High-Current Switch Braking Mechanism Against Accidental Closure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing high-current switches, particularly those used in electric vehicle electrical energy stores, face challenges in preventing unintentional closure due to accelerations, which can lead to electrical short circuits in high-voltage systems.
Innovation Solution
A high-current switch design featuring a housing, a braking device with a holding unit, and an electrical switching device with a bridge element that moves between open, intermediate, and contact positions. The braking device applies a braking force to prevent unintentional movement into the contact position, ensuring electrical isolation until intentional actuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the bridge element is allowed to move freely between open and contact positions, then the switching operation is simple and fast, but the bridge element may move unintentionally into the contact position under acceleration, causing electrical short circuit
Solution Approach 1:
The braking device applies a preliminary braking force to the bridge element in the intermediate position that acts counter to the direction of unintentional movement. This preliminary anti-action prevents the bridge element from moving into the contact position under acceleration, while allowing intentional switching operations to overcome this braking force when properly actuated.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate position serves as an intermediary state between the open and contact positions. The braking device holds the bridge element in this intermediate position, creating a buffer zone that prevents direct transition from open to contact position under unintended acceleration, thereby ensuring reliable prevention of short circuits.
2Reliability
If a braking device is introduced to prevent unintentional closure, then the reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The braking device is merged with the holding unit that is already part of the switching device structure. The holding unit serves dual purposes: holding the bridge element in the intermediate position and providing the braking force to prevent unintentional closure. This merging reduces overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding unit is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a positioning mechanism for the intermediate position and as a braking device that generates counter-force to prevent unintentional closure. This universal component approach reduces the need for separate dedicated braking mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity.
3Reliability
If the holding unit is strongly operatively connected to the bridge element, then the braking force is effective, but the movement into contact position becomes difficult even during intentional switching
Solution Approach 1:
The operative connection between the holding unit and the bridge element is designed to be dynamic rather than static. In the intermediate position, the holding unit provides strong braking force through its braking device. However, during intentional switching operations, the connection allows the bridge element to overcome the braking force and move into the contact position, ensuring both effectiveness and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The braking force provided by the holding unit is designed to be position-dependent. The braking force is strongest in the intermediate position to effectively prevent unintentional closure, but decreases or is overcome when the bridge element transitions to the contact position during intentional switching. This parameter change ensures both reliability and ease of operation.
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 effectively prevents unintentional closure of the high-current switch even under high accelerations, thereby avoiding electrical short circuits and ensuring safe operation in high-voltage systems.
Implementation Method 1
The holding unit has a permanent magnet, wherein the permanent magnet provides a magnetic field
Implementation Method 2
the permanent magnet provides the operative connection
Implementation Method 3
When the coil device is energized with an electric current, the coil device is configured to move the armature along the lifting axis
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a high-current switch (10) and to a method for operating the high-current switch (10), wherein the high-current switch (40) has a housing (15), a braking device (20), a first switching contact (40), a second switching contact (45) arranged offset from the first switching contact (40) and a switching device (25) having a bridge element (35), wherein the bridge element (35) is movable along a lifting axis (60) between an open position, an intermediate position and a contact position in the housing (15), wherein, in the open position and in the intermediate position of the bridge element (35), the bridge element (35) is spaced apart from the first switching contact (40) and second switching contact (45), and the first and second switching contacts (40, 45) are electrically isolated from each other, wherein the braking device (20) has a holding unit (600), which is operatively connected in the intermediate position to the bridge element (35) by means of an operative connection and provides a braking force (FB), which acts on the bridge element (35), wherein, in the contact position, the operative connection between the holding unit (600) and the bridge element is reduced, wherein, during a movement of the bridge element (35) from the open position in the direction of the contact position, at least in the intermediate position, the holding unit (600) acts with the braking force (FB) counter to the movement of the bridge element (35).