Bus Bars Patents (Class 174/70B)
  • Patent number: 6069321
    Abstract: A device for attaching busbars of square or rectangular cross section on a support rail using electrically non-conducting support elements, which can be connected with the support rail and form a busbar receptacle adapted to the cross section of the busbar. With a simple fastener, assembly is considerably simplified because two post-shaped supports per busbar can be attached as support elements on the support rail, wherein spacing between the supports is matched to the width of the busbar and a height is matched to the thickness of the busbar. A base plate is arranged between the two supports, which insulates the busbar receptacle against the support rail and which is captively held between the holders. The ends of the supports facing away from the support rail can be closed by a strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: Rittal-Werk Rudolf Loh GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Hans Wagener, Jurgen Zachrai
  • Patent number: 6061230
    Abstract: A panelboard/switchboard assembly for accommodating bolt-on modules, plug-in modules and lugs. The panelboard/switchboard includes vertical, edge forward bus bars having a plurality of openings formed therein. The edge forward alignment allows plug-in modules to be mounted to the bus bars. The openings in the bus bars receive bolts for mounting straps to the bus bars and for mounting lugs to the bus bars. The openings have a shape having at least one linear element and receive a bolt having an anti-rotation portion with a similar shape. The interference between the opening and the anti-rotation portion of the bolt prevents the straps, and the modules connected to the straps, from rotating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kevin D. Mazzella, Kevin F. Nolan, Rick A. Vonrotz, Thomas F. Vrnak, Melanie A. Lewis, Grady W. Broadnax, Jr., Robert R. Leclair, Robert B. Wallace, Jeremy Palmer, Hamon L. Craft
  • Patent number: 5982611
    Abstract: Angle members forming the vertically extending supply buses in a meter center have arcuate offsets so that flanges on the ends of horizontally extending tenant buses form tenant stab contacts which are vertically aligned with supply stab contacts on straight sections of the outwardly projecting flanges of the supply bus angle members. Meter socket assemblies have double ended fastenerless meter jaws one pair of which plug onto the supply bus stab contacts and another pair of which plug onto the tenant bus stab contacts, and into which the meters are plugged. The double ended fastenerless meter jaws are fabricated from a pair of elongated flat members having end sections bent back on and diverging from straight center sections, and terminal sections which extend toward each other from the end sections and converge slightly toward the center sections. Spring clips clamp the terminal sections of the pair of elongated members in compliant confronting relationship to form the double ended fastenerless meter jaws.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: James Monroe Campbell, Scot Eugene Remmert, Larry Joe Simpkins, Edward Hugh Lechleiter, Glen Clark Naugle
  • Patent number: 5949641
    Abstract: The neutral cross bus in a switchgear assembly formed from two sets of side-by-side cabinets includes first and second neutral buses for the respective sets of cabinets. Each neutral bus is made up of a stack of flat conductors oriented horizontally in a main section extending across the cabinets of the set and vertically in a terminal section confronting the terminal section of the other neutral bus. The vertically oriented terminal sections are easily bolted together despite their limited accessibility when the two sets of cabinets are installed side-by-side. The flat conductors of the neutral cross bus are supported in their horizontal main sections by spaced supports formed by planar members with spaced horizontal slots set on edge and mounted by end flanges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Steven Dale Walker, William Edward Wilkie, II
  • Patent number: 5936201
    Abstract: A compact electrical bus includes an axially elongated conduit, an axially elongated insulator within the conduit and spaced apart axially elongated electrical conductors lying along the insulator for carrying electrical power. Optionally, fiber optic cables may be axially routed through the conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: SPD Technologies Inc.
