Title: Rollout interface linkage for network protectors
Abstract: An interface linkage assembly for a network protector is provided. The network protector includes a circuit breaker structured to move in and out of a housing assembly, and having a mechanical trip assembly and an electrical close assembly. The interface linkage includes a coupling device, a housing assembly portion and a rollout portion. The coupling device has a first component and a second component. The housing assembly portion is coupled to the coupling device first component. The rollout portion is coupled to the coupling device second component. The rollout portion is structured to be coupled to the mechanical trip assembly and the electrical close assembly, and further structured to move the mechanical trip assembly over a lesser arc and the electrical close assembly over a greater arc.
Patent Number: 6,998,550 Issued on 02/14/2006 to Jur, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Jur; Arthur James (Greenwood, SC);
Brandt; Douglas Michael (Greenwood, SC);
Fail; John Wesley (Greenwood, SC)
|
| Assignee:
|
Eaton Corporation (Cleveland, OH)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
947837 |
| Filed:
|
September 23, 2004 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
200/50.21; 200/50.24; 200/335; 335/132; 335/23 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
H01H 9/00 (20060101); H01H 9/22 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
200/5021,500.1,501-503,401
335/23-25,132
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lee; Richard K.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Moran; Martin J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An interface linkage assembly for a network protector, said network protector
having a housing assembly and a circuit breaker, said housing assembly having a
rollout carriage structured to move in and out of said housing assembly, said housing
assembly further having a sidewall with an opening and an operating handle with
an operating handle shaft extending through said opening, said carriage having
a sidewall with an opening, said circuit breaker coupled to said rollout carriage,
said circuit breaker having a trip bar structured to trip said circuit breaker,
an electrical close assembly and a mechanical trip assembly, said mechanical trip
assembly coupled to said trip bar, said mechanical trip assembly structured to
be actuated when an actuating device, is rotated over a lesser arc, said electrical
close assembly structured to be actuated when an actuating device is rotated over
a greater arc, said interface linkage assembly comprising:
a coupling device having a first component and a second component;
a housing assembly portion coupled to said coupling device first component;
a rollout portion coupled to said coupling device second component; and
said rollout portion structured to be coupled to said mechanical trip assembly
and said electrical close assembly, and further structured to move said mechanical
trip assembly over a lesser arc and said electrical close assembly over a greater arc.
2. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 1, wherein
said rollout portion includes a rollout shaft and a hub assembly;
said hub assembly is rotatably coupled to said rollout shaft and coupled to said
mechanical trip assembly; and
said rollout shaft is coupled to said electrical close assembly.
3. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 2, wherein
said rollout shaft includes a tooth;
said hub assembly includes an end plate, a collar, a hub tooth, and a hub arm;
said end plate having an opening therethrough;
said collar having an inner surface with a diameter greater than said rollout
shaft; and
wherein said hub assembly is coupled to said rollout shaft with said rollout
shaft extending through said end plate opening with said collar disposed about
said rollout shaft, thereby creating a gap, said rollout shaft tooth and said hub
tooth extending into said gap and structured to engage each other.
4. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 3, wherein
said hub assembly includes a hub arm stop coupled to said carriage and a spring
structured to bias said hub arm against said hub arm stop; and
wherein when said rollout shaft is rotated in a first direction, said rollout
shaft tooth engages said hub tooth causing said hub assembly to rotate through
the lesser arc, and, when said rollout shaft is rotated in the opposite direction,
said rollout shaft tooth moves away from said hub tooth so that said spring biases
said hub arm against said hub arm stop arresting rotation of said hub assembly
while said rollout shaft moves through the greater arc.
5. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 1, wherein
said first component and said second component are disengagably coupled to each other.
6. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 5, wherein
said first component includes a captivator structured to be coupled to said operating
handle shaft;
said second component includes a key end coupled to said rollout shaft and structured
to engage said captivator; and
whereby the rotation of said operating handle causes said rollout shaft to rotate.
7. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 6, wherein
said captivator includes a radial slot having a radial opening;
said end includes an elongated body having a chamfered end;
said key end structured to fit within said slot; and
wherein said rollout portion may be disengaged from said housing assembly portion
as said carriage is moved out of said housing assembly by said key end moving out
of said radial slot and said rollout portion engages said housing assembly portion
as said carriage moves into said housing assembly by said key end moving into said slot.
8. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 7, wherein
said rollout portion includes a rollout shaft and a hub assembly;
said hub assembly rotatably coupled to said rollout shaft and coupled to said
mechanical trip assembly; and
said rollout shaft coupled to said electrical close assembly.
9. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 8, wherein
said rollout shaft includes a tooth;
said hub assembly includes an end plate, a collar, a hub tooth, and a hub arm;
said end plate having an opening therethrough;
said collar having an inner surface with a diameter greater than said rollout
shaft; and
wherein said hub assembly is coupled to said rollout shaft with said rollout
shaft extending through said end plate opening with said collar disposed about
said rollout shaft, thereby creating a gap, said rollout shaft tooth and said hub
tooth extending into said gap and structured to engage each other.
10. The interface linkage assembly for a network protector of claim 9, wherein
said hub assembly includes a hub arm stop coupled to said carriage and a spring
structured to bias said hub arm against said hub arm stop;
wherein when said rollout shaft is rotated in a first direction, said rollout
shaft tooth engages said hub tooth causing said hub assembly to rotate through
a lesser arc, and, when said rollout shaft is rotated in the opposite direction,
said rollout shaft tooth moves away from said hub tooth so that said spring biases
said hub arm against said hub arm stop arresting rotation of said hub assembly
while said rollout shaft moves through a greater arc.
11. A network protector comprising:
a housing assembly having a rollout carriage structured to move in and out of
said housing assembly, said housing assembly further having a sidewall with an
opening and an operating handle with a shaft extending through said opening;
said carriage having a sidewall with an opening;
a circuit breaker coupled to said rollout carriage, and having a trip bar structured
to trip said circuit breaker;
an electrical close assembly coupled to, and structured to close, said circuit
breaker, said electrical close assembly structured to be actuated when an actuating
device is rotated over a greater arc;
a mechanical trip assembly, said mechanical trip assembly coupled to said trip
bar, said mechanical trip assembly structured to be actuated when an actuating
device, is rotated over a lesser arc; and
an interface linkage assembly comprising:
a coupling device having a first component and a second component;
a housing assembly portion coupled to said coupling device first component;
a rollout portion coupled to said coupling device second component; and
said rollout portion structured to be coupled to said mechanical trip assembly
and said electrical close assembly, and further structured to move said mechanical
trip assembly over a lesser arc and said electrical close assembly over a greater arc.
12. The network protector of claim 11, wherein
said rollout portion includes a rollout shaft and a hub assembly;
said hub assembly is rotatably coupled to said rollout shaft and coupled to said
mechanical trip assembly; and
said rollout shaft is coupled to said electrical close assembly.
13. The network protector of claim 12, wherein
said rollout shaft includes a tooth;
said hub assembly includes an end plate, a collar, a hub tooth, and a hub arm;
said end plate having an opening therethrough;
said collar having an inner surface with a diameter greater than said rollout
shaft; and
wherein said hub assembly is coupled to said rollout shaft with said rollout
shaft extending through said end plate opening with said collar disposed about
said rollout shaft, thereby creating a gap, said rollout shaft tooth and said hub
tooth extending into said gap and structured to engage each other.
14. The network protector of claim 13, wherein
said hub assembly includes a hub arm stop coupled to said carriage and a spring
structured to bias said hub arm against said hub arm stop; and
wherein when said rollout shaft is rotated in a first direction, said rollout
shaft tooth engages said hub tooth causing said hub assembly to rotate through
a lesser arc, and, when said rollout shaft is rotated in the opposite direction,
said rollout shaft tooth moves away from said hub tooth so that said spring biases
said hub arm against said hub arm stop arresting rotation of said hub assembly
while said rollout shaft moves through a greater arc.
15. The network protector of claim 11, wherein said first component and said
second component are disengagably coupled to each other.
16. The network protector of claim 15, wherein
said first component includes a captivator structured to be coupled to said operating
handle shaft;
said second component includes a key end coupled to said rollout shaft and structured
to engage said captivator; and
whereby the rotation of said operating handle causes said rollout shaft to rotate.
17. The network protector of claim 16, wherein
said captivator includes a radial slot having a radial opening;
said key end includes an elongated body having a chamfered end;
said key end structured to fit within said slot; and
whereby said rollout portion may be disengaged from said housing assembly portion
as said carriage is moved out of said housing assembly by said key end moving out
of said radial slot and said rollout portion engages said housing assembly portion
as said carriage moves into said housing assembly by said key end moving into said slot.
18. The network protector of claim 17, wherein
said rollout portion includes a rollout shaft and a hub assembly;
said hub assembly rotatably coupled to said rollout shaft and coupled to said
mechanical trip assembly; and
said rollout shaft coupled to said electrical close assembly.
