Electronic sectionalizer with resettable actuator

Abstract: An electronic sectionalizer for a branch line of a high voltage power distribution system has a resettable actuator for unlatching a trunnion member and release of a sectionalizer tube toward a disabled or drop-out orientation. The actuator includes an elongated, spring-loaded plunger normal­ ly held by a latch in loaded position, and a sole­ noid or the like is provided to shift the latch and enable movement of the plunger toward a released position for simultaneous swinging movement of the trunnion member. In certain forms of the invention, the plunger is directly engageable with a wall of the trunnion member, while in other embodiments of the invention mechanical advantage is provided by use of an elongated lever which is disposed in the path of the plunger and which bears against the trunnion member for initiating rotational movement of the latter.

Description: 1. Field of the Invention The present invention broadly concerns apparatus for initiating drop-out motion of a latched electronic sectionalizer tube for isolating a branch or lateral line of a high voltage power distribution system. More specifically, the invention is directed toward a resettable sectionalizer actuator assembly having an electronic solenoid which, upon energization, releases a spring-loaded plunger. In turn, the unlatched plunger exerts, either directly or indirectly, a force on a trunnion member sufficient to release the member from its normally latched, stationary disposition and initiate pivotal movement of the member for drop-out of the sectionalizer tube toward an isolated position. 2. Description of the Prior Art Devices known as automatic reclosers or reclosing circuit breakers are often used to protect the main supply line as well as laterial lines of a high voltage power distribution system. The recloser is operable to sense the magnitude of current flowing through the main supply line and disable the entire downstream distribution system if currents above a certain magnitude are detected. After a short period of current interruption, the recloser automatically re-energizes the circuit unless excess current conditions are again subsequently sensed. In many instances, electronic sectionalizers are installed at the beginning of each lateral line of distribution systems having an automatic recloser or reclosing circuit breaker. Each sectionalizer cooperates with the recloser by disabling the respective lateral line served by the sectionalizer during a subsequent dead portion of one of the opening and closing cycles of the recloser if current conditions in the lateral line are greater than a certain, pre-selected value. In this manner, current flow may be automatically restored to the remaining lateral lines during a subsequent closing cycle of the recloser. Preferably, electronic sectionalizers for outdoor use are physically interchangeable with conventional electrical cut-outs so that the sectionalizer can be easily installed in retrofit fashion in the mounting structure originally provided to hold the cut-out. Normally, then, electronic sectionalizers include an elongated tube assembly having an upper conductive portion releasably engageable with an upper contact of the cut-out mounting structure, and a pivot mechanism received on a lower contact of the mounting structure. The elongated tube conducts current between the upper contact and the pivot mechanism in engagement with the lower contact of the mounting structure, and a sensing device mounted on the tube detects the magnitude of current. The tube also carries a logic circuit coupled to the sensor which typically fires a one-shot chemical actuator once the logic circuit has determined that over-current conditions exist in the lateral line protected by the sectionalizer after one or more cycles of operation of the reclosing apparatus. In the past, chemical actuators of electronic sectionalizer assemblies were arranged to release or open a latch to initiate drop-out motion of the sectionalizer tube away from its normal upright orientation conducting current between the upper and lower mounting structures, and toward an open-circuit orientation wherein the top of the tube is spaced from the upper mounting structure. As an example, U.S. Patent No. 4,553,188, dated November 12, 1985 illustrates a sectionalizer having a chemical actuator that, once fired, causes a latch or release lever to swing toward an out-of-the-way position and thereafter enable a spring and/or the forces of gravity to initiate pivotal movement of the sectionalizer tube and enable the tube to swing away from the upper contact. Another example of a chemical actuator and pivot mechanism for a sectionalizer is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,636,764, dated January 13, 1987 wherein the actuator is positioned to release a toggle mounting lever from an over-center position for subsequent drop-out of the sectionalizer tube away from the upper mounting structure. In US-A-4 768 010 entitled "Latch and Pivot Mechanism for Electronic Sectionalizer Mounting Structure", filed September 11, 1987, Serial Number 07/095,548 and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, an electronic sectionalizer is provided with a chemical actuator that is positioned to strike, upon firing, a trunnion member for immediate drop-out of the sectionalizer tube with minimal reliance upon a spring or the effects of gravity. A latch is provided for normally holding the sectionalizer tube in a loaded, non-over-center position, and substantially the entire force of the chemical actuator is imparted directly upon the trunnion member to ensure reliable and rapid motion of the sectionalizer