JP7540194B2 - Water ingress detection device for air switch - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water ingress detection device for an air switch.

For example, in order to change the flow of electricity in a distribution line or to construct a blackout section during power outage construction, an air switch (e.g., a high-voltage air switch) that connects or disconnects the distribution line in the air is installed in the distribution line.

Air switchgears are constructed to be airtight so that the live parts and other components inside the air switchgear are not affected by factors that occur outside the air switchgear (wind, rain, moisture, ultraviolet rays, etc.). However, if cracks appear in the packings used in the air switchgear due to aging, rainwater may enter the inside of the air switchgear through the packing. Once rainwater has entered the inside of the air switchgear, the live parts inside the air switchgear may come into contact with the rainwater, causing a short circuit and leading to a power outage in the distribution line. To prevent such power outages, it is desirable to regularly check whether the inside of the air switchgear is not flooded, but because the air switchgear is constructed with a metal casing that covers the live parts, it is not easy to check the condition of the inside of the air switchgear from the outside.

As a result, a water ingress detection device, such as that described in Patent Document 1, has been proposed as a device for checking whether water has entered the inside of an air switch.

The water ingress detection device in Patent Document 1 is a device that detects the temperature of the bottom surface of a switch when the bottom surface of the switch is heated by a heater with the exposed surface of the heater and temperature sensor in contact with the bottom surface of the switch, and determines whether water is in the switch from the temperature detection result using the principle of thermal conductivity.

JP 2011-89807 A

However, when using the device of Patent Document 1 to determine whether water has entered the switchgear, a worker must climb onto an aerial work vehicle and use tools such as pliers to attach the water entry determination device to the bottom of the switchgear. Furthermore, at least a few minutes of temperature detection results are required to determine whether water has entered the switchgear. As such, inspecting a single switchgear for water entry requires a huge amount of effort and time, and cannot be described as an efficient inspection operation.

The present invention aims to provide a water inundation determination device that can detect the temperature of the housing of an air-surface switch without contact while an operator is on the ground by irradiating the housing with a laser, and can easily determine remotely whether or not the inside of the air-surface switch is flooded. In addition, the present invention aims to provide a water inundation determination device that can stop the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator to prevent human injury caused by the laser (for example, blindness caused by the laser being irradiated into the eyes) if, for example, an operator touches the laser irradiator while irradiating the air-surface switch with a laser, causing the installation position of the laser irradiator to shift or the laser irradiator to fall over, causing the actual irradiation position of the laser on the housing to differ from the position that it should be irradiated.

The main present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a water-inundation determination device for an air contactor installed on a pole, which determines whether or not water is inundated inside the air contactor, and includes a laser irradiator that irradiates a laser to a housing of the air contactor to determine whether or not the inside of the air contactor is flooded with water, and a timer that measures time using the start of irradiation by the laser irradiator as a trigger, and if the temperature of the housing at the irradiation position of the laser exceeds a first temperature when the time measured by the timer is within a first time, it is determined that the inside of the air contactor is not flooded with water, and if the temperature of the housing at the irradiation position of the laser exceeds a first temperature even if the time measured by the timer has passed a second time that is longer than the first time, it is determined that water is not inundated inside the air contactor. a determination device that determines that the inside of the air contactor is flooded if the temperature of the laser irradiation position on the casing does not exceed a second temperature lower than the first temperature, and that terminates the determination operation without determining whether the inside of the air contactor is flooded or not if the temperature of the laser irradiation position on the casing does not exceed the first temperature when the timer's time has elapsed the first time and the temperature of the laser irradiation position on the casing exceeds the second temperature when the timer's time has elapsed the second time, and a stopping device that stops the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator when the laser irradiation position with respect to the casing is shifted.
Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the description of this specification.

According to the present invention, it is possible for an operator on the ground to detect the temperature of the housing of an air contact switch without contact by irradiating the housing with a laser, and to easily determine remotely whether or not the inside of the air contact switch is flooded. Furthermore, even if the actual irradiation position of the laser on the housing differs from the position that should be irradiated while irradiating the air contact switch with a laser, it is possible to stop the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator and prevent human injury caused by the laser (for example, blindness due to the laser being irradiated to the eyes).

