HK1015526B - Control method and device for a switchgear actuator - Google Patents

Description

Method and device for controlling a switching device driver

Reference to related applications

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application No. US08/440,783, filed 5, 15, 1995.

Background

1. Field of the invention

The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling an electrical switching apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of controlling a switching device using a voice coil (voice coil) driver to rapidly and correctly open and close a interrupter, and an apparatus therefor.

2. Description of the related Art

Switchgear is required to be installed in an electrical distribution system for a variety of reasons, such as to provide automatic protection in response to abnormal load conditions, or to open and close various parts of the system. Various types of switchgear include a switch for opening and closing a transmission line, such as a line to a capacitor bank, depending on the situation; a fault interrupter for automatically opening a line upon detection of a fault; and an automatic reclosing device which opens and closes rapidly a predetermined number of times upon detection of a fault until the fault is cleared or locked in the open position.

Vacuum circuit breakers are widely used in the prior art because they allow rapid, low energy arc breaking, and they have long contact life, low mechanical stress, and high operational safety. The contacts in the vacuum interrupter are sealed in a vacuum chamber. One of the contacts is a movable contact whose operating element extends outwardly through a vacuum seal in the vacuum chamber.

Summary and objects of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drive and control mechanism for a switchgear apparatus that minimizes arcing and transient events during opening and closing.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drive and control mechanism for a switchgear which allows an accurate monitoring of the system.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a drive mechanism for a switchgear which is capable of movement within a certain range, thus eliminating various types of mechanical systems.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a drive mechanism for a switchgear which can be controlled by any general motor control circuit or by a dedicated motion control circuit.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a drive mechanism for a switchgear which makes it possible to obtain speeds and forces not easily achievable with the mechanical systems of the prior art.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved synchronous operating switching device which significantly shortens the transients that occur during switching operations.

In summary, switchgear including vacuum circuit breakers have employed various spring-loaded mechanisms connected to an operating member for properly opening or closing the contacts of the circuit breaker. One such device that has found wide use is a simple trigger linkage. The basic function of these mechanisms is to rapidly drive the contacts to their open or closed positions in order to minimize arcing. Many spring-loaded mechanisms and their corresponding latches and linkages are required in various devices.

To actuate these mechanical systems with the pressure or spring force of the drive spring, an actuator is typically required. These actuators may include, but are not limited to, solenoids, motors, or hydraulic devices. These drives are slow and have a poor response time compared to the intrinsic speed of the circuit breaker required to effectively interrupt the current. Therefore, they are not normally used directly to drive the contacts of the circuit breaker, but to activate a fast-acting spring mechanism. The starting of such a system has the disadvantage that the spring-driven operating mode itself is not easily controlled and requires a great deal of technical effort to be able to adjust the performance of the mechanism precisely.

In practice this means that many different mechanisms adapted to different operating requirements have to be designed for the switches, fault breakers and reclosers and for different levels of each switchgear, depending on the specific application including voltage and current requirements.

In addition, the action of the contacts of the circuit breaker needs to be rapid and accurate in order to minimize arcing and transients that occur between the contacts for high voltage conditions commonly used in electrical equipment. Depending on the different uses of the capacitor bank switch or the fault circuit, the skilled person can determine the optimal action time to open or close the breaker contacts. This optimum time is relative to a precise point on the voltage or current waveform at which point the current opening or closing will produce only minimal arcing or transient processes. Since conventional spring-actuated mechanisms do not have such precise control capabilities, the present invention provides a suitable device for achieving fixed-point or synchronous switching of waveforms. Such a synchronously operated circuit breaker has the dual advantage of reducing wear on the contacts of the circuit breaker and significantly shortening the typical transients experienced by switchgear units downstream in the power system.

Another feature of controlled synchronous operation switching devices is that the speed at which the contacts close can be controlled. In conventional systems, the contacts are closed with uncontrollable high speed drives and multiple bounce opens are possible before the contacts are in place. This bouncing phenomenon is detrimental because the arc that is generated therewith softens the contacts and creates a strong fusion welding phenomenon when the contacts are finally engaged.

