EP3657524B1 - Electrical switch and switchgear - Google Patents
Electrical switch and switchgear Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3657524B1 EP3657524B1 EP19210897.5A EP19210897A EP3657524B1 EP 3657524 B1 EP3657524 B1 EP 3657524B1 EP 19210897 A EP19210897 A EP 19210897A EP 3657524 B1 EP3657524 B1 EP 3657524B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- relay
- electrical switch
- assembly
- circuit board
- control
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 9
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- 238000009413 insulation Methods 0.000 description 9
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 8
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 description 7
- 230000007935 neutral effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000000052 comparative effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000002955 isolation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000003745 diagnosis Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000020169 heat generation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000037431 insertion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000010354 integration Effects 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H50/00—Details of electromagnetic relays
- H01H50/02—Bases; Casings; Covers
- H01H50/04—Mounting complete relay or separate parts of relay on a base or inside a case
- H01H50/047—Details concerning mounting a relays
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H50/00—Details of electromagnetic relays
- H01H50/02—Bases; Casings; Covers
- H01H50/04—Mounting complete relay or separate parts of relay on a base or inside a case
- H01H2050/049—Assembling or mounting multiple relays in one common housing
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H71/00—Details of the protective switches or relays covered by groups H01H73/00 - H01H83/00
- H01H71/02—Housings; Casings; Bases; Mountings
- H01H71/0264—Mountings or coverplates for complete assembled circuit breakers, e.g. snap mounting in panel
- H01H71/0271—Mounting several complete assembled circuit breakers together
- H01H2071/0278—Mounting several complete assembled circuit breakers together with at least one of juxtaposed casings dedicated to an auxiliary device, e.g. for undervoltage or shunt trip
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H71/00—Details of the protective switches or relays covered by groups H01H73/00 - H01H83/00
- H01H71/08—Terminals; Connections
- H01H2071/086—Low power connections for auxiliary switches, e.g. shunt trip
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H50/00—Details of electromagnetic relays
- H01H50/02—Bases; Casings; Covers
- H01H50/021—Bases; Casings; Covers structurally combining a relay and an electronic component, e.g. varistor, RC circuit
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates to an electrical switch, and more specifically to an electrical switch and a switchgear including the same.
- Electrical switches such as contactors are widely used on a variety of power distribution and power use applications. Typically, electrical switches such as contactors achieve the purpose of turning the circuit on and off by controlling contacts to close or open. In order to achieve such control, peripheral control elements need to be provided. In addition, in general applications, electrical switches such as contactors need to be able to meet needs in local control and remote control.
- EP 2 731 121 A2 relates to a modular overload relay assembly which comprises a sensing module accommodated in a first housing, a controller module accommodated in a second housing and a communication module accommodated in a third housing.
- the communication module may be a wireless communication module.
- the housing of the sensing module supports integrated phase current conductors and load side power terminals.
- the integrated phase current conductors of the sensing module conduct load current from a contactor through the modular overload relay assembly to load side power terminals.
- the modular overload relay assembly acts as an intermediate component between a contactor and an electrical line.
- CN 108717919 A is directed at a contactor with intelligent control.
- the contactor comprises a controller compartment and a contactor compartment.
- the controller compartment comprises a control circuit board with a switch module and an action module.
- the switch module may be a wireless unit.
- the action module may be formed as a relay and is connected to a coil of a contactor body which realizes a circuit connection.
- the action module in form of a relay is an intermediate component for controlling the contactor body.
- EP 3 357 786 A2 discloses a safety relay which may be associated with a switch associated with a transmitter and/or receiver for wireless communication.
- US 2010/070100 A1 discloses wireless systems for controlling items such as motors found in HVAC systems or water supply and distribution systems, machines found in factories, and light fixtures found in and around buildings or dwellings.
- embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electrical switch, and a switchgear including the same.
- an electrical switch used as a contactor.
- the electrical switch comprises: a housing; a relay assembly arranged within the housing and configured to directly turn on and off a circuit connected to the electrical switch, the relay assembly comprising a first relay; and a control assembly arranged in parallel with the relay assembly in the same housing, the control assembly being configured to control the relay assembly, and the control assembly comprising a wireless communication unit configured to receive signals to remotely control the relay assembly.
- a two-module contactor with a control module is integrated into a single module by replacing the contactor's switching device with a smaller relay and using wireless communication to remotely control the relay.
- the overall volume of the electrical switch of the present disclosure is significantly reduced and its structure is more compact compared to conventional contactors.
- the structure of the single module also reduces the distance between the control assembly and the switching device, which also simplifies wiring. In some cases, a compact single-module electrical switch can be more easily mounted directly on the circuit breaker.
- control assembly is opposite to a first side of a plurality of sides of the first relay, the plurality of sides defining a thickness of the first relay.
- the electrical switch further comprises: an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly arranged in parallel with the relay assembly in the housing, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly being opposite to a second side of the plurality of sides of the first relay and configured to electrically connect electrical terminals disposed on the second side with an external circuit. It is possible to, by arranging the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly on the side of the relay provided with electrical terminals, make the incoming wire terminal and outgoing wire terminal close to the electrical terminals of the relay, reduce the required wiring, and refrain from increasing the overall thickness of the electrical switch.
- control assembly comprises a control terminal unit configured to connect a switching device external to the electrical switch to enable control of the relay assembly by the switching device.
- the relay in addition to being remotely controlled, the relay may be controlled by the external switch connected to the control terminal, whereby more control options are provided.
- At least one of the control terminal unit and the housing is provided with a notch for accommodating a copper bus bar.
- the electrical switch may avoid touching the copper bus bar connected to the circuit breaker, which facilitates the installation and insulation of the electrical switch.
- the control assembly comprises: a first circuit board and a second circuit board arranged opposite to each other, board faces of the first circuit board and the second circuit board being substantially perpendicular to the first side of the first relay, to carry other elements in the control assembly. It is possible to, by providing dual circuit boards, reduce the area occupied in the plane perpendicular to the thickness direction while maintaining a large overall area of the circuit board, thereby ensuring that enough electrical and electronic elements can be carried, which improves space utilization within the module. In addition, the circuit board can be completely placed on the side of the relay without increasing the thickness of the electrical switch.
- the relay assembly further comprises: a second relay, the second relay and the first relay being arranged adjacent to each other.
- the electrical switch employing dual relays may be used not only to control single-phase power supply but also to control two-phase power supply.
- the first relay and the second relay are arranged along a length direction of the first relay and the second relay. With this arrangement, less side space may be occupied when the electrical switch is mounted to the circuit breaker.
- the electrical switch further comprises: an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly forming an L-shape with the relay assembly and configured to electrically connect electrical terminals on the relay assembly to an external circuit, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly comprising an incoming wire terminal and an outgoing wire terminal, the incoming wire terminal facing an inner side of the L shape and configured to be electrically connected to the circuit breaker in an inserted manner.
- the control assembly comprises: a first circuit board, a second circuit board and a third circuit board, configured to carry other elements in the control assembly, the first circuit board and the second circuit board being arranged on one side of the L-shape provided with the relay assembly, and the third circuit board being arranged on the other side of the L-shape provided with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly.
- a plurality of circuit boards may be used to carry electrical and electronic elements for controlling the relays, and by properly arranging the circuit boards, the structure of the electrical switch may be made more compact.
- the first relay and the second relay are arranged along a thickness direction of the first relay and the second relay.
- a square-shaped electrical switch may be formed to integrally mount the electrical switch on the front side of the circuit breaker.
- the electrical switch further comprises: an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly being opposite to the side of the relay assembly provided with electrical terminals and configured to connect the electrical terminals on the relay assembly to an external circuit, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly comprising an incoming wire terminal and an outgoing wire terminal, the incoming wire terminal being configured to be electrically connected to the circuit breaker in an inserted manner.
- control assembly comprises: a first circuit board, a second circuit board and a third circuit board, configured to carry other elements in the control assembly, and arrranged together with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly on the same side of the relay assembly. This arrangement manner may further effectively improve wiring efficiency and space utilization.
- the third circuit board comprises a through hole allowing the incoming wire terminal or the outgoing wire terminal to pass therethrough, so as to sense the current on the incoming wire terminal or the outgoing wire terminal by the third circuit board.
- the circuit board may be arranged with space near the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly, and the current is sensed by a current sensor provided on the third circuit board.
- the wireless communication unit is configured to communicate in a Zigbee manner. In this way, the wireless communication has advantages of simplicity, efficiency and low cost.
- control assembly comprises a button that is operable by a user to control the relay assembly.
- a control option for the user to directly operate the relay is provided.
- control assembly comprises: a metering unit configured to measure at least one of an electrical parameter and a temperature parameter of the electrical switch; and a diagnostic unit configured to determine an ON/OFF state of the electrical switch.
- a switchgear which comprises the electrical switch described above.
- the switchgear including the above electrical switch can be adapted to control various loads, especially low-current loads that do not require frequent switching.
- the term “comprises” and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms that mean “comprises, but is not limited to.”
- the term “or” is to be read as “and/or” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
- the term “based on” is to be read as “based at least in part on.”
- the term “one example embodiment” and “an example embodiment” are to be read as “at least one example embodiment.”
- the term “another embodiment” is to be read as “at least one other embodiment.” Terms “a first”, “a second” and others can denote different or identical objects. The following text may also contain other explicit or implicit definitions.
- FIG. 1 shows an external perspective view of a conventional contactor apparatus 100'.
- the contactor apparatus 100' comprises a contactor module 101' and a controller module 102'.
- the contactor module 101' and the controller module 102' are combined together by splicing.
- a control assembly in controller module 102' may control a contactor assembly in the contactor module 101'.
- FIG. 2 further shows an internal perspective view of a conventional contactor apparatus 100' after removal of a portion of a housing.
