CN211404383U - Grounding switch - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a grounding switch. In some embodiments, the grounding switch comprises: an arm configured to pivot between a grounding position and an open position; a joystick coupled to the arm and capable of being rotated manually or rotated by a motor to pivot the arm; a tongue arranged to be movable between an initial position preventing the manual rotation of the lever and an operating position allowing the manual rotation of the lever, and including a coupling portion; and an interlock piece including a receiving portion coupled to the coupling portion and arranged to be movable from a first position to a second position by the coupling portion via driving of the receiving portion in a case where the tongue piece is moved toward the operation position, and to be movable from the first position to the second position by the lever in a case where the tongue piece is located at the initial position. The earthing switch described herein is highly reliable and low cost.

Description

Grounding switch

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of electrical power, and more particularly, to grounding switches.

Background

Disconnectors are mechanical switches used to isolate electrical devices from power lines, and are commonly used to create a visible disconnection point in high voltage environments to ensure reliable isolation of electrical devices from power lines. Typically, at least one grounding switch is used with the isolating switch to connect the isolated electrical device to ground, so that residual capacitive or inductive current on the isolated electrical device may be eliminated and the isolated electrical device may be more safely operated or maintained.

In the case of the earthing switch having a manual operation mode and an automatic operation mode, it is necessary to introduce a mechanical interlock structure and/or an electrical interlock structure between the manual operation and the automatic operation mode, so that the switch can have both the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode, and can alternatively operate the manual operation mode or the automatic operation mode, and allow a user to switch to the manual operation mode under a specific condition, and the like. Accordingly, there is a need to provide an earthing switch with an interlock mechanism that is simpler and more reliable in construction, and easy to install and maintain.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The traditional grounding switch has the defects of complex structure, unreliable manual operation and automatic operation switching and the like. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an improved grounding switch to address or at least partially address the above or other potential problems.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a grounding switch is provided. This earthing switch includes: an arm configured to pivot between a grounding position and an open position; a joystick coupled to the arm and capable of being rotated manually or rotated by a motor to pivot the arm; a tongue arranged to be movable between an initial position preventing the manual rotation of the lever and an operating position allowing the manual rotation of the lever, and including a coupling portion; and an interlock piece including a receiving portion coupled to the coupling portion and arranged to be movable from a first position to a second position by the coupling portion via driving of the receiving portion in a case where the tongue piece is moved toward the operation position, and to be movable from the first position to the second position by the lever in a case where the tongue piece is located at the initial position.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a grounding switch having a lever that can be rotated manually or by a motor drive such that the grounding switch has a manual mode of operation and an automatic mode of operation. The tongue and interlocking piece structure provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can realize the following actions: when a user operates the tongue piece to enter a manual operation mode, the tongue piece can synchronously drive the interlocking pieces to move together through the coupling part and the receiving part; also, with the tongue in the initial position, the interlock tab may be actuated by the lever to move toward the second position. Thus, the grounding switch described herein is able to set the same or partially the same preset conditions for manual and automatic modes of operation using its tongue and interlock tab. This can simplify the mechanical interlock structure of the earthing switch and reduce the manufacturing cost.

In some embodiments, the coupling portion comprises a pin or a slot and the receiving portion comprises a slot or a pin, respectively. The tongue and the interlocking piece are coupled by a pin/chute structure, so that the interlocking structure between two operation modes can be simplified, and the interlocking function can be realized simply and reliably.

In some embodiments, the tongue can be manually moved to the operating position with the interlock tab in the second position and the tongue in the initial position. After completing the operation in the automatic operation mode, the grounding switch may be switched to the manual operation mode. Therefore, the grounding switch can meet the operation requirements of users on the operation switch under various conditions.

In some embodiments, the lever has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled to the arm and the second end is coupled to the tongue, and the tongue includes an opening, and in the operating position, the opening exposes the second end to allow a user to manually rotate the lever. In the operative position, the opening exposes the second end, at which point the user may enter a manual mode of operation. Therefore, the user can be prevented from operating the second end of the operating lever by mistake.

In some embodiments, in the initial position, the body of the tongue covers the second end to prevent a user from manually rotating the lever.

In some embodiments, a position detection assembly is further included that is configured to sense a position of the tongue. By sensing the position of the tongue piece, the grounding switch has mechanical and electrical interlocking and control at the same time, and the reliability of the system is improved.

