CN218123311U - Electrical switch - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electrical switch. The electrical switch includes: a housing; an electromagnetic assembly and a contact assembly housed within the housing, the electromagnetic assembly being adapted to be energized to control closing and opening of contacts in the contact assembly; a plurality of connection terminals disposed on the housing and electrically connected to the contact assembly and the electromagnetic assembly, respectively; and at least one cover removably mounted to the housing and adjacent to and surrounding at least one of the plurality of terminals, at least a portion of a surface area of the at least one cover containing a thermochromic material. The scheme of the disclosure provides visual monitoring for the electrical switch at a lower cost, thereby improving the reliability of system operation.

Description

Electrical switch

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of electrical equipment technology, and more particularly, to an electrical switch.

Background

Electrical switches, such as contactors, are electromagnetically controlled devices that can be used to control the opening and closing of power circuits, which can perform a variety of functions in a power distribution system or electrical system, such as system power distribution, signal transmission, circuit isolation, and load switching, and are therefore important control nodes in the system.

Due to the frequent use during operation of the system, electrical switches belong to electrical components or electrical equipment that are prone to wear and failure. In order to ensure reliable operation of the system, maintenance or replacement is required in time when the electrical switch is worn or out of order. However, both the current regular maintenance mode and the maintenance mode after an accident cannot realize real-time observation and detection of each part or equipment, which causes a great hidden danger in reliable operation of the system.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

To at least partially address the above and other potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved electrical switch.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrical switch comprising: a housing; an electromagnetic assembly and a contact assembly housed within the housing, the electromagnetic assembly adapted to be energized to control closing and opening of contacts in the contact assembly; a plurality of connection terminals provided on the housing and electrically connected to the contact assembly and the electromagnetic assembly, respectively; and at least one cover removably mounted to the housing and adjacent to and surrounding at least one of the plurality of terminals, at least a portion of a surface area of the at least one cover containing a thermochromic material.

In the embodiment of the disclosure, the cover body near the wiring terminal can change color along with temperature change, and the real-time state of the electrical switch can be visually presented to an operator, so that the operator can timely detect, maintain and replace the electrical switch and other equipment when observing abnormity, and the reliability and safety of system operation are improved. In addition, because the cover body can be dismantled, can conveniently change the cover body under the impaired condition of cover body to with lower cost for the whole life cycle of electrical switch provides visual monitoring.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the plurality of wire terminals includes a first set of wire terminals connected to the main contact in the contact assembly and a second set of wire terminals connected to the electromagnetic assembly, and the at least one shield includes a first shield having at least a portion of a surface area containing the thermochromic material and adjacent to and surrounding one of the first set of wire terminals and the second set of wire terminals. In this embodiment, since the main contact and the electromagnetic assembly are connected to a system circuit or a power supply circuit with high power and an abnormality affecting the system safety may occur, the temperature-sensitive color-changing cover body is arranged near the connection terminal of the main contact or the connection terminal of the electromagnetic assembly, so that an operator can know that the system or the electrical switch is abnormal in time.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first set of wire terminals are wire inlet terminals for the main contact. In this embodiment, the enclosure near the inlet terminals is generally located at the upper portion of the electrical switch, thus helping the operator to observe and detect abnormal color changes in the enclosure.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one cover further comprises a second cover, at least a portion of a surface area of the second cover comprising a thermochromic material and being adjacent to and surrounding the other of the first set of wire terminals and the second set of wire terminals. With this embodiment, anomalies in the electrical circuits and components associated with the main contacts and the electromagnetic assembly can be monitored simultaneously.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first enclosure and the second enclosure are mounted to the housing by respective snap elements. By means of this embodiment, it is possible to replace the damaged first and second cover bodies simply and conveniently on the housing on the electrical switch.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, one of the at least one cover includes a first surface region containing the thermochromic material and spaced from the at least one wire connection terminal by no more than a predetermined distance. By means of the embodiment, it can be ensured that part of the surface area of the cover body can synchronously and accurately reflect the temperature change of the corresponding connecting terminal.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, one of the at least one cover further comprises a second surface area containing the thermochromic material and being further from the at least one wire terminal and closer to the external environment than the first surface area. Through this embodiment, can form obvious colour contrast between two temperature-sensing areas to reflect the temperature difference between binding post and the external environment, thereby can demonstrate more directly perceivedly to operating personnel whether the binding post that the cover body surrounds has unusual temperature rise.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first surface region is marked with a predetermined pattern. Through this embodiment, can help operating personnel to fix a position the temperature sensing area on the cover body fast accurately.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, one of the at least one cover entirely contains the thermochromic material, and the average distance of the entirety from the at least one connection terminal is not greater than a predetermined value. Through this embodiment, can effectively reduce the manufacturing degree of difficulty and the cost of the cover body.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thermochromic material includes an electron transfer type organic compound. In this example, the compound may exhibit a distinct color change at different temperature intervals, which facilitates the operator to observe an abnormal condition in a timely manner.