1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for determining whether or not the air contactor according to the present embodiment is submerged in water. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of a laser irradiator used in the water submersion determination device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a leg for fixing a laser irradiator used in the water immersion determination device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of a determination device used in the water submersion determination device according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the function of a stop device used in the water submersion determination device according to the present embodiment. FIG.

The following points become clear at least from the description in this specification and the accompanying drawings.

== ...
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for determining the presence or absence of water in an air contactor according to this embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the air switch 100 is installed at a high position on the utility pole 200 (e.g., about 10 m above ground level) and is an electric power device that connects or disconnects the distribution line 210 in the air, for example, to change the flow of electricity in the distribution line 210 or to construct a blackout section during blackout construction. For example, when the air switch 100 is a high-voltage air switch, the high-voltage air switch is installed so as to be able to connect or disconnect the position of the demarcation point of responsibility between the electric power company and the consumer on the distribution line 210.

The air switch 100 has a charging unit 110 for connecting or disconnecting the distribution line 210 on the upstream side (e.g., the power company side) and the distribution line 210 on the downstream side (e.g., the consumer side). This charging unit 110 is housed in a sealed state inside the metal housing 120 that constitutes the air switch 100 so that it does not deteriorate due to external factors (wind, rain, moisture, ultraviolet rays, etc.) of the air switch 100. However, the packing (not shown) used to ensure the airtightness inside the air switch 100 is often exposed from the air switch 100, and therefore deteriorates over time due to the above-mentioned external factors. If the deterioration of the packing progresses to a certain level, it will no longer be possible to ensure the airtightness of the air switch 100, and rain, moisture, etc. will enter the inside of the air switch 100 through the packing. If the air switch 100 becomes submerged in water in this way, the water will accumulate at the bottom of the housing 120 and may come into contact with the charging unit 110 housed in the housing 120, causing a short circuit, so regular inspection is required.

Because the housing 120 that constitutes the air contactor 100 is made of metal, it is difficult to visually determine from the outside whether the air contactor 100 is submerged in water. Therefore, as part of the above-mentioned inspection work, workers are currently forced to carry out the difficult task of climbing up to the installation location of the air contactor 100 and attaching a submersion determination device such as that shown in Patent Document 1 to the air contactor 100.

In this embodiment, a device is provided that allows an operator on the ground to easily determine whether the air contactor 100 is submerged in water in a non-contact manner and in a relatively short time. In addition, in this embodiment, a laser irradiator 300, which will be described later, is used to determine whether the air contactor 100 is submerged in water. Therefore, if the direction of laser irradiation by the laser irradiator 300 deviates from the direction toward a specified position on the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100, the device stops emitting a laser from the laser irradiator, thereby providing a device that prevents human injury caused by the laser (for example, blindness due to a laser being irradiated into the eyes).

In this embodiment, a laser irradiator 300, a determination device 400, and a stopping device 500 are used as the means for realizing this device.

The laser irradiator 300 irradiates the outer bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100 with a laser to determine whether the air contactor 100 is submerged in water. The laser irradiator 300 is installed on the ground so that the laser emission port 330 faces the outer bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100. In this embodiment, a fiber laser is used as an example of this laser, and a specific description of the laser irradiator 300 will be given later.

The determination device 400 detects the infrared radiation energy appearing on the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100 when the fiber laser is irradiated onto the bottom surface 130, converts it into an apparent temperature, and determines whether or not the inside of the air contactor 100 is flooded based on the relationship between the apparent temperature at the irradiating position of the fiber laser on the bottom surface 130 and a predetermined temperature. A detailed description of the determination device 400 will be given later.

