EP3226276B1 - Disconnect switch suitable for medium and high voltages and disconnection method using said disconnect switch - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a disconnector suitable for medium and high voltages (typically between 1kV and 550kV, or even greater than 550kV), as well as a disconnection method according to independent claims 1 and 15.

One function of disconnector installations, in particular at high voltage, is to be able to connect, but above all to disconnect, electrical connection elements which are generally enclosed in an enclosure filled with an insulating medium, such as sulfur hexafluoride, intended to limit the creation of electric arcs during the connection / disconnection of said electrical connection elements. Such installations are, for example, stations with a metal casing of the GIS (gas insultated switchgear) type. Typically, a disconnect switch comprises a mobile main connector or contact dedicated to be inserted into or removed from a fixed main connector or contact.

For some high voltage disconnector architectures, it must be required to guarantee disconnection performance related to power failure. As such, there is a current standard IEC 62271-102 with such performance. Currently, GIS type substations provide that disconnectors under 550 kVolts are not subjected to a transfer voltage between bus systems (called BTV “Bus Transfer Voltage”) of more than 20 volts, as well as to a transfer current. between bus systems (called BTC "Bus Transfer Current") of more than 1600 Amps.

However, it is to be expected that future installations of GIS type substations on a larger scale will have to be able to be subjected to higher values of voltages and transfer currents BTV, BTC, and even beyond a factor of 2. It thus turns out that most current high voltage disconnector architectures reach their physical limit to guarantee effective breaking performance or more generally disconnection (or connection).

In order to improve the capacities to break an arcing contact, various solutions have been proposed.

One of these solutions consists in coupling said movable main contact to a movable arcing contact, the latter being intended to be inserted into or removed from a fixed arcing contact integral with said fixed contact. The fixed main contact and the fixed arcing contact are connected to a first electrical equipment, and the moving contact and moving arcing contact are connected to a second electrical equipment. The placing in contact of the main contacts and the arcing contacts makes it possible to close the electrical circuit connecting the first and second electrical equipment. Conversely, the separation of said contacts opens said circuit and disconnects the first electrical equipment from the second electrical equipment.

According to this solution, the arcing contacts are used to delay the moment of appearance of an electric arc compared to the moment of disconnection of the main contacts and to limit the duration of such an arc, in particular in order to reduce wear. fixed and mobile contacts, and pollution of the insulating medium in which said contacts are located. Traditionally, said movable arcing contact is coupled to the movable main contact by a displacement device, typically a spring device, allowing on the one hand a disconnection of the arcing contacts taking place after disconnection of the main contacts, and on the other hand, a sudden acceleration of the mobile arcing contact making it possible to instantly increase the distance between the fixed arcing contact and the moving arcing contact when the main contacts (fixed and moving) are already disconnected and in progressive relative distance at constant speed during a disconnection phase, i.e. opening of the electrical circuit connecting the first electrical equipment to said second electrical equipment. After having been suddenly accelerated, the movable arcing contact is positioned in a chamber inside said movable main contact, the latter being in a final disconnection position. Such techniques are well known to those skilled in the art.

Another solution is to use a special material, such as carbon or copper-tungsten, for the moving main contact which in this case also has the function of arcing contact. Unlike the previous solution, a single mobile contact is therefore present in the disconnector.

Other solutions are based on the use of a mechanism making it possible to increase the speed of relative separation of the contacts of said disconnector so as to minimize the duration of an electric arc between said contacts.

A problem with disconnectors as described above is linked to their use for higher voltages and currents which require higher opening speeds, which are difficult to achieve due for example to the inertia of the moving parts. Indeed, the higher the tension and the nominal current are high, the higher the transfer voltage (BTV) and the transfer current (BTC), and the faster the contact separation speed should be.

In addition, the document EP 0 500 550 A1 discloses a disconnector and a disconnection method respectively according to the preambles of claims 1 and 15.

An object of the present invention is to provide a disconnector suitable for high voltages and a disconnection method which makes it possible to increase the relative speed of removal of the main contacts so as to interrupt as quickly as possible the electric arc forming between said said contacts. main contacts during disconnection of the first and second electrical equipment, ie opening of the electrical circuit connecting said first electrical equipment to said second electrical equipment, while maintaining high dielectric performance for said main contacts, said disconnect switch must also be simple and efficient . Another object is to provide a disconnector requiring a small number of mechanical parts making it possible to optimize the masses of the moving elements, the size and the disconnection speeds for said disconnector.

For this purpose, a disconnector and a method of disconnection by means of a disconnector are provided according to the independent claims. Subclaims present further advantages of the invention.