tube toward a disabled, open circuit orientation. However, there is a long felt need for a resettable actuator assembly for an electronic sectionalizer so that the cost of replacing chemical actuators can be eliminated. Each chemical actuator must be replaced once fired, and thus utilities are faced not only with the cost of purchasing and maintaining a sufficient number of actuators on hand at all times but also with the expense of labor for installing the actuators and connecting leads to the actuator to the logic circuit. In U.S. Patent No. 3,321,721, dated May 23, 1967, a mechanical sectionalizer is described that includes an electric solenoid and plunger assembly which is arranged to release a latch for subsequent drop-out movement of the sectionalizer away from its mounting structure. The latch of U.S. Patent No. 3,321,721 is in the form of a swingable lever which, when pivoted by the solenoid plunger, releases a second lever normally holding the sectionalizer in a current-carrying orientation; subsequently, the second lever swings about a pivot under the influence of gravity until the top portion of the sectionalizer assembly has falled away from upper mounting structure and toward a current disabled or drop-out position. However, the dual swinging lever arrangement shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,321,721 is somewhat unsatisfactory in that a certain amount of time is needed subsequent to release of the second lever of enabling the latter to gain momentum and swing in an arc a sufficient distance to allow the upper portion of the sectionalizer tube to drop away from the upper mounting structure. Moreover, outdoor sectionalizers installed on cut-out mountings are exposed to rain, ice, and extreme swings of temperature. The pivot mechanism is normally held in a stationary position for extended periods of time and is therefore subject to the effects of corrosion, ice, or debris which may eventually prevent successful drop-out of the sectionalizer tube. Consequently, it would be advantageous to provide a latch and pivot mechanism for an electronic sectionalizer which would reliably disable the branch line as needed, and yet could be re-set for subsequent use without the trouble and expense of installing a one-shot chemical actuator. Summary of the Invention Our present invention overcomes the problems noted hereinabove by provision of an electronic sectionalizer having a resettable actuator which comprises a solenoid as well as a latch and pivot mechanism arranged to provide immediate, reliable drop-out movement of the sectionalizer tube upon energization of the solenoid. The actuator assembly includes a spring-loaded plunger movable in a longitudinal direction when unlatched and oriented to direct substantially all of its momentum toward a trunnion for initiating pivotal movement of the latter and simultaneous drop-out of the sectionalizer tube away from the upper contact mounting structure. A variety of forms of the invention are possible and disclosed herein. In particular, certain embodiments of the invention are directed toward a releasable plunger movable to directly strike the trunnion member. Advantageously, the pivotal connection between the trunnion and the sectionalizer tube is located in non-overcenter relation to the upper and lower mounting structures, or more particularly to a reference line extending from the center of the upper end of the sectionalizer tube in engagement with the upper mounting structure and the center of outwardly extending pins of the trunnion member which are received in respective hook-shaped portions of the lower mounting structure. As a consequence, all of the force imposed on the trunnion member by the spring biased plunger immediately initiates movement of the sectionalizer tube in a downward direction to ensure successful drop-out of the tube away from the upper contact mounting structure within a relatively short period of time after energization of the solenoid. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an electronic sectionalizer of the present invention mounted, in a current-carrying orientation, in upper and lower contacts or mounting structures; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged, side cross-sectional view illustrating the resettable actuator assembly of the sectionalizer which is shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view somewhat similar to Fig. 2 except that a solenoid coil of the actuator has been energized to release a plunger and initiate swinging member of the trunnion member simultaneous with downward shifting motion of the sectionalizer tube; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the sectionalizer tube with actuator assembly alone as shown in Fig. 3 with a cap normally covering a bottom end of the tube removed for clarity; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, side elevational view with the cap broken away in section illustrating the sectionalizer tube and actuator assembly shown in Fig. 3; Detailed Description of the Drawings Turning first to Fig. 1, a sectionalizer 20 is carried by a mounting assembly 22 that includes an insulator 24 having an arm 26 for securing the assembly 22 to a utility pole or the like. The mounting assembly 22 has an upper electrical contact 28 that includes a conductive arm 30 having a concave detent. The arm 30 is biased downwardly by a compression spring as explained in greater detail in U.S. Patent No. 4,546,341, dated October 8, 1985, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated into the present disclosure. The mounting assembly 22 also includes a lower contact 32 spaced from the upper contact 28 and mounted on an opposite end region of the