Electronic circuit breaker with lockout mechanism integrated into electronic trip mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10930461-B2
Application number	US-201916289071-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2019
Priority date	Feb 28, 2019
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

An electronic circuit breaker comprises an electronic circuitry and a lockout mechanism configured to provide a safety feature. The lockout mechanism includes a trip rod placed along a longitudinal axis of the electronic circuit breaker. The trip rod has first and second ends. The lockout mechanism further includes a barrel mounted coaxially around the trip rod near the first end of the trip rod. The lockout mechanism further includes a moving arm mechanically coupled to the trip rod. The lockout mechanism further includes an electronic-powered magnet mounted coaxially on the trip rod near the second end being opposite of the first end of the trip rod. The lockout mechanism further includes an armature mechanically coupled to the trip rod. The barrel serves to block the moving arm and the trip rod is pushed by the electronic-powered magnet to interact with the barrel to remove a lockout such that the electronic-powered magnet is activated to push the trip rod to pull on the armature, causing the electronic circuit breaker to be tripped.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic circuit breaker comprising:
an electronic circuitry; and
a lockout mechanism configured to provide a safety feature in which the electronic circuit breaker is moved in a locked-out state so being locked from going into a turned ON state if the electronic circuitry inside the electronic circuit breaker is found not functional,
wherein the lockout mechanism including:
a trip rod placed along a longitudinal axis of the electronic circuit breaker, the trip rod having first and second ends,
a barrel mounted coaxially around the trip rod near the first end of the trip rod,
a moving arm mechanically coupled to the trip rod,
an electronic-powered magnet mounted coaxially on the trip rod near the second end being opposite of the first end of the trip rod, and
an armature mechanically coupled to the trip rod, wherein the barrel serves to block the moving arm and the trip rod is pushed by the electronic-powered magnet to interact with the barrel to remove a lockout such that the electronic-powered magnet is activated to push the trip rod to pull on the armature, causing the electronic circuit breaker to be tripped.

2. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 1 , wherein when the moving arm is rotated to turn ON the electronic circuit breaker, the moving arm is configured to push down on the barrel to rotate the same and then gets blocked by the barrel a first time such that the electronic circuit breaker is put into the locked-out state.

3. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to run a self-test such that after the self-test the electronic-powered magnet pushes the trip rod which in turn rotates the barrel further and when the barrel is rotated the moving arm passes through and gets stopped by the barrel for a second time.

4. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 3 , wherein when the electronic-powered magnet stops firing, the barrel and the trip rod reset to their original positions and the moving arm travels fully to close a circuit of the electronic circuit breaker.

5. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 4 , further comprising:
an electromagnet disposed near the first end of the trip rod such that when tripping either or both the electromagnet and the electronic-powered magnet push the trip rod to left, pulling on the armature in process to trip the electronic circuit breaker and the trip rod travels inside the barrel and when the electromagnet and the electronic-powered magnet stops firing the trip rod resets to its original position.

6. An electronic circuit breaker comprising:
a lockout mechanism including:
a trip rod placed along a longitudinal axis of the electronic circuit breaker, the trip rod having first and second ends and a cylinder tab;
a barrel mounted coaxially around the trip rod near the first end of the trip rod, wherein the barrel is a rotating component that includes a rotator tab, first and second stoppers on a side of the barrel, a lockout slot where the cylinder tab travels and a trip slot where the cylinder tab travels during a trip, wherein the cylinder tab on the trip rod travels in the lockout slot and the trip slot of the barrel;
a moving arm mechanically coupled to the trip rod and configured to move to connect and disconnect a circuit, wherein the moving arm including a pusher tab and a lockout tab, wherein the pusher tab on the moving arm pushes down the rotator tab on the barrel during a turn ON process so that the cylinder tab is sitting on the lockout slot, wherein the lockout tab on the moving arm gets blocked by the first stopper and the second stopper on the barrel during the turn ON process, wherein the first stopper locks out the electronic circuit breaker from turning ON by blocking the lockout tab, wherein the second stopper stops the lockout tab until the barrel and the trip rod resets, wherein the rotator tab on the barrel rotates the barrel when pushed by the pusher tab and wherein the lockout slot is a slot where the cylinder tab travels and as the cylinder tab travels the barrel rotates and the first stopper moves out of way of the moving arm thus removing a lockout;
an electronic-powered magnet mounted coaxially on the trip rod near the second end being opposite of the first end of the trip rod, wherein the electronic-powered magnet operates to push the trip rod to remove the lockout during the turn ON process and to trip the electronic circuit breaker when needed;
an electromagnet disposed near the first end of the trip rod, wherein the electromagnet operates to push the trip rod to trip the electronic circuit breaker when needed;
a cradle that latches on the armature for the electronic circuit breaker to be able to turn ON and trips when the armature is rotated during a trip process; and
an armature mechanically coupled to the trip rod, wherein the armature latches on the cradle and let's go of the cradle during the trip process when the trip rod pushes to rotate the armature,
wherein the lockout mechanism is configured to provide a safety feature in which the electronic circuit breaker is moved in a locked-out state so being locked from going into a turned ON state if an electronic circuitry inside the electronic circuit breaker is found not functional.

7. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 6 , wherein the barrel serves to block the moving arm and the trip rod is pushed by the electronic-powered magnet to interact with the barrel to remove a lockout such that the electronic-powered magnet is activated to push the trip rod to pull on the armature, causing the electronic circuit breaker to be tripped.

8. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 6 , wherein when the moving arm is rotated to turn ON the electronic circuit breaker, the moving arm is configured to push down on the barrel to rotate the same and then gets blocked by the barrel a first time such that the electronic circuit breaker is put into the locked-out state.

9. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 6 , wherein the electronic circuitry is configured to run a self-test such that after the self-test the electronic-powered magnet pushes the trip rod which in turn rotates the barrel further and when the barrel is rotated the moving arm passes through and gets stopped by the barrel for a second time.

10. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 9 , wherein when the electronic-powered magnet stops firing, the barrel and the trip rod reset to their original positions and the moving arm travels fully to close a circuit of the electronic circuit breaker.

11. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 10 , wherein when tripping either or both the electromagnet and the electronic-powered magnet push the trip rod to left, pulling on the armature in process to trip the electronic circuit breaker and the trip rod travels inside the barrel and when the electromagnet and the electronic-powered magnet stops firing the trip rod resets to its original position.

12. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 6 , further comprising:
a barrel reset spring configured to reset the barrel during the turn ON process when the moving arm is stopped at the second stopper.

13. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 6 , further comprising:
an armature reset spring configured to reset the armature.

14. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 6 , further comprising:
a trip rod reset spring configured to reset the trip rod during the turn ON process when the moving arm is stopped at the second stopper and after the electronic circuit breaker is tripped.

15. The electronic circuit breaker of claim 6 , wherein the trip slot is configur

Assignees

• Siemens Industry Inc

Inventors

• Kim Raiden Jay
• Yang Guang

Classifications

• H01H71/123

  using a solid-state trip unit (circuits H02H) · CPC title

• H01H71/505 Primary

  Latching devices between operating and release mechanism · CPC title

• H01H71/2454

  characterised by the magnetic circuit or active magnetic elements · CPC title

• H01H71/62

  with means for preventing resetting while abnormal condition persists, e.g. loose handle arrangement · CPC title

• H01H83/02

  operated by earth fault currents (H01H83/14 takes precedence) · CPC title