General Electric Company

General Electric Corporation Gmbh

David Arnold

Roger N Castonguay

David J Meiners

Anil Raj Duggal

Lionel M Levinson

Roger J Morgan

Robert Allan Morris

James L Rosen

Joseph M Palmieri

Keith W Klein

James I Smith

Thomas Gary O'Keeffe

Yuet-Ying Yu

Henry J Tucholski

Paul Douglas Lafferty

Frederic W Glabau

Karen B Kowalczyk

Thomas T Reyes

Larry Neil Lewis

Raymond K Seymour

John James Dougherty

Dave S Christensen

Ronald D Ciarcia

Richard A Menelly

Randy Greenberg

Randall Lee Greenberg

Wade A Montague

Esteban Santos

Paul H Singer

Ira B Goldman

Mark A Zaffetti

Edward E Kim

Joseph B Kelaita

Marshall B Hart

William H Calder

Joseph P Bellino

Richard E Saunders

David A Ferullo

Harold Jay Patchen

Palani Krishnan Doma

Matthias Reichard

Daniel Schlitz

Preston L Ellis

Dexter T O'Brien

John H Whiton

An auxiliary magnetic trip system for a circuit breaker, the auxiliary magnetic trip system includes a strap configured to conduct a first level of electrical current and a second level of electrical current; a u-shape collar with a first pole face, the u-shape collar disposed around the strap; a trip lever rotatably mounted on an axis; and a holdback system releasably coupled to the trip lever, wherein the holdback system prevents movement of the trip lever at the first level of electrical current and releases the trip lever at the second level of electrical current.

Auxiliary magnetic trip system

An adjustable solenoid having an enclosure containing a winding through which a current is passed. The winding defines an area and a plunger is positioned at one end of the area with a mechanical biasing mechanism for providing a biasing force to the plunger, the mechanical biasing mechanism is secured to the plunger at one end and a support at the other end. A stator having a first threaded portion engaged within a threaded opening of the enclosure causes the stator to travel between a first position and a second position as a rotational force is applied to the stator. The first position is closer to the plunger than the second position, and the stator is in a facially spaced relationship with respect to the plunger and the stator has a second threaded portion for engaging a threaded portion of the support, the second threaded portion of the stator causes the support to travel between a first position and a second position, the second position of the support provides the mechanical biasing mechanism with a greater biasing force than the first position.

Adjustable trip solenoid

A magnetic release system for a circuit breaker, the magnetic release system includes a contact structure; a strap configured to conduct a first level of electrical current and a second level of electrical current; a u-shaped collar having a pole face, the u-shaped collar disposed around the strap; a release lever disposed proximate the pole face, the release lever rotatably mounted on the strap; wherein the release lever is releasably engaged with the contact structure; and wherein the release lever prevents movement of the contact structure at the first level of electrical current and releases the contact structure at the second level of electrical current.

Magnetic release system for a circuit breaker

A termination connector for a circuit breaker is disclosed. The termination connector preferably includes a plurality of single pole screw receiving members integrally attached by a molded housing for unitary attachment to a line or load end of a circuit breaker to assist in holding a nut or nut plate adjacent each screw hole in the circuit breaker's terminal straps. The molded housing preferably includes a line of perforations between each single pole screw receiving member so that the correct number of single pole screw receiving members can be retained and the others can be knocked off along the line of perforations. Provisions are disclosed for adaption of the connector to metric or English standard nut hardware. In addition, the termination connector and circuit breaker are provided with mating attachment devices for providing a simple yet secure connection.

Terminal connector for a circuit breaker

A bottom vented circuit breaker capable of top-down assembly onto equipment (,) includes a plurality of breaker cassettes (,) disposed in a base (,) with a cover (,) mounted upon the base (,). Breaker cassettes (,) include breaker connection lugs (,) extending therefrom for electrically connecting to equipment connection lugs (,) extending from a protected circuit. Base (,) includes a plurality of discrete arc gas vent structures (,) extending from a bottom wall (,). Each arc gas vent structure (,) comprises a manifold portion (,) in fluid communication with duct portions (,). Ducts (,) extend substantially parallel to each other and outward from manifold (,) along spacers (,) or side walls (,), culminating at exit ports (,). The external surface (,) of ducts (,) are separated by a minimum distance &ldquo;A&rdquo; forming access opening (,) in conjunction with side walls (,) and spacers (,). Breaker assembly (,) is installed downward onto equipment connection lugs (,) and insulating pad (,), with equipment connection lugs (,) passing through access openings (,) formed in base (,).