    Inventor: John I. Ykema
  • Patent number: 5866850
    Abstract: A layered construction of busbars and insulating plates wherein the lower surfaces of the busbars on the lower surface of the upper insulating plate are opposed to and spaced apart from the upper surfaces of the busbars on the upper surface of the lower insulating plate by a specified distance T. Clearance providing ribs project from the lower surface of the upper insulating plate and the upper surface of the lower insulating plate and are in contact with the surfaces of the busbars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1999
    Assignee: Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Makoto Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 5847321
    Abstract: A busbar device with an insulating support block with two assemblable fixing parts bounding internal housings to receive multipole current conductors, each housing being formed by a semi-open recess. The bottoms of the recesses are located in distinct planes extending in a parallel manner along the longitudinal direction of the profiled sections, and separated from one another by a predetermined transverse pitch, and the profiled sections of the current conductors are staggered at regular intervals in the extension direction of the assembly interface of the fixing parts to form a stepped structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 8, 1998
    Assignee: Schneider Electric SA
    Inventors: Pierre Carle, Philippe Gerbier, Pierre Vigne-Salade
  • Patent number: 5422440
    Abstract: A low inductance bus bar arrangement suitable for industrial voltage levels, and for power applications contains two or more elongate electrical conducting bars having rounded edges. Strips of dielectric insulating material are located between two of the elongate electrical conducting bars. The conducting bars are oriented in substantially parallel relationship to one another with the dielectric insulating material having a height of the cross-section thereof substantially greater than the height of the cross-section of the conducting bars. The bus bar arrangement also provides low inductance to the connecting devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1995
    Assignee: REM Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Rudolfo Palma
  • Patent number: 5420749
    Abstract: In an improved panel interior assembly of the type in which elongated bus bars are snap-fit into an insulating support structure a plurality of integrally molded pins are attached to the insulating support structure positioned to extend through holes in a pan to which the insulating support structure is to be attached. These pins are ultrasonically staked to securely hold the insulating support structure and bus bars attached thereto on the pan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Donald F. Gehrs, Louis L. Runge
  • Patent number: 5401906
    Abstract: This present invention provides an inexpensive and easily installed supplementary joint cover system for preventing dripping or splashing water from entering the joint between two adjacent sections of electrical busway. Each busway section includes a housing having an enclosure for surrounding and protecting a plurality of electrical conductors. A pair of housing sides are attached to and spaced apart by the enclosure such that two generally U-shaped troughs are formed. The joint cover system includes four dam assemblies, four sealing strips, two cover plates, two inspection hole plugs, and two connecting channels. Each of the two adjacent busway sections requires two dam assemblies to seal the busway housing at the joint. The dam assemblies form a water resistant block in the troughs formed by the busway housing. The sealing strips are placed across the dam assemblies and provide a seal for the cover plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: Square D Company
    Inventor: Aubrey Bryant
  • Patent number: 5375036
    Abstract: A circuit breaker has a line terminal comprising a pair of vertically spaced resilient terminal strips which extend in the transverse horizontal direction out from the breaker's housing to free ends of the strips, and which strips have formed therein near those ends respective bends disposed opposite each other and vertically projecting away from each other to bound opposite sides of a circular cylindrical cavity defined between those strips. A horizontal rail for conducting current is aligned in its lengthwise direction normal to those strips, and the rail has a flange received in the cavity in electromechanical contact with the strips, and also, a web extending in the transverse horizontal direction from the front flange out beyond the terminal to a rear flange for the rail. The shape, size and mass of the rail promote reduction of the temperature generated at the line terminal by the inrush of current carried by the rail in the presence of a short circuit in the load served by the breaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventor: Jose L. Magdaleno
  • Patent number: 5340945
    Abstract: In an improved panel interior assembly of the type in which elongated bus bars are snap-fit into an insulating support structure a plurality of integrally molded pins are attached to the insulating support structure positioned to extend through holes in a pan to which the insulating support structure is to be attached. These pins are ultrasonically staked to securely hold the insulating support structure and bus bars attached thereto on the pan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Donald F. Gehrs, Louis L. Runge
  • Patent number: 5319356
