RU2414765C2 - Air circuit breaker with temperature sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor comprises: a partition in form of an arm for dividing the inner space of the moulded base under each electric supply phase, a temperature sensor which detects temperature owing to that it is immovably inserted into an opening for inserting the sensor oon the said partition, and a temperature indicator which shows the value detected by the temperature sensor as temperature of the electroconductive unit, through which temperature inside the circuit breaker can be monitored.

EFFECT: avoiding damage caused by overheating of the electroconductive unit.

11 cl, 11 dwg

Description

Technical field

The following description generally relates to an air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor capable of detecting the temperature of the air circuit breaker by connecting a movable contactor and a fixed contactor, so as to prevent damage to the air circuit breaker caused by abnormal heating of the conductive unit containing the conductive circuit.

State of the art

In general, a circuit breaker is an electrical protective device installed between a power source and load units to protect load units, such as an electric motor and a transformer, as well as an electric line from abnormal current (strong current caused, for example, by short circuit and earth fault) ) arising in an electrical circuit, such as a power line, distribution line, and private transformer installation. In addition, the circuit breaker, insulated with insulating material on the disconnecting mechanism, allows you to manually open or close the electrical line in normal use, open or close the line from a distance using an electrical control device located outside the metal container, and automatically disconnect the line when an overcurrent occurs and short circuit current to protect power equipment and load units.

The action of the circuit breaker consists in the interaction of the fixed contactor and the movable contactor, which can move to the closed position, in which the movable contactor contacts the stationary contactor to close the circuit, and can move to the open (uncoupled) position, in which the movable contactor is separated from the fixed contactor to open the circuit.

Depending on the control method, the circuit breaker can be classified as an air circuit breaker, a hydraulic circuit breaker and a spring circuit breaker. A circuit breaker can also be classified as an air circuit breaker (ACB) for extinguishing an arc by air injection and a gas circuit breaker (GCB - gas circuit breaker) for extinguishing an arc by gas injection, depending on the arc extinguishing medium that arises during the process separating the movable contactor from the fixed contactor when operating the switch.

Figure 1 is a general view of a schematic structure of a standard air circuit breaker, and Figure 2 is a side view of a schematic internal structure of this circuit breaker.

1 and 2, typical air circuit breakers include mainly an electrically conductive assembly (40) forming a conductive circuit by connecting a movable contact point of a movable contactor (42) and a fixed contact point of a fixed contactor (44), a molded base (10) provided inside an electrically conductive assembly (40), a detector (20) detecting a random current and an opening / closing mechanism (30), actuating a movable contactor (42) in response to a detection signal of the detector (20). The air circuit breaker is equipped with an electrically conductive assembly (40) for each phase separately, i.e., an electrically conductive phase R (13), an electrically conductive phase S (14) and an electrically conductive phase T (15), as shown in FIG.

Next, the conductive circuit of the air circuit breaker will be described with reference to FIG. The fixed contactor (44) of the electrically conductive unit (41) is connected to the upper terminal (46), through which current flows to the circuit breaker, and the current supplied to the upper terminal (46) flows to the lower terminal (47) through the movable contactor (42). When the conductive circuit of the air circuit breaker is closed, current flows to the electrically conductive unit (40), while the temperature of the air circuit breaker rises due to heat generation by the conductors, including contact points.

When the temperature of the air circuit breaker rises, there is a high probability of erroneous operation of the circuit breaker due to damage caused by elevated temperature. This led to the fact that IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission - International Electrotechnical Commission, note. Translation.) And KS (Korean Standard - Korean standard, note. Translation.) Require restrictions on the temperature rise of the air circuit breaker, and the manufacturer produces a switch that meets the requirements IEC or KS.

However, in many cases, the temperature of the circuit breaker increases due to abnormal heating of the conductive assembly (40), even if the air circuit breaker meets the requirements. When the air circuit breaker generates heat above normal conditions, the circuit breaker itself is damaged and causes damage to the power line or distribution line due to a failure in switching off an accidental current. For this reason, monitoring the temperature of the conductive circuit breaker assembly in real time is essential to prevent damage caused by abnormal heating.

One way to monitor the temperature of the conductive circuit breaker assembly is to measure the temperature by periodically photographing the top terminal and the lower terminal using an infrared thermal imaging camera outside the air circuit breaker. However, the disadvantage of this method is the difficulty of measuring the internal temperature of the air circuit breaker, although the external temperature of the device is measurable.

Installing a temperature sensor to control the temperature of the conductive node of the air circuit breaker can be considered as a possible solution, however, it is not easy to install a temperature sensor on the upper terminal and the lower terminal through which current flows, so that there was no air circuit breaker equipped with a temperature sensor capable of detecting abnormal heating in real time.

