CN116936268A

CN116936268A - Electrical switch

Info

Publication number: CN116936268A
Application number: CN202210374173.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 潘艳明; 刘振忠; 周斌
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Current assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Priority date: 2022-04-11
Filing date: 2022-04-11
Publication date: 2023-10-24
Also published as: AU2023202215B2; EP4270431A1; AU2023202215A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical switch comprising: a first stationary contact, an outlet terminal, and a moving contact assembly connected to the outlet terminal and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation between a first closed position and an open position, the moving contact assembly including at least one pair of moving contacts that are opposite each other and extend along a longitudinal axis, wherein the at least one pair of moving contacts includes first and second portions that are opposite along the longitudinal axis, the first portion being in contact with the first stationary contact in the first closed position and being disconnected from the first stationary contact in the open position, the second portion remaining connected to the outlet terminal, and wherein the axis of rotation passes through the second portion.

Description

Electrical switch

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electrical switch.

Background

An electrical switch generally comprises a contact structure consisting of a stationary contact and a movable contact, which is movable relative to the stationary contact, is in contact with the stationary contact in a closed position and is disconnected from the stationary contact in an open position.

The plug-in contact structure is a common contact form, when the movable contact contacts with the fixed contact, the fixed contact is clamped between the movable contact and the fixed contact under the action of the contact springs, and the switch adopting the plug-in contact structure can be divided into a double-break switch and a single-break switch according to the number of the fixed contacts contacted by the movable contact at the same time.

When the double-break switch is closed, the two ends of the moving contact are respectively clamped to a first fixed contact connected to the wire inlet end and a second fixed contact connected to the wire outlet end, so that current is conducted between the wire inlet end and the wire outlet end. However, when the switch is closed or opened, the friction force generated by clamping the moving contact and the two fixed contacts needs to be overcome, and the power source (such as an operating mechanism, manpower and the like) for driving the switch to act has high requirements, so that the switch can be closed or opened with high force.

The movable contact of the single-break switch is connected with the wire outlet end through soft connection (such as copper braided wires), and when the switch is closed, current can be conducted between the wire inlet end and the wire outlet end. Compared with a double-break switch, the structure has the advantages that the resistance of closing and opening is reduced to a certain extent. But the movable contact and the wire outlet end are electrically connected by a flexible connection (copper braided wire) with certain elasticity, and the copper braided wire can be bent and deformed within a certain range so as to ensure that the contact can move. However, when the movable contact rotates, the flexible connection rotates, a certain resistance is generated to the movement of the contact, and the flexible connection occupies more space, so that the size of the switch is enlarged.

Therefore, a novel electrical switch with compact structure, small closing and opening resistance, low cost and strong expansibility is needed.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned problems and needs, the present invention proposes a novel electrical switch and a method for opening an electrical switch, which solve the above-mentioned problems and bring about other technical effects, thanks to the following technical features.

In one aspect, the present invention provides an electrical switch comprising: a first stationary contact, an outlet terminal, and a moving contact assembly connected to the outlet terminal and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation between a first closed position and an open position, the moving contact assembly including at least one pair of moving contacts that are opposite each other and extend along a longitudinal axis, wherein the at least one pair of moving contacts includes first and second portions that are opposite along the longitudinal axis, the first portion being in contact with the first stationary contact in the first closed position and being disconnected from the first stationary contact in the open position, the second portion remaining connected to the outlet terminal, and wherein the axis of rotation passes through the second portion.

In some examples, the first portion of the at least one pair of moving contacts includes first inner surfaces opposite each other, the first inner surfaces including first contact projections, in the first closed position, the first stationary contact being in contact with and sandwiched between the opposing first contact projections.

In some examples, the second portion of the at least one pair of moving contacts includes second inner surfaces opposite each other, the second inner surfaces including second contact projections with which the outlet terminal is in contact and sandwiched between the opposite second contact projections.

