SUBSTATION FOR MEDIUM OR HIGH VOLTAGE, CONTAINING SWITCHGEAR OR CONTROLGEAR WITH UNMANNED OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

• US 20200136357A1
• Filed: 12/27/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Kozel, Tomas, Schmidtchen, Thomas, Stefanka, Martin
• Granted Patent: US 11,362,489 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/005 Manipulators for mechanical processing tasks
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 11/12 with isolation by horizontal withdrawal
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 3/00 Apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture, assembly, or maintenance of boards or switchgear
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 7/00 Enclosed substations, e.g. compact substations
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 7/06 Distribution substations, e.g. for urban network H02B7/01 takes precedence

Abstract

A substation for medium or high voltage includes: switchgear or controlgear with unmanned operation and maintenance; an inner room in which the switchgear or controlgear are located, the inner room being hermetically enclosed by an outer housing, the inner room being locked against the outer housing by an inner, automatically operated door; and a robot system, the robot system being implemented such that an acting area of the robot system is extended from the inner room, partly in an area outside the inner room, but inside the outer housing, where spare parts are stored in a spare parts hand over area, for maintenance.

Claims

1. A substation for medium or high voltage, comprising:

switchgear or controlgear with unmanned operation and maintenance;

an inner room in which the switchgear or controlgear are located, the inner room being hermetically enclosed by an outer housing, the inner room being locked against the outer housing by an inner, automatically operated door; and

a robot system, the robot system being implemented such that an acting area of the robot system is extended from the inner room, partly in an area outside the inner room, but inside the outer housing, where spare parts are stored in a spare parts hand over area, for maintenance.

2. The substation according to claim 1, further comprising human operator presence sensors inside the room of the outer housing, such that if current carrying parts inside the inner room, where the switchgear or controlgear are located, are energized, a locking device at the door of the inner room is configured to automatically lock that door,

wherein inside the inner room only the robot system is allowed to operate.

3. The substation according to claim 1, wherein the inner room comprises a hermetically closable compartment.

4. A method for operating a substation for medium or high voltage, containing switchgear or controlgear with unmanned operation and maintenance, wherein an inner room in which the switchgear or controlgear are located is hermetically enclosed by an outer housing, comprising:

locking the inner room against the outer housing by an inner, automatically operated door;

logically controlling locking and de-locking of the door by evaluation of an automatic sensing of a presence of a human operator and an energy status of current carrying parts of the switchgear and/or busbars; and

providing a robot system such that an acting area of the robot system is extended from the inner room, partly in an area outside the inner room, but inside the outer housing, where spare parts are stored in a spare parts hand over area, for maintenance.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein for maintenance or repair of the robot system, an area is predefined as a repair and maintenance area, which is located outside the inner room and inside the outer housing, and

wherein the human operator is allowed to enter, if the inner room, where the switchgear or controlgear of the inner room are energized, is locked by the door of the inner room.