insulator 24. The lower contact 32 includes a pair of spaced, hook-shaped portions 33 (only one shown) that are similar to the hook-shaped portions of the lower electrical contact illustrated and described in the aforementioned U.S. Patent No. 4,546,341. The sectionalizer 20 has an elongated, conductive element or tube 34 with an upper terminus that is received in the concave detent of arm 30 of the upper contact 28. An encased logic circuit 36, externally carried by tube 34, includes a means for sensing the magnitude of current flowing through tube 34 and for generating an output signal if the current conditions are above a certain, pre-selected value. A trunnion member 38, disposed substantially between the hook-shaped portions 33 of the lower contact 32, has a pair of cylindrical pins 40 that extend horizontally outwardly in opposite directions and which are received in respective hook portions 33. The trunnion member 38 is pivotally connected by means of a pin 42 to a lower tube casting 44 of the sectionalizer tube 34. The longitudinal axis of pin 42 is parallel to the central axis of pins 40 for enabling swinging motion of the trunnion member 38 relative to the sectionalizer tube 34 during simultaneous swinging movement of the trunnion member 38 relative to the hook portions 33 of the lower contact 32. A spring contact 46 secured to the lower tube casting 44 normally engages a raised portion of the trunnion member 38 when the sectionalizer tube 34 is in its current-carrying or loaded position as shown in Fig. 1 for facilitating the flow of current from the upper contact 28, along the length of the conductive tube 34 and thereby across the trunnion member 38 to the lower contact 32. Turning now to the embodiment shown in more detail in Figs. 2-5, a resettable actuator assembly 48 includes an elongated plunger 50 mounted within a recess of the lower tube casting 44 by means of a threaded, apertured cap 52. A forward end of the plunger extends through a teflon bushing 54, and the plunger 50 is yieldably biased in a direction toward its forward end by means of a compression spring 56 disposed between cap 52 and a circular flange of the plunger 50. The plunger 50 is movable in a longitudinal direction between a loaded position as shown in Fig. 2 and a released position as is depicted in Fig. 3. The actuator assembly 48 further comprises a latch means in the form of a pivotal lever 58 that normally retains the plunger 50 in its loaded position. The lever 58 has a shoulder portion 60 that is releasably engageable with an enlarged head 62 of the plunger 50 remote from the forward end of the same. The lever 58 is pivotal about a pin 64 fixed to the lower tube casting 44, and the shoulder portion 60 of the lever 58 is biased toward a position of latched contact with the plunger head 62 by means of a torsion spring 66. An electric impact solenoid 68, mounted within the sectionalizer tube 34, includes a coil and a central armature 70 which shifts in a downwardly direction upon energization of the coil. The armature 70 is yieldably biased in an upwardly direction by means of a compression spring 72. In addition, a lower portion of the armature 70 is coupled by means of an L-shaped link 74 to an end region of the pivotal latching lever 58 remote from the shoulder portion 60. The solenoid 68 is electrically connected to the logic circuit 36. Once the logic circuit 36 has determined that an over-current condition exists in the lateral or branch line protected by the sectionalizer 20, the logic circuit 36 energizes the coil of the solenoid 68 and causes movement of the armature 70 in a downwardly direction. As a consequence, the pivotal lever 58 releases its shoulder portion 60 from the enlarged head 62 to thereby enable the plunger 50 to move under the influence of spring 56 in an outwardly direction and exert a force against a flat wall 76 of the trunnion member 38. As the plunger 50 moves from its loaded position shown in Fig. 2 and towards its released or unlatched position as shown in Fig. 3, the force of the plunger 50 exerted on the flat wall 76 urges the trunnion member 38 in a direction of clockwise rotation (viewing Figs. 2 and 3) relative to the hook portions 33 of the lower contact 32 and relative to the sectionalizer tube 34. As the spring-loaded plunger 50 moves outwardly toward its released position shown in Fig. 3, the energy exerted by spring 56 is sufficient for overcoming a latch 78 that normally retains the trunnion member 38 in its position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. One end of the spring latch 78 is secured to the trunnion member 38, while the opposite end presents a raised shoulder or ridge 80 that is releasably engageable with a downwardly extending flange 82 formed as part of the lower tube casting 44. Thus, as the plunger 50 moves toward its released position shown in Fig. 3, the spring latch 78 deflects downwardly to clear the flange 82 and permit release of the trunnion member 38 from its latched or loaded orientation shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Advantageously, the pivotal connection or pin 42 coupling the trunnion member 38 to the sectionalizer tube 34 is positioned to one side of a reference line extending through the center of pins 40 held by the lower contact 32 and the center of the upper end of the sectionalizer tube retained in the detent formed in the upper contact arm 30. Therefore, the pin 42 is retained in a non-over-center relation to the aforementioned reference line when the sectionalizer tube 34 is held in its loaded, current-carrying orientation, so that the tube 34 immediately begins downward movement toward a drop-out orientation simultaneously with release