EP2242891B1

EP2242891B1 - Electromechanical device for locking/releasing a mechanism for the manual operation of an actuation shaft, particularly of an electrical disconnector

Info

Publication number: EP2242891B1
Application number: EP09787637.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dario Bergamo
Original assignee: Alstom Technology AG
Current assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH
Priority date: 2009-02-05
Filing date: 2009-02-05
Publication date: 2015-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 2029-02-05
Also published as: CN102007257B; WO2010089781A8; CN102007257A; EP2242891A1; WO2010089781A1

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to an electromechanical device for locking/releasing a mechanism for the manual operation of an actuation shaft, particularly of an electric disconnector.

Background Art

Currently, the locking assembly of an actuation shaft comprises a detent which interlocks with the actuation shaft, locked by a protrusion that can perform a translational motion into a release position by way of the action of an electromagnet.
When the electromagnet is not powered, the protrusion is kept in the detent locking position by a return spring and therefore the actuation shaft cannot be turned.
When the electromagnet is supplied with power, the protrusion is moved and frees the movement of the detent, which can be disengaged from the shaft in order to turn it.
This electromagnet of course has to be customized for each operating voltage, be it AC or DC, and requires a supporting terminal strip so that it can be wired and connected to the power supply and control system.
US 5 816 085 A discloses a knobset having a slide actuator with a follower surface which is displaced by a cam ramp on a round spindle which when rotated displaces the slide actuator to a door locked position where a concave end of the slide actuator captures a detent portion of a locking slide, and a compression spring continuously urges the locking slide to this door locked position. A bridge of a base of the lock housing is configured to capture the detent portion of the locking slide and constrain it to linear movement between the door locked position and the door released position. The locking slide is contolled by a solenoid activated by a user transmitter.

Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to provide an electromechanical locking/release device that is more flexible in use, since it does not require adaptations according to the voltage available for its power supply.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an electromechanical locking/release device which allows, for its production, the use of generic commercial components that are currently easily commercially available.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electromechanical locking/release device that allows reliable confirmation of its operating configuration.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electromechanical locking/release device that is structurally simple and easy to use and can be manufactured with relatively low costs.
In accordance with the invention, there is provided an electromechanical device for locking/releasing a mechanism for the manual operation of an actuation shaft, particularly of an electrical disconnector, as defined in the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention as defined by the appended claims, will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the electromechanical locking/release device according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a partially sectional perspective view of an electromechanical locking/release device according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a partially sectional front elevation view of an electromechanical locking/release device according to the invention;
Figure 3 is a sectional view, taken along the line III-III of Figure 2, of an electromechanical locking/release device according to the invention.

Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 10 generally designates an electromechanical device for locking/releasing a mechanism 11 for manual operation of an actuation shaft 12, particularly of an electrical disconnector, which comprises a detent 13 for locking the rotation of the actuation shaft 12, which can perform a translational motion with respect to it in order to engage therein, so as to lock its rotation, and disengage from it, in contrast with a return spring 14, so as to free its rotation.
In general, the return spring 14 can be replaced with elastic means that are adapted to apply equivalently a force for the elastic return of the detent 13 toward the actuation shaft 12 in order to lock it.
A particularity of the electromechanical locking/release device 10 according to the invention is that it comprises an electrical contactor 15 with a movable element 16, which is coupled in a cam-like arrangement to the detent 13 and is adapted to be arranged, with respect to said detent, in two alternative configurations, respectively a configuration for preventing and a configuration for enabling the disengagement of the detent 13 from the actuation shaft 12, in order to prevent or release its rotation.
The electrical contactor 15 is advantageously a relay provided with an emergency mechanical operation device, which is per se known and not shown in the accompanying figures and can be operated to manually arrange the movable element 16 in the enabling configuration in contrast with elastic means for return to the preventing configuration.
More particularly, the movable element 16 comprises, according to the invention, a protrusion 17 that is coupled in a cam-like arrangement in a slot 18 provided in the detent 13.
The slot 18 has, according to the invention,

a first portion 19, which lies substantially longitudinally to the direction of translational motion A for interlocking and releasing the detent 13 with respect to the actuation shaft 12, and
a second portion 20, which lies substantially transversely to the direction of translational motion A.