The current interrupter according to the present invention comprises a current interrupting device having at least one movable contact; a driver connected to the movable contact of the interrupter; a feedback sensor for detecting movement of the actuator; and a control system coupled to the feedback sensor for receiving information from the feedback sensor relating to the movement of the actuator and controlling the movement of the actuator in response to this information. The circuit breaker further includes a memory for storing a desired motion map of the drive; and a microprocessor for comparing the motion of the driver with the ideal motion map and controlling the motion of the driver according to the comparison result of the motion of the driver with the ideal motion map. The circuit breaker further comprises a sensor for detecting a voltage or current waveform in the line to be switched and providing information about such waveform to the control system; the control system controls the movement of the actuator based on this information about the waveform.

The above features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention. The following drawings are provided to illustrate the present invention.

Brief Description of Drawings

In the following, the invention is described with reference to illustrative embodiments in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a switching apparatus employing a voice coil driver;

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a switchgear;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum assembly shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the operating mechanism of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the major components of the operating mechanism;

FIG. 6 shows a plot of system voltage versus time and dielectric drop of a circuit breaker;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a circuit that may be used with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a motion map that may be used in the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a voice coil driver that may be used in the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a locking mechanism that may be used with the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a contact pressure spring mechanism that may be used with the present invention;

fig. 12 is a graph for explaining the synchronization timing of the capacitor switch at the time of the opening operation.

Detailed Description

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which there is shown and described a preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention. The reference numerals are identical throughout the figures.

In fig. 1, an input power line 2 is connected in series with a circuit breaker 4, so that the circuit can be disconnected by the circuit breaker 4. The line 2 can be disconnected by a predetermined command, and in case of a fault breaker, when the fault exceeds a predetermined threshold. One contact of the circuit breaker 4 is connected to one end of one operating lever 6. The other end of the lever 6 is operatively connected to a driver, for example a voice coil driver 8. The voice coil driver 8 is directly operated by the operation lever 6 to open or close the contact of the circuit breaker 4.

Voice coil driver 8 is a limited motion device driven directly by a magnetic field and coil windings 10 to produce a force proportional to the current supplied to the coil. The electromechanical conversion of the voice coil driver 8 is controlled by the principle of Lorentz Force, which indicates that if a current carrying wire is placed in a magnetic field, a Force acts on the wire. The magnitude of the force is determined by the following equation:

where F is the force, k is a constant, B is the flux density, L is the wire length, I is the current in the wire, and N is the number of turns of the wire.

The current through the voice coil winding 10 is controlled by a control mechanism 12. Any general control mechanism 12 may be used. For example, suitable control mechanisms 12 include: a single-loop controller, a programmable logic controller, or a decentralized control system. The control mechanism 12 may be connected to a feedback device 14, which provides an input signal regarding the position of the operating lever 6.

The control mechanism 12 may also be connected to a locking device 16. When the control mechanism 12 for indication fixes the operating lever 6, the locking device 16 fixes the operating lever 6 at its current position. In another arrangement, the locking device 16 may be a permanent magnet that is not connected to the control device 12 or a mechanical lock.

In fig. 2 a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the invention is shown. The operating rod 6 and the circuit breaker 4 are housed in a single, elongated, strong insulating sealed case 18. The capsule 18 may be made of ceramic, porcelain, any suitable resin, or any other suitable strong insulating material. The line side high voltage electrical terminals 22 and the load side high voltage electrical terminals 20 protrude from the robust insulation box 18 and are connected to the circuit breaker 4. The high voltage electrical terminals 20 and 22 are radially arranged 180 deg. apart and parallel to each other. The sealing box 18 constitutes a strong insulation between the high voltage electric terminals 20 and 22, while constituting a strong insulation between each of the high voltage electric terminals 20 and 22 and an electric ground (not shown).

The circuit breaker 4 includes a vacuum assembly or housing 24 having a cross-section as shown in fig. 3, and a pair of switch contacts 71, 72 are mounted within the vacuum assembly 24. The vacuum assembly provides a housing and vacuum environment for operation of a pair of switch contacts. The assembly 24 is generally formed of an elongated tubular evacuated ceramic envelope 73, preferably of an alumina material. The switch contact 71 is a movable contact and the other switch contact 72 is stationary or fixed.

A specially made fitting 76 is attached to the shank of stationary contact 72 allowing the corresponding high voltage electrical terminal 22 to be withdrawn at a 90 ° angle.

