinguishing block 12' and the movable contact 5'. The two arc extinguishing chambers 12' and 2' are separated by a partition 15'. Contactor 1' is protected within a housing 16'. The two movable bridges 3' are connected to each other via a rod 19' and an axis 20'. The rod 19' can be moved by an actuator 18', causing all movable contacts 5' to move simultaneously away from the fixed contact 7' to disconnect the current, or causing all movable contacts to simultaneously engage in pairs to restore the current. The flow of current I is indicated by dashed arrows.

[0007] As illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, contactor 1 is suitable for currents up to 800 volts. For higher voltages, particularly around 1600 volts, it is necessary to increase the number of fins 13' and the working stroke length of actuator 18', which will result in a significant increase in the overall size and weight of the contactor. In the aerospace field, the insulation distance between fixed and movable contacts is even greater, resulting in even heavier and larger contactors. However, these standards are critical, thus requiring a lighter and more compact contactor capable of disconnecting electrical connections at voltages typically around 1600 volts and extinguishing any arcs formed during such disconnections.

[0008] Another known solution is to increase the number of contacts by connecting the positive terminal to the negative terminal and increasing the number of circuit breakers, but this will also increase the size and weight of the contactor.

[0009] Therefore, the known solutions are not satisfactory. Summary of the Invention

[0010] This invention provides a solution to the problems previously discussed by using a plurality of contacts with double breaks and sharing some portions of each circuit-breaking chamber, thereby providing an actuator comprising four arc-extinguishing zones. While prior solutions encouraged those skilled in the art to use simple breaks for the rotational movement of the actuator, such actuation is not suitable for double breaks. Therefore, the contactor according to the invention is suitable for use with linear actuators. Furthermore, to avoid breakage after disconnection between the fixed and movable contacts due to potential, those skilled in the art tend to increase the distance between the movable and fixed contacts in the open position of the movable bridge. The contactor according to the invention does not modify this distance but is designed to halve the breaking voltage value at each pair of fixed and movable contacts.

[0011] One aspect of the invention relates to a contactor comprising: a housing surrounding four bridges movable between a closed state and an open state; four circuit breakers disposed in two pairs of adjacent circuit breakers; and an actuator including movable shafts connected to the four movable bridges, wherein actuation of the actuator causes the four movable bridges to move simultaneously between their closed and open states, and wherein:

[0012] - Two pairs of adjacent circuit breaker chambers are arranged in a rectangular shape, and each is divided into two arc extinction zones;

[0013] - Each of the two pairs of circuit breaker compartments includes four movable bridges;

[0014] - Each circuit breaker compartment includes:

[0015] - One of the four movable bridges, each movable bridge including a movable terminal equipped with a first movable contact and a second movable contact;

[0016] - A first fixed terminal, the first fixed terminal being equipped with a first fixed contact, the first fixed contact being positioned to face a first movable contact, a portion of the first fixed terminal protruding from the housing;

[0017] - A second fixed terminal, which is equipped with a second fixed contact positioned to face a second movable contact, the second fixed terminal being shared by two circuit breaker chambers and having a second fixed contact in each of the two circuit breaker chambers forming a pair of adjacent circuit breaker chambers;

[0018] - Two arc extinguishing devices, each located in the arc extinguishing zone, facing a pair of fixed contacts and a movable contact, each arc extinguishing device including two arc extinguishing blocks equipped with multiple fins.

[0019] By using a double-pole double-break contactor, the positive and negative terminals of a current source can be disconnected simultaneously, with each pole disconnecting half of the mains voltage, thus allowing the use of conventionally sized finned blocks and break chambers. The break chambers are parallel and adjacent to each other to arrange them in a rectangular configuration, thereby minimizing the overall size of the contactor. The weight and overall size of the contactor are also reduced because it increases the number of double-break contacts without significantly increasing the number of all components, particularly the number of magnetic field emitters and the number of fixed terminals carrying fixed contacts. Similarly, the actuator used in this invention is only slightly larger than those used in conventional contactors because it only requires twice the force on the movable bridge while maintaining the same stroke value. Therefore, thanks to the integration of this invention, the contactor provides double-break voltage with only an approximately 50% increase in overall mass, which is highly advantageous. In fact, this invention allows the voltage breaking capacity to be doubled with an approximately 50% increase in the total mass of the device. Therefore, this invention allows, for example, the voltage breaking capacity to be increased from 800V to 1600V with only a 50% increase in mass, rather than a 100% increase (which corresponds to doubling the mass).

