Motor control center (MCC) units with retractable power connector and interlocks including a power connector position interlock
AssigneeEaton Intelligent Power Limited
InventorsDaniel Boyd Kroushl, Alfred Gregory Beard, Edgar Yee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Motor control centers have units or buckets with an extendable/retractable power connection (stab) assembly and one or more operating lever interlocks that include a unit latch to latch to a cabinet and a power connection position interlock that blocks the handle of the units or buckets based on position of the power connection assembly, optionally also including a shutter cam that slides a shutter right and left.
Claims20
A method of operating a unit of a Motor Control Center (MCC), comprising:
- providing a unit with a retractable/extendable power connection assembly, a unit latch and a power connection position interlock, both selectively in communication with a handle cam of a handle of the unit;
- blocking movement of the handle cam of the handle by the unit latch if the unit latch is not engaged with a cabinet of the MCC;
- blocking movement of the handle cam by the power connection position interlock if the power connection assembly is not in an extended state;
- rotating the unit latch from an unlatched state to a latched state whereby the unit latch engages the cabinet and allows the handle cam to rotate inward past the unit latch;
- and
- pivoting the power connection position interlock in response to movement of the power connection assembly to unblock the handle cam when the power connection assembly is in the extended state.
A method of operating a unit of a Motor Control Center (MCC), comprising:
- providing a unit comprising:
- a retractable/extendable power connection assembly,
- a handle assembly comprising an operator handle and a handle cam, wherein the operator handle is vertically moveable between ON and OFF positions, and wherein the handle cam moves as a unit with the operator handle, and
- a unit latch pivotable between an unlatched position in which the unit latch is not engaged with a cabinet of the MCC and a latched position in which the unit latch is engaged with the cabinet of the MCC;
- and
- selectively laterally swinging the unit latch between the latched position and the unlatched position, wherein in unlatched position the unit latch inhibits movement of a handle cam thereby inhibiting vertical movement of the operator handle, and wherein in the latched position the unit latch does not inhibit the vertical movement of the handle cam.
A method of operating a unit of a Motor Control Center (MCC), comprising:
- providing a unit with a retractable/extendable power connection assembly and a power connection position interlock in communication with a handle cam of a handle of the unit, wherein the handle is vertically moveable between ON and OFF positions, and wherein the handle moves as a unit with the handle cam;
- blocking movement of the handle cam by the power connection position interlock in a first position if the power connection assembly is not in an extended state;
- and
- pivoting the power connection position interlock from its first position to a second position to allow movement of the handle cam by the power connection position interlock in response to movement of the power connection assembly when the power connection assembly is in the extended state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.