- a body of a conventional contactor is large in size, and already occupies most of the space within the housing of the contactor module 101'.
- the controller module 102' employs a wired communication mode, and a large amount of space is reserved for the purpose of insulation and wiring.
- a circuit board of the controller module 102' is a single circuit board, all components are disposed flat on the circuit board, and the space utilization efficiency is low. Therefore, the large size and complicated wiring of the contactor module 100' result in requiring more installation space and more workload for wiring, and higher insulation requirements. This type of contactor is not practical for some low-current, low-load occasions.
- the present disclosure proposes a novel electrical switch.
- the electrical switch replaces the conventional contactor body with a small-sized relay, and the saved space is used to dispose the control assembly.
- the relay in the electrical switch employs the wireless communication control mode, and greatly reduces the space for insulation and wiring.
- the present disclosure also optimizes an arrangement mode of the control assembly and incoming and outgoing wire terminals. Thereby, the electrical switch body and peripheral components for controlling the electrical switch body are integrated in a single module.
- the novel electrical switch proposed by the present disclosure has advantages such as compact structure, simple wiring and more intelligence.
- FIG. 3 shows an external perspective view of an electrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the electrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is integrated as a single module structure. Compared to the contactor apparatus 100' using dual module shown in FIG. 1 , the electrical switch 100 is simplified in structure and significantly reduced in size.
- FIG. 4 shows an internal perspective view of the electrical switch 100 after removal of housings 141 and 142 of Fig. 3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the electrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure
- the electrical switch 100 may comprise housings 141 and 142, a relay 110-1, and a control assembly for controlling the relay 110-1.
- the small-sized relay 110-1 replaces the conventional contactor body, and the relay 110-1 and the control assembly for controlling the relay are combined and installed in the same housing space instead of being disposed in different modules separately.
- the housing may comprise a first housing 141 and a second housing 142.
- the first housing 141 and the second housing 142 may be mounted together by a fastening member such as a bolt or in any other fastening manner.
- the assembled first housing 141 and second housing 142 form a cavity in which the relay 110-1 and associated electrical and electronic elements may be received and secured.
- the first housing 141 and the second housing 142 may form a closed housing together with an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 and a control terminal unit 130 of the control assembly, and the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 and the control terminal unit 130 of the control assembly will be descried in detail later.
- the first housing 141 and the second housing 142 may also directly form a closed housing to enclose all elements including the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 and the control terminal unit 130 within the housing.
- the relay 110-1 may turn on and off the circuit connected to the electrical switch 100, thereby achieving control of the load in the circuit.
- relay 110-1 may be a bistable relay that may have lower power consumption and be capable of withstanding a certain short circuit current.
- relay 110-1 may also be a monostable relay or any other type of relay.
- the above control assembly may comprise any electrical and electronic element needed to control the relay 110-1.
- the control assembly may be arranged in parallel with the relay 110-1 in the housing, and the control assembly may comprise a wireless communication unit 160 for receiving a signal to remotely control the relay 110-1.
- the wireless communication unit 160 performs wireless communication in a Zigbee communication manner.
- the wireless communication unit may also communicate in other wireless communication manners, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and the like.
- the wireless communication unit 160 may receive signals to enable remote control of the relay 110-1.
- the wireless communication such as Zigbee may avoid complicated wiring in the control assembly, and the simplification of the wiring further reduces the insulation requirements, which all make the control assembly need less space.
- control assembly may further comprise a power supply unit (not shown), a control unit (not shown), circuit boards 121 and 122, and a control terminal unit 130.
- a power supply unit not shown may provide a power supply to active elements in the control assembly.
- the control unit not shown may at least comprise a processor (such as a Central Processing Unit CPU, a Digital Signal Processing DSP, a Single-Chip Computer MCU or a Field Programmable Gate Array FPGA, etc.), and the control unit generally controls the control assembly to operate the relay 110-1.
- the circuit boards 121 and 122 and the control terminal unit 130 will be described in detail later. It will be appreciated that since the remote control is possible, some of the elements in the control assembly may also be arranged at positions remote from the electrical switch 100 in some cases, thereby further reducing the size of the electrical switch 100.
- control assembly is opposite to a portion of a plurality of sides of the relay 110-1 (shown by reference sign A in FIGS. 5 and 6A ), the plurality of sides defining a thickness of the relay 110-1. Since the relay 110-1 has a small size, excess space can be obtained on the sides of the relay 110-1. Such an arrangement takes full advantage of the remaining space created by the size-reduced relay 110-1 while avoiding an increase in the overall thickness of the integrated electrical switch 100.
- the control assembly of the electrical switch 100 may comprise circuit boards 121 and 122.
- the circuit boards 121 and 122 are used to carry other electrical and electronic elements of the control assembly.
- the circuit boards 121 and 122 may be used to carry at least one of wireless communication unit 160, the power supply unit and the control unit.
- the circuit boards 121 and 122 may employ a dual circuit board structure, that is, the circuit board comprises a first circuit board 121 and a second circuit board 122.
- the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 may be arranged to face each other, and board faces of the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 are substantially perpendicular to the plurality of sides of the relay 110-1, substantially perpendicular to a thickness direction of the relay 110-1 and extend along the plurality of sides of the relay 110-1.
- Such an arrangement facilitates reducing the space occupied by the circuit boards in the thickness direction of the electrical switch 100.
- the wireless communication unit 160 may be arranged for example on the first circuit board 121. However, the wireless communication unit 160 may also be arranged on the second circuit board 122, and the wireless communication unit 160 may also be arranged at any suitable position on the first circuit board 121 or the second circuit board 122.
- the first circuit board 121 may be provided with the control unit and the wireless communication unit to serve as a control circuit board
- the second circuit board 122 may be provided with the power supply unit to serve as a power supply circuit board. It may be understood that the electrical and electronic elements of the control unit, the wireless communication unit and the power supply unit may be mixedly arranged on the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 as needed, thereby not distinguishing the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board.
- electrical and electronic elements on the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 may be arranged between the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122.
- the wireless communication unit 160 may be arranged on an inner board face of the first circuit board 121 adjacent to the second circuit board 122.
- the wireless communication unit 160 may also be arranged on an inner board face of the second circuit board 122 adjacent to the first circuit board 121.
- the space between the first circuit board and the second circuit board may be utilized more fully.
- the electrical and electronic elements on the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 may also be arranged on outer board faces of the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 in the case where there is sufficient space.
- the dual circuit boards 121 and 122 may reduce the area occupied in a plane perpendicular to the thickness direction, but still maintain a large overall area of the board, thereby ensuring that sufficient electrical and electronic elements may be carried.
- the dual circuit board structure improves the utilization of the space within the housings 141 and 142 as compared to a single circuit board.
- FIGS. 6A through 6C are schematic views showing the assembling of the first circuit board 121, the second circuit board 122 and the relay 110-1.
- the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 each have a substantially L-shaped shape, and the two circuit boards are substantially the same in size and shape.
- the relay 110-1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a plurality of sides defining a thickness, and the plurality of sides may comprise a side A and a side B.
- FIGS. 6A through 6C show a step of placing the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 on the side A of the relay 110-1.
- the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 are placed on the side A of the relay 110-1 where the electrical terminal 111 is not provided.
- the board faces of the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 are substantially perpendicular to the side A of the relay 110-1 (or the thickness direction of the relay 110-1), and the L-shaped first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 mate with the side profile of relay 110-1.
- the arrangement of the L-shaped first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 fully utilizes the side space of the relay 110-1, which facilitates integration of the control assembly and the relay 110-1 into a single module.
- the electrical switch 100 may also comprise the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 is arranged side by side with the relay 110-1 in the housings 141 and 142, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 is opposed to another side B of the plurality of sides of the relay 110-1 (see FIGS. 5 and 6A ), and the another side B is provided with an electrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 is configured to electrically connect the electrical terminal 111 disposed on the side B with an external circuit.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 is arranged on the side B of the relay 110-1 to avoid increasing the overall thickness of the electrical switch 100.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 comprises an incoming wire terminal, an outgoing wire terminal, and a frame and a bolt for securing the incoming and outgoing wire terminals.
- the electrical switch 100 of FIGS. 4 and 5 has a structure with two incoming wires and two outgoing wires. However, the electrical switch 100 may also have other numbers of incoming wires and outgoing wires as needed.
- control assembly of the electrical switch 100 may further comprise a control terminal unit 130.
- the control terminal unit 130 is configured to connect a switching device external to the electrical switch 100 to enable control of the relay through the external switching device.
- the control terminal unit 130 at least comprises a control terminal, which enables an external switching device connected to the control terminal to control a control coil of the relay 110-1.
- the relay 110-1 in the electrical switch 100 may be controlled by an external switch connected to the control terminal unit 130.
- the control terminal unit 130 may further comprise a frame and a bolt for securing the control terminal.
- FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of the installation of the electrical switch 100.
- the control terminal unit 130 may be provided with a notch 131 for accommodating a copper bus bar.
- the electrical switch 100 and the circuit breaker such as a miniature circuit breaker MCB
- the copper bus bar connected to the circuit breaker such as the miniature circuit breaker MCB
- the copper bus bar connected to the circuit breaker has a live wire terminal 201 and a neutral wire terminal 202 which are disposed in a staggered manner.
- the position of the electrical switch 100 might conflict with the position of one of the live wire terminal 201 and the neutral wire terminal 202 which are disposed in a staggered manner, thereby causing the inability to mount the electrical switch 100 at a suitable position.
- the notch 131 may be provided on the control terminal unit 130 (for example, its frame).
- a recessed space may be formed at a position where the electrical switch 100 is adjacent to the copper bus bar to accommodate the terminals of the protruding copper bus bar, so that the electrical switch 100 may avoid the live wire terminal 201 or the neutral wire terminal 202 of the copper bus bar
- the control assembly of electrical switch 100 may further comprise a button 126.
