CN-122000259-A - Electrical device with movable hard stop

Abstract

A contactor device is provided that includes movable contacts configured to selectively open/close an electrical circuit. The movable contact is coupled to the shaft, and the shaft is held in the closed position by the latch. The movable member is biased away from the latch. During an event, the biasing force biasing the movable member away from the latch is overcome. The movable member disengages the latch from the shaft, allowing the shaft to move to the open position. In an example, the movable member is disposed over an opening of a housing of the contactor device.

Inventors

• Wiles Griffin Vance
• Guillermo Mongia Lozano

Assignees

• 森萨塔科技公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20251106

Priority Date

20241108

Claims (20)

1. 1. A switching device, comprising: A housing defining a volume; One or more stationary contacts disposed at least partially in the volume defined by the housing; A movable contact disposed in the volume; a shaft coupled to the movable contact and movable between a first position in which the switching device is configured to be in a closed configuration in which the movable contact is in contact with the one or more fixed contacts and a second position in which the switching device is configured to be in an open configuration in which the movable contact is spaced apart from the one or more fixed contacts; a spring for applying a biasing force biasing the shaft toward the second position; a latch movable between a retaining position in which the latch retains the shaft in the first position against the biasing force and a release position in which the shaft is movable by the biasing force; A first biasing member for biasing the latch to the retention position; A movable member; A second biasing member for biasing the movable member away from the latch, and An actuator configured to selectively apply a force to the movable member against the second biasing member to move the latch against the first biasing member to the release position.
2. 2. The switching device of claim 1, further comprising: a plunger disposed between the movable member and the latch, Wherein the second biasing member biases the plunger away from the latch and into contact with the movable member.
3. 3. The switching device of claim 2, wherein: the movable member includes a recess configured to retain at least a portion of the plunger.
4. 4. The switching device of claim 1, wherein the second biasing member comprises a plurality of compression springs.
5. 5. The switching device of claim 1, wherein the second biasing member biases the movable member against an inner surface of the housing.
6. 6. The switching device of claim 5, wherein: the housing includes an opening; the second biasing member biasing the movable member against the inner surface of the housing to close the opening, and The actuator is at least partially disposed at a location external to the housing to apply a force to the movable member through the opening.
7. 7. The switching device of claim 1, wherein: The shaft moving in an axial direction between the first position and the second position, and The latch moves between the hold position and the release position at an angle relative to the axial direction.
8. 8. The switching device of claim 7, wherein the latch moves between the hold position and the release position at an angle of substantially 90 degrees relative to the axial direction.
9. 9. The switching device of claim 7, wherein: the shaft includes a radial cut, and The latch engages the radial cutout in the retention position.
10. 10. The switching device of claim 1, wherein: the actuator is a pyrotechnic actuator including a pyrotechnic charge and a movable piston, and Detonation of the pyrotechnic charge brings the movable piston into contact with the movable member to apply a force to the movable member against the second biasing member.
11. 11. An electrical device, comprising: A housing defining a volume; a fixed contact coupled to the housing and extending into the volume; A shaft; A movable contact coupled to the shaft; A latch configurable between a hold position in which the latch is in contact with the shaft to hold the shaft in a closed position in which the movable contact is in contact with the fixed contact, and a release position in which the latch is spaced from the shaft; A movable member biased away from the latch, and An actuator configured to selectively apply a force to the movable member toward the latch and move the latch to the release position.
12. 12. The electrical device of claim 11, further comprising: a plunger disposed between the movable member and the latch, and A biasing member biases the plunger away from the latch and into contact with the movable member.
13. 13. The electrical device of claim 12, further comprising: an inner housing disposed within the volume, the inner housing defining a shaft opening into which the shaft extends at least partially, Wherein the biasing member extends between the inner housing and the plunger.
14. 14. The electrical device of claim 13, wherein the inner housing comprises a post and the biasing member is disposed on the post.
15. 15. The electrical device of claim 12, wherein: the movable member includes a recess configured to retain at least a portion of the plunger.
16. 16. The electrical device of claim 12, wherein the biasing member comprises a plurality of compression springs that bias the plunger into the movable member.
17. 17. The electrical device of claim 12, wherein the biasing member biases the movable member against an inner surface of the housing.
18. 18. The electrical device of claim 12, wherein: the housing includes an opening; The biasing member biasing the movable member against the inner surface of the housing to close the opening, and The actuator is at least partially disposed at a location external to the housing to apply a force through the opening to move the movable member.
19. 19. The electrical device of claim 18, wherein: The shaft moving in an axial direction between the closed position and the open position, and The latch moves between the hold position and the release position at an angle relative to the axial direction.
20. 20. The electrical device of claim 11, wherein the actuator is an initiating explosive device.

