FIELD
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Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of electrical apparatuses, and more particularly, to a micro-action triggering mechanism for a switching apparatus and associated a switching apparatus.
BACKGROUND
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A switching apparatus such as an automatic transfer switch (ATS) is an apparatus capable of switching between two power supply sources. It has three states, i.e., an automatic state, a manual state and a hanging lock state. Only in the automatic state can the electric operation be performed, and neither the manual state nor the hanging lock state can the electric operation be performed. There is a need for a dual power supply changeover switch with a reliable electrically linked performance.
SUMMARY
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In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a micro-action triggering mechanism for a switching apparatus is provided. The micro-action triggering mechanism comprises: a sliding cover slidably coupled to a panel of the switching apparatus and adapted to slide at least between an automatic position and a manual position along an operation direction; and a push rod arranged on a side of the panel facing away from the sliding cover and coupled to the sliding cover, and adapted to slide from an initial position of a microswitch of the switching apparatus away from the switching apparatus to a trigger position for triggering the microswitch during sliding of the sliding cover from the automatic position to the manual position.
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In some embodiments, the micro-action triggering mechanism further comprises: a toggle lever arranged between the sliding cover and the push rod and adapted to drive the push rod to move when the sliding cover slides, wherein the toggle lever comprises: a coupling part passing through a through hole arranged on the panel and coupled to the sliding cover; and a connecting part arranged to be coupled with the push rod.
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In some embodiments, the connecting part comprises a connecting pillar extending to a side away from the panel, wherein the push rod comprises an accommodating hole adapted to accommodate the connecting pillar, and during the sliding of the sliding cover along the operation direction, a side wall of the accommodating hole abuts against a side face of the connecting pillar so as to drive the push rod to move along with the sliding cover.
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In some embodiments, the accommodating hole is a waist-shaped hole, and a length direction of a cross-section of the accommodating hole perpendicular to an axis is parallel to the operation direction.
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In some embodiments, the push rod further comprises a sliding hole, and a length direction of a cross-section of the sliding hole perpendicular to an axis is parallel to the operation direction, wherein the micro-action triggering mechanism further comprises a fixing member arranged in the sliding hole and coupled to a housing of the switching apparatus.
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In some embodiments, one end of the push rod along the operation direction is provided with a chamfer arranged at one side facing the microswitch.
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In some embodiments, the micro-action triggering mechanism further comprises: a sliding assembly arranged between the sliding cover and the panel, and comprising: at least one pair of sliding blocks coupled to one side of the sliding cover facing the panel, wherein two sliding blocks in each pair of sliding blocks are arranged at a predetermined angle relative to the operation direction, and the at least one pair of sliding blocks is respectively arranged in a pair of installation holes of the panel and adapted to slide in the sliding hole.
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In some embodiments, the at least one pair of sliding blocks comprises two pairs of sliding blocks, and the two pairs of sliding blocks are arranged along the operation direction.
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In some embodiments, the sliding assembly further comprises: a pair of sliding rods arranged at a side of the panel facing away from the sliding cover, a length direction of each of the pair of sliding rods being parallel to the operation direction, and the pair of slide rods being respectively aligned with the pair of installation holes; wherein each sliding rod passes through a sliding block on a corresponding side, so that the sliding block slides along the length direction of the sliding rod.
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By adding the sliding cover on the panel of an automatic transfer switch and enabling the sliding cover to slide along the operation direction on the panel, the current state of the switch apparatus is indicated by the relative position between the sliding cover and the panel (i. e. the switching apparatus is currently in an automatic state, a manual state or a hanging lock state). Furthermore, the sliding cover is also coupled to a push rod arranged on the inner side of the panel, and when the sliding cover slides on the panel from an automatic position to a manual position, the push rod is driven by the sliding cover to slide, and is in contact with the microswitch. After being triggered, the microswitch sends indication information to the micro control unit of the switching apparatus, where the indication information indicates that the current state is switched to the manual state. The reliability of the electrical interlock of the switching apparatus is thereby improved overall by the physical protection of the sliding cover and the electrical protection between the push rod and the microswitch.
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In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a switching apparatus. The switching apparatus comprises: a housing; a panel coupled to an operation side of the housing; a microswitch coupled to the housing; and the micro-action triggering mechanism provided according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, coupled to the panel and adapted to trigger the microswitch during sliding in the operation direction.