In some embodiments, the position detection component comprises: a first position sensor configured to generate a manual operation signal when the tongue is moved to the operation position; the first lever comprises a pressing end and a triggering end which is abutted with the first position sensor; wherein the pressing end is coupled to the tongue via a slot/pin arrangement. With the first lever and the first position sensor, the sensing structure is simplified and the reliability of sensing is improved.

In some embodiments, the interlock piece includes a lug and the lever includes a radial extension that is capable of toggling the lug with rotation of the lever to move the interlock piece from the first position to the second position with the tongue in the initial position. When the manual operation mode is not selected, the grounding switch can be in the automatic operation mode, so that the independent operation of the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode can be ensured. Furthermore, with the interlocking tabs and tongues, the automatic operating mode can be activated under the same or partly the same preset conditions as the manual operating mode.

In some embodiments, a locking assembly is also included, comprising: a second lever having one end coupled with the interlocking piece through a pin/slot structure; a stop block selectively releases or abuts the second lever to allow or prevent movement of the second lever, respectively. Furthermore, with the interlocking tab and tongue, the manual or automatic mode of operation can be initiated under at least partially the same preset conditions (e.g., the position of the stop).

In some embodiments, the stop block is biased against the second lever by a compression spring. The default position of the stop block is against the second lever, and the second lever (and the interlocking piece and the tongue piece) can move only under the condition that the spring is compressed.

In some embodiments, a reset mechanism is further included, comprising: a fixing plate; the two ends of the first elastic piece are respectively fixed on the tongue piece and the fixing plate. After the manual operation is completed, the first elastic piece is used for completing the resetting of the tongue piece.

In some embodiments, the reduction structure further comprises: and two ends of the second elastic piece are respectively fixed on the second lever and the fixing plate. The resetting of the second lever (and the corresponding interlocking piece) is accomplished by the second elastic member.

In some embodiments, further comprising: a frame for mounting the arm, lever, tongue and interlocking tab.

In some embodiments, the tongue and the interlocking piece each include a guide groove, respectively coupled with a guide pin on the frame.

It should be understood that the summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in more detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which like reference numerals generally represent like parts throughout the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective schematic view of a grounding switch according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 illustrates an exploded view of a grounding switch according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 shows an angled perspective view of the grounding switch of FIG. 2; and

fig. 4 shows a perspective view of another angle of the earthing switch in fig. 2.

The same or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to several example embodiments. It should be understood that these examples are described only for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and thereby enable the present disclosure, and are not intended to set forth any limitations on the scope of the technical solutions of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term "include" and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to. The term "based on" will be read as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below. The definitions of the terms are consistent throughout the specification unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In general, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a grounding switch includes an arm 10, a lever 20, a tongue 30, and an interlock piece 50.

As shown in fig. 1, the arm 10 is mounted on a frame, for example, and the arm 10 can be pivoted between a grounding position and an opening position, for example, by a rotating shaft. In the grounded position, the arm 10 may connect the electrical device to earth ground to ensure that there is no remaining current on the isolated electrical device; in the open position, the arm 10 disconnects the electrical device from ground so that the electrical device can receive power for normal operation.

In order to pivot the arm 10, the lever 20 of the ground switch is coupled with the arm 10 to drive the arm 10 to pivot, and the lever 20 can be rotated manually or rotated by a motor drive. In some embodiments, a first end of the joystick 20 may be coupled to the arm 10, thereby converting rotational motion of the joystick 20 into pivotal motion of the arm 10. Various transmission mechanisms are contemplated for coupling the first end of the lever 20 to one end of the arm 10, such as bevel gears, worm gears, and the like.

In some embodiments, the second end of the joystick 20 may be provided with a joint 23, and a user may couple a hand tool (e.g., a hand lever) to the joint 23 to rotate the joystick 20 via the joint 23.

In some embodiments, the tongue 30 is coupled to the second end of the lever 20, as shown in fig. 2-4, and the tongue 30 of the ground switch is movable between an initial position and an operating position. In the initial position, the tongue 30 prevents the user from manually rotating the lever 20, e.g., the body 301 of the tongue 30 may obscure the second end of the lever 20. As such, the user cannot manually rotate the joystick 20 because the user cannot couple a hand tool (e.g., a hand lever) with the joint 23.