[0020] Furthermore, by using a double-pole double-break contactor, there is no need to increase the gap J between the movable and fixed contacts. It should be noted that J is typically about 2 mm, which is sufficient to break, for example, 800V. Since the contactor of this invention halves the voltage to be broken, it can, for example, break 1600V by breaking 800V twice, and therefore can use a gap distance J of approximately 2 mm between the movable and fixed contacts. This is extremely advantageous because a distance J of approximately 2 mm is far from sufficient to break 1600V and would lead to secondary breakdown after initial breakdown between the movable and fixed contacts; increasing the J value would almost exponentially increase the size of the actuator. In fact, if the J value is increased, the total stroke of the actuator must also increase. Increasing this stroke would require a larger and therefore heavier actuator. Since the relationship between stroke and size / mass is not linear, this increase is almost exponential. For this reason, the J value used in the aerospace industry is much lower than in other industries.

[0021] In addition to the features just discussed in the preceding paragraphs, a contactor according to one aspect of the invention may also have one or more of the following additional features, which can be considered individually or in all technically possible combinations:

[0022] - The two adjacent circuit breaker compartments within each pair are identical and mirror images of each other.

[0023] - The two pairs of circuit breaker compartments are identical and mirror images of each other.

[0024] - Each arc extinguishing device includes a magnetic field emitting device and two arc extinguishing blocks, each arc extinguishing block being equipped with multiple fins and located at a certain distance on either side of one end of the movable bridge. Each circuit breaker includes a first magnetic field emitting device located at a certain distance from the first movable contact and the first fixed contact, and a second magnetic field emitting device located at a certain distance from the first movable contact and the first fixed contact. The second magnetic field emitting device is shared by two adjacent circuit breaker chambers.

[0025] - In each pair, each circuit breaker compartment includes a first partition that is shared by the two circuit breaker compartments and separates the two circuit breaker compartments, and a second fixed terminal passes through the first partition.

[0026] - Each pair of circuit breakers includes a second partition that is shared by another adjacent pair of circuit breakers and separates the two pairs of circuit breakers.

[0027] - The second magnetic field emission device passes through the partition.

[0028] - The actuator is a linear actuator.

[0029] - The actuator's movable shaft is connected to four rods, each rod being equipped with a shaft integral with one of the movable bridges.

[0030] - The four poles are arranged in an X shape.

[0031] A better understanding of the invention and its various applications will be gained after reading the following description and reviewing the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the scope of the invention.

[0033] [Figure 1] is a schematic plan view of a contactor according to the prior art, including two side-by-side circuit breaker compartments, each of which includes two arc extinguishing zones equipped with two arc extinguishing blocks.

[0034] [Figure 2] is a schematic transverse sectional view of the contactor along axis II-II of Figure 1.

[0035] [Figure 3] is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of the contactor along axis III-III of Figure 1.

[0036] [Figure 4] is a schematic plan view of an example of a contactor according to the invention, including four side-by-side circuit breaker compartments.

[0037] [Figure 5] is a schematic transverse cross-sectional view of the contactor along axis VV of Figure 4.

[0038] [Figure 6] is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the contactor along axis VI-VI of Figure 4. Detailed Implementation

[0039] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the scope of the invention. Unless otherwise stated, the same element appearing in different drawings has the same reference numeral.

[0040] The double-circuit contactor 1 of the present invention is preferably a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) contactor. However, the principle of the present invention can be applied to any type of DC contactor, including all switches and circuit breakers that may generate an electric arc. Due to the symmetry of the contactor 1, its fixed terminal 6a can be either a positive terminal or a negative terminal.

[0041] A feature of the contactor 1 of the present invention is that it includes four circuit breaker chambers 2 arranged in a rectangular shape. Regarding the rectangular arrangement, it means that each of the four circuit breaker chambers is provided at one of the four corners of the rectangle.

[0042] The two adjacent circuit breaker compartments 2 in each pair of C1 and C2 are preferably identical and mirror images of each other.

[0043] When two elements are described as mirror images of each other, it means that the two elements are symmetrically configured with respect to the orthogonal planes that separate them.

[0044] The two pairs of C1 and C2 in the circuit breaker 2 are preferably identical and mirror images of each other.

[0045] The circuit breaker chamber 2 is preferably housed within the housing 16 in order to protect its contents.

[0046] The four circuit breaker compartments 2 are arranged into two pairs C1 and C2. Within each pair C1 and C2, the two circuit breaker compartments 2 are adjacent to each other, and the two pairs C1 and C2 are also adjacent to each other.

[0047] For example, each circuit breaker chamber 2 is divided into two arc extinguishing zones 8 by one or more partition walls 9.

[0048] In each pair of C1, C2 in circuit breaker 2, each circuit breaker 2 includes:

[0049] - A bridge 3 movable between a closed state and an open state, the bridge including a movable terminal 4 equipped with a first movable contact 5a and a second movable contact 5b;

[0050] - A first fixed terminal 6a, which is equipped with a first fixed contact 7a, which is positioned to face a first movable contact 5a, and a portion of the first fixed terminal 6a protrudes from the housing 16.

