The present invention relates to a high voltage air break disconnect switch, and, in particular, to a high voltage air disconnect switch having an electrical load interrupter unit responsive to the opening of the high voltage air break disconnect switch. The electrical load interrupter unit including a tubular actuating arm which is contacted and actuated, during the opening of the switch, by a moving arc horn attached to and in electrical circuit with a switch blade of the high voltage air disconnect switch.
When such a high voltage air break disconnect switch is in the closed electrically conductive position the interrupter unit is not in the current path of the high voltage air disconnect switch. When opening such a high voltage disconnect switch to the open electrically nonconductive position, the switch blade begins its opening rotary motion and the attached moving arc horn contacts the actuating arm and a parallel electrical current path is established through the arcing components, i.e., the actuating arm and the moving arc horn. When the moving arc horn contacts the actuating arm, the electrical current of the high voltage disconnect switch is commuted to the interrupter. As the switch blade continues its rotary motion the moving arc horn slides along the tubular actuating arm until the moving arc horn reaches the end of the actuating arm and slides off and releases the actuating arm, which is typically spring-loaded, to reset for a next operating stroke. Once the high voltage air disconnect switch is fully electrically closed, the interrupter unit including the actuating arm is out of the electrical current path of the high voltage air disconnect switch.
The switch blade of a high voltage air break disconnect switch having such an interrupter unit, has the moving arc horn attached to and in electrical circuit with the switch blade. Problems may arise with such a high voltage disconnect switch during switch opening, because the moving arc horn may strike the interrupter unit actuating arm with enough force and velocity to cause the moving arc horn and the actuating arm to lose contact due to bouncing between one another at a contact point on the moving arc horn. As can be seen, for example, in the prior art switch of
One high voltage air disconnect switch having such an interrupter unit that has been found to have such a bouncing problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,881,755 B1 dated Jan. 30, 2018, by Charles M. Cleaveland, entitled “Motorized High Voltage In-Line Disconnect Switch with Hand-Held Communication System to Prevent Unwanted Operation” assigned to the present assignee, Cleaveland/Price Inc. This patent discloses an in-line vertical break switch having such an interrupter unit, where the interrupter unit is a vacuum interrupter. The vacuum interrupter is described in column 7, lines 39-50 of said U.S. Pat. No. 9,881,755 B1 and shown in
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the invention to devise an improved high voltage air disconnect switch having an electrical load interrupter unit, where the switch has been adapted to eliminate the described bouncing problem between the moving arc horn and the actuating arm.
The present invention provides a solution to the bouncing problem of the high voltage air disconnect switch having such an electrical load interrupter unit. The interrupter unit, as mentioned, typically includes the spring-loaded tubular actuating arm for contacting the moving arc horn. The moving arc horn is attached to and in electrical circuit with the movable switch blade of the high voltage air disconnect switch. The moving arc horn of the present invention has been modified from the prior art moving arc horn to operatively have attached to it a spring catch that together with a contact point or surface of the moving arc horn engages the actuating arm about its outer circumference with a physical holding force applied to the contact point between the tubular actuating arm and the moving arc horn to capture the outer circumference of the tubular interrupter actuating arm against the contact point of the moving arc horn during opening of the switch to prevent any arc burning damage due to arcing between the actuating arm and the moving switch blade. The spring catch together with the contact point of the moving arc horn forms a catch and trap zone to capture the tubular interrupter actuating arm so that it is held in continuous physical and electrical contacting relationship with the moving arc horn during opening of the switch.
The spring catch includes two oppositely positioned resilient spring guide fingers. Each resilient spring guide finger extends toward one another to form the catch and trap zone with the moving arc horn. The catch and trap zone has a holding action that provides sufficient contact force to keep the actuating arm and the moving arc horn together at the contact point. The catch and trap zone includes a catch and trap opening between the resilient spring guide fingers which is sized to allow the outer circumference of the actuating arm to slidably enter the catch and trap zone through the catch and trap opening upon initial contact of the actuating arm with the spring catch modified moving arc horn upon opening of the switch, but the tubular actuating arm, once captured, is prevented by the holding action of the catch and trap zone from exiting back through the catch and trap opening. The resilient spring guide fingers proximate the catch and trap opening then trap the actuating arm against the contact point of the moving arc horn to keep constant physical and electrical contact the entire time until the arc horn disengages from the actuating arm. This is accomplished by the spring force of the spring catch. The catch and trap zone of the resilient spring guide fingers permits the arc horn with the attached spring catch to slide along a length of the actuating arm until the arc horn slides off the end of the actuating arm as the switch opens.
The spring catch preferably includes a V-shaped chute guide. The V-shaped chute guide is formed by both resilient spring guide fingers beginning from the catch and trap opening retroverting away from each other to form the V-shaped chute guide having chute guide surfaces, with the chute guide surfaces enabling easy and reliable entry of the actuating arm into the catch and trap zone during opening of the switch. A chute guide entrance opening of the V-shaped chute guide preferably being larger than the catch and trap opening for the purpose of guiding the actuating arm into the catch and trap zone.
These and other aspects of the present invention will be further understood from the entirety of the description, drawings and claims.
For a better understanding of the invention reference may be made to the accompanying drawings exemplary of the invention, in which:
Other common switch current carrying parts of the switch 10 includes vertically rotating switch blade 20. A hinge contact member 24 is included at the hinge end 18 of the switch 10 and is connected in circuit to a hinge terminal 38. The hinge contact member 24 includes a hinge pin 33 that switch blade 20 rotates about during opening and closing of the switch. The hinge end 18 of the switch 10 is mounted proximate one end 28a of the strain insulator 22. The switch 10 also includes a break jaw end 19 which is mounted proximate the other end 28b of the strain insulator 22 and a switch break jaw contact terminal 30. The switch break jaw contact terminal 30 includes an integral break jaw contact 32 for contacting the switch blade end 34 when the switch is closed. The switch 10 also includes jumpers 36a, 36b attached in the circuit respectively, to a hinge terminal 38 and the switch break jaw terminal 30. As shown in
The electrical load interrupter unit 100 of the prior art switch in this embodiment is a vacuum interrupter attached to the switch break jaw terminal 30 as shown in
As can be seen in
The two resilient spring guide fingers 120a, 120b preferably extend from the catch and trap opening 118 by retroverting away from each other to form a V-shaped chute guide 121 having chute guide surfaces 122 of the spring catch 110 with a wide chute guide opening compared to the catch and trap opening 118. The wide chute guide opening is shown in
As can be seen by reference to
List of Reference Numerals:
Of course variations from the foregoing embodiment is possible without departing from the scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/298,286 filed Jan. 11, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63298286 | Jan 2022 | US |