19. The network protector of claim 18, wherein
said rollout shaft includes a tooth;
said hub assembly includes an end plate, a collar, a hub tooth, and a hub arm;
said end plate having an opening therethrough;
said collar having an inner surface with a diameter greater than said rollout
shaft; and
wherein said hub assembly is coupled to said rollout shaft with said rollout
shaft extending through said end plate opening with said collar disposed about
said rollout shaft, thereby creating a gap, said rollout shaft tooth and said hub
tooth extending into said gap and structured to engage each other.
20. The network protector of claim 19, wherein
said hub assembly includes a hub arm stop coupled to said carriage and a spring
structured to bias said hub arm against said hub arm stop;
wanted when said rollout shaft is rotated in a first direction, said rollout
shaft tooth engages said hub tooth causing said hub assembly to rotate through
a lesser arc, and, when rollout shaft is rotated in the opposite direction, said
rollout shaft tooth moves away from said hub tooth so that said spring biases said
hub arm against said hub arm stop arresting rotation of said hub assembly while
said rollout shaft moves through a greater arc.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a network protector having a cable trip assembly and
an electrical close assembly, more specifically, to a network protector which incorporates
an interface linkage assembly structured to operate both the cable trip assembly
and the electrical close assembly.
2. Background Information
Secondary power distribution networks consist of interlaced grids which
are supplied by two or more sources of power so that the loss of a single source
of power will not result in an interruption of service. Such networks provide the
highest level of reliability possible with conventional power distribution and
are normally used to supply high-density load areas such as a section of a city,
a large building, or an industrial site. Between the power sources and the network
is a transformer and a network protector. The network protector consists of a circuit
breaker and a control relay. The circuit breaker includes at least one set of main
contacts that move between an open position and a closed position. When the main
contacts are closed, electricity may flow through the network protector. The control
relay senses the transformer and network voltages and line currents and executes
algorithms to initiate breaker tripping or closing action. Trip determination is
based on detecting an overcurrent condition or reverse power flow, that is, power
flow from the network to the energy source.
Network protectors are often found in dust-proof or moisture-proof housings,
or vaults, which are disposed in subterranean passageways in large metropolitan
areas. Given their urban, subterranean location, increasing the size of the vault
to accommodate larger network protectors is costly and difficult. As such, it is
more efficient to reduce the space occupied by certain network protector components
so as to allow space for other newer/larger components. That is, by reducing the
size of one component or sub-component, another component may be added or an existing
component's size may be increased.
The network protector components, the circuit breaker and the relay, are located
within a housing assembly within the vault. For safety, the circuit breaker should
be tripped before the circuit breaker can be removed from the enclosure. To accomplish
this, network protectors include a mechanical trip assembly which is structured
to interact with the network protector trip bar. The trip bar is structured to
move between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the
trip bar prevents the main contacts of the network protector circuit breaker from
moving into the closed position. Thus, when the trip bar is in the first position,
the contacts are open. In the second position, the trip bar allows the main contacts
to be moved into the closed position.
To safely remove, or install, the circuit breaker from the enclosure, the main
contacts must be in the first, open position. To trip the circuit breaker, the
trip bar must be moved into the first position. A typical mechanical trip assembly
is structured to be actuated prior to opening the door to the enclosure. Accordingly,
the mechanical trip included an external handle that may be actuated prior to opening
the door to the housing assembly. Actuating the external operating handle moves
the mechanical trip assembly, and therefore the trip bar, into the first position.
Thus, before the housing assembly is opened, the circuit breaker was tripped. If
required, however, it was possible to open the housing assembly with the trip bar
in the second position, leaving the circuit breaker in the closed position. After
maintenance and/or repairs are performed on the circuit breaker or the relay, and
after the circuit breaker is installed in the vault, the mechanical trip assembly,
and therefore the trip bar, are moved into the second position so that the main
contacts could again be closed.
The mechanical trip assembly includes an external handle coupled to a shaft,
a lever mounted on the shaft within the housing and a coupling device, such as
a cable, extending between the lever and the trip bar. When the shaft is rotated,
the lever moves causing the coupling device to act upon the trip bar. Typically,
the shaft is structured to move through a lesser arc. That is, the shaft typically
cannot move through a greater arc, e.g. greater than ninety degrees, as that amount
of rotation may cause the coupling device to wrap around the shaft. The mechanical
trip assembly and the circuit breaker are both mounted on a frame that is structured
to move in and out of the enclosure. A spring biases the mechanical trip assembly
to the first position in which the trip bar was moved into the trip bar first position
which tripped the circuit breaker.