The stopping device 500 is a device that detects whether or not the direction of laser irradiation by the laser irradiator 300 deviates from the direction toward the predetermined position on the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100 while the laser is being irradiated from the laser irradiator 300 to a predetermined position on the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100. If it is detected that the direction of laser irradiation by the laser irradiator 300 deviates from the direction toward the predetermined position on the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100, the stopping device 500 stops the emission of the laser by the laser irradiator 300. The specific configuration of the stopping device 500 will be described later.

In this way, the laser irradiator 300 is installed on the ground, and the temperature of the bottom surface 130 of the air contact switch 100 when the fiber laser is irradiated onto the bottom surface 130 is detected non-contact by the determination device 400 by converting the infrared radiation energy appearing on the bottom surface 130 into an apparent temperature, and whether or not the inside of the air contact switch 100 is flooded is determined depending on whether or not this apparent temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature. Therefore, the worker does not need to climb up to the high place where the air contact switch 100 is installed in order to determine whether or not the inside of the air contact switch 100 is flooded, and the inspection work can be performed safely in a relatively short time.

Here, since the laser irradiator 300 is installed on the ground, while the laser irradiator 300 is irradiating a laser at a predetermined position on the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100, for example, an operator may come into contact with the laser irradiator 300 or the laser irradiator 300 may be blown by a strong wind, causing the installation position of the laser irradiator 300 to shift or the laser irradiator 300 to fall over. In this case, the direction of the laser irradiation may shift from the predetermined position on the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100, and depending on the fall or shift of the laser irradiator 300, the laser may be irradiated to nearby operators, causing personal injury. However, in this embodiment, by using the stop device 500, it is possible to stop the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator 300 in such a case and prevent personal injury caused by the laser.
===Flood detection device===

<Laser irradiator>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the function of a laser irradiator used in the water submersion determination device according to this embodiment.

In FIG. 2, the laser irradiator 300 outputs a fiber laser having a near-infrared wavelength (e.g., 1064 nm) as a laser to be irradiated onto the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100.

The laser irradiator 300 includes an excitation section 310, a resonator section 320, an emission port 330, and legs 340 as means for emitting a fiber laser.

The excitation section 310 is composed of a plurality of semiconductor lasers 311 for excitation, an excitation combiner 313 through which the lasers (having a wavelength of approximately 0.9 μm) output from the plurality of semiconductor lasers 311 are propagated via optical fibers 312, and an optical fiber 314 through which the plurality of lasers propagated to the excitation combiner 313 are output in a combined state as a single excitation light.

The resonator unit 320 amplifies the excitation light output from the optical fiber 314 of the excitation unit 310 and outputs it as a fiber laser. The resonator unit 320 is configured to include a high reflectance mirror 321, an amplification fiber 322, and a low reflectance mirror 323 as a means for amplifying and outputting the excitation light as a fiber laser. Here, a fiber laser is a type of solid-state laser that uses an optical fiber as an amplification medium. The amplification fiber 322 has a core doped with the rare earth element Yb (ytterbium) so that the refractive index at the center of the optical fiber is the highest. The excitation light output from the excitation unit 310 is amplified by the high reflectance mirror 321, then excites the Yb doped in the core in the amplification fiber 322, is further amplified by the low reflectance mirror 323, and is oscillated and output as a fiber laser.

Since the fiber laser is propagated through the amplifying fiber 322, it has the advantage of being highly efficient in energy conversion and capable of being designed with a long focal length. Therefore, in this embodiment, taking into consideration that the irradiation distance to the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100 is long at approximately 10 m, the fiber laser is irradiated from the laser irradiator 300 to the bottom surface 130.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a leg for fixing a laser irradiator used in the water intrusion determination device according to this embodiment.

The legs 340 have a structure similar to that of a well-known camera tripod, and the length of each leg is adjustable. A flat base 341 is provided on the upper part of the legs 340 for mounting and fixing the laser irradiator 300 and the acceleration sensor 510 and tilt sensor 520 included in the stopping device 500. The mounting surface of the base 341 on which the laser irradiator 300, acceleration sensor 510, and tilt sensor 520 are mounted is adjusted, for example, to maintain horizontality by adjusting the length of each leg according to the shape of the ground.

