Fast Electromechanical Disconnect Switching Chamber with Integrated Drive Mechanism

The technology developed is a fast electromechanical switch with the drive mechanism integrated into the switching chamber. The integration of the drive mechanism allows for much faster contact travel and therefore faster switching operation.

The proposed invention uses a vacuum or pressurized gas chamber with internal piezoelectric-actuator driven contacts for an electrical switch that can provide ultra-fast voltage. It fills a need for use in hybrid breaker applications.

Advantages:

• Compact
• Low loss
• Does not need high current pulses
• Can be automatically reset
• Simple and fast