Eaton Corporation

Electric Power Research Institute Incorporated

Daniel A Wycklendt

Mark Allan Juds

Peter J Theisen

Peter K Moldovan

Richard G Smith

Jerome Kenneth Hastings

Bruce C Beihoff

William R Nelson

Richard L Lauritsen

Martin Hudis

Edmund M Butterworth

C Gregory Chen

Conrad W Pastwa

An electrical power switching device employing a rotary disc driven by an actuation means whose position is selected by a control means where disc contacts engage and disengage stationary contacts where the stationary contacts are deflected away from the disc contacts by separation ramps thereby opening the current path and an arc plate is used on the disc to control arc energy. A pair of interrupter contacts are placed in series with the rotary disc contacts where abnormally high currents cause the interrupter contacts to separate and open the current path where slot motors and/or arc plates are used to dissipate the damaging electrical arcs as the contacts make and break.

Electrical contactor and interrupter employing a rotary disc

An electrical contractor device (80) for controlling the flow of electrical power from a source of electrical power to an electrical device according to a command signal from a controller utilizing a rotary disc assembly (90) rotated by an actuator (169) where the rotary disc assembly (90) is comprised of a rotary disc (100) supporting a disc conductor (102) having a pair of contact pads (106, 108) joined by a pair of conductor legs (109, 113) and a center section (111) where the conductor legs (109, 113) are parallel and offset one from the other straddling an axis of rotation (103) where high flow of electrical current through the disc conductor (102) generates an electro-magnetic torque in the rotary disc assembly (90). The disc contacts (106, 108) make electrical contact with a corresponding number of stationary contacts (110,112) of a 'turn back' design one of which is connected one to a source of electrical power and the second to the device whose operation is to be controlled were as the rotary disc (100) is rotated by the actuator means (169), the disc contacts (106, 108) make electrical connection with the stationary contacts (110, 112) and when the actuator (169) is not energized a return spring (176) causes the rotary disc (100) to rotate in an opposite direction thereby causing the stationary contacts (110, 112) to be forced away from the rotary disc (100) by a separation ramp (140, 142). A disc conductor (102) is formed to induce a rotary torque in the rotary disc (100) when an abnormally high electrical current is conducted thereby breaking the conduction path by rotating the rotary disc (100) in conjunction with the return spring (176) to overcome the spring (180) connecting actuator (169) and open the contactor device (80).

Electrical contactor employing a rotary disc

Direct current switching apparatus having two arc extinguishing chambers each comprising a pair of spaced conductors providing cooperable arc runners divergent toward a row of non-ferromagnetic splitter plates and a stationary contact conductively mounted on one conductor, the stationary contacts of respective chambers being mounted on respectively opposite conductors, corresponding conductors in respective chambers being conductively connected to each other and to power terminals of the apparatus, permanent magnets applying a magnetic field across the respective chamber for moving an arc within the chamber, ferromagnetic plates providing flux return paths to optimize and maximize the magnetic field, a movable contact extending into each chamber bridging the stationary contacts and movable to separate from the stationary contacts, drawing an arc therebetween in each chamber, the arc in one chamber bridging the pair of conductors within that chamber establishing a circuit comprising the arc between the conductors and the power terminals in shunt of the movable contact, thereby eliminating the arc in the other chamber, the bridging arc being extinguished in the splitter plates, interrupting the circuit. The magnetic fields are applied in opposite directions in the respective chambers for non-polarized operability of the apparatus and are distorted within the splitter plate area to drive and maintain an arc at a stable arc position against a thickened sidewall portion to withstand erosion.

Direct current switching apparatus

A linear acting ball latch is released by a rotary latch release member in the form of a rotor for a high torque, short stroke rotary electric motor which is electrically energized through a capacitor discharge system to release the latched member for spring biased movement into engagement with a bridging contact, thereby forcing the contact open from stationary contacts. A clapper type armature drives the contacts between open and closed positions through tubes, one of which extends through the latch mechanism. The tubes have spring biased plungers connected with the movable contact member to provide a low gradient spring force to the contacts permitting separation by the latch tube assembly and providing contact pressure when the magnetic operator closes the contacts. A manually operable handle and reset cam are disposed over the rotary latch mechanism and have mechanical connection with the latch release rotor to provide for manual operation of the release and for manual resetting of the latch mechanism. The wearable parts and time dated parts are all housed in a powerhead module which is readily detached from a base module and electronics module.

