Patent Application
20170110281
Field
The disclosed and claimed concept relates generally to electrical interruption equipment and, more particularly, to a field-configurable interruption apparatus.
Related Art
Numerous types of electrical interruption equipment are well understood in the relevant art. Among the types of electrical interruption equipment are circuit interrupters such as circuit breakers and the like. Numerous types of circuit interrupters have various interruption ratings and have various features such as fault detection capabilities and the like that are known in the relevant art.
Certain applications, such as in circuit breaker panels that are used in the home and in other applications, a wide variety of circuit breakers having various interruption ratings and various other features can be provided within the same circuit breaker panel, and this is because the various circuit breakers are selected for use with the different types of loads and conditions that may be present. For example, certain circuit breakers may have a relatively lower interruption rating, say, fifteen Amperes, when use for operating electric lights and the like. Other circuit breakers may have other ratings, such as thirty Amperes, when the circuit is intended to operate a clothes dryer or other high load application.
Moreover, circuit breakers at a given interruption rating may have various interruption features that are selected based upon the needs of the particular application. For example, a very basic circuit interrupter may employ a thermal trip or a magnetic trip or a combination thermal/magnetic trip that is configured to operate a trip units and separate a set of separable contacts in certain overcurrent conditions and other conditions. It may be desirable to additionally provide a ground fault detection and tripping capability in the circuit breaker if the load is situated in a moist or potentially wet environment or in other situations. Additionally or alternatively, it may be desirable to provide some type of arc fault detection and tripping capability that may detect branch arc faults (which are parallel with a load). A circuit breaker may additionally provide arc fault detection and tripping capability that may detect an arc fault in series with a load (in which case the parallel and series fault protection may be referred to as combination arc fault protection).
It thus can be seen that a wide array of combinations of interruption ratings and features are possible in any such circuit breaker. It thus can also be understood that a contractor typically will be required to carry a wide variety of circuit breakers in order to provide the variety of circuit breakers having specific interruption capabilities and specific detection properties to suit the various applications that the contractor may encounter on a daily basis. Maintaining such an inventory and carrying such an inventory from place to place can be cumbersome. Improvements thus would be desirable.
Accordingly, an improved interruption apparatus meets these and other needs. The improved interruption apparatus includes a first portion having a trip unit and a second portion having a detection system. The first and second portions are individually selectable based upon the particular application and are then movable from a detached configuration to a connected configuration. The first and second portions are selected from a plurality of first portions and second portions having different specifications. A desired first portion having a first interruption rating and a desired second portion having detection capabilities that are suited to the particular application can be assembled together to provide a field-configurable interruption apparatus.
Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an interruption apparatus that is field-configurable to have particular capabilities and properties that are suited to specific applications.
Another aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an interruption apparatus having a first portion that is selected from a plurality of first portions having different specifications and a second portion that is selected from a plurality of second portions having different specifications, with the selected first portion and the selected second portion being connectable together to provide a field-configured interruption apparatus having specifications that are suited to a specific application.
Another aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an improved interruption apparatus having a first portion that includes a trip unit and a second portion that includes at least a conductor and that may additionally include a fault detection system, with the first and second portions initially being in a detached configuration, and with the first and second portions then being movable to a connected configuration from which the first and second portions are inseparable and which results in the interruption apparatus having a combination of features that comprise the various features of the first portion and the various features of the second portion.
Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an improved interruption apparatus structured to be electrically connected with a line conductor and a load conductor of an electrical circuit and to switch at least a portion of the circuit between an ON condition and an OFF condition. The interruption apparatus can be generally stated as including a first portion and a second portion. The first portion can be generally stated as including a first housing, a first electrical apparatus situated on the first housing and which can be generally stated as including a set of separable electrical contacts and a first conductor, the first conductor being electrically connected with the set of separable electrical contacts and can be generally stated as including a first connection element that is structured to be electrically connected with one of the line conductor and the load conductor, and a trip unit situated on the first housing, the trip unit being operatively connected with the set of separable electrical contacts and structured to switch the set of separable electrical contacts between an OPEN state and a CLOSED state. The second portion can be generally stated as including a second housing and a second electrical apparatus situated on the second housing, the second electrical apparatus can be generally stated as including a second conductor having a second connection element that is structured to be electrically connected with the other of the line conductor and the load conductor. The first portion and the second portion are movable from a detached configuration to a connected configuration, the first and second portions being physically and electrically disconnected from one another in the detached configuration, the first and second housings being affixed together and the first and second electrical apparatuses being electrically connected together in the connected configuration.
