Continuous-Cable Switch Fuse for Heat-Free Aircraft Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circuit breakers for electrical cables generate thermal heating due to electrical connections and have a risk of unexpected disconnection, leading to oversizing and increased onboard mass, particularly in aircraft applications.
Innovation Solution
A circuit breaker design featuring a linking system that forms a continuous tube around the electrical cable, eliminating electrical connections and incorporating a movable knife for seamless disconnection, with a pyrotechnic control for rapid activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If removable electrical connections are used to connect the conductive bar to the cable sections, then the device can be quickly replaced, but local heating is generated by the Joule effect and the connections may disconnect unexpectedly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the electrical connections from the system. Instead of using removable connectors that heat up and may disconnect, the patent uses a continuous conductive bar that passes through the protection device and directly connects the cable sections, removing the problematic connection points while maintaining replaceability of the protection device itself.
2Ease of repair
If removable electrical connections are used to connect the conductive bar to the cable sections, then the device can be quickly replaced, but the on-board mass increases due to oversizing of components
Solution Approach 1:
By removing the electrical connections entirely and using a continuous conductive bar, the patent eliminates the need for oversized connectors and associated cooling components, thereby reducing the overall mass of the protection device while maintaining full replaceability.
3Reliability
If a continuous electrical cable is used without removable connections, then thermal heating and disconnection risks are eliminated, but the device cannot be quickly replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the protection device from the cable system. The conductive bar remains continuous and permanently connected to the cable sections, while the protection device (housing with sectioning system) is made replaceable as a separate unit, achieving both reliability and ease of repair.
4Extent of automation
If electrical connections are used to transmit signals for triggering the pyrotechnic charge, then the sectioning system can be activated, but additional connection points increase heating and disconnection risks
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the signal transmission connections from the system. Instead of using electrical connections to trigger the pyrotechnic charge, the patent uses a mechanical triggering mechanism where the conductive bar itself activates the sectioning system through direct mechanical interaction, removing additional connection points and their associated risks.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution prevents thermal heating and disconnection risks, reducing the need for oversized components and ensuring reliable, rapid cable severance without generating heat, suitable for high-power aircraft electrical circuits.
Implementation Method 1
The control 22 is a pyrotechnic charge which is triggered upon receipt of an electrical signal transmitted by an electrical cable 24
Implementation Method 2
the first and second electrical connections 26.1, 26.2 generate local heating by Joule effect
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to an electrical protection device of the circuit breaker type comprising a housing (34), a disconnecting system (38) positioned within the housing (34), configured to occupy inactive and active states corresponding respectively to the conducting and non-conducting states of the electrical protection device (32), and a connecting system (36) configured to occupy an open state in which it allows the insertion of an electrical cable (30) and a closed state in which it surrounds the electrical cable (30). The connecting system (36) and the disconnecting system (38) are arranged such that, when the connecting system (36) is in the closed state, the disconnecting system (38) cuts the electrical cable (30) during a transition from the inactive to the active state. This solution allows for a continuous electrical cable. In the absence of an electrical connection, the risks of overheating and disconnection are eliminated.