In operation, when the circuit breaker was in use and disposed within the enclosure,
the lever was held so that the mechanical trip assembly was in a second position
holding the trip bar in the second position. Prior to opening the door to the enclosure,
a user actuated an external handle which was coupled to the lever, thereby moving
the mechanical trip assembly into the first position which, in turn, moved the
trip bar into the first position causing the circuit breaker to trip. At this point
the circuit breaker could be safely removed from the enclosure. After the circuit
breaker was returned to the housing assembly and the housing assembly closed, the
procedure for closing the circuit breaker contacts included a step which returned
the lever to its original position, i.e., the mechanical trip assembly and the
trip bar were both moved into their respective second positions thereby allowing
the contacts to be closed.
Newer network protector circuit breakers are further structured to close into
electrical fault conditions. The closure of the circuit breaker contacts is accomplished
by a closure device having a spring loaded mechanism. The closure device is actuated
by an electrical close assembly. The electrical close assembly is, in turn, actuated
by a shaft which the user rotates via an external handle. The typical electrical
close assembly requires the actuating shaft to rotate through an extended arc.
Presently, newer network protectors with the electrical close assembly
are being installed in enclosures structured to be used with older network protector
circuit breakers, That is, the newer network protectors with the electrical close
assembly are being installed in enclosures that are not adapted to interface with
the electrical close assembly. Attempts have been made to adapt the enclosures
to accommodate the electrical close assembly. These measures, however, require
modification to the housing assembly which are expensive.
It is desirable to have the electrical close assembly actuated by the same external
handle as the mechanical trip mechanism. One problem, however, with using a single
handle and shaft to actuate both the mechanical trip mechanism and the electrical
close assembly is that the mechanical trip mechanism can only move through a lesser
arc whereas the electrical close assembly requires the shaft to move through a
greater arc.
There is, therefore, a need for an interface linkage assembly structured to
be coupled to a shaft on an external handle and to actuate an electrical close
assembly and a mechanical trip mechanism.
There is a further need for such an interface linkage assembly to be incorporated
into existing network protector and enclosures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These needs, and others, are met by the present invention which provides an
interface linkage assembly structured to be coupled to a housing assembly shaft
extending into a network protector housing assembly. The interface linkage assembly
includes a housing assembly portion and a rollout portion. The housing assembly
portion includes one component of a shaft coupling device. The rollout portion
includes a rollout shaft, another component of the shaft coupling device and a
levered hub assembly.
The operating handle and operating handle shaft are coupled to the network protector
housing assembly. The operating handle is disposed on the outer side of the housing
assembly. The operating handle is coupled to the operating handle shaft which extends
into the housing assembly. As described below, the operating handle is structured
to move between an open position and a closed position, with a neutral position
therebetween. On the interior end of the operating handle shaft is one component
of a shaft coupling device, hereinafter, the housing side component. The shaft
coupling device is described more fully below.
The rollout shaft is coupled directly to the electrical close assembly and is
structured to be removed from the housing assembly with the circuit breaker when
the circuit breaker is removed. The rollout shaft directly actuates the electrical
close assembly as the rollout shaft rotates through a greater arc. The rollout
shaft further includes a radial tooth adjacent to the electrical close assembly.
The radial tooth engages the hub assembly to actuate the mechanical trip mechanism.
The rollout shaft is coupled to the housing assembly shaft by the coupling device.
The coupling device includes the housing component and a rollout component. The
rollout component is a keyed flange on the rollout shaft and the housing component
is a captivator on the housing shaft. The captivator is, preferably, a U-shaped
body structured to engage the keyed flange. When the keyed flange is engaged by
the captivator, rotation of the handle and housing shaft is transmitted to the
rollout shaft. The captivator, however, is structured to release the keyed flange
when the circuit breaker is drawn out of the housing assembly and structured to
engage the keyed flange when the circuit breaker is moved into the enclosure.
The hub assembly includes a collar, a hub arm and a hub arm spring. There is
also a hub arm stop disposed adjacent to the hub arm and coupled to a rigid member.
The hub arm stop is a protrusion that extends into the path of travel of the hub
arm to prevent the hub arm from rotating. The collar has a ring-shaped body that
has an inner diameter that is greater than the diameter of the rollout shaft. The
collar is disposed about the rollout shaft and defines a gap between the rollout
shaft and the ring-shaped body. A hub tooth extends from the ring-shaped body inwardly
into the gap. A trip linkage, such as a cable, extends from the hub arm to the
circuit breaker trip bar. The hub arm is structured to rotate between a first and
a second position. As the hub arm is moved into the first position, the trip linkage
moves the trip bar into the open position, thereby tripping the circuit breaker.