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 perspective view of an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates an exploded view of an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4A illustrates a front view of a first cover according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B shows a side view of the first cover according to an embodiment of the disclosure

Fig. 5A illustrates a front view of a second cover according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5B illustrates a side view of a second enclosure according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of a first shield according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6B illustrates a top view of a first cover according to another 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.

As previously mentioned, electrical switches such as contactors are important components in electrical distribution or electrical systems and are prone to wear and failure due to frequent use. Reliable operation of the system may be compromised if an electrical switch that has become heavily worn or has failed is not timely detected. In one conventional approach, the number of uses of the electrical switch may be counted mechanically and the number and frequency of tests of the electrical switch may be planned according to manufacturer recommended ranges of use. However, this approach actually relies on large data statistics, which may be quite different from the true operating state of each electrical switch. In another conventional approach, critical parameters of the electrical switch may be obtained in an intelligent manner and a big data analysis performed to predict the life of the electrical switch. However, this approach requires an intelligent electrical system and is therefore costly.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved electrical switch. In the improved electrical switch, a removable cover is provided adjacent to the electromagnetic assembly and/or the terminal of the contact, and at least a portion of the surface area of the cover contains a thermochromic material. When an electrical switch is abnormal, the power of the circuit in the electrical switch is also abnormal and causes the temperature of the terminal to rise, which causes the color of the cover body near the terminal to change. Therefore, an operator can conveniently observe the abnormal color of the cover body, and can timely detect, maintain or replace the electrical switch so as to ensure the reliable operation of a power distribution system or an electrical system. In addition, because the cover body can be dismantled, consequently can conveniently change the cover body under the condition that the cover body can't resume normal colour or take place to damage because long-time high temperature, can provide visual monitoring and warning at electric switch's whole life cycle with lower cost from this.

Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an electrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, fig. 2 illustrates an exploded view of the electrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the electrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 1-3, the electrical switch 100 includes a housing 110, an electromagnetic assembly 120, and a contact assembly 130, the electromagnetic assembly 120 and the contact assembly 130 being housed within the housing 110. The electromagnetic assembly 120 is adapted to be energized to control the closing and opening of the contacts in the contact assembly 130. By way of example, the electromagnetic assembly 120 may include a magnetic core and an electromagnetic coil wound around the magnetic core. By applying a current to the coil of the electromagnetic assembly 120, an electromagnetic force may be generated in the magnetic core. The electromagnetic force moves a linkage member (e.g., a movable contact) of the driving contact assembly 130 such that various contacts of the contact assembly 130 are closed or opened. The contact assembly 130 may include a main contact and, in some embodiments, may also include other types of contacts, such as an auxiliary contact. The main contacts may be used to turn on or off a main circuit (i.e., a primary loop) of an electrical or power distribution system, while the auxiliary contacts may be provided in a control circuit (i.e., a secondary loop) to perform auxiliary control functions, such as self-locking control, interlock control, and signal transfer. Merely by way of example, an electrical switch 100 that is an ac contactor may be provided with three main contacts for a three-phase circuit, where the main contacts may be normally open contacts, and two auxiliary contacts that may include, for example, one normally open contact and one normally closed contact. However, it will be appreciated that the number and type of main and auxiliary contacts are not limited and that any suitable number and type of main and auxiliary contacts may be provided as desired, for example, the main contacts may be less than or more than three and may be normally closed contacts, and the auxiliary contacts may be less than or more than two and may each be normally open contacts or both normally closed contacts, or any number of combinations of normally open and normally closed contacts.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electrical switch 100 includes a plurality of wire terminals 141, 142, the plurality of wire terminals 141, 142 being disposed on the housing 110 and electrically connected to the contact assembly 130 and the electromagnetic assembly 120, respectively. As an example, the electrical switch 100 may provide a plurality of terminals on the housing 110 to facilitate connecting the electromagnetic assembly 120 and the contact assembly 130 within the housing 110 to an external circuit. Each of the connection terminals may include, for example, a fastener, such as a nut and a bolt, for fastening a wire or lead of an external circuit to the connection terminal, and the wire or lead of the external circuit may be fixed to the corresponding connection terminal by means of the cooperation of the bolt and the nut.