Electromagnetic switching apparatus having dynamically balanced latch

A relatively quiet switch assembly having a plurality of spaced contact sets with snap-acting transfer actuation and interconnected by a common bus plate. The bus plate is formed of a swandwich construction having a thin (0.001 Inch) core layer of visco-elastic polymer and thicker layers of copper bonded to both sides of the core layer for sound attenuation upon contact transfer. Where the bus plate is formed to a right-angle bend of R/t-1.2 the inner layer is formed of half-hard material and the outer layer of fully annealed material.

Quieted fast acting switch assembly with visco-elastic polymer laminated

Stationary contact, terminal and arc-runner structure for a high-current double-break electrical contactor that affords longer contact life. Each stationary contact (66,80) and turn-back arc-runner (68,82) is connected to the associated terminal (52,72). Each arc-runner (68,82) is V-shaped and has a slot (68e,82e) at its turn-back or bight portion (68b,82b) through which the associated stationary contact (66,80) extends so that its contact tip (66b,80b) is thereabove for engagement by the bridging contact (36). The stationary contacts (66,80) allow substantially straight-through current flow, no turn-back current loop, when the contacts (66,36,80) are closed under normal current conditions to retain maximum contact pressure. But at the moment of the contact opening under high overload current conditions, the arcs migrate toward the sides between the arc-runners (68c,82c) and the outer ends of the bridging contact (36) so that a turn-back condition occurs in the current flow path inducing heavy magnetic blowout forces on the respective arcs outwardly and upwardly toward the splitter plates (88,90 ) to efficiently extinguish the arcs.

High current double-break electrical contactor

An arc interruption structure for an electric switching device such as a contactor having one or more J-plates (38,42,46,48) adjacent to but insulated from each contacts gap provided by stationary contacts (20,22) and a movable bridging contact (24) of the contactor whereby sub-arcs are received from the contacts gaps to the bend (38c) of the J-plates and move therefrom along the short limb (38b) of the J-plate to the extremity (38c) thereof, thus to be retained and extinguished within the arc interruption structure and not ejected either forwardly into the vent space or reversely back toward the contacts gap. The J-plates (38,42) may have various forms such as a reduced-width bend (38c) with greater width limbs (38a,38b) or a reduced-width bend (52d) and short limb (52c) with a greater width long limb (52f). These J-plates may be used with arc runners (22a,24a) and/or with one or more flat, arc splitter-plates (40,41,44,45) and/or an auxiliary arc bridge (30 ).

J-Plate arc interruption chamber for electric switching devices

A bridging contact structure, suitable for use in AC contactors and the like, is provided with double-break stationary main contacts, and with double-break stationary arcing contacts in parallel with the main contacts. Silver usage in the main contacts is substantially reduced.

Bridging contactor with main and arcing contacts

A current limiting fuse is characterized by a self-standing tubular fuse element having a high surface area-to-volume ratio to augment cooling and thus increase the steady-state current rating of the fuse and also having a plurality of axially spaced, generally diamond-shaped perforations each of which extends circumferentially somewhat less than 360.degree., with axially successive perforations displaced 180.degree. apart in a circumferential direction, thereby forming a plurality of axially spaced, ring-shaped portions providing parallel arcuate current paths and with axially extending interconnections between successive pairs of ring-shaped portions disposed on diametrically opposed sides of said tubular element to thereby further increase the length of current path through said fuse element and develop a high arc voltage.

Current limiting fuse construction and method

A current limiting fuse construction including a fuse element extending between electroconductive terminals carries a body of arc-quenching filler material within a hollow casing of electric insulating material. The filler material includes loose granular insulating material, such as sand, and larger particles of material uniformly distributed throughout the sand as a resin vaporizable in response to the heat of an arc current. According to a second embodiment a stratified filler comprises uniformly spaced layers alternately occurring between sand and a sand/resin mixture to increase arc voltage.

Growing community of inventors

Milwaukee, WI, United States of America

Daniel A Wycklendt