The laser irradiator 300, acceleration sensor 510, and tilt sensor 520 are fixed to the mounting surface of the base 341 using fixing devices (not shown).

The laser irradiator 300 has a first adjustment dial 350 for rotating horizontally on a base 341 around an axis perpendicular to the base 341, and a second adjustment dial 360 for rotating in a fan shape between a position where the fiber laser is emitted in a direction directly above perpendicular to the base 341 and a position where the fiber laser is emitted in a direction directly to the side horizontal to the base 341. By appropriately adjusting the first adjustment dial 350 and the second adjustment dial 360, the emission port 330 of the laser irradiator 300 faces the bottom surface 130 of the air opener 100. This makes it possible to reliably irradiate the fiber laser to the bottom surface 130 of the air opener 100 through the emission port 330.

The acceleration sensor 510 and the tilt sensor 520 are integrally provided on the base 341 together with the laser irradiator 300. In other words, the acceleration sensor 510 and the tilt sensor 520 are capable of correctly detecting the movement and tilt of the laser irradiator 300.

The legs 340 are an example of a structure that integrally supports the laser irradiator 300, the acceleration sensor 510, and the tilt sensor 520, and may have any structure as long as the structure can be adjusted so that the emission port 330 of the laser irradiator 300 faces the bottom surface 130.

Here, we will explain the laser strength used to determine whether or not the air switch 100 is submerged.

The air contactor 100 is painted on its outer periphery including the housing 120 to prevent deterioration from external factors. The output of the fiber laser when irradiating the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100 must be kept to a level that does not damage the paint. The applicant prepared switchgear samples (new, rust-free deteriorated, rusty deteriorated, etc.) with specifications equivalent to those of the air contactor 100, and conducted an experiment in which the fiber laser was irradiated from the laser irradiator 300 at a distance of approximately 10 m while changing the output of the fiber laser. As a result, it was found that a fiber laser output of approximately 20 W is sufficient to determine whether water has entered the air contactor 100.

The applicant also conducted an experiment to determine whether reflected light when a fiber laser is irradiated onto the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100 could have an adverse effect on the human body. For example, a new product, a rust-free deteriorated product, and a rusted deteriorated product were prepared as test piece samples corresponding to the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100, and a fiber laser (e.g., 20 W) was irradiated onto each test piece sample at a certain irradiation distance and at multiple irradiation angles. As a result, the intensity of the reflected light was sufficiently small compared to the intensity of ultraviolet light outdoors, which is about 70 mW, and it was found that the reflected light when a 20 W fiber laser is irradiated onto the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100 does not have an adverse effect on the human body.

<Determination device>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functions of a determination device used in the water submersion determination device according to this embodiment.

In FIG. 4, the determination device 400 detects the infrared radiation energy appearing on the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100 when the fiber laser is irradiated from the laser irradiator 300 to the bottom surface 130, converts it into an apparent temperature, and determines whether the inside of the air contactor 100 is flooded or not based on the relationship between the apparent temperature at the fiber laser irradiation position on the bottom surface 130 and a predetermined temperature.

The determination device 400 includes an infrared thermograph 410, a determination unit 420, a memory unit 430, and a timer 440 as means for realizing the above functions.

The infrared thermograph 410 detects the infrared radiation energy appearing on the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100 when the fiber laser is irradiated from the laser irradiator 300 to the bottom surface 130, converts it into an apparent temperature, and displays it on the display 411 as a temperature distribution diagram, for example, of the entire bottom surface 130, with colors corresponding to the apparent temperatures. At this time, information indicating the apparent temperature at the position on the bottom surface 130 where the fiber laser is irradiated is stored in the memory unit 430 while being updated sequentially. The operation of the infrared thermograph 410 is to be started by receiving an irradiation start signal that is generated, for example, when an operator operates an irradiation start button (not shown) provided on the laser irradiator 300.

The timer 440 starts timing from a reset state, triggered, for example, by the operation of the irradiation start button.