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It should be appreciated that what is described in this Summary is not intended to limit critical features or essential features of embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily appreciated from the following description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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The above and other features, advantages, and aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar reference signs denote the same or similar elements, wherein:
- FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a sliding cover of a micro-action triggering mechanism in an automatic position in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
- FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of the sliding cover of the micro-action triggering mechanism in a manual position according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
- FIG. 3 illustrates an interior schematic view of the micro-action triggering mechanism according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the sliding cover is in an automatic position;
- FIG. 4 illustrates an overall structure schematic view of the sliding cover according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
- FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view of the sliding cover mounted on a panel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
- FIG. 6 illustrates an overall structure schematic view of the sliding cover according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
- FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic view of the sliding cover mounted on the panel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
- FIG. 8 illustrates a interior structure schematic view of the micro-action triggering mechanism according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the sliding cover is in the manual position;
- FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic view of the sliding cover in a hanging lock position according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;
- FIG. 10 illustrates an internal structure schematic view of a micro-action triggering mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the sliding cover in a hanging lock position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood, that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to embodiments set forth herein, but rather, these embodiments are provided for a thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
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It should be noted that the headings of any section/subsection provided herein are not limiting. Various embodiments are described throughout herein, and any type of embodiment can be included under any section/subsection. Furthermore, embodiments described in any section/subsection may be combined in any manner with any other embodiments described in the same section/subsection and/or different sections/subsections.
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In the description of embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "including" and the like should be understood as open-ended including, that is, "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be read as "based at least in part on". The term "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" should be read as "at least one embodiment". The term "some embodiments" should be understood as "at least some embodiments". Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below. The terms "first", "second", etc. may refer to different or identical objects. Other explicit and implicit definitions may also be included below.
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As mentioned briefly above, a switching apparatus, such as an automatic transfer switch (ATS), has an automatic state, a manual state, and a locked state. Users may have a possibility of misoperation during an actual operation of the switch apparatus.
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To solve or at least partially solve the described problems or other potential problems existing in the conventional art, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a micro-action triggering mechanism for a switch device and the switch device. By adding the sliding cover on the panel of an automatic transfer switch and enabling the sliding cover to slide along the operation direction on the panel, the current state of the switch apparatus is indicated by the relative position between the sliding cover and the panel (i.e., the switching apparatus is currently in an automatic state, a manual state or a hanging lock state). Furthermore, the sliding cover is also coupled to a push rod arranged on the inner side of the panel, and when the sliding cover slides on the panel from an automatic position to a manual position, the push rod is driven by the sliding cover to slide, and is in contact with the microswitch. After being triggered, the microswitch sends indication information to the micro control unit of the switching apparatus, where the indication information indicates that the current state is switched to the manual state. The reliability of the electrical interlock of the switching apparatus is thereby improved overall by the physical protection of the sliding cover and the electrical protection between the push rod and the microswitch.
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FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a sliding cover of a micro-action triggering mechanism in an automatic position in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of the sliding cover of the micro-action triggering mechanism in a manual position according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates an interior schematic view of the micro-action triggering mechanism according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the sliding cover is in an automatic position. As shown in FIGS 1 to 3, the micro-action triggering mechanism generally comprises a sliding cover 1 slidably coupled to a panel 5 of a switching apparatus and a push rod 2 arranged between the panel 5 of the switching apparatus and a housing 6. The sliding cover 1 is adapted to slide at least between an automatic position and a manual position, and the push rod 2 can move along with sliding of the sliding cover 1. The handle 6 of the switching apparatus is also provided with a microswitch 4. When the sliding cover 1 slides from the automatic position to the manual position, the push rod 2 is driven by the sliding cover 1 to contact the microswitch 4 and trigger the microswitch 4.
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FIG. 4 illustrates an overall structure schematic view of the sliding cover according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view of the sliding cover mounted on a panel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in some embodiments, the switching apparatus further comprises a sliding assembly. The sliding cover 1 is slidably connected to the panel 5 through the sliding assembly. In some embodiments, the sliding cover 1 comprises at least one pair of sliding blocks 7. Taking the pair of sliding blocks 7 as an example, the arrangement direction of two sliding blocks 7 in the pair of sliding blocks 7 has a predetermined non-zero angle with the operation direction. For example, two sliding blocks 7 in the pair of sliding blocks 7 may be arranged perpendicular to the operation direction. The panel 5 of the corresponding switching apparatus is provided with a pair of installation holes 52 parallel to each other, and the lengthwise direction of the cross section of the installation hole 52 perpendicular to the axis is parallel to the operation direction. The pair of slider blocks 7 are respectively arranged in the pair of installation holes 52 so that the sliding cover 1 can be slid in the operation direction.
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In other embodiments, at least one pair of sliding blocks 7 may comprise two pairs of sliding blocks 7, the two pairs of sliding blocks 7 are arranged along an operation direction, and two sliding blocks 7 located on the same side of the two pairs of sliding blocks 7 are arranged in the same installation hole 52, thereby improving the sliding stability of the sliding cover.
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FIG. 6 illustrates an overall structure schematic view of the sliding cover according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, and FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic view of the sliding cover mounted on the panel according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, in some embodiments, the sliding assembly further comprises a pair of sliding bars 8, the pair of sliding bars 8 are respectively aligned with the pair of installation holes 52, and the pair of sliding bars 8 respectively pass through the sliding blocks 7 in the corresponding installation holes 52, so that the slide bars 8 can slide along the operation direction by the relative sliding of the sliding blocks 7 and the sliding bars 8.