As the hub arm is moved into the second position, the trip linkage moves the trip
bar into the second position wherein the circuit break contacts may be closed.
The spring is coupled to the housing and is structured to bias the hub arm against
the hub arm stop. When the hub arm is against the stop, the hub assembly is in
the second position.
In operation, where the circuit breaker contacts are closed and the circuit breaker
is installed in a network protector housing assembly, a user may use the interface
linkage assembly to trip and reset the circuit breaker as follows. Initially, the
rollout shaft is in the neutral position and the hub arm is in the second position.
In this configuration, the rollout shaft tooth is adjacent to the hub tooth. When
a user moves the external handle to the open, or trip, position, the housing assembly
shaft acts on the rollout shaft via the coupling device, thereby causing the rollout
shaft to rotate. The rollout shaft tooth is moved into engagement with the hub
tooth. When the rollout shaft tooth is moved into engagement with the hub tooth,
rotation of the rollout shaft is transferred through the rollout shaft tooth to
the hub tooth causing the hub assembly collar and hub arm to overcome the bias
of the hub spring and move with the rollout shaft. Thus, the hub arm is rotated
into the first position causing the mechanical trip assembly to move the trip bar
to trip the circuit breaker. The rollout shaft is only required to move through
a lesser arc to effect tripping of the circuit breaker.
When the user releases the external handle, the bias of the hub spring pulls
the hub arm into contact with the hub arm stop. When moving in this direction,
the hub tooth acts upon the rollout shaft tooth causing the rollout shaft to rotate.
That is, the hub spring moves the hub arm back to the second position and the rollout
shaft to the neutral position. Thus, the mechanical trip assembly will not prevent
closure of the circuit breaker. Once the circuit breaker is tripped, the user may
perform maintenance/repairs on the network protector and may remove the circuit
breaker from the housing assembly. Once the maintenance/repairs operations are
complete, or a new circuit breaker is ready to be installed, the user moves the
circuit breaker into the housing where the circuit breaker may be closed.
To close the circuit breaker the user moves the external handle to a closed position.
The closed position requires the housing shaft to rotate from the neutral position
in a direction opposite the direction of the open position. Thus, the rollout shaft
tooth is moved away from the hub tooth and does not act upon the hub tooth. Thus,
the hub assembly collar and hub arm remain in the second position while the rollout
shaft continues to rotate into the closed position. The rollout shaft is required
to move through a greater arc to effect actuation of the electrical close assembly.
Once the rollout shaft is rotated a sufficient amount, the electrical close assembly
is actuated and the circuit breaker is closed. The user then returns the external
handle to the neutral position.
Accordingly, the interface linkage assembly allows a single external
handle to rotate the rollout shaft through a greater arc in order to effect actuation
of an electrical close assembly while further allowing the hub assembly coupled
to the mechanical trip assembly to travel through a lesser arc. Installation of
the interface linkage assembly does not require any substantial modification of
the network protector housing assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description
of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
in which:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a network protector.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the interface linkage assembly.
FIG. 3 is a side view of a captivator.
FIG. 4 is an end view of a captivator.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the rollout portion.
FIG. 6 is a partial end view of the interface linkage assembly in the neutral position.
FIG. 7 is a partial end view of the interface linkage assembly in the open position.
FIG. 8 is a partial end view of the interface linkage assembly in the closed position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in FIG. 1, a network protector
10 includes a housing assembly
12 which includes a movable door
14 that is attached to the housing
assembly
12. The housing assembly
12 has an external operating handle
assembly
50 (described below) which passes therethrough. The operating handle
assembly
50, as will be described below, interacts with the trip bar
24
and may be actuated while the door
14 is closed. The housing assembly
12
is structured to be placed within a vault
16. The vault
16 is typically
made of concrete or a similar material. The two primary network protector components,
a circuit breaker
20 and a relay
22 are disposed within the housing
assembly
12. The circuit breaker
20 is supported by a rollout carriage
19. The housing assembly
12 includes a set of rails
17 (shown
schematically) upon which the rollout carriage
19 rests so that the circuit
breaker
20 may be moved into and out of the housing assembly
12.
The rollout carriage
19 includes at least one sidewall
21 disposed
adjacent to the operating handle assembly
50, described below.
As is known in the art, the circuit breaker
20 includes at least one set
of main contacts (not shown) that are structured to move between a first, open
position and a second closed position. When the main contacts are in the second,
closed position, electricity may flow through the circuit breaker
20. When
the main contacts are in the first, open position, electricity cannot flow through
the circuit breaker
20. The circuit breaker
20 also includes an operating
mechanism (not shown) that is structured to move the main contacts between the
first and second position. The operating mechanism includes a trip bar
24.