Technical solution

The present invention is disclosed to address the aforementioned disadvantages, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor capable of continuously monitoring the temperature of the air circuit breaker, thereby preventing damage to the air circuit breaker caused by abnormal heating of the electrical conductive member forming the conductive circuit in which movable contactor and fixed contactor.

The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention in combination with the attached drawings.

In a general aspect, an air circuit breaker is configured of a molded base provided internally with an electrical conductive member forming a conductive circuit by connecting a movable contact point of a movable contactor and a fixed contact point of a fixed contactor; a detector detecting random current and an opening / closing mechanism that actuates a movable contactor in response to a detection signal from the detector, wherein the air circuit breaker comprises a temperature sensor sensing temperature due to being inserted into the sensor insertion hole in a molded base, and a temperature indicator showing a value detected by the temperature sensor as the temperature of the conductive member.

Exemplary embodiments of this aspect may include one or more of the following features.

The temperature sensor can be electrically connected to the temperature indicator through an external connector.

The air circuit breaker may further include an elastic element connected to the temperature sensor so that the temperature sensor is fixedly inserted into the hole for insertion of the sensor.

The temperature indicator may include an input electrically connected to the temperature sensor, a compensator correspondingly compensating for the temperature of the movable contactor of the electrically conductive node, the temperature of the upper terminal connected to the fixed contactor of the electrically conductive node, and the temperature of the lower terminal connected to the movable contactor of the electrically conductive node, based on the value detected temperature sensor, and an indicator showing the corresponding compensated temperature.

The temperature indicator may further include an output for outputting the value detected by the temperature sensor and compensated temperatures.

The air circuit breaker may further include a warning device for outdoor notification that the value detected by the temperature sensor has exceeded a predetermined reference temperature if the value detected by the temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined reference temperature.

The warning device may include a temperature setting unit for setting the reference temperature, an overheating detection unit determining whether the value detected by the temperature sensor has exceeded the reference temperature set by the temperature setting unit, and an overheating warning unit to indicate that the value detected by the sensor temperature, exceeded the reference temperature, as a result of the determination by the overheating detection unit that the value detected by the temperature sensor is greater than force reference temperature.

The temperature setting block is a DIP switch (a switch in the case with a double-row arrangement of leads), which makes it possible to select the desired reference temperature level from the reference temperature levels distributed in different steps.

The overheat detection unit may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), which converts the value detected by the temperature sensor into a digital value, and the overheat warning unit may include a digital indicator showing the temperature converted to a digital value using the ADC.

The overheat detection unit may generate a control signal in response to a temperature converted to a digital value by the ADC, and the digital indicator may include a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) for displaying the temperature by turning on and off a plurality of light emitting diodes in response to a control signal generated overheat detection unit.

A plurality of light emitting diodes may include a 7-segment group of display elements based on light emitting diodes, in which corresponding segments are turned on and off to display numerical values in response to a control signal from an overheat detection unit (overheat sensor).

Benefits of using

An air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor in accordance with the present invention makes it possible to continuously monitor the temperature of the air circuit breaker by means of a temperature sensor and a temperature indicator, thereby preventing damage to the air circuit breaker caused by abnormal heating of the electrical conductive member forming the conductive circuit, and preventing the occurrence of abnormal current, caused by erroneous operation of the air circuit breaker ator.

The warning device can immediately notify the user of a malfunction when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor has exceeded the reference temperature, thereby providing the user with the opportunity to pay attention to an accidental situation.

The user may be able to set the reference temperature based on the current temperature under the influence of the load, and accurately check the status of the air circuit breaker at any time.

As a result, an air circuit breaker can protect power systems from overload caused by overcurrent exceeding a critical value; protect the user from fire caused by overheating inside the air circuit breaker, and increase the life of the air circuit breaker due to its stable operation.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 presents a General view of a schematic design of a standard air circuit breaker.

Figure 2 presents a side view of a schematic internal structure of the air circuit breaker shown in figure 1.

Figure 3 presents a General view of a schematic structure of an air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor in accordance with an example implementation.

Figure 4 presents a schematic design of a temperature sensor in accordance with an example implementation.

Figure 5 presents a General view of the temperature sensor in the state of connection with the elastic element according to the exemplary embodiment.

Figure 6 presents a General view of the front molded base made with a hole for inserting a temperature sensor to attach the temperature sensor to the air circuit breaker in accordance with an example implementation.

Figure 7 presents a General view of the rear molded base connected to the front molded base shown in Fig.5.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of an air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a temperature indicator in accordance with an embodiment.