The applicant conducted an experiment in which a 20 W fiber laser was irradiated from the laser irradiator 300 at a distance of approximately 10 m, with switch samples having the same specifications as the air switch 100, both of which were not submerged in water and were submerged in water (several mm to several cm). As a result, it was found that when the fiber laser was irradiated onto the bottom surface of a switch sample that was not submerged in water, the apparent temperature at the position where the fiber laser was irradiated exceeded 140°C within one minute from the start of irradiation. On the other hand, it was found that when the fiber laser was irradiated onto the bottom surface of a submerged switch sample, the apparent temperature at the position where the fiber laser was irradiated did not rise above 95°C even two minutes after the start of irradiation.

According to this knowledge, the judgment unit 420 acquires the time count of the timer 440 in response to the irradiation start signal, and acquires information from the memory unit 430 indicating the apparent temperature of the fiber laser irradiation position on the bottom surface 130 of the air contactor 100, which is stored in the memory unit 430, and detects whether the apparent temperature exceeds 140°C within one minute or does not rise to 95°C or higher even after two minutes have passed. If the apparent temperature exceeds 140°C within one minute, the judgment unit 430 judges that the air contactor 100 is not flooded, and if the apparent temperature does not rise to 95°C or higher even after two minutes have passed, the judgment unit 430 judges that the air contactor 100 is flooded. The judgment unit 420 is configured to include a microcomputer, and the function of the judgment unit 420 is realized by software processing by executing a program stored in the memory unit 430. When the determination unit 420 completes the above determination operation, it outputs a determination end signal, stops the operation of the timer 440, and resets the timer 440.

<Stopping device>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functions of a stop device constituting the water submersion determination device according to this embodiment.

If, for example, an operator comes into contact with the laser irradiator 300 or the laser irradiator 300 is blown by a strong wind while the laser irradiator 300 is irradiating a laser at a predetermined position on the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100, causing the installation position of the laser irradiator 300 to shift or the laser irradiator 300 to fall over, there is a risk that the direction of the laser emitted from the laser irradiator 300 will shift, causing injury to workers nearby due to the laser. Therefore, in order to prevent such injury, the stop device 500 detects that the laser irradiator 300 has shifted from its initial installation position (the actual irradiation position of the laser on the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100 has shifted from the position that it should have been irradiated), and uses this detection result as a trigger to stop the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator 300.

The stopping device 500 includes an acceleration sensor 510, an inclination sensor 520, a first comparison unit 530, a second comparison unit 540, and a logical sum circuit 550 as means for realizing the above functions.

The acceleration sensor 510 measures the change in speed (acceleration) of the laser irradiator 300 per unit time (1 second) and detects the degree of vibration or movement imparted to the laser irradiator 300 per unit time.

In general, acceleration sensors are broadly divided into low-G acceleration sensors, which have a measurement range of approximately 20 G or less, and high-G acceleration sensors, which have a measurement range greater than that. Here, the unit G indicates the acceleration value based on standard gravity (1 G = 9.80665 m/s2). Low-G acceleration sensors are suitable for detecting gravity and tilt, and the movement of objects. On the other hand, high-G acceleration sensors are mainly suitable for detecting impacts. In this embodiment, a low-G acceleration sensor is adopted for the purpose of detecting the movement of the laser irradiator 300.

A typical example of a low-G acceleration sensor is a MEMS acceleration sensor that uses MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology. This MEMS acceleration sensor is composed of a detection element that detects acceleration, and a signal processing circuit that amplifies and adjusts the signal from the detection element before outputting it.

The detection methods used in the detection element of a MEMS acceleration sensor can be broadly divided into three types: capacitance, piezoresistance, and thermal detection.