When a user desires to enter a manual mode of operation, manual toggling of tongue 30 (e.g., toggle 303) is required to move tongue 30 from an initial position to an operational position where tongue 30 allows the user to manually rotate joystick 20. In some embodiments, tongue 30 may include an opening 32, with the second end exposed by opening 32 in the operating position to allow a user to manually rotate lever 20.

To avoid interference between the manual and automatic modes of operation, the control system of the earthing switch needs to sense the position of tongue 30. The position detection assembly of the grounding switch may be used to sense the position of the tongue 30.

In certain embodiments, the position detection assembly includes a first position sensor 41 and a first lever 42. As shown in fig. 2, first position sensor 41 is used to generate a manual operating signal when tongue 30 is moved to an operating position, at which time the control system of the earthing switch will not drive the motor, i.e. turn off the automatic operating mode.

As shown in fig. 2-4, the first lever 42 includes a pressing end 420 and an activation end 421 abutting the first position sensor 41, the pressing end 420 being coupled with the tongue 30 via a slot/pin structure.

Thus, when the tongue 30 moves towards the operating position, the tongue 30 will move the first lever 42 via the pressing end 420, the trigger end 421 of the first lever 42 will trigger the first position sensor 41, and when the tongue 30 moves to the operating position, the first position sensor 41 will generate a manual operation signal. In this way, the grounding switch has mechanical and electrical interlocking and control at the same time, and the reliability of the system is improved.

In some examples, the pivot 422 of the first lever 42 is located between the initiation end 421 and the pressing end 420, as shown in fig. 3. In some embodiments, the pressing end 420 may be provided with a groove or pin, and the tongue 30 is correspondingly provided with a pin or groove structure.

As an example, the pressing end 420 shown in fig. 3 includes a groove, and a pin 320 is disposed on the pin hole 304 of the tongue 30, and the pin 320 is coupled with the groove of the pressing end 420.

It should be understood that the foregoing position detection components are exemplary only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, as other implementations are possible. For example, a trigger may be provided on tongue 30, which triggers first position sensor 41 during movement of tongue 30.

Tongue 30 may return to the initial position in response to completion of the manual mode of operation. In some embodiments, when a user's hand tool (e.g., a hand lever) is pulled out of opening 32 of tab 30, the hand tool no longer restrains tab 30, at which point the reset mechanism can move tab 30 back to the initial position.

In some embodiments, the reduction structure includes a fixing plate 70 and a first elastic member 71. The first elastic member 71 has one end fixed to the tongue 30 and the other end fixed to the fixing plate 70. As an example, one end of the first elastic member 71 may be coupled with the fixing hook 306 of the tongue piece 30. In some embodiments, the first elastic member 71 may be selected as a compression spring.

In some embodiments, a tongue locking structure may also be provided for locking the tongue 30 in the initial or operating position depending on different operating conditions. For example, including electromagnets, locking pin assemblies: when the motor is rotating the lever 20, the electromagnet drives the locking pin locking tongue 30; and, when the hand tool is pulled out from the second end of the operating lever 20, the electromagnet drives the locking pin releasing tongue 30.

To make the movement of tongue 30 more smooth and accurate, tongue 30, in some embodiments, further includes guide slots 302 for coupling with guide pins on the frame. Guide slots 302 may provide increased guidance for movement of tongue 30 so that tongue 30 can move smoothly between an initial position and an operational position.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the interlocking piece 50 of the ground switch is movable between a first position and a second position, which correspond to the initial position and the operating position of the tongue 30, respectively.

To achieve mechanical interlocking between the manual mode of operation and the automatic mode of operation, tongue 30 includes a coupling portion 31 for coupling with interlocking tab 50. As shown in fig. 3, the interlocking piece 50 includes a receiving portion 51 coupled to the coupling portion 31.

In case the tongue 30 is moved towards the operating position, the coupling 31 will drive the receiving portion 51 such that the interlocking piece 50 can be moved from the first position to the second position. Also, in the state where the tongue 30 is located at the initial position, the operation lever 20 rotated by the motor can drive the interlocking piece 50 such that the interlocking piece 50 moves from the first position to the second position.

