In the context of building a unified and strong smart grid, how to meet the requirements of smart grid informatization, digitalization, automation and interactivity, as one of the core components of power transmission and distribution equipment, has become a hot issue of common concern for various research institutions and manufacturers.

From the perspective of the future needs of users, in addition to the general function of vacuum circuit breaker, the intelligent vacuum circuit breaker should also have the function of perception, thinking judgment and execution. That is, it must not only have the function of obtaining a large amount of surrounding information sensitively and accurately, analyze, process, issue and monitor the obtained information, but also have the function of effective feedback and necessary operation functions for the results of analysis and processing.

In response to the above needs, the intelligent vacuum circuit breaker faces three technical problems that need to be broken through.

The technical problem is the implementation of the perception function. This is the basis of intelligence, the realization of the function must rely on modern sensor technology to obtain information such as voltage, current, insulation (partial discharge), distance, speed, temperature, etc., the sensor converts this information into various signals that can be identified and processed, these signals can accurately, reliably, sensitively reflect the change of information, the sensor must have high quality and high reliability in addition to itself, and should also have the characteristics of adapting to the working environment of the circuit breaker, small size, and easy installation.

The second technical problem is the implementation of the thinking judgment function. This is the core of intelligence, and the realization of this function must rely on modern electronic technology, computer technology and communication technology. The input of the intelligent controller includes information obtained from the perception function, information from the feedback of the executive function, and control information from the system. After synthesizing this information, the intelligent controller can automatically identify the working status of the circuit breaker, automatically adjust the operation information of the circuit breaker, automatically record key information, and automatically diagnose the components and operation of the circuit breaker. On the one hand, the output of the intelligent controller provides operation instructions for the execution function, and on the other hand, it provides the system with information about the working status of the circuit breaker. In addition to the intelligent thinking and judgment function, the intelligent controller must also have the functions of high reliability, long life and strong anti-electromagnetic interference.

The third technical issue is the implementation of executive functions. The executive function must be operated reliably according to the operation instructions issued by the controller to complete the closing and breaking of the circuit breaker; At the same time, the executive function must have the functions of high reliability, long life and small size. At present, the permanent magnet operating mechanism that has been developed and applied can basically meet the requirements of intelligent circuit breakers for executive functions.