[0051] - A second fixed terminal 6b, which is equipped with a second fixed contact 7b, which is positioned to face a second movable contact 5b, and the second fixed terminal 6b is shared by two circuit breaker chambers 2;

[0052] - Two arc extinguishing devices 17, each arc extinguishing device 17 is located within the arc extinguishing zone 8.

[0053] Depending on the electrical connection of contactor 1, one of the first fixed terminals 6a in each pair of C1, C2 is the positive terminal, and the other is the negative terminal. For example, in [Figure 4], the first fixed terminal 6a indicated at the lower left corner of the first pair of C1 is the positive terminal, while the first fixed terminal 6a indicated at the lower right corner of the second pair of C2 is the negative terminal. To illustrate one way of using contactor 1, in [Figure 4], the load 21 is shown between the fixed positive terminal 6a and the fixed negative terminal 6a, these two fixed terminals 6a are shown at the top of the figure, and the other two fixed terminals 6a are usually connected to the power supply. The load 21 can be any device that requires power to operate, such as an electric motor.

[0054] Another feature of the contactor 1 of the present invention is that it includes an actuator 18, which includes a movable shaft connected to four movable bridges 3, and actuating the actuator 18 causes the four movable bridges 3 to move simultaneously between their closed state and their open state.

[0055] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the actuator 18 is a linear actuator. The actuator 18 is preferably of electromagnetic type. It is preferably located at the intersection of the four circuit breaker chambers 2.

[0056] The movable shaft of actuator 18 is preferably fixed to four rods 19, each rod 19 being equipped with a shaft 20 integral with one of the movable bridges 3. At least the rods 19 or shafts 20 are made of an electrical insulator. Preferably, the rods 19 are made of plastic, while the shafts 20 are made of metal, such as steel or aluminum. The rods 19 preferably have sufficient rigidity to limit deflection and prevent significant axial misalignment.

[0057] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the four rods 19 are arranged in an X-shape. Therefore, the rods 19 are preferably provided on the same plane and arranged in a cross shape, the angle of which is preferably not a right angle.

[0058] In the closed state, it means that current I can flow through contactor 1, while in the open state, it means that current I cannot flow through.

[0059] When each movable bridge 3 is in the closed state, in each pair of C1, C2, the current I flows from the first fixed terminal 6a to the second fixed terminal 6b each time it flows through the movable bridge 3, and then flows to the other first fixed terminal 6a.

[0060] Traditionally, each movable bridge 3 is spring-mounted. For clarity, the spring assembly is not shown in the figure.

[0061] Figures 4 through 6 show the movable bridge 3 in the open state, and the flow of current I is represented by a series of dashed arrows. When the movable bridge 3 is open, the movable contacts 5a and 5b move away from the fixed contacts 7a and 7b, and an electric arc 11 is likely to occur between the contacts 5a, 5b, 7a, and 7b that are positioned facing each other. The function of each arc extinguishing device 17 is to quickly extinguish these arcs 11.

[0062] Each arc extinguishing device 17 preferably includes magnetic field emitting devices 10a and 10b and two arc extinguishing blocks 12, each arc extinguishing block 12 being equipped with multiple fins 13 and located at a certain distance on either side of one end of the movable bridge 3. Therefore, each circuit breaker chamber 2 includes a first magnetic field emitting device 10a located at a certain distance from the first movable contact 5a and the first fixed contact 7a, and a second magnetic field emitting device 10b located at a certain distance from the first movable contact 5a and the first fixed contact 7a, the second magnetic field emitting device 10b being shared by two adjacent circuit breaker chambers 2.

[0063] Traditionally, each magnetic field emitting device 10a, 10b forms part of an arc extinguishing device designed to deflect each arc 11 toward the arc extinguishing block 12. Each emits a magnetic field M with a constant direction, applying an electromagnetic Laplace force F to each arc 11 to move it toward the nearest arc extinguishing block 12. These movements can be guided by two arc guides 14 facing each other, each arc guide located between the arc extinguishing block 12 and movable contacts 5a, 5b. Each magnetic field emitting device 10a, 10b may, for example, include one or more magnets and / or one or more coils. However, magnets are preferred.

[0064] It is noteworthy that, for each arc extinguishing device 17, the contactor 1 according to the invention preferably incorporates the solution disclosed in French patent application number FR2211610 and publication number FR3141796A1, which includes equipping the circuit breaker contactor with means for cooling and deionizing the ionized breaking gas before it is discharged. This solution is based on the use of inclined fins and a concave inner surface with an arcuate cross-section, which deflect the flow of the breaking gas toward the arc in the loop, ultimately returning it to the center of the arc extinguishing zone, thereby enhancing the safety function of the arc extinguishing device. This solution is visible in [Figures 3] and [Figures 6].