In this way, the earthing switch can have both manual operation and automatic operation modes. Furthermore, the design of tongue 30 and interlocking tab 50, which allows to set the same or partially the same preset conditions for manual and automatic modes of operation, allows to simplify the mechanical interlocking structure of the earthing switch, reducing its cost

In some embodiments, coupling portion 31 includes a pin or a slot, and receiving portion 51 includes a slot or a pin, respectively. When the tongue is in the home position and the interlocking piece 50 is in the first position, as shown in fig. 2 and 4, the coupling portion 31 in the form of a pin abuts against or approaches the bottom 510 of the receiving portion 51 in the form of a chute.

Alternatively, the receiving portion 51 in the form of a pin abuts or is close to the top of the coupling portion 31 in the form of a chute. The pin or the groove can simply realize the interlocking structure while reliably realizing the interlocking function.

After tongue 30 is in the initial position and interlock tab 50 has been actuated to the second position by lever 20, the user may manually move tongue 30 to the operating position. Thus, although the automatic operation mode completes a certain action of the grounding switch (for example, closing or opening the grounding switch), when the user needs to manually operate the grounding switch at this time, the user can still switch to the manual operation mode by operating the tongue piece 30 to turn off the automatic operation mode. Therefore, the switching function of the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode of the grounding switch under various conditions is realized, and the operation requirements of users under various use conditions are met.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the lever 20, which is driven to rotate by the motor, can drive the interlock piece 50. In some embodiments, the interlock tab 50 may include a lug 52 and the lever 20 may include a radial extension 25. With tongue 30 in the initial position, radial extension 25 is able to toggle lug 52 with rotation of lever 20 to move interlock tab 50 from the first position to the second position.

In some embodiments, the radial extension 25 may be a radially extending shaft of the lever 20. Alternatively, the operating lever 20 may comprise a ring fixed thereto, on which a pin is provided as a radial extension 25, as shown in fig. 3 and 4.

In order to meet the requirements of operation safety and operation flow, a preset condition needs to be met so that the opening and closing of the grounding switch can be operated, for example, the preset condition may include whether the isolating switch isolates the electrical device from the power line. The locking assembly of the grounding switch is used for mechanically inhibiting the tongue piece 30 from being operated by a user, so that the grounding switch has mechanical and electrical interlocking and control at the same time, and the reliability of the system is improved.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the locking assembly includes a second lever 61 and a stop block 62. One end 610 of the second lever 61 is coupled with the interlocking piece 50 through a pin/slot structure; the stop block 62 selectively allows or prevents movement of the second lever 61 by selectively releasing the second lever 61 or abutting the second lever 61, respectively. In some embodiments, the stop block 62 is biased against the second lever 61 by a compression spring 621, such as against the other end 620 of the second lever 61.

In some embodiments, the stop block 62 inhibits or allows movement of the second lever 61 by abutting or releasing the other end 620 of the second lever 61. For example, when a preset condition is met, the stop block 62 releases the other end 620 to allow the second lever 61 to move, in which case the user can enter the manual operation mode by manually moving the tongue 30.

As can be seen from fig. 2 to 4, when the stopper 62 abuts against the other end 620 of the second lever 61, the second lever 61 cannot move, and accordingly, the interlocking piece 50 and the tongue piece 30 cannot move, i.e., the user cannot operate the tongue piece 30.

When the stopper 62 releases the other end 620 of the second lever 61, the second lever 61 can move, and accordingly, the interlocking piece 50 and the tongue piece 30 can also move, and at this time, the user can move the tongue piece 30.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, one end 610 of the second lever 61 may include a slot structure, the interlocking tab 50 has a corresponding pin structure, and the rotation shaft 630 of the second lever 61 is located at the middle.

In the automatic operation mode, the control system of the earthing switch can drive the motor to rotate the operating lever 20 based on the position of the trolley to the disconnector (e.g. circuit breaker), which can avoid damaging these parts or the motor by preventing the operating lever 20 from rotating through the limit block 62, the second lever 61, the interlock piece 50.

It should be understood that the foregoing locking structure is exemplary only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other locking assemblies are contemplated to fulfill the aforementioned requirement of meeting predetermined conditions to operate tongue 30. For example, the stopper 62 may be coupled directly to the interlocking piece 50 to lock or release the interlocking piece 50, or the interlocking piece 50 may be locked or released by an electromagnet, a pin structure.

By using the interlocking pieces and the tongue pieces and the locking structure, the same or partially same preset conditions can be set for the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode, and the whole mechanical interlocking mechanism is simplified.