In some examples, the axis of rotation is adjacent to the second contact protrusion.

In some examples, the axis of rotation passes through the second contact protrusion.

In some examples, the moving contact assembly further includes a resilient assembly, the at least one pair of moving contacts further including an outer surface opposite the first and second inner surfaces, the resilient assembly attached to the outer surface and configured to apply a compressive force to the at least one pair of moving contacts.

In some examples, the elastic assembly includes an elastic member extending in a longitudinal direction and disposed on outer surfaces of the at least one pair of moving contacts, respectively, and a retainer disposed around the elastic member to retain the elastic member on the at least one pair of moving contacts.

In some examples, the outer surfaces of the at least one pair of moving contacts include a plurality of mounting protrusions protruding outwardly from the outer surfaces of the first and second portions, respectively, and both ends of the elastic member abut the mounting protrusions, respectively.

In some examples, the retainer is fixedly connected to the elastic member at an engagement position that is a greater distance from a contact position of the first portion with the first stationary contact than from a contact position of the second portion with the outlet terminal.

In some examples, the resilient member is a leaf spring.

In some examples, the moving contact assembly further comprises a rotatable moving contact bracket connected to a drive mechanism of the electrical switch for rotation about the axis of rotation upon actuation of the drive mechanism, wherein the at least one pair of moving contacts are disposed in the moving contact bracket.

In some examples, the electrical switch further includes a second stationary contact, the movable contact assembly further configured to rotate about an axis of rotation between a first closed position, a second closed position, and an open position, the first portion in contact with the second stationary contact in the second closed position.

In some examples, the electrical switch further includes a second moving contact assembly in coaxial driving connection with the moving contact assembly, wherein the first stationary contact includes a first sub-branch portion and a second sub-branch portion that are connected to each other, the second stationary contact includes a third sub-branch portion and a fourth sub-branch portion that are connected to each other, the moving contact assembly is configured to contact the first sub-branch portion and the third sub-branch portion, and the second moving contact assembly is configured to contact the second sub-branch portion and the fourth sub-branch portion.

In some examples, the outgoing terminal includes a first terminal and a second terminal connected to each other, the moving contact assembly is connected to the first terminal, and the second moving contact assembly is connected to the second terminal.

In some examples, the electrical switch is a dual power transfer switch.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is apparent that the drawings in the following description relate only to some embodiments of the present disclosure, not to limit the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an electrical switch in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an electrical switch with a drive mechanism omitted, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 illustrates a side view of an electrical switch with a movable contact assembly in a first closed position in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 illustrates a side view of an electrical switch with a moving contact assembly in an open position in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 3;

fig. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of a moving contact in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the electrical switch of fig. 3 omitting the moving contact bracket;

fig. 8 shows a top view from the view in direction B of fig. 7;

fig. 9 shows a side view of an electrical switch according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 illustrates a perspective view of a three-phase four-wire electrical switch according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a three-phase four-wire electrical switch according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

List of reference numerals

1. First stationary contact

11. A first contact part

12. A first sub-branch part

13. A second sub-branch part

2. Second stationary contact

21. A second contact part

22. Third sub-branching portion

23. Fourth sub-branching portion

3. Outgoing line terminal

31. First terminal

32. Second terminal

4. 4' moving contact assembly

41. 42 moving contact

43. First part

44. Second part

45. Outer surface

46. Middle part

47. Mounting boss

5. A first inner surface

51. First contact protrusion

6. A second inner surface

61. Second contact protrusion

7. Elastic assembly

71. Elastic piece

72. Retainer

8. 8' moving contact support

81. First end

82. Second end

83. Mounting groove

84. Partition wall

9. Driving mechanism

91. Main shaft

D axis of rotation

L longitudinal axis

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the technical solutions of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of specific embodiments of the present invention. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like parts. It should be noted that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be made by a person skilled in the art without creative efforts, based on the described embodiments of the present invention fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Unless defined otherwise, technical or scientific terms used herein should be given the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terms "first," "second," and the like in the description and in the claims, are not used for any order, quantity, or importance, but are used for distinguishing between different elements. Likewise, the terms "a" or "an" and the like do not necessarily denote a limitation of quantity. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that elements or items preceding the word are included in the element or item listed after the word and equivalents thereof, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "connected," and the like, are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, which may also be changed when the absolute position of the object to be described is changed.