• un premier contact connectable à un premier appareillage électrique ;
• un second contact connectable à un second appareillage électrique, ledit second contact comprenant un corps de contact et une tête de contact mobile par rapport au corps de contact entre une position A et une position B définies par rapport audit corps de contact, ledit corps de contact étant mobile le long d'un axe A entre une position fermée, dans laquelle ledit corps de contact et la tête de contact sont en contact avec ledit premier contact afin de connecter électriquement le premier appareillage électrique avec le second appareillage électrique et la tête de contact est en position B, et une position ouverte, dans laquelle ledit corps de contact et la tête de contact sont déconnectés dudit premier contact afin de déconnecter électriquement ledit premier appareillage électrique dudit second appareillage électrique et la tête de contact est en position B, ledit corps de contact se terminant, aussi bien en position ouverte qu'en position fermée, par ladite tête de contact montée mobile à l'extrémité du corps de contact destinée à entrer en contact avec le premier contact à ladite position fermée, ladite tête de contact étant notamment mobile axialement selon ledit axe A, l'autre extrémité dudit corps de contact étant fixée à un support de contact. Préférentiellement, la position A est une position éloignée dudit corps de contact et la position B est une position rapprochée dudit corps de contact, notamment à laquelle la tête de contact est plaquée contre le corps de contact de façon à rompre le contact électrique entre la tête de contact et ledit premier contact. En particulier, la tête de contact est montée coulissante par rapport au corps de contact entre la position A éloignée dudit corps de contact et la position B rapprochée dudit corps de contact, et vice versa. Selon la présente invention, l'ouverture dudit sectionneur destinée à déconnecter électriquement ledit premier appareillage dudit second appareillage est effectuée par déplacement du corps de contact de la position fermée à la position ouverte, la fermeture étant réalisée par déplacement du corps de contact de la position ouverte à la position fermée;

• ledit support de contact, destiné à supporter ledit corps de contact, mobile avec ce dernier le long dudit axe A, comprenant une première extrémité et une seconde extrémité selon ledit axe A, ladite première extrémité étant solidaire de ladite autre extrémité dudit corps de contact et ladite seconde extrémité étant éloignée axialement dudit corps de contact selon ledit axe A. En particulier, ladite seconde extrémité est configurée pour actionner un second dispositif de déplacement de la tête de contact lors d'un déplacement du corps de contact de la position fermée à la position ouverte;
• un premier dispositif de déplacement capable de déplacer le corps de contact de la position fermée à la position ouverte, et vice versa, ledit premier dispositif de déplacement étant notamment capable de déplacer le corps de contact à une vitesse V(t) en fonction du temps t qui est faible, typiquement de l'ordre du mm/s, voire constante ;
• ledit second dispositif de déplacement, déclenchable au moyen dudit support de contact, capable, lors d'un déplacement dudit corps de contact de la position fermée à la position ouverte, de déplacer la tête de contact de la position B à la position A tout en emmagasinant de l'énergie et de façon à ce que seule la tête de contact soit maintenue en contact avec ledit premier contact, puis de relâcher subitement ladite énergie emmagasinée afin de déplacer brusquement et transitoirement, en particulier transitoirement à une vitesse V'(t) supérieure à la vitesse V(t), ladite tête de contact de la position A à la position B de façon à rompre le contact entre la tête de contact et ledit premier contact. En particulier, le déplacement transitoire de ladite tête de contact à ladite vitesse V'(t) > V(t) entre ladite position A et ladite position B a lieu durant un intervalle de temps [t'1, t'2] compris dans l'intervalle de temps [t1, t2] nécessaire au déplacement dudit corps de contact entre ladite position fermée et ladite position ouverte. En particulier, lors de l'ouverture dudit sectionneur, ledit second dispositif de déplacement est ainsi capable, dans un premier temps, de maintenir la tête de contact en contact avec le premier contact lorsque le corps de contact s'éloigne dudit premier contact, provoquant autrement dit un éloignement de la tête de contact relativement au corps de contact lorsque ce dernier s'éloigne du premier contact et jusqu'à ce que la tête de contact soit à ladite position A éloignée dudit corps de contact, puis, dans un second temps, une fois cette position A atteinte, de brusquement ramener la tête de contact à sa position B rapprochée dudit corps de contact, permettant ainsi une déconnexion électrique très rapide dudit premier circuit et dudit second circuit.