In some embodiments, the plurality of wire terminals may include a first set of wire terminals 141 connected to the main contacts in the contact assembly 130 and a second set of wire terminals 142 connected to the electromagnetic assembly 120. As an example, the first set of wire terminals 141 may be three wire inlet terminals or three wire outlet terminals for three phases, which are electrically connected to three main contacts of three phases in the housing 110, respectively. The three-phase conductors of the main circuit of the electrical system or the distribution system may be connected to three incoming terminals and three outgoing terminals, respectively. Thus, the main contacts of the contact assembly 130 may be connected in series into the main circuit of the system via the incoming and outgoing terminals, and on-off control for the main circuit may be achieved by controlling the closing and opening of the main contacts. Further, as an example, the second set of connection terminals 142 may include at least two connection terminals for connecting to both ends of an electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic assembly 120, and the main circuit or other power circuit may apply a current to the electromagnetic coil via the two connection terminals to cause the magnetic core of the electromagnetic assembly 120 to generate an electromagnetic force that drives the contacts to close and open. In this way, by controlling the electromagnetic assembly 120, the main and auxiliary contacts in the contact assembly 130 can be driven to perform a closing or opening operation. It is understood that the plurality of wire terminals may also include other types of wire terminals, including, for example, wire terminals for connecting to auxiliary contacts in the contact assembly 130 for making connections to the auxiliary contacts.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electrical switch 100 includes at least one enclosure 151, 152, the at least one enclosure 151, 152 being removably mounted to the housing 110 and adjacent to and surrounding at least one of the plurality of wire terminals 141, 142, at least a portion of a surface area of the at least one enclosure 151, 152 containing the thermochromic material.

By way of example, the at least one enclosure 151, 152 may cooperate with the housing 110 to enclose or partially enclose the terminals, which may effectively protect the terminals and prevent the live terminals from being directly exposed to the external environment, thereby reducing or eliminating the possibility of other equipment, other components, or operators touching the terminals, ensuring safety of the equipment and personnel. For ease of manufacture and cost reduction, a single enclosure may enclose or partially enclose multiple terminals adjacent to one another. For example, three inlet terminals or three outlet terminals of the three-phase main contact are adjacent to each other, and thus a single cover may be formed to surround and protect the three inlet terminals or the three outlet terminals. However, it will be appreciated that a single cover may only surround or partially surround a single terminal or any other number of terminals. Although two shields are shown in fig. 1-3, the number of shields is not limited and more or fewer shields may be provided as desired.

