Method for controlling electrical current switchgear, electromagnetic actuator comprising a circuit for implementing this method and electrical switchgear comprising such an actuator

An electromagnetic actuator for electrical current electrical switchgear, comprising a coil and a control circuit adapted to electrically power the coil, the actuator being adapted to selectively displace a mobile switching part of the electrical switchgear under the action of the coil, the control circuit being adapted to:

• receive a command to switchover the electrical switchgear from an open state to a closed state;
• in response, supply an electrical power supply current to the coil to displace the mobile switching part from an open position to a closed position;
• wherein the control circuit is configured for the supply of the power supply current to include the implementation of a limitation of the intensity value of the electrical power supply current, said limitation comprising steps:
• a) acquiring a power supply current limit value by a microcontroller of the control circuit, said value being stored in digital form (Vref_value) in a memory of the control circuit;
• b) generating a reference value (Vref_in−) in the form of an analogue signal, representative of the power supply current limit value, from the acquired limit value (Vref_value) and with a digital-analogue converter of the control circuit;
• c) acquiring, by the control circuit, a signal (Isense) representative of the intensity of the power supply current circulating through the coil;
• d) comparing, with an analogue comparator of the control circuit, the reference analogue signal (Vref_in−) with the signal (Isense) representative of the intensity of the power supply current;
• e) inhibiting, by the control circuit, of the current power supply of the coil, in response to the comparison, as long as the intensity (Isense) of the power supply current has a value greater than or equal to the reference value (Vref_in−), the current power supply of the coil being re-established when the intensity (Isense) of the power supply current returns below the reference value.