CN216928458U - Contact arm assembly and circuit breaker - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a novel intelligent contact arm assembly and a circuit breaker. This touch arm assembly includes: a contact arm body composed of a conductive material and configured to be fixed and electrically coupled to a pole of a circuit breaker at a first end thereof, the contact arm body having a cavity formed at an inner side thereof; a contact including a contact piece portion and an insulating sleeve surrounding the contact piece portion, and mounted at the second end portion of the contact arm body; a temperature sensor module disposed within the cavity; and an inductive power supply surrounding the contact arm body and configured to supply power to the temperature sensor module, the inductive power supply being adjacent to the contact piece portion of the contact and surrounded by the insulating sleeve. The scheme disclosed can continuously and effectively monitor the temperature of the contact arm and relevant actual measurement parameters, does not need to change the structure of the contact arm body, does not influence the heat dissipation of the contact arm body and relevant product standards, and has the advantages of simple installation and lower cost.

Description

Contact arm assembly and circuit breaker

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of power equipment technology, and more particularly, to a contact arm assembly and a circuit breaker including the same.

Background

A circuit breaker is an electrical switch commonly used in power or distribution systems, which is used to close, carry and break current under normal circuit conditions, and which is capable of breaking fault current to prevent the power or distribution system from operating under fault conditions. The circuit breaker comprises a breaking mechanism capable of performing a closing or opening operation, such as a pole with an arc extinguishing chamber. Furthermore, the circuit breaker can usually be connected via its contact arm to the main circuit of the power system or the distribution system. For example, the poles of the circuit breaker may be connected via contact arms to the power or power distribution system, for example to electrical lines or other electrical devices in the power or power distribution system, so as to be able to perform closing and opening operations with respect to the main circuit of the power or power distribution system.

The contact arm as the connecting element may have a problem that contact resistance increases during long-term use to cause serious heat generation. The temperature rise caused by the heat build-up degrades the insulation performance of the power equipment, thereby causing failures such as short circuits and possibly even power outages and system equipment damage.

To avoid this, the contact arm temperature of the circuit breaker can be monitored in real time in the power system. However, there are more problems with current temperature monitoring schemes. For example, in order to install equipment for temperature monitoring, the structure of the contact arm needs to be modified, which may require re-testing the circuit breaker for its performance parameters and also generally makes the contact arm more bulky, thereby increasing the cost of the product. Furthermore, for example, after the arrangement of the device for temperature monitoring, the performance and heat dissipation of the circuit breaker may be further adversely affected.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

To at least partially address the above and other potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a contact arm assembly and circuit breaker.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a contact arm assembly comprising: a contact arm body composed of a conductive material and configured to be fixed and electrically coupled to a pole of a circuit breaker at a first end thereof, the contact arm body having a cavity formed at an inner side thereof; a contact including a contact piece portion and an insulating sleeve surrounding the contact piece portion, and mounted at the second end portion of the contact arm body; a temperature sensor module disposed within the cavity; and an inductive power supply surrounding the contact arm body and configured to supply power to the temperature sensor module, the inductive power supply being adjacent to the contact piece portion of the contact and surrounded by the insulating sleeve.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the contact arm assembly further comprises: the first fastener is arranged on the cavity wall of the cavity body so as to fix the contact arm body to the pole; and a second fastener fixing the temperature sensor module to the first fastener.

In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the first fastener includes a first threaded post at one end thereof and a threaded bore at the other end thereof, and the second fastener includes a second threaded post that mates with the threaded bore of the first fastener.

In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the first fastener is comprised of a thermally conductive material.

In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature sensor module includes a mount that mates with the second fastener.

In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature sensor module further includes an equipotential member for electrically coupling the temperature sensor module to the contact arm body.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the contact arm assembly further comprises: the contact arm radiator is fixed to the first end of the contact arm body and comprises a plurality of strip-shaped holes.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a circuit breaker characterized by comprising a contact arm assembly according to the first aspect.

The summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. The summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following more particular descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally represent like parts throughout the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a contact arm and its associated components of a conventional circuit breaker.

Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a circuit breaker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a circuit breaker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged cross-sectional view of a contact assembly and a pole according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates an exploded view of a contact assembly and a pole according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The term "include" and variations thereof as used herein is meant to be inclusive in an open-ended manner, i.e., "including but not limited to". The term "or" means "and/or" unless specifically stated otherwise. The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "one example embodiment" and "one embodiment" mean "at least one example embodiment". Other explicit and implicit definitions are also possible below.

