Patent Application
20230326695
The disclosed concept relates generally to circuit interrupters and, more particularly, to a shunt trip circuit interrupter.
Circuit interrupters are employed in diverse capacities. A circuit interrupter may include, for example, a fixed contact and a movable contact, with the movable contact being movable into and out of electrically conductive engagement with the fixed contact. This changes the circuit interrupter between an ON or closed position and an OFF or open position, or between the ON or closed position and a TRIPPED or tripped OFF position.
One type of the circuit interrupter is a shunt trip circuit interrupter of a type that includes a switch of some kind that is in series with a power supply and that is remote from the circuit interrupter. Actuation of this switch trips the circuit interrupter from the ON position to either the OFF position or the TRIPPED position by actuating a solenoid that is situated within the case of the circuit interrupter. Unfortunately, however, the solenoid typically is situated on a circuit board that is also situated within the case, with the result that the case is oversized compared with the number of holes that the circuit interrupter has. For instance, a single pole shunt trip circuit interrupter includes a case that occupies two slots within an electrical panel, i.e., a two-slot case, with the set of separable contacts and the mechanism occupying one slot-occupying portion of the case and with the circuit board and solenoid occupying another slot-occupying portion of the case. Such shunt trip circuit interrupters thus undesirably occupy more slots of and electrical panel than is desirable. There is, therefore, room for improvement in shunt trip circuit interrupters.
These needs and others are met by embodiments of the disclosed concept, which are directed to an improved shunt trip circuit interrupter.
As one aspect of the disclosed concept, a Shunt Trip Circuit Interrupter (STCI) is structured to be installed within an electrical panel and being structured to be electrically connected between a line and a load of each of a number of poles of the electrical panel, the electrical panel having a quantity of receptacles each having at most only a single pole of the number of poles. The STCI can be generally stated as including a number of sets of separable contacts, each set of separable contacts of the number of sets of separable contacts can be generally stated as including a contact and another contact, the contact being structured to be electrically connected with one of the line and the load, the another contact being structured to be electrically connected with the other of the line and the load, a housing having an interior within which the number of sets of separable contacts are situated, the housing being structured to occupy at most only an amount of receptacles of the electrical panel equal to the number of sets, an operating mechanism situated within the interior and structured to move each set of separable contacts of the number of sets of separable contacts between at least an ON condition wherein the contact and the another contact are electrically connected together and an OFF condition wherein the contact and the another contact are electrically disconnected from one another, and a tripping mechanism situated within the interior and can be generally stated as including an electronic circuit, a solenoid electrically connected with the electronic circuit, and a wire electrically connected with the electronic circuit and extending between the electronic circuit and an exterior of the housing, the wire being structured to be electrically connected with a switch system that can be generally stated as including at least one of a manual switch and an electronic switch that, when actuated, actuates the solenoid that engages the operating mechanism which moves each set of separable contacts from the ON condition to the OFF condition.
A full understanding of the disclosed concept can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
An improved shunt trip circuit interrupter (STCI or circuit interrupter) 4 in accordance with a first embodiment of the disclosed and claimed concept is depicted generally in
As can be understood from
A pair of the circuit interrupters 4 are depicted as being situated in the receptacles 12B and 12C, and a single one of the circuit interrupters 104 is depicted as being situated in the receptacle 12D. The receptacles 12A, 12E, and 12F are depicted as being empty and are thus free of circuit interrupters 4 and 104. Furthermore, it is noted that the pair of electrical interrupters 4 that are depicted in the receptacles 12B and 12C each include a load line 20A and 20B that are connected with electrical loads of those circuits, and the circuit interrupter 104 that is situated in the receptacle 12D includes a load line 20C that is likewise electrically connected with a load of that circuit.
As can be understood from
As can be understood in
More particularly, the wire 64 can be said to include a first end 72 that forms an electrical connection 78 with the electronic circuit 56 and that further includes a second end 76 that is opposite the first end 72 and that is situated at an exterior of the housing 24. The second end 76 is electrically connectable with the switch system 68. The housing 24 has formed therein an opening 84 that forms a passage between the interior 28 and the exterior 80 of the housing 24. It can be seen that the wire 64 includes another portion 88 that is situated between the first and second ends 72 and 76 and that extends through the opening 84.
It is also noted that the operating mechanism 32 additionally includes an actuator knob 96 that protrudes through the housing 24 and is situated at least partially at the exterior 80 of the housing 24 and is usable to operate the operating mechanism 32. It is particularly noted that the circuit interrupter 4 is advantageously free of any other actuators or buttons that are situated in whole or in part at the exterior 80 of the housing 24, other than the actuator 96.
As can be understood from
The wire 164 has a first end 172A that forms an electrical connection 178A with the electronic circuit 156, and the another wire 166 has a first end 172B that forms another electrical connection 178B with the electronic circuit 156. The wire 164 and the another wire 166 each include a second end 176A and 176B, respectively, that are situated at an exterior 180 of the housing 124, and one of which is electrically connectable with switch system 168, and the other of which is electrically connectable with the power source 167. The wire 164 and the another wire 166 both extend through an opening 184 formed in the housing 124. The operating mechanism 132 likewise includes an actuator knob 196 that is situated at the exterior 180 of the housing 124, and the circuit interrupter 104 is free of any other actuators or buttons that are situated at the exterior 180.
On the circuit interrupter 4, when the switch system 68 is actuated, electricity flows from the electronic circuit 56 through the wire 64 and is returned to the neutral conductor 18, and this operates the solenoid 60 which engages an appropriate trigger system of the operating mechanism 32 that moves the set of separable contacts 36 from the ON condition to either the OFF condition or the TRIPPED condition. On the other hand, when the switch system 168 of the circuit interrupter 104 is actuated, electricity flows from the electronic circuit 156 through one of the wire 164 and the another wire 166, through the switch system 168, and the electricity is returned through the other of the wire 164 and the another wire 166 back to the electronic circuit 156. This triggers the solenoid 160 to be operated to engage the appropriate trigger system of the operating mechanism 132 that moves the set of separable contacts 136 from the ON condition to either the OFF condition or the TRIPPED condition.
Such movement of the set of separable contacts 36 and/or 136 from the ON condition to either the OFF condition or the TRIPPED condition is the desired operation of the shunt trip circuit interrupter 4 and/or 104. It is reiterated, however, that the configuration of the exemplary shunt trip circuit interrupter 4 and 104 is advantageous by providing shunt trip circuit interruption function while occupying only a single one of the receptacles 12. This advantageously avoids the need of conventional shunt trip circuit interrupters whose housings are undesirable oversized and thus typically occupy one receptacle of an electrical panel in excess of the quantity poles to which the oversized shunt trip circuit interrupter is electrically connected. By configuring the shunt trip circuit interrupters 4 and 104 so that they avoid having to occupy an additional receptacle 12 that would be in addition to the quantity of poles 16A and 16B, for example, to which they are electrically connected, which is also equal to the quantity of sets of separable contacts each contains, this advantageously saves space. This is highly desirable. Moreover, since the shunt trip circuit interrupters 4 and 104 each include only the single actuator knob 96 and 196 without including additional knobs, buttons, or other actuators that are situated at the corresponding exterior 80 and 180, this avoids complications to the shunt trip circuit interrupters 4 and 104, which is further advantageous. Other advantages will be apparent.
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.
