# US 9,437,380 B2 · Switching unit or switching gear > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,437,380 B2 - Document ID: US9437380B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/404,081 - Filed: 2013-04-08 - Published: 2015-04-16 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-29 - Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd. - Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd. - Inventors: Miki Yamazaki; Tomoaki Utsumi; Masato Yabu; Ayumu Morita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437380B2 ## CPC - H01H 33/66207: {Specific housing details, e.g. sealing, soldering or brazing} - H01H 33/6606: {Terminal arrangements} - H01H 33/6661: {Combination with other type of switch, e.g. for load break switches (H01H33/143, H01H33/6662 take precedence)} - H01H 2033/6613: {Cooling arrangements directly associated with the terminal arrangements} - H01H 2033/6623: {Details relating to the encasing or the outside layers of the vacuum switch housings} - H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00) ## Abstract An object is to provide a switching unit or switching gear which enhances heat radiation performance and eliminates the need for an increase in unit size. In order to solve this problem the switching unit includes a switch and insulating resin located in a way to cover the periphery of the switch, in which the switch includes a fixed electrode, a movable electrode facing the fixed electrode and moving in an axial direction to contact or leave the fixed electrode, a bus side conductor connected to one of the electrodes and connected to a bus, and a load side conductor connected to the other electrode and connected to the load. The insulating resin has fins formed in a circumferential direction on the outer surface of the insulating resin and the distance between the periphery of the switch and the bottoms of the fins is almost constant in the circumferential direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A switching unit comprising: a switch including: a fixed electrode; a movable electrode facing the fixed electrode and moving in an axial direction to contact or leave the fixed electrode; a bus side conductor connected to one of the electrodes and connected to a bus; and a load side conductor connected to the other electrode and connected to a load; and insulating resin located in a way to cover a periphery of the switch, wherein the insulating resin has fins formed in a circumferential direction on an outer surface of the insulating resin and distance between the periphery of the switch and bottoms of the fins is almost constant in the circumferential direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The switching unit according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the resin has a flat part and a tip of the resin is formed so as to be located inside a surface of the flat part. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The switching unit according to claim 1, wherein an inner curvature of a fin with largest radial fin height among the fins is larger than inner curvatures of fins other than the fin with the largest radial fin height. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The switching unit according to claim 1, the switch being a vacuum switch with a vacuum container housing the fixed electrode and the movable electrode; the unit further comprising: a switch with a grounding function including one or more other fixed electrodes; one or more other movable electrodes facing the fixed electrode(s) and moving in the axial direction to contact or leave the other fixed electrode(s); another bus side conductor connected to any of the other electrodes and connected to the bus; and another load side conductor connected to any of the other electrodes and connected to the load, wherein the switch and the vacuum switch are electrically connected through a conductor; the insulating resin is located in a way to cover peripheries of the switch and the vacuum switch; and fins are formed in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the insulating resin and the inner curvature of a fin with largest radial fin height among the fins is larger than the inner curvatures of the fins other than the fin with the largest radial fin height. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The switching unit according to claim 4, wherein the switch and the vacuum switch are arranged side by side; and tips of the fins form a pair of planes facing each other with the switch or the vacuum switch between the planes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The switching unit according to claim 5, wherein the tips of the fins form another pair of planes being perpendicular to the pair of planes and facing each other with the switch and the vacuum switch between the planes. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The switching unit according to claim 4, wherein a radiating plate, being connected to any of the conductors and covering a periphery of the switch or the vacuum switch in the axial direction, is located inside the insulating resin; and the fins are formed in a way to surround a periphery of the radiating plate. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The switching unit according to claim 4, wherein height of the fins is largest in an area around a radiating plate nearest to a surface of the insulating resin among the radiating plates and is smaller in remoter areas from the area around the radiating plate nearest to the surface of the insulating resin. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The switching unit according to claim 7, wherein the radiating plate has a round tip. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) Switching gear comprising: the switching unit according to claim 1; a bus and a cable which are connected to the switching unit; an actuator which generates an operating force to drive any of the movable electrodes; a control device chamber housing a protective relay; and a case housing the switching unit, the bus, the cable, the actuator, and the control device chamber. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The switching unit according to claim 2, wherein an inner curvature of a fin with largest radial fin height among the fins is larger than inner curvatures of fins other than the fin with the largest radial fin height. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The switching unit according to claim 2, the switch being a vacuum switch with a vacuum container housing the fixed electrode and the movable electrode; the unit further comprising: a switch with a grounding function including one or more other fixed electrodes; one or more other movable electrodes facing the fixed electrode(s) and moving in the axial direction to contact or leave the other fixed electrode(s); another bus side conductor connected to any of the other electrodes and connected to the bus; and another load side conductor connected to any of the other electrodes and connected to the load, wherein the switch and the vacuum switch are electrically connected through a conductor; the insulating resin is located in a way to cover peripheries of the switch and the vacuum switch; and fins are formed in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the insulating resin and the inner curvature of a fin with largest radial fin height among the fins is larger than the inner curvatures of the fins other than the fin with the largest radial fin height. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) The switching unit according to claim 3, the switch being a vacuum switch with a vacuum container housing the fixed electrode and the movable electrode; the unit further comprising: a switch with a grounding function including one or more other fixed electrodes; one or more other movable electrodes facing the fixed electrode(s) and moving in the axial direction to contact or leave the other fixed electrode(s); another bus side conductor connected to any of the other electrodes and connected to the bus; and another load side conductor connected to any of the other electrodes and connected to the load, wherein the switch and the vacuum switch are electrically connected through a conductor; the insulating resin is located in a way to cover peripheries of the switch and the vacuum switch; and fins are formed in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the insulating resin and the inner curvature of a fin with largest radial fin height among the fins is larger than the inner curvatures of the fins other than the fin with the largest radial fin height. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The switching unit according to claim 11, the switch being a vacuum switch with a vacuum container housing the fixed electrode and the movable electrode; the unit further comprising: a switch with a grounding function including one or more other fixed electrodes; one or more other movable electrodes facing the fixed electrode(s) and moving in the axial direction to contact or leave the other fixed electrode(s); another bus side conductor connected to any of the other electrodes and connected to the bus; and another load side conductor connected to any of the other electrodes and connected to the load, wherein the switch and the vacuum switch are electrically connected through a conductor; the insulating resin is located in a way to cover peripheries of the switch and the vacuum switch; and fins are formed in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the insulating resin and the inner curvature of a fin with largest radial fin height among the fins is larger than the inner curvatures of the fins other than the fin with the largest radial fin height. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The switching unit according to claim 12, wherein the switch and the vacuum switch are arranged side by side; and tips of the fins form a pair of planes facing each other with the switch or the vacuum switch between the planes. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The switching unit according to claim 15, wherein the tips of the fins form another pair of planes being perpendicular to the pair of planes and facing each other with the switch and the vacuum switch between the planes. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The switching unit according to claim 12, wherein a radiating plate, being connected to any of the conductors and covering a periphery of the switch or the vacuum switch in the axial direction, is located inside the insulating resin; and the fins are formed in a way to surround a periphery of the radiating plate. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The switching unit according to claim 12, wherein height of the fins is largest in an area around a radiating plate nearest to a surface of the insulating resin among the radiating plates and is smaller in remoter areas from the area around the radiating plate nearest to the surface of the insulating resin. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The switching unit according to claim 17, wherein the radiating plate has a round tip. ### Claim 20 (depends on 2) Switching gear comprising: the switching unit according to claim 2; a bus and a cable which are connected to the switching unit; an actuator which generates an operating force to drive any of the movable electrodes; a control device chamber housing a protective relay; and a case housing the switching unit, the bus, the cable, the actuator, and the control device chamber. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The switching unit according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the periphery of the switch and the bottoms of the fins is a distance between an outer edge of an insulating cylinder of the switch and the bottoms of the fins. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The switching unit according to claim 1, wherein the fins are made of the insulating resin.