Fuse Unit Carriage for Tool-Free Medium Voltage Switchgear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current air-insulated medium-voltage switchgear systems require significant effort and tool usage for fuse replacement, posing safety risks due to the need to handle potentially hot fuses and requiring disassembly of the entire assembly.
Innovation Solution
A fuse unit design where the fuse is mounted on a carriage that can be moved between connected and unconnected states, allowing for removal and replacement without tools, and featuring a locking mechanism to ensure safe operation and indication of the ready state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the fuse is permanently installed in the switch panel, then the electrical connection is stable, but the fuse replacement requires significant effort and tool usage
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse assembly is segmented into a fuse unit and a carriage that can be separated. The fuse unit remains permanently mounted on the carriage, while only the fuse itself needs to be replaced. This segmentation allows the fuse to be quickly swapped without removing the entire assembly or using tools, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The carriage is designed to be movable along the carrier, transitioning between connected and unconnected states. This dynamic design allows the fuse assembly to be easily removed and repositioned for replacement, while maintaining a stable connected state during normal operation, thus balancing operational ease with structural stability.
2Productivity
If the entire assembly is removed for fuse replacement, then the fuse can be replaced, but the operation becomes time-consuming and requires disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse replacement process is segmented into two independent actions: removing only the fuse from its holder, and leaving the carriage mounted on the carrier. This segmentation eliminates the time-consuming step of removing the entire assembly, allowing rapid fuse replacement while maintaining the carriage in place, thus improving productivity without increasing replacement time.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse is pre-positioned in a readily accessible location on the carriage, and the carriage is pre-mounted on the carrier in a fixed position. This preliminary arrangement ensures that when fuse replacement is needed, the operator can quickly access and replace the fuse without any disassembly or time-consuming repositioning, maximizing productivity while minimizing time loss.
3Ease of operation
If the fuse is handled directly, then the replacement can be done, but safety risks arise from handling hot fuses
Solution Approach 1:
The carriage acts as an intermediary between the operator and the fuse. The fuse is mounted on the carriage, which remains mounted on the carrier during operation. When replacing a hot fuse, the operator handles only the cool carriage and uses tools to replace the fuse on the carriage, never directly handling the hot fuse itself. This intermediary approach improves safety without adding complex handling mechanisms.
4Reliability
If the fuse is locked in the panel, then the connection is secure, but the fuse cannot be quickly accessed for replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The carriage is designed with dynamic positioning capability, allowing it to be locked in a connected state for secure electrical connection during normal operation, and easily moved to an unconnected state for fuse replacement. The fuse itself remains securely mounted on the carriage, which provides both stability when connected and accessibility when needed, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2a
AI summary
The securing unit (10) has a fuse (26), which is connected to electrical components of a control panel, where the fuse is arranged on a carriage (25). The control panel has a carrier (13). The carriage and the carrier are adapted to each other, such that the carriage is attached on the carrier. The fuse is transferred from a connected condition in a disconnected condition by a movement of the carriage.