Schneider Electric Usa, Inc.

Square D Company

Other

Chad Raymond Mittelstadt

Dennis William Fleege

Cameron L Woodson

Randall James Gass

Jason D Potratz

Salaheddine Faik

Paul Andrew Reid

William J Broghammer

Douglas P Vanwaart

Jeff Kaufman

Brett E Larson

Duane Lee Turner

George E Burke, Jr

Tim Faber

Frank T Ehrenberger

Jeffrey M Kaufman

Randy William Blake

Jacob Birk Spiegel

Jeremy D Dorn

Austin Derby

Kenneth L Winter

Gregory A Cirves

William Broghammer

Apparatuses and methods herein provide a voltage imbalance detector that employs two solenoid coils, each coil coaxially arranged around a slidable metal plunger on opposite sides thereof. One coil is electrically connected to one line of a 120 V/240 V power supply and to neutral, while the other coil is electrically connected to the other line of the 120 V/240 V power supply and to neutral. When the coils are energized by current from the power supply, each coil induces an equal but opposite electromagnetic force acting on the metal plunger if the power supply voltages are balanced, thereby maintaining the plunger stationary relative to the coils. But if the voltages are not balanced, then one coil will induce a greater (or lesser) electromagnetic force than the other coil, resulting in the plunger moving toward (or away from) the first coil, thereby sensing the voltage imbalance.

Solenoid-based voltage imbalance protection

A circuit breaker can include a light source, an optical sensor, a handle and a processor. The handle can be movable between different handle positions which correspond to different circuit breaker statuses. The handle can include a handle body and a light control plate which moves along with the handle body. The light control plate can have different light passage regions each of which is configured to be positioned between the light source and the optical sensor when the handle is moved to a corresponding one of the different handle positions. Each of the different light passage regions allows a different amount of light emitted from the light source to pass to the sensor when positioned between the light source and the sensor. The processor is configured to determine a status of the circuit breaker based on the sensed amount of light which relates to a position of the handle.

Circuit breaker handle indication using opto-mechanical design

An apparatus for sensing current on a conductor of an electrical panel includes at least one sensing system, which comprises a ferromagnetic body and a sensor. The body can be formed of a ferro-magnetic material, such as for example steel. The ferromagnetic body can have two legs, which when placed on a load-side of the electrical panel, is configured to form, together with a back plane of the electrical panel, a magnetic path around the conductor. The ferromagnetic body comprises at least two parts with a first air gap therebetween along the magnetic path. The sensor, which is arranged in the first air gap, is configured to measure a current or other electrical property representative of current on the conductor based on the magnetic field across the first air gap.

Current sensing using panel plane

A circuit breaker can include a moveable electrical contact configured to be moved between an open position and a closed position, and a lever assembly configured to prevent the progressive closing of the moveable electrical contact to the closed position such that the lever assembly is configured to cause snap action closing of the moveable electrical contact at a charged position of a motorized slider.

Circuit breakers

A remote controlled miniature circuit breaker includes a helical gear that engages with mating teeth of a slider plate coupled to main contacts of the circuit breaker, the helical gear including a flat portion to allow the sliding plate to slide past the helical gear. A unidirectional motor responds to an external signal to drive the helical gear while engaging the mating teeth of the slider plate, thereby moving the slider plate to close the main contacts. The motor is configured to respond to an external signal to resume the unidirectional rotation of the helical gear to position the flat portion of the gear to allow the slider plate to slide past the helical gear and contact a kicker lever to thereby open the main contacts. A trip lever pivotally mounted separately from the kicker lever, pushes the kicker lever to open the main contacts in a trip operation.

Remote controlled miniature circuit breaker with helical gear and DC motor

A modified trip lever for a remote controlled miniature circuit breaker comprises a trip lever and a separate kicker lever, which perform alternate functions to either automatically open the main contacts in response to a trip event or alternately open or close the contacts under remote control. The kicker lever rotates clockwise on a pivot in response to an actuator receiving a remote control open signal, to open the contacts by forcing a transverse tab on the kicker lever against a blade carrying a moveable main contact aligned with a stationary main contact. The kicker lever rotates counterclockwise to close the contacts in response to the actuator receiving a remote control close signal. The trip lever mounted on the same pivot, is configured to automatically open the contacts in response to a trip event, by pushing against the back side of the tab of the kicker lever.

Two piece trip lever to open and close contacts remotely

A trip unit for a circuit breaker includes a magnetic flux transfer system that employs a permanent magnet(s) and solenoid(s) with a ferromagnetic core. The system generates an attractive force using a solenoid to counter the force of a reset spring and latch friction force when a tripping condition is detected. The generated attractive force together with an attractive force from the magnet attracts a yoke which in turn moves the yoke together with an armature to the tripped position. The system also retains the yoke and armature in the tripped position using the attractive force of the magnet when the generated attractive force is no longer being generated. The system further generates a repulsive force using a solenoid when a resettable condition is satisfied to counter the attractive force of the magnet thereby allowing the yoke and armature to move from the tripped position to the reset position.

Bi-stable trip unit with trip solenoid and flux transfer reset

The line power and neutral conductors for a circuit interrupter such as a miniature circuit breaker, using ground fault sensing via a current transformer, are arranged as a rigid conductor formed from a flat plate and surrounding and holding an insulated flexible conductor when passing through the Ground Fault Interrupter current transformer. The rigid conductor can provide a shaped current path to maximize the effectiveness of the current transformer.

Differential current sensing bussing method

A field programmable circuit breaker receives a measurement of a displacement of a terminal spring element, from a detector associated with the terminal spring element, when a field wire is inserted into the terminal spring element. The terminal spring element provides a wire clamp force in a terminal configured to receive the inserted field wire. A trip current value is determined based on the wire size and a time interval is measured during which the current in the field wire is continuously greater than the trip current value. A trip curve is accessed corresponding to the trip current value to determine whether the measured time interval exceeds a maximum interval indicated by the trip curve. A tripping signal provided to a current monitoring unit interrupts the current when the measured interval exceeds the maximum interval for the measured current to be continuously greater than the trip current value.

Auto wire-size detection in branch circuit breakers

A modular monitoring and control system for NEMA-style load center smart electrical distribution panels is built up from interconnectable modules, starting with a Base Unit for monitoring and reporting on select branch circuits, then adding a Control Module for Remotely Operated breakers or additional current monitoring or both; and/or adding a separate Expansion Module with Current Transformer expansion capabilities for adding a larger number of power monitors within the load center. The modules plug into breaker pole slots within the panel for ease of installation and are independent of the breakers. The system keeps initial smart panel costs low by placing monitoring and control functionality and required parts into add-on modules.

Single pole low-cost expandable smart panel monitoring and control system

A neutral bus baris provided for an electrical distribution apparatus, such as an electrical panel. The neutral bus bar includes an elongated bodythat includes a plurality of wire connectorsand plug-on neutral landing sectionsdistributed along a length of the body. Each wire connector includes a side holeand a top landing holeon the body. The top landing hole can receive a hold down screwto secure an electrical wire received in the side holefrom a wire-type circuit breaker. Each plug-on neutral landing section is able to receive a plug-on neutral clip from a plug-on neutral type circuit breaker. Adjacent plug-on neutral landing sections have at least one wire connector arranged therebetween on the body. The plug-on neutral landing sections are also distributed with a pitch spacing that corresponds to a pole spacing of circuit breakers connectable on the electrical distribution apparatus.

Hybrid neutral plug on bar with distributed pitch

Systems and methods for auto-monitoring a trip solenoid and a switching semiconductor in a circuit breaker comprises determining whether the trip solenoid or the switching semiconductor is open-circuited or otherwise non-operational. The trip solenoid has multiple windings therein and the switching semiconductor has multiple semiconductor switches therein. The circuit breaker automatically performs a designated action if one of the multiple windings or one of the semiconductor switches is determined to be open-circuited or otherwise non-operational. In some embodiments, the circuit breaker is a miniature circuit breaker.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Chad Raymond Mittelstadt