- the button 126 can be operated by a user to control the relay 110-1. Specifically, by pressing the button 126, the user may directly control the ON and OFF of the relay 110-1.
- the housing 142 is provided with a hole for the button 126 through which the button 126 can protrude out of the housing and may be touched by the user.
- the button 126 provides a control mode in which the user may manually operate the relay directly.
- the control assembly of the electrical switch 100 is also provided with an indicator light 125 that is capable of indicating a status of the electrical switch 100.
- the control assembly of electrical switch 100 further comprises a metering unit and a diagnostic unit (not shown).
- the metering unit may measure at least one of electrical parameter and temperature parameter of the electrical switch 100. Specifically, the metering unit may measure the voltage, current or power of the electrical switch 100 to detect the electrical state of the electrical switch 100. In addition, the metering unit may monitor the heat generation in the electrical switch 100 by measuring the temperature. These measurement results may be provided directly to the user or to other elements for control.
- the diagnostic unit may determine an on/off state of the electrical switch 100. For example, the diagnosis unit may judge whether the electrical switch 100 successfully performs an opening operation or a closing operation according to the measurement results of the metering unit. Thereby, the control unit of the electrical switch 100 or the user may perform the corresponding operation based on the judgment result of the diagnostic unit.
- the electrical switch 100 may further be provided with a telescopic stopper 191 and a locking clip 192.
- the electrical switch 100 may be mounted for example on a DIN guide rail by the telescopic stopper 191 and the locking clip 192.
- FIG. 8 shows a comparative schematic diagram of the electrical switch 100 and the contactor apparatus 100'.
- the contactor apparatus 100' is formed by assembling two modules, whereas the electrical switch 100 is of a single module structure.
- the thickness d of the electrical switch 100 is only half of the thickness d' of the contactor apparatus 100'.
- the thickness of the electrical switch 100 may also be adjusted according to the needs of the installation. This reduction in thickness is advantageous on some occasions.
- the novel electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure effectively saves the installation space.
- the electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure since a plurality of functions (such as wireless control, temperature control, and metering) are integrated, the electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has simpler wiring and is more intelligent in function, which improves the user's experience.
- the electrical switch for controlling the load may be directly mounted on the circuit breaker. However, if the size of the electrical switch is too large or multiple modules are needed to form the electrical switch, the reliability of the installation will be reduced.
- a two-phase power supply system is used. For example, the United States generally employs a 120V two-phase power supply system, and the load might need a supply voltage of 120V, whereupon single-phase power supply may meet the need. However, in more cases, the load might need a supply voltage of 240V. In the case where the load voltage is 240V, the two phases are needed to simultaneously supply power to provide a 240V line voltage. Therefore, in some cases, an electrical switch capable of simultaneously controlling two phases of power supply is also needed. Based on this, with reference to FIGS. 9 through 17 , the present disclosure further provides additional embodiments of the electrical switch 100.
- FIGS. 9 through 12 illustrate another embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 9 shows an external perspective view of an electrical switch 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the electrical switch 100 is integrated as a single-module structure.
- the electrical switch 100 shown in FIG. 9 has a compact external structure and a reduced size, and the electrical switch 100 is generally L-shaped so that the electrical switch 100 can be mounted on one side of front side C and lateral side D of the circuit breaker 300 (as shown in FIG. 12 ).
- FIG. 10 illustrates an internal perspective view of the electrical switch 100 after removal of the housings 141 and 142 of FIG. 9
- FIG. 11 illustrates an internal exploded view of electrical switch 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure (not including the housings 141 and 142).
- the electrical switch 100 may comprise a control assembly as well as a relay assembly.
- the relay assembly is mainly composed of a relay, and the relay assembly and the control assembly for controlling the relay assembly are combined and mounted in the same housing space.
- the housing may comprise a first housing 141 and a second housing 142.
- the assembled first housing 141 and second housing 142 form a cavity into which the relay assembly and associated electrical and electronic elements may be received and secured.
- the first housing 141 and the second housing 142 may form a closed housing together with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150.
- the first housing 141 and the second housing 142 may also directly form a closed housing to enclose other elements within the housing.
- the first housing 141 and the second housing 142 assembled together may be generally L-shaped to facilitate mounting the electrical switch 100 laterally on the circuit breaker 300.
- the specific mounting manner between the housings 141 and 142 is the same as that of the housings of FIG. 3 and will not be described in detail.
- the relay assembly may at least comprise the relay 110-1.
- the relay 110-1 may be, for example, a bistable relay.
- the relay assembly may turn on and off the circuit connected to the electrical switch 100 to achieve control of the load in the circuit.
- the control assembly for controlling the relay may comprise a wireless communication unit that may receive signals to remotely control the relay assembly.
- the wireless communication unit may communicate in a Zigbee manner. With the wireless communication manner being employed, the communication wiring within the electrical switch is greatly reduced, thereby also improving the insulation arrangement within the electrical switch, which enables the control assembly and relay assembly to be integrated into a single module.
- the control assembly may further comprise any electrical and electronic elements needed to control the relay assembly.
- the control assembly may comprise a power supply unit, a control unit and a circuit board.
- the relay assembly may further comprise another relay 110-2, and the relay 110-2 and the relay 110-1 are arranged adjacent to each other.
- the relay 110-2 may be for example a bistable relay.
- the electrical switch 100 with dual relays may be used to control both single-phase power supply and two-phase power supply. For example, in a 120V two-phase power supply system, when two phases of voltage need to be used to supply power for the 240V load, the two relays in the electrical switch 100 may respectively control one phase line, thereby effectively implementing load control.
- the number of relays used by the electrical switch 100 may also be one, or more than two (for example, three) depending on the specific needs.
- the relay 110-1 and relay 110-2 may be arranged along their own length direction. As shown in FIG. 10 , the relay 110-1 and the relay 110-2 are arranged in a line. When the electrical switch 100 is mounted on the circuit breaker 300, the relay assembly including the relay 110-1 and the relay 110-2 will be disposed on the side D of the circuit breaker 300 (as shown in FIG. 12 ). However, the side space of the circuit breaker is usually limited, so such a relay arrangement manner can occupy as little side space as possible on the circuit breaker.
- the electrical switch 100 further comprises an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 is formed in an L shape with the relay assembly, and configured to electrically connect the electrical terminals 111 on the relay assembly to an external circuit.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 comprise an incoming wire terminal 153 and an outgoing wire terminal 151.
- the incoming wire terminal 153 faces the inner side of the L-shape and is configured to be electrically connected to the circuit breaker 300 in an inserted manner.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 may comprise two incoming wire terminals 153, two outgoing wire terminals 151, a frame (which comprises terminal strips), and bolts.
- the frame (which comprises terminal strips) and bolts are used to fix and connect the incoming wire terminal 153 and the outgoing wire terminal 151.
- One end of the outgoing wire terminal 151 may be connected to the terminal strip on the frame of the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150, and the other end may be connected to the electrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1 or 110-2.
- One end of the incoming wire terminal 153 may be connected to the electrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1 or 110-2, and the other end may protrude out of the housing, so as to be electrically connected to the circuit breaker 300 in an inserted manner.
- a relay may correspond to one incoming wire terminal and one outgoing wire terminal such that each relay of the relay assembly may be electrically connected to the external circuit to implement control function. It will be appreciated that other numbers of the incoming wire terminal and outgoing wire terminal may be selected as needed, and the frame and bolts may be omitted as needed or their functions may be achieved in other manners.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 and the relay assembly are arranged in an L-shape such that when the electrical switch 100 is mounted to the circuit breaker 300, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 is disposed on the front side C of the circuit breaker 300 (as shown in FIG. 12 ). Such an arrangement no longer occupies more space on the side D of the circuit breaker 300 and better facilitates electrical connection between the electrical switch 100 and the circuit breaker 300.
- the above control assembly may comprise a first circuit board 121, a second circuit board 122 and a third circuit board 123.
- the first circuit board 121, the second circuit board 122 and the third circuit board 123 are configured to carry other elements in the control assembly, and the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 are arranged on a side of the L shape provided with the relay assembly, and the third circuit board 123 is arranged on the other side of the L-shape provided with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150.
- the first circuit board 121, the second circuit board 122 and the third circuit board 123 may carry, for example, at least one of a wireless communication unit, a control unit or a power supply unit.
- the first circuit board 121 and the second circuit board 122 are arranged adjacent to the relay assembly. Similar to the arrangement of the first circuit board and the second circuit board in FIG. 3 , the board faces of the first and second circuit boards 121, 122 are substantially perpendicular to a plurality of sides of the relays 110-1 and 110-2 (they define the thickness of the relay), or substantially perpendicular to the thickness direction of the relays 110-1 and 110-2, and extends along the plurality of sides. Such an arrangement avoids occupation of more side space of the circuit breaker.
- the third circuit board 123 is arranged together with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150.
- the third circuit board 123 may be provided with a through hole 1231 so that the incoming wire terminal 153 passes therethrough.
- a current sensor may be disposed on the third circuit board 123 so as to sense the current on the incoming wire terminal 153.
- the first circuit board 121 may be a power supply circuit board
- the second circuit board 122 may be a control circuit board
- the third circuit board 123 may be a microcontroller MCU circuit board.
- electrical and electronic elements of various functions may also be distributed mixedly on the first circuit board 121, the second circuit board 122 and the third circuit board 123 as needed.
- FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of an electrical switch 100 mounted on a circuit breaker 300 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the electrical switch 100 is mounted on the circuit breaker 300.
- the circuit breaker 300 is surrounded by the L-shaped electrical switch 100 with a portion of the electrical switch 100 located on the side D of the circuit breaker 300 and another portion located on the front side C of the circuit breaker 300.
