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US 5,877,467 AGranted
Circuit breaker current limiting arc runner
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDavid Arnold, Anil R. Duggal, Lionel M. Levinson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A circuit breaker is equipped with a current limiting arc runner for effective overcurrent interruption without additional heating under quiescent operating conditions. Upon contact separation, an arc is drawn with the endpoints of the arc being initially rooted on the set of open contacts. Further opening of the contacts commutates the arc onto the current limiting arc runner to suppress the circuit current.
Claims8
A high ampere rated compact current limiting circuit breaker comprising:
- a circuit breaker housing;
- at least one contact arm with a first contact, and at least one line strap with a second contact within said circuit breaker housing for interrupting circuit current within a first current path;
- a trip unit within the circuit breaker housing for initiating separation of said first and second contacts upon the occurrence of an abnormal current in a protected circuit;
- an operating means within the circuit breaker housing for articulation of said first and second contacts;
- at least one current limiting arc runner having an arc rail and a current limiting device comprising at least one polymeric electrically-conducting material which does not require a PTCR effect, whereby said arc rail is arranged proximate said second contact for commutating an arc, which is generated when said first and second contacts become separated, into a second current path that includes said current limiting device for rapid suppression of the circuit current;
- and
- a fastening means to secure said current limiting arc runner within said circuit breaker housing.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.