Electronic trip unit conversion kit for high ampere-rated circuit breakers
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRoger N. Castonguay, Jeffrey D. Lord
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A field-installable circuit breaker trip actuator unit includes a flux shifter unit that interfaces with the circuit breaker operating mechanism and is installable without dismantling the circuit breaker components. The flux shifter unit responds to an electronic trip unit to articulate the circuit breaker operating mechanism and separate the circuit breaker contacts upon occurrence of an overcurrent condition. A reset arrangement allows the trip actuator unit to be automatically reset upon completion of the contact separation process.
Claims21
A trip unit conversion kit for circuit breakers comprising:
- a trip actuator unit responsive to a trip initiating signal from a circuit breaker trip unit to articulate a circuit breaker operating mechanism and separate a pair of circuit breaker contacts, said trip actuator unit including a flux shift unit having a flux shift plunger;
- a reset bracket pivotally arranged on said trip actuator unit and connecting with said flux shift plunger;
- and
- a reset arm attached to said reset bracket and a connector link attached to said reset arm and arranged for interacting with a circuit breaker cross bar at an opposite end, whereby said cross bar motivates said connector link and said reset arm and said reset bracket upon separation of said circuit breaker contacts.
A circuit breaker comprising:
- an enclosure;
- a pair of contacts within said enclosure for interrupting circuit current on command;
- a line strap on one end of said enclosure for connecting said contacts with an electrical source;
- a line strap on an opposite end of said enclosure for connecting said contacts with electrical equipment;
- an operating handle extending from said enclosure for manual control of an operating mechanism;
- electronic means for providing a trip initiating signal to a trip actuator, said trip actuator including:
- a flux shift unit having a flux shift plunger and a flux shift plunger reset bracket;
- a reset arm pivotally arranged on said trip actuator unit and connecting with said reset bracket;
- and
- a connector link attached to said reset arm at one end and arranged for interacting with a circuit breaker cross bar at an opposite end, whereby said cross bar motivates said connector link and said reset arm upon separation of said circuit breaker contacts.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.