Eaton Intelligent Power Limited

Eaton Corporation

Steven Zhenghong Chen

Brad Robert Leccia

Xin Zhou

Mark Allan Juds

James Jeffery Benke

Mark Alan Juds

Hongbin Wang

Koustubh Dnyandeo Ashtekar

Tyler Louis Holp

Michael Slepian

Tyler Holp

Paul Richard Rakus

Li Yu

Steven Christopher Schmalz

Geraldo Nojima

Anthony Thomas Ricciuti

Zachary Ryan Jenkins

Daniel Evan Palmieri

Robert Patton Griffin

Paul Bottegal

Andy Schroedermeier

Robert Michael Slepian

Andrew Lawrence Gottschalk

Eric D Smith

Paul Jason Rollmann

Robert William Mueller

Brian John Schaltenbrand

James Edward Smith

David Raymond Rohn

Slobodan Krstic

Santhosh Kumar Chamarajanagar Govinda Nayaka

Jiong Chen

Logan D Weigle

Andrew A Rockhill

Robert N Krevokuch

Yanjun Feng

Andrew W Lichauer

James Jeffrey Benke

Fangji Wu

Collin Christopher Otis

Alan Kent Edmunds

Xin Su

Liping Ye

Paul T Bottegal

Karthikeyan Subramaniam

Binhui Mao

Jingxuan Liu

Shuiyan Chen

Mark A Juds

Daniel E Palmieri

A circuit interrupter includes separable contacts, a drive shaft coupled to the separable contacts and structured to move to open and close the separable contacts, a tapered drive shaft section coupled to the drive shaft and having tapered sides, and a friction assembly. The friction assembly includes a friction device structured to interact with the tapered sides of the tapered drive shaft, an armature coupled to the friction device, and a biasing member structured to bias the friction device and armature toward the tapered drive shaft section.

Circuit interrupter with tapered drive shaft section

An art fault mitigator includes a sensor structured to detect at least one of a user within vicinity of the power system protection device, a light within the power system protection device and an overcurrent within the power system protection device; a mechanical switching device including a fast mechanical circuit interrupter and an actuator; a power electronics circuit coupled to the mechanical switching device in parallel and including a current commutator structured to commutate current from the fast mechanical circuit interrupter to the power electronics circuit upon turning OFF of the fast mechanical circuit interrupter, a power electronic circuit interrupter structured to allow the current to ride there-through up to a threshold current, and a current limiter structured to limit the current flowing through the power electronics circuit interrupter; and a controller including a trip control structured to control operations of the mechanical switching device and the power electronics circuit.

Power system protection device with current limiting and controlled switching functions for AC and DC applications

Coil-based actuators for use in opening and closing the separable contacts of circuit interrupters provide increased initial velocity for opening strokes and improved damping at the end of opening strokes by utilizing current-based damping and omitting contact springs and contact dampeners.

Thomson coil with energized coil damping

For a hybrid circuit interrupter that includes a secondary actuator disposed in series with a primary actuator, with the primary actuator used for opening the switch at ultra-fast speeds and the secondary actuator used for opening the switch at normal speeds, a performance monitoring system is disclosed. The monitoring system can use either an optical sensor or position sensitive device (PSD) to detect movement of the primary actuator. The optical sensor is coupled to the circuit interrupter housing, and a distance detection means is disposed within the secondary actuator in a manner that enables the optical sensor to detect the movement of a reference surface on the moving assembly of the primary actuator. The PSD is positioned to face a thru-hole formed in a drive shaft of the circuit interrupter, and to sense a change in position of light emitted through the thru-hole during an opening stroke.

Actuator movement detector for medium and high voltage switches having a primary actuator in series with a secondary actuator

A system and method for interrupting power in a three-phase power system interrupts power in the faulted phase and the next sequential phase at high speeds, while interrupting power in the remaining phase at a normal operation speed. Limiting high-speed interruption to only two phases requires significantly less energy storage than implementing high-speed interruption in all three phases. When hybrid circuit interrupters are used, the need to wait for a zero-crossing in the current signal in order to initiate interruption operations is eliminated.

Phase-selective interruption for three-phase AC circuits with Thomson coil actuated switches and breakers

A hybrid circuit interrupter can be used for medium voltage direct current applications, among other applications. The circuit breaker includes a vacuum circuit interrupter and an electronic power interrupter that are electrically connected in parallel. The vacuum circuit interrupter is normally closed and the electronic power interrupter is normally off, so that current passes through the vacuum circuit interrupter in a non-interrupt mode. When an interrupt condition is detected, the electronic interrupter will turn on, and current will pass through the electronic interrupter as the vacuum interrupter is opened. A current injector may draw current from the vacuum interrupter to the electronic power interrupter. An isolation switch may maintain the system in a non-conducting state when interruption is complete.

