Patent ID: 9484168
Filing Date: 2016-11-01
CPC Classification: H01H

Claim Text:
1. A direct current switching apparatus comprising: at least a first mechanical switching device to be positioned along an operating path of an associated DC circuit, said mechanical switching device including a fixed contact and a corresponding movable contact, wherein an electric arc is ignited between said contacts when said movable contact starts separating from said fixed contact; and electronic means for switching at least one semiconductor device to a current conductive state to commute the flow of current from said operating path to a secondary path and extinguish the electric arc through said semiconductor device when said first mechanical switching device fails to extinguish the electric arc, wherein said electronic means includes the at least one semiconductor device, a resistor and an inductor connected in series along the secondary path, wherein the at least one semiconductor device is positioned along said secondary path and is connected in parallel with said first mechanical switching device, and wherein commutation is driven by a voltage difference between an arc voltage and a voltage over the resistor and the inductor limits a current commutation rate to the secondary path.