Various embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, it is to be noted that in the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to constituent parts having substantially the same or similar structures and functions, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.

Possible implementations within the scope of the present disclosure may have fewer components, have other components not shown in the drawings, different components, differently arranged components, differently connected components, etc., than the examples shown in the drawings. Furthermore, two or more of the components in the figures may be implemented in a single component or a single component shown in the figures may be implemented as multiple separate components without departing from the concepts of the present disclosure.

For ease of description, the drawings of the present disclosure accordingly simplify or omit components commonly used in the art, such as housings, inlet terminals, outlet terminals, breaking units, and arc extinguishing devices of electrical switches, among other components not relevant to the description of the present disclosure. These omitted or simplified components do not affect the understanding of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art.

The amount of resistance to closing and opening of an electrical switch having a plug-in contact structure is one of the important parameters for evaluating the electrical switch, and affects the amount of driving force required for a power source (e.g., an operating mechanism, a human power, etc.) that drives the switch to operate. As described in the background, existing electrical switches having plug-in contact structures suffer from a number of drawbacks, particularly in terms of resistance to closing and opening. For example, when the double-break switch is closed and opened, the friction force generated by clamping the moving contact and the two static contacts needs to be overcome, compared with the double-break switch, the single-break switch reduces one break, the closing resistance and the opening resistance are reduced to a certain extent, but the moving contact and the wire outlet end of the single-break switch are connected by using conductive soft connection (copper braided wires), and the copper braided wires can be bent and deformed within a certain range to ensure that the contacts can move, and meanwhile, the soft connection also has certain elasticity. However, when the moving contact swings, the flexible connection swings, a certain resistance is generated to the movement of the contact, and the moment of inertia of the contact is increased, which means that a larger driving force is required to smoothly close or open the switch. The flexible connection also occupies more space, making the electrical switch larger in size.

In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present disclosure proposes a new electrical switch. Preferred embodiments of the electric switch according to the present disclosure are specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an electrical switch in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an electrical switch with a drive mechanism omitted, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 illustrates a side view of an electrical switch with a movable contact assembly in a first closed position in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 4 illustrates a side view of an electrical switch with a moving contact assembly in an open position in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of fig. 3. Fig. 6 illustrates a schematic diagram of a moving contact in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the electrical switch of fig. 3 omitting the moving contact bracket. Fig. 8 shows a top view from the direction B of fig. 7.

As shown in fig. 1, an electrical switch according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first stationary contact 1, an outlet terminal 3, a movable contact assembly 4, and a driving mechanism 9. The main shaft 91 of the driving mechanism 9 serves as a power output source to transmit torque to the moving contact assembly 4. Illustratively, the main shaft 91 may include a drive shaft and an internal spline surrounding the drive shaft, and correspondingly, the moving contact assembly 4, and in particular the moving contact bracket 8 of the moving contact assembly 4, may include an external spline that mates with the internal spline, and a bore that receives the drive shaft. The moving contact assembly 4 cooperates with the main shaft 91 (this cooperating power transmission is shown in phantom) to transmit torque. Thus, as shown in fig. 2, the movable contact assembly 4 is rotatable about the rotation axis D, so that the position can be switched between the first closed position and the open position.

The first stationary contact 1 may be electrically connected to an incoming line end, which may be electrically connected to a power supply, for example, and the outgoing line terminal 3 may be electrically connected to an outgoing line end, which may be electrically connected to a load, for example.

For convenience of description, in the description of the present disclosure, a housing of an electrical switch is omitted. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the first stationary contact 1, the wire outlet terminal 3, the movable contact assembly 4, the drive mechanism 9, etc. may be housed in a housing made of an electrically insulating material.

As shown in fig. 2 to 5, the moving contact assembly 4 includes at least one pair of moving contacts 41, 42, the moving contacts 41, 42 being opposed to each other and extending along the longitudinal axis L. The longitudinal axis L defines the length direction of the moving contacts 41, 42 and may be perpendicular to the rotation axis D. The moving contacts 41, 42 may be generally in the shape of a sheet-like strip comprising a first portion 43 and a second portion 44 opposite along the longitudinal axis L for contacting the first stationary contact 1 and the outlet terminal 3, respectively.

Specifically, the first portion 43 contacts the first stationary contact 1 in the first closed position, as shown in fig. 3. The first portion 43 is disconnected from the first stationary contact 1 in the open position, as shown in fig. 4. And remains connected to the outlet terminal 3 at the second portion 44. Therefore, in the first closing position, the current is conducted between the wire inlet end and the wire outlet end via the moving contacts 41, 42, and in the opening position, the moving contacts 41, 42 are disconnected from the first stationary contact 1, so that the wire inlet end is disconnected from the wire outlet end.

In this embodiment, the rotation axis D passes through the second portion 44. This arrangement has the significant advantage that the second portion 44 of the moving contact 41, 42, which remains always connected and in contact with the outlet terminal 3, simultaneously rotates about the rotation axis D, thus eliminating the need for a soft connection of the moving contact 41, 42 to the outlet terminal 3, the moving contact 41, 42 being directly connected to the outlet terminal 3, simplifying the structure of the electrical switch, reducing the space occupation and being compact. In particular, compared with a moving contact of which two ends are respectively electrically connected with a fixed contact, the moving contact has a length smaller than that of the moving contact. In addition, compared with a single-break switch which needs soft connection between a moving contact and an outlet terminal, the moving contact of the present disclosure is directly in contact with the outlet terminal, so that the soft connection is prevented from generating additional resistance and rotational inertia to the movement of the moving contact along with the rotation of the moving contact, and more installation space is saved without soft connection, so that the size of the electrical switch can be reduced.

Furthermore, the passage of the rotation axis D through the second portion 44 can reduce the resistance to the closing and opening processes. As shown in fig. 5, it is assumed that the contact position of the second portion 44 with the outlet terminal 3 is at a distance D from the rotation axis D along the longitudinal axis L. It should be noted that, since the contact portion between the second portion 44 and the outlet terminal 3 may be a point contact or a surface contact, d represents the length of the arm equivalent to the resistance moment applied to the movable contacts 41 and 42 due to the existence of the resistance. Also, D represents the absolute value of the above-described distance, not the direction, and thus the contact position of the second portion 44 with the outlet terminal 3 may be located above or below the rotation axis D along the longitudinal axis L. The resistance mainly comes from friction resistance generated by the contact of the first part 43 and the second part 44 of the movable contact 41 and 42 with the first fixed contact 1 and the wire outlet terminal 3 during closing and opening, and the direction of the resistance is along the tangential direction of the rotation radius, so that a resistance moment is generated at the rotation axis position. Since the value of the rotation axis D passing through the second portion 44, D can be very small, even 0, the resistance and the resistance moment from the outlet terminal 3 are very small. Moreover, as the length of the moving contact is reduced, the resistance moment from the first fixed contact 1 is correspondingly reduced. In general, the resistance in the closing and opening processes can be greatly reduced, and thus the driving force demand of the driving mechanism is low. In addition, the manufacturing cost of the electrical switch is correspondingly reduced due to the saving of the number and the size of the parts.