[0065] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in each pair of C1, C2, each circuit breaker chamber 2 includes a first partition 15a, which is shared by both circuit breaker chambers 2 and separates the two circuit breaker chambers 2. The second fixed terminal 6b preferably passes through the first partition 15a. Similarly, the second magnetic field emitting device 10b preferably passes through the partition 15a.

[0066] Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each pair of C1, C2 circuit breaker chambers 2 includes a second partition 15b, which is shared by another adjacent pair of C1, C2 circuit breaker chambers 2 and separates the two pairs of C1, C2 circuit breaker chambers 2.

[0067] Each circuit breaker chamber 2 is preferably defined by the walls of the housing 16 and partitions 15a and 15b. The contactor 1 may also include one or more closing walls 22 for closing the circuit breaker chamber 2, the closing walls being located between the fixed terminals 6a and 6b and the rod 19. Each closing wall 22 preferably has at least one through hole, which allows the shaft 20 to pass through it. The fixed terminals 6a and 6b are preferably fixed to the closing wall 22.

[0068] Although described by way of several examples, alternatives and embodiments, the contactor according to the invention includes various alternatives, modifications and improvements that will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it should be understood that such alternatives, modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A contactor (1), characterized in that, The contactor (1) includes a housing (16) surrounding four bridges (3) movable between a closed state and an open state; four circuit breakers (2) disposed in two pairs (C1, C2) of adjacent circuit breakers (2); and an actuator (18) including movable shafts connected to the four movable bridges (3), wherein actuating the actuator (18) causes the four movable bridges (3) to move simultaneously between their closed and open states, and is characterized in that: - two pairs (C1, C2) of adjacent circuit breakers (2) are arranged in two pairs (C1, C2) of adjacent circuit breakers (2); 1, C2) Adjacent circuit breakers (2) are arranged in a rectangular shape and each is divided into two arc extinguishing zones (8); - Each of the two pairs (C1, C2) circuit breakers (2) includes four movable bridges (3); - Each circuit breaker (2) includes: o one of the four movable bridges (3), each movable bridge (3) including a movable terminal (4), the movable terminal (4) being equipped with a first movable contact (5a) and a second movable contact (5b); o a first fixed terminal (6a), The first fixed terminal (6a) is equipped with a first fixed contact (7a), the first fixed contact (7a) being positioned to face a first movable contact (5a), a portion of the first fixed terminal (6a) protruding from the housing (16); the second fixed terminal (6b) is equipped with a second fixed contact (7b), the second fixed contact (7b) being positioned to face a second movable contact (5b), the second fixed terminal (6b) comprising two circuit breaker chambers (2 The two circuit breakers (2) are shared and each of the two circuit breakers (2) forming a pair of (C1, C2) adjacent circuit breakers (2) has a second fixed contact (7b); two arc extinguishing devices (17), each arc extinguishing device (17) is located in the arc extinguishing zone (8) facing a pair of fixed contacts (7a, 7b) and movable contacts (5a, 5b), each arc extinguishing device (17) includes two arc extinguishing blocks (12), each arc extinguishing block (12) is equipped with a plurality of fins (13).

2. The contactor (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two adjacent circuit breakers (2) in each pair (C1, C2) are identical and mirror images of each other.

3. The contactor (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The two pairs of (C1, C2) circuit breakers (2) are identical and mirror images of each other.

4. The contactor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, Each arc extinguishing device (17) includes a magnetic field emitting device (10a, 10b) and two arc extinguishing blocks (12), the arc extinguishing blocks being equipped with multiple fins (13) and located at a certain distance on either side of one end of the movable bridge (3), each circuit breaker (2) including a first magnetic field emitting device (10a) located at a certain distance from the first movable contact (5a) and the first fixed contact (7a), and a second magnetic field emitting device (10b) located at a certain distance from the first movable contact (5a) and the first fixed contact (7a), the second magnetic field emitting device (10b) being shared by two adjacent circuit breaker (2).

5. The contactor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, In each pair (C1, C2), each circuit breaker compartment (2) includes a first partition (15a) which is shared by the two circuit breaker compartments (2) and separates the two circuit breaker compartments (2), and a second fixed terminal (6b) passes through the first partition (15a).

6. The contactor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, Each pair of (C1, C2) circuit breakers (2) includes a second partition (15b) which is shared by and separates the two pairs of (C1, C2) circuit breakers (2) for another adjacent pair of (C1, C2) circuit breakers (2).

7. The contactor (1) according to claims 4 and 5, characterized in that, The second magnetic field emitting device (10b) passes through the partition (15a).

8. The contactor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The actuator (18) is a linear actuator.

9. The contactor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The movable shaft of the actuator (18) is connected to four rods (19), each rod (19) being equipped with a shaft (20) integral with one of the movable bridges (3).

10. The contactor (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The four rods (19) were arranged in an X shape.

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