A further understanding of the disclosed and claimed concept can be gained from the following Description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification.
An improved interruption apparatus 4 in accordance with the disclosed and claimed concept is depicted in
As is depicted in a schematic fashion in
As can be understood from
In the depicted exemplary embodiment the first portion 14 is configured to switch the interruption apparatus 4 between an ON condition and an OFF condition, and the exemplary second portion 16 has fault detection capabilities and is usable to trigger the first portion 14 to move from the ON condition to the OFF condition responsive to a detected fault or other condition. The first portion 14 is selected to have a particular current interruption rating from a plurality of different current interruption ratings. The second portion 16 is selected to have certain fault detection or other capabilities from among various possible combinations of capabilities. The interruption apparatus 4 is field configured to have desired specifications merely by selecting and combining separate components to form the interruption apparatus 4.
The first portion 14 can be said to include a first housing 18 and a first electrical apparatus 20. The first housing 18 includes a number of walls formed from a moldable insulative material and is configured to include a first interior region 22 within which the first electrical apparatus 20 is enclosed. As employed herein, the expression “a number of” and variations thereof shall refer to broadly to any non-zero quantity, including a quantity of one.
The first electrical apparatus 20 includes trip unit 24 and further includes a line terminal 26 that is a connection element which is connectable with the line conductor 6. The first electrical apparatus 20 further includes a connector 28 that is electrically connected with the line terminal 26 when the interruption apparatus is in the ON condition, and will be set forth in greater detail below.
The first electrical apparatus 20 further includes a set of separable contacts 30 and a movable contact arm 32 that are depicted generally in
The trip unit 24 includes a thermal and magnetic trip 34 that combines both thermal and magnetic trip functions into a bimetal strip that is connected with a latch of the trip unit 24. In certain overcurrent conditions and/or other conditions, the thermal and magnetic trip 34 is movable from the position depicted generally in
The trip unit 24 further includes a connection crank 36 that is pivotably situated on a support 38 that is disposed on the first housing 18. The connection crank 36 includes a receiver leg 40 and a trigger leg 42 that are situated on opposite ends of the connection crank 36. The receiver leg 40 is situated adjacent a receptacle 44 (
As is depicted in
The second portion 16 can be said to have a second housing 50 and a second electrical apparatus 52. The second housing 50 includes a number of wall that are formed from a molded insulative material and has a second interior region 54 within which the second electrical apparatus 52 is enclosed. As will be set forth in greater detail below, the second housing 50 and the first housing 18 are physically connectable to irremovably affix the first and second portions 14 and 16 together.
As is best depicted in
In the depicted exemplary embodiment, the second electrical apparatus 52 additionally includes a detection system 64 that is depicted schematically in
The depicted exemplary detection system 64 includes a processor apparatus 66 having a processor 68 and a memory 70 having stored therein a number of routines 72. The processor 68 can be any of a wide variety of processors, such as microprocessors and the like, without limitation. The memory 70 can be any of a wide variety of storage devices such as RAM, ROM, EPROM, FLASH, and the like without limitation, and the memory 70 operates in the fashion of an internal storage area of a computer. The routines 72 include instructions and the like in a non-transitory machine readable configuration that are variously storable in the memory 70 and are executable on the processor 68 to cause the processor apparatus 66 and the detection system 64 to perform certain operations.
The detection system 64 further includes an input apparatus 74 that is configured to provide input signals to the processor apparatus 66. Furthermore, the detection system 64 can be said to include an output apparatus 76 that receives output signals from the processor apparatus 66. As a general matter, input signals that are received from the input apparatus 74 are subjected to processing by the routines 72 and, in certain circumstances, result in certain output signals being provided to the output apparatus 76, as will be set forth in greater detail below. The detection system 64 further includes a circuit board 78 that is depicted generally in
The input apparatus 74 can be said to include a reverse loop 80 that is depicted in
The detection system 64 of the depicted exemplary embodiment can be said to include other features in the form of additional fault detection capabilities. For example, the routines 72 analyze the input signals that are received from the current transformer 82 and from other signal from the input apparatus 74. The routines 72 are executable on the processor 68 and are operable to detect a branch arc fault, which is a fault that is connected in parallel with the load, and to additionally detect a series arc fault that is a fault is in series with the load. The detection system 64 can thus be said to provide a combination arc fault detection feature in addition to its ground fault detection feature.