10 is a structural block diagram of a warning device in accordance with an embodiment.

11 is a plan view of a temperature setting unit in accordance with an embodiment.

The best example of implementation

The purpose of the invention, the design to achieve this goal and the efficiency of the air circuit breaker in accordance with the present invention will become fully understood from the following detailed description on the examples of implementation in combination with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 3 presents a General view of a schematic design of an air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor in accordance with an example implementation, Figure 4 shows a schematic design of a temperature sensor in accordance with an example implementation, Figure 5 shows a General view of a temperature sensor in a state of connection with elastic element according to an example embodiment, Fig.6 shows a General view of the front molded base with a hole for inserting a temperature sensor in order to attach the temperature sensor ry to an air circuit breaker in accordance with an embodiment, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a rear molded base coupled to a front molded base shown in FIG. 5; FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of an air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor in accordance with with an embodiment, FIG. 9 is a plan view of a temperature indicator in accordance with an embodiment, FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a structure of a warning device ization in accordance with an exemplary embodiment and Figure 11 is a top view of the temperature setting unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

The first will describe the design of an air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor.

The molded base (110) may include a front molded base (112) and a rear molded base (117) and may be provided with an electrically conductive assembly (140).

6 relates to a front molded base (112), and FIG. 7 relates to a rear molded base (117). The molded base (110) is made with the formation of internal space at the locations of each phase (phase R, S, T). The molded base (110) may be made of an insulating material, such as plastic or the like.

Each phase (R-phase, S-phase, T-phase) of the 3-phase AC circuit breaker is equipped with an electrically conductive unit (140), as shown in FIG. 3.

The electrical conductive member (140) may include a movable contactor (142) with a movable contact point and a fixed contactor (144) with a fixed contact point, as shown in Fig. 8. The fixed contactor (144) can be connected to the upper terminal (146) through which current flows, and the movable contactor (142) can be connected to the lower terminal (147) to form a conductive circuit.

A detector (120) may be located on the front surface of the molded base (110) to detect a random current, such as overcurrent or short circuit current.

An opening / closing mechanism (130) is located on the front surface of the molded base (110) to actuate the movable contactor (142) of the electrical conductive member in response to a detection signal from the detector (120).

The temperature sensor (150) may include a sensor (152) for measuring temperature, a lead-in cable (154) extending from the sensor (152), and a connector (156) connected to a lead-in cable (154) for connection to a temperature indicator (160) ), as shown in FIG. 4. Although the temperature sensor (150) can be directly connected to the temperature indicator (160), the connector (160) of the temperature sensor (150) is preferably connected to the terminal (172) of the external connector (170), since an air circuit breaker is usually equipped with an external connector (170), as shown in FIG. 8. In other words, the external connector (170) is connected to the input (162) of the temperature indicator (160) to provide an electrical connection between the temperature sensor (150) and the temperature indicator (160).

A temperature sensor (150) may be located inside the air circuit breaker to measure the temperature of the conductive assembly (140). Since the temperature of the electrically conductive unit (140) is difficult to measure directly, it is possible to measure the temperature near, taking it as the temperature of the electrically conductive unit (140). To this end, experimental data can be obtained on the relationship between the temperature of the electrically conductive unit (140) and the temperature at the installation site of the temperature sensor (150). As a result, the temperature at the installation site of the temperature sensor (150) can be taken as the temperature of the conductive unit (140) based on these experimental data.

The temperature sensor (150) in a three-phase (R, S, T) air circuit breaker can be mounted on a molded base between the R phase and S phase, as well as on a molded base between the S phase and T phase. The reason is that, as described above, it is not possible to accurately measure the temperature due to air circulation in the internal space if the temperature sensor (150) is located in it, since each molded base (110) has an internal space for each phase. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, two holes (115) for inserting a temperature sensor into which a temperature sensor (150) can be inserted can be made in the first partition in the form of a rib (113) of the front molded base between the R-phase and S-phase, and in the second partition in the form of a rib (114) of the front molded base between the S-phase and the T-phase, and a temperature sensor (150) can be inserted into these two holes. The hole (115) for inserting the sensor can be made deep enough to allow temperature measurement inside the switch. The hole (115) for inserting the sensor can be made with a guide groove (116) on the input side to prevent the electric lines of the temperature sensor (150) from interfering with other elements of the switch.

Preferably, the temperature sensor (150) may be configured such that the sensing element (152) is inserted into the rubber-like elastic element (158) with a partial protrusion from the elastic element (158), as shown in FIG. 5. The temperature sensor (150) connected to the elastic element (158) can be fixedly inserted into the hole (115) for inserting the sensor, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8.

