ES2829373T3 - Contactor device - Google Patents

Abstract

A contactor device (1), comprising: a first fixed contact element (8) connected to a first terminal (13) of the contactor device (1) and a second fixed contact element (10) connected to a second terminal (14 ) of the contactor device (1), the pair of fixed contact elements (8, 10) having at least one fixed contact (9); a movable contact element (11) having at least one movable contact (12); a casing (2) for supporting and protecting said fixed and movable contact elements (8, 10, 11); a movement mechanism (15) for the movement of said movable contact element (11) to move said at least one movable contact (12) into contact with said at least one fixed contact (9) to electrically connect said first and second elements (8, 10) of fixed contact with each other or apart from said at least one fixed contact (9) to electrically separate said first and second elements (8, 10) of fixed contact from each other; impulse means (16) for activating said movement mechanism (15); and indicating means (27) to indicate a connection status of said first and second fixed contact elements (8, 10), characterized in that said movement mechanism (15) is arranged and configured so as to act on said means (27 ) indicators when activated by said impulse means (16) to move said movable contact element (11) to move said at least one movable contact (12) into contact with said at least one fixed contact (9), and wherein an actuator (28) is arranged between said movement mechanism (15) and said indicator means (27) to receive an action from said movement mechanism (15) and to act on a button (41) of said indicator means (27) when it receives the action of said movement mechanism (15), wherein said actuator (28) is preferably loaded to a position that does not act on said button (41) of said indicator means (27).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Contactor device

The present invention relates to a contactor device, in particular a contactor device for industrial or railway applications.

As is well known in the art, a contactor device is an electrically controlled switch that is used to switch an electrical power circuit. Contactor devices are used to control, for example, electric motors, lighting, heating, condenser banks, thermal evaporators and other electrical loads.

A contactor can be considered similar to a relay, except for higher current ratings and a few other differences. Unlike general purpose relays, contactors are designed to connect directly to high current load devices. Relays tend to be of lower capacity and are generally designed for normally closed and normally open applications only. Also, unlike relays, contactors are often designed with means to control and suppress the arc that occurs when strong motor currents are interrupted. Generally speaking, devices that switch more than 15 amps or in circuits with a capacity of more than a few kilowatts are usually called contactors. A contactor is controlled by a circuit that has a much lower energy level than the interrupted circuit. Unlike a circuit breaker, a contactor device is not designed to interrupt a short-circuit current. Contactors range from those with a breaking current of several thousand amps to thousands of amps and 24 VDC to many kilovolts. The physical size of contactors varies from a device small enough to lift with one hand, to large devices approximately one meter on a side.

A conventional contactor device has substantially three main components. At least two contact elements (at least one fixed contact element and at least one movable contact element) are the current-carrying part of the contactor device, which can include power contacts, auxiliary contacts and contact springs; electromagnetic impulse means that provide the impulse force to close the contacts; and a housing to house the contact elements and the impulse means. Housings are generally made of insulating materials such as Bakelite, nylon, and thermoset plastics to protect and insulate the contact elements and to provide some measure of protection against personal contact with the contacts. The driving means can be driven by an AC or DC source, depending on the design of the contactor. The magnetic coil of the drive means can be energized at the same voltage as a load controlling the contactor, or it can be controlled separately with a lower coil voltage. Apart from the optional low current auxiliary contacts, the contactors are almost exclusively equipped with normally open contact elements ("form A"). When current passes through the magnetic coil, a magnetic field is produced that attracts a moving core of the contactor. The magnetic coil draws more current initially, until its inductance increases when the metal core enters the coil. The movable contact element is moved by the moving core, the force developed by the magnetic coil that holds the contacts of the fixed and movable contact elements together. When the magnetic coil is de-energized, gravity or a spring returns the moving core to its initial position, resulting in the opening of the contacts of the contact elements.

