Circuit breaker with interference fit socket

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9984845-B2
Application number	US-201715591342-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2017
Priority date	May 11, 2016
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A circuit breaker includes a housing, separable contacts, a trip mechanism, a first terminal, a second terminal, a first press fit connector, a second press fit connector, a first socket, and a second socket. The first terminal is electrically connected with a first contact of the separable contacts and includes a first base section disposed outwardly from the housing. The second terminal is electrically connected with a second contact and includes a second base section disposed outwardly from the housing. The first press fit connector is attached to the first base section via a first press fit. The second press fit connector is attached to the second base section via a second press fit. The first socket is attached to the first press fit connector. The second socket is attached to the second press fit connector.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A circuit breaker comprising:
a housing;
separable contacts received in the housing including a first contact and a second contact, at least one of the first contact and the second contact being movable with respect to the other of the first contact and the second contact to open and close the separable contacts;
a trip mechanism operatively connected with at least one of the first and second contacts to selectively open the separable contacts;
a first terminal electrically connected with the first contact and including a first base section disposed outwardly from the housing;
a second terminal electrically connected with the second contact including a second base section disposed outwardly from the housing;
a first press fit connector attached to and electrically with connected with the first base section via a first press fit;
a second press fit connector attached to and electrically with connected with the second base section via a second press fit;
a first socket attached to and electrically connected with the first press fit connector, the first socket including a first pin receiving passage configured to receive a pin located on an associated bus structure; and
a second socket attached to and electrically connected with the second press fit connector, the second socket including a second pin receiving passage configured to receive another pin located on the associated bus structure.

2. The circuit breaker of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal includes a first hole extending through the first base section, wherein the second terminal includes a second hole extending through the second base section, wherein the first press fit connector is received in the first hole, wherein the second press fit connector is received in the second hole.

3. The circuit breaker of claim 2 , wherein the first hole defines a first hole axis and the first pin receiving passage defines a first socket axis that is parallel with the first hole axis.

4. The circuit breaker of claim 3 , wherein the second hole defines a second hole axis and the second pin receiving passage defines a second socket axis that is parallel with the second hole axis.

5. The circuit breaker of claim 4 , wherein the first hole axis is parallel to the second hole axis.

6. The circuit breaker of claim 4 , wherein the first hole axis is coaxial with the first socket axis and the second hole axis is coaxial with the second socket axis.

7. The circuit breaker of claim 2 , further comprising a manual actuator that translates along an actuator axis, wherein each first and second hole defines a respective hole axis, and each hole axis is parallel with the actuator axis.

8. The circuit breaker of claim 2 , wherein each press fit connector is a shaft including a terminal connecting portion having a first outer diameter, which is greater than an inner diameter of the hole in the base section of the respective terminal in which the terminal connecting portion is received.

9. The circuit breaker of claim 8 , wherein each press fit connector includes a shoulder portion having a second outer diameter, which is greater than the first outer diameter.

10. The circuit breaker of claim 9 , wherein the shoulder portion contacts the base section of the respective terminal in which the terminal connecting portion is received.

11. The circuit breaker of claim 10 , wherein each press fit connector includes a socket connecting portion having a third outer diameter, wherein the shoulder portion is positioned between the terminal connecting portion and the socket connecting portion.

12. The circuit breaker of claim 11 , wherein each socket includes a press fit connector receiving passage, which has an inner diameter smaller than the third diameter, wherein each press fit connector is received in a respective press fit connector receiving passage.

13. The circuit breaker of claim 12 , wherein each socket includes an upper end wall that contacts the shoulder of the respective press fit connector when the press fit connector is received in the respective press fit connector receiving passage.

14. A method of assembling a circuit breaker, the method comprising:
placing separable contacts in a housing;
connecting a first terminal with a first contact of the separable contacts;
connecting a second terminal with a second contact of the separable contacts;
press fitting a first press fit connector with a portion of the first terminal extending from the housing;
press fitting a second press fit connector with a portion of the second terminal extending from the housing;
attaching a first socket to the first press fit connector, the first socket including a first pin receiving passage configured to receive a pin located on an associated bus structure; and
attaching a second socket to the second press fit connector, the second socket including a second pin receiving passage configured to receive another pin located on the associated bus structure.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein press fitting the first press fit connector includes pressing the first press fit connector so as to translate the first press fit connector along a first connection axis,
wherein press fitting the second press fit connector includes pressing the second press fit connector so as to translate the second press fit connector along a second connection axis, which is parallel to the first connection axis.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein attaching the first socket to the first press fit connector includes press fitting the first socket to the first press fit connector by translating the first socket parallel with the first connection axis with respect to the first press fit connector;
wherein attaching the second socket to the second press fit connector includes press fitting the second socket to the second press fit connector by translating the second socket parallel with the second connection axis with respect to the second press fit connector.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein attaching the first socket to the first press fit connector includes press fitting the first socket to the first press fit connector;
wherein attaching the second socket to the second press fit connector includes press fitting the second socket to the second press fit connector.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein press fitting the first socket to the first press fit connector includes inserting a first socket connecting portion of the first press fit connector having an outer diameter into a first press fit connector receiving passage having an inner diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the first socket connecting portion;
wherein press fitting the second socket to the second press fit connector includes inserting a second socket connecting portion of the second press fit connector having an outer diameter into a second press fit connector receiving passage having an inner diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the second socket connecting portion.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein press fitting the first press fit connector includes inserting a first terminal connecting portion having a first outer diameter into a first hole having a first inner diameter, which is smaller than the first outer diameter, and is provided in the first terminal; and
wherein press fitting the second press fit connector includes inserting a second terminal connecting portion having a second outer diameter into a second hole having a second inner diameter, which is smaller than the second outer diameter, and

Assignees

• Safran Electrical & Power

Inventors

• Clay Justin M
• Mccormick James Michael
• Nerstrom Peter

Classifications

• H01H69/00

  Apparatus or processes for the manufacture of emergency protective devices · CPC title

• H01R25/162

  Electrical connections between or with rails or bus-bars (rails having primarily a non electrical function H01R4/64) · CPC title

• H01H2071/086

  Low power connections for auxiliary switches, e.g. shunt trip · CPC title

• H01R13/10

  Sockets for co-operation with pins or blades · CPC title

• H02B1/056

  Mounting on plugboards · CPC title