Electrical box including jumper for reducing conductive heat transfer between electrical components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10454415-B2
Application number	US-201815915917-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2018
Priority date	Mar 8, 2017
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

An electrical box includes a first electrical component having an output terminal, and a second electrical component having an input terminal. A jumper is connected to the output terminal of the first electrical component and the input terminal of the second electrical component. The jumper defines a heat flow path between the first and second electrical components. The heat flow path defines a minimum path between the first and second electrical components along the heat flow path. A minimum distance along the minimum heat path between the first and second electrical components is greater than a minimum distance between first and second electrical components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solar combiner box comprising:
an enclosure defining an interior;
a plurality of fuse holders in the interior of the enclosure, each plurality of fuse holders including an output terminal;
a main output terminal in the interior of the enclosure; and
a busbar assembly connecting the plurality of fuse holders to the main output terminal, wherein the busbar assembly includes
a fuse holder busbar connected to the output terminals of the plurality of fuse holders,
a main output jumper connected to the main output terminal, and
a switch selectively connecting the fuse holder busbar and the main output jumper,

wherein the fuse holder busbar is an integrally formed one-piece component and defines a heat flow path from the switch to the plurality of fuse holders, the heat flow path defining a minimum path from the switch to a nearest output terminal of anyone of the fuse holders along the heat flow path,
wherein a minimum distance along the minimum path from the switch to the nearest output terminal of the corresponding fuse holder is greater than a minimum distance between the switch and an output terminal of one of the fuse holders.

2. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fuse holders are arranged in a fuse holder row having opposite first and second ends, wherein the switch is adjacent the first end of the fuse holder row, wherein the second end of the row is upstream of the first end of the fuse holder row along the heat flow path.

3. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 2 , wherein the heat flow path extends from the switch adjacent the first end of the fuse holder row toward the second end of the fuse holder row, and from adjacent the second end of the fuse holder row toward the first end of the fuse holder row.

4. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 1 , wherein the fuse holder busbar includes a plurality of turns.

5. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 4 , wherein the turns are in-plane of the fuse holder busbar.

6. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 4 , wherein the turns are out-of-plane of the fuse holder busbar.

7. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 4 , wherein at least one of the turns is in-plane of the fuse holder busbar, and wherein at least one of the turns is out-of-plane of the fuse holder busbar.

8. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 1 , wherein the heat flow path comprises a first heat flow path flowing in a first direction, and a second heat flow path flowing in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.

9. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 8 , wherein the plurality of fuse holders are arranged in a fuse holder row having opposite first and second ends, wherein the first heat flow path flows toward the first end of the fuse holder row, and wherein the second heat flow path flows toward the second end of the fuse holder row.

10. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 8 , wherein the plurality of fuse holders are arranged in a fuse holder row having opposite first and second ends, wherein the switch is generally adjacent a mid-length of the fuse holder row.

11. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 1 , wherein the switch comprises an electrically controlled switch.

12. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 11 , wherein the electrically controlled switch comprises a contactor.

13. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 1 , wherein the main output jumper defines an output-jumper heat flow path from the switch to the main output terminal, the output-jumper heat flow path defining a minimum output-jumper path from the switch to the main output terminal along the output-jumper heat flow path,
wherein a minimum distance along the minimum output-jumper path from the switch to the main output terminal is greater than a minimum distance between the switch and the main output terminal.

14. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 13 , wherein the main output jumper includes a plurality of turns.

15. A solar combiner box comprising:
an enclosure defining an interior;
a plurality of fuse holders in the interior of the enclosure, each plurality of fuse holders including an output terminal;
a main output terminal in the interior of the enclosure; and
a busbar assembly connecting the plurality of fuse holders to the main output terminal, wherein the busbar assembly includes
a fuse holder busbar connected to the output terminals of the plurality of fuse holders,
a main output jumper connected to the main output terminal, and
an electrically controlled switch selectively connecting the fuse holder busbar and the main output jumper,

wherein the main output jumper defines a heat flow path from the electrically controlled switch to the main output terminal, the heat flow path defining a minimum path from the electrically controlled switch to the main output terminal along the heat flow path,
wherein a minimum distance along the minimum path from the electrically controlled switch to the main output terminal is greater than a minimum distance between the electrically controlled switch and the main output terminal.

16. The solar combiner box set forth in claim 15 , wherein the main output jumper includes a plurality of turns.

17. An electrical box comprising:
an enclosure defining an interior;
a first electrical component including an output terminal in the interior of the enclosure;
a second electrical component including an input terminal in the interior of the enclosure; and
a jumper connected to the output terminal of the first electrical component and the input terminal of the second electrical component,
wherein the jumper is an integrally formed one-piece component and defines a heat flow path between the first and second electrical components, the heat flow path defining a minimum path between the first and second electrical components along the heat flow path,
wherein a minimum distance along the minimum heat path between the first and second electrical components is greater than a minimum distance between first and second electrical components,

wherein the jumper includes a plurality of turns,
wherein the jumper comprises a busbar.

18. A solar combiner box comprising:
an enclosure defining an interior;
a plurality of fuse holders in the interior of the enclosure, each plurality of fuse holders including an output terminal;
a main output terminal in the interior of the enclosure; and
a busbar assembly connecting the plurality of fuse holders to the main output terminal, wherein the busbar assembly includes
a fuse holder busbar connected to the output terminals of the plurality of fuse holders,
a main output jumper connected to the main output terminal, and
a switch selectively connecting the fuse holder busbar and the main output jumper,

wherein the fuse holder busbar defines a heat flow path from the switch to the plurality of fuse holders, the heat flow path defining a minimum path from the switch to a nearest output terminal of anyone of the fuse holders along the heat flow path,
wherein a minimum distance along the minimum path from the switch to the nearest output terminal of the corresponding fuse holder is greater than a minimum distance between the switch and an output terminal of one of the fuse holders,
wherein the plurality of fuse holders are arranged in a fuse holder row having opposite first and second ends, wherein the switch is adjacent the first end of the fuse holder row, wherein the second end of the row is upstream of the first end of the fuse holder

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Ledgerwood Adam Douglas
• PERNOT Matthew Thomas
• Doroz Arkadiusz Oskar

Classifications

• H02S40/34

  comprising specially adapted electrical connection means to be structurally associated with the PV module, e.g. junction boxes · CPC title

• H02G3/16

  structurally associated with support for line-connecting terminals within the box · CPC title

• H01R31/00

  Coupling parts supported only by co-operation with counterpart · CPC title

• H01R4/34

  Conductive members located under head of screw · CPC title

• H02S50/00

  Monitoring or testing of PV systems, e.g. load balancing or fault identification · CPC title