Fig. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a contact arm 100' and its associated components of a conventional circuit breaker. As shown in fig. 1, in order to monitor the temperature of the contact arm 100 ', a temperature sensor 110', a circuit board 120 'and an inductive power supply 130' may be disposed on an outer surface of the contact arm, wherein the inductive power supply 130 'may supply power to the temperature sensor 110' and the circuit board 120 ', and the temperature sensor 110' and the circuit board 120 'implement a temperature monitoring function for the contact arm 100'. Since the temperature sensor 110 ', the circuit board 120' and the inductive powering means 130 'are located outside the high voltage component, it is necessary to provide an insulating protection layer 140' covering the temperature sensor 110 ', the circuit board 120', the inductive powering means 130 'and part of the contact arm 100'.

It can be seen that in the solution shown in fig. 1, the installation of the temperature sensor 110 ', the circuit board 120 ', and the inductive power supply 130 ' is complicated, and the large area of the insulating protection layer 140 ' has a significant adverse effect on the heat dissipation of the contact arm 100 '. Further, even if the insulating protection layer 140 'is provided, since the temperature sensor 110', the circuit board 120 ', and the induction power supply device 130' are in a high-pressure and high-temperature environment for a long time, they have low insulation reliability and are easily damaged.

In some other conventional circuit breakers, it is also possible to embed the temperature sensor 110 ' and the circuit board 120 ' in the contact arm 100 '. In such a solution, the configuration of the contact arm of the circuit breaker is changed (for example, it is necessary to provide a groove or a recess), and therefore, the circuit breaker needs to be re-type-tested, and the diameter of the contact arm of the circuit breaker may be increased, which may cause a further increase in the product cost.

The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a novel intelligent contact arm assembly and a circuit breaker including the same. By arranging the temperature sensor module in the inner cavity of the contact arm body and arranging the inductive power supply adjacent to the contact piece portion of the contact and providing insulation protection by the insulation sleeve of the contact, it is possible to avoid providing a large area of insulation layer on the outer surface of the contact arm body and without changing the structure of the contact arm. The improved scheme can continuously and effectively monitor the temperature of the contact arm without influencing the heat dissipation of the contact arm body and related product standards, and has the advantages of simple installation and lower cost.

Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a circuit breaker 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the circuit breaker 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the circuit breaker 1000 may include a contact arm assembly 100 and a pole 200. As an example, the circuit breaker 1000 may be a medium or high voltage circuit breaker, for example rated voltage and rated current may reach 12kV and 630A-3150A, respectively. The pole 200 may comprise a breaking mechanism, such as a vacuum chamber or an arc chute, for example, having a movable contact, a fixed contact and an actuating member that moves with the operating movable contact. The contact arm assembly 100 is used to electrically couple the pole 200 of the circuit breaker 1000 to other electrical equipment and electrical lines in an electrical power system or distribution system, for example, the contact arm assembly 100 may be connected to electrical equipment such as a bus bar or transformer in a switchgear.