In the above-mentioned at least one cover, at least a part of the surface area of each of all or part of the covers may contain a thermochromic material. Because the covers are adjacent to and surround the connecting terminal, the covers containing the thermochromic material can change color with the increase of the temperature of the connecting terminal. For example, when the electrical switch 100 works normally, the current or power of the system circuit and the control circuit is normal, and the temperature of the terminal corresponding to the system circuit and the control circuit also meets the normal standard, so the cover body containing the thermochromic material will present the normal color corresponding to the normal temperature; when the electrical switch 100 is abnormal, the current or power of the system circuit and the control circuit is abnormal, and the temperature of the connection terminal corresponding to the system circuit and the control circuit is also abnormal, so that the cover body containing the thermochromic material is abnormal in color corresponding to the abnormal temperature. Further, if the main circuit and the control circuit are restored to normal and the temperature of the connection terminal is also restored to normal, the cover will be restored to normal color, and if the abnormal condition is severe (for example, the temperature far exceeds the normal temperature or a high temperature for a long time), it may cause the thermochromic material in the cover to be damaged, which causes the cover to always take an abnormal color and fail to be restored to normal color. Thus, the operator can intuitively know whether there is an abnormality in the electrical parameters of the system, such as power, current, and temperature, by observing the color of the cover located on the outside of the electrical switch 100. Such anomalies may be the result of wear or failure of the electrical switch 100 or other equipment, or may be the result of fluctuations in the overall electrical or power distribution system. Thus, the operator, upon observing the abnormal color alarm, can perform further testing, maintenance and replacement of the electrical switch 100 or other equipment in the system in a timely manner to ensure reliable operation of the system. If the detection and evaluation reveals that the electrical switch 100 can still be used and the enclosure is damaged at high temperatures, the operator can easily replace the removable old enclosure quickly and continue to provide condition monitoring for the electrical switch when it is returned to service. It follows that this approach can provide visual alarms for routine servicing of the electrical switch at very low cost and can continue to provide efficient monitoring throughout the life cycle of the electrical switch, which reduces the maintenance costs of the system and electrical switch and improves the reliability and safety of system operation.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thermochromic material includes an electron transfer type organic compound. In particular, the electron transfer type organic compounds are a class of organic color systems having a specific chemical structure. At a specific temperature, the molecular structure of such an organic compound is changed by electron transfer, thereby achieving color transition. For example, the electron transfer type organic compound material may appear blue between-18 ℃ and 0 ℃, yellow between 0 ℃ and 40 ℃, orange between 40 ℃ and 60 ℃, and purple after exceeding 70 ℃. It will be appreciated that the colors of the various temperature intervals described above are merely exemplary and that other colored materials may need to be doped to achieve the desired color. The color-changing material not only has bright color, but also can realize color change from 'colored' to 'colorless', and the color-changing process of the material is reversible in a specified temperature interval and/or a specified time, for example, the high temperature exceeding 10 hours can cause the color-changing failure of the material. These characteristics help the operator to accurately observe the abnormal change of the color, so that the abnormal state of the system can be timely known. In addition, as an example, in the process of manufacturing the cover body, a heat-sensitive color master or a thermochromic material master may be added to a partial region or a whole region during the injection molding of the particles of the plastic material (e.g., polypropylene), so that the cover body capable of thermochromic color change is obtained in a one-time injection molding manner. In this way, the shields can be manufactured simply and at low cost and have high physical color change accuracy, stability and reaction speed. It will be appreciated that the thermochromic material for the cover is not limited thereto but may be other types of thermochromic materials that have been developed and newly developed in the future, and the cover may be manufactured in other suitable manners besides injection molding.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one cover comprises a first cover 151, at least a portion of a surface area of the first cover 151 containing the thermochromic material and being adjacent to and surrounding one of the first set of wire terminals 141 and the second set of wire terminals 142. As an example, the first enclosure 151 may be adjacent to and enclose a first set of wire terminals 141 connected to the main contacts in the contact assembly 130. The main circuit and the related devices and components are the main channel of the system power transmission and carry large current and voltage, and the abnormality and the fault thereof will seriously affect the stable operation of the system. The first set of connection terminals 141 connected to the main contacts are directly connected to the main circuit, so that an abnormality associated with the main circuit causes a temperature abnormality of the first set of connection terminals 141. By configuring the cover near the first set of wire terminals 141 to change color with temperature, it is possible to help an operator timely find abnormalities in the main circuit and its related components associated with the main contacts.