Description

Electrical device with movable hard stop Technical Field The present disclosure relates to electrical switching apparatus, such as electrical fuse apparatus, and more particularly, to improved passive and/or active fuse apparatus with movable hard stops. Background Many conventional devices for selectively switching on or off an electrical device are known. Electrical contacts (e.g., high voltage DC contacts) and fuses (e.g., electrical fuses and/or pyrotechnic fuses) are conventionally available in electrical systems. The contactor may be configured to interrupt or complete an electrical circuit to control power to and/or from the device. In many conventional systems, fuses are configured as a type of switch, for example, for selectively allowing/disallowing current flow. In some examples, the fuse includes a movable contact coupled to the shaft. In a normally closed fuse, the shaft may be positioned such that the movable contact is in contact with one or more fixed contacts. In these examples, the shaft (and movable contact) may be biased away from the fixed contact, for example, to "open" the fuse and prevent current from flowing through the contactor. For example, a return spring may bias the shaft to the off position. Thus, in the closed configuration, the movable contact is held against the biasing force of the return spring. In some conventional examples, the shaft and/or movable contact may be held against the biasing force of the spring by mechanical features. In these examples, during an event such as a surge, over-current event, short circuit, etc., the mechanical feature may reconfigure (e.g., move or break) to stop holding the shaft/movable contact. However, in these conventional fuse devices, actuation of the mechanical features may be unreliable, may be relatively expensive to manufacture, and/or may present other drawbacks. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved fuse devices and methods of making and assembling such devices. There is also a need in the art for improved devices with higher reliability and/or lower complexity and/or lower cost. Disclosure of Invention The present technology relates to improved electrical devices and methods of making and using such devices. In an example, aspects of the present disclosure relate to an improved fuse device having features that reliably open a circuit by passive triggering (e.g., device self triggering) and/or active triggering (e.g., remote triggering). For example, aspects of the present disclosure may relate to features and/or systems that use a movable hard stop to position the angle of repose of an armature assembly and/or to features and/or systems that are movable during triggering (e.g., by a pyrotechnic actuator). The movable hard stop may be more reliable than conventional designs employing fixed hard stops. Devices including mechanical hard stops can also be more easily manufactured, for example, because they eliminate the need for one or more fasteners. In some instances, devices employing the features and techniques described herein may be more readily reusable. Drawings In order to make it easier for one of ordinary skill in the art to understand how to make and use the disclosed systems and techniques, reference is made to the following drawings. Fig. 1A is a perspective view of an electrical device (e.g., a fuse device) including a housing and electrical components according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 1B is a perspective cross-sectional view of portions of the electrical device of fig. 1A, taken along section line B-B of fig. 1A, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 2A is a partial cross-sectional view of the electrical device of fig. 1A and 1B, showing a normally closed state of the electrical device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 2B is a partial cross-sectional view corresponding to the view of fig. 2A, showing a triggered off state of an electrical device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Detailed Description The present technology overcomes many of the prior art problems associated with electrical devices. In short, the present technology provides an improved electrical device that may include improved performance of the fuse design as compared to other conventional fuse devices. In an example, the electrical device may have two independent operating states, including a first operating state and a second operating state. In a first operating state, the device is closed such that current (e.g., from a high voltage source) may flow through the device. In the second operating state, the device is disconnected, for example such that no current or voltage flows through the device. In aspects of the present disclosure, the electrical device may include an actuator configured to selectively move the fuse from the closed operating state to the open operating state. In examples described herein, an actuator is configured to selectivel