Alternatively, the first stationary contact 1 may have a hook-like shape as shown in fig. 2 to 4, i.e., include a straight line portion and a first contact portion 11, the first contact portion 11 being formed in a hook-like shape and configured to contact the moving contacts 41, 42. The opposite surfaces of the first contact portion 11 may be provided as inclined surfaces whose thicknesses gradually increase in a direction away from the moving contacts 41, 42. In this way, the resistance between the moving contacts 41, 42 and the first stationary contact 1, in particular the resistance at the time of initial contact, can be reduced, and the contact (smaller thickness position) of the moving contacts 41, 42 and the first stationary contact 1 can be guided, ensuring reliable contact (larger thickness position) of the moving contacts 41, 42 and the first stationary contact 1 in the first closing position.

The sectional view of fig. 5 shows the various components of the moving contact assembly and their connection relationship. Note that all cross-sectional lines in the cross-sectional view are omitted for the sake of clarity. The moving contacts 41, 42 are installed in the moving contact bracket 8 opposite to each other, and the moving contact bracket 8 may include a pair of installation grooves 83 to accommodate the moving contacts 41, 42, the moving contacts 41, 42 being separated by a partition wall 84 of the moving contact bracket 8. Specifically, the moving contacts 41, 42 may include a protruding intermediate portion 46 (shown in fig. 6), the intermediate portion 46 being separated by a separation wall 84. The moving contact assembly 4 may include an elastic assembly 7, the elastic assembly 7 applying a pressing force to the moving contacts 41, 42, and the intermediate portion 46 abutting against the partition wall 84 and being partitioned by the partition wall 84 by the pressing force of the elastic assembly 7 when the moving contacts 41, 42 are mounted in the moving contact holder 8 but are not in contact with the first stationary contact 1 or the outgoing terminal 3. And the first portion 43 and the second portion 44 can be contacted with the first stationary contact 1 and the outlet terminal 3, respectively, as free ends. When the second portion 44 contacts and clamps the outlet terminal 3 but the first portion 43 does not contact the first stationary contact 1, the second portion 44 is spread apart and has a substantially V-shape. When the first portion 43 and the second portion 44 are respectively brought into contact with and clamped by the outlet terminal 3, the intermediate portion 46 is separated from the partition wall 84, and the movable contacts 41, 42 are substantially parallel to each other.

The moving contact carrier 8 may be made of an electrically insulating material, for example plastic.

The first end 81 of the moving contact holder 8 may be provided with external splines and shaft holes for driving connection with the spindle 91 of the drive mechanism 9 and the second end 82 may be provided with internal splines and shaft bodies similar to the spindle 91 of the drive mechanism 9. With this arrangement, the expansibility of the moving-contact holder 8 is enhanced, i.e., the other moving-contact holder 8 'can be coaxially connected to the second end 82 of the moving-contact holder 8, thereby transmitting torque among the main shaft 91, the moving-contact holder 8, and the moving-contact holder 8'. Similarly, this transfer can be continued by increasing the number of moving-contact holders 8.

The moving contacts 41, 42 may have the same structure as a mirror image, so that the moving contacts 41, 42 may be described by taking only one of the moving contacts as an example, and the other of the pair of moving contacts may be inferred. As shown in fig. 6, the first portion 43 of the moving contacts 41, 42 comprises a first inner surface 5, the first inner surfaces 5 being opposite to each other when the moving contacts 41, 42 are mounted in the moving contact holder 8. The first inner surface 5 comprises a first contact protrusion 51. In the first closing position, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the first stationary contact 1 is in contact with the first contact protrusion 51 and is sandwiched between the opposing first contact protrusions 51. The first contact protrusion 51 may have a slope conforming (formed) to the first contact portion 11 of the first stationary contact 1, thus forming a surface contact with the first contact portion 11. Surface contact is advantageous to help reduce contact resistance. Furthermore, the second portions 44 of the moving contacts 41, 42 comprise second inner surfaces 6, the second inner surfaces 6 being opposite to each other when the moving contacts 41, 42 are mounted in the moving contact holder 8. The second inner surface 6 includes second contact protrusions 61, and the outlet terminal 3 is contacted with the second contact protrusions 61 and sandwiched between the opposite second contact protrusions 61. The second contact protrusion 61 may be an arc-shaped protrusion, so that the contact position with the outlet terminal 3 is a small surface contact or point contact, and the frictional resistance of the moving contacts 41, 42 during rotation can be reduced. Other ways of contact are also possible, such as a surface contact between the outlet terminal 3 and the second contact protrusion 61, or a point contact between the first stationary contact 1 and the first contact protrusion 51.