Furthermore, many contactor devices include indicating means in the form of an auxiliary switch which may be a single pole or a double pole switch. This auxiliary switch can be used to remotely indicate the position of the main circuit contacts of the contact elements, either open or closed. Auxiliary switches can be used to operate, for example, indicator lights, relays or other accessories used for safety reasons. A known solution for acting on the auxiliary switch provides a lever having one end attached to the housing of the contactor device and the opposite end free to cantilever under the force of the moving core of the electromagnetic drive means. Said lever is used to physically act on the auxiliary switch button to activate the auxiliary switch. The inventors of the present invention have observed that the effectiveness of this toggle mechanism acting on the auxiliary switch is greatly reduced during the life of the contactor device, causing malfunctions and even failures.

Document WO 98/40898 A2, as another example, discloses a two-pole contactor comprising a solenoid with a plunger actuator and a movable contact. The plunger is part of an electrical circuit when the contactor is in the closed position.

The object of the present invention is to provide a contactor device having an improved mechanism that acts on the indicating means to reduce malfunction situations and extend the useful life of the contactor device.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a contactor device recited in claim 1. Advantageous configurations and further developments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

The contactor device according to the present invention comprises:

- a first fixed contact element connected to a first terminal of the contactor device and a second fixed contact element connected to a second terminal of the contactor device, that is, a pair of fixed contact elements having at least one fixed contact;

- a movable contact element having at least one movable contact;

- a housing to support and protect the fixed and movable contact elements;

- a movement mechanism for the movement of the movable contact element to move the at least one movable contact in contact with it at least one fixed contact to electrically connect the first and second fixed contact elements to each other or apart from the at least one contact fixed to electrically separate the first and second fixed contact elements from each other;

- impulse means for activating the movement mechanism; Y

- indicator means for indicating a connection status of the first and second fixed contact elements.

According to the present invention, the movement mechanism is arranged and configured in such a way that it acts on the indicator means when activated by the impulse means to move the movable contact element to move the at least one movable contact in contact with he at least one fixed contact, and an actuator is arranged between said movement mechanism and said indicator means to receive an action from said movement mechanism and to act on a button of said indicator means when it receives the action of said movement mechanism, wherein said actuator preferably loaded to a position that does not act on said button of said indicator means.

In other words, the same movement mechanism for the movement of the movable contact element is also used to act on the indicator means. Therefore, an additional lever to act on the indicating means is omitted. As a result, the contactor device has a more reliable mechanism acting on the indicating means, has a longer service life, can be produced at a reduced total cost, and can have a more compact structure.

Preferably, the first and second terminals project from the same lateral side of the contactor device housing.

In a preferred configuration of the invention, the movement mechanism comprises a lever hingedly supported in the casing by a support pin, wherein this lever has a first arm that supports the movable contact element and a second arm coupled to the means of impulse. In this configuration, the second arm of the lever acts on the indicator means that when the movement mechanism is activated by the impulse means to move the movable contact element to move the at least one movable contact in contact with the at least one fixed contact.

In this configuration, the actuator preferably comprises at least one lever that is hingedly supported on the housing and a resilient wheel arranged on the lever in a position to come into contact with the movement mechanism when acted upon by the movement mechanism. In this case, the second arm of the lever of the movement mechanism, on its side facing the actuator, may be provided with a recess that engages the resilient wheel of the actuator lever.

In a preferred configuration of the invention, the impulse means comprise a slide and the movement mechanism is coupled to this slide by means of a connecting element. Preferably, this connecting element is hingedly connected to the movement mechanism on one side and is hingedly connected to the slider on the other side. In this case, one side of the slide can be hingedly connected to the second arm of the lever of the movement mechanism by means of a connecting pin. Preferably, this connecting pin is positioned in the vicinity of the support pin of the lever of the movement mechanism.

In a preferred configuration of the invention, the impulse means comprise a magnetic coil, wherein a number of windings of this magnetic coil is determined in a variable manner according to a desired voltage that drives the impulse means.

To reduce manufacturing costs, a square coil housing can be provided with a square section metal case in which a cylindrical core of a wheel tooth is accommodated. The variable number of windings of the magnetic coil are formed around this wheel tooth.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the contactor device further comprises arcing elimination means covering the fixed and movable contacts.