Bottom vented circuit breaker capable of top down assembly onto equipment

A circuit breaker rotary contact arrangement is disclosed in which the ends of the line and load straps supporting the fixed contacts are hook-shaped to control the angle of the repulsive force exhibited between the fixed contacts and the movable contacts arranged at the opposing ends of the rotary contact arm. The fixed contacts face outwardly away from the central pivot of the contact arm such that a horizontal component of the popping force acts away from the center of rotation keeping the contact arm in tension for avoiding a buckling effect allowing contact arms with smaller cross sectional area to be used to increase contact arm mobility and reduce the cost.

Circuit breaker rotary contact arrangement

A molded case circuit breaker and current suppressing unit protects an electric motor without tripping during motor current reversal. The circuit breaker trip unit provides long time, short time and instantaneous over current protection against abnormal overload and low-current short circuit currents within the protected circuit. The current suppressing unit rapidly suppresses high-current short circuit currents until the circuit breaker responds to isolate the protected equipment.

Current suppressing circuit breaker unit for inductive motor protection

A circuit interrupter of the type including an electronic trip unit for overcurrent determination includes a separate circuit to power the trip unit along with a Hall Effect or GMR Device to sense the current flow within the protected circuit. A removable option plug electrically interconnects with the trip unit to enable ground fault and arcing fault protection.

Smart residential circuit breaker

A fault current interrupter is provided by the parallel combination of a polymer current limiter and a voltage dependent resistor connected across a pair of separable contacts to permit the interruption of current without the occurrence of arcing between the contacts when the contacts first become separated. The polymer current limiter is selected to have a relatively low resistance at quiescent operating currents and a substantially higher resistance at short circuit overcurrents. This allows the current to transfer away from the contacts through the polymer current limiter until the voltage across the voltage dependent resistor causes the voltage dependent resistor to become conductive and thereby transfer the current away from the polymer current limiter.

Circuit breaker with improved arc interruption function

A circuit breaker is equipped with a current limiting arc runner for effective overcurrent interruption without additional heating under quiescent operating conditions. Upon contact separation, an arc is drawn with the endpoints of the arc being initially rooted on the set of open contacts. Further opening of the contacts commutates the arc onto the current limiting arc runner to suppress the circuit current.

Circuit breaker current limiting arc runner

A compact current limiting circuit breaker is equipped with a current limiting shunt for effective over-current circuit interruption. The circuit breaker trip unit responds to long time, short time and instantaneous over-current conditions by opening a set of contacts to isolate the protected circuit. Upon contact separation an arc is drawn, with the endpoints of the arc being initially rooted on the pair of open contacts. Further opening of the contacts commutates the arc into the current limiting shunt to redirect the current away from the trip unit and suppress the arcing current until the circuit breaker contacts are sufficiently open to isolate the protected circuit.

Current limiting shunt for current limiting circuit breakers

A compact current limiting circuit breaker utilizes a polymer current limiter, an arc rail and an arc gap for effective overcurrent protection. Upon the occurrence of contact separation an arc is drawn between the circuit breaker contacts and driven toward an arc rail. Commutation of the arc from the stationary contact to the arc rail effectively changes the current path to incorporate the polymer current limiter which rapidly suppresses the overcurrent. Circuit isolation is achieved by extinction of the arc within the arc gap between the movable contact and the arc rail.

Compact circuit breaker incorporating a polymer current limiter

A single-sized circuit breaker electric isolation block provides both electric insulation between the circuit breaker operating mechanism as well as mechanical support to the circuit breaker contact arm assembly over a wide range of circuit breaker ampere ratings. The isolation block is formed from a plastic composition and is shaped to receive the circuit breaker operating mechanism connector link for each phase of a multi-phase circuit breaker assembly. The positional relationship on the block accommodates the connector links used with a wide range of circuit breaker ampere ratings.

Modular isolation block for circuit breaker contact arms

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Chester, CT, United States of America

David Arnold