The trip bar
24 is structured to move between a first position and a second position.
When the circuit breaker
20 is in use, both the main contacts and the
trip bar
24 are in the second position. When the trip bar
24 moves
from the second position to the first position, the operating mechanism will trip
the circuit breaker
20. That is, the operating mechanism will cause the
main contacts to move from the second position to the first position. So long as
the trip bar
24 remains in the first position, the main contacts cannot
be fixed in the second position. That is, so long as the trip bar
24 is
in the first position, the circuit breaker
20 cannot be set in the closed position.
The network protector
10 further includes a mechanical trip assembly
30
and an electrical close assembly
40. The mechanical trip assembly
30
and the electrical close assembly
40 are, preferably, disposed on the rollout
carriage
19 and move with the circuit breaker
20 in and out of the
housing assembly
12. The mechanical trip assembly
30 includes a cable
32 that is coupled to the trip bar
24. The mechanical trip assembly
cable
32 is structured to move the trip bar
24 between the first
and second positions. Thus, the mechanical trip assembly
30 moves between
a first position and a second position that corresponds to the trip bar
24
first and second positions. The electrical close assembly
40 is coupled
to a closure device (not shown) that is structured to close the circuit breaker
20 as is known in the art. The mechanical trip assembly
30 is, preferably,
actuated when an actuating device, preferably the hub arm
164 (described
below), is rotated over an arc less than about 95 degrees, or "a lesser arc." The
electrical close assembly
40 is, preferably, actuated when an actuating
device, preferably the rollout shaft
140 (described below), is rotated over
an arc greater than about 175 degrees, or "a greater arc."
The mechanical trip assembly
30 and the electrical close assembly
40
are actuated by an operating handle assembly
50 in conjunction with the
interface linkage assembly
100 as described below. The operating handle
assembly
50 includes an external operating handle
52 and a housing
shaft
54. The operating handle
52 is disposed on the outer side of
the housing assembly
12. The operating handle
52 is an elongated,
rigid member that may include a generally perpendicular grip
56. The housing
shaft
54 extends through a housing assembly opening
55 and is rotatably
coupled to one wall on the housing assembly
12. The distal end
58
of the housing shaft
54 is disposed adjacent to the rollout carriage
19
when the rollout carriage
19 is disposed within the housing assembly
12.
An interface linkage assembly
100 couples the operating handle assembly
50 to the mechanical trip assembly
30 and the electrical close assembly
40. As shown in FIG. 2, the linkage assembly
100 includes a housing
assembly portion
110 and a rollout portion
112. The housing assembly
portion
110 and the rollout portion
112 each include a component
of a coupling device
120 structured to disengagably join the housing assembly
portion
110 and the rollout portion
112. The housing assembly portion
110 includes a first component
124 of the coupling device
120.
The coupling device first component
124 is, preferably, a captivator
130.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the captivator
130 has a generally circular body
132 with a radial slot
134. The radial slot
134 includes a
radial opening
136 at one side of the circular body
132. The circular
body
132 is structured to be coupled to the housing shaft
54. The
radial slot
134 is structured to engage the rollout shaft torpedo key end
147 (described below). The captivator
130 is disposed at the housing
shaft distal end
58.
The interface linkage assembly rollout portion
112 is structured to be
coupled to the mechanical trip assembly
30 and said electrical close assembly
40. The interface linkage assembly rollout portion
112 is structured
to move the mechanical trip assembly
30 over a lesser arc and the electrical
close assembly
40 over a greater arc as described below. The interface linkage
assembly rollout portion
112 includes a rollout shaft
140 and a hub
assembly
142. As shown in FIG. 5, the rollout shaft
140 has a first
end
144 and a second end
146. The second end
146 includes
the second component
126 of the coupling device
120. The coupling
device second component
126 is, preferably, a torpedo key end
147.
The torpedo key end
147 includes an elongated body
148 having at
least one chamfered end
149. The torpedo key end
147 is structured
to be coupled to the rollout shaft
140 adjacent to the chamfered end
149.
The rollout shaft
140 extends through an opening
141 in the rollout
carriage sidewall
21. The rollout shaft first end
144 is disposed
on the inner side of the rollout carriage sidewall
21 and the keyed end
147 extending beyond the rollout carriage sidewall
21. The keyed
end
147 is structured to engage the captivator
130 in fixed relation.
