Claims:1. A Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for use in vaccum interrupter of an electrical distribution system, comprising:

an insulating VCB housing;

a Vacuum Interrupter (VI) (1) comprising a fixed contact and a moving contact adaptable to be connected as part of the distribution system;

a VCB driving mechanism (4) within the housing;

a close button;

a mechanism spring (3) adapted to close the VCB in charged position upon pressing the close button;

a trip spring adapted to release stored energy in the trip spring of the VCB upon pushing a trip button;

plurality of motion transfer linkages (5) for driving the moving contact of the VI;
a drive rod (8) for moving movable contact of the VI;

Wherein the VCB driving mechanism (4) comprises a drive rod (7) and plurality of linkages (6) adapted to drive the fixed contact of the VI (1) in relative motion with the moving contact and both the moving and fixed contact of the Vacuum Interrupter (VI) (1) moves simultaneously during opening and closing of the Vacuum Interrupter (1).

2. The VCB mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein a handle rotates a shaft to charge the mechanism spring (3).

3. The VCB mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixed contact moves along with VI bottle.

4. The VCB mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the VCB is a standard medium voltage distribution VCB.
, Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism of a vacuum interrupter, and more particularly, to VCB mechanism of a vacuum interrupter in which provisions are made for the dual contact movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, a circuit breaker is an electrical protection device, which is installed between a power source and load units, to a load unit and a load line, such as a motor, and a Transformer of an abnormal current (causing a high current through accidents such as short circuit and ground fault), which is generated in one electrical circuit such as a transmission / distribution line and a forming device for the house connection, for opening / closing of Load circuits and to perform a distribution function to switch the electrical power line to another line.

A Vacuum interrupter, the one main Building component of the vacuum circuit breaker is created, to interrupt the electric current by having a movable one Electrode and a stationary one Electrode be disconnected if a mechanical actuating mechanism is put into operation by an electrical signal of the abnormal Electricity detected in a control unit when the abnormal Electricity is generated.

The document WO2014060088A1 discloses, (Multi-block hybrid vacuum circuit breaker having in series connected vacuum interrupters) The invention relates to a multi-block hybrid vacuum circuit breaker comprising at least two blocks with at least one semiconductor component and one vacuum interrupter comprising a vacuum switching chamber for accommodating a pair of electrical contacts comprising a fixed electrical contact and a axial movable electrical contact, which can be moved in translation for switching purpose, wherein the at least one semiconductor component is connected in parallel to the vacuum interrupter.

The document US4434332A discloses, (Hybrid-type interrupting apparatus) A current interruption apparatus comprises a series-connected combination of at least one vacuum interrupter and at least one gas-blast interrupter. Each vacuum interrupter is coupled in parallel with a non-linear resistor, while each gas-blast interrupter is coupled in parallel with a capacitor. During the initial period of the recovery voltage developed upon current interruption, most of the recovery voltage is applied to the vacuum interrupter. After the instant at which the non-linear resistor represents its constant voltage characteristics, the SF6 gas-blast interrupter will take the largest portion of the entire voltage increased thereafter.

The document US7550691B2 discloses, (Adjustable switching mechanism for series coupled vacuum interrupters) An adjustable switching mechanism for adjusting the tolerance of electrical contacts of series coupled vacuum interrupters includes a primary drawbar coupled to a secondary drawbar via a pair of coupling pull rods. The primary and secondary drawbars are adjustably attached to the coupling pull rods by a plurality of adjustable compression assemblies. The primary drawbar also includes an attachment bore having threads of one dimension to thread ably receive a double-threaded part there through. The double threaded part also includes an internal bore having threads of another dimension in which to receive a coupling screw. As such, the tolerance between the electrical contacts of the vacuum interrupters may be changed through adjustment of the compression assemblies and the rotation of the double-threaded part.

In a typical VCB mechanism there are many shortcomings. Opening & closing speed of spring charged stored energy type mechanism is generally fixed and cannot be varied beyond a particular value which limits the velocities hence arcing time cannot be reduced below a particular value.