The present invention thus relates in particular to a disconnector suitable for high voltages and comprising:

• a first contact connectable to a first electrical apparatus;
• a second contact connectable to a second electrical apparatus, said second contact comprising a body of contact and a contact head movable relative to the contact body between a position A and a position B defined with respect to said contact body, said contact body being movable along an axis A between a closed position, wherein said contact body and the contact head are in contact with said first contact in order to electrically connect the first electrical equipment with the second electrical equipment and the contact head is in position B, and an open position, in which said contact body and the contact head are disconnected from said first contact in order to electrically disconnect said first electrical equipment from said second electrical equipment and the contact head is in position B, said contact body terminating, both in open position and in closed position, by said contact head mounted movably at the end of the contact body intended to come into contact with the first contact at said iron position mée, said contact head being in particular movable axially along said axis A, the other end of said contact body being fixed to a contact support. Preferably, position A is a position remote from said contact body and position B is a position close to said contact body, in particular in which the contact head is pressed against the contact body so as to break the electrical contact between the head. contact and said first contact. In particular, the contact head is slidably mounted relative to the contact body between the position A remote from said contact body and the position B close to said contact body, and vice versa. According to the present invention, the opening of said disconnector intended to electrically disconnect said first device from said second device is effected by moving the contact body. from the closed position to the open position, the closing being effected by moving the contact body from the open position to the closed position;

• said contact support, intended to support said contact body, movable with the latter along said axis A, comprising a first end and a second end along said axis A, said first end being integral with said other end of said contact body and said second end being axially remote from said contact body along said axis A. In particular, said second end is configured to actuate a second device for moving the contact head during a movement of the contact body from the closed position to the closed position. open position;
• a first displacement device capable of moving the contact body from the closed position to the open position, and vice versa, said first displacement device being in particular capable of moving the contact body at a speed V (t) as a function of time t which is low, typically of the order of mm / s, or even constant;
• said second displacement device, triggerable by means of said contact support, capable, upon movement of said contact body from the closed position to the open position, of moving the contact head from position B to position A while storing energy and so that only the contact head is kept in contact with said first contact, then suddenly releasing said stored energy in order to move suddenly and transiently, in particular transiently at a speed V '(t) greater than the speed V (t), said contact head from position A to position B so as to break the contact between the contact head and said first contact. In particular, the transient displacement of said contact head at said speed V '(t)> V (t) between said position A and said position B takes place during a time interval [t'1, t'2] included in the time interval [t1, t2] necessary for the displacement of said contact body between said closed position and said open position. In particular, when opening said disconnector, said second displacement device is thus capable, initially, of maintaining the contact head in contact with the first contact when the contact body moves away from said first contact, causing in other words, moving the contact head away from the contact body when the latter moves away from the first contact and until the contact head is in said position A away from said contact body, then, in a second step , once this position A has been reached, to bring the contact head abruptly to its position B close to said contact body, thus allowing very rapid electrical disconnection of said first circuit and of said second circuit.

Figure 1-6 :

représentation schématique et chronologique d'une ouverture d'un sectionneur selon l'invention.

In order to better understand the present invention and to illustrate it, an exemplary embodiment of a disconnector according to the invention is provided using the figures 1-6 which chronologically show the opening of said disconnector according to the invention:

Figure 1-6:

schematic and chronological representation of an opening of a disconnector according to the invention.

The figure 1 presents an exemplary embodiment of a disconnector according to the invention. The latter is shown in the closed position. The figures 2 to 6 show the same disconnector at different times when it is opened. The same references apply to the same elements of the disconnector throughout its opening illustrated by the figures 2 to 6 .

The disconnector according to the invention makes it possible to connect a first electrical device to a second electrical device when it is in the closed position as shown in figure 1 and disconnecting said first electrical equipment from said second electrical equipment when it is in the open position as shown in figure 6 .

The disconnector, said first electrical device and said second electrical device are typically encapsulated in an interrupting chamber comprising an insulating medium such as sulfur hexafluoride, said first electrical device being for example located at an upstream end of said disconnector and said second electrical equipment being located for example at a downstream end of said disconnector.

