Automatic reclosing circuit breaker

• Main Authors: EVERETT J. FIELD, EUGENE GORIN, ARTHUR S. CASWELL
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 12.11.1969
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BOARDS, SUBSTATIONS, OR SWITCHING ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE SUPPLYOR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; ELECTRIC SWITCHES; ELECTRICITY; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES; GENERATION; RELAYS; SELECTORS

1,169,997. Automatic circuit breakers. I-T-E CIRCUIT BREAKER CO. 4 April, 1967 [25 July, 1966], No. 15271/67. Heading H1N. An automatic reclosing circuit breaker employs vacuum switches 55 to break the circuit. The switches 55 are suspended by bushings 29, 291 from a plate 24 carried by frames 22, 23 on a horizontal metal partition 21 carried at the top of a vertical column 17. The switches are enclosed by a hood 24b of polyetser resin bonded glass fibre which seats in a groove in a sealing ring 20 surrounding partition 21. Operating mechanism 200 located below the partition 21 is enclosed by a second insulating hood 24f. The mechanism 200 includes a closing spring (not shown) extended by a motor and latched. To close the switches the latch is released and the spring acts upon a cam (164) (Fig. 4, not shown) to pivot a lever 102 anticlockwise to close the switches and extend opening springs (120-122 and 107, Figs. 3-4, not shown). The mechanism is latched closed; the closing springs are automatically recharged by the motor as soon as they have been released. During closing a blade spring (158) is deformed applying a force to the armature of a permanent magnet holding device (182) (Figs. 4-46, not shown). On overload current transformers 185 energize a coil so as to release the armature under the bias of the spring (158). This releases the closing latch allowing springs (107, 120-122) to open the switches. The recharged closing spring is made to reclose the switches after a delay by an electronic control unit 190 (not described) providing for a limited number of reclosures. Each operation of the switches moves a counter 155. The mechanism 200 is provided with a damper (133, Fig. 4, not shown). The movable contacts of the switches are connected to terminals 31a, 31a1 through links 75 and a frame 67 the arrangement being such that electrodynamic forces increase the contact pressure. The terminals may be fitted with threaded or cable grip connectors (Figs. 6b, 6c respectively not shown).