Sealed Contact Device with Magnetic Arc Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealed contact devices struggle to promptly and reliably extinguish arcs that do not reach the arc barrier, leading to inconsistent arc extinction.
Innovation Solution
A sealed contact device is designed with permanent magnets to attract arcs between fixed and movable contacts using magnetic force, directing them to an arc shielding member with increased surface area and a U-shaped configuration for effective extinction, which can be mounted without interfering with contact movements and enhanced by using metal materials for cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an arc barrier is used to extinguish arcs, then arcs reaching the barrier can be extinguished, but arcs that do not reach the barrier cannot be promptly and certainly extinguished
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces permanent magnets as an intermediary force field between the contacts and the arc barrier. The magnetic field acts as a mediator to guide and concentrate arcs toward the arc barrier, ensuring that arcs regardless of their initial direction will be directed to the extinction point. This resolves the inconsistency where some arcs reach the barrier while others do not.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of arc trajectory by introducing a magnetic field. The permanent magnets create a magnetic force that alters the path of the arc, changing its direction and concentration point. This parameter change ensures arcs are consistently directed to the arc barrier for reliable extinction.
2Reliability
If permanent magnets are added to attract arcs, then arc extinction reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the arc guidance function from the mechanical arc barrier structure and implements it through a magnetic field generated by permanent magnets. This separation allows the arc extinction function to be achieved through a simpler magnetic field configuration rather than complex mechanical structures, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of arc extinction (relying on physical barrier contact) with a magnetic field-based approach. The permanent magnets create a magnetic force field that guides arcs without requiring complex mechanical movement or adjustment mechanisms, thereby reducing device complexity while improving arc extinction reliability.
3Reliability
If arc shielding member surface area is increased to improve arc extinction, then arc extinction performance improves, but mounting difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the arc shielding member with a U-shaped cross-section that can be nested within the housing structure. This nested configuration allows the shielding member to achieve adequate surface area for arc extinction while fitting compactly within the existing device boundaries, maintaining ease of manufacture and installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a flat plate-like arc shielding member to a U-shaped three-dimensional structure. This dimensional change increases the effective surface area available for arc extinction while maintaining a compact footprint that fits within the housing, thereby improving arc extinction performance without significantly increasing mounting difficulty.
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 ensures consistent and efficient arc extinction, even when arcs occur in arbitrary directions, improving the reliability and durability of the contact device by shortening arc duration and preventing contact degradation.
Implementation Method 1
permanent magnets which attracts an arc between the fixed contact and the movable contact using a magnetic force
Implementation Method 2
attracts an arc between the fixed contact and the movable contact using a magnetic force generated by current flowing between the contacts
Implementation Method 3
the arc shielding member may be made of a metal. This configuration allows the arc which has hit the arc shielding member to be cooled
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a sealed contact device capable of extinguishing an arc which extends in an arbitrary direction. The sealed contact device includes a housing; a fixed contact and a movable contact disposed in the housing in such a manner as to face each other; and permanent magnets which are disposed with the fixed contact and the movable contact interposed therebetween and which attracts an arc between the fixed contact and the movable contact using a magnetic force. An arc shielding member is disposed at a position to which the arc is attracted by current flowing between the fixed contact and the movable contact and by the magnetic force between the permanent magnets, in the housing.