In said enabling configuration, the protrusion 17 engages slidingly the first portion 19, so as to allow the translational motion of the detent 13 along the direction of translational motion A.
In said preventing configuration, instead, the protrusion 17 engages the second portion 20 in contrast with the translational motion of the detent 13 along the direction of translational motion A.
Further, the first portion 19 conveniently has an inclined wall 21 that is adapted to guide the protrusion 17, during the translational motion for disengagement of the detent 13 from the actuation shaft 12, into a position for maintaining the enabling configuration when the detent 13 is disengaged from the actuation shaft 12.
With particular reference to Figure 2, it shows in broken lines the detent 13 disengaged from the shaft 12, with the protrusion 17 engaging the first portion 19 of the slot 18, correspondingly with respect to the enabling configuration of the movable element 16.
Conveniently, the manual operation mechanism 11 comprises a plate 22 for supporting the actuation shaft 12, which further supports slidingly the detent 13.
A flange 23 extends from the actuation shaft 12 and has at least one interlocking seat 24 for a tooth 25, with which the detent 13 is provided, in order to interlock with the actuation shaft 12.
The electrical contactor 15 is fixed to the supporting plate 22 by means of an elastic clip 26, which during use retains it so that the protrusion 17 is coupled in a cam-like arrangement in the slot 18.
The electrical contactor 15 is conveniently functionally connected to a control and monitoring device 27, which actuates it remotely, forcing the passage of its movable element 16 from the preventing configuration to the enabling configuration in order to allow the disengagement of the detent 13 from the actuation shaft 12 and therefore the rotation of said shaft.
Further, in this manner, the electrical contact provided in the electrical contactor 15 when its movable element 16 is in the enabling configuration allows to transmit to the control and monitoring device 27 a signal that confirms the state of freedom of manual disengagement of the detent 13 from the actuation shaft 12 and thus reports the freedom of said shaft to rotate manually.
The operation of the electromechanical locking/release device 10 according to the invention is as follows.
In an inactive operating condition, the detent 13 is interlocked with the actuation shaft 12, with the tooth 25 engaged with the seat 24 of the flange 23.
The movable element 16 is in the preventing configuration and therefore has the protrusion 17 that engages the second portion 20 of the slot 18, so as to prevent the translational motion of the detent 13 in the direction of translational motion A.
In order to turn the actuation shaft 12, the detent 13 is allowed to perform a translational motion, by way of an electrical command on the part of the control and monitoring device 27, which for example is operated by an operator from a control room.
In this case, the movable element 16 moves to the enabling configuration, thus having the protrusion shifted into the first portion 19 of the slot 18.
In this configuration, it is possible to produce the translational motion of the detent 13 along the direction of translational motion A, so as to disengage its tooth 25 from the seat 24 of the flange 23, freeing the rotation of the actuation shaft 12.
The inclined wall 21, during the translational motion for disengagement of the detent 13 from the shaft 12, guides the protrusion 17 along the first portion 19 of the slot 18, so that the movable element 16 maintains the enabling configuration and provides the corresponding electrical contact, which by means of the control and monitoring device 27 allows to confirm its operating condition remotely.
In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, providing an electromechanical locking/release device that is more flexible in use, since it does not require adaptations as a function of the voltage available for its power supply, since it uses a relay of the commercial type whose operation does not depend on the available voltages.
An electromechanical locking/release device, according to the invention, further allows reliable confirmation of its operating configuration.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
In practice, the-materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

An electromechanical device (10) for locking/releasing a mechanism (11) for the manual operation of an actuation shaft (12), particularly of an electrical disconnector, comprising a detent (13) for locking the rotation of said actuation shaft (12) which can, in use, form a translational motion (A) with respect to said actuation shaft (12), in order to engage therein, so as to lock its rotation, and disengage from it, in contrast with elastic return means (14), to release its rotation, wherein it comprises an electrical contactor (15) with a movable element (16), which is coupled in a cam-like arrangement to said detent (13) and is adapted to be arranged by the electrical contactor (15), with respect to said detent (13), in two alternative configurations, respectively a configuration for preventing and a configuration for enabling the disengagement of said detent (13) from said actuation shaft (12), in order to prevent or release its rotation, characterised in that said movable element (16) comprises a protrusion (17) that is coupled in a cam-like arrangement in a slot (18) provided in said detent (13), said slot (18) having
- a first portion (19), which is extended substantially longitudinally with respect to the direction of translational motion (A) for engaging and disengaging said detent (13) from said actuation shaft (12), and

- a second portion (20), which lies substantially transversely to said direction of translational motion (A), whereby in said enabling configuration, said protrusion (17) engages slidingly said first portion (19), and in said preventing configuration said protrusion (17) engages said second portion (20) to contrast the translational motion of said detent (13) along said direction of translational motion (A).
The electromechanical locking/release device according to claim 1, characterized in that said electrical contactor (15) is a relay provided with an emergency mechanical operation device that can be operated to manually arrange said movable element (16) in said enabling configuration in contrast with elastic means for return to said preventing configuration.
The electromechanical locking/release device according to claim 1, characterized in that said first portion (19) has an inclined wall (21), which is adapted to guide said protrusion (17), during the translational motion for disengaging said detent (13) from said actuation shaft (12), into a position for maintaining said enabling configuration when said detent (13) is disengaged from said actuation shaft (12).