Impedance-increasing system and in-line device therefor

Claim 2

A switch comprising: a housing; shaft rotatably mounted on said housing; a switch contact arm mounted on said shaft to swing from an open to a closed position upon rotation of said shaft; a fixed contact mounted on said housing to be contacted by said moving contact arm when said shaft is rotated to a contact closed position; torque means connected to said shaft to torque said shaft in a rotational direction toward contact closed position and to maintain contact pressure of said moving contact on said fixed contact in contact closed position; motor means connected to said shaft for rotating said shaft against the torque of said torque means to move said moving contact away from said fixed contact to open said contacts; and restraining means for restraining said shaft in a rotated position wherein said moving contact is out of contact with said fixed contact.

Claim 3

The switch of claim 1 wherein said restraining means is releasable so that said shaft can be released from the open position to rotate under torque of said torque means to move said moving contact against said fixed contact.

Claim 4

The switch of claim 2 wherein said restraining means includes a clutch having a race secured to said shaft and a race which is fixable to said housing and engagement means between said races for permitting said shaft mounted race to rotate with respect to said housing fixable race in one direction and restrain it in the other direction.

Claim 5

The switch of claim 3 wherein a brake is interconnected between said housing and said housing fixable race so that when said brake is engaged, said motor means can turn said shaft from contact closed to contact open position and said clutch and said brake restrain said shaft in contact open position and so that upon release of said brake said shaft is torqued by said torque means to contact closed Position.

Claim 6

The switch of claim 4 wherein said brake is a disc brake, said disc brake having a disc secured to said fixable race and having a caliper mounted on said housing, at said caliper having brake pads therein, one on each side of said disc, one of said brake pads being movable to engage said disc.

Claim 7

The switch of claim 5 wherein a cam engages against said movable pad and a lever is connected to move said cam against pad, resilient means for urging said lever in a brake engaging direction, and motor means for urging said lever in a brake disengaging direction, so that actuation of said brake disengaging motor means permits said torque means to close said contacts.

Claim 8

The switch of claim 1 wherein said motor means is a dynamic repulsion motor.

Claim 9

The switch of claim 7 wherein said motor means comprises a rotor connected to said shaft, said rotor being electrically conductive, and stator means connected to said housing, windings in said stator adjacent said rotor so that current flow in said windings causes eddy current in said rotor and mutual repulsion forces so that upon energization said motor mean said shaft is torqued in a direction to cause contact disengagement.

Claim 10

The switch of claim 8 wherein said rotor has at least two radially extending rotor arms having substantially radial faces and said stator has at least two windings, with one winding positioned to face each rotor arm so that torque forces are developed in a substantially tangential direction at said rotor arms.

Claim 11

The switch of claim 9 wherein there is a plurality of rotor arms greater than two with a stator winding adjacent the face of each rotor arm.

Claim 12

The switch of claim 1 wherein said torque means is a torque bar, one end of said torque bar being secured to said shaft and the other end of said torque bar being secured to said housing, said torque bar lying substantially coaxially with said shaft.

Claim 13

The switch of claim 1 wherein said housing mounted stationary contact comprises a plurality of contact fingers, each of said contact fingers being mounted on a torque tube extending substantially parallel to said shaft so that said contact fingers are separately torqued into engagement with said moving contact.

Claim 14

The switch of claim 1 where there are first and second contact arms mounted on said shaft to comprise first and second moving contact arms, and there are first and second stationary contacts mounted on said frame so that rotation of said shaft causes both said first and second moving contact arms to move away from said frist and second stationary contacts to open to contact gaps.

Claim 15

The switch of claim 13 wherein a gas blast nozzle is directed toward each contact gap, a source of high pressure arc quenching gas and a valve connected between said gas source and said nozzle, said valve being opened by a dynamic repulsion motor.

Claim 16

The switch of claim 13 wherein said torque means is a torque bar, one end of said torque bar being secured to said shaft and the other end of said torque bar being secured to said housing, said torque bar lying substantially coaxially with said shaft.

Claim 17

The switch of claim 15 wherein said motor means is a dynamic repulsion motor.