Generally, because the three-phase inlet terminals of the main contact are arranged together and the three-phase outlet terminals of the main contact are arranged together and away from the three-phase inlet terminals, the three-phase inlet and outlet terminals of the main contact will each have a housing. In some embodiments, the enclosure near the inlet terminals may be configured as a thermochromic enclosure, i.e., the first set of terminal terminals 141 located near the first enclosure 151 described above are inlet terminals for the main contacts. Specifically, the inlet terminal and the cover for the inlet terminal are generally located at an upper portion of an electrical switch such as a contactor, while the outlet terminal and the cover for the outlet terminal are generally located at a lower portion of the electrical switch, and it is apparent that an operator can more easily observe the state of the cover for the inlet terminal. Therefore, it is more advantageous to make the cover near the inlet terminal a thermochromic cover than the cover near the outlet terminal, which helps the operator to easily observe and find the abnormal color change of the cover. However, it is to be understood that, in some cases, only the cover near the outgoing terminal may be configured as the thermochromic cover, or both the cover near the incoming terminal and the cover near the outgoing terminal may be configured as the thermochromic cover, as necessary.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one cover further comprises a second cover 152, at least a portion of a surface area of the second cover 152 comprising a thermochromic material and being adjacent to and surrounding another set of wire terminals of the first set of wire terminals 141 and the second set of wire terminals 142. As an example, the second enclosure 152 may be adjacent to and enclose the second set of wire terminals 142 connected to the electromagnetic assemblies 120 in the contact assembly 130. The electromagnetic assembly 120 may be connected to a main circuit or other power circuit and may carry large currents and voltages. An anomaly associated with the main circuit or other power circuit may cause a temperature anomaly in the second set of wire terminals 142. By configuring the cover adjacent the second set of wire connection terminals 142 to change color with changes in temperature, an operator may be helped to timely detect anomalies in the circuitry and components associated with the electromagnetic assembly 120.

It is understood that, in addition to the first cover 151 and the second cover 152, covers near other terminals may be configured as thermochromic covers. For example, since the auxiliary contact is usually connected to the secondary circuit and the power carried by the auxiliary contact is usually small, the auxiliary contact and the terminal thereof are less likely to be subjected to abnormal temperature rise, but in some cases, a thermochromic cover may be disposed near the terminal of the auxiliary contact as needed to achieve more comprehensive abnormality monitoring.

Fig. 4A and 4B illustrate a front view and a side view, respectively, of the first cover 151 and fig. 5A and 5B illustrate a front view and a side view, respectively, of the second cover 152 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B, the first enclosure 151 includes a snap element 1511 and may be mounted on the housing 110 by the snap element 1511, and the second enclosure 152 includes a snap element 1521 and may be mounted on the housing 110 by the snap element 1521. In this way, in the case where the first enclosure 151 or the second enclosure 152 is damaged due to high temperature, a new enclosure can be easily replaced by a simple operation to continue to provide visual monitoring for the electrical switch.

Fig. 6A and 6B illustrate a perspective view and a top view of the first cover 151 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the first cover 151 may include a first surface region 1512, and the first surface region 1512 contains a thermochromic material and is not more than a predetermined distance from a corresponding connection terminal. By way of example, the first surface region 1512 may be a localized region of the top surface of the first enclosure 151, such as the raised circular region shown in fig. 6A, that is closer to the corresponding wire terminals relative to other regions of the enclosure and that is easily viewed by an operator. Further, the distance of the first surface area 151 from the corresponding connection terminal should be less than or equal to a predetermined value, for example, 10mm, to ensure that the distance of the first surface area 151 from the connection terminal is sufficiently small so that the first surface area 151 can simultaneously and accurately reflect the temperature change of the corresponding connection terminal. The predetermined value may be determined by testing, experimentation or simulation and may be adjusted according to the actual configuration of the electrical switch.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first enclosure 151 further includes a second surface region 1513, the second surface region 1513 containing a thermochromic material and being further from the at least one wire terminal and closer to the external environment than the first surface region 1512. As an example, the second surface area 1513 may be a lateral surface of the first enclosure 151 that faces away from the corresponding wire terminals and faces the external environment. The change in color of the second surface region 1513, being away from the wire connection terminal and close to the external environment, is indicative of a change in temperature of the external environment. Thus, where the color of first surface region 1512 is indicative of the temperature of the wire connection terminal, a significant color contrast may be formed between first surface region 1512 and second surface region 1513, which directly reflects the temperature difference between the wire connection terminal and the external environment. For example, during operation of electrical switch 100, as the temperature at the terminal increases abnormally, first surface area 1512 changes from normal green to red at an elevated temperature of 70 ℃, and second surface area 1513 changes from normal green to blue at a slightly lower ambient temperature of 55 ℃, thereby appearing a different color between first surface area 1512 and second surface area 1513, which clearly indicates that the terminal is experiencing an abnormally elevated temperature significantly above the external environment. In this way, it is possible to more intuitively present to the operator whether or not the temperature abnormality exists in the connection terminal surrounded by the first cover 151.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first surface region 1512 is marked with a predetermined pattern 1514. For example, the predetermined pattern may be a relatively sharp pattern such as X, and may be formed in the form of grooves or bumps. By the mode, an operator can be helped to quickly and accurately position the temperature sensing area on the cover body.