    Abstract: An apparatus for surveillance of bus-bar temperature. At least one insulative holder made of ceramics or a like high heat conductive material holds a bus-bar. A thermistor or a like temperature sensor contacts the insulative holder and a control device remote from the bus-bar compares an output signal of the temperature sensor with a predetermined reference value, or data of a characteristic curve, thereby judging whether or not an abnormal temperature rise occurs or will occur in near future.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1992
    Date of Patent: June 7, 1994
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeo Yoshino
  • Patent number: 5206461
    Abstract: An arrangement for connecting aligned sections of a bus bar includes connecting pieces of approximately rectangular basic shape. Crown-rounded contact surfaces are provided at the ends of the connecting pieces to rest on the narrow sides of the rectangular profile of the bus bars. Two contact surfaces flanked by elevations are provided on one of the sides of the connecting piece, while two pairs of contact surfaces are provided on the opposite side. To connect the sections of single bus bars, the connecting pieces are used in such a manner that the sections are flanked by the elevations, while to connect double bus bars the reversed position is provided, in which elevations between the pairs of contact surfaces are situated between the parallel sections of the bus bar set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1993
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rolf-Gunter Genzel, Karl-Josef Zeimetz
  • Patent number: 5183971
    Abstract: A protective casing for preventing any accidental introduction of metal parts into a column containing an array of electric distribution busbars is made up of two identical insulating half-casings (3) coupled together by interengagement of external engagement regions (18A, 20A, 22A, 24A) and of internal engagement regions (18B, 20B, 22B, 24B) up to a mutual coupling position which is variable according to the dimension of the busbars. The busbars are inserted in housings (29, 30) and pass through recesses (9A, 11A, 11B, 9B, 13) in the lateral walls of the casing. Fixing bolts extending between the busbars are surrounded by insulating sleeves (21) formed by interpenetrating outer and inner tongues (23 and 25) separated by slits (36). The sleeves (21) are made integral with the half-casings by molding of plastic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1993
    Assignee: Telemecanique
    Inventors: Jean Lafosse, Paul Milliere
  • Patent number: 5181165
    Abstract: In an improved panel interior assembly of the type in which elongated bus bars are snap-fit into an insulating support structure a plurality of integrally molded pins are attached to the insulating support structure positioned to extend through holes in a pan to which the insulating support structure is to be attached. These pins are ultrasonically staked to securely hold the insulating support structure and bus bars attached thereto on the pan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Donald F. Gehrs, Louis L. Runge
  • Patent number: 5173572
    Abstract: An isolated phase busbar installation has a closed circulatory cooling system in which a deionization device is interconnected between the tubular enclosures of two isolated phase busbars of the installation between which air is caused to flow. The deionization device comprises an open-ended metal tubular housing which is connected to earth and which has, extending transversely across the bore and dividing the bore throughout its length into a plurality of passages, a plurality of mutually spaced metal sheets. Each metal sheet has a plurality of transversely extending convolutions at spaced positions along the length of the housing so that each passage follows an undulating path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1992
    Assignee: BICC Public Ltd. Company
    Inventor: Antony D. Martin
  • Patent number: 5162616
    Abstract: A bus bar assembly including an elongated insulative base member and a plurality of modular insulative unit pieces attached to the base member and having contact receiving openings, conductive bus bars in an enclosed region defined by the base member and unit pieces, contact pins of the bus bar extending upward into insulative tubular members extending downward from and centered within the openings, insulative fins supporting the bus bars above a bottom wall of the base member, an insulative divider wall between adjacent bus bars extending upward from the bottom wall, mounting holes in the upper and lower walls, and an insulative shield between the region between mounting holes and the bus bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1992
    Assignee: Precision Connector Designs, Inc.
    Inventors: John D. Swaffield, Kurt C. Hetzel
  • Patent number: 5101080
    Abstract: A busbar is provided for current distribution systems such as busbar trunking systems, switchgear and the like. The busbar has a C-shaped cross section and walls which are not uniform in thickness. The walls which lie closest to one another in adjacently mounted busbars have a thickness which is greater than the thickness of the walls which lie parallel to the mounting surface onto which the busbars are mounted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1992
    Assignee: Klockner-Moeller Elektrizitats-GmbH
    Inventor: Boros Ferenc
  • Patent number: 4945188
    Abstract: A bus bar and duct combination as is disclosed comprising a plurality of bus bars encased and held, at a central part between end joint parts of the bus bars, within a metal duct such that the bus bars, the duct and electrical insulation members are in intimate contact to provide heat transfer from the bus bars to the duct by way of conduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1989
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1990
    Assignee: Cableware Pty. Ltd.
