Circuit interrupter, trip deck assembly, and support for switch therefor

An improved multi-pole circuit interrupter includes an improved trip deck assembly adjacent one pole and further includes an accessory deck adjacent another pole. The accessory deck includes conventional accessory devices such as an auxiliary switch, etc., and the trip deck assembly includes switches and one or more other devices that can interact with a crossbar and a trip bar of the circuit interrupter. Such switches can be easily installed by a technician in the field after manufacture of the circuit interrupter. One switch is held in place by a support, and the other switch is held in place by a retainer, with the support and the retainer holding the switches in a fixed position on the trip deck assembly in order to interact with the crossbar and the trip bar.

BACKGROUND

Field

The disclosed and claimed concept relates generally to circuit interruption equipment and, more particularly, to a circuit interrupter, a trip deck assembly of the circuit interrupter, and a support for carrying a switch of the trip deck assembly.

Related Art

Numerous types of circuit interrupters are known in the relevant art. Circuit interrupters are known to be used in order to protect at least a portion of a circuit from certain predetermined electrical conditions such as overcurrent conditions, under-voltage conditions, and other such conditions. Some circuit interrupters are single pole circuit interrupters whereas others circuit interrupters simultaneously interrupt a plurality of poles. Some circuit interrupters include a trip bar which, when moved in response to any of a variety of events, actuates an operating mechanism that separates a set of separable contacts. In a multi-pole circuit interrupter, a crossbar is typically provided across the sets of separable contacts of each pole to cause all of the sets of separable contacts to open simultaneously in response to operation of the operating mechanism.

It is also known to provide certain instrumentation on circuit interrupters. By way of example, it is known to provide accessory devices such as bell alarms, auxiliary switches, shunt trips, under-voltage relays, and the like that perform various functions in a known fashion. It is also known, however, that it can be desirable to have as much instrumentation as possible inside a breaker, including redundant instrumentation if possible, but that the space within the interior of a circuit interrupter for such instrumentation is limited. Improvements thus would be desirable.

SUMMARY

An improved multi-pole circuit interrupter includes an improved trip deck assembly adjacent one pole and further includes an accessory deck adjacent another pole. The accessory deck includes conventional accessory devices such as an auxiliary switch, etc., and the trip deck assembly includes switches and one or more other devices that can interact with a crossbar and a trip bar of the circuit interrupter. Such switches can be easily installed by a technician in the field after manufacture of the circuit interrupter. One switch is held in place by a support, and the other switch is held in place by a retainer, with the support and the retainer holding the switches in a fixed position on the trip deck assembly in order to interact with the crossbar and the trip bar.

Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide an improved support that can hold a switch in position with respect to a crossbar of a circuit interrupter.

Another aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide a trip deck assembly that can carry such a support and a switch on a circuit interrupter.

Another aspect of the disclosed and claimed concept is to provide a circuit interrupter having such a trip deck assembly and such a support that holds the switch.

Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosed and claimed is to provide an improved support for a switch that is structured to mount the switch to a platform, the switch having a housing and further having a plunger that is movably situated on the housing. The support can be generally stated as including a base structured to engage the housing, the base having an opening formed therein that is structured to receive therethrough at least a portion of at least one of the housing and the plunger, a number of walls situated on the base, a mounting apparatus that is structured to be usable to affix the number of walls to the platform, and a receptacle that is situated adjacent the base and the number of walls and that is structured to receive the housing therein.

DESCRIPTION

An improved circuit interrupter4in accordance with the disclosed and claimed concept is depicted generally inFIG. 1. The circuit interrupter4includes a trip deck assembly6that likewise in accordance with the disclosed and claimed concept. The circuit interrupter4includes a frame8, and the trip deck assembly6is situated on the frame8.

The circuit interrupter4additionally includes a plurality of poles12A,12B, and12C, which may be collectively or individually referred to herein with the numeral12. Each of the poles12includes a set of separable contacts (FIG. 2) that typically can be stated as each including a line contact and a load contact that are electrically connected with line and load conductors, respectively, of the circuit interrupter4. The sets of separable contacts of the poles12A,12B, and12C are indicated at the numerals16A,16B, and16C, respectively, and which may be collectively or individually referred to herein with the numeral16.

The circuit interrupter4further includes a crossbar20and a trip bar24that are depicted schematically inFIG. 2and that are depicted in greater detail inFIG. 5. In a known fashion, the crossbar20is operably connected with each of the sets of separable contacts16, and the trip bar24is operably connected with the crossbar20to cause the crossbar20to rotate about its axis of elongation and to cause the sets of separable contacts16to move between a CLOSED state and an OPEN state. The circuit interrupter4further includes an accessory deck28that is situated on the frame8adjacent the pole12C. As can be seen inFIG. 1, the aforementioned trip deck assembly6is situated on the frame8adjacent the pole12A. The circuit interrupter4further includes an operating handle30that is situated adjacent the pole12B and thus is situated generally between the trip deck assembly6and the accessory deck28. The accessory deck28has a number of accessory devices32situated thereon. As employed herein, the expression “a number of” and variations thereof shall refer broadly to any non-zero quantity, including a quantity of one. The accessory devices32can include any one or more of an auxiliary switch, a bell alarm, a shunt trip, an under-voltage relay, and/or any other type of accessory without limitation.

