Switching apparatus
AssigneeGeneral Electric Technology GmbH
InventorColin Charnock Davidson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A switching apparatus comprises: a plurality of parallel-connected current-conductive branches, each current-conductive branch including at least one respective gas tube switch; and a switching control unit configured to control the turn-on of the gas tube switches in a switching order so that the flow of current in the switching apparatus is controlled to switch between the current-conductive branches, wherein the switching order of the turn-on of the gas tube switches is arranged so that only one of the current-conductive branches is carrying the current during each turn-on cycle of the switching apparatus.
Claims13
A switching apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of parallel-connected current-conductive branches each current-conductive branch including at least one respective gas tube switch;
- a switching control unit configured to control the turn-on of the gas tube switches in a switching order so that the flow of current in the switching apparatus is controlled to switch between the current-conductive branches, wherein the switching order of the turn-on of the gas tube switches is arranged so that only one of the current-conductive branches is carrying the current during each turn-on cycle of the switching apparatus;
- and
- a monitoring unit configured to monitor a respective parameter indicative of a respective state of each gas tube switch, wherein the switching control unit is configured to arrange the switching order of the turn-on of the gas tube switches in response to a deviation of at least one monitored parameter from a target value or range.
A method of operating a switching apparatus, the switching apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of parallel-connected current-conductive branches, each current-conductive branch including at least one respective gas tube switch, wherein the method comprises:
- controlling the turn-on of the gas tube switches in a switching order so that the flow of current in the switching apparatus is controlled to switch between the current-conductive branches;
- arranging the switching order of the turn-on of the gas tube switches so that only one of the current-conductive branches is carrying the current during each turn-on cycle of the switching apparatus;
- monitoring a respective parameter indicative of a respective state of each gas tube switch;
- and
- arranging the switching order of the turn-on of the gas tube switches in response to a deviation of at least one monitored parameter from a target value or range.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.