The switch moving contact 71 is fixed on the uppermost of the axial ends of the operating rod 6. One method of fixing is to screw a bolt 32 into a tapped connection 74 in a moving shank 75 of the movable contact 71. When the switch contacts are in the closed position shown, a low resistance or short circuit is formed between the high voltage electrical terminals 20 and 22. The circuit breaker 4 further comprises a current exchange component and an interface 26 provided between the vacuum assembly 24 and the current exchange component. The current exchange means comprises a movable piston 28 and a fixed housing 30. In the present embodiment, the operating rod 6 is made of an electrically insulating material.

The other end of the operating rod 6 is fixed to a flange 34 of the voice coil driver 8 by a fixing pin 36. The pin 36 for maintaining the position of the components may be secured by any suitable means, such as a pair of retaining rings. A circulating belt-shaped ball bearing 38 and a split ring 40 for holding the ball bearing 38 allow the operating rod 6 to move smoothly. The voice coil windings 10 are disposed between the outer body of the voice coil driver 8 and the flange 34. The side flanges 42 are secured to the outer body of the voice coil driver 8 and are attached to side brackets 44 to securely hold the voice coil driver 8 within a protective housing 46. The protective case 46 is connected to a cover 50 of the protective case 46 by a case flange 48, and the protective case cover 50 is in turn connected to the robust insulating sealed box 18 by a cover flange 52. Like the robust insulating capsule 18, the protective shell 46 is made of ceramic, porcelain, any suitable resin, or any other suitable robust insulating material.

The feedback device 14 in this embodiment is a position sensor, such as a linear potentiometer 14. The linear potentiometer 14 may be formed by a three-terminal rheostat or a resistor having one or more sliding adjustment contacts, thus forming an adjustable voltage divider. The linear potentiometer 14 provides position information about the operating rod 6 to the control mechanism 12, which controls the voice coil driver 8. The feedback device 14 may also be an opto-electronic encoder.

The locking device 16 is used to fix the operating lever 6. The locking device may be a controllable device such as an electromagnet, or a simple mechanism, or a permanent magnet lock, comprising: a locking magnet 54, a spacer 56 made of a nonferrous material, a bolt 58 for fixing the locking magnet 54 to the protective cover 50, a locking plate 60 made of a ferrous material, and a locking plate pin 62 for fixing the locking plate 60 to the operating lever 6.

To more fully understand the present invention, reference is made to fig. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of the operating mechanism of the embodiment shown in fig. 2, and fig. 5 shows an exploded view of the main components of the operating mechanism.

Details regarding the control mechanism of the present invention are explained below.

Fig. 6 shows a voltage signal 100 plotted on a voltage level v (t) versus time t. Under 60Hz, each half cycle is ideally 8.33 ms. However, a given half-cycle may be greater or less than 8.33ms, since harmonics or asymmetric states change the actual cycle.

In capacitor switching devices, in order to minimize arcing and resulting transients, the contacts of the circuit breaker are preferably momentarily closed at a zero time when v (t) is equal to zero. See point a in fig. 6. However, since the contacts cannot be closed instantaneously, precise control of the initial timing of the opening and closing sequence is required in order to minimize transients and arcing.

A preferred embodiment of a control circuit 200 for use with the present invention is shown in fig. 7. At the heart of the control circuit 200 is a microprocessor 202 suitable for use over a wide temperature range.

The voltage waveform on the power line controlled by the circuit breaker 4 is analyzed by a voltage waveform analyzer 204, a phase locked loop circuit 206, and a Vzero zero crossing detection circuit 208. Information about the voltage waveform on the line to be cut, including the zero point a at which the voltage v (t) is zero, is input to the microprocessor 202. Or directly off-line using the voltage waveform analyzer 204 without the phase locked loop circuit 206.

The open and close commands are input to microprocessor 202 through inputs 210 and 212, respectively. The opening and closing commands are generated manually, can be activated by a clock at preset times, can be activated by external controls, or can be triggered by fault detection, depending on the specific use of the circuit breaker 4.

A reset signal 214 may be input to the microprocessor 202 to manually reset the microprocessor 202 when necessary. For example, if the circuit breaker 4 is manually operated, the microprocessor 202 may not be set to the current state of the circuit breaker 4. In which case microprocessor 202 should be reset.

