Eaton Corporation

Raymond P Gundy

Teresa I Hood

Joseph Bell Humbert

Jonathan Moore Peifer

Mark Allan Juds

Craig Joseph Puhalla

Mark O Zindler

Yu Wei Chou

Ramon Javier Ojeda

Michael McNeil

Martha Suryani

Percy J Lipsey

A main valve for an arc chute is formed by a flexible sheet member that is mounted over a gas opening of the arc chamber structure by extensions on arc plates that form guides received in elongated slots in the ends of the flexible sheet member. The force generated by high pressure gas in the arc chamber on the center of the flexible sheet member causes it to bow allowing arc gases to escape laterally as the ends of the flexible sheet member are drawn towards each other. Flaps formed by slits in the flexible sheet member are deflected by lower pressure gas before the flexible sheet member bows outward.

Arc chute with valve and electric power switch incorporating same

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 has an automatic trip assembly that selectively generates a tripping operation which opens the contacts upon a predetermined current threshold. The automatic trip assembly includes a substantially planar bimetal, an electrical terminal, and a magnetic yoke. The bimetal has a first cutout region and a second cutout region on opposite sides thereof which form a neck portion and define a head portion. The head portion is connected to an end of the terminal. The magnetic yoke has a substantially planar portion and two arm portions. The bimetal is positioned substantially parallel with the planar portion with the neck portion positioned between the arm portions. The first cutout region terminates approximately just below the arm portions, and the second cutout region is longer than the first cutout region and terminates farther below the arm portions. The bimetal also includes rounded inner corners between the neck portion and the head portion.

Circuit interrupter with an automatic trip assembly having an improved bimetal configuration

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 separable main contacts, an operating mechanism interconnected with the contacts, and a housing in which the contacts and the operating mechanism are disposed. The housing includes a base having a bottom including a break-away region into which a tool may be inserted for breaking off the region for providing internal access to the operating mechanism.

Circuit interrupter with break-away walking beam access

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.

Growing community of inventors

Indiana, PA, United States of America

Raymond P Gundy