It is understood, however, that in other embodiments of the second portion 16 the detection system 64 may be provided without the ground fault detection feature and/or without the branch arc fault detection feature and/or without the series arc fault detection feature without departing from the present concept. That is, the detection system 64 may provide any or omit one or more of a variety of fault detection features such as those that are mentioned herein or other fault detection features in any combination. The second portion 16 can be selected from among a plurality of similar second portions 16 that have different combinations of fault detection features or other features in order to provide to the interruption apparatus 4 specific fault detection features and other features as needed for the specific application in which the interruption apparatus 4 is intended to be used. It is reiterated that in still other embodiments, the second portion 16 may be configured such that its second electrical apparatus includes only the conductor apparatus 56 without additionally including the detection system 64 if no fault detection capabilities are desired for the interruption apparatus 4.
In this regard, the same can be said of the first portion 14 that includes the thermal and magnetic trip 34 and a predetermined current interruption rating. Other embodiments of the first portion 14 can have any of a wide variety of current interruption ratings and, depending upon the needs of the particular application, may omit or modify the thermal and magnetic trip 34. The first portion 14 is selected from among a plurality of first portions 14 having different current interruption ratings and, potentially, omitting or modifying the thermal and magnetic trip 34.
The desired first portion 14 having the desired specifications such as a desired current interruption rating and the like, is then combined with the desired second portion 16 having, if desired, the detection system 64 and, if so, having certain desired fault detection capabilities or other capabilities that are provided by the detection system 64. In this regard, any of the first portions 14 are combinable with any of the second portions 16 to field configure any of a large number of interruption apparatuses 4 having different combinations of specification and features.
By way of example, a contractor may desire that the interruption apparatus 4 have a twenty Ampere current interruption rating and to additionally include ground fault detection without additionally providing branch or series arc fault detection. The contractor thus would select, as in
The detection system 64 further includes an actuator 87 that includes a plunger 88 and a solenoid 90. The solenoid 90 can be energized by the processor apparatus 66 to cause the plunger 88 to move between a retracted position, such as is depicted generally in
If the detection system 64 detects a fault, such as a ground fault or an arc fault (depending upon the features provided by the detection system 64), the processor apparatus 66 will provide an output signal to the output apparatus 66 which results in the solenoid 90 being energized and, in turn, causes the plunger 88 to move from the retracted position of
The input apparatus 74 additionally includes a TEST button 98 that is situated on a platform 96 of the second housing 50. The platform 96 is received in a socket 95 of the first housing 18 when the first and second portions 14 and 16 are in the connected configuration. The TEST button 98 includes a microswitch that is connected with the processor apparatus 66 and which, when actuated, causes the solenoid 90 to be energized to cause the plunger 88 to move from the retracted position to the extended position to thereby trip the first portion 14. The TEST button 98, being situated on the platform 96, remains exposed when the first and second portions 14 and 16 are in the connected configuration and thus enables the detection system 64 to be tested on a regular basis to ensure its continued operability. While the exemplary platform 96 overlies a portion of the first housing 18 to cause the TEST button 98 to remain exposed in the connected configuration of the first and second portions 14 and 16, it is understood that the TEST button 98 in other embodiments could be mounted elsewhere as long as it remains exposed and actuatable by a user.
The second housing 50 additionally includes a plurality of connection lugs 92 that protrude from a wall of the second housing 50 and which each have an engagement surface 94. The connection lugs 92 are receivable in the openings 45 of the first housing 18 to cause the engagement surfaces 94 to contact and become engaged with the retention surfaces 48. The engagement of the engagement surfaces 94 with the retention surfaces 48 locks the first and second portions 14 and 6 together in the connected configuration from which the first and second portions are irremovable. Stated otherwise, the first and second portions 14 and 16 can be moved from the detached configuration to the connected configuration, but the process cannot be reversed without destruction of the first housing 18 and/or the second housing 50. This advantageously resists the interruption apparatus 4 from being disconnected in a potentially live, i.e., electrified, condition. By causing the engagement surfaces 94 and the retention surfaces 48 to be engaged with one another within the first interior region 22, and by causing the connection lugs 92 to be situated enclosed within the first interior region 22 in the connected configuration, the engagement surfaces 94 and the retention surfaces 48 are advantageously incapable of being disengaged from one another by a person who may be disposed at the exterior of the interruption apparatus 4.
It thus can be seen that in the detached configuration of
While specific embodiments of the disclosed concept have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the disclosed concept which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.