That is, the keyed end
147 is structured to fit with the radial slot
134
so that rotation of the housing shaft
54 is directly translated to the rollout
shaft
140.
The rollout shaft first end
144 is structured to operatively engage the
electrical close assembly
40. That is, upon a sufficient rotation of the
rollout shaft
140, the electrical close assembly
40 is actuated and
the electrical close assembly
40 operates the closing device to close the
circuit breaker
20. The rotation of the rollout shaft
140 required
to actuate the electrical close assembly
40 is, preferably, rotation over
an arc greater than 90 degrees.
The rollout shaft
140 further includes a tooth
150 disposed adjacent
to the rollout shaft first end
144. The rollout shaft tooth
150 extends
radially from the rollout shaft
140 and is structured to engage the hub
tooth
176 (described below).
As shown in FIGS. 6-8, the hub assembly
142 includes a collar
160
defining a collar gap
162, a hub arm
164, and a hub arm spring
166.
The collar
160 includes a ring-shaped body
168 coupled to an end
plate
170 (FIG. 2). The end plate
170 includes an opening
172
(FIG. 2) sized to contact, without binding with, the rollout shaft
140.
Thus, the collar
160 may rotate freely about the rollout shaft
140.
The ring-shaped body
168 has an inner surface
174 having a diameter
larger than both the rollout shaft
140 and the rollout shaft tooth
150.
The ring-shaped body
168 and the end plate opening
172 have, generally,
the same axis. Accordingly, the ring-shaped body inner surface
174 is spaced
from the end plate opening
172. When the rollout shaft
140 is disposed
within the end plate opening
172, the collar gap
162 is created.
The ring-shaped body inner surface
174 further includes a hub tooth
176.
The hub tooth
176 extends radially inwardly from the ring-shaped body inner
surface
174. The hub tooth
176 is structured to engage the rollout
shaft tooth
150.
The hub arm
164 is coupled, or integral, to the end plate
170.
The hub arm
164 is an elongated member extending radially away from the
collar
160. The hub arm
164 includes two openings, a spring opening
180 and a trip linkage opening
182, adjacent the distal end of the
hub arm
164. The spring
166 is coupled to the spring opening
180.
The mechanical trip assembly cable
32 is coupled to the trip linkage opening
182. Upon a sufficient rotation of the hub arm
164, the mechanical
trip assembly
30 is actuated and the mechanical trip assembly
30
moves the trip bar
24 into the first position thereby tripping the circuit
breaker
20. The rotation of the hub arm
164 required to actuate the
mechanical trip assembly
30 is, preferably, rotation over an arc less than
95 degrees. Additionally, there is a hub arm stop
190 coupled to the rollout
carriage sidewall
21. The hub arm stop
190 is a protrusion that extends
into the path of travel of the hub arm
164 to prevent the hub arm
164
from rotating.
When assembled, the interface linkage assembly
100 is configured as follows.
The housing shaft
54 is rotatably disposed in the housing assembly opening
55. The operating handle
52 is disposed outside the housing assembly
12 and may be actuated by a user when the housing assembly
12 is
closed. The housing assembly portion
110 coupling device first component
124, that is, the captivator
130, is disposed within the housing
assembly
12, but outside of the rollout carriage sidewall
21. The
rollout portion
112 has the rollout shaft
140 disposed in the rollout
opening with the coupling device second component
126, that is the keyed
end
147, disposed outside the rollout carriage sidewall
21 and extending
outwardly. Thus, when the circuit breaker
20 is in the housing assembly
12, the coupling device
120 first and second components
124,
126 are joined. That is, the keyed end
147 engages the captivator
130 in a fixed relation so that as the operating handle
52 is turned,
the rollout shaft
140 is turned.
The rollout shaft first end
144 is coupled to the electrical close assembly
40. The hub assembly
142 is disposed on the rollout shaft
140
with the rollout shaft extending through the end plate opening
172. In this
configuration, as shown in FIGS. 6-8, the ring-shaped body inner surface
174
is spaced from the rollout shaft
140 thereby creating the collar gap
162.
The rollout shaft tooth
150 and the hub tooth
176 both extend into
the collar gap
162 a sufficient length so that the two teeth
150,
176 will contact each other when rotated, as described below. The hub arm
164 is coupled to the spring
166 and the mechanical trip assembly
cable
32 at the spring opening
180 and the trip linkage opening
182,
respectively. This bias of the spring
166 draws the hub arm
164 into
contact with the hub arm stop
190.
