US 7,078,642 B2 · Arc extinguishing device with a high speed whip

Abstract

Rapid arc extinguishing devices for air break switches have a whip with at least an end portion of nonmetallic material such as fiber reinforced plastic with a conductive path on its surface. The nonmetallic material is a single tapered rod or an assembly of a plurality of rods successively inserted into an outer rod. The conductive path on the whip is of various individual and combination forms of which some include a metal braid, foil, sheath or wound wire. Particular forms of the conductive path on the rod have enhanced durability and arc resistance at the areas of the whip most likely to be subject to arcing with a latch of the device upon switch opening or closing. Further forms of the whip are a combination in which an end portion as described is attached to an all metal base portion that is arranged to include a portion of the whip subject to arcing on switch closing. Another form of device has a latch engaging a whip at a rotating wheel on the latch. Whips with conductors having metal strands are made with strands bonded to the nonmetallic rod surface for greater durability in use. Whips with an all metal base portion have a metal spine within its nonmetallic portion through the joint region between the two portions, to minimize risk of damage to the nonmetallic portion from high stress in that region when such a whip is released from a latch. Also, a latch with a wheel or roller is improved by a design that limits wear of the conductive path on a nonmetallic rod surface.

Claims46

Dependent claims

An electrically conductive whip-like contact structure comprising:

a flexible rod;
a conductive path along an exterior surface of the rod, the conductive path including one or more metal conductors selected from the group consisting of a metal braid and a metal wire, the one or more metal conductors including metal strands bonded to the rod surface by an adhesive at interstitial locations between the metal strands and the adhesive includes a resinous material containing metallic particles.

An electrically conductive whip-like contact structure comprising:

a tapered, elongated, and flexible member including first and second parts with an end of the first joined with an end of the second and with a taper proceeding along the member with smaller cross-sectional dimensions from a largest end of the first part to a smallest end of the second part;
the first part being of substantially all-metal material;
the second part having a different composition than the first part with a density less than that of the first part;
and
the first and second parts each having an electrically conductive surface forming a continuous conductive path along the outside of the joined parts with the conductive path exteriorly exposed for contact along its length.

2 more elements

Electrical apparatus comprising:

a first contact element with a flexible whip-like structure including a rod with a conductive path along at least a surface of the rod;
a second contact element that includes a rod portion having an end proximate to which there is joined with the rod portion a first end of a pin on which a roller, with an outer rim, is located and free to rotate, a second end of the pin being joined with a cam bar, and the rod portion, pin, roller, and cam bar all being electrically conductive;
the first and second contact elements being conductively attached respectively to first and second relatively movable electrically conductive parts in a combination in which the first and second electrically conductive parts are relatively moveable from a first position to a second position and from the second position to the first position during which movements the first and second contact elements make sliding conductive engagement including, in movement from the first position to the second position, sliding conductive engagement of the conductive path of the first contact element with the rim of the roller of the second contact element.

An air break switch comprising:

first and second interengaging switch contacts and a switch operating mechanism for opening and closing operations of the switch contacts by relative movement of the contacts;
an arc extinguishing whip and a latch conductively connected with respective ones of the contacts;
the whip having a first all-metal portion conductively connected with one of the contacts and a second portion comprising one or more concentric rods of material of a different composition than the first portion with a continuous conductive path on an exterior surface of the outermost rod that includes one or more conductors having one or more metal strands bonded to the surface of the rod by an adhesive, and with the conductive path on the outermost rod connected with the first portion at a joint including a metal spine located within the interior of the second portion;
the latch including conductive members comprising a rod portion connected at one end with the other of the contacts and having a second end proximate to which a pin is attached to the rod portion with a roller free to rotate thereon, the latch further comprising a cam bar attached to the pin on a side of the roller opposite the rod portion;
the whip, the latch and the respective contacts being arranged in a combination that has sliding conductive engagement between the whip and the latch during opening and closing operations of the switch contacts by the switch operating mechanism including, in a switch opening operation, sliding conductive engagement of the conductive path on the whip second portion with the roller of the latch.

2 more elements

An air break switch comprising:

first and second main switch contacts movable relative to each other to produce a switch opening or a switch closing;
a whip and latch, conductively connected with respective ones of the main switch contacts, that mutually conductively engage at least during part of a switch opening;
the whip having a structure including, at least in a tip-end portion that is last to separate from the latch in a switch opening, a rod assembly of a first flexible nonmetal rod with a surface conductive path and one or more additional nonmetal rods arranged within a tapered hollow center of the first nonmetal rod and firmly joined together at one end with an inner end of the first rod and spaced from each other and from the first at outer, tip, ends of the one or more additional rods;
and
the surface conductive path of the whip tip-end portion extends continuously along the length of the first nonmetal rod from its tip to a conductive connection leading to the switch contact to which the whip is conductively connected.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Arc extinguishing device with a high speed whip

Life of this patent

Arc extinguishing device with a high speed whip

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims46