General Electric Company

Anantharam Subramanian

Ronald D Ciarcia

Luis A Brignoni

Narender Macha

Samuel Stephen Kim

Navin Kumar

Christian Daehler

Macha Narender

A trip system for a circuit breaker having a support frame, a trip unit, a crossbar, and a trip bar, is disclosed. The trip unit is responsive to an electric current for generating a trip force, the crossbar is directly coupled to the trip unit and to the support frame, and the trip bar is directly coupled to the support frame. The electric current at the trip unit generates a trip force that acts upon the trip bar to trip the circuit breaker. The crossbar remains substantially stationary during the tripping action.

Apparatus and method for circuit breaker trip unit adjustment

A molded case, cassette type circuit breaker for a multi-pole electrical distribution circuit includes a number of cassettes equal to the number of poles in the multi-pole electrical distribution circuit and a pin disposed through each cassette. The pin is formed from a dielectric material. The pin may be further disposed through a portion of an operating mechanism for aligning the cassettes and the operating mechanism. Each cassette may include a rotor, a pair of electrical contacts, and a contact arm supported in the cassette by the rotor. In this embodiment, the pin may be a cross pin that extends between each rotor. The dielectric material may include phenolic, melamine, silicone, epoxy, polyester, fiberglass and the like. Alternatively, the pin includes a steel bar coated with the dielectric material, where the dielectric material may include, for example, epoxy, silicon, Teflon, and the like. A pair of end caps may be disposed over end surfaces of the rotor. Pole spacing between adjacent cassettes may be about one inch or less while providing sufficient dielectric integrity to meet requirements of the UL 489 standard.

Phase-to-phase isolation of cassette type circuit breakers

A magnet assembly for actuating a trip latch in a circuit breaker. The magnet assembly includes a core and an armature. The core is disposed around a conductor forming a primary current path in the circuit breaker, and includes an end forming a pole face. The armature is biased by a force acting in a direction away from the pole face. The armature includes a generally planar surface and a projection extending from the generally planar surface toward the pole face. The generally planar surface is separated from the pole face by a first air gap, and the projection is separated from the pole face by a second air gap. The first air gap is larger than the second air gap.

Circuit breaker magnetic trip assembly

A trip system for a circuit breaker includes a current sensor and a stop surface, the current sensor having a contact surface, a first end that is supported, and a second end with a degree of freedom. The current sensor, arranged for receiving an electric current, undergoes a first deflection in response to a first current and a second deflection in response to a second current, the first deflection resulting in clearance between the contact surface and the stop surface, and the second deflection resulting in contact between the contact surface and the stop surface.

System and method for controlling trip unit mechanical stress

A circuit breaker for a multi-pole electrical distribution circuit includes a cassette associated with each pole in the multi-pole electrical distribution circuit. Each cassette includes a housing, a pair of electrical contacts disposed in the housing, and a thermal and magnetic trip unit supported by the housing. The housing includes a first compartment having the electrical contacts disposed therein and a second compartment having at least a portion of the thermal and magnetic trip unit disposed therein. A wall separates the first and second compartments for isolating the second compartment from gasses generated by separation of the first and second contacts. A duct adjacent to the second compartment allows the gasses to pass to an exterior portion of the housing. The housing includes a pair of opposing slots formed therein for receiving edges of a load terminal. A lever has a first end disposed proximate an end of a bimetallic element and a second end disposed proximate an armature in the magnetic assembly of the trip unit. The lever is rotated by at least one of the bimetallic element and the armature to unlatch an operating mechanism.

Growing community of inventors

Secunderabad, India

Anantharam Subramanian