Circuit breaker arrangements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017295672-A1
Application number	US-201615094351-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 8, 2016
Priority date	Apr 8, 2016
Publication date	Oct 12, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A circuit breaker arrangement includes a housing, a contact seated in the housing, and a lead in electrical communication with the at least one contact and disposed outside the housing. The circuit breaker arrangement includes a heat sink in thermal communication with the lead to transfer heat between the contact and the lead.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A circuit breaker arrangement, comprising:
a housing; at least one contact seated in the housing; at least one lead in electrical communication with the at least one contact and disposed outside of the housing; and a heat sink in thermal communication with the at least one lead.

2 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heat sink is separated from the housing by a gap.

3 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heat sink and the contact are in thermally communication through a thermal conduction path including the lead transfer heat between the contactor and the heat sink.

4 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , further including a lug attached to the contact and extending through the housing, the lead being attached to the lug outside the housing.

5 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heat sink comprises a sink body with fins and a slot, the slot being disposed on a side of the sink body opposite the fins.

6 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 5 , wherein the sink body is a first sink body, and further including a second sink body with a slot, wherein the second sink body is attached to the first sink body such that the slot of the sink body overlays the slot of the first sink body.

7 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 5 , wherein the lead is compressively seated within the slot of the sink body.

8 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 5 , wherein the fins are angled at about a 90-degree angle relative to the slot.

9 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the lead is an 8 AWG lead, wherein the circuit breaker arrangement is rated for at least 43 amps, and wherein thermal conduction path draws about 13 watts from an interior of the housing.

10 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the contact is connected to the heat sink through parallel legs of the thermal conduction path.

11 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , further including a breaker element disposed within the housing and movable between an engaged position and a disengaged position, the breaker element and contact being electrically connected in the engaged position.

12 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heat sink includes an electrically conductive material.

13 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the heat sink includes an electrically insulative material.

14 . A circuit breaker as recited in claim 1 , further comprising an electrical insulator separating the conductor from the heat sink.

15 . A circuit breaker arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the contact is first contact and further including a second contact seated within the housing, the second contact and the heat sink being thermally coupled through the thermal conduction path.

16 . An aircraft power distribution system, comprising:
a power bus; a power distribution panel with a circuit breaker arrangement electrically connected to the power bus, the circuit breaker arrangement including:
a housing mounted to the power distribution panel;
a first contact seated within the housing;
a first lead in electrical communication with the first contact;
a second contact seated within the housing;
a second lead in electrical communication with the second contact; and
a heat sink in thermal communication with the first lead and the second lead to transfer heat between the first contact and the second contact and the heat sink.

17 . An aircraft electrical system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the heat sink is disposed on a side of the housing opposite the power distribution panel.

18 . An aircraft power distribution system as recited in claim 16 , further including a breaker element disposed within the housing and movable between an engaged and disengaged positions, the breaker element being in electrical communication with the first contact and the second contact in the engaged position, wherein the first contact is in thermal communication with the heat sink through a first conduction path including the first lead and a second conduction path including the second lead when the breaker element is in the engaged position.

19 . A method of removing heat from a circuit breaker arrangement, comprising:
generating heat in a contactor of a circuit breaker arrangement; transferring the heat from the contractor to a lead in electrical communication with the contactor; and transferring the heat from the lead to a heat sink in thermal communication with the lead.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Pal Debabrata

Classifications

• B64D2221/00

  Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft · CPC title

• H01H1/62

  Heating or cooling of contacts · CPC title

• H01H2009/523

  by using heat pipes · CPC title

• H05K7/20409 Primary

  Outer radiating structures on heat dissipating housings, e.g. fins integrated with the housing · CPC title

• H01H83/20

  operated by excess current as well as by some other abnormal electrical condition · CPC title