For this reason, there is a dire need to provide an improved Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism of vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system which will eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks of the conventional mechanisms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following disclosure presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the present invention. It is not intended to identify the key/critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concept of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of the invention presented later.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the problems of prior art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system where both the moving and fixed contact of standard Vacuum Interrupter (VI) will move simultaneously during VI opening & closing.

An object of the present invention to provide a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system where both the contacts of the VI moves in relative motion with each other.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system which achieves higher opening velocity.

Another object of the present invention to provide a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system with reduced arcing time and fast fault current interruption.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system with less contact erosion.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system with economical design for higher velocity.

One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism of a vacuum interrupter, and more particularly, to VCB motion driving linkages & drive links in which provisions are made for the dual contact movement i.e.; both the moving and fix contacts of standard Vacuum Interrupter (VI) will move simultaneously during VI opening & closing. In the present disclosure the VCB mechanism is designed so that it can provide dual contact movement. This dual contact movement will double the opening & closing speed of the VI as compared to the normal standard VCB using the same spring charged stored energy type mechanism with minor innovative modifications in linkages. This will result in less arcing time and fast fault current interruption. As the interruption occurs at a fast rate with reduced arching time, so the contact erosion will be less.

In one implementation, the present invention provides a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system which comprises of an insulating VCB housing, a standard Vacuum Interrupter (VI) comprising a fixed contact and a moving contact adaptable to be connected as part of the distribution system. Further, a VCB driving mechanism within the housing, a close button, a mechanism spring configured to close the VCB in charged position upon pressing the close button, a trip spring configured to release stored energy in the trip spring of the VCB upon pushing a trip button, plurality of motion transfer linkages for driving the moving contact of the VI and a drive rod for moving movable contact of the VI.

In one implementation, the present invention uses a handle rotates a shaft to charge the mechanism spring.

In one implementation, the present invention provides the fixed contact of the VI along with ceramic envelope which is in relative motion with the moving contact and both the moving and fixes contact of the Vacuum Interrupter moves simultaneously during opening and closing of the Vacuum Interrupter.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent in the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates the schematic view of the standard medium voltage distribution VCB of the conventional system.

Figure 2 (a) illustrates the schematic side view of the opening position of the standard medium voltage distribution VCB according to one of the embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 2 (b) illustrates the schematic side view of the closing position of the standard medium voltage distribution VCB according to one of the embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 2 (c) illustrates the schematic rear view of the opening position of the standard medium voltage distribution VCB according to one of the embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 2 (d) illustrates the schematic rear view of the closing position of the standard medium voltage distribution VCB according to one of the embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 3 illustrates the schematic view of the VI movement and positions of the standard medium voltage distribution VCB according to one of the embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 4(a)-4(b) illustrates the front view and the rear view of the standard medium voltage distribution VCB with the housing according to one of the embodiments of the present invention.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may not have been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding, but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

The present invention provide a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism of a vacuum interrupter, and more particularly, to VCB motion driving linkages & drive links in which provisions are made for the dual contact movement i.e.; both the moving and fix contacts of standard Vacuum Interrupter (VI) will move simultaneously during VI opening & closing. In the present disclosure the VCB mechanism is designed so that it can provide dual contact movement. This dual contact movement will double the opening & closing speed of the VI as compared to the normal standard VCB using the same spring charged stored energy type mechanism with minor modifications in linkages. This will result in less arcing time and fast fault current interruption. As the interruption occurs at a fast rate so the contact erosion will be less.

It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to "a component surface" includes a reference to one or more of such surfaces.

All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which various embodiments belong. Further, the meaning of terms or words used in the specification and the claims should not be limited to the literal or commonly employed sense but should be construed in accordance with the spirit of the disclosure to most properly describe the present disclosure.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular various embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of various embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, members, components, and/or groups thereof. Also, Expressions such as "at least one of," when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the various embodiments set forth herein, rather, these various embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the present disclosure. Furthermore, a detailed description of other parts will not be provided not to make the present disclosure unclear. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to like elements throughout.