Status indicators may be used to indicate various states of the circuit 200 or the circuit breaker 4. Such indicators may include a service light 216 to provide an indication when service is required, a power light 218, a switch open indicator 220, a switch closed indicator 222, and a counter 224 to count cycles or system operations.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention may include two control systems. The first control system is generic and therefore its details need not be described here, it is used to determine when the line controlled by the circuit breaker 4 needs to be opened or closed. The first control system may include a fault detector or a timer for disconnecting the line when a fault is detected or at a predetermined time.

Or an open or close command can be directly input into the system. Either an open or close command, whether by the first control system or manually, is input to microprocessor 202 from inputs 210 and 212, respectively.

The second control system 200 shown in fig. 7 analyzes the voltage waveform on the line and determines the optimal time for the circuit breaker 4 to begin opening and closing in order to minimize transients and arcing.

Each circuit breaker 4 has a certain dielectric strength which determines the possibility of an arc jumping from one contact to another. The dielectric strength depends on many factors including the medium inside the circuit breaker 4 and the distance between the contacts 71, 72. Fig. 6 shows the change or decrease in dielectric strength between contacts 71, 72 over time as the distance between the contacts gets closer. See line C in fig. 6. Ideally, the dielectric strength between the contacts should be infinite before the instant the contacts 71, 72 close. As shown by line B in fig. 6. In practice, the dielectric drops rapidly with a downward slope as the contacts approach each other. See line C in fig. 6. If the slope of the dielectric dip is sufficiently large and the dielectric strength is maintained at a value greater than the voltage waveform, arcing and transient processes can be eliminated or significantly reduced.

Another factor that needs to be considered during circuit breaker operation is the relative speed between the contacts during opening and closing. If the contact is moved slowly, the slope of the dielectric drop will be low, and arcing may occur. Conversely, if the contacts move too quickly, particularly when closed, the contacts may jump away from each other, creating undesirable arcing and transients. Thus, there may be a unique ideal motion map for each application of the circuit breaker. Fig. 8 shows an example of the movement diagram, in which the abscissa represents the position of the movable contact 71 and the ordinate represents the speed at which the contact 71 moves. Point 0 on the abscissa represents the starting or maximum open position of the contact 71, while point x represents the closed position, at which point x the contact 71 touches the stationary contact 72. When the close command is initiated, the velocity at point 0 is zero. The speed can be increased very quickly to the maximum speed Vmax. The speed is maintained at Vmax for as long as possible, but is reduced as the point of contact x is approached to minimize bounce.

The motion map is still important during the trip to prevent re-triggering or re-ignition immediately after the trip. If the contacts separate too slowly or at times when the voltage level is too high, excessive arcing may occur. It is well within the ability of those skilled in the art to determine the ideal motion pattern for such opening and closing processes and to program the circuit 200 with such motion patterns.

The off operation timing in the capacitor switching device is relatively easily understood from fig. 12. Fig. 12 relates to a disconnection process in a system comprising a capacitor bank. Line 4 represents the voltage level of the fully charged capacitor. The switch starts to open at point 2 and an arc forms. However, the current at this point is decreasing and the arc is extinguished at the zero point 3 of the current. The system voltage is at its peak at this time, but the voltage across the contacts is very small because the charge on the capacitor bank is close to the peak system voltage. As the system voltage begins to drop, the voltage across the capacitor bank remains high, which causes the voltage across the contacts to rise. To avoid re-triggering or re-ignition, the contacts should be separated with sufficient acceleration so that the rate of rise of the dielectric is greater than the rate of rise of the voltage between the contacts.

The motion control functions described above may be implemented by software loaded into a microprocessor/microcontroller or by an additional dedicated motion control chip connected to the microprocessor. A particular motion map is programmed in a memory, which may be a separate EEPROM chip in the external motion control circuit 226 or a memory carried on a microprocessor or microcontroller. The motion control circuit 226 is connected to the feedback device (encoder) 14 and a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) circuit 228. PWM228 controls the current supplied to voice coil driver 8. Since the driving force for driving the voice coil driver 8 is proportional to the current supplied to the voice coil driver 8, the speed of the driver 6 (and hence the movable contact 71) is controlled by the PWM 228. Thus, the voice coil driver 8 is controlled by a closed loop feedback system including the position encoder 14 which transmits a position signal from the driver 8 to the motion control circuit 226. The motion control circuit 226 compares the actual position of the actuator 8 with an ideal motion map programmed in the motion control circuit 226. The PWM controls the voice coil driver 8 to move as close as possible to the desired predetermined movement based on a comparison of the actual position to the desired movement pattern.

