Low arc AC contactor

• US 20060061920A1
• Filed: 12/15/2004
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fat Kwong Tse
• Original Assignee: Sheir Chun Lam
• Inventors: Chun Lam, Sheir
• Granted Patent: US 7,262,942 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/2
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 47/226 for bistable relays
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/56 for ensuring operation of the switch at a predetermined point in the ac cycle
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0015 Using arc detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/00 Emergency protective circuit arrangements for automatic disconnection directly responsive to an undesired change from normal electric working condition with or without subsequent reconnection specially adapted for specific types of electric machines or apparatus or for sectionalised protection of cable or line systems H02H7/00; systems for change-over to standby supply H02J9/00 ; integrated protection for motors H02H7/0822

Abstract

A low arc AC contactor comprises an on/off mechanism electromagnetic-controlled contact, a pulse power source generating circuit, a low arc trigger generating circuit, and a multifunctional fault-detecting circuit. The contactor converts an instantaneous strong current into strong pulse magnetic field energy to actuate contacts of mechanical portion of the contactor, so that the power source load is on or off. Each of the actuating process will be controlled by the electric circuit to perform at the lowest potential of AC voltage for reducing arc'"'"'s destructive power. Moreover, the contactor uses photoelectric coupling circuits, in which it can be controlled by external low voltage signal commands, as well as providing protection from overload, phase loss, short circuit, and leakage current.

Claims

1. A low arc AC contactor comprising an on/off mechanism (2) of electromagnetic-controlled contacts having coils L1, L2 for converting electric energy into magnetic energy, whereby allowing the contacts to be in engaging or disengaging condition, characterized in that, said contactor further comprises:

a pulse power source generating circuit (1) in which its input is connected to R and T terminals for providing two pulse power sources, and both are controllably connected to coil L1 and coil L2 respectively, and

a low arc trigger generating circuit (3) in which a pulse DC voltage signal generated by said pulse power source generating circuit (1) is received in order to establish a time coordinate signal of the lowest potential in an AC power source cycle, and an external trigger on/off controlling command is received to provide with on-command trigger pulse to said pulse power source generating circuit (1) so that a strong pulse magnetic field is generated in coil L1, thus resulting in the contacts being in engaging condition, as well as to provide with off-command trigger pulse or an power outage auto-cutout trigger pulse to said pulse power source generating circuit (1) so that a strong pulse magnetic field is generated in coil L2, thus resulting in the contacts being in disengaging condition.

2. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 1, characterized in that said contactor further comprises a multifunctional fault-detecting circuit (4), which is connected to the on/off mechanism (2) of electromagnetic-controlled contacts, and by which a short circuit current pulse detecting signal or an overload current pulse detecting signal is transmitted to the low arc trigger generating circuit (3) in order to output an off-command trigger pulse, thus generating a strong pulse magnetic field in coil L2 and allowing the contacts to be in disengaging condition.

3. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 2, characterized in that the pulse power source generating circuit (1) comprises a pulse DC voltage generating unit (10), a charging switch unit (11), a pulse power storage unit (12) for onstate, and a pulse power storage unit (13) for offstate to form a charging loop successively as well as an onstate discharging switch unit (14) and an offstate discharging switch unit (15) connected to the pulse power storage unit (12) for onstate and the pulse power storage unit (13) for offstate to form a discharging loop by electrically connects to coil L1 or coil L2 respectively.

4. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 2, characterized in that the low arc trigger generating circuit (3) comprises:

an zero potential coordinate signal generating unit (30), by which a pulse DC voltage signal from said pulse power source generating circuit (1) is received and to which a power outage auto-cutout trigger unit (31) is connected;

a photoelectric coupling on-command input unit (32), a on-command detecting unit (33) and a on-command trigger unit (34) to form a circuit successively and in which the on-command detecting unit (33) is also controlled by a time coordinate signal of the lowest potential in an AC power source cycle from zero potential coordinate generating unit (30); and

a photoelectric coupling off-command input unit (35), a off-command detecting unit (36) and a off-command trigger unit (37) to form a circuit successively and in which the off-command detecting unit (35) is also controlled by a time coordinate signal of a lowest potential in an AC power source cycle from zero potential coordinates generating unit (30).

5. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 4, characterized in that the photoelectric coupling on-command input unit (32) comprises a photoelectric coupling circuit PT1 by which the ground terminal controlling the on-command operating circuit (32, 33, 34) is isolated from the ground terminal of said contactor.

6. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 5, characterized in that said on-command operating circuit (32, 33, 34) comprising a command key S1 is connected to the input of the photoelectric coupling circuit PT1.

7. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 4, characterized in that said photoelectric coupling off-command input unit (35) comprises a photoelectric coupling circuit PT2 by which the ground terminal controlling the off-command operating circuit (35,36,37) is isolated from the ground terminal of said contactor.

8. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 7, characterized in that said off-command operating circuit (35,36,37) comprising a command key S2 is connected to the input of the photoelectric coupling circuit PT2.

9. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 2, characterized in that the multifunctional fault-detecting circuit (4) comprises a multifunctional fault-detecting unit (41), a short circuit current pulse detecting unit (42), and a short circuit signal coordinates generating unit (43), as well as an overload current pulse detecting unit (44) connected to the multifunctional fault-detecting unit (41) to form the circuit successively and in which the short circuit signal coordinate generating unit (43) and overload current pulse detecting unit (44) are utilized to input off-command signal to said low arc trigger generating circuit (3).

10. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 9, characterized in that said multifunctional fault-detecting unit (41) is a detecting device, which consists of plurality of mutual inductors, and can detect circuit faults:

short circuit, overload, leakage current, phase loss and imbalanced power.

11. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 1, characterized in that the said on/off mechanism (2) of electromagnetic-controlled contacts is a self-locking one.

12. The low arc AC contactor according to claim 2, characterized in that the said on/off mechanism (2) of electromagnetic-controlled contacts is a self-locking one.

13. The low arc AC contactor according to any one of claim 1, characterized in that said on/off mechanism (2) of electromagnetic-controlled contacts is a polarized magnetic field self-locking one.

14. The low arc AC contactor according to any one of claim 2, characterized in that said on/off mechanism (2) of electromagnetic-controlled contacts is a polarized magnetic field self-locking one.