Eaton Corporation

Cleveland, Ohio

David Edward Little

Roger William Helms

Kenneth Martin Fischer

David A Parks

Henry Richard Beck

Douglas Charles Marks

Kelly Julia McCarthy

Amelia Marie Stay

David C Funyak

Robert Michael Slepian

Richard Paul Malingowski

Craig Joseph Puhalla

James Patrick Sisley

Joseph Bell Humbert

Joseph B Humert

David Curtis Turner

Xin Zhou

Robert William Mueller

Mark O Zindler

Teresa I Hood

H Richard Beck

Kenneth D Kolberg

Richard E White

Paul Alan Merck

Jonathan Moore Peifer

Bradley Patrick Rizzo

David Herman Groves

Raymond Lee Jurek

Wilbert E Lindsay

Matthew Ryan Hussey

Ameilia M Stay

Kin Hang Leung

Kelly J Mccarthy

Kelly Julia Mccarthy

A circuit breaker includes a frame, at least one conductor supported by the frame, and a breaker mechanism supported by the frame and including a trip bar assembly that actuates the breaker mechanism. The circuit breaker also includes a magnetic armature assembly including an armature plate configured to move responsive to a current in the at least one conductor and an elongate link member (e.g., a rod) coupling the armature plate to the trip bar and having at least one flanged portion retained in at least one keyed slot in at least one of the armature plate and the trip bar assembly. The elongate link member may have a narrowed portion sized to allow passage of the link member through a narrowed portion of the at least one keyed slot to facilitate engagement of the at least one flanged portion in the at least one keyed slot.

Circuit breaker and apparatus including slot-retained armature linkage and methods of fabricating the same

A D/C trip assembly for a circuit breaker is provided. The D/C trip assembly includes a magnet, a mounting assembly and an armature assembly. The mounting assembly includes a body, the mounting assembly body including a pivotal coupling. The armature assembly includes a magnetic body and a trip bar linkage, the trip bar linkage extending from the armature assembly body. The armature assembly body is structured to move between a first position, wherein the armature assembly body is close to the magnet, and a second position, wherein the armature assembly body is spaced from the magnet. The trip bar linkage is structured to move between a first position and a second position, the trip bar linkage positions corresponding to the armature assembly body positions. The trip bar linkage is structured to be coupled to a trip bar.

D/C trip assembly

A circuit breaker including a pair of separable contacts and an arc chamber is provided. The separable contacts include a fixed contact having an upper surface. The arc chamber includes magnetic members disposed on either side of the separable contacts. The magnetic members have a lower surface below the fixed contact upper surface.

Arc chamber for bi-directional DC

A limiter includes a housing having a number of gas ports, a number of gas vents and a number of gas channels. Each of the number of gas channels is between a corresponding one of the number of gas ports and a corresponding one of the number of gas vents. The limiter also includes a number of first terminals, a number of second terminals, and a number of limiter devices. Each of the number of limiter devices is electrically connected between a corresponding one of the number of first terminals and a corresponding one of the number of second terminals. Each of the number of gas ports is structured to receive a corresponding ionized gas flow for passage through a corresponding one of the number of gas channels to the corresponding one of the number of gas vents.

Limiter including a number of gas channels and electrical switching apparatus employing the same

A heater assembly is provided for an electrical switching apparatus. The heater assembly includes a heater element and an elongated bimetal. The heater element includes first and second ends, an intermediate portion disposed therebetween and an aperture disposed proximate the first end. The elongated bimetal includes opposing first and second ends, and is movable between first and second positions corresponding respectively to the separable contacts of the electrical switching apparatus being closeable, and to the first end of the elongated bimetal cooperating with a trip bar to cause an operating mechanism to open the separable contacts. The second end of the elongated bimetal is coupled to the intermediate portion of the heater element. When the elongated bimetal is disposed in the first position, the first end of the elongated bimetal extends beyond the upper surface of the first end of the heater element into the aperture of the heater element.

Electrical switching apparatus and heater assembly therefor

A lockable fastener connects together a plurality of components of a circuit breaker and maintains electrical conductivity between the components while permitting relative movement therebetween. The lockable fastener includes a first clinch nut member and a second clinch bolt member. The clinch nut member includes a threaded cavity formed therein, a side having opening therein, and a passageway between the side at the opening and a surface proximate the threaded cavity. The clinch bolt member includes a threaded shank. At least a portion of the threaded shank is threadably receivable in the threaded cavity of the clinch nut member, in order to axially align the clinch nut and clinch bolt members. The clinch nut and clinch bolt members are adapted to be locked by deformation of the surface of the clinch nut member to prevent loosening of the members.

Lockable fastener and circuit breaker employing the same

A support structure for a circuit interrupter latch member includes a first side plate having a first opening, and a second side plate having a second opening. A first hardened bushing includes a first opening and a first perimeter. The first opening of the first hardened bushing is adapted to pivotally mount a first tab of the latch member. The first perimeter is coupled to the first side plate at the first opening thereof. A second hardened bushing includes a second opening and a second perimeter. The second opening of the second hardened bushing is adapted to pivotally mount a second tab of the latch member. The second perimeter is coupled to the second side plate at the second opening thereof. The hardened material of the first and second side plates is harder than the unhardened material of the first and second side plates.

Support structure for a circuit interrupter latch and circuit breaker employing the same

A circuit breaker includes a housing including a primary cover and a secondary cover having a tab; separable contacts; and an operating mechanism adapted to open and close the separable contacts. The operating mechanism includes a cradle pivotally mounted within the housing, the cradle including a latch, and a latch mechanism within the housing. The latch mechanism is adapted to capture the latch of the cradle when the separable contacts are closed. The operating mechanism also includes a rotary interlock pivotally mounted within the housing and cooperating with the latch mechanism and the tab of the secondary cover to release the latch of the cradle and to trip open the separable contacts when the secondary cover is removed from the primary cover.

