Multi-pole Switch Fuse Assembly Safety Plug Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-pole fuse switch arrangements for busbar systems can be operated by non-professionals, posing a risk of accidental contact with live parts, which is not adequately addressed by existing safety measures.
Innovation Solution
A multi-pole fused switch arrangement with a housing featuring receiving chambers for fuse plugs and output contact screws, where a safety plug covers the access channel for the output contact screw, ensuring protection against accidental contact, and a locking device reinforces the housing to secure the safety plug in its operating position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a covering hood is provided to protect live parts, then protection against accidental contact is improved, but device complexity increases and additional steps are required for operation
Solution Approach 1:
The safety plug combines multiple functions into a single component: it covers the access channel to protect live parts, supports the fuse plug during insertion, and integrates with the receiving chamber structure. This eliminates the need for a separate covering hood and reduces structural complexity while maintaining protection against accidental contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety plug serves multiple purposes simultaneously: it acts as a protective cover for the access channel, a support structure for fuse plug insertion, and an integrated safety feature. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed and simplifies the overall device structure.
2Ease of operation
If output contact screws are kept accessible for operation, then ease of operation is improved, but protection against accidental contact deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The safety plug is designed to be dynamically positioned - it covers the access channel when the fuse plug is removed or during insertion, but can be moved or removed when operational access is needed. This dynamic behavior allows the system to switch between protected and accessible states based on operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety plug is positioned in advance to cover the access channel before any operation occurs. This preliminary protective action ensures that live parts are protected during fuse plug insertion and removal, while still allowing access when needed by simply moving the safety plug.
3Reliability
If a covering hood is used to protect live parts, then protection against accidental contact is improved, but production costs increase due to additional elements
Solution Approach 1:
The safety plug integrates the protective covering function into an existing component structure, eliminating the need for a separate covering hood. This merging of functions reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured and assembled, thereby lowering production costs while maintaining protection against accidental contact.
4Reliability
If a covering hood is provided for protection, then protection against accidental contact is improved, but the system becomes more prone to damage and requires additional maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is extracted from a separate covering hood and integrated into the safety plug that is already part of the operational mechanism. This eliminates the covering hood and its vulnerable hinge articulation, reducing the system to more durable components that are less prone to damage and require less maintenance.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The arrangement has a housing (20) and switch safety units (100), where each switch safety unit exhibits a receiving chamber (110) for a safety plug (120), into which a safety insert (130) is inserted. An output contact screw (144) fixes a line at an output contact of the safety unit. The contact screw is simply actuated by an input channel (140). The safety plug is designed such that the plug covers the input channel for the output contact screw in its operating position in a measure, which ensures a contact protection for the contact screw.