IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,198,562
Granted Patent B2
US 8,198,562 · App. 12/440,392 · Granted Jun 12, 2012

Vacuum circuit breaker

Assignee: Switchcraft Europe GmbH
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,198,562
App. No.
12/440,392
Granted
Jun 12, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum switch, especially a vacuum circuit breaker, for medium and high voltages, comprising a mobile switch unit arranged inside a vacuum switch compartment ( 1 ) and provided with mutually mobile elements including a contact tappet ( 17 ), an insulator ( 18 ), and a driving or switching rod ( 11 ) introduced into the vacuum switch compartment ( 1 ) by means of metal bellows. Said vacuum switch also comprises a fixed contact inserted into the housing of the vacuum switch compartment ( 1 ). The upper end of the insulator ( 18 ) is fixed to the contact tappet ( 17 ), and the lower end of the insulator ( 18 ) is fixed to the driving or switching rod ( 11 ). The contact tappet ( 17 ) is connected to a conductor ( 8 ) by a flexible, electroconductive connection ( 20 ), said conductor being electroconductively connected to at least one laterally arranged output contact ( 6 ). The aim of the invention is to enable a simplified, more economical and improved design of a flexible conductive connection to the output contact. To this end, the inner cross-sectional surface of the vacuum switch compartment ( 1 ) is covered, at the level of the at least one output contact ( 6 ), around the contact tappet ( 17 ), by film-type or plate-type electroconductive covering elements ( 26 ) which are arranged over each other in layers and at least partially cover each other.

Claims (15)

1. A vacuum switch having a moving switching unit which is arranged within a vacuum interrupter chamber and comprises a contact plunger, an insulator and a drive or switching rod which move with one another, which drive or switching rod is introduced into the vacuum interrupter chamber through a bellows composed of metal, and having a stationary contact which is inserted into the housing of the vacuum interrupter chamber, with a first end of the insulator being firmly connected to the contact plunger and with a second end of the insulator being firmly connected to the drive or switching rod, and with the contact plunger having a flexible electrically conductive connection to a conductor which makes an electrically conductive connection to at least one outgoer contact which is arranged at the side, wherein the internal cross-sectional area of the vacuum interrupter chamber at the level of the at least one outgoer contact around the contact plunger is covered over an area by electrically conductive covering elements which are arranged thereon, are in the form of films or platelets, are arranged one above the other in layers and are each at least partially coincident.

2. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the covering elements are formed at least partially by the conductive connection.

3. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the conductor is in the form of a ring or ring section arranged around the contact plunger.

4. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the conductive connection is formed flexibly from a plurality of connecting elements which comprise flexible covering elements which are each arranged offset with respect to one another in the rotation direction about an axis which is formed by the contact plunger.

5. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 4 , characterized in that, with a subarea of at least one covering element, each of the flexible connecting elements covers at least a subarea of at least one covering element, each of the flexible connecting elements covers at least a subarea of a covering element of an adjacent connecting element in the rotation direction.

6. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 4 , characterized in that, with their mutually covering subareas, the connecting elements in their totality cover the cross-sectional area of at least one of the vacuum interrupter chamber, the conductor within a ring or a circular ring which is formed between the contact plunger and the ring.

7. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that, at least one of covering elements or connecting elements are arranged in layers one above the other.

8. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that, at least one of the covering elements or connecting elements are arranged helically one above the other.

9. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the connecting elements comprise an outer ring and an inner ring, as well as at least one supporting element which connects the outer and the inner ring.

10. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 9 , characterized in that the respective outer ring of the connecting elements is mounted in a ring of the conductor.

11. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 9 , characterized in that the respective inner ring of the connecting elements is held in a plunger ring.

12. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 11 , characterized in that, the plunger ring is arranged on the contact plunger.

13. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that, an upper ceramic cylinder, a lower ceramic cylinder and the insulator are composed of gas-tight ceramic.

14. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that, the vacuum switch is embedded in a casting-resin housing.

15. The vacuum switch as claimed in claim 9 , characterized in that the at least one supporting element forms a covering element.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 11, 2009
From: BODENSTEIN, KLAUS; LANGE, DETLEF
To: SWITCHCRAFT EUROPE GMBH
Reel/Frame 022661/0820 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2006 042 101 · Sep 7, 2006 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100000972A1 · Jan 7, 2010