Eaton Corporation

Eaton Intelligent Power Limited

Jonathan Moore Peifer

Teresa I Hood

Mark O Zindler

Raymond P Gundy

David Curtis Turner

Lance Gula

Richard Paul Malingowski

Mark Anthony Janusek

Craig Allen Rodgers

Craig Joseph Puhalla

Roger William Helms

David Edward Little

Joseph Bell Humbert

Frank Joseph Stifter, Jr

Raymond Peter Gundy, Ii

David C Funyak

Michael McNeil

Sunnybhai Patel

Jr Frank J Stifter

An improved multi-pole circuit interrupter includes an improved trip deck assembly adjacent one pole and further includes an accessory deck adjacent another pole. The accessory deck includes conventional accessory devices such as an auxiliary switch, etc., and the trip deck assembly includes switches and one or more other devices that can interact with a crossbar and a trip bar of the circuit interrupter. Such switches can be easily installed by a technician in the field after manufacture of the circuit interrupter. One switch is held in place by a support, and the other switch is held in place by a retainer, with the support and the retainer holding the switches in a fixed position on the trip deck assembly in order to interact with the crossbar and the trip bar.

Circuit interrupter, trip deck assembly, and support for switch therefor

An adjustable trip assembly is for an electrical switching apparatus. The electrical switching apparatus includes a housing, separable contacts and an operating mechanism for opening and closing the separable contacts. The adjustable trip assembly includes a load conductor, a magnetic assembly comprising a magnetic member and an armature movably coupled to the magnetic member, and a calibration assembly comprising a calibration bracket cooperating with the armature, and an adjustment mechanism being adjustable to move the calibration bracket and thereby adjust the position of the armature with respect to the magnetic member to calibrate the magnetic assembly. The magnetic assembly further includes a biasing element that biases the armature away from the magnetic member.

Electrical switching apparatus and adjustable trip assembly therefor

A circuit interrupter including a housing, separable main contacts within the housing, and an operating mechanism within the housing and interconnected with the separable main contacts. A trip mechanism is disposed within the housing that includes a trip bar assembly rotatable about an axis and that, when rotated, generates a tripping operation causing the operating mechanism to open the contacts. The trip bar assembly includes a trip member translatable along the axis. The trip mechanism includes a tripping actuator movable along a predetermined path of travel as a function of electrical current. The tripping actuator contacts a contact area of the trip member at a predetermined location along the predetermined path of travel of the tripping actuator and causes the trip bar assembly to rotate and generate the tripping operation upon a predetermined current threshold. When the trip member is translated along the axis, the contact area is contacted by the tripping actuator at a different location along the predetermined path of travel of the tripping actuator whereby the predetermined current threshold is changed.

Circuit interrupter with thermal trip adjustability

A circuit interrupter including a housing having a cover connected to a base, separable main contacts within the housing, and an operating mechanism within the housing and interconnected with the contacts. A trip mechanism is disposed within the housing and includes a rotatable trip bar assembly that, when selectively rotated, generates a tripping operation. The trip mechanism includes a dual-purpose trip actuator biased upwards and positioned for vertical movement within the housing and having a top portion extending through the cover. The actuator includes a push-to-trip member and an interlock trip member. The trip bar assembly includes a multi-purpose trip member having a push-to-trip actuating region, an interlock trip actuating region, and an accessory trip actuating region. The push-to-trip member contacts the push-to-trip actuating region when the top portion is depressed, causing the trip bar assembly to rotate. The interlock trip member contacts the interlock trip actuating region when the cover is removed from the base, causing the trip bar assembly to rotate. The accessory trip actuating region is positioned to be contacted by the tripping member of the external accessory device and thereby cause rotation of the trip bar assembly.

Circuit interrupter with accessory trip interface and break-away access thereto

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 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. A trip mechanism is disposed in the housing and includes a rotatable trip bar assembly that, when selectively rotated, generates a tripping operation that causes the contacts to open. The trip mechanism further includes an automatic trip assembly for selectively rotating the trip bar assembly upon a predetermined current threshold. The automatic trip assembly includes a magnetic yoke having two arms with a pivot support on the top of each. Each of the pivot supports includes a pivot surface, and one of the pivot supports includes a rear retaining protrusion adjacent its pivot surface. The other of the pivot supports includes a front retaining member adjacent its pivot surface. The automatic trip assembly further includes an armature having pivot portions positioned on the pivot surfaces which provides for rotation of the armature between a first position away from the arms and a second position closer to the arms. A magnetic field is generated upon the predetermined current threshold which causes the armature to rotate from the first position to the second position and to rotate the trip bar assembly. One of the pivot supports also includes a downwardly facing stop. The downwardly facing stop is positioned to abut the armature when the armature is rotated away from the arms, thereby defining the first position.

Circuit interrupter with an improved magnetically-induced automatic trip assembly

Growing community of inventors

Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Jonathan Moore Peifer