The capacitance method is a method that detects the change in capacitance between the movable part and the fixed part of the sensor element as the movement of the target object. The piezoresistance method is a method that detects the distortion generated in the spring part according to the acceleration as the movement of the target object by using a piezoresistance element arranged in the spring part connecting the movable part and the fixed part of the sensor element. The heat detection method is a method that generates a hot air current inside the housing by a heater, detects the change in the convection due to the acceleration by thermal resistance or the like, and detects it as the movement of the target object. These three methods are well-known technologies, and a low G acceleration sensor using any method may be adopted as the acceleration sensor 510 in this embodiment.

The acceleration sensor 510 performs a predetermined signal processing on the acceleration detected by the detection element unit having one of the three methods, and outputs a voltage signal indicating the movement of the laser irradiator 300. In other words, the acceleration sensor 510 outputs a voltage signal that increases as the movement of the laser irradiator 300 increases.

The first comparison unit 530 compares the voltage signal output from the acceleration sensor 510 with a predetermined threshold, and when this voltage signal exceeds the threshold, outputs a stop signal to stop the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator 300. Here, the threshold can be, for example, a value experimentally determined as the movement of the laser irradiator 300 that is likely to lead to human injury.

Before irradiating the laser toward the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100, the laser irradiator 300 is placed on the horizontal base 341. The tilt sensor 520 measures the degree to which the laser irradiator 300 placed on the horizontal base 341 has tilted from the horizontal due to an external factor.

Generally, single-axis and two-axis tilt sensors are known as tilt sensors. These tilt sensors employ any of the following technologies: MEMS, fluid-based, potentiometer design, etc. In particular, tilt sensors using MEMS technology are able to accurately detect the tilt of a target object by capturing the change in capacitance due to tilt as a relative change in conductivity between two electrodes. These tilt sensors are well known, and any of them may be used as the tilt sensor 520 in this embodiment, but for example, a two-axis tilt sensor using MEMS technology may be used.

The tilt sensor 520 performs a predetermined signal processing on the measured tilt angle from the horizontal, and outputs a voltage signal indicating the tilt of the laser irradiator 300. In other words, the tilt sensor 520 outputs a voltage signal that increases as the tilt of the laser irradiator 300 from the horizontal increases.

The second comparison unit 540 compares the voltage signal output from the tilt sensor 520 with a predetermined threshold, and when this voltage signal exceeds the threshold, outputs a stop signal to stop the laser emission from the laser irradiator 300. Here, the threshold can be, for example, a value experimentally determined as the movement of the laser irradiator 300 that is likely to lead to human injury.

The logical sum circuit 550 is a circuit that outputs the logical sum of the stop signal output from the first comparison unit 530 and the stop signal output from the second comparison unit 540 to the laser irradiator 300. In other words, regardless of whether the first comparison unit 530 or the second comparison unit 540 outputs a stop signal, the stop signal is output to the laser irradiator 300. Therefore, when the acceleration sensor 510 outputs a voltage signal whose magnitude exceeds the threshold value set in the first comparison unit 530, or the tilt sensor 520 outputs a voltage signal whose magnitude exceeds the threshold value set in the second comparison unit 540, the laser emission from the laser irradiator 300 is stopped.

As a result, if the laser irradiator 300 shifts from its initial installation position and the direction of the laser emitted from the laser irradiator 300 toward the bottom surface 130 of the air switch 100 shifts from the direction in which it should be emitted, the laser emission from the laser irradiator 300 can be immediately stopped, making it possible to prevent personal injury caused by the laser.

In this embodiment, both the acceleration sensor 510 and the tilt sensor 520 are provided, but this is not limited thereto, and only either the acceleration sensor 510 or the tilt sensor 520 may be provided.

In addition, in this embodiment, a fiber laser is used to determine whether or not the air contactor 100 is submerged in water, but the present invention is not limited to this. A solid-state laser other than a fiber laser may also be used as long as it is capable of determining whether or not the air contactor 100 is submerged in water in the same manner as in this embodiment.
====Summary====

As described above, the water inundation determination device for an air switch according to this embodiment includes a laser irradiator 300 that irradiates the housing 120 of the air switch 100 with a fiber laser to determine whether the inside of the air switch 100 is flooded or not, the housing 120 of the air switch 100 is installed at a high position on the utility pole 200, a determination device 400 that determines whether the inside of the air switch 100 is flooded or not based on the temperature of the laser irradiation position on the housing 120, and a stop device 500 that stops the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator 300 when the laser irradiation position on the housing 120 deviates from the position where it should be irradiated.

The stopping device 500 is provided integrally with the laser irradiator 300. Specifically, the stopping device 500 is provided integrally with the laser irradiator 300 on the leg 340 that supports the laser irradiator 300.

The stopping device 500 also includes an acceleration sensor 510 and a tilt sensor 520 to detect deviations in the laser irradiation position relative to the housing 120, and stops the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator 300 when at least one of the acceleration sensor 510 and the tilt sensor 520 detects deviations in the laser irradiation position relative to the housing 120.

According to this embodiment, an operator on the ground can detect the temperature of the housing 120 of the air contactor 100 in a non-contact manner by irradiating the housing 120 with a laser, and can easily determine remotely whether the inside of the air contactor 100 is flooded. Furthermore, even if the laser irradiation position with respect to the housing 120 is misaligned while irradiating the air contactor 100 with a laser, it is possible to stop the laser emission from the laser irradiator 300 and prevent human damage caused by the laser (for example, blindness due to the laser being irradiated to the eyes).

The above embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention.

100 Air switch 110 Charging unit 120 Housing 130 Bottom surface 200 Utility pole 210 Power distribution line 300 Laser irradiator 310 Excitation unit 311 Semiconductor laser 312, 314 Optical fiber 313 Excitation combiner 320 Resonator unit 321 High reflectance mirror 322 Amplification fiber 323 Low reflectance mirror 330 Exit port 340 Leg 341 Pedestal 350 First adjustment dial 360 Second adjustment dial 400 Determination device 410 Infrared thermograph 411 Display 420 Determination unit 430 Memory unit 440 Timer 500 Stop device 510 Acceleration sensor 520 Tilt sensor 530 First comparison unit 540 Second comparison unit 550 Logical OR circuit

Claims (6)

A water ingress determination device for an air contactor that determines whether or not water is ingressed inside an air contactor that is installed on a pole, comprising:
a laser irradiator that irradiates a housing of the air switch with a laser for determining whether or not the inside of the air switch is flooded with water;
a determination device including a timer which measures time using the start of irradiation of the laser irradiator as a trigger, and which determines that the inside of the air contactor is not flooded when the temperature of the laser irradiation position on the casing exceeds a first temperature when the time measured by the timer is within a first time, determines that the inside of the air contactor is flooded when the temperature of the laser irradiation position on the casing does not exceed a second temperature lower than the first temperature even after the time measured by the timer has passed a second time which is longer than the first time, and terminates a determination operation without determining whether the inside of the air contactor is flooded or not when the temperature of the laser irradiation position on the casing does not exceed the first temperature when the time measured by the timer has passed the first time and when the temperature of the laser irradiation position on the casing exceeds the second temperature when the time measured by the timer has passed the second time;
a stop device that stops emission of the laser from the laser irradiator when an irradiation position of the laser with respect to the housing is shifted;
A water ingress detection device for an air contactor comprising: The water-submersion determination device for an air contactor according to claim 1, wherein the stop device is provided integrally with the laser irradiator. The water-submersion determination device for an air contactor according to claim 2, wherein the stopping device is provided integrally with the laser irradiator on a leg supporting the laser irradiator. The water-submersion determination device for an air contactor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the stopping device includes at least one of an acceleration sensor and an inclination sensor to detect a deviation of the laser irradiation position relative to the housing. The water flooding determination device for an air contactor as described in claim 4, characterized in that the stopping device includes the acceleration sensor and the tilt sensor, and stops the emission of the laser from the laser irradiator when at least one of the acceleration sensor and the tilt sensor detects a deviation of the laser irradiation position with respect to the housing. The water-submersion determination device for an air contactor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the laser is a fiber laser.

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