    Inventor: Raymond T. Jackson
  • Patent number: 4245874
    Abstract: A flexible connector assembly for coupling, both mechanically and electrically, sections of electrical distribution track in a track lighting system includes first and second connector segments each having at a first end, a plug-in type tapping mechanism for joining the segments mechanically and electrically to sections of electrical distribution track. A flexible and expandible member formed of a pair of conductive, coiled, wire elements concentrically wrapped in opposite directions with respect to each other, is joined at opposite ends at the second ends, respectively, of the connector segments. The coiled wire elements define a tubular passageway for electrical conductors coupling the connector segments electrically and the member itself provides a ground connection between the connector segments and corresponding track sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1981
    Assignee: McGraw-Edison
    Inventor: Walter F. Bishop
  • Patent number: 4242718
    Abstract: A control center for distributing electric power from a power supply source to power consuming devices characterized by a plurality of parallel bus bars covered on each side with dielectric barriers in surface-to-surface contact with the bus bars, the barriers comprising a plurality of sheet-like barrier members in end-to-end abutment which members include cooperating first interfitting portion and extending between each pair of adjacent bus bars, the abutting ends of the barriers having cooperating second interfitting end portions to provide a labyrinth-like structure between adjacent bus bars to maintain insulating and isolating properties between adjacent bus bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1979
    Date of Patent: December 30, 1980
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: Sadiq A. Shariff, John R. Wilson, Brij M. Bharteey, Neal E. Rowe
  • Patent number: 4093970
    Abstract: In a circuit breaker load center there is provided a main lug assembly constructed for interchangeable installation with a main circuit breaker. The lug assembly comprises an insulative mounting block to which are secured a pair of conductive straps in closely spaced parallel relation. An upstanding barrier wall integral with the block provides electrical isolation between the straps, as well as between wire connector lugs affixed in electrical connection to one end portion of each strap. The block is notched to expose the other terminal end portion of each strap for electrical connection to terminal ends of the load center busbars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1976
    Date of Patent: June 6, 1978
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Andre J. M'Sadoques, Robert J. Sabatella
  • Patent number: 4079439
    Abstract: This invention relates to a distribution panelboard such as might be used for electrical service entrances. The panelboard differs from prior art designs in that the neutral rail which is generally found in previous designs at the top or bottom of the panelboard is located on each side of the panelboard. In this manner it serves to conduct the neutral currents to the neutral load and at the same time functions to anchor one end of a distribution circuit breaker thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1976
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1978
    Assignee: Westinghouse Canada Limited
    Inventors: Sidney J. Coles, John G. Bednar
  • Patent number: 4041358
    Abstract: A meter panel is formed from one or more meter modules, each of which has a plurality of horizontal line buses extending therethrough with the ends of the line buses being connectable to corresponding line buses in an adjacent meter module. Each meter module comprises an enclosure and a meter section removably mounted into an opening in the front face of the enclosure. The meter section has a plurality of vertical buses which are electrically connectable to horizontal line buses. The meter section has meter sockets therein with each socket having a plurality of electrical contacts into which meters may be plugged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1975
    Date of Patent: August 9, 1977
    Assignee: Sola Basic Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Donahue, Kenneth M. Hall, Arthur J. Worth
  • Patent number: 4017675
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for forming a joint in a high voltage gas insulated electrical system wherein an outer spherical joint member surrounds an inner spherical joint member which is supported from only one of the inner housing conductors. The inner housing conductor which supports the inner sphere is supported where it extends into the outer housing sphere from a circular insulating member. The circulating insulating spacer and support is rigidly connected to a flanged opening formed on the outer housing sphere. The inner sphere which is rigidly supported is provided with a plurality of sliding contact openings for engaging other inner conductors of the additional bus sections to be joined. The outer spherical housing is formed from two hemispheres each of which has an opening formed therein. The plane defined by the opening into the hemisphere is transverse to the plane defined by the free ends of the hemisphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1975
    Date of Patent: April 12, 1977
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Melvyn D. Hopkins, Charles B. Wolf
  • Patent number: RE36773
    Abstract: Routing density of a wiring substrate (10) is increased by providing a nested plating bus (18) as a supplement to an external plating bus (16). A first group of conductive traces (14) is connected to the nested plating bus, while another group of traces is connected to the external plating bus. After the conductive elements are plated, the nested plating bus is removed by etching, milling, or stamping techniques. Use of a nested plating bus increases I/O count for a given substrate area and/or reduces the need to have routing on more than one layer of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Victor K. Nomi, John R. Pastore, Twila J. Reeves