Square D Company

Ronald J Etscheidt

Henry J Zylstra

Darrell P Ophaug

Leon W Durivage, Iii

Douglas P Vanwaart

Douglas Thomas

Joni Orum

Donald Nohavec

A terminal cover for use on molded case circuit breakers. The terminal cover limits access to circuit breaker electrical terminals and uninsulated portions of electrical conductors entering the terminals. The terminal cover also provides selective access to the terminal binding screws.

Load terminal cover

An improved connector comprises a circuit breaker terminal having a cold formed, countersink aperture on a top surface of the breaker terminal and an extruded raised ring on the bottom surface of the breaker terminal. The wire connector is a square-shaped element having a plurality of openings for receipt of at least one wire, the circuit breaker terminal and the wire connector shoe. In assembly of the three piece connector, the circuit breaker terminal is inserted into an opening in the wire connector. The wire connector shoe is then inserted into at least one opening in the wire connector and surrounds a portion of the circuit breaker terminal within the wire connector. The wire connector shoe has a protrusion, which is cold formed by displacing shoe material into the countersink aperture on the top surface of the circuit breaker terminal. The protrusion mechanically adheres to the top surface material defining the countersink aperture and the extruded raised ring mechanically adheres to an interior surface of the wire connector which defines a bottom surface aperture thereby securely attaching the wire connector shoe, wire connector and circuit breaker terminal.

Circuit breaker terminal connector

There is provided a panel for mounting electronic components to circuit breakers. The panel includes formations for cooling electronic components, a method for sealing the electronic adjustment switches against tampering, and a method for preventing invalid electronic adjustments to the trip unit.

Panel for mounting electronics

A field installable motor operator for a circuit breaker includes a bidirectionally controllable motor that is coupled through a torque limited module to a circuit breaker operating mechanism. The motor is bidirectionally driven by a transistor switching bridge that supplies output current in reversible flow directions through one of the windings of the motor to the input of a rectifier bridge that supplies the other winding with currents that flow in the same direction. The torque limited module includes a centering and spacing ring which precisely confines the clutch elements to provide consistent torque. The motor is supplied with a current pulse of 250 milliseconds duration that is longer than the time required to fully operate the breaker. The clutch slips when breaker opeation is completed and permits the motor to overrun without damage.

Clutch module with predetermined torque

A field installable motor operator for a circuit breaker includes a bidirectionally controllable motor that is coupled through a torque limited module to a circuit breaker operating mechanism. The motor is bidirectionally driven by a transistor switching bridge that supplies output current in reversible flow directions through one of the windings of the motor to the input of a rectifier bridge that supplies the other winding with currents that flow in the same direction. The torque limited module includes a centering and spacing ring which precisely confines the clutch elements to provide consistent torque. The motor is supplied with a current pulse of 250 milliseconds duration that is longer than the time required to fully operate the breaker. The clutch slips when breaker operation is completed and permits the motor to overrun without damage.

Growing community of inventors

Anamosa, IA, United States of America

Ronald J Etscheidt