- the incoming wire terminal 153 of the electrical switch 100 is inserted into the circuit breaker 300 to effect electrical connection with the circuit breaker 300. Since the relay controlled in the wireless communication manner is used to control the load, the size of the electrical switch 100 is reduced and the structure is simplified, so that the electrical switch 100 can be reliably mounted directly on the circuit breaker 300.
- the side space of the circuit breaker 300 is usually very limited, and other devices cannot be arranged any longer.
- the front space of the circuit breaker 300 is relatively abundant. Therefore, in the case where it is necessary to directly mount the electrical switch to the circuit breaker 300, more thought may be given to the front space of the circuit breaker 300.
- FIGS. 13 through 17 illustrate a further embodiment of the present disclosure.
- FIG. 13 shows an external perspective view of an electrical switch 100 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure.
- the electric switch 100 is formed as a square shape as the whole. Such a configuration enables the electrical switch 100 to be entirely mounted on the front side of the circuit breaker 300 in an inserted manner.
- FIG. 14 illustrates an internal perspective view of the electrical switch 100 after removal of the housings 141 and 142 of FIG. 13
- FIG. 15 shows an exploded view of an electrical switch 100 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure
- the electrical switch 100 may comprise housings 141 and 142, a control assembly and a relay assembly.
- the relay assembly may comprise relays 110-1 and 110-2, and the relay assembly and the control assembly for controlling the relay assembly may be combined and mounted in the same housing space.
- the same portions as the previous embodiment will not be described in detail, and the differences from the previous embodiment will be mainly described.
- the relay 110-1 and the relay 110-2 comprised in the relay assembly are arranged along their own thickness direction. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , the relay 110-1 and the relay 110-2 may be supported and fixed by an isolation frame 155 located therebetween. In addition, the isolation frame 155 may also support and secure the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150. Thereby, the entirety of the electric switch 100 is formed in a square shape instead of the L shape in the previous embodiment.
- the electrical switch 100 further comprises the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 is opposite to the side of the relay assembly provided with the electrical terminals 111 and is configured to electrically connect the electrical terminals 111 on the relay assembly to an external circuit.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 comprises the incoming wire terminal 153 and the outgoing wire terminal 151.
- the incoming wire terminal 153 is configured to be electrically connected to the circuit breaker 300 in an inserted manner.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 may comprise the incoming wire terminal 153 and the outgoing wire terminal 151. Further, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 may further comprise a frame (which may comprise a terminal strip) and bolts for fixing and connecting the incoming wire terminal 153 and the outgoing wire terminal 151.
- FIG. 16 shows an exploded view of partial members of the electrical switch 100 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. To more clearly show the connection between the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 and the relay assembly, the frame and bolts of the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 are removed from FIG. 16 . As shown in FIG.
- the incoming wire terminal 153 and the outgoing wire terminal 151 are near the sides of the relays 110-1 and 110-2 provided with the electrical terminals 111, and extend in opposite directions to each other.
- One end of the outgoing wire terminal 151 is connected to the electrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1 or 110-2, the other end is connected to the terminal strip on the frame of the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 (see FIGS. 14 and 15 ), and one end of the incoming wire terminal 153 is connected to the electrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1 or 110-2, and the other end protrudes out of the housings 141 and 142 for insertion into the circuit breaker 300.
- the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 needs to be electrically connected to the electrical terminals 111 of the relay, arranging the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 in close proximity to the electrical terminals 111 facilitates reducing the space needed by wiring and insulation, such that the electrical switch 100 is smaller in size.
- the control assembly comprises a first circuit board 121, a second circuit board 122 and a third circuit board 123.
- the first circuit board 121, the second circuit board 122 and the third circuit board 123 are configured to carry other elements in the control assembly and are arranged on the same side of the relay assembly with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150.
- the first and second circuit boards 121, 122 may be arranged opposite to each other.
- the wireless communication unit may be disposed on the first circuit board 121, and control coils 113 of the relays 110-1 and 110-2 may be connected to the first circuit board 121.
- the wireless communication unit may also be arranged on other circuit boards and arranged at any suitable position.
- the third circuit board 123 may be arranged together with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150, and may be provided with a through hole 1231 allowing the outgoing wire terminal 151 to pass therethrough.
- a current sensor may be disposed on the third circuit board 123 so that the current on the outgoing wire terminal 151 may be sensed.
- FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of an electrical switch 100 mounted on a circuit breaker 300 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 17 , the electrical switch 100 is entirely plugged into the front side C of the circuit breaker 300, which avoids occupying the space on the side D of the circuit breaker 300.
- the electrical switches 100 shown in FIGS. 9-17 may also comprise a button (for operation by a user to control the relay), a metering unit and a diagnostic unit.
- the description of the electrical switches and their components of FIGS. 3 through 8 also applies to the electrical switches and their components shown in FIGS. 9 through 17 , unless explicitly stated.
- the electrical switch according to the present disclosure is not limited to the number of relays and the number of incoming wires and outgoing wires used in the above embodiments, and fewer or more relays and incoming wires and outgoing wires may be selected as needed.
- a switchgear that may comprise the electrical switch 100.
- the switchgear may be used to control the load of household appliances such as electric heaters, lighting, and the like.
- the household power-use environment has characteristics such as light load and infrequent switch switching.
- the electrical switch 100 using a relay as a switching device is well adapted for such a household load.
- the electrical switch 100 has advantages such as compactness, independence, remote control, simple wiring, and intelligence (wireless control, temperature protection, metering function), which improves the performance of the switching device that controls the home appliance.
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Description
- The present disclosure relates to an electrical switch, and more specifically to an electrical switch and a switchgear including the same.
- Electrical switches such as contactors are widely used on a variety of power distribution and power use applications. Typically, electrical switches such as contactors achieve the purpose of turning the circuit on and off by controlling contacts to close or open. In order to achieve such control, peripheral control elements need to be provided. In addition, in general applications, electrical switches such as contactors need to be able to meet needs in local control and remote control.
- Therefore, electrical switches usually need additional control devices for control, and also need a lot of wiring to achieve the local or remote control function. This makes the size of the electrical switches too large, and the wiring complicated and not smart enough.
EP 2 731 121 A2 relates to a modular overload relay assembly which comprises a sensing module accommodated in a first housing, a controller module accommodated in a second housing and a communication module accommodated in a third housing. The communication module may be a wireless communication module. The housing of the sensing module supports integrated phase current conductors and load side power terminals. The integrated phase current conductors of the sensing module conduct load current from a contactor through the modular overload relay assembly to load side power terminals. In other words, the modular overload relay assembly acts as an intermediate component between a contactor and an electrical line.
CN 108717919 A is directed at a contactor with intelligent control. The contactor comprises a controller compartment and a contactor compartment. The controller compartment comprises a control circuit board with a switch module and an action module. The switch module may be a wireless unit. The action module may be formed as a relay and is connected to a coil of a contactor body which realizes a circuit connection. In other words, the action module in form of a relay is an intermediate component for controlling the contactor body.
EP 3 357 786 A2 discloses a safety relay which may be associated with a switch associated with a transmitter and/or receiver for wireless communication. The switch may be mounted onto an adapter piece being a separate component with regard to the safety relay.
US 2010/070100 A1 discloses wireless systems for controlling items such as motors found in HVAC systems or water supply and distribution systems, machines found in factories, and light fixtures found in and around buildings or dwellings. - In order to address the above problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electrical switch, and a switchgear including the same.
- According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrical switch used as a contactor. The electrical switch comprises: a housing; a relay assembly arranged within the housing and configured to directly turn on and off a circuit connected to the electrical switch, the relay assembly comprising a first relay; and a control assembly arranged in parallel with the relay assembly in the same housing, the control assembly being configured to control the relay assembly, and the control assembly comprising a wireless communication unit configured to receive signals to remotely control the relay assembly.