Preferably, these arc eliminator means comprise a plurality of dissipation plates arranged in parallel with each other in grooves formed in a housing portion of the arc eliminator of the housing. Preferably, the dissipation plates are made of ceramic.

Preferably, the dissipation plates are arranged in a staggered manner in the arc eliminator housing portion of said housing. Additionally or alternatively, the plurality of dissipation plates comprises a plurality of odd-numbered dissipation plates and a plurality of even-numbered dissipation plates that are alternately disposed in the arc eliminator housing portion of the housing, wherein said The odd-numbered dissipation plates each have a first shape, and the even-numbered dissipation plates each have a second shape, the second shape being (slightly) different from the first shape.

In a preferred configuration of the invention, the housing is assembled from two housing bushings to define housing portions for the various components of the contactor device between them.

Preferably, a base half flange is formed integrally with each carcass bushing so that the base flange is obtained once the carcass bushings are assembled.

Preferably, the housing or its housing bushings, respectively, are made of a synthetic plastic material having a predetermined insulation coefficient.

The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following specific description of an exemplary, non-limiting embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, partially schematically:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conductive device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the conductive device of Fig. 1 with a housing bushing removed;

Fig. 3 is a perspective side view of the conductive device of Fig. 1 with a housing bushing removed;

Fig. 4 is a perspective side view of the various components of the conductive device of Fig. 1 with the housing removed;

Fig. 5 is a further perspective side view of the various components of the conductive device of Fig. 1 with the housing removed, from the opposite side compared to Fig. 4 .; Y

Fig. 6 is a further perspective side view of the various components of the conductive device of Fig. 1 with the housing removed, from the same side as in Fig. 4.

Figs. 1 to 6 show in different views an example embodiment of a contactor device of the present invention. The various components of the contactor device have the same reference signs throughout the figures.

The contactor device 1 is an interrupting device specifically provided for industrial or railway applications where a high AC or DC current must be connected and interrupted for high frequency interrupting actions. More specifically, the contactor device 1 is intended for high voltage capacity applications in electric traction and in particular for railway and underground systems.

Just to give an idea of the working conditions and the range of current values involved for this type of contactor device, it should be noted that these devices must be able to efficiently interrupt currents of at least 50 A under operating voltage ranges. between 900 V and 1800 V. These operating ranges can even be applied to a single pole of the contactor device. In this regard, the contactor device 1 of the present embodiment is hereinafter disclosed with a single pole configuration with a single air interruption, maximum power coil electromagnetic control and single state operation.

The contactor device 1 has a housing 2 that accommodates and protects all the various components of the contactor device 1 as will be described later. The housing 2 is made of a synthetic plastic material having a predetermined insulation coefficient. The housing 2 is formed by a pair of molded housing bushings 2A and 2B which are connected to each other to define housing portions for the various components of the contactor device 1. More particularly, the assembled housing 2 provides a center contact housing portion 4, a lower driver housing portion 5, a lower indicator housing portion 6, and an upper arc eliminator housing portion 7.

As indicated in Figs. 1 to 3, the housing 2 has a base half flange integrally formed with each housing bushing 2A, 2B so that the base flange 3 is obtained once the housing bushes 2A, 2B they are assembled together. The base flange 3 serves to install the contactor device 1, for example, on a supporting wall that can be vertical or horizontal according to the needs of the application.

In the central contact housing portion 4, the contactor device 1 comprises a first fixed contact element 8 connected to a first terminal (for example, positive pole) of the contactor device 1, a second fixed contact element 10 connected to a second terminal (eg negative pole) of contactor device 1, and a movable contact element 11. In this embodiment, the lower end of the movable contact element 11 is electrically connected to the second fixed contact element 10 through a conventional braid (not shown in the figures), the first fixed contact element 8 comprises a fixed contact 9, and the movable contact element 11 comprises a movable contact 12. The movable contact element 11 can be moved so that the movable contact 12 comes into contact with the fixed contact 9 to electrically connect the two fixed contact elements 8, 10 or apart from the fixed contact 9 to electrically separate the two elements 8 , 10 fixed contact. The two terminals 13, 14 of the contactor device 1 are provided on the same lateral side of the housing 2.

