Method for operating a switch with a connectable current limiter and corresponding arrangement
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsDavid Walter Branston, Karl-Hans Bärnklau, Fritz Pohl, Christian Schreckinger
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Abstract
Power switches are provided with measures for preventing a recommendation of the arc from the secondary current path to the main current path and/or measures for returning the current limiter during the recommutation of the light art. A corresponding arrangement for carrying out the method is provided with means in the power switch and/or current limiter for preventing a switch failure of the current limiter disposed in the secondary current path of the power switch. The current limiter can be especially a PTC current limiter.
Claims36
A method for operation of a switching device having a switching chamber, at least one main current path and an associated auxiliary current path, wherein the switching device includes a quenching device for an arc and a PTC limiter, adapted to switch from a non-current-limiting mode to a current-limiting mode and adapted to form a switching voltage when there is a high current load, comprising:
- resetting the PTC limiter if the arc commutates back from the auxiliary current path to the main current path, whereby the current in the auxiliary current path decreases to a low value or to zero;
- and
- resetting the PTC limiter from the current-limiting mode to the non-current-limiting mode in a time period of <1 ms, after the current in the auxiliary current path decreases to a low value or to zero.
An arrangement, comprising:
- a switching device having switching contacts inclusive of stationary contacts and link contacts, arc guide rails associated with the switching contacts, and two switching chambers having initial chamber areas contiguous with arc splitter chambers, respectively;
- and
- a current limiter in an auxiliary current path of the switching device;
- wherein the current limiter includes a PTC limiter to prevent switching failure of the current limiter, the PTC limiter including a resistance body composed of polymer, made to be electrically conductive, between two metallic electrodes under pressure, and including profiled electrodes and complementary surface profiles in the resistance body
- wherein the current limiter is connected to a connection point of the arc guide rails;
- wherein for preventing arcs from commutating back, the arc guide rails are adapted to screen the link contacts from the arc splitter chambers and from the initial chamber areas;
- and
- wherein the current limiter is resettable from a current-limiting mode to a non-current limiting mode in a time period of <1 ms.
A method for operation of a switching device having at least one main current path and an associated auxiliary current path, wherein the switching device includes a PTC limiter and is switchable between a non-current-limiting mode and a current-limiting mode, comprising:
- resetting the PTC limiter if an arc commutates from the auxiliary current path to the main current path;
- and
- resetting the PTC limiter from the current-limiting mode to the non-current-limiting mode in a time period of <1 ms.
An arrangement for operation of a switching device having at least one main current path and an associated auxiliary current path, wherein the switching device includes a PTC limiter and is switchable between a non-current-limiting mode and a current-limiting mode, comprising:
- means for resetting the PTC limiter from the current-limiting mode go the non-current-limiting mode in a time period of <1 ms;
- and
- means for resetting the PTC limiter if an arc commutates from the auxiliary current path to the main current path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.