- A two-module contactor with a control module is integrated into a single module by replacing the contactor's switching device with a smaller relay and using wireless communication to remotely control the relay. The overall volume of the electrical switch of the present disclosure is significantly reduced and its structure is more compact compared to conventional contactors. The structure of the single module also reduces the distance between the control assembly and the switching device, which also simplifies wiring. In some cases, a compact single-module electrical switch can be more easily mounted directly on the circuit breaker.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly is opposite to a first side of a plurality of sides of the first relay, the plurality of sides defining a thickness of the first relay. By reasonably spatially arranging the interior of the electrical switch, the thickness of the electrical switch is effectively reduced, which facilitates subsequent installation.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical switch further comprises: an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly arranged in parallel with the relay assembly in the housing, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly being opposite to a second side of the plurality of sides of the first relay and configured to electrically connect electrical terminals disposed on the second side with an external circuit. It is possible to, by arranging the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly on the side of the relay provided with electrical terminals, make the incoming wire terminal and outgoing wire terminal close to the electrical terminals of the relay, reduce the required wiring, and refrain from increasing the overall thickness of the electrical switch.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly comprises a control terminal unit configured to connect a switching device external to the electrical switch to enable control of the relay assembly by the switching device. In this embodiment, in addition to being remotely controlled, the relay may be controlled by the external switch connected to the control terminal, whereby more control options are provided.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one of the control terminal unit and the housing is provided with a notch for accommodating a copper bus bar. With the notch being disposed, the electrical switch may avoid touching the copper bus bar connected to the circuit breaker, which facilitates the installation and insulation of the electrical switch.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly comprises: a first circuit board and a second circuit board arranged opposite to each other, board faces of the first circuit board and the second circuit board being substantially perpendicular to the first side of the first relay, to carry other elements in the control assembly. It is possible to, by providing dual circuit boards, reduce the area occupied in the plane perpendicular to the thickness direction while maintaining a large overall area of the circuit board, thereby ensuring that enough electrical and electronic elements can be carried, which improves space utilization within the module. In addition, the circuit board can be completely placed on the side of the relay without increasing the thickness of the electrical switch.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the relay assembly further comprises: a second relay, the second relay and the first relay being arranged adjacent to each other. In this embodiment, the electrical switch employing dual relays may be used not only to control single-phase power supply but also to control two-phase power supply.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first relay and the second relay are arranged along a length direction of the first relay and the second relay. With this arrangement, less side space may be occupied when the electrical switch is mounted to the circuit breaker.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical switch further comprises: an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly forming an L-shape with the relay assembly and configured to electrically connect electrical terminals on the relay assembly to an external circuit, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly comprising an incoming wire terminal and an outgoing wire terminal, the incoming wire terminal facing an inner side of the L shape and configured to be electrically connected to the circuit breaker in an inserted manner. With this arrangement, when the electrical switch is mounted on the circuit breaker, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly is disposed on the front side of the circuit breaker, thereby no longer occupying more side space of the circuit breaker and better facilitating electrical connection between the electrical switch and the circuit breaker.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly comprises: a first circuit board, a second circuit board and a third circuit board, configured to carry other elements in the control assembly, the first circuit board and the second circuit board being arranged on one side of the L-shape provided with the relay assembly, and the third circuit board being arranged on the other side of the L-shape provided with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly. In this embodiment, a plurality of circuit boards may be used to carry electrical and electronic elements for controlling the relays, and by properly arranging the circuit boards, the structure of the electrical switch may be made more compact.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first relay and the second relay are arranged along a thickness direction of the first relay and the second relay. With this arrangement, a square-shaped electrical switch may be formed to integrally mount the electrical switch on the front side of the circuit breaker.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical switch further comprises: an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly being opposite to the side of the relay assembly provided with electrical terminals and configured to connect the electrical terminals on the relay assembly to an external circuit, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly comprising an incoming wire terminal and an outgoing wire terminal, the incoming wire terminal being configured to be electrically connected to the circuit breaker in an inserted manner. With this arrangement, the wiring between the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly and the relay assembly may be simplified, and the space for insulation may be reduced.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly comprises: a first circuit board, a second circuit board and a third circuit board, configured to carry other elements in the control assembly, and arrranged together with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly on the same side of the relay assembly. This arrangement manner may further effectively improve wiring efficiency and space utilization.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the third circuit board comprises a through hole allowing the incoming wire terminal or the outgoing wire terminal to pass therethrough, so as to sense the current on the incoming wire terminal or the outgoing wire terminal by the third circuit board. In this embodiment, the circuit board may be arranged with space near the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly, and the current is sensed by a current sensor provided on the third circuit board.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless communication unit is configured to communicate in a Zigbee manner. In this way, the wireless communication has advantages of simplicity, efficiency and low cost.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly comprises a button that is operable by a user to control the relay assembly. In this embodiment, a control option for the user to directly operate the relay is provided.
- In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly comprises: a metering unit configured to measure at least one of an electrical parameter and a temperature parameter of the electrical switch; and a diagnostic unit configured to determine an ON/OFF state of the electrical switch. By integrating the metering unit and the diagnostic unit into the electrical switch, a real-time state of the electrical switch can be obtained, and the control of the electrical switch can be made smarter.
- In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a switchgear which comprises the electrical switch described above. The switchgear including the above electrical switch can be adapted to control various loads, especially low-current loads that do not require frequent switching.
- This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
- Through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the above and other features, advantages and aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent. Throughout the drawings, the same reference symbols generally refer to the same elements, wherein
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FIG. 1 shows an external perspective view of a conventional contactor apparatus. -
FIG. 2 shows an internal perspective view of a conventional contactor apparatus after removal of a portion of a housing. -
FIG. 3 shows an external perspective view of an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 4 shows an internal perspective view of an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure after removal of the housing. -
FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIGS. 6A through 6C are schematic views showing the assembling of a first and second circuit boards and a relay. -
FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of the installation of an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 8 shows a comparative schematic diagram of an electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and a conventional contactor apparatus. -
FIG. 9 shows an external perspective view of an electrical switch according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 10 shows an internal perspective view of an electrical switch according to another embodiment of the present disclosure after removal of the housing. -
FIG. 11 shows an internal exploded view of an electrical switch according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of an electrical switch mounted on a circuit breaker according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 13 shows an external perspective view of an electrical switch according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 14 shows an internal perspective view of an electrical switch according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure after removal of the housing. -
FIG. 15 shows an exploded view of an electrical switch according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 16 shows an exploded view of a portion of an electrical switch according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. -
FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of an electrical switch mounted on a circuit breaker according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. - Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described as follows in greater detail with reference to the drawings.
- As used herein, the term "comprises" and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms that mean "comprises, but is not limited to." The term "or" is to be read as "and/or" unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "based on" is to be read as "based at least in part on." The term "one example embodiment" and "an example embodiment" are to be read as "at least one example embodiment." The term "another embodiment" is to be read as "at least one other embodiment." Terms "a first", "a second" and others can denote different or identical objects. The following text may also contain other explicit or implicit definitions.
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FIG. 1 shows an external perspective view of a conventional contactor apparatus 100'. The contactor apparatus 100' comprises a contactor module 101' and a controller module 102'. The contactor module 101' and the controller module 102' are combined together by splicing. A control assembly in controller module 102' may control a contactor assembly in the contactor module 101'. -
FIG. 2 further shows an internal perspective view of a conventional contactor apparatus 100' after removal of a portion of a housing. As shown inFIG. 2 , a body of a conventional contactor is large in size, and already occupies most of the space within the housing of the contactor module 101'. At the same time, the controller module 102' employs a wired communication mode, and a large amount of space is reserved for the purpose of insulation and wiring. In addition, a circuit board of the controller module 102' is a single circuit board, all components are disposed flat on the circuit board, and the space utilization efficiency is low. Therefore, the large size and complicated wiring of the contactor module 100' result in requiring more installation space and more workload for wiring, and higher insulation requirements. This type of contactor is not practical for some low-current, low-load occasions. - The present disclosure proposes a novel electrical switch. The electrical switch replaces the conventional contactor body with a small-sized relay, and the saved space is used to dispose the control assembly. At the same time, the relay in the electrical switch employs the wireless communication control mode, and greatly reduces the space for insulation and wiring. In addition, the present disclosure also optimizes an arrangement mode of the control assembly and incoming and outgoing wire terminals. Thereby, the electrical switch body and peripheral components for controlling the electrical switch body are integrated in a single module. The novel electrical switch proposed by the present disclosure has advantages such as compact structure, simple wiring and more intelligence.
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FIG. 3 shows an external perspective view of anelectrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 3 , theelectrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is integrated as a single module structure. Compared to the contactor apparatus 100' using dual module shown inFIG. 1 , theelectrical switch 100 is simplified in structure and significantly reduced in size. - Referring to
FIGS. 4 and5 ,FIG. 4 shows an internal perspective view of theelectrical switch 100 after removal ofhousings Fig. 3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, andFIG. 5 shows an exploded view of theelectrical switch 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, theelectrical switch 100 may comprisehousings - As an example, the housing may comprise a
first housing 141 and asecond housing 142. Thefirst housing 141 and thesecond housing 142 may be mounted together by a fastening member such as a bolt or in any other fastening manner. The assembledfirst housing 141 andsecond housing 142 form a cavity in which the relay 110-1 and associated electrical and electronic elements may be received and secured. Thefirst housing 141 and thesecond housing 142 may form a closed housing together with an incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 and acontrol terminal unit 130 of the control assembly, and the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 and thecontrol terminal unit 130 of the control assembly will be descried in detail later. Thefirst housing 141 and thesecond housing 142 may also directly form a closed housing to enclose all elements including the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 and thecontrol terminal unit 130 within the housing. - The relay 110-1 may turn on and off the circuit connected to the
electrical switch 100, thereby achieving control of the load in the circuit. As an example, relay 110-1 may be a bistable relay that may have lower power consumption and be capable of withstanding a certain short circuit current. However, relay 110-1 may also be a monostable relay or any other type of relay. - The above control assembly may comprise any electrical and electronic element needed to control the relay 110-1. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control assembly may be arranged in parallel with the relay 110-1 in the housing, and the control assembly may comprise a
wireless communication unit 160 for receiving a signal to remotely control the relay 110-1. - In some embodiments, the
wireless communication unit 160 performs wireless communication in a Zigbee communication manner. However, the wireless communication unit may also communicate in other wireless communication manners, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and the like. Thus, thewireless communication unit 160 may receive signals to enable remote control of the relay 110-1. Compared with the contactor apparatus 100' using wired communication, the wireless communication such as Zigbee may avoid complicated wiring in the control assembly, and the simplification of the wiring further reduces the insulation requirements, which all make the control assembly need less space. - In addition, as an example, the control assembly may further comprise a power supply unit (not shown), a control unit (not shown),
circuit boards control terminal unit 130. A power supply unit not shown may provide a power supply to active elements in the control assembly. The control unit not shown may at least comprise a processor (such as a Central Processing Unit CPU, a Digital Signal Processing DSP, a Single-Chip Computer MCU or a Field Programmable Gate Array FPGA, etc.), and the control unit generally controls the control assembly to operate the relay 110-1. Thecircuit boards control terminal unit 130 will be described in detail later. It will be appreciated that since the remote control is possible, some of the elements in the control assembly may also be arranged at positions remote from theelectrical switch 100 in some cases, thereby further reducing the size of theelectrical switch 100. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly is opposite to a portion of a plurality of sides of the relay 110-1 (shown by reference sign A in
FIGS. 5 and6A ), the plurality of sides defining a thickness of the relay 110-1. Since the relay 110-1 has a small size, excess space can be obtained on the sides of the relay 110-1. Such an arrangement takes full advantage of the remaining space created by the size-reduced relay 110-1 while avoiding an increase in the overall thickness of the integratedelectrical switch 100. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly of the
electrical switch 100 may comprisecircuit boards circuit boards circuit boards wireless communication unit 160, the power supply unit and the control unit. Thecircuit boards first circuit board 121 and asecond circuit board 122. - As shown in
FIGS. 4 and5 , thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 may be arranged to face each other, and board faces of thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 are substantially perpendicular to the plurality of sides of the relay 110-1, substantially perpendicular to a thickness direction of the relay 110-1 and extend along the plurality of sides of the relay 110-1. Such an arrangement facilitates reducing the space occupied by the circuit boards in the thickness direction of theelectrical switch 100. - In some embodiments, as shown in
FIGS. 4 and5 , thewireless communication unit 160 may be arranged for example on thefirst circuit board 121. However, thewireless communication unit 160 may also be arranged on thesecond circuit board 122, and thewireless communication unit 160 may also be arranged at any suitable position on thefirst circuit board 121 or thesecond circuit board 122. - As an example, the
first circuit board 121 may be provided with the control unit and the wireless communication unit to serve as a control circuit board, and thesecond circuit board 122 may be provided with the power supply unit to serve as a power supply circuit board. It may be understood that the electrical and electronic elements of the control unit, the wireless communication unit and the power supply unit may be mixedly arranged on thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 as needed, thereby not distinguishing the control circuit board and the power supply circuit board. - In addition, electrical and electronic elements on the
first circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 may be arranged between thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122. For example, thewireless communication unit 160 may be arranged on an inner board face of thefirst circuit board 121 adjacent to thesecond circuit board 122. However, thewireless communication unit 160 may also be arranged on an inner board face of thesecond circuit board 122 adjacent to thefirst circuit board 121. As such, the space between the first circuit board and the second circuit board may be utilized more fully. It may be understood that the electrical and electronic elements on thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 may also be arranged on outer board faces of thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 in the case where there is sufficient space. - The
dual circuit boards housings -
FIGS. 6A through 6C are schematic views showing the assembling of thefirst circuit board 121, thesecond circuit board 122 and the relay 110-1. As an example, thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 each have a substantially L-shaped shape, and the two circuit boards are substantially the same in size and shape. The relay 110-1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a plurality of sides defining a thickness, and the plurality of sides may comprise a side A and a side B. -
FIGS. 6A through 6C show a step of placing thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 on the side A of the relay 110-1. InFIG. 6C , finally thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 are placed on the side A of the relay 110-1 where theelectrical terminal 111 is not provided. The board faces of thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 are substantially perpendicular to the side A of the relay 110-1 (or the thickness direction of the relay 110-1), and the L-shapedfirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 mate with the side profile of relay 110-1. InFIGS. 6A through 6C , the arrangement of the L-shapedfirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 fully utilizes the side space of the relay 110-1, which facilitates integration of the control assembly and the relay 110-1 into a single module. - Returning to
FIGS. 4 through 5 , in some embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectrical switch 100 may also comprise the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150. The incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 is arranged side by side with the relay 110-1 in thehousings outgoing wire assembly 150 is opposed to another side B of the plurality of sides of the relay 110-1 (seeFIGS. 5 and6A ), and the another side B is provided with anelectrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1. The incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 is configured to electrically connect theelectrical terminal 111 disposed on the side B with an external circuit. It is possible to, by arranging the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 at a position adjacent to theelectrical terminals 111 of the relay 110-1, facilitate reducing the wiring distance between the incoming and outgoing wire terminals and theelectrical terminal 111, thereby reducing the space occupied by the line insulation. At the same time, similar to the arrangement of the control assembly, the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 is arranged on the side B of the relay 110-1 to avoid increasing the overall thickness of theelectrical switch 100. As an example, the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 comprises an incoming wire terminal, an outgoing wire terminal, and a frame and a bolt for securing the incoming and outgoing wire terminals. As an example, theelectrical switch 100 ofFIGS. 4 and5 has a structure with two incoming wires and two outgoing wires. However, theelectrical switch 100 may also have other numbers of incoming wires and outgoing wires as needed. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly of the
electrical switch 100 may further comprise acontrol terminal unit 130. Thecontrol terminal unit 130 is configured to connect a switching device external to theelectrical switch 100 to enable control of the relay through the external switching device. Specifically, thecontrol terminal unit 130 at least comprises a control terminal, which enables an external switching device connected to the control terminal to control a control coil of the relay 110-1. Thus, in addition to being remotely controlled by thewireless communication unit 160, the relay 110-1 in theelectrical switch 100 may be controlled by an external switch connected to thecontrol terminal unit 130. As an example, in addition to the control terminal, thecontrol terminal unit 130 may further comprise a frame and a bolt for securing the control terminal. -
FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of the installation of theelectrical switch 100. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, thecontrol terminal unit 130 may be provided with anotch 131 for accommodating a copper bus bar. Specifically, as shown inFIG. 7 , when theelectrical switch 100 and the circuit breaker (such as a miniature circuit breaker MCB) are cooperatively connected to the main circuit to control the load, and the copper bus bar connected to the circuit breaker (such as the miniature circuit breaker MCB) has alive wire terminal 201 and aneutral wire terminal 202 which are disposed in a staggered manner. - When the
electrical switch 100 is installed, the position of theelectrical switch 100 might conflict with the position of one of thelive wire terminal 201 and theneutral wire terminal 202 which are disposed in a staggered manner, thereby causing the inability to mount theelectrical switch 100 at a suitable position. In order to prevent theelectrical switch 100 from touching the copper bus bar, thenotch 131 may be provided on the control terminal unit 130 (for example, its frame). - In addition, it is also possible to provide a notch on the
housings control terminal unit 130 and the first andsecond housings electrical switch 100 is adjacent to the copper bus bar to accommodate the terminals of the protruding copper bus bar, so that theelectrical switch 100 may avoid thelive wire terminal 201 or theneutral wire terminal 202 of the copper bus bar - Returning to
FIGS. 4 and5 , in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly ofelectrical switch 100 may further comprise abutton 126. Thebutton 126 can be operated by a user to control the relay 110-1. Specifically, by pressing thebutton 126, the user may directly control the ON and OFF of the relay 110-1. Thehousing 142 is provided with a hole for thebutton 126 through which thebutton 126 can protrude out of the housing and may be touched by the user. In addition to the remote control provided by thewireless communication unit 160 and the switch control provided by thecontrol terminal unit 130, thebutton 126 provides a control mode in which the user may manually operate the relay directly. In addition, the control assembly of theelectrical switch 100 is also provided with anindicator light 125 that is capable of indicating a status of theelectrical switch 100. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly of
electrical switch 100 further comprises a metering unit and a diagnostic unit (not shown). The metering unit may measure at least one of electrical parameter and temperature parameter of theelectrical switch 100. Specifically, the metering unit may measure the voltage, current or power of theelectrical switch 100 to detect the electrical state of theelectrical switch 100. In addition, the metering unit may monitor the heat generation in theelectrical switch 100 by measuring the temperature. These measurement results may be provided directly to the user or to other elements for control. The diagnostic unit may determine an on/off state of theelectrical switch 100. For example, the diagnosis unit may judge whether theelectrical switch 100 successfully performs an opening operation or a closing operation according to the measurement results of the metering unit. Thereby, the control unit of theelectrical switch 100 or the user may perform the corresponding operation based on the judgment result of the diagnostic unit. - As shown in
FIGS. 4 and5 , theelectrical switch 100 may further be provided with atelescopic stopper 191 and alocking clip 192. Theelectrical switch 100 may be mounted for example on a DIN guide rail by thetelescopic stopper 191 and thelocking clip 192. -
FIG. 8 shows a comparative schematic diagram of theelectrical switch 100 and the contactor apparatus 100'. As shown inFIG. 8 , the contactor apparatus 100' is formed by assembling two modules, whereas theelectrical switch 100 is of a single module structure. As an example, the thickness d of theelectrical switch 100 is only half of the thickness d' of the contactor apparatus 100'. However, the thickness of theelectrical switch 100 may also be adjusted according to the needs of the installation. This reduction in thickness is advantageous on some occasions. For example, when the DIN guide rail is used to mount the electrical switch, the conventional mounting needs an 18mm-thick DIN guide rail-mounted contactor module and an additional 18mm-thick DIN guide rail-mounted controller module (for example, the contactor apparatus 100'), whereas the integrated electrical switch only needs an 18mm-thick DIN guide rail-mounted module (e.g. the electrical switch 100). Thus, the novel electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure effectively saves the installation space. Meanwhile, since a plurality of functions (such as wireless control, temperature control, and metering) are integrated, the electrical switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has simpler wiring and is more intelligent in function, which improves the user's experience. - In some cases, the electrical switch for controlling the load may be directly mounted on the circuit breaker. However, if the size of the electrical switch is too large or multiple modules are needed to form the electrical switch, the reliability of the installation will be reduced. In addition, in some countries' power supply systems, a two-phase power supply system is used. For example, the United States generally employs a 120V two-phase power supply system, and the load might need a supply voltage of 120V, whereupon single-phase power supply may meet the need. However, in more cases, the load might need a supply voltage of 240V. In the case where the load voltage is 240V, the two phases are needed to simultaneously supply power to provide a 240V line voltage. Therefore, in some cases, an electrical switch capable of simultaneously controlling two phases of power supply is also needed. Based on this, with reference to
FIGS. 9 through 17 , the present disclosure further provides additional embodiments of theelectrical switch 100. -
FIGS. 9 through 12 illustrate another embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 9 shows an external perspective view of anelectrical switch 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 9 , theelectrical switch 100 is integrated as a single-module structure. Like the electrical switch shown inFIG. 3 , theelectrical switch 100 shown inFIG. 9 has a compact external structure and a reduced size, and theelectrical switch 100 is generally L-shaped so that theelectrical switch 100 can be mounted on one side of front side C and lateral side D of the circuit breaker 300 (as shown inFIG. 12 ). - Referring to
