SWITCHING DEVICE FOR CONDUCTING AND INTERRUPTING ELECTRICAL CURRENTS

The invention relates to a switching device for conducting and interrupting electrical currents comprising a mechanical contact assembly (10), a semiconductor switch (20) connected in parallel to the mechanical contact assembly (10), and a switching electronics system (50) designed for switching on and off the semiconductor switch (20) during a switching process of the mechanical contact assembly (10) for commutating an electrical current from the mechanical contact assembly (10) to the semiconductor switch (20). According to the invention, the switching electronics system (50) is configured to detect switching processes of the mechanical contact assembly (10) and, based thereon, to control the switching on and off of the semiconductor switch (20) during a switching process of the mechanical contact assembly (10) in such a way that a conditioning of contact surfaces (108, 110) of contacts (104, 106) of the mechanical contact assembly (10) can occur.