The temperature indicator (160), electrically connected to the temperature sensor (150), is a device for displaying measurement values by compensating for the values in accordance with the temperature of the conductive unit (140), with which the user can monitor the temperature inside the air circuit breaker in real time .

According to Fig.9, the temperature indicator (160) may include an input (162), electrically connected to the temperature sensor (150), a compensator (not shown), compensating for the value measured by the temperature sensor (150), in accordance with the temperature of the conductive node, and an indication unit (164) displaying the compensated temperature of the conductive member. A compensator (not shown) may act to take the value measured by the temperature sensor (150) as the temperature of the conductive assembly using experimental data. In this case, preferably, the values measured by the temperature sensor (150) are respectively taken as the temperature of the movable contactor (142) on the electrically conductive unit, the temperature of the upper terminal (146) and the temperature of the lower terminal, and are displayed on the display unit (164).

Preferably, the temperature indicator (160) may further include an output for outputting the measured temperatures to the outside, whereby the internal temperature of the air circuit breaker can be monitored in real time both at the installation site of the switch and from a remote distance.

The principle of operation of the invention

Meanwhile, according to FIG. 10, an air circuit breaker with a temperature sensor may further include a warning device (200) that warns that the value detected by the temperature sensor (150) has exceeded the set reference temperature if the value detected by the temperature sensor (150) is higher than the set reference temperature. The warning device (200) may comprise any, preferably multiple, design for alerting users in real time of imminent danger, and for wirelessly alerting a user in a remote location.

As shown in FIG. 9, a warning device (200), mounted together with a temperature indicator (160), can inform outside that a value detected by a temperature sensor (150) has exceeded a predetermined reference temperature if a value detected by a temperature sensor ( 150), above a predetermined reference temperature, can visually warn the user with the LED lamp (167) and can warn by sound signals through the loudspeaker. The warning device (200) may include a temperature setting driver (210), an overheat detection unit (220) and an overheat warning unit (230), as shown in FIG. 10.

The temperature setting unit (210) can be controlled by the user and set the reference temperature, which is compared with the values detected by the temperature sensor (150). In other words, the temperature setting unit (210) can select (turn on) number 1 on the DIP switch (a switch in the case with a two-row pin arrangement), in which the reference temperature level is distributed step by step from number 1 to number 4, and can set the reference temperature by turn off other numbers, as shown in Fig.11. More specifically, the temperature setting unit may select the desired reference temperature level from the reference temperature levels, which are divided in different steps using a DIP switch.

The overheat detection unit (220) can determine whether the value detected by the temperature sensor (150) has exceeded the reference temperature set by the temperature setting unit (210). The overheat detection unit (220) may further include an ADC (analog-to-digital converter 225), which converts the analog temperature value detected by the temperature sensor (150) to a digital value. Then, the overheat detection unit (220) can determine whether the temperature converted by the ADC (225) to digital form has exceeded the reference temperature set by the temperature setting unit (210).

The overheat detection unit (220) can generate a control signal in response to the temperature converted by the ADC (225) into digital form. The control signal may act as a signal for controlling a digital indicator (see below, 235), wherein the digital indicator displays the temperature in response to the control signal.

As a result of the determination by the overheating detection unit (220), if the value detected by the temperature sensor (150) has exceeded the set reference temperature, the overheating warning unit (230) may report this outside. The overheat warning unit (230) may include a warning sound generator (not shown) generating a warning sound, or a light on / off unit (not shown) turning on or off the light to notify the user that the air circuit breaker overheated due to the fact that the temperature inside the switch exceeded the set reference temperature.

The overheat warning unit (230) may further include a digital indicator (235), which can display the temperature converted to digital form by the ADC (225) of the overheat detection unit (220) to allow the user to have temperature information inside the air circuit breaker.

A digital indicator (235) can display the temperature using a single color light emitting diode, a three color light emitting diode, or a 7-segment group of display elements based on light emitting diodes.

Next, a digital indicator (235) with a single-color light emitting diode (LED), a three-color LED, or a 7-segment group of display elements based on light-emitting diodes will be described in detail.

The digital indicator (235) can be equipped with a plurality of single-color light-emitting diodes (including red, green, and blue) and turn on or off a set of specified light-emitting diodes from a plurality of single-color light-emitting diodes in response to a control signal generated by the overheat detection unit (220), or turn on or turn off light-emitting diodes of a given color (red, green or blue) to display the temperature. The digital indicator (235) can be equipped with a three-color LED and turn on or off the LED signal of a given color selected from a three-color LED in response to a control signal generated by the overheat detection unit (220) to display the temperature. Turning a given color on or off using a single-color LED or tri-color LED in the above description applies when the colors are predetermined by the temperature distribution step by step.