Circuit breaker including rotary interlock for secondary cover

A circuit breaker includes a housing and an operating mechanism having a cross bar supported by a first housing surface and moving in an arcuate path between open/tripped and closed positions, a pivotally mounted cradle including a latch, and pivotally mounted primary and secondary latches. The primary latch includes a pivot, an opening and a free end. The cradle latch rests within the opening when the contacts are not tripped open. The secondary latch includes a pivot and a surface. The latches are between a second housing surface and the cross bar in a first position. The cross bar is offset from the latches in a second position. The secondary latch surface and pivot are between the second housing surface and the primary latch pivot. The secondary latch surface engages the primary latch free end when the contacts are not tripped open and maintain the cradle latch within the opening.

Circuit breaker including a latchable cradle and a cross bar adapted to move in an arcuate path away from primary and secondary latches

A circuit interrupter including a housing, separable main contacts disposed in the housing, and an operating mechanism disposed in the housing and interconnected with the contacts. The housing has a cover securable to a base, with the cover including a downwardly-facing abutment portion. An electrical terminal is releasably disposed within the base and has a tab that abuttingly engages the abutment portion of the cover when the cover is secured to the base. The base also includes channels formed in the sides of the base, and the electrical terminal includes sides that insert into the channels and that include rib portions that frictionally engage the channels upon insertion. The base also includes tapered sides, with the electrical terminal sides being tapered in order to follow or mirror the tapered sides of the base.

Circuit interrupter providing improved securement of an electrical terminal within the housing

A gas deflector for a line-in connector of a circuit breaker. The gas deflector is coupled to a collar with a top and a cavity, a threaded opening through the top, a screw threaded in the threaded opening. The collar is attached to the line-in for the circuit breaker. The gas deflector is an L-shaped shield with an integral screw sleeve and a slot sized to allow a terminal strap to pass therethrough. The terminal strap is connected to the collar. The shield device covers the collar top and the cavity and is held in place by the screw passing through the sleeve and by the terminal strap passing through the slot. The shield substantially reduces the amount of ionized gas infiltrating into the collar.

Ionized gas deflector for a molded case circuit breaker

A terminal connection for a flat stab of an electrical terminal includes a spring clip which retains a nut in alignment with an aperture in the flat stab. The spring clip is fabricated from a strip of resilient electrically conductive material and has a top wall with a central aperture, side walls extending downward from the top wall and having slots therein, and outwardly projecting flanges on the bottom edge of each of the side walls. A square nut is retained in the spring clip by lateral projections on the nut engaged in the slots in the side walls with the tapped hole in the nut aligned with the aperture in the top wall of the clip. The fastener assembly clips onto the end of the flat stab which is in a recess in the electrical terminal, with the stab between the nut and the top wall of the spring clip. The outer edges of the flanges on the spring clip frictionally engage against the opposite sides of the recess in the terminal to retain the spring clip and nut in the terminal until a screw is passed through the apertures in the top wall and the flat stab engages the nut to secure a conductor to the stab. The slots in the side walls of the clip prevent rotation of the nut and provide positive stops which resist loss of the nut through application of excessive axial force to the screw.

Self-retaining spring clip assembly and an electrical connection

A molded case circuit breaker has modular crossbar members which connect the contact arm carriers of a desired number of poles for opening and closing the separable contacts of all of the poles simultaneously by a single spring powered operating mechanism. The modular crossbar members comprise shaft sections which engage openings in the contact arm carriers of adjacent poles. Bearings support the shaft sections and mount the contact arm carriers for rotation about a common pivot axis. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the modular crossbar member is a single continuous metal shaft overmolded with an electrically insulative resin which also forms the bearing. Alternatively, separate metal shaft sections seat in sockets on either side of the molded bearing. In both instances, the shaft sections are keyed to the openings in the contact arm carriers for transmission of torque. In the exemplary crossbars, the shaft sections are hexagonal in cross-section.

Molded case circuit breaker with modular crossbar

A molded case circuit breaker has a moving conductor assembly which includes a modular carrier assembly incorporating a plurality of spring biased contact cam members each of which engages contact pressure lobes on a pair of contact arm laminations to provide contact pressure. In response to the magnetic repulsion forces generated by a short circuit, the springs compress allowing the cam members to pivot and side step the contact pressure lobes so that the contact arm blows-open with little resistance. The cam members and springs are preassembled in a transverse channel in the carrier body and laterally retained in place by side plates for easier pivotal attachment of the contact arm laminations to the lobes on the side plates. The side plate lobes raise the contact arm relative to the mass of the carrier to reduce eddy current heating and provide a positive off indication for welded contacts by restricting movement of lower toggle links of the operating mechanism which are coplanar with the side plates. A modular crossbar includes molded bearings engaged by or made integral with hexagonal metal shaft sections which extend into hex openings in the carrier bodies of adjacent poles.

Molded case circuit breaker and moving conductor assembly therefor

The helical contact compression springs of a circuit breaker are preassembled in a contact clip for easier assembly of the circuit breaker. The bottom wall of an elongated trough formed by the clip is pierced by holes forming cylindrical protrusions extending into the trough. The clip is placed over the springs supported in a row in a fixture. A die head presses on the spring clip to compress all the springs and then simultaneously insert punches into the holes in the clip to expand the protrusions and secure the springs to the clip. The fixture includes a slide mounted on guides for movement between a loading position and an operating position under the die head. A support block is pivoted on the slide to present one of two sets of spring recesses for circuit breakers having different current ratings with the slide in the loading position.

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Midland, PA, United States of America

David Edward Little