The first stationary contact 1, the wire outlet terminal 3 and the moving contacts 41, 42 may be made of an electrically conductive material, for example, pure copper. Silver may be coated at the contact positions of the moving contacts 41, 42 with the first stationary contact 1 and the outlet terminal 3. The silver coating can reduce contact resistance and protect copper from oxidation.

Alternatively, the rotation axis D is adjacent to the second contact protrusion 61, that is to say D has a small value, for example less than 10mm, less than 5mm, less than 3mm, less than 2mm or less than 1mm. In the present embodiment, the rotation axis D passes through the second contact protrusion 61, i.e., the contact position of the second contact protrusion 61 with the outlet terminal 3 coincides with the rotation axis D, and thus the resistance to the rotation of the movable contacts 41, 42 can be minimized.

It should be noted that "inner" and "outer" described herein are with respect to the pair of moving contacts 41, 42, and when installed in the moving contact holder 8, the opposite surface may be referred to as an inner surface, and the surface opposite to the inner surface may be referred to as an outer surface.

The moving contacts 41, 42 comprise an outer surface 45, the elastic assembly 7 being attached to the outer surface 45 and configured to apply a pressing force to the moving contacts 41, 42. As shown in fig. 5 and 8, the elastic assembly 7 includes an elastic member 71 and a holder 72. The elastic members 71 extend in the longitudinal direction L and are provided on the outer surfaces 45 of the moving contacts 41, 42, respectively. The holder 72 is provided around the elastic member 71 to hold the elastic member 71 on the moving contacts 41, 42. Accordingly, the outer surface 45 of the moving contact 41, 42 may comprise two mounting protrusions 47, the mounting protrusions 47 protruding outwards from the outer surface 45 of the first portion 43 and the outer surface 45 of the second portion 44, respectively. Both ends of the elastic member 71 abut against the mounting projections 47, respectively, and the mounting projections 47 restrict movement of both ends of the elastic member 71 in the longitudinal direction L, thereby attaching the elastic member 71 to the outer surface 45. The number of mounting projections 47 may be selected as desired, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, the elastic member 71 is a leaf spring. Alternatively, the elastic member 71 may be other elastic members, such as a coil spring, or the like.

As shown in fig. 5 and 8, the holder 72 may include a snap structure or a screw fixing structure by which the holder 72 and the elastic member 71 are fixedly coupled to compress the elastic member 71 relatively. At the joint position of the retainer 72 and the elastic member 71, the retainer 72 applies a pressing force F1 to the elastic member 71, the direction of the pressing force F1 being shown in fig. 8. Fig. 8 shows only the stress situation of the movable contact 42 and the elastic member 71 thereon as an example, the stress situation of the movable contact 41 being mirror-symmetrical thereto.

The engagement position of the holder 72 and the elastic member 71 is given a distance s1 from the contact position of the first portion 43 and the first stationary contact 1, and a distance s2 from the contact position of the second portion 44 and the outlet terminal 3. That is, the distance s1 from the pressing force F1 of the pressing force F2 applied to the first stationary contact 1 by the moving contacts 41, 42, and the distance s2 from the pressing force F1 of the pressing force F3 applied to the wire outlet terminal 3 by the moving contacts 41, 42. In this embodiment, s1 is greater than s2. In other words, the engagement position of the holder 72 with the elastic member 71 is closer to the contact position of the second portion 44 with the outlet terminal 3 than the contact position of the first portion 43 with the first stationary contact 1. According to the stress analysis, since s1 is greater than s2, the component of the pressing force F1 acting on the second portion 44 is greater, so that the contact pressure F3 at the contact position of the second portion 44 and the wire outlet terminal 3 is greater than the contact pressure at the contact position of the first portion 43 and the first stationary contact 1, so that the switch is closed and breaking resistance is reduced, and the greater contact pressure at the contact position of the second portion 44 and the wire outlet terminal 3 can reduce the contact resistance (i.e. the resistance of the whole loop), thereby reducing heat generated when current passes through, and ensuring that the moving contacts 41 and 42 and the wire outlet terminal 3 have only low temperature rise when current passes through the wire outlet terminal 3 for a long time.

