Electricity meter contact arrangement

• US 7,990,239 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensus Spectrum, LLC (Xylem, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: M&FC Holding, LLC (Xylem, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Michael R., Burstall, Oliver, Syrop, Alan, Mazza, William R. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrera; Ramon M
• Application Number:
  US12/437,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20100282579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 335/106, 335/127, 335131-133, 335/179, 335/190, 335/194, 335/195, 200/16.R, 200/16.A, 200/16.B, 200/16.C, 200/16.D, 200/16.F, 200/239, 200/243
• US Class Current: 335/106
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/54 by magnetic force combined with electrodynamic opening H01H77/101
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/58 Driving arrangements structurally associated therewith; Mounting of driving arrangements on armature
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/648 intermediate part being rigidly combined with armature H01H50/66 - H01H50/74 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 51/2209 with rectilinearly movable armature

Abstract

At least one electrical contactor is provided that includes a fixed contact and a movable contact. The fixed contact includes a center leg and first and second arms that extend in opposite directions from the center leg. The movable contact associated with each fixed contact includes first and second blades positioned on opposite sides of the center leg. The first and second blades extend parallel to the center leg of the fixed contact such that when current flows through the electrical contactor, the current flow creates a force to push the first and second blades into the first and second arms of the fixed contact. The electrical contactor includes an actuating arrangement having a pair of cam members. The movement of the cam members causes pegs on each of the first and second blades to travel within the cam channel, thus opening and closing the contactor arrangement.

Claims

1. An electrical contactor comprising:

a fixed contact having a center leg extending along a longitudinal axis between a first end and a second end, wherein the second end of the fixed contact includes a first arm and a second arm each extending in opposite directions from the center leg;

a movable contact having a first blade and a second blade, wherein the movable contact is positioned such that the first blade is located between the first arm and the center leg of the fixed contact and the second blade is located between the second arm and the center leg of the fixed contact; and

an actuating arrangement positioned to engage both the first and second blades of the movable contact, wherein the actuating arrangement is movable between a closed position in which the actuating arrangement forces the first blade into contact with the first arm and simultaneously forces the second blade into contact with the second arm and an open position in which the actuating arrangement forces the separation of the first blade and the first arm and forces the separation between the second blade and the second arm.

2. The electrical contactor of claim 1 wherein when the actuating arrangement is in the closed condition, current flows through the center leg of the fixed contact from the first end to the second end and current flows through the first and second blades of the movable contact in a direction opposite the current flow through the center leg of the fixed contact to create a magnetic force that repels each of the first and second blades away from the center leg of the fixed contact.

3. The electrical contactor of claim 2 wherein the magnetic force created by the current flow through the first and second blades of the movable contact and through the center leg of the fixed contact repels the first blade into contact with the first arm and repels the second blade into contact with the second arm.

4. The electrical contactor of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second blades includes at least one peg that is received within a cam channel formed in the actuating arrangement.

5. The electrical contactor of claim 4 wherein the actuating arrangement includes an armature that receives a cam member including the cam channel, wherein the armature is movable in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the center leg of the fixed contact and the cam channel is configured to move the first and second blades toward and away from the center leg.

6. The electrical contactor of claim 1 wherein the actuating arrangement includes an electromagnetic actuator that is selectively activated to move the actuating arrangement between the open and closed positions.

7. The electrical contactor of claim 6 wherein the electromagnetic actuator is remotely actuatable.

8. The electrical contactor of claim 1 wherein the first and second blades each contact an end stop upon separation from the first and second arms to limit the movement of the first and second blades.

9. The electrical contactor of claim 8 wherein the end stops are formed from insulating material attached to the center leg of the fixed contact.

10. The electrical contactor of claim 8 wherein the each of the first and second blades includes insulating material that contacts the end stops formed on the center leg of the fixed contact.

11. A two pole electrical contactor comprising:

a pair of fixed contacts each having a center leg, a first arm and a second arm, wherein the first and second arms extend away from the center leg in opposite directions;

a pair of movable contacts each having a first blade and a second blade, wherein the first blade of each movable contact is positioned between the first arm and the center leg of one of the fixed contacts and the second blade is positioned between the second arm and the center leg of one of the fixed contacts; and

an actuating arrangement positioned to engage the first and second blades of both of the movable contacts, wherein the actuating arrangement is movable between a closed position in which the actuating arrangement forces the first blade of each movable contact into contact with the first arm of the fixed contact and simultaneously forces the second blade of each movable contact into engagement with the second arm of the fixed contact and an open position in which the actuating arrangement separates the first blade of each movable contact and the first arm on the fixed contact and separates the second blade of each movable contact and the second arm of the fixed contact.

12. The two pole electrical contactor of claim 11 wherein the actuating arrangement includes a pair of cam members each including a cam channel, wherein each of the cam channels receives a peg mounted to each of the first and second blades of the movable contacts.

13. The two pole electrical contactor of claim 11 wherein when the actuating arrangement is in the closed condition, current flows through the center leg of each of the fixed contacts along the longitudinal axis of the center leg and current flows through the first and second blades of the movable contacts in a direction opposite the current flow through the center leg of the fixed contacts to create a magnetic force that repels each of the first and second blades away from the center leg of the fixed contact.

14. The two pole electrical contactor of claim 13 wherein the magnetic force created by the current flow through the first and second blades of the movable contact and through the center leg of the fixed contact repels the first blade into contact with the first arm and repels the second blade into contact with the second arm.

15. The two pole electrical contactor of claim 11 wherein the first and second blades of each movable contact include a pair of pegs that are each received within a cam channel formed in the actuating arrangement.

16. The two pole electrical contactor of claim 15 wherein the actuating arrangement includes an armature that receives a pair of cam members each including the cam channel, wherein the armature is movable along the longitudinal axis of the center leg of the fixed contact and the cam channel is configured to move the first and second blades toward and away from the center leg.

17. The two pole electrical contactor of claim 16 wherein the actuating arrangement further includes an electromagnetic actuator that is selectively activated to move the actuating arrangement between the open and closed positions.

18. The two pole electrical contactor of claim 17 wherein the electromagnetic actuator is remotely actuatable.

19. A movable contact set for an electrical contactor, comprising:

a fixed contact having a center leg extending along a longitudinal axis, a first arm and a second arm, wherein the first and second arms extend in opposite directions from the center leg;

a movable contact having first and second blades extending generally parallel to each other and located on opposite sides of the center leg, wherein the first blade is positioned between the center leg and the first arm and the second blade is positioned between the center leg and the second arm,

wherein the contact set is arranged such that when the contact set is in a closed condition, the first blade engages the first arm and the second blade engages the second arm such that current flows through the first and second blades in an opposite direction to the current flow through the center leg of the fixed contact to create a magnetic force that forces the first and second blades toward the first and second arms, respectively.

20. The movable contact set of claim 19 wherein each of the first and second blades includes one or more contact pads and each of the first and second arms of the fixed contact includes one or more contact pads.

21. The movable contact set of claim 20 wherein the first and second arms of the fixed contact each include a spacing section connected to the center leg and extending perpendicular to the center leg and a pad support section coupled to the horizontal section and extending parallel to the center leg and perpendicular to the spacer section, wherein each of the pad support sections includes the contact pad.

22. The movable contact set of claim 21 wherein the pad support section of each of the first and second arms is spaced from the center leg by a receiving channel, wherein the receiving channel formed by the first arm and the center leg of the fixed contact receives the first blade and the receiving channel formed between the second arm and the center leg of the fixed contact receives the second blade.

23. The movable contact set of claim 22 wherein the first and second blades extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the center leg.