In order to make the movement of the interlocking piece 50 more smooth and accurate, in some embodiments, the interlocking piece 50 further includes a guide groove 502 for coupling with a guide pin on the frame. The guide groove 502 may improve a guide for the movement of the interlocking piece 50 so that the interlocking piece 50 can move more smoothly.

The interlocking piece 50 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be restored to the original position. In some embodiments, the restoring structure includes a second elastic member 72, and one end of the second elastic member 72 is fixed to the interlocking piece 50 or the second lever 61 and the other end is fixed to the fixing plate 70.

Fig. 3 exemplarily shows that the second elastic member 72 is connected to the fixing piece of the second lever 61. In some embodiments, the second resilient member 72 may be selected to be a compression spring.

The earthing switch according to the embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a frame (not shown in the drawings) for mounting the arm 10, the operating lever 20, the tongue 30 and the interlocking piece 50.

It is to be understood that the above detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are merely illustrative of or explaining the principles of the present disclosure and are not limiting of the invention. Therefore, any modification, equivalent replacement, and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Also, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

Claims (14)

1. An earthing switch, comprising:

an arm (10) configured to pivot between a grounding position and an opening position;

a joystick (20) coupled to the arm (10) and rotatable either manually or by motor drive to pivot the arm (10);

a tongue (30) arranged to be movable between an initial position preventing manual rotation of the lever (20) and an operating position allowing manual rotation of the lever (20) and comprising a coupling portion (31); and

an interlock piece (50) including a receiving portion (51) coupled to the coupling portion (31) and arranged to be movable from a first position to a second position by the coupling portion (31) via driving of the receiving portion (51) in a case where the tongue piece (30) is moved toward the operation position; and in the condition that the tongue piece (30) is located at the initial position, the interlocking piece (50) can be driven by the operating rod (20) to move from the first position to the second position.

2. The grounding switch of claim 1,

the coupling portion (31) comprises a pin or a runner, and the receiving portion (51) comprises a runner or a pin, respectively.

3. The grounding switch of claim 2,

the tongue (30) is manually movable to the operative position with the interlock tab (50) in the second position and the tongue (30) in the initial position.

4. The grounding switch according to any of claims 1-3,

the lever (20) has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled to the arm (10) and the second end is coupled to the tongue (30), and

the tongue (30) comprises an opening (32), and in the operative position the opening (32) exposes the second end to allow a user to manually rotate the lever (20).

5. The grounding switch of claim 4,

in the initial position, the body (301) of the tongue (30) obstructs the second end to prevent the user from manually rotating the lever (20).

6. The grounding switch according to any of claims 1-3,

also included is a position detection assembly configured to sense a position of the tongue (30).

7. The grounding switch of claim 6, wherein the position sensing assembly comprises:

a first position sensor (41) configured to generate a manual operation signal when the tongue (30) is moved to the operation position;

a first lever (42) comprising a pressing end (420) and an activation end (421) abutting against the first position sensor (41);

wherein the pressing end (420) is coupled with the tongue (30) via a slot/pin structure.

8. The grounding switch according to any of claims 1-3,

the interlocking tab (50) includes a tab (52),

the actuating lever (20) comprises a radial extension (25),

in the condition in which the tongue (30) is in the initial position, the radial extension (25) is able to trip the lug (52) with the rotation of the lever (20) to move the interlocking tab (50) from the first position to the second position.

9. The grounding switch of any one of claims 1-3, further comprising a locking assembly comprising:

a second lever (61) having one end (610) coupled with the interlocking piece (50) through a pin/slot structure;

a stop block (62) selectively releasing the second lever (61) or abutting the second lever (61) to respectively allow or prevent movement of the second lever (61).

10. The grounding switch of claim 9,

the stopper (62) is biased against the second lever (61) by a compression spring (621).

11. The grounding switch of any one of claims 1-3, further comprising a reset structure comprising:

a fixing plate (70);

and a first elastic member (71) having both ends fixed to the tongue (30) and the fixing plate (70), respectively.

12. The grounding switch of claim 9, further comprising:

a fixing plate (70);

and a second elastic member (72) having both ends fixed to the second lever (61) and the fixing plate (70), respectively.

13. The grounding switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

a frame for mounting the arm (10), the lever (20), the tongue (30) and the interlocking piece (50).

14. The grounding switch of claim 13,

the tongue piece (30) and the interlocking piece (50) respectively include guide grooves, respectively coupled with guide pins on the frame.

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