Claim 18

The switch of claim 16 wherein said motor means comprises a rotor connected to said shaft, said rotor being electrically conductive, and stator means connected to said housing, windings in said stator adjacent said rotor so that current flow in said windings causes eddy current in said rotor and mutual repelling forces so that upon energization said motor mean said shaft is torqued in a direction to cause contact disengagement.

Claim 19

The switch of claim 17 wherein said housing mounted stationary contact comprises a plurality of contact fingers, each of said contact fingers being mounted on a torque tube extending substantially parallel to said shaft so that said contact fingers are separately torqued into engagement with said moving contact.

Claim 20

The switch of claim 18 wherein saiD restraining means is releasable so that said shaft can be released from the open position to rotate under torque of said torque means to move said moving contact against said fixed contact.

Claim 21

The switch of claim 19 wherein said restraining means includes a clutch having a race secured to such shaft and a race which is fixable to said housing and engagement means between said races for permitting said shaft mounted race to rotate with respect to said housing fixable race in one direction and restrain it in the other direction.

Claim 22

The switch of claim 20 wherein a brake is interconnected between said housing and said housing fixable race so that when said brake is engaged, said motor means can turn said shaft from contact closed to contact open position and said clutch and said brake restrain said shaft in contact open position and so that upon release of said brake said shaft is torqued by said torque means to contact closed position.

Claim 23

The switch of claim 21 wherein said brake is a disc brake, said disc brake having a disc secured to said fixable race and having a caliper mounted on said housing, at said caliper having brake pads therein, one on each side of each disc, one of said brake pads being movable to engage said disc.

Claim 24

The switch of claim 22 wherein a cam engages against said movable pad and a lever is connected to move said cam against pad, resilient means for urging said lever in a brake engaging direction, and motor means for urging said lever in a brake disengaging direction, so that actuation of said brake disengaging motor means permits said torque means to close said contacts.

Claim 25

An impedance inserting circuit comprising: a source of electric power, a series connection of said source, a circuit breaker, an in-line switch and a load, an electronic switch and a parallel resistor in parallel to said in-line switch so that upon opening of said in-line switch, current passes through said electronic switch and upon off-switching of said electronic switch said impedance is inserted into said circuit to limit current between said impedance and said powersource, said in-line switch comprising: a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, a movable contact arm mounted on said shaft and a stationary contact mounted on said frame, torque means for torquing said movable contact arm into contact with said stationary contact, motor means for rotating said shaft so that said movable contact arm is moved away from said contact and selective restraining means for selectively restraining said shaft against torque of said torque means for maintaining said contact arm away from said contact.

Claim 26

An impedance inserting circuit comprising: a source of electric power, a series connection of said source, a circuit breaker, an in-line switch and a load, an electronic switch and a parallel resistor in parallel to said in-line switch so that upon opening of said in-line switch, current passes through said electronic switch and upon off-switching of said electronic switch said impedance is inserted into said circuit to limit current between said impedance and said powersource, said in-line switch comprising: a frame, a shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, a movable contact arm mounted on said shaft and a stationary contact mounted on said frame, torque means for torquing said movable contact arm into contact with said stationary contact, motor means for rotating said shaft so that said movable contact arm is moved away from said contact and selective restraining means for selectively restraining said shaft against torque of said torque means for maintaining said contact arm away from said contact.

Claim 27

The circuit of claim 24 wherein said electronic switch is a crossed field switch.

Claim 28

The circuit of claim 24 wherein the connection between said in-line switch and said load is a load bus and wherein the connection between said inline switch and said source is a source bus, first and second branch resistors serially connected between said source bus and said load bus, a base resistor connected between said branch resistors said switch having first and second movable contact arms and first and second stationary contacts, said first stationary contact to being connected to said load bus and said second stationary contact being connected to said source bus and said movable contact arms being connected to said base resistor.

Claim 29

The circuit of claim 26 wherein there are first and second electronic switches, said first electronic switch being connected between said load bus and said moving contact arms and said second electronic switch being connected between said moving contact arms and said source bus.

Claim 30

The circuit of claim 27 wherein both of said electronic switches are crossed field switch devices.