The trip deck assembly6can be said to include a platform apparatus36and a switch apparatus38. The platform apparatus36includes a platform40upon which the switch apparatus38is situated. The platform apparatus further includes a processing system44that is generically depicted as being situated somewhere on the platform40, although it is understood that the processing system44can be situated anywhere on the trip deck assembly6without departing from the spirit of the instant disclosure. As will be set forth in greater detail below, the switch apparatus38is electrically connected with the processing system44. The processing system44is electrically connected with another electronic device such as a mainframe computer, an enterprise data system, or with other electronic components of the circuit interrupter4, by way of example and without limitation.

As can be understood fromFIG. 3, the switch apparatus38includes a support48that holds affixed thereon a switch52. The support48with the switch52situated thereon is mountable to the platform40with the use of a pair of screws. The switch apparatus38further includes another switch54that is receivable on the platform40and that is held in place by a retainer56that is mounted to the platform40with another screw. The platform apparatus36further includes a trip actuator60situated thereon that includes an actuation element62. As will set forth in greater detail below, the actuation element62is engageable with the trip bar24to initiate a trip of the circuit interrupter4.

As can be understood fromFIG. 3, the switches52and54each include a housing62and a plunger68. Each plunger68is movably situated on the housing64and is movable between a first state and a second state that are different than one another. In one of the first and second states, the switches52and54are in a CLOSED condition, and in the other of the first and second states, the switches52and54are in an OPEN condition. The switches52and54further each include a plurality of elastically deformable lugs72that are situated on the housing64adjacent the plunger68and which are engageable with another structure of the circuit interrupter4to retain the switches52and54in a fixed position on the circuit interrupter4.

As can be understood fromFIGS. 3 and 4, the support48can be said to include a base74having an opening76formed therein and to further include a number of walls80situated on the base74. The housing64additionally includes a mounting apparatus82(FIG. 3) situated on the number of walls80. The number of walls80can be said to include a pair of end walls84A and84B and to further include a pair of side walls86A and86B. The housing64can be said to also include a receptacle88that is situated adjacent and that is generally bounded by the base74, the end walls84A and84B, and the side walls86A and86B. The mounting apparatus82includes a pair of tabs92A and92B that are situated at the ends of the side walls86A and86B, respectively, opposite the base74. The tabs92A and92B extend from the side walls86A and86B in opposite directions away from one another and generally away from the receptacle88.

As can further be understood fromFIGS. 3 and 4, the switch52is receivable on the support48by receiving the plunger68and the lugs72in the opening76with an interference fit such that the lugs72are engaged with the base74on a surface94(FIG. 4) thereof opposite the end walls84A and84B and the side walls86A and86B and which retains the switch52in a fixed position on the support48. The support48with the switch52mounted thereon is then received in a hole96(FIG. 4) that is formed in the platform40until the tabs92A and92B engage an upper surface of the platform40adjacent the hole96. The screws are received in a pair of mounts98that are situated generally at opposite sides of the hole96, with one of mounts98being depicted inFIG. 4. Such mounting of the support48with the switch52situated thereon to the platform40affixes the support48and the switch52in a fixed position on the circuit interrupter4since the platform40is affixed to the frame8.

As noted elsewhere herein, the switches52and54are electrically connected with the processing system44. As can be seen inFIG. 5, the plungers68of the switches52and54are engageable with the crossbar20and the trip bar24, respectively. In this regard, it is understood that the crossbar20and the trip bar24are each pivotable about their respective axis of elongation as the circuit interrupter4moves among an OPEN position, a CLOSED position, and a TRIP position, such as is depicted generally inFIG. 6.FIG. 5depicts the crossbar20and the trip bar24, as well as the switches52and54when the circuit interrupter4is in its CLOSED position. In such a situation, the plungers68can each be said to be in their first state, which is depicted herein as being a compressed state slightly retracted into the housing64as a result of engagement with the crossbar20and the trip bar24, respectively. It can further be seen fromFIG. 6, however, that in the OPEN position of the circuit interrupter4, the crossbar20has been rotated sufficiently to cause the plunger68of the switch52to be in its second state while the switch54remains in its first state. Furthermore, it can further be seen fromFIG. 6that in the TRIP position, both the crossbar20and the trip bar24have rotated from what had been their orientations in the CLOSED position such that in the TRIP position the plungers68of both of the switches52and54are in their second states.

The first and second states of the plungers68of the switches52and54are detected by or are otherwise communicated to the processing system44, and based upon which the processing system44generates an output from which other data devices can discern whether the circuit interrupter4is in its OPEN position, its CLOSED position, or its TRIP position. This information is provided in addition to any information that may be provided by any of the accessory devices32on the accessory deck28. Such redundant information is highly advantageous due to the potential for structures to fail when the circuit interrupter4is tripped. Furthermore, the trip deck assembly6is situated at an end of the circuit breaker4opposite the accessory deck28and thus does not occupy any space that otherwise would be occupied by the accessory deck28. Furthermore, and as noted above, the switch apparatus38can be retrofitted to the circuit breaker4in the field after manufacture, meaning that the circuit interrupter4can be manufactured without the switch apparatus38and potentially without the trip deck assembly6, and that either or both can be added in the field with minimal effort, which is highly advantageous. Further advantages will be apparent.