Hybrid circuit breaker assembly

A disc member is for a Thomson coil actuator of an electrical switching apparatus. The Thomson coil actuator has at least one generally planar coil. The disc member includes at least one annular-shaped conductive member structured to be driven by the coil, and a structural support member directly coupled to the conductive member.

Electrical switching apparatus, and Thomson coil actuator and disc member therefor

A rotary switch includes a housing having an interior and an exterior, a plurality of moving contacts entirely disposed within the interior of the housing, a plurality of stationary contacts disposed partially within the interior of the housing and extending to an exterior of the housing, and a rotary element coupled to the plurality of moving contacts and being structured to rotate between a closed state where at least one of the plurality moving contacts contact a corresponding one of the plurality of stationary contacts and an open state where the plurality of moving contacts and the plurality of stationary contacts are separated.

Rotary switch and circuit interrupter including the same

A circuit breaker includes a vacuum interrupter having a closed position and an open position. The circuit breaker includes a linkage operatively coupled to and extending from the vacuum interrupter and a high-speed actuator operatively connected to the linkage. The high-speed actuator is operable to move the linkage by a repulsion force and cause the vacuum interrupter to move to the open position. The circuit breaker includes a decelerator with an integrated latch assembly operatively coupled to the high-speed actuator. The decelerator decelerates the repulsion force of the high-speed actuator and latches the actuator with the integrated latch assembly to maintain the vacuum interrupter in the open position.

Vacuum circuit interrupter with decelerator with integrated latch assembly

Disconnect switches include a housing, a fixed main contact in the housing, a movable main contact in the housing in cooperating alignment with the fixed main contact, a first actuator coupled to the movable main contact, and a second actuator coupled to the housing. The second actuator is configured to apply a motive force to the housing that is in a direction opposing a motive force applied by the first actuator to the movable main contact.

Disconnect switches with combined actuators and related circuit breakers and methods

A vacuum interrupter including a first movable contact and electrode contained within a vacuum chamber, a second movable contact and electrode contained within the vacuum chamber, a first actuator operably coupled to the first movable contact, and a second actuator operably coupled to the second movable contact. The vacuum interrupter also includes a first bellows and first bellows plate operably coupled to the first movable electrode, as well as a second bellows and second bellows plate operably coupled to the second movable electrode. Additionally, the vacuum interrupter includes a first pressure chamber located between the first actuator and the vacuum chamber, and a second pressure chamber located between the second actuator and the vacuum chamber.

Dual thomson coil-actuated, double-bellows vacuum circuit interrupter

A hybrid switch assembly for use in a circuit interrupter, the hybrid switch assembly including an input, an output, separable contacts electrically connected between the input and the output, a solid state switching circuit electrically connected between the input and the output and in parallel with the separable contacts, and a fuse electrically connected in series with the solid state switching circuit. The solid state switching circuit is structured to turn on and allow current to flow through it between the input and the output for a predetermined amount of time after the separable contacts separate.

Hybrid switch assembly and circuit interrupter including the same

A disconnect switch assembly includes first and second disconnect switches with each of the first and second disconnect switch including a housing, a fixed main contact in the housing, and a movable main contact in the housing in cooperating alignment with the fixed main contact. Each of the movable main contacts is coupled to a (common) first actuator. A second actuator is coupled to the housing of the first disconnect switch and a third actuator is coupled to the housing of the second disconnect switch. The first actuator is configured to concurrently apply first and second motive forces (in opposing but in-line directions) to the movable contacts of the first and second disconnect switches. The second and third actuators are configured to apply a motive force to the housings that is in a direction opposing a respective motive force applied by the first actuator to the movable main contacts.

Disconnect switch assemblies with a shared actuator that concurrently applies motive forces in opposing directions and related circuit breakers and methods

A circuit breaker includes a compact pole unit with an encapsulated body having ring(s) and conducting terminals that each extend from the encapsulated body. The body includes a vacuum interrupter and a coupler assembly that may be integrated into the pole unit. The coupler assembly includes a contact spring positioned an end of the compact pole unit, as well as a plunger that may be biased by the contact spring. The circuit breaker also includes an actuator positioned at the end of the pole unit that is opposite the coupler assembly. The circuit breaker also may include a second actuator that is will be connected to the contact spring of the coupler assembly via the plunger, and if so the breaker may be operated via either actuator.

Compact pole unit for fast switches and circuit breakers

An operating mechanism for a circuit breaker including an opening, first actuator assembly and a closing, second actuator assembly. The first actuator assembly is structured to operatively engage at least one movable contact and is structured to move the at least one movable contact from a first configuration to a second configuration. The second actuator assembly is structured to operatively engage the at least one movable contact and is structured to move the at least one movable contact from the second configuration to the first configuration. The first actuator assembly and the second actuator assembly are split cooperative actuator assemblies.

Vacuum circuit breaker operating mechanism

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Coraopolis, PA, United States of America

Steven Zhenghong Chen