Fig. 9 shows a side view of an electrical switch according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 illustrates a perspective view of a three-phase four-wire electrical switch according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 11 illustrates a perspective view of a three-phase four-wire electrical switch according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

An electrical switch according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure may be expanded in a modular manner. For example, as shown in fig. 9, the electrical switch may be a dual power transfer switch, including a first stationary contact 1, a second stationary contact 2, an outgoing terminal 3, and a moving contact assembly 4. The first stationary contact 1 and the second stationary contact 2 are arranged on both sides of a movable contact assembly 4, respectively, which is configured to rotate about a rotation axis D between a first closed position, a second closed position and an open position. In the first closing position, the first portion 43 is in contact with the first stationary contact 1, in the second closing position, the first portion 43 is in contact with the second stationary contact 2, and in the opening position between the first closing position and the second closing position, the first portion 43 is open with both the first stationary contact 1 and the second stationary contact 2. As in the previous embodiments, the second portion 44 remains connected to the outlet terminal 3. The first stationary contact 1 may be connected to a first wire inlet end, which is connected to a first power source (e.g., a main power source), the second stationary contact 2 may be connected to a second wire inlet end, which is connected to a second power source (e.g., a backup power source), the wire outlet terminal 3 may be connected to a wire outlet end, which is connected to a load. Therefore, the dual-power transfer switch function of switching between two power supplies can be realized by only adding one group of wire inlet ends.

Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of a three-phase four-wire electrical switch (also referred to as 4P) according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, which includes four sets of first and second stationary contacts 1 and 2, an outgoing terminal 3, and a moving contact assembly 4 arranged side by side, and adjacent moving contact assemblies 4 transmit torque through a moving contact bracket 8 arranged coaxially so as to rotate synchronously.

Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of a three-phase four-wire electrical switch according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Unlike the embodiment shown in fig. 10, each of the first stationary contact 1, the second stationary contact 2, and the outgoing terminal 3 of the present embodiment is connected to two moving contact assemblies 4, 4', respectively. For example, the first stationary contact 1 includes a first sub-branching portion 12 and a second sub-branching portion 13 connected to each other, and the second stationary contact 2 includes a third sub-branching portion 22 and a fourth sub-branching portion 23 connected to each other. The moving contact assembly 4 is configured to contact the first and third sub-branch portions 12 and 22, and the moving contact assembly 4' is configured to contact the second and fourth sub-branch portions 13 and 23.

Accordingly, the outlet terminal 3 may include a first terminal 31 and a second terminal 32 connected to each other, the movable contact assembly 4 is connected to the first terminal 31, and the movable contact assembly 4' is connected to the second terminal 32.

Fig. 11 only identifies a group of fixed contacts 1, a first fixed contact 1, a second fixed contact 2, an outgoing terminal 3 and two movable contact assemblies 4, 4', and the connection relationship of the other three groups of components is similar to that of the other three groups of components, and will not be described herein.

According to the embodiment, the rated current capacity can be improved through the fixed contact and the movable contact group which are connected in parallel, and a switch with a larger current level is formed. The number of parallel connections may be increased as desired, and the two parallel element groups shown in fig. 11 are only examples.

