Patents by Inventor Henri Duffour

Henri Duffour has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7518477
    Abstract: The electromechanical circuit breaker is intended to establish and break the current in a main circuit (3, 4) and comprises a fixed contact element (5) and a moving contact element (6) which in a first position are in electrical contact with each other for carrying the current of the main circuit (3, 4). Said moving contact element (6) is adapted to be displaced to a second position in which it is separated from the fixed contact element (5) so that the current in the main circuit is cut off. The circuit breaker is provided with a blow-out device (2) comprising a magnetising coil (8) traversed by a magnetising current for producing a magnetic field (26) adapted to drive an arc generated by the separation of said two contact elements (5, 6) into an arc extinction means. The blow-out device (2) comprises electrodes (12) electrically connected to the magnetising coil (8) and adapted to cooperate with said arc in such a manner that the latter generates said magnetising current in the magnetising coil (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Secheron S.A.
    Inventors: Serge Martin, Henri Duffour, Raphaƫl Kissling, Bjorn Fischer
  • Publication number: 20080197113
    Abstract: The electromechanical circuit breaker is intended to establish and break the current in a main circuit (3, 4) and comprises a fixed contact element (5) and a moving contact element (6) which in a first position are in electrical contact with each other for carrying the current of the main circuit (3, 4). Said moving contact element (6) is adapted to be displaced to a second position in which it is separated from the fixed contact element (5) so that the current in the main circuit is cut off. The circuit breaker is provided with a blow-out device (2) comprising a magnetising coil (8) traversed by a magnetising current for producing a magnetic field (26) adapted to drive an arc generated by the separation of said two contact elements (5, 6) into an arc extinction means. The blow-out device (2) comprises electrodes (12) electrically connected to the magnetising coil (8) and adapted to cooperate with said arc in such a manner that the latter generates said magnetising current in the magnetising coil (8).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2006
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: SECHERON SA
    Inventors: Serge Martin, Henri Duffour, Raphael Kissling, Bjorn Fischer
  • Patent number: 6760202
    Abstract: An electrical coil module of planar type manufactured by printed circuit techniques on a generally flat substrate (21) has a first layout (20) of conducing material constituting a first electrical conductor having an input terminal (23), arranged on one side of the substrate (21). A second layout (20′) of conducting material constituting a second electrical conductor having an output terminal (24), is arranged on the opposite side of the substrate. The first and second conductors are connected by an electrical connection (22) through the substrate (21), so that an electrical voltage connected between the input and output terminals of the coil module will drive a current from one terminal through the conductor on one side of the substrate via connection (22) through the substrate and the conductor on the other side of the substrate to the other terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2004
    Inventors: Jean-Marc Meyer, Henri Duffour, Serge Martin
  • Patent number: 5543598
    Abstract: A switch has a vacuum interrupter and a switch housing which holds the vacuum interrupter between two supply terminals. The vacuum interrupter contains a tubularly constructed, evacuated housing with a fixed contact member and movable contact member. A movable contact carrier of the movable contact member is guided out of the housing in a vacuum-tight manner by a bellows and is held on the housing axis by a slideway. The slideway has a bushing which is detachably mounted on a flange of the housing. The bushing has an axially aligned guide groove situated on an inner surface. A guide element held on the sliding body of the movable contact carrier is guided in this guide groove. The switch prevents undesired axial, radial and torsional acting forces from damaging the bellows, and therefore, ensures the vacuum-tightness of the vacuum interrupter is maintained during manufacturing assembly and operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1996
    Assignee: Secheron S.A.
    Inventors: Henri Duffour, Philippe Goerend, Dominique Loutan
  • Patent number: 5298702
    Abstract: The pressure medium drive is provided for opening and closing the contacts (e.sub.1, e.sub.2) of an electric circuit-breaker. It contains a pressure medium reservoir (r), a drive piston (t) which slides in a drive cylinder (c) and acts on a mechanism (j) for displacing a movable contact (e.sub.1) of the circuit-breaker, and a reversing valve (s) for the selective connection of the pressure medium reservoir (r) to the drive cylinder (c) or of the drive cylinder (c) to an outlet volume for the pressure medium.This pressure medium drive is of simple, inexpensive construction and can open the contacts of the circuit-breaker considerably faster than it can close them.This is due to an interposed valve (v) which is disposed between the pressure medium reservoir (r) and the reversing valve (s) and has a flow cross section determined by the closing time of the contacts (e.sub.1, e.sub.2), and to the much larger flow cross section of the reversing valve (s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: Secheron SA
    Inventors: Henri Duffour, Philippe Goerend, Dominique Loutan
  • Patent number: 4877928
    Abstract: A release mechanism for a high speed circuit breaker comprises a roller rotatably supported on an axle in a mobile contact bridge. A jack is acting in the circuit closing direction on the roller, and the frontal side of the jack is in the form of a slide. The force of a disconnecting spring acts on the contact bridge in a disconnecting direction. The release mechanism to be provided with the connected contact bridge is capable of very rapid release, so that high short circuit currents may be interrupted very rapidly. This is obtained by the slide having a configuration such that in the connected state of the contact bridge the frictional forces acting on the roller are compensated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 31, 1989
    Assignee: BBC Brown Boveri Ltd.
    Inventors: Henri Duffour, Serge Martin, Ernst Studer