Keeping in mind the VI fault current interruption performance, a distinguished Breaker arrangement is developed to increase the closing and opening speed by moving both the contacts of VI simultaneously. This arrangement can be done on a standard medium voltage distribution VCB (Figure 1). Few add on components are required to be assembled over the standard VCB. If we compare the cost versus the functionality improvement then the functional improvement would be huge as compare to the cost invested for the modification.

The standard medium voltage distribution VCB important parts are demonstrated in the Figure 1. The mechanism Spring (3) is charged with the help of a handle which rotates a shaft and charge the mechanism spring (3). Upon charging the mechanism Spring (3) the standard medium voltage distribution VCB (Figure 1) is ready to close & on pressing close button VCB is closed (i.e.; the mechanism will transfer motion to the VI contact to close through linkages (5) & drive rod (8). To open the standard medium voltage distribution VCB (Figure 1) a trip button is pushed which releases the stored energy in the trip spring of VCB (Figure 1) which return the linkages (5) & drive rod (8) to its original position and open the VI contacts. In both the above process of closing & opening only one contact of Vacuum Interrupter (Figure 1) is movable. The other contact of Vacuum Interrupter is fixed (Figure 1).

The working of the dual contact moving VCB of the present invention (Figure 2) is very much similar to the working mentioned above. The only difference is that the dual contact moving VCB (Figure 2) contains: Additional linkages for the driving fixed contact of VI (6) & Drive rod for moving fixed contact along with the VI bottle (7). Also the arrangement of these components are in such a way that when the dual contact moving VCB (Figure 2) is closed both the linkages (5) and (6) transfer motion to (8) and (7) respectively to move both the ends of Vacuum Interrupter (1) towards each other simultaneously which also moves the bottle (ceramic envelope) downward along with fixed contact of standard VI and moving contact upward. Upon tripping the stored energy in the dual contact moving VCB (Figure 2) is transferred to drive rod (7) and (8) through linkages (6) and (5) respectively and both the contacts move away from each other simultaneously which also moves the bottle (ceramic envelope) upward along with fixed contact of standard VI and moving contact downward.
As earlier only one contact is moved with a particular velocity “V”, now in dual contact VCB, both the VI contacts are in relative motion with each other, each having a velocity of “V”. This sums up to total contact relative velocity of up to “2V”.

In one implementation, the present invention provides a Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) mechanism for vacuum interrupter of an electrical distribution system which comprises of an insulating VCB housing, a Vacuum Interrupter (VI) comprising a fixed contact and a moving contact adaptable to be connected as part of the distribution system. Further, a VCB driving mechanism within the housing, a close button, a mechanism spring configured to close the VCB in charged position upon pressing the close button, a trip spring configured to release stored energy in the trip spring of the VCB upon pushing a trip button, plurality of motion transfer linkages for driving the moving contact of the VI and a drive rod for moving movable contact of the VI.

In one implementation, the present invention uses a handle rotates a shaft to charge the mechanism spring.

In one implementation, the present invention provides the fixed contact of the VI which is in relative motion with the moving contact and both the moving and fixes contact of the Vacuum Interrupter moves simultaneously during opening and closing of the Vacuum Interrupter.

Stages of Development:
There are many critical areas in switchgear field which need continuous attention for its improvement. One such critical area is the VI. During the fault current clearing process involving higher TRV values or where less arching time is desirable, the VI contacts require higher speed so as to interrupt the fault current. The VI gets the drive from the VCB mechanism. A typical VCB mechanism provide a single contact movement. So, to meet the current need a VCB mechanism is developed which provide dual contact movement. This dual contact movement will benefit in following ways:
1) The opening & closing speed of the contact will get almost double compare to the standard VCB mechanism
2) The arcing time will reduce drastically. Hence, fast fault current interruption.
3) Less contact erosion.
4) Can be used for higher RRRV values fault clearing.
5) More economical as compared to a new mechanism of higher opening velocity.
So, the development of the dual contact movement mechanism is motivated by the above listed benefits.

Some of the non-limiting advantages of the present invention are as follows:
1) Dual contact movement.
2) Almost double opening & closing speed of the VI.
3) Reduction in arcing time.
4) Fast fault current interruption.
5) Less contact erosion.
6) Higher RRRV fault clearing.
7) Longer VI life.
8) Economical design for higher velocity.