The exemplary implementation of the electrical switch proposed by the present invention has been described in detail hereinabove with reference to preferred embodiments, however, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and adaptations can be made to the specific embodiments described above without departing from the concept of the present invention. For example, the structure of the electric switch is also applicable to 2P, 3P, and 4P double power transfer switches. In addition, various technical features and structures presented in various aspects of the present invention may be combined in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electrical switch, comprising:

a first stationary contact;

a wire outlet terminal; and

a moving contact assembly connected to the outlet terminal and configured to rotate about an axis of rotation between a first closed position and an open position, the moving contact assembly comprising at least one pair of moving contacts, the at least one pair of moving contacts being opposite each other and extending along a longitudinal axis,

wherein the at least one pair of moving contacts comprises a first portion and a second portion opposite along a longitudinal axis, the first portion contacting the first stationary contact in the first closed position and being disconnected from the first stationary contact in the open position, the second portion remaining connected to the outlet terminal, and

wherein the axis of rotation passes through the second portion.

2. The electrical switch of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the at least one pair of movable contacts includes first inner surfaces opposite each other, the first inner surfaces including first contact projections, the first stationary contact contacting the first contact projections and being sandwiched between the opposing first contact projections in the first closed position.

3. The electrical switch of claim 2, wherein the second portions of the at least one pair of movable contacts include second inner surfaces opposite each other, the second inner surfaces including second contact projections with which the outlet terminals are in contact and sandwiched between the opposite second contact projections.

4. An electrical switch according to claim 3, wherein the axis of rotation is adjacent to the second contact protrusion.

5. An electrical switch according to claim 3, wherein the axis of rotation passes through the second contact protrusion.

6. The electrical switch of claim 3, wherein the moving contact assembly further comprises a resilient assembly, the at least one pair of moving contacts further comprising an outer surface opposite the first and second inner surfaces, the resilient assembly attached to the outer surface and configured to apply a compressive force to the at least one pair of moving contacts.

7. The electrical switch of claim 6, wherein the spring assembly includes a spring extending in a longitudinal direction and disposed on outer surfaces of the at least one pair of moving contacts, respectively, and a retainer disposed around the spring to retain the spring on the at least one pair of moving contacts.

8. The electrical switch of claim 7, wherein the outer surfaces of the at least one pair of moving contacts include a plurality of mounting projections protruding outwardly from the outer surfaces of the first and second portions, respectively, and both ends of the elastic member abut the mounting projections, respectively.

9. The electrical switch of claim 7, wherein the retainer is fixedly connected to the spring at an engagement location that is a greater distance from a contact location of the first portion with the first stationary contact than from a contact location of the second portion with the outlet terminal.

10. An electrical switch according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the resilient member is a leaf spring.

11. The electrical switch of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the moving contact assembly further comprises a rotatable moving contact bracket connected to a drive mechanism of the electrical switch for rotation about the axis of rotation upon actuation of the drive mechanism, wherein the at least one pair of moving contacts are disposed in the moving contact bracket.

12. The electrical switch of any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: the second stationary contact, the movable contact assembly is further configured to rotate about an axis of rotation between a first closed position, in which the first portion is in contact with the second stationary contact, a second closed position, and an open position.

13. The electrical switch of claim 12, further comprising: the second moving contact assembly is in coaxial transmission connection with the moving contact assembly, the first fixed contact comprises a first sub-branch part and a second sub-branch part which are connected with each other, the second fixed contact comprises a third sub-branch part and a fourth sub-branch part which are connected with each other, the moving contact assembly is configured to be in contact with the first sub-branch part and the third sub-branch part, and the second moving contact assembly is configured to be in contact with the second sub-branch part and the fourth sub-branch part.

14. The electrical switch of claim 13, wherein the outlet terminal includes first and second terminals connected to each other, the moving contact assembly being connected to the first terminal, the second moving contact assembly being connected to the second terminal.

15. The electrical switch of claim 12, wherein the electrical switch is a dual power transfer switch.