FIGS. 10 and11 ,FIG. 10 illustrates an internal perspective view of theelectrical switch 100 after removal of thehousings FIG. 9 , andFIG. 11 illustrates an internal exploded view ofelectrical switch 100 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure (not including thehousings 141 and 142). Theelectrical switch 100 may comprise a control assembly as well as a relay assembly. The relay assembly is mainly composed of a relay, and the relay assembly and the control assembly for controlling the relay assembly are combined and mounted in the same housing space. - As an example, the housing may comprise a
first housing 141 and asecond housing 142. The assembledfirst housing 141 andsecond housing 142 form a cavity into which the relay assembly and associated electrical and electronic elements may be received and secured. Thefirst housing 141 and thesecond housing 142 may form a closed housing together with the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150. Thefirst housing 141 and thesecond housing 142 may also directly form a closed housing to enclose other elements within the housing. Thefirst housing 141 and thesecond housing 142 assembled together may be generally L-shaped to facilitate mounting theelectrical switch 100 laterally on thecircuit breaker 300. The specific mounting manner between thehousings FIG. 3 and will not be described in detail. - The relay assembly may at least comprise the relay 110-1. The relay 110-1 may be, for example, a bistable relay. The relay assembly may turn on and off the circuit connected to the
electrical switch 100 to achieve control of the load in the circuit. The control assembly for controlling the relay may comprise a wireless communication unit that may receive signals to remotely control the relay assembly. In some embodiments, the wireless communication unit may communicate in a Zigbee manner. With the wireless communication manner being employed, the communication wiring within the electrical switch is greatly reduced, thereby also improving the insulation arrangement within the electrical switch, which enables the control assembly and relay assembly to be integrated into a single module. In addition, the control assembly may further comprise any electrical and electronic elements needed to control the relay assembly. For example, the control assembly may comprise a power supply unit, a control unit and a circuit board. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the relay assembly may further comprise another relay 110-2, and the relay 110-2 and the relay 110-1 are arranged adjacent to each other. The relay 110-2 may be for example a bistable relay. The
electrical switch 100 with dual relays may be used to control both single-phase power supply and two-phase power supply. For example, in a 120V two-phase power supply system, when two phases of voltage need to be used to supply power for the 240V load, the two relays in theelectrical switch 100 may respectively control one phase line, thereby effectively implementing load control. However, it may be understood that the number of relays used by theelectrical switch 100 may also be one, or more than two (for example, three) depending on the specific needs. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the relay 110-1 and relay 110-2 may be arranged along their own length direction. As shown in
FIG. 10 , the relay 110-1 and the relay 110-2 are arranged in a line. When theelectrical switch 100 is mounted on thecircuit breaker 300, the relay assembly including the relay 110-1 and the relay 110-2 will be disposed on the side D of the circuit breaker 300 (as shown inFIG. 12 ). However, the side space of the circuit breaker is usually limited, so such a relay arrangement manner can occupy as little side space as possible on the circuit breaker. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the
electrical switch 100 further comprises an incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150. The incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 is formed in an L shape with the relay assembly, and configured to electrically connect theelectrical terminals 111 on the relay assembly to an external circuit. The incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 comprise anincoming wire terminal 153 and anoutgoing wire terminal 151. Theincoming wire terminal 153 faces the inner side of the L-shape and is configured to be electrically connected to thecircuit breaker 300 in an inserted manner. - By way of example only, the incoming wire and
outgoing wire assembly 150 may comprise twoincoming wire terminals 153, twooutgoing wire terminals 151, a frame (which comprises terminal strips), and bolts. The frame (which comprises terminal strips) and bolts are used to fix and connect theincoming wire terminal 153 and theoutgoing wire terminal 151. One end of theoutgoing wire terminal 151 may be connected to the terminal strip on the frame of the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150, and the other end may be connected to theelectrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1 or 110-2. One end of theincoming wire terminal 153 may be connected to theelectrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1 or 110-2, and the other end may protrude out of the housing, so as to be electrically connected to thecircuit breaker 300 in an inserted manner. A relay may correspond to one incoming wire terminal and one outgoing wire terminal such that each relay of the relay assembly may be electrically connected to the external circuit to implement control function. It will be appreciated that other numbers of the incoming wire terminal and outgoing wire terminal may be selected as needed, and the frame and bolts may be omitted as needed or their functions may be achieved in other manners. - The incoming wire and
outgoing wire assembly 150 and the relay assembly are arranged in an L-shape such that when theelectrical switch 100 is mounted to thecircuit breaker 300, the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 is disposed on the front side C of the circuit breaker 300 (as shown inFIG. 12 ). Such an arrangement no longer occupies more space on the side D of thecircuit breaker 300 and better facilitates electrical connection between theelectrical switch 100 and thecircuit breaker 300. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the above control assembly may comprise a
first circuit board 121, asecond circuit board 122 and athird circuit board 123. Thefirst circuit board 121, thesecond circuit board 122 and thethird circuit board 123 are configured to carry other elements in the control assembly, and thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 are arranged on a side of the L shape provided with the relay assembly, and thethird circuit board 123 is arranged on the other side of the L-shape provided with the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150. - Specifically, the
first circuit board 121, thesecond circuit board 122 and thethird circuit board 123 may carry, for example, at least one of a wireless communication unit, a control unit or a power supply unit. Thefirst circuit board 121 and thesecond circuit board 122 are arranged adjacent to the relay assembly. Similar to the arrangement of the first circuit board and the second circuit board inFIG. 3 , the board faces of the first andsecond circuit boards third circuit board 123 is arranged together with the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150. Thethird circuit board 123 may be provided with a throughhole 1231 so that theincoming wire terminal 153 passes therethrough. For example, a current sensor may be disposed on thethird circuit board 123 so as to sense the current on theincoming wire terminal 153. As an example, thefirst circuit board 121 may be a power supply circuit board, thesecond circuit board 122 may be a control circuit board, and thethird circuit board 123 may be a microcontroller MCU circuit board. However, it may be understood that electrical and electronic elements of various functions may also be distributed mixedly on thefirst circuit board 121, thesecond circuit board 122 and thethird circuit board 123 as needed. -
FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of anelectrical switch 100 mounted on acircuit breaker 300 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 12 , theelectrical switch 100 is mounted on thecircuit breaker 300. Thecircuit breaker 300 is surrounded by the L-shapedelectrical switch 100 with a portion of theelectrical switch 100 located on the side D of thecircuit breaker 300 and another portion located on the front side C of thecircuit breaker 300. Theincoming wire terminal 153 of theelectrical switch 100 is inserted into thecircuit breaker 300 to effect electrical connection with thecircuit breaker 300. Since the relay controlled in the wireless communication manner is used to control the load, the size of theelectrical switch 100 is reduced and the structure is simplified, so that theelectrical switch 100 can be reliably mounted directly on thecircuit breaker 300. - In some cases, when the
circuit breaker 300 is installed into a switchgear or other switchgear, the side space of thecircuit breaker 300 is usually very limited, and other devices cannot be arranged any longer. At the same time, the front space of thecircuit breaker 300 is relatively abundant. Therefore, in the case where it is necessary to directly mount the electrical switch to thecircuit breaker 300, more thought may be given to the front space of thecircuit breaker 300. -
FIGS. 13 through 17 illustrate a further embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 13 shows an external perspective view of anelectrical switch 100 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 13 , theelectric switch 100 is formed as a square shape as the whole. Such a configuration enables theelectrical switch 100 to be entirely mounted on the front side of thecircuit breaker 300 in an inserted manner. - Referring to
FIGS. 14 and15 ,FIG. 14 illustrates an internal perspective view of theelectrical switch 100 after removal of thehousings FIG. 13 , andFIG. 15 shows an exploded view of anelectrical switch 100 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIGS. 14 and15 , theelectrical switch 100 may comprisehousings - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the relay 110-1 and the relay 110-2 comprised in the relay assembly are arranged along their own thickness direction. As shown in
FIGS. 14 and15 , the relay 110-1 and the relay 110-2 may be supported and fixed by anisolation frame 155 located therebetween. In addition, theisolation frame 155 may also support and secure the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150. Thereby, the entirety of theelectric switch 100 is formed in a square shape instead of the L shape in the previous embodiment. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the
electrical switch 100 further comprises the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150. The incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 is opposite to the side of the relay assembly provided with theelectrical terminals 111 and is configured to electrically connect theelectrical terminals 111 on the relay assembly to an external circuit. The incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 comprises theincoming wire terminal 153 and theoutgoing wire terminal 151. Theincoming wire terminal 153 is configured to be electrically connected to thecircuit breaker 300 in an inserted manner. - As shown in
FIGS. 14 and15 , as an example, the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 may comprise theincoming wire terminal 153 and theoutgoing wire terminal 151. Further, the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 may further comprise a frame (which may comprise a terminal strip) and bolts for fixing and connecting theincoming wire terminal 153 and theoutgoing wire terminal 151.FIG. 16 shows an exploded view of partial members of theelectrical switch 100 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. To more clearly show the connection between the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 and the relay assembly, the frame and bolts of the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 are removed fromFIG. 16 . As shown inFIG. 16 , theincoming wire terminal 153 and theoutgoing wire terminal 151 are near the sides of the relays 110-1 and 110-2 provided with theelectrical terminals 111, and extend in opposite directions to each other. One end of theoutgoing wire terminal 151 is connected to theelectrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1 or 110-2, the other end is connected to the terminal strip on the frame of the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly 150 (seeFIGS. 14 and15 ), and one end of theincoming wire terminal 153 is connected to theelectrical terminal 111 of the relay 110-1 or 110-2, and the other end protrudes out of thehousings circuit breaker 300. - Since the incoming wire and
outgoing wire assembly 150 needs to be electrically connected to theelectrical terminals 111 of the relay, arranging the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150 in close proximity to theelectrical terminals 111 facilitates reducing the space needed by wiring and insulation, such that theelectrical switch 100 is smaller in size. - In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the control assembly comprises a
first circuit board 121, asecond circuit board 122 and athird circuit board 123. Thefirst circuit board 121, thesecond circuit board 122 and thethird circuit board 123 are configured to carry other elements in the control assembly and are arranged on the same side of the relay assembly with the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150. As shown inFIGS. 14 and15 , the first andsecond circuit boards first circuit board 121, and controlcoils 113 of the relays 110-1 and 110-2 may be connected to thefirst circuit board 121. However, the wireless communication unit may also be arranged on other circuit boards and arranged at any suitable position. In addition, thethird circuit board 123 may be arranged together with the incoming wire andoutgoing wire assembly 150, and may be provided with a throughhole 1231 allowing theoutgoing wire terminal 151 to pass therethrough. For example, a current sensor may be disposed on thethird circuit board 123 so that the current on theoutgoing wire terminal 151 may be sensed. -
FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of anelectrical switch 100 mounted on acircuit breaker 300 according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 17 , theelectrical switch 100 is entirely plugged into the front side C of thecircuit breaker 300, which avoids occupying the space on the side D of thecircuit breaker 300. - Similar to the electrical switches shown in
FIGS. 3 through 8 , theelectrical switches 100 shown inFIGS. 9-17 may also comprise a button (for operation by a user to control the relay), a metering unit and a diagnostic unit. The description of the electrical switches and their components ofFIGS. 3 through 8 also applies to the electrical switches and their components shown inFIGS. 9 through 17 , unless explicitly stated. In addition, it may be understood that the electrical switch according to the present disclosure is not limited to the number of relays and the number of incoming wires and outgoing wires used in the above embodiments, and fewer or more relays and incoming wires and outgoing wires may be selected as needed. - According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a switchgear that may comprise the
electrical switch 100. Specifically, the switchgear may be used to control the load of household appliances such as electric heaters, lighting, and the like. The household power-use environment has characteristics such as light load and infrequent switch switching. Theelectrical switch 100 using a relay as a switching device is well adapted for such a household load. In addition, theelectrical switch 100 has advantages such as compactness, independence, remote control, simple wiring, and intelligence (wireless control, temperature protection, metering function), which improves the performance of the switching device that controls the home appliance.
