The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the art of circuit breakers and, more particularly, to a circuit breaker assembly including a circuit breaker connector for joining a circuit breaker cassette to a circuit breaker housing.
Electrical circuits often times include a circuit breaker to protect electrical conductors from undesirable circuit conditions. For example, circuit breakers may be employed to protect conductors from an over-current condition. Without a circuit breaker, conductors could be exposed to current levels that exceed design parameters. Circuit breakers typically include a switch mechanism that may be operated manually, or in the event of an undesirable circuit condition, automatically. Circuit breakers include single phase models, designed to protect a single conductor, and multi-phase models, designed to protect multiple conductors.
In a multi-phase model, an undesirable circuit condition experience in any one phase results in an activation that opens a circuit for each phase. More specifically, multi-phase circuit breakers may include a plurality of inter-connected cassettes that are mounted in a housing. Activation of a switch mechanism in any one of the plurality of inter-connected cassettes results in an activation of the switch mechanism in each cassette. Traditionally, the inter-connected cassettes are joined to the housing through electrically conductive mechanical fasteners. Of course, it should be understood that a single cassette may also be installed in the housing in a similar manner. In the event of a fault condition, an electrical conductive mechanical fastener could serve as an undesirable pathway to ground.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds