Switching phase offset for contactor optimization
AssigneeRockwell Automation Technologies, Inc.
InventorsHans Weichert, James Peter Miller, Urs Hunziker, Reynald KaltenRieder, Lorenz Laeuppi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and methods providing for minimizing the arc energy delivered to the pads of a plurality of contactors using a single control coil based on monitoring the electrical sine waves of the three alternating current electrical poles and calculating the instant to energize or deenergize a single control coil. The remainder of the contactors will make or break based on an offset in time from the making or breaking of the control contactor.
Claims21
A system for minimizing arc energy delivered to an electromechanical switching equipment, comprising:
- three pole moveable contacts attached to respective moveable mounting blocks that are coupled to a common crossbar, comprising:
- a controlled contact;
- and
- two follower contacts having a mechanical design that provides an offset in time between a switching of the controlled contact and a switching of the two follower contacts;
- and
- a coil control component configured to facilitate the switching of the controlled contact at a first time and the switching of the two follower contacts at a second time that is based in part on the offset in time, in response to a single motion of the common crossbar in accordance with an analysis of timing data associated with the controlled contact.
A method for minimizing arc energy delivered to an electromagnetic switching equipment, comprising:
- measuring a point on an electrical sine wave for a plurality of poles associated with the electromagnetic switching equipment switch that comprises a controlled contact and one or more offset contacts that have a mechanical design that is different from a mechanical design of the controlled contact;
- determining an instance in time to at least one of make or break the controlled contact based in part on the measuring;
- moving a crossbar, coupled to the controlled contact and the one or more offset contacts, based in part on the determining;
- at least one of making or breaking electrical connectivity at the controlled contact at the instance of time, in response to the moving;
- and
- in response to the moving, at least one of making or breaking electrical connectivity at the one or more offset contacts at a disparate instance of time that is based in part on an offset time period provided by a difference between the mechanical design of the offset contacts and the mechanical design of the controlled contact.
An apparatus, comprising:
- an electrical sine wave monitoring component that monitors an electrical feed applied to an electromagnetic switching equipment that comprises a controlled contact and a plurality of offset contacts, to facilitate identification of an instance of time at which the controlled contact within the electromagnetic switching equipment is to be switched;
- and
- a control component that moves the controlled contact and the plurality of offset contacts, together via a crossbar, to at least one of make or break electrical connectivity at the controlled contact at the instance of time and at least one of make or break electrical connectivity at the plurality of offset contacts after an offset time period that is predefined based on a mechanical design of the plurality of offset contacts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.