The digital indicator (235) can be equipped with at least one or more 7-segment indicators based on light-emitting diodes and turn on and off the corresponding segment of 7-segment indicators based on light-emitting diodes in accordance with the control signal generated by the overheat detection unit (220 ) to display the temperature in discrete numbers.

More specifically, the digital indicator (235) can serve to inform the user of the reliable condition inside the air circuit breaker, even if the warning sound generator or the light on / off unit of the overheating warning unit (230) does not work properly. A digital indicator (235) can inform the user of the current temperature inside the air circuit breaker to enable the user to set the reference temperature based on the temperature corresponding to the current load if the user sets the reference temperature inside the air circuit breaker using the temperature setting unit (210).

Industrial applicability

Thus, the warning device (200), mounted and mounted on the air circuit breaker, can turn off the power supply to the load systems when an overcurrent exceeding the critical value occurs inside the air circuit breaker, and continuously monitor the temperature inside the circuit breaker to protect the user from fire, thereby ensuring the user the ability to use the switch stably for a long time.

Since this principle can be implemented in several forms without deviating from its essence or essential features, it should also be understood that the above embodiments are not limited to any elements of the above description, unless otherwise indicated, but are subject to expanded interpretation within the essence and scope inventions in accordance with the appended claims, and that, therefore, all changes and modifications within the boundaries and limits of the claims or equivalent to these boundaries and limits are therefore intended to be covered by the appended claims.

Claims (11)

1. An air circuit breaker composed of a molded base provided internally with an electrical conductive member forming a conductive circuit by connecting a movable contact point of a movable contactor and a fixed contact point of a fixed contactor; a detector detecting a random current and an opening / closing mechanism that drives a movable contactor in response to a detection signal from the detector, the air circuit breaker comprising: a rib-shaped partition made on a molded base to separate the interior of the molded base for each phase power supply, a temperature sensor, perceiving temperature due to the fact that it is fixedly inserted into the hole for insertion of the sensor, made in the partition in the form of ribs, Temperature indicator indicating the value detected by the temperature sensor as the temperature of the electrical conductive member. 2. The switch according to claim 1, in which the temperature sensor is electrically connected to the temperature indicator through an external connector. 3. The switch according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic element connected to the temperature sensor so that the temperature sensor is fixedly inserted into the hole for insertion of the sensor. 4. The switch according to claim 1, in which the temperature indicator comprises: an input electrically connected to a temperature sensor; a compensator, respectively compensating the temperature of the movable contactor of the electrically conductive node, the temperature of the upper terminal connected to the fixed contactor of the electrically conductive node, and the temperature of the lower terminal connected to the movable contactor of the electrically conductive node, based on a value detected by the temperature sensor; and an indicator showing the corresponding compensated temperatures. 5. The switch according to claim 4, in which the temperature indicator further comprises an output for outputting the values detected by the temperature sensor and compensated temperatures. 6. The switch according to claim 1, additionally containing a warning device for external warning that the value detected by the temperature sensor has exceeded a predetermined reference temperature if the value detected by the temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined reference temperature. 7. The switch according to claim 6, in which the warning device comprises: a temperature setting unit for setting a reference temperature; an overheat detection unit determining whether the value detected by the temperature sensor has exceeded the reference temperature set by the temperature setting unit; and an overheat warning unit for notifying that the value detected by the temperature sensor has exceeded the reference temperature, as a result of the overheating detection unit determining that the value detected by the temperature sensor has exceeded the reference temperature. 8. The switch according to claim 7, in which the temperature setting unit is a DIP switch (a switch in the housing with a two-row arrangement of leads), which makes it possible to select the required reference temperature level from the reference temperature levels distributed in different steps. 9. The switch according to claim 7, in which the overheating detection unit comprises an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), converting the value detected by the temperature sensor into a digital value, and the overheating warning unit contains a digital indicator showing the temperature converted to a digital value with using ADC. 10. The switch according to claim 9, in which the overheating detection unit generates a control signal in response to a temperature converted to a digital value by the ADC, the digital indicator comprising a plurality of light emitting diodes for displaying a temperature by turning on and off a plurality of light emitting diodes in response to a control signal generated by the overheat detection unit. 11. The switch of claim 10, in which the set of light emitting diodes contains a 7-segment group of display elements based on light emitting diodes, in which the corresponding segments are turned on and off to display discrete numbers in response to a control signal from the overheat detection unit (overheating sensor).

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