| CPC H01H 33/6661 (2013.01) [H01H 33/121 (2013.01); H01H 33/664 (2013.01); H01H 33/6664 (2013.01)] | 14 Claims |
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1. A switching apparatus for medium voltage electric systems, said switching apparatus comprising one or more electric poles, wherein, for each electric pole, said switching apparatus comprises:
a first pole terminal, a second pole terminal, and a ground terminal, said first pole terminal electrically couplable with a first conductor of an electric line, said second pole terminal electrically couplable to a second conductor of said electric line, and said ground terminal electrically couplable to a grounding conductor;
a plurality of fixed contacts spaced apart one from another, said plurality of fixed contacts including a first fixed contact electrically connected to said first pole terminal, a second fixed contact electrically connected to said second pole terminal, a third fixed contact electrically connected to said ground terminal, and fourth fixed contact;
a movable contact reversibly movable about a rotation axis according to a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction, so that said movable contact can be coupled to or uncoupled from said fixed contacts, wherein said movable contact is coupled to a first fixed contact region of said first fixed contact and to a second fixed contact region of said second fixed contact, thereby electrically connecting said first and second fixed contacts, when said switching apparatus is in a closed state,
wherein said movable contact is coupled to no fixed contacts, when said movable contact is in an open state, and
wherein said movable contact is coupled to a third fixed contact region of said second fixed contact and to a fourth fixed contact region of said third fixed contact, thereby electrically connecting said second and third fixed contacts, when said movable contact is in a grounded state;
a vacuum interrupter comprising a fixed arc contact electrically connected to said first pole terminal, a movable arc contact electrically connected to said fourth fixed contact and reversibly movable along a corresponding translation axis between a coupled position with said fixed arc contact and an uncoupled position from said fixed arc contact, and a vacuum chamber, in which said fixed arc contact and said movable arc contact are enclosed and can be coupled or decoupled; and
a motion transmission mechanism operatively coupled to said movable arc contact and actuatable by said movable contact to cause a movement of said movable arc contact along said translation axis, when said movable contact moves about said rotation axis,
wherein said first and second pole terminals are arranged at opposite sides of said switching apparatus relative to the rotation axis of said movable contact and aligned one to another along a first alignment direction,
wherein, for each electric pole, the first and second fixed contact regions of said first and second fixed contacts are arranged at opposite sides of said switching apparatus relative to the rotation axis of said movable contact, said first and second fixed contact regions displaced relative to the first alignment direction of said first and second pole terminals, so that said first and second fixed contact regions are aligned along a second alignment direction angularly spaced from said first alignment direction, and
wherein, during an opening maneuver of said switching apparatus, said movable contact moves according to said first rotation direction towards an intermediate position, wherein, upon an initial movement according to said first rotation direction, said movable contact directly couples to said fourth fixed contact while being coupled to said first fixed contact and to said second fixed contact, thereby electrically connecting said first fixed contact and said fourth fixed contact to said second fixed contact.
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