Module for use with a miniature circuit breaker

Details Module for use with a miniature circuit breaker Module for use with a miniature circuit breaker

1997-04-09

1998-11-24

Gaffin, Jeffrey A.

Electricity: electrical systems and devices

Safety and protection of systems and devices

With specific current responsive fault sensor

361 92, 361636, 361731, 335 18, 335 20, H02H 300

Patent

active

058416161

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a module for use with a miniature circuit breaker.


BACKGROUND ART

Circuit breakers are electrical switching devices, which may be manually operable, for protecting and controlling the electricity supply to respective electrical circuits in for example a building. The term miniature circuit breaker is abbreviated hereinafter as MCB and is herein intended to mean an electrical circuit breaker the dimensions of which satisfy DIN standard 43880, and circuit breakers of a similar shape and size which are designed so as to be interchangeable with circuit breakers satisfying DIN standard 43880. Usually circuit breakers of a building are grouped together on a distribution board or in an enclosure which may take the form of a consumer unit housing a mounting arrangement and electrical connectors or bus bars associated with the circuit breakers. The grouping of the contact breakers is customarily one or more rectilinear arrays where the contact breakers are positioned side-by-side and thus space lengthways of the array is at a premium. The invention is thus advantageous in relation to many forms of contact breaker but may best be appreciated and understood in relation to MCBs.
MCBs are commonly used in the UK in the electrical consumer units of domestic dwellings and small industrial premises to protect and control the electrical supply to respective electrical circuits of the building. Conveniently MCBs have a re-entrant recess in their rear surface arranged to allow them to be fitted onto a mounting rail provided within the consumer unit or the like. The end faces of the MCB are provided with terminals arranged to receive bus bars or leads to connect the MCB in the respective electrical circuit. MCBs include a manually operable lever often in conjunction with an automatic trip mechanism for operating the contacts of the MCB to break the supply to the respective circuit of the building under particular circumstances. Commonly the trip mechanisms are arranged to switch off the supply if the current flowing through the MCB to the respective circuit remains above a predetermined level for a prolonged period of time or if there is a sudden increase in the current demand.
It is often desirable to provide further functions associated with MCBs, for example residual current safety devices arranged to monitor the residual current level and/or switch off the supply if the residual current exceeds a predetermined limit, remote shunt devices arranged to switch off the supply in response to a remote signal, and over- or under-voltage release devices arranged to switch off the supply when the voltage exceeds or falls below a predetermined level. The provision of such further functions has, in the past, involved the use of wider MCB housings and/or additional DIN standard components which has the disadvantage of taking up space alongside the MCBs, along the mounting rail or the like and so occupying space in the consumer unit or the like which may be needed for additional MCBs associated with other circuits provided within the building, and it is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate this problem.


DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a module for use with a miniature circuit breaker of the kind intended to be mounted in side-by-side relationship with other circuit breakers, the module being arranged to be mounted upon an end of the housing of the miniature circuit breaker and to perform a monitoring and/or control function associated with the miniature circuit breaker or the circuit controlled thereby in use.
The module is preferably provided with means arranged to cooperate with the circuit breaker housing to mount the module on said housing in a snap-fit manner.
Preferably the snap-fit mounting is non-releasable.
The circuit breaker generally will be an active circuit breaker of the type arranged to break the circuit on detection of a current exceeding a predetermined level, but may in some instances be simply

REFERENCES:
patent: 3812400 (1974-05-01), Gryctko et al.
patent: 4608546 (1986-08-01), Westermeyer
patent: 4686600 (1987-08-01), Morris et al.
patent: 5657193 (1997-08-01), Purkayastha

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