Claims (18)
- An electrical switch (100), adapted to be used as a contactor and comprisinga housing (141, 142);a relay assembly arranged within the housing (141, 142) and configured to directly turn on and off a circuit connected to the electrical switch (100), the relay assembly comprising a first relay (110-1); anda control assembly arranged in parallel with the relay assembly in the same housing (141, 142), the control assembly being configured to control the relay assembly, and the control assembly comprising a wireless communication unit (160) configured to receive signals to remotely control the relay assembly.
- The electrical switch (100) according to claim 1, wherein the control assembly is opposite to a first side (A) of a plurality of sides of the first relay (110- 1), the plurality of sides defining a thickness of the first relay (110-1).
- The electrical switch (100) according to claim 2, wherein the electrical switch (100) further comprises:
an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly (150) arranged in parallel with the relay assembly in the housing (141, 142), the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly (150) being opposite to a second side (B) of the plurality of sides of the first relay (110-1) and configured to electrically connect electrical terminals (111) disposed on the second side (B) with an external circuit. - The electrical switch (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control assembly comprises:
a control terminal unit (130) configured for connecting a switching device external to the electrical switch (100) to enable control of the relay assembly by the switching device. - The electrical switch (100) according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the control terminal unit (130) and the housing (141, 142) is provided with a notch (131) for accommodating a copper bus bar.
- The electrical switch (100) according to claim 2, wherein the control assembly comprises:
a first circuit board (121) and a second circuit board (122) arranged opposite to each other, board faces of the first circuit board (121) and the second circuit board (122) being substantially perpendicular to the first side (A) of the first relay (110-1), to carry other elements in the control assembly. - The electrical switch (100) according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the relay assembly further comprises:
a second relay (110-2), the second relay (110-2) and the first relay (110-1) being arranged adjacent to each other. - The electrical switch (100) according to claim 7, wherein the first relay (110-1) and the second relay (110-2) are arranged along a length direction of the first relay (110-1) and the second relay (110-2).
- The electrical switch (100) according to claim 8, wherein the electrical switch (100) further comprises:
an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly (150) forming an L-shape with the relay assembly and configured to electrically connect electrical terminals (111) on the relay assembly to an external circuit, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly (150) comprising an incoming wire terminal (153) and an outgoing wire terminal (151), the incoming wire terminal (153) facing an inner side of the L shape and configured to be electrically connected to a circuit breaker (300) in an inserted manner. - The electrical switch (100) according to claim 9, wherein the control assembly comprises:
a first circuit board (121), a second circuit board (122) and a third circuit board (123), configured to carry other elements in the control assembly, the first circuit board (121) and the second circuit board (122) being arranged on one side of the L-shape provided with the relay assembly, and the third circuit board (123) being arranged on the other side of the L-shape provided with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly (150). - The electrical switch (100) according to claim 7, wherein the first relay (110-1) and the second relay (110-2) are arranged along a thickness direction of the first relay (110-1) and the second relay (110-2).
- The electrical switch (100) according to claim 11, wherein the electrical switch (100) further comprises:
an incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly (150) being opposite to a side of the relay assembly provided with electrical terminals (111) and configured to connect the electrical terminals (111) on the relay assembly to an external circuit, the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly (150) comprising an incoming wire terminal (153) and an outgoing wire terminal (151), the incoming wire terminal (153) being configured to be electrically connected to a circuit breaker (300) in an inserted manner. - The electrical switch (100) according to claim 12, wherein the control assembly comprises:
a first circuit board (121), a second circuit board (122) and a third circuit board (123), configured to carry other elements in the control assembly, and arranged together with the incoming wire and outgoing wire assembly (150) on the same side of the relay assembly. - The electrical switch (100) according to claim 10 or 13, wherein the third circuit board (123) comprising a through hole (1231) allowing the incoming wire terminal (153) or the outgoing wire terminal (151) to pass therethrough, so as to sense the current on the incoming wire terminal (153) or the outgoing wire terminal (151) by the third circuit board (123).
- The electrical switch (100) according to any of claims 1 to 14, wherein the wireless communication unit (160) is configured to communicate in a Zigbee manner.
- The electrical switch (100) according to any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the control assembly comprises:
a button (126) that is operable by a user to control the relay assembly (110). - The electrical switch (100) according to any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the control assembly comprises:a metering unit configured to measure at least one of an electrical parameter and a temperature parameter of the electrical switch (100); anda diagnostic unit configured to determine an ON/OFF state of the electrical switch (100).
- A switchgear, comprising the electrical switch (100) according to any of claims 1-17.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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CN201821943926.4U CN209104072U (en) | 2018-11-23 | 2018-11-23 | Electric switch and switchgear |
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EP3657524A1 EP3657524A1 (en) | 2020-05-27 |
EP3657524B1 true EP3657524B1 (en) | 2024-01-03 |
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EP19210897.5A Active EP3657524B1 (en) | 2018-11-23 | 2019-11-22 | Electrical switch and switchgear |
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EP (1) | EP3657524B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN209104072U (en) |
AU (1) | AU2019268207B2 (en) |
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CN111223713B (en) * | 2018-11-23 | 2022-10-28 | 施耐德电气工业公司 | Electrical switch and switch cabinet |
FR3103346B1 (en) * | 2019-11-20 | 2021-11-19 | Crouzet Automatismes | Automation product in DIN43880 format |
CN112309787B (en) * | 2020-11-14 | 2021-12-21 | 江苏北辰电气设备有限公司 | Plastic shell type electronic circuit breaker for power distribution |
DE112021006550A5 (en) * | 2021-03-03 | 2023-10-26 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | DEVICE FOR SWITCHING AN ELECTRICAL SWITCH HANDLE AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL DRIVE WITH SUCH A DEVICE |
Citations (1)
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US20100070100A1 (en) * | 2008-09-15 | 2010-03-18 | Finlinson Jan F | Control architecture and system for wireless sensing |
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US20140124262A1 (en) * | 2012-11-02 | 2014-05-08 | William H. Martin | Modular overload relay assembly with preformed coil interface |
US9196441B2 (en) * | 2013-04-19 | 2015-11-24 | Abl Ip Holding Llc | Modular relay sub-assembly |
NL2020390B1 (en) * | 2017-02-07 | 2020-01-24 | Volkerrail Nederland Bv | Remote-controlled (RC) section occupation on a railroad with B-relay. |
CN108717919A (en) * | 2018-07-23 | 2018-10-30 | 浙江西芝电气有限公司 | A kind of contactor of intelligentized control method |
-
2018
- 2018-11-23 CN CN201821943926.4U patent/CN209104072U/en not_active Withdrawn - After Issue
-
2019
- 2019-11-22 EP EP19210897.5A patent/EP3657524B1/en active Active
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Patent Citations (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20100070100A1 (en) * | 2008-09-15 | 2010-03-18 | Finlinson Jan F | Control architecture and system for wireless sensing |
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AU2019268207A1 (en) | 2020-06-11 |
CN209104072U (en) | 2019-07-12 |
EP3657524A1 (en) | 2020-05-27 |
AU2019268207B2 (en) | 2021-02-25 |
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