Motor control center subunit having moveable line contacts and method of manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11342137-B2
Application number	US-202016946228-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2020
Priority date	Jul 26, 2006
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

A system and method for connecting supply power to motor control components includes use of a motor control center subunit with moveable supply power contacts. After a motor control center subunit is secured into a motor control center compartment, the supply power contacts may be advanced to engage supply power buses. For disconnection, the supply power contacts may be retracted and isolated from the buses before physical removal of the subunit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bucket removable from an enclosure defined within a motor control center, the bucket comprising:
a housing having a pair of side panels, a ceiling and a front panel;
an isolator assembly positioned at a rear surface of the housing;
an actuating mechanism disposed within the housing between the pair of side panels;
a stab assembly comprising at least one stab and coupled to the actuating mechanism; and
a latch coupled to the stab assembly and configured to extend above the ceiling in a latched position; and
wherein the actuating mechanism translates the at least one stab between a disengaged position and an engaged position independent of movement of the pair of side panels and the front panel of the housing; and

wherein the at least one stab is positioned within the housing in the disengaged position and extends through the isolator assembly to engage a power bus of the motor control center in the engaged position.

2. The bucket of claim 1 wherein the isolator assembly comprises a right angled shutter portion and a left angled shutter portion;
wherein the right angled shutter portion and the left angled shutter portion are arranged to meet one another when the at least one stab is in the disengaged position to electrically isolate the at least one stab from the power bus; and
wherein the right angled shutter portion and the left angled shutter portion separate apart from one another to permit the at least one stab to pass through the isolator assembly when the at least one stab is in the engaged position.

3. The bucket of claim 1 further comprising:
a shutter indicator visible from the front panel of the housing; and
a shutter indicating mechanism coupled between the isolator assembly and the shutter indicator;
wherein the shutter indicator displays whether the isolator assembly is in an electrically isolating position or an open position.

4. The bucket of claim 1 wherein the actuating mechanism comprises a rotary drive shaft.

5. The bucket of claim 1 further comprising at least one of:
a door interlock that locks the front panel of the housing in a closed position when the at least one stab is in the engaged position; and
a unit interlock that prevents insertion of the bucket into the motor control center when the at least one stab is in the engaged position.

6. The bucket of claim 1 further comprising:
a circuit breaker; and
a circuit breaker interlock that prevents movement of the at least one stab when the circuit breaker is in an ON position;
wherein the circuit breaker interlock comprises a plate having an opening therein that selectively aligns with an opening in the front panel to permit access to the actuating mechanism from outside the housing; and
wherein switching the circuit breaker from an OFF position to the ON position causes the plate to move into a position in which the opening in the front panel is not aligned with the opening in the plate.

7. A motor control center comprising:
a frame having a plurality of compartments defined therein; and
a bucket comprising:
a housing sized to be received within one of the plurality of compartments of the frame, the housing having a door positioned on a front surface thereof;

an actuating mechanism positioned between a pair of side panels of the housing;
at least one stab coupled to the actuating mechanism and moveable between a disengaged position wherein the at least one stab is within the housing and an engaged position wherein the at least one stab extends outside the bucket to engage a power bus of the motor control center;
an isolator assembly coupled to a rear surface of the housing between the pair of side panels and moveable between an open position and an electrically isolating position, wherein the at least one stab is electrically isolated from the power bus;
a door interlock that locks the door of the housing in a closed position when the at least one stab is in the engaged position; and
a rotatable crank coupled to the actuating mechanism to control movement thereof through an opening in the door;
wherein the at least one stab extends through an opening in the isolator assembly to engage the power bus when the isolator assembly is in the open position and at least one stab is in the engaged position; and
wherein the door and the pair of side panels of the housing remain stationary with respect to the frame during movement of the at least one stab between the disengaged position and the engaged position.

8. The motor control center of claim 7 wherein controlling the actuating mechanism to move the at least one stab from the disengaged position to the engaged position causes the isolator assembly to move from the electrically isolating position to the open position.

9. The motor control center of claim 7 further comprising:
a shutter indicating mechanism coupled to the isolator assembly; and
an indicator visible from the door of the housing;
wherein the indicator displays whether the isolator assembly is in the electrically isolating position or the open position.

10. The motor control center of claim 7 wherein a first portion of the isolator assembly meets a second portion of the isolator assembly in the electrically isolating position to electrically isolate the at least one stab from the power bus; and
wherein the first portion separates from the second portion to permit the at least one stab to pass through the isolator assembly in the open position.

11. The motor control center of claim 7 further comprising a unit interlock that engages a first surface of the frame to prevent retraction of the bucket from the motor control center when the at least one stab is in the engaged position;
wherein the unit interlock engages a second surface of the frame to prevent insertion of the bucket into the motor control center when the at least one stab is in the engaged position; and
wherein the unit interlock comprises a rotatable latch that extends outside the housing through an opening in a top panel of the housing to engage the first surface of the frame.

12. The motor control center of claim 7 further comprising:
a circuit breaker that electrically connects the power bus to motor control components within the housing; and
a circuit breaker interlock that prevents movement of the at least one stab when the circuit breaker is in an ON position.

13. The motor control center of claim 7 further comprising a latch coupled to the housing, the latch positioned to engage a surface of one of the plurality of compartments of the motor control center when the bucket is received therein.

14. A bucket removable from an enclosure defined within a motor control center, the bucket comprising:
a housing having a pair of side panels, a ceiling and a front panel;
an actuating mechanism disposed within the housing between the pair of side panels;
a stab assembly comprising at least one stab and coupled to the actuating mechanism; and
a latch coupled to the stab assembly and configured to extend above the ceiling in a latched position;
wherein the actuating mechanism translates the at least one stab between a disengaged position and an engaged position independent of movement of the pair of side panels and the front panel of the housing; and
wherein the at least one stab is positioned within the housing in the disengaged position to engage a power bus of the motor control center in the engaged position, and wherein the stab assembly automatically extends the latch to reside above the ceiling in the latched position when the at least one stab is in the engaged position.

15. The

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Yee Edgar
• Morris Robert A
• Mcpherren Scott E
• Rowe Neal Edward

Classifications

• H02B1/36 Primary

  with withdrawable units · CPC title

• H01H3/32

  Driving mechanisms, i.e. for transmitting driving force to the contacts (snap-action arrangements H01H5/00; introducing a predetermined time delay H01H7/00) · CPC title

• H01H19/00

  Switches operated by an operating part which is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof and which is acted upon directly by a solid body external to the switch, e.g. by a hand · CPC title

• H02B11/24

  Shutters or guards · CPC title

• H02B11/133

  with interlock · CPC title