Patent Publication Number: US-8525052-B2

Title: Switch arrangement for medium and high-voltage switching devices

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority as a continuation application under 35 U.S.C. §120 to PCT/EP2009/008927, which was filed as an International Application on Dec. 14, 2009 designating the U.S., and which claims priority to European Application 08021978.5 filed in Europe on Dec. 18, 2008. The entire contents of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
     FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to a switch arrangement for switching devices having switches for example, medium and high-voltage switching devices, in which at least one of the contacts is a moving contact which can be actuated by an ignition charge. 
     BACKGROUND INFORMATION 
     A short-circuit device is disclosed in DE 102 54 497 B3 in which a propelling charge is provided for moving the moving contact. Although a fast contact closure can be achieved in this way, a switch device in high-voltage and high-current applications must be considered separately. 
     SUMMARY 
     A switch arrangement is disclosed for voltage switching devices comprising: a plurality of switches, each switch including a moving contact for activation by an ignition charge and a contact that is a fixed contact; a dedicated ignition device for each switch; and a coupling for igniting the ignition devices for each switch substantially at a same time. 
     A method is disclosed for operation of voltage switching devices including switches, each switch including at least one contact that is a moving contact which can be activated by an ignition charge, the method comprising providing a dedicated ignition device for each switch and coupling the ignition device together to ignite at substantially a same time. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are described in the following text with reference to the drawings which only serve for explanation and are not to be construed as being limiting. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment of a switch arrangement for a high-current switching device; 
         FIG. 2  shows an exemplary embodiment of a switch arrangement for a high-voltage switching device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure relates to a switch arrangement for a high-current arrangement and a high-voltage arrangement. 
     According to the disclosure, for a plurality of switches a dedicated ignition device can be provided for each switch, and the ignition devices can be coupled together with regard to the time of the ignition. This can achieve synchronous (i.e., substantially synchronous) ignition of the ignition devices. 
     Accordingly there can be at least two alternative arrangements. A first arrangement relates to a short-circuit device arrangement in high-current design. 
     A second arrangement relates to a short-circuit device arrangement in high-voltage design. 
     With regard to the first arrangement, two or more independent switches can be connected in parallel, and a propelling charge for each switch can be applied by a common ignition device. This can make it possible to achieve substantially synchronous short-circuiting, resulting in an effective current carrying capacity due to the parallel circuit. 
     With regard to the second arrangement, two or more independent switches can be connected in series, and the propelling charge of a first switch can be directly electrically ignited, while the propelling charge or the electrical ignition of a second or following switch can be galvanically isolated from the first. This series circuit can result in an effective dielectric strength. However, with the series circuit, increases can occur in the potential of the respective propelling charges due to marginally different ignition times. 
     In order to avoid this, the propelling charges or primers can be galvanically isolated from one another. In an exemplary embodiment the propelling charge of the second switch can be ignited by a photoelectric device. The photo section provides galvanic isolation. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, each moving contact  16  can be connected to a piston-cylinder unit  10  in which one or more propelling charges  11  can be arranged. A gas-tight membrane  12  is provided between the piston  13  and the contact piece  14 . The membrane can be punctured by the piston at intended breakpoints when the propelling charge is ignited. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, at least the chambers in which the switching path lies can be vacuum chambers  15 . 
     Furthermore, a plurality of metallic screen elements  18 , which are each separated from one another by a gap, can be provided around each moving contact  16  along the switching path. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the moving contacts can be designed with a conical shape and the respective fixed contacts  17  can be provided with an inner cone in a complementary manner. 
       FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment including a plurality of parallel connected short-circuit devices  1 ,  2 , . . . ,  5 . Each of these short-circuit devices has a moving contact  16  and a fixed contact  17 . The parallel connection in its entirety results in the high-current version, or the version with a high effective current carrying capacity. Here, the respective moving contact  16  is in each case driven by a propelling charge  11 . The propelling charges  11  of all parallel connected short-circuit devices can be controlled substantially synchronously in time by a common ignition device  100 . 
       FIG. 2  shows an exemplary embodiment of a series circuit of short-circuit devices. This results in the high-voltage version. In this version, the voltage can be divided. Although a common ignition device can also be provided here in order to achieve potential isolation, only one of the short-circuit devices, i.e. the primer/propelling charge of one of the short-circuit devices, can be controlled directly, while the control of the primer/propelling charge of the second short-circuit device must be potentially isolated. This can be achieved by interposing either a pulse transformer or a photoelectric section in the ignition line. 
     Thus, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restricted. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and all changes that come within the meaning and range and equivalence thereof are intended to be embraced therein. 
     LIST OF REFERENCES 
     
         
           1 , . . . ,  5  Short-circuit device 
           10  Potential isolator/Pulse transformer 
           11  Photoelectric section 
           100  Ignition device