Power bus connection system with fusible conductive material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10158203-B2
Application number	US-201715476192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Dec 18, 2018
Grant date	Dec 18, 2018

Abstract

A fusible conductive material can be used to electrically connect or join power distribution bus bars that are placed on opposing sides of an electrically insulating bus support. The fusible conductive material can be placed in an opening or hole in the bus support with the bus bars abutting the fusible conductive material on opposing sides. The fusible conductive material can then be ignited, such as by applying a voltage drop, to produce a localized heat source suitable to electrically join the bus bars together. By electrically connecting the bus bars in this manner, the bus bars can better conduct, be less susceptible to separation and require less maintenance with respect to connectivity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power bus connection system comprising:
an electrically insulating bus support having an aperture;
a first power conductor disposed on a first side of the bus support, the first power conductor for providing an electrical power phase to an electrical unit; and
a second power conductor disposed on a second side of the bus support, the second power conductor for providing the electrical power phase to the first power conductor,
wherein the first and second power conductors are electrically connected through the aperture by a fusible conductive material arranged between the conductors, wherein the fusible conductive material melts surfaces of the conductors together in an exothermic thermal reaction to electrically join the first power conductor to the second power conductor through the aperture upon application of an ignition source producing a voltage drop.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the aperture is a first aperture, the first power conductor is a first vertical bus conductor, the second power conductor is a first horizontal bus conductor, and the fusible conductive material is a first fusible conductive material, and further comprising:
the electrically insulating bus support having second and third apertures;
second and third vertical bus conductors disposed on the first side of the bus support, the second and third vertical bus conductors for providing second and third electrical power phases, respectively; and
second and third horizontal bus conductors disposed on the second side of the bus support, the second and third horizontal bus conductors for providing the second and third electrical power phases to the second and third vertical bus conductors, respectively, wherein the second vertical bus conductor and the second horizontal bus conductor are electrically connected through the second aperture by a second fusible conductive material configured to electrically join the second vertical bus conductor to the second horizontal bus conductor upon application of an ignition source producing a voltage drop, and the third vertical bus conductor and the third horizontal bus conductor are electrically connected through the third aperture by a third fusible conductive material configured to electrically join the third vertical bus conductor to the third horizontal bus conductor upon application of an ignition source producing a voltage drop.

3. A system of claim 2 , wherein the bus support includes first, second and third vertical channels configured to receive the first, second and third vertical bus conductors, respectively.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fusible conductive material has a thickness of less than 100 μm.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ignition source is a battery configured to produce the voltage drop.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fusible conductive material is comprised of aluminum and nickel.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the fusible conductive material further comprises solder plating.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first power conductor is cylindrical in shape.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the second power conductor is rectangular in shape.

10. A power bus connection method comprising:
placing a first power conductor on a first side of an electrically insulating bus support having an aperture, the first power conductor for providing an electrical power phase;
placing a second power conductor on a second side of the bus support, the second power conductor for providing the electrical power phase to the first power conductor; and
electrically connecting the first and second power conductors through the aperture using a fusible conductive material arranged between the conductors, wherein the fusible conductive material melts surfaces of the conductors together in an exothermic thermal reaction to electrically join the first power conductor to the second power conductor though the aperture upon applying of an ignition source producing a voltage drop.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ignition source is a battery producing a voltage drop.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising clamping the first power conductor to the second power conductor to apply pressure on the fusible conductive material before applying the ignition source.

13. A Motor Control Center (MCC) comprising:
a section forming a shell around a device mounting volume for supporting a plurality of electrical units, the section including:
first, second and third vertical copper bus conductors extending in a vertical direction for providing power to the electrical units, the first, second and third vertical bus conductors providing first, second and third electrical power phases, respectively, to the plurality of electrical units;
first, second and third horizontal copper bus conductors extending in a horizontal direction across the vertical direction for providing the first, second and third electrical power phases to the first, second and third vertical bus conductors, respectively; and
an electrically insulating bus support having first, second and third apertures, the electrically insulating bus support being disposed along a rear wall of the section,
wherein the first, second and third vertical bus conductors are disposed on a first side of the bus support, and the first, second and third horizontal bus conductors are disposed on a second side of the bus support, and
wherein the first, second and third vertical bus conductors are electrically connected to the first, second and third horizontal bus conductors at intersections through the first, second and third apertures via first, second and third fusible conductive materials arranged between conductors at the first, second and third apertures, respectively, wherein each fusible conductive material melts surfaces of conductors together in an exothermic thermal reaction to electrically join a vertical bus conductor to a horizontal bus conductor through an aperture upon application of an ignition source producing a voltage drop.

14. A MCC of claim 13 , wherein the bus support further comprises first, second and third vertical channels configured to receive the first, second and third vertical bus conductors, respectively.

15. A MCC of claim 13 , wherein the first, second and third vertical bus conductors are configured to provide three-phase power to the electrical units.

16. The MCC of claim 13 , wherein the fusible conductive materials have thicknesses of less than 100 μm.

17. The MCC of claim 13 , wherein the ignition source is a battery configured to produce a voltage drop.

18. The MCC of claim 13 , wherein the fusible conductive materials comprise aluminum and nickel.

19. The MCC of claim 13 , wherein the fusible conductive materials further comprise solder plating.

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Peterson Corey A

Classifications

• H02B1/36

  with withdrawable units · CPC title

• H02B11/06

  Means for duplicate bus-bar selection · CPC title

• H01H11/06

  Fixing of contacts to carrier {; Fixing of contacts to insulating carrier} · CPC title

• H02G5/002

  Joints between bus-bars for compensating thermal expansion · CPC title

• H01R4/02

  Soldered or welded connections {(H01R4/625, H01R4/723, H01R12/59 take precedence)} · CPC title