of the spring-loaded plunger 50. As a consequence, downward movement of the sectionalizer tube 34 is effected essentially simultaneously with energization of the solenoid 68, and the downward movement is further facilitated by the forces of gravity as well as by the bias exerted by the compression spring urging the upper contact arm 30 in a downwardly direction. Once the trunnion member 38 has pivoted to approximately the position shown in Fig. 3, the upper end of the sectionalizer tube 34 disengages the upper contact arm 30 and falls away from the same toward a drop-out orientation in order to disable the lateral line protected by the sectionalizer 20. The non-overcenter relationship of the pivot pin 42 as explained above is particularly advantageous in that the sectionalizer tube 34 immediately begins movement in a downwardly direction upon release of the spring-loaded plunger 50. This aspect of the sectionalizer 20 may be further understood by reference to the aforementioned US-A-4 768 010 entitled "Latch and Pivot Mechanism for Electronic Sectionalizer Mounting Structure", Serial No. 07/095,548,Filed September 11, 1987. As illustrated in Figs. 2-3 and 5, a protective cap 84 is installed in snap-fit fashion over the lower end region of the tube casting 44. The cap 84 covers a lower access hole at the bottom of the tube casting 44, as well as a side access hole which is perhaps shown in Fig. 5. To reset the actuator assembly 48, however, one needs merely to push the plunger 50 a sufficient distance to allow the shoulder portion 60 of lever 58 to engage the enlarged head 62 of the plunger 50, and thereafter the spring 66 in cooperation with the shoulder portion 60 retains the plunger 50 in its latched or loaded orientation; then, the trunnion member 38 is pivoted about pin 42 until the ridge 80 of the spring latch 78 shifts around and behind the flange 82 of the lower tube casting 44. It can now be appreciated that the reset-table actuator assembly described herein in accordance with various embodiments of the invention advantageously enables the sectionalizer to be readily reset toward a latched position and put into service with relative ease. In this regard, the spring loaded plunger and associated latching mechanism is especially desirable because the forces generated by smaller solenoids are not normally sufficient for ensuring reliable unlatching of the trunnion and drop-out movement of the sectionalizer tube. However, the solenoid may possibly be replaced by another type of release or latch mechanism such as a magnetic release device or a piezo electric release device.

Claims: A sectionalizer for use with upper and lower mounting structure including an elongated sectionalizer element (34) having an upper end region for releasable contact with upper mounting structure (28); a member (38) for pivotal engagement with lower mounting structure (32); means (42) pivotally coupling said member (38) to said element (34) for swinging movement of said member (38) relative to said element (34) between a closed position and an open position; first latch (78) releasably retaining said member in stationary disposition relative to said element (34); means (36) for sensing current conditions through said element (34); and a resettable actuator assembly (48), wherein the resettable actuator assembly includes: an elongated plunger (50) movable in a substantially longitudinal direction between a latched position and an unlatched position; a spring (56) biasing said plunger (50) toward the unlatched position; a second latch (58) normally retaining said plunger (50) in the latched position and characterized in that it comprises a means (68) coupled to said sensing means (36) for operating said second latch (58) to release the stored energy of said spring (56) allowing said spring to force said plunger (50) to the unlatched position, said spring (56) exerting a biasing force through said plunger (50) directly on said member (38) of sufficient strength to overcome said first latch means (78), and biasing said member (38) toward the open position and wherein said plunger (50) has an enlarged head (62) and said second latch (58) comprises a pivotal lever presenting a shoulder portion (60) releasably engageable with said head (62). The sectionalizer as set forth in claim 1; and including structure connected to said sectionalizer element (34) for mounting said plunger (50) in disposition for direct contact with said member (38) during movement of said plunger (50) toward said released position. The sectionalizer as set forth in claim 2, wherein said plunger (50) contacts said member (38) in a location between said pivotal coupling means (42) and the location wherein said member (38) pivotally engages said lower mounting structur (32). The sectionalizer as set forth in claim 3, wherein said second latch (58) means includes a spring (66) yieldably biasing said shoulder portion of said lever towards the enlarged head (62) of said plunger (50). The sectionalizer as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means coupled to said sensing means for releasing said second latch means comprises an electric solenoid (68) having coil means and an armature (70) movable upon energization of said coil means. The sectionalizer as set forth in claim 5, wherein said electric solenoid (68) includes means (72) yieldably biasing said armature (20) in a direction generally opposite to the direction of movement of said armature (40) upon energization of said coil means.

Inventors: BROWN ROBERT A, CLARK DAREN A, BROWN, ROBERT A., CLARK, DAREN A.
Applicants: CHANCE CO AB, A.B. CHANCE COMPANY
Application year: 1988
Main classification: H01H31
IPC codes: H01H33, H01H31, H01H71