In the upper portion 7 of the arc eliminator housing, the contactor device 1 is provided with arc elimination means 32 covering the fixed and movable contacts 9, 12 of the fixed and movable contact elements 8, 11. Especially, the arc elimination means 32 includes a plurality of dissipation plates 38, 38 '(described later in more detail), a first pole element 33 having an arc contact 34, a second pole element 36, and a further movable contact 35 provided on the movable contact element 11. The fixed contact 9 of the first fixed contact element 8 can be made of a silver alloy, while the arc contact 34 of the first pole element 34 can be made of a tungsten alloy having higher resistive characteristics.

A conventional blowing coil 40 is provided between the first fixed contact element 8 and the first pole element 33. This blowing coil 40 is used in the opening phase of the contactor device 1 to facilitate the dissipation of the energy of the electric field from the positive pole 13 towards the arc elimination means 32 to reduce the possible electric arc.

In the lower housing portion 4 of the impeller, the contactor device 1 comprises electromagnetic impulse means 15. The drive means 15 has a magnetic coil 17 accommodated in a square coil housing 18. Magnetic coil 17 can be made with a variable number of windings depending on the voltage value under which coil 17 will operate. The windings can be formed around a cylindrical core of a conventional wheel tooth.

Regardless of the number of windings, the coil housing 18 is provided with a metal case having a square section in which the wheel tooth is accommodated. Thus, the square coil housing 18 can accommodate any type of magnetic coil 17 necessary for the specific application of the contactor device 1.

The drive means 16 has a coil slide 19 projecting out of the magnetic coil 17 and the coil housing 18. This coil slide 19 is pushed by the electromagnetic force generated by the magnetic coil 17 against the biasing force of a spring 21 that is mounted on an opposite end of the coil slide 19 projecting from the opposite side of the coil. 17 magnetic.

The spool slide 19 is coupled to a movement mechanism 15, through a connecting element 20. The movement mechanism 15 comprises a lever 22 which is hingedly supported on the casing 2, through a support arm 25 which is fixed transversely on the casing 2. The lever 22 has a first arm 23 which extends upwards to supporting the movable contact element 11, and a second downwardly extending arm 24 for connection to the connection element 20.

The connecting element 20 is hingedly connected to the end of the spool slide 19 on one side, and hingedly connected to the second arm 24 of the lever 22 on its other side, through a connecting pin 26. The connecting pin 26 is preferably positioned in the vicinity of the support pin 25 of the lever 22.

When the slide 19 of the coil of the impulse means 16 is pushed by the electromagnetic force generated by the magnetic coil 17, the lever 22 of the movement mechanism 15 rotates through the connecting element 20. Due to this rotation of the lever 22, the movable contact element 11 is moved in a direction towards the first fixed contact element 8 so that the movable contact 12 comes into contact with the fixed contact 9. When the generation of the electromagnetic force by the magnetic coil 17 ends, the coil slide 19 is pulled back by the biasing force of the spring 21. As a result, the lever 22 of the movement mechanism 15 is returned through the element 20 connection so that the movable contact element 11 is moved in a direction away from the first fixed contact element 8 to separate the movable contact 12 from the fixed contact 9.

In the indicator housing portion 6, the contactor device 1 comprises indicator means 27 configured as an auxiliary switch. This auxiliary switch 27 can be a single pole or a bipolar switch.

Advantageously, between the auxiliary switch 27 and the movement mechanism 15 an intermediate tilt actuator 28 is arranged to act on the auxiliary switch 27 when the movement mechanism 15 is activated by the coil slide 19 of the impulse means 16. This actuator 28 comprises at least one lever having one end articulated to a fixed support point 29 of the casing 2. The lever of the tilt actuator 28 extends cantilevered downward and is held at a predetermined distance from the auxiliary switch 27 by the biasing force of a spring 39.

More specifically, the actuator lever 28 is adapted to act on a button 41 of the auxiliary switch 27 against the biasing force of the spring 39 when the lever is pushed towards the auxiliary switch 27 by the combined action of the spool slide 19 and the second arm 24 of movement mechanism 15. In the case of a two-pole auxiliary switch 27, the actuator 28 has two levers in a parallel configuration to act on two buttons 41 of the auxiliary switch 27.

Furthermore, the lower end of the actuator lever 28 is provided with a small resilient wheel 30 to reduce the impact of the second arm 24 of the movement mechanism 15 when it is pushed towards the free end of the actuator lever. In addition, the side portion of the second arm 24 of the lever 22 of the movement mechanism 15 that faces the actuator 28 may be in the form of a circular recess 31 that engages the resilient wheel 30 to further smooth the impact between the lateral portion of the second arm 24 and the resilient wheel 30 of the actuator lever, taking into account the high number of switching actions performed by the contactor device 1.

Now, the aforementioned arc eliminating means 32 is explained in more detail.

In fact, without adequate contact protection, the appearance of an electric arc causes a significant degradation of the contacts 9, 12, which suffer significant damage. An electric arc occurs between the two contacts 9, 12 when they separate from each other ("break arc") and when they come into contact with each other ("break arc"). The break arc is typically more energetic and therefore more destructive. The heat developed by the resulting electric arc can be very high, eventually causing the metal in the contacts to migrate with the current. The extremely high temperature of the arc slowly destroys the contact metal, causing some of the material to escape into the air as fine particles.

The arcing elimination means 32 provided in the contactor device 1 of the present invention is structured with a plurality of parallel dissipation plates 38, 38 'supported in a half cover formed in each shell bushing 2A, 2B of the housing 2. In contrast to prior art solutions where a single ceramic element is inserted into the cover of the arc elimination means, in the present invention a plurality of grooves are formed in the upper housing portion 7 of the arc eliminator of each half sleeve 2A, 2B of housing 2. A dissipation plate 38, 38 'is accommodated in each facing slot. The dissipation plates 38, 38 'are preferably formed of ceramic, but even other materials can be used.

Preferably, the dissipation plates 38, 38 'are arranged in a staggered manner such that each odd-numbered dissipation plate 38 has an adjacent even-numbered dissipation plate 38' that travels along the vertical direction. Additionally, or alternatively, the odd-numbered dissipation plates 38 may have a slightly different shape compared to the even-numbered dissipation plates 38 '.

The arc elimination means 32 may be provided with a different number of plates 38, 38 'depending on the different voltage ranges to be treated and the corresponding type of arc hopper and power capacity that must be extinguished in complete safety. The creepage distances and clearance between the dissipation plates 38, 38 'of the arc elimination means 32 can be widely dimensioned for safe application in contaminated environments.

The contactor device 1 of the present invention solves the aforementioned technical problem and achieves a number of advantages, the main of which is given by the improved reliability and the longer service life. The movement mechanism 15 also provided to act on the auxiliary switch 27 has a stronger and more reliable structure when compared to known solutions. The direct or indirect explosion circuit makes the contactor device 1 suitable for working with both high and low currents. Preferably, the contactor device 1 of the present invention is further designed for on-board applications in accordance with the IEC 60077 standard.

List of reference signs

1 contactor device

2 casing

A, 2B casing bushings

base tab

contact housing portion

impeller housing portion

indicator housing portion

arc eliminator housing portion

first fixed contact element

fixed contact

0 second fixed contact element

1 movable contact element

2 movable contact

3 first terminal

4 second terminal

5 movement mechanism

6 means of impulse, esp. electromagnetic impulse means 7 magnetic coil

8 coil housing

9 spool slide

0 connecting element

1 spring

2 lever

3 first arm

4 second arm

5 support pin

6 connecting pin

7 means of indicators, exp. auxiliary switch

8 actuator, esp. lever

9 support point

0 resilient wheel

1 recess

2 means of arc removal

3 first polar element

4 arc contact

5 additional movable contacts

6 second polar element

8, 38 'dissipation plates

9 spring

0 blowing coil

1 button

Claims (12)

