Arrangement for controlling the switching of a power circuit breaker

• US 5,661,627 A
• Filed: 05/24/1996
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Prietzel, Guenter, Liebetruth, Marc, Marquardt, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Medley, Sally C.
• Application Number:
  US08/619,677
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 361/115, 335/17, 200/400, 200/401
• US Class Current: 361/115
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/3057 provisions for avoiding idling, e.g. preventing release of stored energy when a breaker is closed, or when the springs are not fully charged
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/3073 Indication of the charge on the spring motor
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 3/30 using spring motor

Abstract

A power circuit breaker (1) is provided with an arrangement that controls its switching-on depending on operating parameters (A . . . E, M1, M2, S). These parameters may be, for example, the position of switching contacts, the state of excitation of an undervoltage release and the switching position of another power circuit breaker. The arrangement has a coupling shaft (32) that may be rotated by a tripping half-wave by means of a steering lever (34) and by certain parameters by means of a sensor lever (36). A coupling member (20) that may be swivelled by the coupling shaft (32) allows a ratchet device (5, 6) of the energy store (7) of the power circuit breaker (1) to be released only when all conditions required for switching-on are met.

Claims

1. A power circuit breaker device comprising:

a plurality of switching contacts which are movable relative to one another;

an energy store for actuating the switching contacts;

a ratchet device for latching the energy store in a loaded state, the ratchet device being releasable manually or under remote control and including a coupling member which can be acted upon by at least one mechanical movement indicative of at least one operating parameter in order to disable an on command;

a tripping latch for transferring the switching contacts from a closed state to an open state;

a coupling shaft for actuating the coupling member of the ratchet device, the coupling shaft being acted upon by at least one mechanical movement indicative of the at least one operating parameter; and

an indicator member for indicating a readiness of the power circuit breaker to switch on, the indicator member being actuatable depending on a position of the coupling shaft such that the readiness of the power circuit breaker to switch on is indicated only when the energy store is in a taut state and the coupling shaft is not actuated.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein:

the ratchet device includes a switch-on half-wave and a catch peg coupled to the switch-on half-wave,

the coupling member is movable about a hinged bearing and includes a coupling peg which engages the catch peg, the hinged bearing being located on a swivelably supported lever mount which is actuatable by an on command, an actuation of the lever mount corresponding to a displacement of the hinged bearing of the coupling member in the sense of a rotation of the switch-on half-wave for releasing the energy store, and

the coupling member can be swivelled about the hinged bearing by the coupling shaft in order to bring the coupling peg into or out of engagement with the catch peg.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein:

the tripping latch includes a tripping half-wave and a cantilever attached to the tripping half-wave, and

the coupling shaft supports a steering lever which interacts with the cantilever so that when the tripping half-wave is acted upon in a tripping sense, the coupling shaft is rotated in order to bring the coupling peg out of engagement with the catch peg.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein an operating parameter indicative of a state of excitation of an undervoltage release is supplied to the tripping half-wave.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling shaft includes at least one sensor lever for sensing the at least one operating parameter.

6. The device according to claim 5 wherein the at least one operating parameter includes at least one operating parameter selected from the group consisting of a position of the switching contacts, an existence of an overcurrent trip, a switch position of at least one further power circuit breaker, a position of a door of a switchgear cell accommodating the power circuit breaker and a state of a travelling mechanism of the power circuit breaker in a slide-in mount.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein an operating parameter indicative of a position of an actuating shaft actuating the switching contacts is supplied to the coupling shaft.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a movement dependent on the position of the coupling member and the state of the energy store is supplied to a mechanical AND element which actuates the indicator member for indicating the readiness of the power circuit breaker to switch on.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein an operating parameter indicative of the loading state of the energy store is supplied to the coupling shaft and wherein the position of at least one of the coupling shaft and the coupling member indicates the readiness of the power circuit breaker to switch on.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling member includes an additional working surface which is effective only in a coupled state for sensing a parameter indicative of a state of a polling magnet.