Vacuum Circuit Breaker Layout for Compact High-Insulation Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vacuum circuit breakers are large and expensive to manufacture, necessitating a more cost-effective and compact design.
Innovation Solution
The vacuum circuit breaker is designed with a moldable plastic body that incorporates terminals and a pulling rod, featuring a heat-resistant core and impact-resistant shell, allowing for reduced size and weight while maintaining high thermal stability and durability, and utilizing an insulating material for support insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional vacuum circuit breakers are used, then reliable circuit interruption is achieved, but the device size and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple components (terminals, support insulation, and the circuit breaker body) into a single integrated molded structure. The terminals are molded directly into the circuit breaker body, and the support insulation is formed as an integral part of this structure, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and reducing overall device volume while maintaining functional reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit breaker body is formed from composite materials that combine electrical insulation properties with mechanical strength and thermal stability. This allows the structure to maintain reliability under electrical stress while occupying less space compared to conventional designs using separate material components
2Reliability
If conventional vacuum circuit breakers are used, then circuit interruption function is maintained, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple manufacturing steps into a single injection molding process. The terminals, support insulation, and circuit breaker body are all formed in one operation, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while ensuring consistent functional performance
Solution Approach 2:
The terminals and support insulation are pre-formed as integral parts of the molded body during the initial manufacturing process, eliminating the need for subsequent assembly operations. This preliminary integration reduces both manufacturing time and cost while maintaining the required circuit interruption function
3Volume of stationary object
If compact design is implemented, then device size and weight are reduced, but thermal stability and durability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials with high thermal stability and mechanical strength that allow the circuit breaker to be compact while maintaining durability. The molded body incorporates materials specifically selected to resist thermal degradation and mechanical stress in a reduced-size configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The support insulation is strategically positioned and dimensioned within the molded body to provide localized thermal management where needed. The structure concentrates insulation properties in critical areas, maintaining thermal stability in a compact overall form
Data Source
Figure 1~1B
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A vacuum circuit breaker comprising a vacuum interrupter (12) coupled between upper (18) and lower (20) terminals and being operable to make or break an electrical connection between the upper and lower terminals. The circuit breaker has a body 22 formed from electrically insulating material, the vacuum interrupter being located in an internal chamber of the body. The circuit breaker body is arranged to provide an isosceles triangle between the upper (C) and lower (A) terminal connection interfaces. This allows the same design of both upper and lower external connectors 80, 82. A pulling rod (16) coupled to the vacuum interrupter comprises a core (70) of heat-resistant plastic co-moulded with a shell (72) formed from impact resistant plastic.