In operation, the operating handle assembly
50 and the interface linkage
assembly
100 are structured to move between corresponding open positions,
through neutral positions, and closed positions while the hub arm
164 moves
between a first and a second position. The hub arm
164 first and second
positions correspond to the trip bar
24 first and second positions as the
hub arm
164 acts upon the trip bar
24 via the mechanical trip assembly
cable
32. Thus, when the hub arm
164 is in the second position, the
circuit breaker
20 may be closed, or be in the closed position, as described
above. When the hub arm
164 is moved into the first position, the trip bar
24 is moved into the first position and the circuit breaker
20 is
tripped as described above. As described below, the hub arm
164 first position
corresponds to the operating handle assembly
50 and the interface linkage
assembly
100 open positions and the hub arm
164 second position corresponds
to the operating handle assembly
50 and the interface linkage assembly
100
neutral positions.
During normal operation of the network protector
10, the circuit breaker
20 is installed in the housing assembly
12, the contacts are closed,
the mechanical trip assembly
30 is in the closed position and the interface
linkage assembly
100 is in the neutral position. As shown in FIG. 3, the
bias of the spring
166 draws the hub arm
164 into contact with the
hub arm stop
190. The spring
166 also biases the hub tooth
176
against the rollout shaft tooth
150.
To trip the circuit breaker
20 manually in order to perform maintenance,
repairs, or to replace the network protector
10, a user moves the operating
handle assembly
50 into the open position. Rotation of the operating handle
assembly
50 causes the linkage assembly
100 to move to the linkage
assembly
100 open position and the hub arm
164 to move to the hub
arm
164 first position. When the operating handle assembly
50 is
moved into the open position, rotation of the housing shaft
54 is transferred
through the coupling device
120 to the rollout shaft
140. Thus, the
rollout shaft
140 is rotated counter-clockwise as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
Rotation of the rollout shaft
140 causes the rollout shaft tooth
150
to move the hub tooth
176. As the hub tooth
176 rotates, the hub
arm
164 is moved thereby moving the mechanical trip assembly cable
32.
The mechanical trip assembly cable
32 acts upon the trip bar
24 moving
the trip bar
24 into the first, open position thereby tripping the circuit
breaker
20. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rotation of the hub arm
164
required to actuate the mechanical trip assembly
30 is, preferably, rotation
over an arc less than 95 degrees.
When the user releases the operating handle assembly
50, the bias of
the hub spring
166 again pulls the hub arm
164 into contact with
the hub arm stop
190. Additionally, the hub arm
164 is moved to the
hub arm
164 second position. That is, the hub spring
166 moves the
hub arm
164 back into contact with the hub arm stop
190. When the
hub arm
164 is moved to the hub arm
164 second position, the trip
bar
24 is also moved into the second position. Thus, the mechanical trip
assembly
30 will not prevent closure of the circuit breaker
20. Once
the circuit breaker
20 is tripped, the user may perform maintenance/repairs
on the network protector
10 or may remove the circuit breaker
20
from the housing assembly
12. During removal of the circuit breaker
20,
the housing shaft
54 and the rollout shaft
140 are separated at the
coupling device
120. That is, the coupling device second component
126,
the keyed end
147, moves out of the coupling device first component
124,
the captivator
130. Once the maintenance/repair operations are complete,
or a new circuit breaker
20 is ready to be installed, the user moves the
circuit breaker
20 into the housing where the circuit breaker
20
may be closed. During installation of the circuit breaker
20, the housing
shaft
54 and the rollout shaft
140 are coupled at the coupling device
120. That is, the coupling device second component
126, the keyed
end
147, moves into the coupling device first component
124, the
captivator
130. When the keyed end
147 moves into the captivator
130, the captivator
130 engages the keyed end
147 so that
rotation of the housing shaft
54 is transferred to the rollout shaft
140.
To close the circuit breaker
20 the user moves the external handle assembly
50 to the closed position. The closed position requires the housing shaft
54 to rotate from the neutral position in a direction opposite the direction
of the open position. Thus, the rollout shaft tooth
150 is moved away from
the hub tooth
176 and does not act upon the hub tooth
176. Thus,
the hub assembly collar
160 and hub arm
164 remain in the second
position while the rollout shaft
140 continues to rotate into the closed
position. The rollout shaft
140 is required to move through a greater arc
to effect actuation of the electrical close assembly
40. Once the rollout
shaft
140 is rotated a sufficient amount, the electrical close assembly
40 is actuated and the circuit breaker
20 is closed. The user then
returns the operating handle assembly
50 to the neutral position.
While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail,
it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and
alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings
of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant
to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of invention which is
to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.
*