The circuitry 204, 206, 208 for monitoring the actual voltage waveform on the line that needs to be cut further modifies the control of the driver. For example, for a particular device, it may be determined that contacts 71, 72 should be opened or closed within 1ms of the zero crossing point a of the voltage signal v (t) (fig. 6). The desired motion map pre-programmed in the motion control circuit 226 includes the overall reaction and run time of the driver 8 from when the activation signal is issued to when the contacts 71, 72 are closed. If the ideal motion profile indicates that the contact closing reaction and the run time is 7ms after the activation signal, the microprocessor analyzes the actual voltage waveform on the line that needs to be cut and determines the specific time between the various zero points at which the activation signal should be issued. The circuits 204, 206, 208 first generate the actual cycle period and the resulting length of time between zero crossings. The control circuit 200 then starts operating the voice coil driver 8 after a time equal to the actual time between zero minus the reaction and run time of the driver 8. Thus, if the actual voltage waveform shows a time between zero points of 8.3ms and the above-mentioned reaction and run time is 7ms, the opening process should start 1.3ms after zero points. In another embodiment, the actual time between zero points is assumed to be 8.33ms in the system, and the start is calculated based on this assumption.

In some embodiments of the present invention, multiple motion maps may be preprogrammed in the control circuit 200, and an appropriate motion map may be selected by operator input.

At the start of the above procedure, the actual motion of the driver 8 is monitored by the encoder 14 and compared to the ideal motion map. The PWM228 regulates the current supplied to the driver 8 based on a comparison of the actual motion of the driver 8 to an ideal motion map.

Fig. 9 illustrates another embodiment of a voice coil driver 308 that may be used with any of the embodiments of the present invention. The voice coil driver 308 includes a ring magnet 310, which is preferably a 4MGO ceramic magnet. The magnet 310 is mounted between a lower pole piece 312 and an upper pole piece 314. The pole pieces are made of ferromagnetic material, such as steel or iron. The pole pieces 312, 314 include a central bore 316 through which passes an operating rod 318Through the central bore. The operating rod 318 is supported in the pole pieces 312, 314 by a self-lubricating polymer bearing 320, such as for example, by IGUS^TMAnd a bearing 320.

An aluminum plate 328 is secured to the rod 318. The coil 330 extends from the plate 328 on the outer edge of the plate 328 into an air gap slot 332 formed between the lower pole piece 312 and the magnet 310. The coil 330 may be made of flat wire to maximize the number of turns that can be installed in the air gap slot 332.

The drive 308 may be powered by a 24v battery or any other suitable power source, including an automatic range-adjusting AC-DC converter.

To lock the device in a particular position, the lever 318 may include a slot 320 in which a ball 322 is received. Referring to fig. 10, the spring 340 and cap 326 force the ball 322 into the slot 320, restraining the rod 318 in a fixed position. The lever 318 can be disengaged from the ball 322 if a force is applied, the amount of force depending on the strength of the spring 324.

To ensure a good connection between contacts 71, 72, a spring 340 or other force may be applied to lever 6 (or 318) to force contact 71 against contact 72 with a predetermined force, such as 60-100 pounds of force. The spring may be compressed by the action of the driver. As seen in fig. 11, lever 6,318 may include a flange 342 that provides a surface against which spring 340 may be pressed. Another support surface 344 may be used to support the other end of the spring 340.

The additional function of the spring 340 is to maintain a suitable force between the two contacts 71, 72. For example, after repeated operation, arcing may cause wear of the contacts. Due to the spring force, the two contacts are forced against each other even if wear has occurred. In addition, in the closed position, the force acts to reduce the resistance between the contacts, which reduces heat loss.

If the contacts experience wear, the distance the lever 6,318 is moved increases to accommodate the wear. Since the position sensor 14 can detect the distance the lever 6,318 has moved, a maintenance signal 216 can be sent by a program in the system, or other indicator lights can be illuminated, to indicate excessive wear on the contacts 71, 72. The motion map can also be modified in the system to enable a gradual increase in stroke.