Fig. 4 illustrates an enlarged cross-sectional view of the contact assembly 100 and the pole post 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 5 illustrates an exploded view of the contact assembly 100 and the pole post 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The contact assembly 100 will be described in detail below in conjunction with fig. 2-5.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the contact arm assembly 100 includes a contact arm body 110, the contact arm body 110 being composed of a conductive material and configured to be fixed and electrically coupled to the pole 200 of the circuit breaker 1000 at a first end thereof, an inner side of the contact arm body 110 being formed with a cavity a. As an example, the contact arm body 110 may be a hollow cylinder closed at one end, thereby forming a cavity a inside the contact arm body 110. The closed end (i.e., the first end) may be mounted to the post 200, whereby the contact arm body 110 may conduct current to or from the post 200. By forming the cavity a at the inner side of the contact arm body 110, it is possible to reduce the weight of the contact arm body 110 without affecting the current conduction, and thus to save the material cost. In addition, the presence of cavity a also facilitates the entry of a mounting element, such as a fastener, into cavity a to mount and secure contact arm body 110 to pole 200.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the contact arm assembly 100 includes a contact 120, the contact 120 includes a contact piece portion 121 and an insulating sleeve 122 surrounding the contact piece portion 121, and is mounted at the second end portion of the contact arm body 110. As an example, the contact 120 may be a tulip contact, which has a ring shape as a whole and may be mounted at a second end of the contact arm body 110, and the second end may be formed with a step for fitting fixation with the contact 120. The contact blade portion 121 of the contact 120 may be assembled from a plurality of contact blades, for example, and may be electrically coupled to an electrical line or other electrical device in an electrical power system or distribution system. For example, a switchgear may be provided with another contact that is adapted to the contact 120, whereby, by engaging the contact 120 with another contact of the switchgear, the contact arm body 110 on which the contact 120 is mounted may be electrically coupled to the other contact of the switchgear via the contact tab portion 121 of the contact 120 and thus to a device in the switchgear, such as a busbar or a transformer. For safety reasons, the contact piece portion 121 of the contact 120 may be surrounded by an insulating sleeve 122 for insulation protection.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the contact arm assembly 100 includes a temperature sensor module 130, and the temperature sensor module 130 is disposed within the cavity a. As an example, the temperature sensor module 130 may include a temperature sensor, and control and communication components. The temperature sensor may sense the temperature of the contact arm body 110 when the circuit breaker is operated and transmit the sensing signal to the control and communication part, and the control and communication part may process the sensing signal and transmit temperature information to an external device as needed for further processing by a protection device or an operator, or may receive an instruction from the external device as needed to complete a desired operation. The contact arm body 110 and the cavity a surrounded by the contact arm body constitute a faraday cage, and therefore an equal potential is formed in the contact arm body 110 and the cavity a. Thus, compared to the conventional solution, the temperature sensor module 130 disposed in the cavity a does not need to provide a special ground insulating layer, which avoids the influence of the insulating layer on the heat dissipation of the contact arm body 110, and also makes full use of the space inside the contact arm body 110 to accommodate the temperature sensor module 130 without increasing the overall volume or diameter of the contact arm assembly 100.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the contact arm assembly 100 further includes an inductive power supply 140, the inductive power supply 140 surrounding the contact arm body 110 and configured to supply power to the temperature sensor module 130, the inductive power supply 140 being adjacent to the contact blade portion 121 of the contact 120 and surrounded by the insulating sleeve 122. As an example, the inductive power source 140 surrounding the contact arm body 110 may be provided with an inductive coil and thus induce a voltage and current when current is conducted through the contact arm body 110. The inductive power supply 140 provides the induced voltage and current to the temperature sensor module 130 to power the active devices in the temperature sensor module 130. For example, the inductive power supply 140 may be provided with female plug terminals 141, and the temperature sensor module 130 may be provided with male plug terminals 133. By coupling the male plug terminal 133 to the female plug terminal 141, the inductive power supply 140 may be electrically connected to the temperature sensor module 130 to supply power thereto.

