Eaton Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Robert N Krevokuch

Daniel Evan Palmieri

Anthony Thomas Ricciuti

Thomas Kenneth Fogle

John Joseph Hoegle

William Q Aglietti

Mark Allan Juds

Brad Robert Leccia

Steven Zhenghong Chen

Stanislaw A Milianowicz

Ronald E Vaill

George A Smith

Nagar J Patel

Paul Bottegal

Edward J Klimek

Mark L Lotzmann

Daniel D Gress, Jr

Joseph V Romano

Henry J Remic

Russel William Long

A solenoid assembly for a circuit breaker having a clapper with an increased mass is provided. The mass, preferably at least one non-ferrous slug, increases the mass of the clapper so that the solenoid response time is slowed. That is, the added mass creates an inertial delay that slows the solenoid clapper as the clapper moves between the first position and the second position. Preferably, the delay is between 48 ms and 60 ms, and more preferably 50 ms. The clapper having a non-ferrous slug may also be incorporated into existing circuit breakers by, for example, coupling the non-ferrous slug to the preexisting clapper, or replacing the clapper with a clapper assembly having at least one non-ferrous slug thereon.

Inertial solenoid delay for the opening of medium voltage circuit breakers

A power circuit interrupter includes a housing having an opening, one or more vacuum interrupters including separable contacts, and an operating mechanism, supported by the housing, adapted to open and close the contacts. A linear actuator cooperates with the operating mechanism to open and close the contacts, and is responsive to a close signal to close the contacts. A pivotable trip member protrudes through the opening of the housing and cooperates with the operating mechanism and the linear actuator to open the contacts when pivoted from a first position to a second position. A close circuit includes an input inputting the close signal. A micro-switch includes an operator and a contact electrically connected in series with the input of the close circuit. The operator is engaged by the pivotable trip member to open the contact in response to partial pivoting thereof from the first position toward the second position.

Circuit interrupter including linear actuator and manual pivot member

An improved circuit breaker includes an inertial time delay mechanism that permits a self-powered trip unit to become fully operational before inputting into the trip unit a signal indicating a change in the state of the circuit breaker. The time delay mechanism includes an inertia member, a first spring, and a second spring, and is activated upon the rotation of a lay shaft of an operating mechanism of the circuit breaker. The first spring extends between the inertia member and a housing of the circuit breaker and biases the inertia member from an initial position toward a terminal position. The second spring extends between the lay shaft and the inertia member and biases the inertia member toward the initial position when the circuit breaker is in an OFF condition. The combined action of the first and second springs on the inertia member provides a time delay using a relatively small inertial mass.

Circuit breaker with delay mechanism

An auxiliary switch operator for a circuit breaker operates auxiliary contacts between open and closed positions. The auxiliary switch operator includes a hub which is biased to follow a pole shaft of the circuit breaker and follow the pole shaft when it rotates in a first direction to close separable contacts of the circuit breaker. A first spring mechanism biases the hub to follow the pole shaft when the pole shaft rotates in the first direction. When the pole shaft rotates in the first direction, an arm of the hub engages a rotatable shaft to drive an operating lever and operate the auxiliary contacts to the closed position. When the pole shaft rotates in the second direction, another arm of the hub recharges the first spring mechanism. A second spring mechanism biases the rotatable shaft and the operating lever toward a position corresponding to the open position of the auxiliary contacts when the pole shaft rotates in the second direction.

Auxiliary contact operator for electrical switching apparatus

A transfer switch mechanism is provided for operating the handles of a pair of circuit interrupters. The transfer switch mechanism has a lever arm movable between advanced and retracted positions, the lever arm having a gripping portion permitting handhold for manual operation. The lever arm turns an axle via a ratchet assembly with pawls that permit the axle to turn in one direction but oppose movement of the axle in the direction counter to that direction. The axle turns a crank, and a pair of connecting rods have proximal ends coupled to the crank. The transfer switch mechanism further includes a pair of handle-engaging heads, each of which has opposed abutment surfaces that removably receive the handle of one or the other circuit interrupters between the opposed abutment surfaces. A base is fixed relative to the circuit interrupters and movably supports the lever arm and the handle-engaging heads. The connecting rods have distal ends respectively coupled to one of the two heads such that operation of the lever arm between the advanced and retracted positions causes the abutment surfaces to drive against the handles and thereby move the handles between operative positions.

Transfer switch

A mechanical interlock device for preventing simultaneous operation of two 3-phase vacuum interrupter-type circuit breakers is provided. The device operates with the floor tripper and the Mechanism Operated Control ('MOC') driver of each vacuum circuit breaker. The device includes a retainer member mounted at the base of each circuit breaker. Each retainer member includes two levers. The first lever is a trip lever which engages the floor tripper of the associated circuit breaker. The second lever is driven by the MOC driver of the associated circuit breakers. The two levers are preferably mounted on a common pivot bar located at one end the retainer member. Cabling is provided between the trip lever on the first circuit breaker and the MOC driver lever on the second circuit breaker. Similarly, a cable is provided between the MOC driver lever of the first circuit breaker and the trip lever of the second circuit breaker. When either circuit breaker is in normal operation, its MOC driver is in a downward position. This forces the MOC driver lever downward which in turn rotates the trip lever in the opposite breaker upwards. The trip lever thereby acts to engage the floor tripper of the opposite circuit breaker which in turn forces the circuit breaker open and prevents it from operating while the other circuit breaker is on.

Interlock device for circuit breakers

A circuit breaker having a chassis, an electrical contact structure, and a shock absorber mechanism. The contact structure includes a movable first electrical contact and a second electrical contact. The first contact has a first movement range. The shock absorbing mechanism, which absorbs energy from the movement of the first contact, includes a metallic bar pivotally mounted on the chassis, and first and second limit members fixed to the chassis. The first and second limit members define a second movement range which overlaps the first movement range. A spring weakly biases the metallic bar towards the second limit member. The first contact, during movement thereof to an open position, strikes the metallic bar. Kinetic energy is removed from the first electrical contact by the metallic bar without bounce of the electrical contact, and the metallic bar pivots against the first limit member, transferring the shock of stopping the first contact to the chassis.

Circuit breaker with shock absorbing mechanism

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West Newton, PA, United States of America

Robert N Krevokuch