Electrical connectors – Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use – Universal movement
Patent
1999-04-29
2000-05-09
Stephan, Steven L.
Electrical connectors
Interrelated connectors relatively movable during use
Universal movement
H01R 3900
Patent
active
060595779
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a contact device. The contact device is intended to electrically connect two sections of a current path which are displaceable in relation to each other. The device comprises two contact members, which are each fixed to one of the current path sections, and an elongated push-on contact supported by one of the contact members and displaceable in its longitudinal direction between an open position and a closed position.
The contact device is primarily intended for use with withdrawable apparatus which, during a short circuit, is traversed by high currents, for example truck-mounted high-voltage circuit breakers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
During short-circuit breaking, a truck-mounted high-voltage circuit breaker is subjected to large ejection forces. The forces cause deflection of the breaker poles and attempt to move the truck in the direction of travel. If the movement becomes larger than the contact action, the breaker breaks down.
Patent EP-A-0 603 762 specification describes a special capture contact device adapted to eliminate the above-mentioned problems with withdrawable high-voltage apparatus. In this contact device, the current forces generated when the apparatus is traversed by short-circuit current are utilized to block the plug-in contacts of the apparatus in the operating position, thus preventing the risk of arcing between the contacts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present is to provide a contact device intended for the above field of use, which is short-circuit proof without the use of the capture contact device and which may easily be adapted to different rated currents. In addition, the contact device is to be capable of operating satisfactorily also in case of relatively large lateral displacements between those sections of the current path which are to be connected.
The contact device according to the invention comprises a push-on contact device with a plurality of elongated contact fingers which are fixed relative to each other in a waist attachment. Each contact finger has a certain current-load capacity, and the number of fingers can be varied without any other parts in the contact device having to be changed. The contact device can therefore be adapted, in an extremely simple manner, to the rated current of the associated apparatus.
The push-on contact device makes contact, in the closed position, between two contact balls which are each fixed to one of the sections of the current path which are displaceable relative to each other. Since the waist attachment of the contact device is articulately fixed to the center of one of the contact balls, an angular position of the contact device of, for example, 5.degree. in all directions is made possible. In this way, good conformance of the contact device is achieved, so that all the contact fingers will make contact with the contact balls with approximately the same contact pressure also when the contact device is positioned obliquely because the current path sections are laterally displaced relative to each other.
The contact fingers are made of a low-resistant material with good resilient properties and are clamped in the waist attachment in such a way that they will have a slight inward bend towards the center of the current path. In this way, approximately the same contact pressure is achieved independently of the position of the contact balls in the longitudinal direction. This makes possible the use of relatively long contact fingers, whereby the contact engagement can be made so large, for example 20 cm, that there will be no risk of contact separation because of the current forces which occur upon a short-circuit. In this way, the contact device fulfils the requirement for short-circuit safety without having to use special capture contact devices or taking other costly measures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be explained in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein
FIG. 1 shows, in a side view and partially in a
REFERENCES:
patent: 2430270 (1947-11-01), Bergan
patent: 3459873 (1969-08-01), Harris et al.
patent: 5730606 (1998-03-01), Sinclair
patent: 5766021 (1998-06-01), Pickles et al.
patent: 5887344 (1999-03-01), Sinclair
ABB AB
Stephan Steven L.
Webb Brian S.
LandOfFree
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