HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR A CIRCUIT BREAKER

Abstract: A handle assembly for a circuit breaker comprises a handle, a handle arm, an inner shield, and an outer shield. The handle includes a base, a shaft, and a first pair of locking members. The shaft extends from an upper surface of the base and the first pair of locking members extend from a lower surface of the base. The handle arm includes a pair of legs and a lateral plate bridging the pair of legs. The pair of legs include a respective second pair of locking members. The second pair of locking members are constructed and arranged to interlock with respective ones of the first pair of locking members so as to lock the handle to the handle arm. The inner and outer shields include respective apertures therein to permit the shields to be disposed over the shaft against the upper surface of the base.

Description: HANDLE ASSEMBLY FOR A CIRCUIT BREAKER Field Of The Invention The present invention generally relates to circuit breakers, and more particularly, to a handle assembly for a circuit breaker which allows for automated assembly and which protects an operator from possible contact with internal components of the circuit breaker. Background Of The Invention Circuit breakers are commonly used for providing automatic circuit interruption upon detection of undesired overcurrent conditions on the circuit being monitored. These overcurrent conditions include, among others, overload conditions, ground faults and short-circuit conditions. Circuit breakers typically include an electrical contact on a movable arm which rotates away from a stationary contact in order to interrupt the current path. In response to an overcurrent condition, circuit breakers generally move the arm to break the current path by tripping a spring-biased latch mechanism which forces the arm and its contact away from the fixed contact. Circuit breakers typically include a handle which allows an operator to operate the circuit breaker and which indicates the present operating mode of the circuit breaker (e.g., "on", "off", "tripped", or "reset"). A drawback of some existing circuit breaker handles is that they do not allow for automated assembly because the handle will not stay in position during assembly without the circuit breaker cover in place. Another drawback of some handles is that they may improperly move while being operated. Yet another drawback of some handles is that they fail to prevent an operator from coming in contact with internal components of the circuit breaker while operating the handle. Accordingly, there is a need for a handle assembly for a circuit breaker which overcomes the above-mentioned deficiencies of the prior art. Sunnna-rγ of The Invention The present invention provides a handle assembly for a circuit breaker which allows for automated assembly, which prevents unwanted movement while being operated, and which protects an operator from possible contact with internal components of the circuit breaker. In one particular embodiment, the handle assembly includes a handle, a handle arm, an inner shield, and an outer shield. The handle and the handle arm include respective interlocking members for locking the handle on to the handle arm. This interlocking feature allows for automated assembly because with the handle attached to the handle arm, the handle will stay in position during assembly of the circuit breaker without the circuit breaker cover in place. In addition, this interlocking feature prevents any unwanted movement of the handle while being operated. The handle includes a shaft extending from a base. The inner and outer shields include respective apertures to permit the shields to fit over the handle shaft. In the assembled form of the handle assembly, the inner and outer shields are disposed over the handle shaft such that the inner shield abuts an upper surface of the base and the outer shield abuts the inner shield. With regard to the circuit breaker enclosure, these shields are sandwiched between the upper surface of the handle base and the cover of the enclosure. The shields prevent an operator from coming into contact with the internal components of the circuit breaker while operating the handle. Brief Description Of The Drawings Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: FIG. l is a side view of a circuit breaker including a blade suspension assembly embodying the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side view of a thermal trip unit of the circuit breaker in FIG. 1, shown in the untripped (or closed or "on") position; FIG. 3 is a side view of the thermal trip unit of the circuit breaker in FIG. 1, shown in the tripped position; FIG. 4 is a side view of a magnetic trip unit of the circuit breaker in FIG. l, shown in the untripped position; FIG. 5 is a side view of the magnetic trip unit of the circuit breaker in FIG. 1, shown in the tripped position; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the thermal and magnetic trip units in FIGS. 2 through 5; FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the thermal and magnetic trip units in FIGS. 2 through 5; FIG. 8 is a side view of a blade/cradle assembly of the circuit breaker in FIG. 1, shown in the untripped position; FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the blade/cradle assembly in FIG. 8, shown in the untripped position; FIG. 10 is a side view of the blade/cradle assembly of the circuit breaker in FIG. 1, shown in the tripped position; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the blade/cradle assembly in FIG. 10, shown in the tripped position; FIG. 12 is a side view of the blade/cradle assembly of the circuit breaker in FIG. 1, shown in the reset position; FIG. 13 is a side view of the blade/cradle assembly of the circuit breaker in FIG. 1, shown in the "off" position; FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a handle assembly embodying the present invention; and FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the handle assembly in FIG. 14. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the described embodiments are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Description Of The Preferred Embodiment Turning now to the drawings, the present invention is discussed in the context of an exemplary circuit breaker using a handle assembly embodying the principles of the present invention. The particular circuit breaker illustrated and described (FIGS. 1 through 13) should not, however, be construed to limit the possible applications for the present invention, as these applications encompass a wide variety of circuit breaker types. To fully appreciate the utility of the present invention, however, the circuit breaker of FIGS. 1 through 13 will first be described, followed by a detailed description of a handle assembly in accordance with the present invention. The circuit breaker includes a thermal trip unit (FIGS. 2 , 3 , 6, and 7), a magnetic trip unit (FIGS. 4 through 1) , and a blade/cradle assembly (FIGS. 8 through 13) . The thermal trip unit and the magnetic trip unit include a common latching system shown in FIGS. 2 through 7, and the blade/cradle assembly includes the handle assembly (FIGS. 14 and 15) embodying the present invention. While each of these portions of the circuit breaker are described below by reference to the corresponding drawings, reference may be made to FIG. 1 to view the circuit breaker as a whole. The latching system (FIGS. 2 through 7) includes a latch 10, a latch spring 12, and a trip crossbar 14. Under normal operating conditions (i.e., the circuit breaker is untripped/closed) , the latch 10 holds a cradle 16 in a stationary position such that a pair of parallel upper links 18 are disposed in line with a pair of parallel lower links 20. This is accomplished with the latch 10 being locked over the cradle 16 by a latch pin 22 mounted in the trip crossbar 14. A pair of parallel mechanism frame sides 24 house the latch 10, a cradle pivot pin 26, and the cradle 16. The upper and lower links 18, 20 are identically constructed parts, which reduces production costs and eliminates the possibility of incorrectly assembling the links 18, 20. Moreover, the mechanism frame sides 24, the links 18, 20, the latch 10, and the cradle 16 are all flat stamped parts produced in a single stamping operation. This allows for automated assembly, thereby reducing production costs and increasing production rate. in response to the occurrence of a fault condition causing a circuit interruption, the trip crossbar 14 is rotated counterclockwise (as viewed in FIGS. 1 through 5) which, in turn, rotates the latch pin 22 to a position where it is no longer in contact with the top of the latch 10. With the latch pin 22 moved, the force from the cradle 16 against the latch 10 causes the latch 10 to rotate counterclockwise, thereby releasing the cradle 16. The cradle 16 then rotates clockwise to collapse the upper and lower links 18, 20. With respect to the thermal trip unit (FIGS. 2, 3, 6, and 7) , " the thermal trip unit operates in response to the current reaching a predetermined percentage (e.g. , 135 percent) of the rated current for a period of time to be determined by calibration of the unit. This elevated current level causes direct heating of a bimetal 28, which results in the bending of the bimetal 28. The bimetal 28 is composed of two dissimilar thermostat materials which are laminated or bonded together and which expand at different rates due to temperature increases, thereby causing the bimetal 28 to bend. The rated current for the circuit breaker is the maximum current which can be carried by the circuit breaker under normal (steady-state) operating conditions. The rated current is the current the circuit breaker is designed to carry without tripping. In the preferred embodiment, the circuit breaker has a rated current of 250 amperes. In existing circuit breakers having a rated current of 250 amperes, a separate heater is used to heat the bimetal 28. An important feature of the thermal trip unit is that the bimetal 28 is directly heated. By directly heating the bimetal 28, the need for a separate heater is eliminated, thereby simplifying the design of the thermal trip unit and reducing the costs associated therewith. The bimetal 28 is directly heated by attaching a lower portion of the bimetal 28 to an L-shaped load terminal 30 and by attaching two flexible connectors 32 (e.g., pigtails) to a lower to middle portion of the bimetal 28 (FIG. 1) . In the preferred embodiment, the bimetal 28 is approximately 2.75 inches in length, and the flexible connectors 32 are connected by single phase A/C resistance or capacitive discharge methods to the bimetal 28 at a location slightly less than one inch from the lower end of the bimetal 28. This creates a direct current path from the load terminal 30 through the bimetal 28 and into the flexible connectors 32, which, in turn, allows the maximum energy (heat) to be utilized to deflect the bimetal 28. Direct heating of the bimetal 28 makes the trip unit more efficient by eliminating the losses that occur between a separate heater and a bimetal. In addition, the employed bimetal 28 will have a lower resistance due to the low attachment on the bimetal 28 of the flexible connectors 32, thereby reducing the power consumed by the bimetal 28 and allowing the product to operate at cooler temperatures. This, in turn, increases customer satisfaction. The amount of power and heat generated in the circuit breaker lugs (not shown) is directly proportional to both the current carried by the circuit breaker and the resistance of the current path through the circuit breaker. The arrangement of the .load terminal 30, the bimetal 28, and the flexible connectors 32 is designed to prevent overheating of the circuit breaker lugs and, at the same time, permit the circuit breaker to properly trip in response to an overcurrent condition. In particular, the flexible connectors 32 are connected to the lower middle portion of the bimetal 28 so that the current path through the bimetal 28 is relatively short compared to the length of the bimetal 28. This short current path through the bimetal 28, in turn, insures that the bimetal 28 adds a relatively small resistance to the current path through the circuit breaker. Since the amount of heat generated in the circuit breaker lugs is directly proportional to the resistance of the current path through the circuit breaker, the short current path through the bimetal 28 minimizes the amount of heat generated in the lugs. At the same time, the resistance of the bimetal along this short current path is sufficient to properly bend the bimetal 28 during an overcurrent condition. As the bimetal 28 bends, it comes in contact with a trip screw 34 housed in the trip crossbar 14. The continued bending of the bimetal 28 forces the trip crossbar 14 to rotate in a counterclockwise motion (as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3) . This rotation of the trip crossbar 14 causes the latch pin 22 to rotate above the latch 10. With the latch pin 22 no longer in contact with the latch 10, the cradle 16 forces the latch 10 to rotate counterclockwise, thereby releasing the cradle 16. The cradle 16 then rotates clockwise and causes the circuit breaker to trip (FIG. 3) . With respect to the magnetic trip unit (FIGS. 4 through 7) , the magnetic trip unit operates in response to the current flowing through the circuit breaker reaching a specified level, causing the circuit breaker to clear the interruption. The elevated current level causes the magnetic field in a U-shaped magnetic yoke 36 to increase. When the magnetic field is large enough such that the downward force caused by the magnetic attraction between the magnetic yoke 36 and an armature plate 38 is larger than the opposing force of a magnetic spring 40, the armature plate 38 is attracted to the magnetic yoke 36, thereby pulling an armature shaft 42 down. The armature shaft 42 is guided by an armature guide 44 having a slot for receiving the armature shaft 42. The movement of the armature shaft 42 causes the trip crossbar 14 to rotate in a counterclockwise motion (as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5) . This movement of the trip crossbar 14 rotates the latch pin 22 above the latch 10. With the latch pin 22 no longer in contact with the latch 10, the force from the cradle 16 onto the latch 10 causes the latch 10 to rotate counterclockwise, thereby releasing the cradle 16. The cradle 16 then rotates clockwise and causes the circuit breaker to trip (FIG. 5) . Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, to prevent an operator from entering the circuit breaker enclosure by the load terminal 30 and touching the trip unit components, the circuit breaker is provided with a back barrier 46. The back barrier 46 and the armature guide 44 are preferably attached together using a spot weld. Alternatively, these two parts may be attached together using a TOX joint, or the back barrier 46 may be integrally formed with the .armature guide 44 using a progressive die. With respect to the blade/cradle assembly (FIGS. 8 through 13) , when either the thermal trip unit or the magnetic trip unit cause the latch 10 to rotate counterclockwise and release the cradle 16, the force from a toggle spring 48, connected to a toggle pin 50 and a handle arm 52, causes the cradle 16 to rotate clockwise about a cradle pivot pin 54 (as viewed in FIGS. 8, 10, 12, and 13) . The rotation of the cradle 16, in turn, causes the upper and lower links 18, 20 to collapse. More specifically, the toggle pin 50 connects the two upper links 18 to the two lower links 20. As the cradle 16 rotates, the upper links 18 rotate clockwise about an upper link pin 54, thereby pulling the toggle pin 50 back and upward. This movement of the toggle pin 50 forces the lower links 20 to rotate counterclockwise about a drive pin 56 and pull up on a blade carrier or crossbar 58. The movement of the blade crossbar 58 forces an elongated blade 60 to rotate counterclockwise, thereby separating the contacts 62, 64 (FIGS. 10 and 11). The stationary contact 64 is depicted in FIGS. 2 through 5 and is mounted to a line terminal 66. After the circuit breaker has been tripped (FIGS. 10 and 11) , the latching system is reset by rotating the handle arm 52 counterclockwise. This movement of the handle arm 52 forces the cradle 16 to rotate counterclockwise until the cradle 16 has reached a reset position (FIG. 12) . The reset position is the farthest point the handle arm 52 is able to rotate counterclockwise because the mechanism frame sides 24 restrict any further rotation of the handle arm 52. With the cradle 16 in the reset position, the latch spring 12 forces both the latch 10 and the trip crossbar 14 to simultaneously rotate clockwise. This brings the latch pin 22 in contact with the latch 10 so as to lock the latch 10 over the cradle 16 and reset the latching system. In response to the latching system being reset, the handle arm 52 rotates clockwise to an "off" position (FIG. 13). The circuit breaker is placed in an "on" operating mode by rotating the handle arm 52 clockwise to an "on" position (FIG. 8) . The "on" position is the farthest point the handle arm 52 can be rotated clockwise. The mechanism frame sides 24 restrict further clockwise rotation of the handle arm 52 beyond the "on" position. As the handle arm 52 rotates clockwise, the toggle spring 48 pulls the toggle pin 50 forward to force the upper and lower links 18, 20 to rotate into alignment. This movement of the links 18, 20 forces the blade crossbar 58 to rotate clockwise, thereby allowing the blade 60 to close the contacts 62, 64. The cradle pivot pin 26 prevents the upper and lower links 18, 20 from rotating beyond the aligned position. Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15, a handle assembly 70 includes a handle 72, a handle arm 74, a curved inner shield 76, and a curved outer shield 78. The handle 72 includes a shaft 80 extending upwardly from a base 82. Furthermore, a pair of locking members 84 extend downwardly from the base 82 in an opposite direction relative to the shaft 80. The handle arm 74 is provided with a pair of legs 86 for pivotally mounted the handle arm 74 to the mechanism frame sides 24 (see FIG. 9) . These legs 86 are bridged by a lateral plate 88 having a pair of apertures 90 formed therein. The apertures 90 are used to secure one end of the toggle springs 48 of the cradle/blade assembly (see FIG. 9) . To interlock the handle 72 and the handle arm 74, the locking members 84 of the handle 72 are provided with nubs or protrusions 92, 93 and the legs 86 of the handle arm 74 are provided with locking recesses 94, 95. The protrusions 92, 93 engage with the respective locking recesses 94, 95 to lock the handle 72 to the handle arm 74. The lower surface also forms a lateral retention ledge 96 which abuts the upper lateral edge of the lateral plate 88 so as to provide the lock between the handle 72 and the handle arm 74 with clamping reinforcement. FIG. 15 depicts the manner in which the handle 72 is locked to the handle arm 74. In particular, the handle 72 is positioned relative to the handle arm 74 such that the protrusions 92, 93 are adjacent the respective locking recesses 94, 95 and the retention ledge 96 is bearing against the upper lateral edge of the lateral plate 88. The protrusions 92, 93 are then laterally moved into the respective recesses 94, 95. The lower surface of the handle base 82 is contoured to generally follow the lateral plate 88 and yet permit various circuit breaker mechanisms to fit between the base 82 and the lateral plate 88. For example, the lower surface of the base 82 is configured so as to create a gap 98 between the base 82 and the lateral plate 88 at the locations of the apertures 90 (FIG. 14) . This gap 98 permits the ends of the toggle springs 48 to fit between the base 82 and the lateral plate 88 (FIG. 9) . Interlocking the handle 72 and the handle arm 74 allows for automated assembly because with the handle 72 attached to the handle arm 74, the handle 72 will stay in position during assembly of the circuit breaker without the circuit breaker cover in place. In addition, the interlocking feature prevents any unwanted movement of the handle 72 while being operated. The inner and outer shields 76, 78 are configured for positioning over the handle shaft 80 and on top of the handle base 82. More specifically, the shields 76, 78 include respective rectangular apertures 100, 102 to permit the shields to fit over the handle shaft 80. The apertures 100, 102 are slightly wider than the lower end of the shaft 80. The aperture 100 is only slightly longer than the lower end of the shaft 80, while the aperture 102 is substantially longer than the lower end of the shaft 80. In the assembled form of the handle assembly 70, the inner shield 76 is disposed over the handle shaft 80 such that it abuts the upper surface of the base 82, and the outer shield 78 is disposed over the handle shaft 80 on top of the inner shield 76. The handle 72 is provided with an elongated support 83 extending from the base 82 to aid in supporting the inner and outer shields 76, 78. With regard to the circuit breaker enclosure, these shields 76, 78 are positioned between the enclosure cover and the upper surface of the base 82 with the handle shaft 80 protruding from the cover. The shields 76, 78 are prevented from falling off the handle shaft 80 because the upper surface of the base 82 firmly presses the shields 76, 78 against underside of the cover. This pressing action by the curved upper surface of the base 82 imparts the curvature to the shields 76, 78. The shields 76, 78 prevent an operator from coming into contact with the internal components of the circuit breaker while operating the handle 72. While operating the handle 72, the inner shield 76 is carried with the handle 72 between its various operating positions. Since the extreme operating positions of the handle 72 are farther apart than the length of the aperture 102 of the outer shield 78, the outer shield 78 is carried with the handle 76 at its extreme operating positions. The handle 72 and the shields 76, 78 are composed of a polymeric material, while the handle arm 74 is composed of steel. The handle 72 is preferably manufactured by conventional injection compression molding techniques, while the shields 76, 78 and the handle arm 74 are manufactured by conventional stamping techniques. While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that modifications and changes may be made to the present invention. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

Claims: What is claimed is: 1. A handle assembly for a circuit breaker, comprising: a handle including a base, a shaft, and a first pair of locking members, said shaft extending from an upper surface of said base and said first pair of locking members extending from a lower surface of said base; and a handle arm including a pair of legs and a lateral plate bridging said pair of legs, said pair of legs including a respective second pair of locking members, said second pair of locking members constructed and arranged to interlock with respective ones of said first pair of locking members so as to lock said handle to said handle arm. 2. The handle assembly of claim 1, wherein portions of said lower surface of said base abut said lateral plate and wherein said lower surface of said base is contoured to generally follow said lateral plate. 3. The handle assembly of claim 2, wherein said lower surface of said base includes a lateral retention ledge for engaging a lateral edge of said lateral plate. 4. The handle assembly of claim 1, wherein said first pair of locking members include protrusions and said second pair of locking members include recesses for receiving respective ones of said protrusions. 5. The handle assembly of claim 2, wherein said lateral plate includes a pair of apertures and wherein said lower surface of said base is configured to form a gap between said lower surface and said lateral plate at the locations of said pair of apertures. 6. The handle assembly of claim 1, further including a first shield having a first aperture therein, said first shield abutting said upper surface of said base with said shaft extending through said first aperture. 7. The handle assembly of claim 6, further including a second shield having a second aperture therein, said second shield abutting said first shield with said shaft extending through said second aperture. 8. A handle assembly for a circuit breaker, comprising: a handle including a base, a shaft, and a first locking member, said shaft extending from an upper surface of said base and said first locking member extending from a lower surface of said base; and a handle arm including a pair of legs and a lateral plate bridging said pair of legs, one of said pair of legs including a second locking member, said second locking member constructed and arranged to interlock with said first locking member so as to lock said handle to said handle arm. 9. The handle assembly of claim 8, wherein portions of said lower surface of said base abut said lateral plate and wherein said lower surface of said base is contoured to generally follow said lateral plate. 10. The handle assembly of claim 9, wherein said lower surface of said base includes a lateral retention ledge for engaging a lateral edge of said lateral plate. 11. The handle assembly of claim 8, wherein said first locking member includes a protrusion and said second locking member includes a recess for receiving said protrusion. 12. The handle assembly of claim 8, further including an inner shield having a first aperture therein, said inner shield abutting said upper surface of said base with said shaft extending through said first aperture, and an outer shield having a second aperture therein, said outer shield abutting said inner shield with said shaft extending through said second aperture.

Inventors: EMERICK W RUSSEL, HOOD TERESA I, VENZKE DONALD R, EMERICK, W., RUSSEL, HOOD, TERESA, I., VENZKE, DONALD, R.
Applicants: SQUARE D CO, SQUARE D COMPANY
Application year: 1995
Main classification: H01H71
IPC codes: H01H71