1. A contactor device (1), comprising: a first fixed contact element (8) connected to a first terminal (13) of the contactor device (1) and a second fixed contact element (10) connected to a second terminal (14) of the contactor device (1), the pair of fixed contact elements (8, 10) having at least one fixed contact (9); a movable contact element (11) having at least one movable contact (12); a casing (2) to support and protect said fixed and movable contact elements (8, 10, 11); a movement mechanism (15) for the movement of said movable contact element (11) to move said at least one movable contact (12) into contact with said at least one fixed contact (9) to electrically connect said first and second elements (8, 10) of fixed contact with each other or apart from said at least one fixed contact (9) to electrically separate said first and second elements (8, 10) of fixed contact from each other; impulse means (16) for activating said movement mechanism (15); Y indicator means (27) for indicating a connection status of said first and second fixed contact elements (8, 10), characterized because said movement mechanism (15) is arranged and configured so as to act on said indicator means (27) when activated by said impulse means (16) to move said movable contact element (11) to move said at least one contact (12) movable in contact with said at least one fixed contact (9), and wherein an actuator (28) is arranged between said movement mechanism (15) and said indicator means (27) to receive an action from said mechanism ( 15) of movement and to act on a button (41) of said indicator means (27) when it receives the action of said movement mechanism (15), wherein said actuator (28) is preferably loaded to a position that does not act on said button (41) of said indicator means (27). The contactor device according to claim 1, wherein said movement mechanism (15) comprises a lever (22) hingedly supported in said casing (2) by a support pin (25), wherein said lever (22) has a first arm (23) supporting said movable contact element (11) and a second arm (24) coupled to said impulse means (16), and said second arm (24) of said lever (22) is acting on said indicator means (27) when said movement mechanism (15) is activated by said impulse means (16) to move said movable contact element (11) to moving said at least one movable contact (12) into contact with said at least one fixed contact (9). 3. The contactor device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said actuator (28) comprises at least one lever supported in an articulated manner in said casing (2) and a resilient wheel (30) arranged on said lever in a position to come into contact with said movement mechanism (15) when it receives the action of said movement mechanism (15). 4. The contactor device according to claims 2 and 3, wherein said second arm (24) of said lever (22) of said movement mechanism (15), on its side facing said actuator (28), is provided with a recess (31) that engages said resilient wheel (30) of said lever of said actuator (28). 5. The contactor device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said impulse means (16) comprise a slider (19) and said movement mechanism (15) is coupled to said slider (19) by means of a connection element (20), wherein said connection element (20) is connected in hingedly to said movement mechanism (15) on one side and hingedly connected to said slider (19) on the other side. 6. The contactor device according to claims 2 and 5, wherein said side of said slider (19) is hingedly connected to said second arm (24) of said lever (22) of said movement mechanism (15) by a connecting pin (26), wherein said pin (26) connection is positioned in proximity of said support pin (25) of said lever (22) of said movement mechanism (15). The contactor device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said impulse means (16) comprise a magnetic coil (18), wherein a number of windings of said magnetic coil (18) are variably determined in accordance with a desired voltage operating said impulse means (16). The contactor device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein it further comprises arcing elimination means (32) covering said fixed and movable contacts (9, 12) The contactor device according to claim 8, wherein said arcing elimination means (32) comprise a plurality of dissipation plates (38, 38 ') arranged parallel to each other in grooves formed in a portion (7) housing the arc eliminator of said casing (2). The contactor device according to claim 9, wherein said dissipation plates (38, 38 ') are arranged in a staggered manner in said arc eliminator housing portion (7) of said housing (2). The contactor device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said plurality of dissipation plates (38, 38 ') comprise a plurality of odd-numbered dissipation plates (38,) and a plurality of even-numbered dissipation plates (38') arranged alternately in said housing portion (7) of the arc eliminator of said casing (2), wherein said odd-numbered dissipation plates (38,) each have a first shape and said even-numbered dissipation plates (38 ') each have a second shape, being said second shape different from said first shape. The contactor device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said casing (2) is assembled from two casing bushings (2A, 2B) to define housing portions (4, 5, 6, 7) for the various components of the device (1) contactor between them.