Eaton Corporation

Eaton Coroporation

William John Jones

Paul Richard Rakus

James Jeffery Benke

Craig Allen Rodgers

Erik Russell Bogdon

Richard A Johnson

Henry Anthony Wehrli, Iii

Perry Robert Gibson

James Michael Smeltzer

Raymond Clyde Doran

Alfred E Maier

Frank Joseph Stifter, Jr

Phillip L Ulerich

Norman J Phillips

Brian Scott Jansto

Thomas Mark Whalen

Glen Charles Sisson

Frank Roth

A lever member is for a trip assembly of an electrical switching apparatus. The electrical switching apparatus includes a housing, a signaling mechanism, separable contacts, and an operating mechanism structured to open and close the separable contacts. The trip assembly includes a mounting assembly disposed on the housing and a drive assembly. The drive assembly includes an actuator coupled to the mounting assembly and a plunger disposed on the mounting assembly and being cooperable with the operating mechanism. The lever member includes: a pivot portion structured to engage the mounting assembly; a first arm portion structured to engage the plunger; and a second arm portion disposed between the pivot portion and the first arm portion, the second arm portion being structured to engage the actuator.

Electrical switching apparatus, and trip assembly and lever member therefor

An over running clutch assembly for an electrical switching apparatus is provided. The over running clutch assembly includes a sprocket and a hub assembly. The hub assembly is rotatably coupled to the sprocket and structured to rotate in a charging direction relative to the sprocket. The sprocket is fixed to a motor shaft. The hub assembly is structured to be disengagably fixed to a cam shaft in the charging assembly. A manual charging handle is also coupled to the cam shaft and is structured to rotate the cam shaft in a charging direction. In this configuration, an operator may charge the closing springs of the electrical switching apparatus using either the handle assembly or the motor. When the handle assembly is used to charge the closing springs, the cam shaft causes the hub assembly to rotate over the sprocket. Thus, the rotation of the cam shaft is not transferred to the motor. When the motor is used, the motor turns both the sprocket and the hub assembly. The hub assembly transfers the rotational force from the motor to the cam shaft.

Over running clutch for a direct drive motor operator

A decoupling assembly structured to decouple the charging motor and the charging assembly cam shaft is provided. The decoupling assembly includes a lifter pin assembly and an elongated second end to a link member in the over-running clutch assembly. The link member supports a pawl which engages an over-running clutch assembly sprocket. The pawl is disposed on one side of a link member that is pivotally attached to an over-running clutch assembly hub assembly. The link member is structured to pivot in a 'see-saw' like manner and thereby move the pawl between a first position, wherein the pawl engages the sprocket, and a second position, wherein the pawl does not engage the sprocket. The lifter pin assembly includes a spring loaded lifter pin that is structured to engage the link member second end and thereby move the pawl between the first position and the second position.

Motor operator de-coupling system sensing camshaft position

A spring offset device is structured to extend between a circuit breaker frame assembly and a trip mechanism. The offset device includes an offset member disposed on a trip device banana link, a spring anchor disposed on the frame assembly, and a spring extending between the offset member and the spring anchor. The spring anchor is spaced from the hatchet pin assembly and, preferably positioned so that the longitudinal axis of the spring remains on a single side of a hatchet pin assembly axis as the banana link moves between a closed position, an open position, and a reset position. The offset member and the spring anchor are structured so that, when the hatchet plate is in the closed position, the spring creates an opening force on the hatchet plate biasing the hatchet plate toward the open position, and when the hatchet plate is in the reset position, the spring creates a closing force on the hatchet plate biasing the hatchet plate toward the closed position.

Reverse bias hatchet reset spring

A linkage for a solenoid actuated circuit breaker operating mechanism is provided. The operating mechanism includes a trip device and a close device. Either the trip device or the close device is coupled to a solenoid, by an ultra-lightweight connection member. The ultra-lightweight connection member is so light as to not create a sufficient force to effect the trip device or the close device even when the circuit breaker is subjected to a shock load.

Shock resistant actuators for a circuit breaker

An interlock for electric power switches includes indicator followers each following a state indicator on an associated electric power switch indicating the open/closed state of the switch. A first coupler couples one end of an associated elongated connecting member to each indicator follower. A second coupler couples the other end of each elongated connecting member to an auxiliary trip member actuator which actuates an auxiliary trip member on another electric power switch to maintain it in the open/tripped condition when the associated electric power switch is in the closed condition. The first couplers include a swivel through which the elongated connecting member slides and a compliant member, preferably in the form of a helical compression spring, captured between the swivel and a stop nut on the one end of the elongated connecting member.

Mechanical interlock with overtravel compensation for coordinating operation of circuit breakers

A seal apparatus having a seal member and a plurality of fasteners is mounted on an arc hood of a cassette in a switchgear cabinet and resists leakage of arc gases through a gap between the arc hood and a circuit breaker mounted in the switchgear cabinet. The seal member is flexibly received against the circuit breaker in a racked position and is preferably at least nominally deflected thereby to resist the flow of arc gases in a leakage direction through the gap. The seal member thus resists the arc gases from coming into contact with a plurality of line conductors at the rear of the circuit breaker until the arc gases have at least somewhat cooled, deionized, and/or slowed. The seal apparatus thereby resists arc gases from inducing arcing between adjacent line conductors, whereby the circuit breaker can be operated at substantially higher voltages.

Flexible seal for circuit breaker arc gas exhaust system

A mechanical AND gate has a pivot plate with an elongated slot engaged by an output coupling formed by a pair of pins radially offset from the end of an output shaft. A pair of input couplings secured to the pivot plate at points laterally offset on opposite sides of the elongated slot couple first and second elongated actuators to the pivot plate. Movement of only one of the elongated actuators to an ON position causes the pivot plate to translate relative to the output coupling, but not to rotate. However, when the second actuator is moved to an ON position in a direction parallel but opposite to the movement of the first actuator, the pivot plate rotates to rotate the output coupling, and therefore, the output shaft. This mechanical AND gate has particular application to interlocking three electric power switches such as circuit breakers so that any two, but not all three, circuit breakers may be on at one time.

Mechanical and gate for interlocking electric power switches and distribution system incorporating same

An electromagnetic blow-open device for a pole of a circuit breaker where the pole has a stationary contact and a movable contact. The movable contact includes contact fingers mounted on a contact carrier. The contacts have an open position and a closed position. The pole further has an associated rotatable pole shaft. The electromagnetic blow-open device includes a collapsible linkage having a rigid position and a changeable position. The collapsible linkage is disposed between, and coupled to, the pole shaft and contact carrier. The collapsible linkage is maintains the stationary contact and the movable contact in the closed position while the collapsible linkage is in the rigid position and to allow the stationary contact and the movable contact to move to the open position when the collapsible linkage is in said changeable position. The electromagnetic blow-open device also includes an actuator arm which is coupled to the collapsible linkage and is responsive to an over-current condition in the pole. The actuator arm is structured to shift the collapsible linkage from the rigid position to the changeable position.

Magnetically collapsible toggle linkage for electrical switching apparatus

A non-automatic power circuit breaker includes separable contacts for movement between a closed position and an open position, and an operating mechanism for moving the separable contacts between the open and closed positions. A time-delayed making current release switch is closed for the open position of the separable contacts and is opened a predetermined time after the separable contacts move to the closed position. A low permeability air core current transformer senses an electrical current flowing in a current conductor for the separable contacts and provides a signal corresponding to the electrical current. An analog trip unit employs the signal corresponding to the electrical current and the making current release switch signal corresponding to the open and closed positions of the separable contacts and provides a trip signal. The analog trip unit includes a comparator for disabling the trip signal when the making current release switch is opened. A low energy trip actuator employs the trip signal for actuating the operating mechanism to move the separable contacts to the open position thereof. A circuit including rectifiers, a voltage regulator and a capacitor powers the low energy trip actuator from the signal of the current transformer.

Non-automatic power circuit breaker including trip mechanism which is disabled after closure of separable contacts

A clutch assembly for an electrical switching apparatus which has a close spring working in conjunction with a cam disposed on a cam shaft, wherein the close spring provides a rotational force to the cam shaft in a forward direction. The spring clutch is disposed on the cam shaft and allows the cam shaft to rotate in the forward direction but prevents rotation of the cam shaft in the opposite direction.

Clutch assembly for electrical switching apparatus with large

Two molded case electrical switches such as circuit breakers, network protectors, disconnect switches and transfer switches, are secured together side-by-side by joining blocks having tongues extending along their sidewalls which engage undercutting grooves undercutting the irregular surfaces of the confronting sidewalls of the switch molded casings with an interference fit. Separate joining blocks for the front and rear sections of the molded casing are driven into place and retained by bolts engaging flanges on the molded casing. The poles are paralleled by external conductors in any desired configuration so that the standard switches can be used without customization.

High current electrical switching apparatus with poles interleaved and

An integral stationary arcing contact and arc runner for electrical switching apparatus is formed by an electrically conductive member secured to the line conductor adjacent the stationary main contact thereby providing a joint free path for the arc to pass from the arcing contact to the arc runner. Preferably, the electrically conductive member is a sheet metal member having a base section secured to the line conductor, an arcing contact section adjacent the stationary main contact and extending generally perpendicular to the line conductor and a runner section extending at an obtuse angle to the arcing contact section toward the arc chute. A support member between the arcing contact section and the housing transmits reaction forces imposed by the moving conductor assembly on the sheet metal member into the housing.

Electrical switching apparatus having arc runner integral with

An electronic trip unit for a circuit breaker having two current sensors per phase, wherein the first magnetic core current transformer is designed to monitor current in the normal and overcurrent range, and the second low-permeability core sensor is designed to produce an override trip signal at or below the short time withstand current rating of the circuit breaker. In a second embodiment the electronic trip unit includes only the low-permeability core sensor that has negligible output in the normal current range.

Growing community of inventors

Cranberry Township, PA, United States of America

William John Jones