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FIG. 8 illustrates a interior structure schematic view of the micro-action triggering mechanism according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the sliding cover is in the manual position. As shown in FIG. 8 and in combination with FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the micro-action triggering mechanism further comprises a toggle lever 3 arranged between the sliding cover 1 and the push rod 2, and the toggle lever 3 comprises a coupling member 31 and a connecting part. The coupling member 31 is disposed to face the panel 5. The coupling member 31 penetrate a through hole 51 provided on the panel 5, and is coupled to the sliding cover 1. The connecting part is coupled to one side, away from the panel 5, of the coupling part 31, and is adapted to be coupled to the push rod 2, so that when the sliding cover 1 slides along the operation direction, the push rod 3 can drive the push rod 2 to slide synchronously.
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In some embodiments, the connecting part and the coupling member 31 may be integrally molded, for example, the connecting member and the coupling part 31 may be integrally molded in an injection molding manner. In other embodiments, the connecting part and the coupling part 31 may also be fixed via bonding, fastener connection, etc.
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In some embodiments, the connecting member could be a connecting pillar 32, and the axis direction of the connecting pillar 32 has a predetermined angle with the plane where the panel 5 is located. For example, the axis of the connecting pillar 32 may be perpendicular to the plane where the panel 5 is located. Correspondingly, the push rod 2 comprises an accommodating hole 21 for accommodating the insertion of the connecting pillar 32 . When the connecting pillar 32 is inserted into the accommodating hole 21, and when the sliding cover 1 drives the toggle lever 3 to slide along the operation direction, the connecting pillar 32 abuts against a side wall of the accommodating hole 21, so that the toggle lever 3 can drive the push rod 2 to slide.
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In some embodiments, the receiving hole 21 may be a waist-shaped hole, and the lengthwise direction of the cross section of the receiving hole 21 perpendicular to the axis is parallel to the operation direction. Thus, the connection pillar 32 can slide in the receiving hole 21 along the operation direction relative to the receiving hole 21. Herein, the waist-shaped hole refers to a hole having an arc shape at opposite ends in the extending direction and a parallel line in the middle with the cross section shape. For example, the arc shape at the opposite ends may be a semicircle, and in some alternative embodiments, the arc shape at the opposite ends may also be an arc shape formed by connecting a plurality of straight lines or curved lines. In some alternative embodiments, the cross-section of the receiving hole 21 may also be oval, rectangular, etc.
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On the one hand, the arrangement of the waist-shaped hole can facilitate the insertion of the connecting pillar 32 into the accommodating hole 21; on the other hand, when the sliding cover 1 slides from the initial position to the manual position along the operation direction, the connecting pillar 32 first slides from the first end of the accommodating hole 21 to the second end opposite to the first end, and then the connecting pillar 32 abuts against the side wall of the second end of the accommodating hole 21, thereby driving the push rod 2 to slide, so that the push rod 2 is in contact with the microswitch 4. In this way, the required length of the push rod 2 is reduced, the volume of the push rod 2 is reduced, and the spatial layout of the switching apparatus is optimized.
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In some embodiments, the push rod 2 further comprises a sliding hole 22, the cross section of which perpendicular to the axis is strip-shaped, and the length direction of the cross section of which perpendicular to the axis is parallel to the operation direction. A fixing member 23 is provided in the sliding hole 22, and the fixing member 23 is coupled to the housing 6 of the switching apparatus. When the push rod 2 is displaced under the drive of the sliding cover 1, the fixing member 23 and the sliding hole 22 limit each other, so that the displacement direction of the push rod 2 is parallel to the length direction of the sliding hole 22.
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In some embodiments, one end of the push rod 2 facing the operation direction is further provided with a chamfer, and the chamfer is arranged at one side of the push rod 2 facing the microswitch 4. When the push rod 2 slips in the direction of the microswitch 4, the microswitch 4 can be triggered more smoothly by the guide function of the chamfer.
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FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic view of the sliding cover in a hanging lock position according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 illustrates an internal structure schematic view of a micro-action triggering mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the sliding cover in a hanging lock position. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in some embodiments, after sliding the sliding cover 1 from the automatic position to the manual position along the operation direction, the sliding cover 1 may further slide from the manual position to the hanging lock position along the operation direction. The panel 5 is further provided with a hanging locking hole 53. After the sliding cover 1 slides to the hanging locking position, the hanging locking hole 53 is exposed by the sliding cover 1, so that a locking member can be inserted into the hanging locking hole 53; the sliding cover 1 is fixed by means of the locking position of the locking member and the sliding cover 1; and when the sliding cover 1 is in the hanging lock position, the push rod 2 still contacts the microswitch 4, and the microswitch 4 is maintained in a triggering state.
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Having described implementations of the disclosure above, the foregoing description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the implementations disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the implementations described. The choice of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the implementations, the practical application, or improvements to technologies in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the implementations disclosed herein.