While only the preferred embodiment has been presented and illustrated herein, it should be apparent from the foregoing disclosure and appended claims that numerous changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (20)

1. A circuit breaker, comprising:

a circuit interrupting device having at least one movable contact;

a driver connected to the movable contact of the circuit breaker;

a feedback sensor for monitoring the movement of the actuator; and

a control system coupled to the feedback sensor for receiving information from the feedback sensor regarding the motion of the actuator and controlling the motion of the actuator based on this information.

2. The circuit breaker of claim 1, further comprising:

means for storing an ideal motion map for the drive; and

means for comparing the movement of the driver with an ideal movement pattern, and controlling the movement of the driver in dependence on the result of the comparison of the movement of the driver with the ideal movement pattern.

3. The circuit breaker of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor for detecting voltage waveforms in the line requiring switching and providing information about such voltage waveforms to the control system;

and the control system therein controls the movement of the driver in dependence on this information about the voltage waveform.

4. The circuit breaker of claim 2, further comprising:

a sensor for detecting voltage waveforms in the line to be disconnected and providing information about such voltage waveforms to the control system;

and the control system therein controls the movement of the driver in dependence on this information about the voltage waveform.

5. The circuit breaker of claim 1 wherein said actuator is a voice coil actuator.

6. The circuit breaker of claim 1 wherein said feedback sensor is a linear potentiometer.

7. The circuit breaker of claim 1 wherein said circuit interrupting device is a vacuum interrupter.

8. The circuit breaker of claim 1, further comprising: a spring biasing the circuit interrupting device in the closed position.

9. The circuit breaker of claim 1, further comprising: a locking device for limiting the movement of the driver.

10. The circuit breaker of claim 4 wherein said actuator is a voice coil actuator; the feedback sensor is a linear potentiometer; the breaking device is a vacuum interrupter; and is

Including a spring biasing the circuit interrupting device in the closed position and a locking mechanism for limiting movement of the actuator.

11. The circuit breaker of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor for detecting a current waveform in the line requiring switching and providing information about such current waveform to the control system;

and wherein the control system is further adapted to control the movement of the actuator based on such information about the current waveform; the control system therein also controls the movement of the driver on the basis of this information about the current waveform.

12. A circuit breaker for interrupting current in a line comprising:

a circuit interrupting device having at least one movable contact;

a drive connected to the movable contacts of the breaking device for opening and closing said breaking device;

a control system for controlling the actuation of the actuator;

a means for inputting signals to the control system for opening and closing said circuit interrupting means;

a sensor for detecting a voltage or current waveform in the line to be cut; and

the control system is connected to the sensor for receiving information from the sensor about the waveform and controlling the motion of the driver in accordance with such waveform information and the input signal.

13. The circuit breaker of claim 12, further comprising means for storing a desired motion profile for the drive; the control system therein controls the movement of the driver in accordance with this desired movement pattern.

14. The circuit breaker of claim 12, wherein:

said driver is a voice coil driver;

the feedback sensor is a linear potentiometer; and is

The breaking device is a vacuum interrupter.

15. The circuit breaker of claim 12 further comprising a spring biasing the circuit interrupting device in the closed position and a locking device for limiting movement of the actuator.

16. The control method of the circuit breaker with the driver is characterized by comprising the following steps:

monitoring the motion of the driver with a feedback sensor;

providing the results of the motion monitoring to a control system for controlling the motion of the actuator; and

the movement of the actuator is controlled by the control system in accordance with the above results provided to the control system.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

storing a desired motion map of drive motion;

comparing the monitoring result with a required motion map; and

the movement of the actuator is further controlled in accordance with the comparing step.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a voltage waveform in a line to be cut;

the detection of the voltage waveform is provided to the control system and the movement of the driver is further controlled by the control system in accordance with the detection of the voltage waveform provided to the control system.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a current waveform in a line needing to be cut off;

the detection of the current waveform is provided to the control system and the movement of the driver is further controlled by the control system in accordance with the detection of the current waveform provided to the control system.

20. The control method of the circuit breaker with the driver is characterized by comprising the following steps:

detecting a voltage or current waveform in a line to be cut;

providing the waveform detection results to a control system for controlling the motion of the driver; and

the movement of the actuator is controlled by the control system in accordance with a predetermined actuator velocity profile based on the results provided to the control system.