It will be appreciated that although the first enclosure 151 is described above as an example of how the first surface region 1512 and the second surface region 1513 may be formed, these descriptions may be equally applicable to the second enclosure 152 or other enclosures.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, one of the at least one cover (e.g., the first cover 151 and the second cover 152) may entirely contain the thermochromic material, and the average distance of the entirety from the corresponding connection terminal is not greater than a predetermined value. As an example, the first cover 151 or the second cover 152 may be integrally formed as a thermochromic member, and an average distance from the corresponding connection terminal is sufficiently small to ensure that the temperature change of the corresponding connection terminal can be accurately and synchronously reflected by the entire cover. By the mode, the manufacturing difficulty and the cost of the cover body can be effectively reduced.

In the embodiment of the disclosure, the cover body near the wiring terminal can change color along with temperature change, so that the real-time state of the electrical switch can be visually presented to an operator, and the electrical switch and other equipment can be timely detected, maintained and replaced when abnormity is observed. In addition, the cover body has the advantages of low cost, simple installation and easy replacement. Therefore, the visual real-time monitoring of the electrical switch can be provided at lower cost, so that the operator can find and remove the abnormity and fault in time, and the running reliability of the system is improved.

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 (10)

1. An electrical switch (100), comprising:

a housing (110);

an electromagnetic assembly (120) and a contact assembly (130) housed within the housing (110), the electromagnetic assembly (120) being adapted to be energized to control the closing and opening of contacts in the contact assembly (130);

a plurality of connection terminals (141, 142) disposed on the housing (110) and electrically connected to the contact assembly (130) and the electromagnetic assembly (120), respectively; and

at least one cover (151, 152) removably mounted to the housing (110) and adjacent to and surrounding at least one of the plurality of wire terminals (141, 142), at least a portion of a surface area of the at least one cover (151, 152) containing a thermochromic material.

2. The electrical switch (100) of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wire terminals (141, 142) includes a first set of wire terminals (141) and a second set of wire terminals (142), the first set of wire terminals (141) being connected to the main contact in the contact assembly (130), the second set of wire terminals (142) being connected to the electromagnetic assembly (120), and

the at least one enclosure (151, 152) comprises a first enclosure (151), at least a portion of a surface area of the first enclosure (151) containing a thermochromic material and being adjacent to and surrounding one of the first set of wire connection terminals (141) and the second set of wire connection terminals (142).

3. The electrical switch (100) of claim 2, wherein the first set of wire terminals (141) are wire terminals for the main contact.

4. The electrical switch (100) of claim 2, wherein the at least one enclosure (151, 152) further comprises a second enclosure (152), at least a portion of a surface area of the second enclosure (152) containing a thermochromic material and being adjacent to and surrounding the other of the first set of wire terminals (141) and the second set of wire terminals (142).

5. The electrical switch (100) of claim 4, wherein the first enclosure (151) and the second enclosure (152) are mounted on the housing (110) by respective snap elements (1511, 1521).

6. The electrical switch (100) of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one enclosure (151, 152) comprises a first surface area (1512), the first surface area (1512) comprising a thermochromic material, and a distance from the at least one wire terminal being no greater than a predetermined value.

7. The electrical switch (100) of claim 6, in which the one of the at least one enclosure (151, 152) further comprises a second surface area (1513), the second surface area (1513) containing a thermochromic material and being further from the at least one wire terminal and closer to an external environment than the first surface area (1512).

8. The electrical switch (100) of claim 6, wherein the first surface area (1512) is marked with a predetermined pattern (1514).

9. The electrical switch (100) of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one enclosure (151, 152) comprises a thermochromic material throughout, and wherein the average distance of the entirety from the at least one terminal is no greater than a predetermined value.

10. The electrical switch (100) of claim 1, wherein the thermochromic material comprises an electron transfer type organic compound.

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