Alternating current switch contactor
AssigneeJohnson Electric S.A.
InventorRichard Anthony Connell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical contactor is provided comprising a first terminal having a fixed member with at least one fixed electrical contact; a second terminal; at least one electrically-conductive movable arm in electrical communication with the second terminal and having a movable electrical contact thereon; and an AC dual-coil actuator having a first drive coil drivable to open and close the movable and fixed electrical contacts, and a second non-drive coil feedback connected to induce a reverse flux to temper and stabilize a net flux, thereby enabling control of a delay time of the opening and closing electrical contacts so as to be at or adjacent to a zero-crossing of an associated AC load current.
Claims20
An electrical contactor comprising:
- a first terminal having a fixed member with at least one fixed electrical contact;
- a second terminal;
- at least one electrically-conductive movable arm in electrical communication with the second terminal and having a movable electrical contact thereon;
- and
- an AC dual-coil actuator having a first drive coil drivable to open and close the movable and fixed electrical contacts, and a second non-drive coil feedback directly connected to an AC±common center of the AC dual-coil actuator to induce a reverse flux to temper and stabilise a nett flux, thereby enabling control of a delay time of the opening and closing electrical contacts so as to be at or adjacent to a zero-crossing of an associated AC load current.
A two-pole electrical contactor comprising:
- two feed terminals and two outlet terminals, each outlet terminal being connected to a pair of contacts on opposite faces of an electrically-conductive first member;
- two pairs of moveable arms, one pair of moveable arms being clamped at one end to one feed terminal, and the other pair of moveable arms being clamped at one end to the other terminal, each arm carrying a moveable contact at a distal end of the arm from the feed terminal, the moveable arms being arranged such that the distal ends are on either side of the respective first member;
- a reverse-drivable magnet-latching solenoid having a first drive coil drivable to open and close the movable and fixed electrical contacts, and a second non-drive coil feedback directly connected to an AC± common center of the AC dual-coil actuator to induce a reverse flux to temper and stabilise a nett flux, thereby enabling control of a delay time of the opening and closing electrical contacts so as to be at or adjacent to a zero-crossing of an associated AC load current;
- and
- at least one moveable member associated with a plunger of the reverse-drivable magnet-latching solenoid, for providing an actuation each pair of moveable arms.
A method of controlling electrical contact closing and opening delay, the method comprising the steps of driving a first coil of an AC dual-coil actuator to open and close electrical contacts of an electrical contactor, and inducing a reverse flux through feedback connection in a second coil which is feedback directly connected to an AC± common center of the AC dual-coil actuator to temper and stabilise a nett flux in the actuator, thereby controlling a delay time of the opening and closing electrical contacts.
A method of limiting or preventing electrical contact bounce and arc duration, the method comprising the steps of driving a first coil of an AC dual-coil actuator to open and close electrical contacts of an electrical contactor, and inducing a reverse flux through feedback connection in a second coil which is feedback directly connected to an AC± common center of the AC dual-coil actuator to temper and stabilise a nett flux in the actuator, thereby controlling a delay time of the opening and closing electrical contacts so as to be at or adjacent to a zero-crossing of an associated AC load current.
A method of limiting or preventing electrical contact bounce and arc duration, the method comprising the step of driving an electrical actuator to open and close electrical contacts of an electrical contactor, a drive pulse being applied to drive the electrical actuator having a truncated-waveform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.