The disconnector according to the invention comprises in particular a first contact 1 connectable to the first electrical device and a second contact 2 connectable to said second electrical device. The first contact 1 comprises at least one fixed part 1 ', ie stationary with respect to the interrupting chamber, and can optionally also include a movable part 11 with respect to said fixed part 1'. The second contact 2 comprises a movable part and a fixed part 2 '. The fixed part 2 'of the second contact 2 is sufficiently far from the first contact 1 to prevent any electric arcing. between the first contact and the second contact. The movable part of the second contact 2 comprises a contact body 21 and a contact head 22 mounted movably between a position A and a position B defined relative to the contact body 21. An electrical contact 29 between the contact head 22 and the contact body 21, for example a sliding electrical contact, in particular allows current to flow between the contact head and the contact body. Position A is in particular a remote position, for example the furthest away, from said contact body 21, and position B is a close position, for example the closest, to said contact body 21. The contact body 21 is itself. -even mounted movably along an axis A between a closed position F and an open position O. In the closed position F, said contact body 21 and the contact head 22 are in contact with said first contact 1 in order to connect electrically the fixed part 1 'of the first contact 1 with the fixed part 2' of the second contact 2, or in other words the first electrical equipment with the second electrical equipment, the contact head 22 being in position B when the contact body 21 is in closed position. In the open position O, said contact body 21 and the contact head 22 are disconnected from said first contact 1 in order to electrically disconnect the fixed part 1 'of the first contact 1 and the fixed part 2' of the one from the other. second contact 2, or in other words, said first electrical apparatus of said second electrical apparatus, the contact head 22 being in position B when the contact body 21 is in the open position.

According to the present invention, the contact body 21 ends, both in the open position O and in the closed position F, with said contact head 22 movably mounted at one end of said contact body 21, the other end of said body contact 21 being fixed to a contact support 23. In particular, the contact head 22 is slidably mounted relative to the contact body 21 so as to be able to slide between the position A remote from said contact body 21 and the close position B of said contact body 21, and vice versa. Preferably, among the contact body 21 and the contact head 22, only the contact head 22 faces said first contact 1, so that a front view of the contact body 21 equipped with the contact head mounted movably on the latter only shows the contact head 22. In fact, according to the present invention, said contact body 21 comprises a front part against which the contact head 22 is pressed in the close position B, said front part being in particular fully covered by said contact head 22 when the latter is in position B so as to prevent frontal contact between the first contact 1 and the contact body 21, in particular between the contact body 21 and the movable part 11 of the first contact 1 , the contact body 21 being configured to contact only laterally via its lateral part said first contact 1, for example its fixed contacts 1 ', for example by means of electrical contacts side 12 integral with the fixed contacts 1 'of the first contact 1.

The contact support 23 according to the invention is intended to support said contact body 21. Preferably, said contact body 21 and the contact support 23 are arranged in the extension of one another along said axis A and can present an essentially elongated shape extending along said axis A. The contact support 23 comprises a first end and a second end, said first end being integral with said other end of said contact body 21 and said second end being axially distant from said contact body 21 along said axis A. 6. In particular, said second end of the contact support 23 is configured to interact with a second displacement device in order to trigger a displacement of the contact head 22 such that it will be described later.

The disconnector according to the invention comprises a first displacement device capable of moving, preferably simultaneously, the movable part of the second contact 2 and / or the movable part of the first contact 1. In particular, the first displacement device is capable of moving the contact body 21 from the closed position F to the open position O, and vice versa, at a speed V (t) as a function of time t. Such a first displacement device is known to those skilled in the art and does not require further explanation.

• un élément 24 fixé à la tête de contact 22 et s'étendant selon ledit axe A au moins jusqu'à ladite seconde extrémité dudit support de contact 23, ledit élément 24 étant notamment solidaire de ladite tête de contact 22 de façon à pouvoir mouvoir cette dernière, par exemple en la coulissant de la position A à la position B et vice versa, ledit élément 24 s'étendant, préférentiellement selon ledit axe A, depuis la tête de contact 22 en direction de ladite seconde extrémité du support de contact 23 et coopérant, notamment au voisinage de ladite seconde extrémité du support de contact 23, avec un système de blocage 25;
• ledit système de blocage 25 comprenant deux états, respectivement un premier état configuré pour bloquer temporairement un déplacement dudit élément 24 dans une direction axiale selon ledit axe A, ladite direction axiale s'éloignant dudit premier contact 1, lors du déplacement du corps de contact 21 de la position fermée F à la position ouverte O, et un second état configuré pour autoriser un déplacement dudit élément 24 dans ladite direction axiale lors du déplacement du corps de contact 21 de la position fermée F à la position ouverte O, le second état succédant chronologiquement au premier état lors dudit déplacement du corps de contact 21 de la position fermée F à la position ouverte O;
• un système mécanique 26 accouplé audit élément 24 et audit support de contact 23 de façon à emmagasiner ladite énergie, par exemple de l'énergie potentielle préférentiellement mécanique ou élastique, pendant le blocage temporaire dudit élément 24 par le système de blocage 25 lors du déplacement du corps de contact 21 de la position fermée F à la position ouverte O, ledit système mécanique étant configuré pour libérer ladite énergie dès que le système de blocage est dans le second état, i.e. dès que ce dernier autorise le déplacement dudit élément 24.

On the other hand, the present invention proposes a second displacement device of a new type which makes it possible to implement in a simple and rapid manner a break in the electrical connection between the mobile part of the second contact and the first contact, for example between the two. moving parts of the first and second contact. This second displacement device can in particular be triggered by said contact support 23, and comprises one or more devices from among the following devices:

• an element 24 fixed to the contact head 22 and extending along said axis A at least to said second end of said contact support 23, said element 24 being in particular secured to said contact head 22 so as to be able to move this last, for example by sliding it from position A to position B and vice versa, said element 24 extending, preferably along said axis A, from the contact head 22 towards said second end of the contact support 23 and cooperating, in particular in the vicinity of said second end of the contact support 23, with a locking system 25;
• said locking system 25 comprising two states, respectively a first state configured to temporarily block a movement of said element 24 in an axial direction along said axis A, said axial direction away from said first contact 1, during movement of the contact body 21 from the closed position F to the open position O, and a second state configured to allow movement of said element 24 in said axial direction during movement of the contact body 21 from the closed position F to the open position O, the second state succeeding chronologically in the first state during said displacement of the contact body 21 from the closed position F to the open position O;
• a mechanical system 26 coupled to said element 24 and to said contact support 23 so as to store said energy, for example potential energy, preferably mechanical or elastic, during the temporary blocking of said element 24 by the blocking system 25 during movement of the contact body 21 from the closed position F to the open position O, said mechanical system being configured to release said energy as soon as the locking system is in the second state, ie as soon as the latter authorizes the movement of said element 24.

The second displacement device according to the invention is thus capable, during a displacement of said contact body 21 from the closed position F to the open position O, of temporarily maintaining, for example during a period of time Dt, the head of contact 22 in contact with said first contact 1 in particular by moving the latter from position B to position A relative to the contact body 21 (ie relative to a frame of reference linked to the contact body 21), while storing, during this movement from position B to position A, ie during said period of time Dt, energy, then suddenly releasing, at the end of said movement from position B to position A, i.e. at the end of period Dt, said stored energy in order to suddenly and transiently moving said contact head 22 from position A to position B so as to break the electrical contact between contact head 22 and said first contact 1, for example between the contact head and the movable part of said first contact . Preferably, during the energy storage phase, only the contact head 22 is kept in contact with said first contact 1.

Preferably, said second displacement device makes it possible to move said contact head 22 at a speed V '(t)> V (t) during the transient displacement from said position A to said position B, said displacement taking place during a time interval [t'1, t'2] included in the time interval [t1, t2] necessary for the displacement of said contact body 21 between said closed position F and said open position O. According to the present invention, the triggering of the displacement of the contact head from position A to position B is implemented by interaction of the contact support 23 with said second displacement device. In particular, a displacement, by said first displacement device, of the contact support 23 along said axis A in the opposite direction of said first contact 1 is able to cause an interaction of said contact support 23 with the locking system 25 causing a change in 'state of said locking system 25 passing from the first to the second state, and a displacement, by said first displacement device, of the contact support 23 in a direction along said axis A approaching said first contact 1 being able to cause the locking system 25 to pass from the second to the first state.

Preferably, said interaction is an interaction between a surface of said contact support 23 and said locking system 25, for example between said surface and hooks 251 of said locking system 25. Indeed, according to a preferred embodiment, the locking system blocking 25 comprises a hook 251 movable from a blocking position to an unlocking position and vice versa, which, when the blocking system 25 is in said first state, is positioned in the blocking position adapted to block a movement of said element 24 in a direction along said axis A away from said first contact 1, and, when the locking system 25 is in said second state, is positioned in the release position adapted to allow movement of said element 24 in the direction along said axis A moving away from said first contact. According to the present invention, the displacement of said hook 251 between its locking position and its unlocking position is caused by said interaction of said surface of said contact support 23 and part of said hook 251.

For example, said hook 251 is provided with a wheel 252 configured to interact with an interaction surface S of said contact support 23, the interaction of said interaction surface S with said wheel 252 being able to cause movement of said contact support. hook 251, in particular a pivoting around a ball joint 3 integral with a support base 4 of said disconnector, from said locking position to said position release, when said interaction surface S is in translation along said axis A by displacement of the contact support 23 in the direction along said axis A away from the first contact 1. Preferably, said contact support 23 comprises a first SI outer bearing surface for said wheel 252, for example a cylindrical surface, and optionally a second outer bearing surface S2 for said wheel 252, for example a cylindrical surface, the first surface S1, and optionally the second surface S2, being formed of a set of straight line segments parallel to said axis A, said interaction surface S joining for example said first surface SI while describing a bias with respect to the latter. Optionally, the interaction surface S joins the first surface SI to said second surface S2 by describing said bias with respect to said first and second surfaces, and therefore in particular with respect to said axis A. According to this preferred embodiment, the displacement of said roller 252 on said bias of the interaction surface S causes said hook 251 to move from the locking position to the unlocking position or vice versa according to the direction of movement of said contact support 23 by said first displacement device. Thus, according to the present invention, a movement of a part of the locking system, for example the roller of said hook, on the interaction surface of the contact support 23 causes a radial distance from said axis A which triggers the unlocking of the blocking system, ie the passage from the first state to the second state.

Preferably, the locking system 25 comprises return means, for example elastic or spring, configured to exert a force or a moment of force on said hook 251 so as to oppose a displacement, by for example by pivoting, of said hook 251 from the locking position to said unlocking position. Optionally, said element 24 extends from one of its ends integral with the contact head 22 through the contact body 21 and the contact support 23 to the other of its ends axially remote from said contact head. 22 and configured to cooperate with the locking system. In particular, said element 24 comprises at least one rod, preferably several rods, extending along said axis A beyond said second end of the contact support 23 and passing right through the latter. In particular, said rod ends, at the end closest to said second end of said contact body 23, with a stop washer 28 capable of interacting with said locking means 25, for example with said hook 251.

We will now describe in more detail the operation of said disconnector according to the invention, in particular the opening of said disconnector allowing the disconnection of the first electrical apparatus from the second electrical apparatus.

The figure 1 shows the disconnector according to the invention in the closed position. The current can pass from the fixed contact 2 'to the fixed contact 1 via mainly the contact body 21 and secondarily the contact head 22 in contact with the movable part 11 of said second contact. In this closed position, the mechanical system 26 is relaxed, for example, a spring 261 of said mechanical system is relaxed. The locking system 25 is in particular already in the locking position, ready to interact with the contact support 23 when the latter moves away in a direction opposite to said first contact 1. When the disconnector according to the invention is opened, the first displacement device will move the movable part of said second contact from a downstream position, called “closed position”, in which it is in contact with said first contact 1, to an upstream position, called “open position”, at which the movable part 11 of the first contact 1 and the movable part of the second contact 2 are disconnected from one another. Note that during connection, the reverse displacement is performed by means of said second displacement device. The opening of the disconnector according to the invention, and therefore the disconnection of the first electrical equipment from the second electrical equipment, chronologically comprises the following phases illustrated by the figures 2 to 6 :
A first phase, illustrated in figure 2 , shows a simultaneous upstream movement of the movable part 11 of said first contact 1 and of the movable part of the second contact 2 with respect to the fixed parts 1 ', 2' of the first contact 1 and of the second contact 2. This movement causes in particular a disconnection of the contact body 23 from a lateral electrical contact 12 configured to laterally contact a lateral part of the contact body 21 with the fixed part 1 'of the first contact 1 when the latter is in the closed position, while the head of contact 22 remains in constant contact with the moving part 11 of the first contact 1 throughout said displacement of the first phase. Said lateral contact is in particular a contact integral with the fixed part 1 'of the first contact 1, for example a spring contact. Said displacement of the first phase is in particular implemented by the first displacement device as explained previously.

A second phase, illustrated by the figure 3 , comprises the continuation of the upstream movement of said contact body 21 by means of said first movement device, during which the contact head 22 is kept in contact with the first contact 1, in particular with the movable part 11 of said first contact 1, by the second displacement device configured to store energy while maintaining contact between the contact head 22 and the first contact 1. During this second phase, the contact head 22 passes from position B brought closer to said contact body 21 to the position A away from said contact body 21. In particular, said movable part 11 and the contact head 22 are kept stationary and in contact with one another, for example by the control system. blocking 25 of said second displacement device as described above, while the contact body 21 continues its upstream movement, always moving it a little further from said first contact 1. Said energy is for example an elastic potential energy resulting from the compression of the spring 261 of the mechanical system 26 by the contact support 23, said spring 261 being in particular coupled to said contact support 23 and to said element 24 fixed to said contact head 22. During this second phase, and in particular, the rollers 252 are in contact with and move on the first surface S1.

A third phase, illustrated by the figures 4 and 5 , comprises breaking the electrical contact between the contact head 22 and the first contact 1, in particular between the contact head 22 and the movable part 11 of said first contact 1, by triggering said second displacement device by means of the contact support 23 fixed to said contact body 21, said contact head 22 then passing from position A (cf. Fig. 4 ) to position B (cf. Fig. 5 ), while the contact body continues to move upstream, ie in a direction away from said first contact 1. As explained previously, the triggering of said second device is preferably caused by interaction of the second displacement device with the support contact 23 during movement of the latter upstream, said interaction causing a sudden release of said energy and said contact breakage. As illustrated by figures 4 and 5 , during this third phase and in particular, the castors 252 move from the first surface S1 to the second surface S2 passing through said interaction surface S. This displacement on the interaction surface or in other words the passage from the first surface SI to the second surface S2 causes a radial separation casters 252 with respect to the axis A, this radial distance itself causing a movement, for example pivoting, of the hooks 251 around the ball joint 3, ie causing the state of said locking system to change, the latter passing from the first state to second state. The hooks 251 which, until then, kept the element 24 and the contact head immobile relative to the fixed part 2 'of the second contact, releases said element 24, allowing at the same time the release of the energy stored by the mechanical system, for example the relaxation of said spring 261, which causes a displacement of said element 24 from downstream to upstream as represented by the arrow f in figure 4 , and consequently, a displacement of the contact head 22 from position A to position B.

A fourth phase, illustrated by the figure 6 , comprises an upstream movement of the contact head in position B and of the contact body 23 until disconnection of the contact body 21 from another lateral electrical contact 27 configured to laterally contact the lateral part of the contact body 21 with the fixed part 2 'of the second contact (2) when the latter is in the closed position. The upstream movement of the fourth phase ends when the contact body 21 is electrically disconnected from said other lateral contact 27 and is, with the contact head 22, set back inside the fixed contact 2 'of said contact. second contact.

Connection of said disconnector simply takes place in the reverse order, ie from the fourth phase to the first phase, until connection of said contact body 23 with the fixed part 1 'of the first contact.

According to the present invention, the contact head 22 has the shape of a mushroom, ie has a substantially cylindrical trunk configured to slide in the contact body 21 and to be fixed to said element 24, said trunk being surmounted by a cap in the shape of a half. sphere or part of a sphere, the center of which is directed towards the trunk, in particular towards the central longitudinal axis of said trunk. The contact body 21 is preferably cylindrical, hollow around said axis A, in order to allow a translational movement of said element 24 and of said trunk during movements along said axis A from upstream to downstream. Said cap in particular completely covers the end of said contact body 21 which is closest to said first contact 1. In this case, the movable part 11 of said second contact has a shape complementary to said cap, for example has a concave shape. Alternatively, the cap of said contact head has a concave shape and said movable part 11 of said first contact 1 has a spherical shape. According to a preferred embodiment, the movable part of said first contact also comprises a contact head movable relative to a contact body, the second displacement device being designed to move in the opposite direction and simultaneously the contact head 22 of the second contact. and the contact head of said first contact upon opening of said disconnector.

Thus, the present invention proposes a new design of a disconnector, for which only part of the movable contact is set in rapid movement, which has the advantage of greatly reducing inertia, and makes it possible to achieve speeds of. much larger opening compared to existing techniques, all with little storage energy.

Claims (15)

1. Disconnector for high voltages, said disconnector comprising:

   - a first contact (1);

   - a second contact (2) comprising a mobile part and a fixed part (2'), said mobile part comprising a contact body (21) and a contact head (22) which can be moved in relation to the contact body (21);

   - a contact support (23) designed to support said contact body (21);

   - a first movement device, which can move the contact body (21) along an axis A from a closed position (F), in which the contact body (21) is in contact with said first contact (1), to an open position (O), and vice versa;

   - a second movement device, which can be triggered by means of said contact support (23) and is able, during a movement of said contact body (21) from the closed position (F) to the open position (O), to temporarily keep the contact head (22) in contact with said first contact (1) while storing energy, then to suddenly release said stored energy in order to transitorily move said contact head (22) from a position A distant from said contact body to a position B near to said contact body in such a way as to break the electrical contact between the contact head (22) and said first contact (1),
   characterised in that said contact body (21) comprises a frontal part which is abutted by the contact head (22) at near position B, said frontal part being completely covered by said contact head (22) when the latter is at position B in such a way as to prevent frontal contact between the first contact (1) and the contact body (21).
2. Disconnector according to claim 1, wherein said contact body (21) is terminated in both an open position (O) and closed position (F) by said contact head (22), which is mounted in a mobile manner at one extremity of said contact body (21), the other extremity of said contact body (21) being fixed to said contact support (23), the latter comprising a first extremity and a second extremity, said first extremity being firmly attached to said other extremity of said contact body (21) and said second extremity being axially distant from said contact body (21).
3. Disconnector according to claim 2, wherein said second movement device comprises an element (24) which is fixed to the contact head (22) and extends in the direction of said axis A at least as far as said second extremity of said contact support (23).
4. Disconnector according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the contact head (22) is mounted in sliding manner in relation to the contact body (21).
5. Disconnector according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said contact head (22) has a speed V'(t) > V(t) during the transitory movement from said position A to said position B, said movement taking place during a time interval [t'1, t'2] which is included in the time interval [t1, t2] that is required for the movement of said contact body (21) between said closed position (F) and said open position (O).
6. Disconnector according to claim 3, wherein said second movement device comprises:

   - said element (24) which is firmly attached to said contact head (22) such that it is able to move the latter, said element (24) extending from one extremity which is firmly attached to the contact head (22) through the contact body (21) and the contact support (23) to an extremity which is axially distant from said contact head (22) and is designed to interact with a blocking system;

   - said blocking system (25) comprising two states, respectively a first state designed to temporarily block a movement of said element (24) in an axial direction (f) extending away from said first contact (1) along said axis A, and a second state designed to allow a movement of said element (24) in said axial direction;

   - a mechanical system (26) which is coupled to said element (24) and to said contact support (23) in such a way as to store said energy while said element (24) is temporarily blocked by the blocking system (25).
7. Disconnector according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the contact support (21) is designed to trigger the second movement device for moving the contact head (22).
8. Disconnector according to claim 6, wherein the contact support (23) is designed to interact with the blocking system (25) by means of translational movement in the direction of said axis A, wherein a movement of the contact support (23) away from the first contact (1) in the direction of said axis A is able to make the blocking system (25) change from the first state to the second state and a movement of the contact support (23) towards said first contact (1) in the direction of said axis A is able to make the blocking system (25) change from the second state to the first state.
9. Disconnector according to claim 6, and one of claims 7 or 8, wherein a part of the blocking system (25) is designed to move on an interaction surface (S) of the contact support (23) in such a way as to cause said part to move away radially in relation to said axis A.
10. Disconnector according to claim 6, and one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the blocking system (25) comprises a hook (251) which can be moved from a blocking position to an unblocking position and vice versa.
11. Disconnector according to claim 10, wherein said hook (251) is equipped with a roller (252) that is designed to interact with an interaction surface (S) of said contact support (23).
12. Disconnector according to one of claims 10 or 11, wherein the blocking system (25) comprises return means that are designed to exert a force on said hook (251).
13. Disconnector according to one of claims 11 to 12, wherein said contact support (23) comprises a first external bearing surface (S1) for said roller (252), said interaction surface (S) being connected to said first surface (S1) and describing an angle relative to said first surface (S1).
14. Disconnector according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein only the contact head (22) faces said first contact (1) irrespective of the position of the contact body (21), such that only the contact head (22) is visible in a frontal view of the contact body (21) on which the contact head is mounted in a mobile manner.
15. Method for disconnecting a first electrical apparatus from a second electrical apparatus by means of a disconnector to which these are attached, said disconnector comprising a first contact (1) which is connected to the first electrical apparatus and has a mobile part (11) and a fixed part (1'), a second contact (2) which is connected to the second electrical apparatus and has a mobile part and a fixed part (2'), a first movement device which is able to move the mobile part of said second contact from a forward position in which it is in contact with said first contact (1), to a rearward position in which the mobile part (11) of the first contact (1) and the mobile part of the second contact (2) are disconnected from each other, and vice versa, said mobile part of the second contact (2) comprising a contact body (21) and a contact head (22), these latter being in contact with said first contact (1) in said forward position, wherein the method according to the invention chronologically comprises the following steps during the disconnection of the first electrical apparatus from the second electrical apparatus:

    - simultaneously moving the mobile part (11) of said first contact (1) and the mobile part of the second contact (2) rearwards by means of a first movement device, the contact head (22) remaining continuously in contact with the mobile part (11) of the first contact (1) during said movement;

    - continuing the rearward movement of said contact body (21), during which the contact head (22) is kept in contact with the first contact (1) by a second movement device, which is designed to store energy while the contact between the contact head (22) and the first contact (1) is maintained;

    - breaking the electrical contact between the contact head (22) and the first contact (1) by triggering said second movement device by means of a contact support (23) which is fixed to said contact body (21), the triggering of said second device being caused by a rearward movement of said contact support (23) designed to cause an interaction with the second movement device;

    - moving the contact head rearwards to a position abutting the contact body (21) and continuing the rearward movement of said mobile part of said second contact (2) until said first electrical apparatus is disconnected from said second electrical apparatus, characterised in that said contact body (21) comprises a frontal part which is abutted by the contact head (22) at near position B, said frontal part being completely covered by said contact head (22) when the latter is at position B in such a way as to prevent frontal contact between the first contact (1) and the contact body (21).

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