It can be seen that the inductive power supply 140 is disposed outside the contact arm body 110, and therefore, it is necessary to provide insulation protection for the inductive power supply 140. By locating the inductive power source 140 adjacent the contact blade portions 121 of the contacts 120, only slight extension of the insulative sleeve 122 of the contacts 120 can provide such insulative protection to the inductive power source 140. Since the slightly extended insulating sheath 122 can be used to provide the insulating protection for the inductive power supply 140, a large area of insulating protection layer is not required to be arranged on the outer side of the contact arm body 110, which eliminates the influence of the arrangement of the temperature monitoring related equipment on heat dissipation to the maximum extent, and has the advantages of simple installation and low cost.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the contact arm assembly 100 further includes a first fastener 150 and a second fastener 160, the first fastener 150 being disposed on a wall of the cavity a to secure the contact arm body 110 to the post 200, and the second fastener 160 securing the temperature sensor module 130 to the first fastener 150. As an example, mounting holes may be provided at the closed end of the contact arm body 110 and corresponding locations of the pole post 200, whereby the first fastener 150 may pass through the mounting holes to secure the contact arm body 110 to the pole post 200, and the first fastener 150 is secured on the cavity wall of the cavity a. Further, the temperature sensor module 130 may be fixed to the first fastener 150 by means of the second fastener 160, thereby securely mounting the temperature sensor module 130 in the cavity a inside the contact arm body 110. In this way, the temperature sensor module 130 can be installed in a simple, reliable, and low-cost manner without having to adjust the structure of the contact arm body 110, and thus existing circuit breaker type test reports are still applicable. It will be appreciated that the number of first fasteners 150 and second fasteners 160 is not limited to the number shown in the figures, and other suitable numbers of fasteners may be included, for example, one, three or more first fasteners 150 and two or more second fasteners 160 may be provided. In one embodiment, the contact arm assembly 100 may further include a washer 153 that mates with the first fastener 150, and a washer 162 that mates with the second fastener 160. In one embodiment, the contact arm assembly 100 may further include an insulating washer 190, which may further ensure an effective and reliable fixation between the contact arm body 110 and the post 200.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first fastener 150 includes a first threaded post 151 at one end thereof and a threaded bore 152 at the other end thereof, and the second fastener 160 includes a second threaded post 161 that mates with the threaded bore 152 of the first fastener 150. As an example, the first fastener 150 may be a bolt, and the threaded hole 152 may be formed on a head of the bolt. Thus, the second threaded post 161 of the second fastener 160 may mate with the threaded hole 152 of the first fastener 150 to secure the temperature sensor module 130 to the bolt head on the first fastener 150. In this way, the temperature sensor module 130 can be fixed in the cavity a in a simple and reliable manner with only slight modifications to the first fastener 150. In some embodiments, the first fastener 150 is constructed of a thermally conductive material. In this manner, it is more advantageous to transfer heat from the contact arm body 110 outward, for example, to dissipate to the ambient environment by transferring to the pole 200.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature sensor module 130 includes a mount 131 that mates with the second fastener 160. As an example, the mount 131 may be provided with a mounting hole to cooperate with the second fastener 160 to fix the mount 131 and the temperature sensor module 130 to the first fastener 150. In this way, the temperature sensor module 130 can be simply and reliably fixed within the cavity a. In one embodiment, the temperature sensor module 130 further includes a sensing device body 132, and the sensing device body 132 may include the aforementioned temperature sensors and control and communication components to implement a real-time temperature sensing function.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the temperature sensor module 130 further includes an equipotential member for electrically coupling the temperature sensor module 130 to the contact arm body 110. As an example, the equipotential member can be a conductive sheet or strip that can electrically couple the temperature sensor module 130 to the contact arm body 110 to ensure that the temperature sensor module 130 is at the same potential as the contact arm body 110.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the contact arm assembly 100 further includes a contact arm heat sink 170, and the contact arm heat sink 170 is fixed to the first end of the contact arm body 110 and includes a plurality of bar-shaped holes. As an example, the auxiliary fixing member 170 may have a substantially U-shape and be fixed to the first end of the contact arm body 110. After the contact arm body 110 is mounted to the pole 200, the auxiliary fixture 170 may partially surround the pole 200. Thus, the heat sink 170 may have a large heat dissipation area to transfer heat to the surrounding environment. In addition, the plurality of bar-shaped holes of the heat sink 170 can increase the contact area of the heat sink 170 with the surrounding environment and reduce thermal resistance, thereby further improving the heat dissipation effect.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the disclosure are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, while the above description and the related figures describe example embodiments in the context of certain example combinations of components and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of components and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In this regard, for example, other combinations of components and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims (8)

1. A contact arm assembly (100), comprising:

a contact arm body (110) composed of an electrically conductive material and configured to be fixed and electrically coupled at a first end thereof to a pole (200) of a circuit breaker (1000), the contact arm body (110) having a cavity (A) formed on an inner side thereof;

a contact (120) including a contact piece portion (121) and an insulating sleeve (122), and mounted at a second end portion of the contact arm body (110);

a temperature sensor module (130) disposed within the cavity (A); and

an inductive power supply (140) surrounding the contact arm body (110) and configured to supply power to the temperature sensor module (130), the inductive power supply (140) being adjacent to the contact piece portion (121) of the contact (120) and surrounded by the insulating sleeve (122).

2. The contact arm assembly (100) of claim 1, further comprising:

a first fastener (150) disposed on a cavity wall of the contact arm body cavity (A) to secure the contact arm body (110) to the post (200); and

a second fastener (160) securing the temperature sensor module (130) to the first fastener (150).

3. Contact arm assembly (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the first fastener (150) comprises a first threaded post (151) at one end thereof and a threaded hole (152) at the other end thereof, and the second fastener (160) comprises a second threaded post (161) cooperating with the threaded hole (152) of the first fastener (150).

4. The contact arm assembly (100) of claim 2, wherein the first fastener (150) is constructed of a thermally conductive material.

5. Contact arm assembly (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that the temperature sensor module (130) comprises a mounting seat (131) cooperating with the second fastener (160).

6. The contact arm assembly (100) of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor module (130) further comprises an equipotential component for electrically coupling the temperature sensor module (130) to the contact arm body (110).

7. The contact arm assembly (100) of claim 1, further comprising:

a contact arm heat sink (170) secured to the first end of the contact arm body (110) and including a plurality of bar-shaped holes.

8. A circuit breaker (1000), comprising:

contact arm assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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