DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to motor starters. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a dual spark protection mechanism for the motor starter.

BACKGROUND

Typically, when a motor starter is switched ON, electrical contacts provided within the motor starter are activated. The electrical contacts close to allow a current to flow to a motor. When the electrical contacts are closed, a connection between two conductive surfaces, such as metal rivets, is formed. In some cases, when the contacts come into contact with each other, there may be some initial arcing that occurs due to a sudden electrical discharge that happens as the electrical contacts touch. The arcing can create high temperatures and ionize air surrounding the electrical contacts.

As the current continues to flow through the motor starter, additional arcs may be created due to the connection and disconnection of the electrical contacts. The arcs can cause erosion of contact surfaces and produce small particles of material, such as metal oxides, that become airborne and are referred to as "arc residue" or "arc byproducts". The arc residue can collect on nearby surfaces, including an inside of the motor starter, where the arc residue can build up over time and form a layer of ash or soot.

An accumulation of the ash inside the motor starter can cause several problems such as the ash may interfere with the functioning of the motor starter by reducing the conductivity of the contact surfaces, leading to increased resistance and higher temperatures which eventually results in overheating and damage to the motor starter over time.

Additionally, the accumulation of ash can create an insulating layer between the electrical contacts which can increase the likelihood of arcing and electrical discharge, which can lead to more frequent failures of the motor starter and reduced overall reliability.

Traditional motor starters do not have specific mechanisms to protect internal components from getting affected due to arcing. Also, the traditional motor starters do not have mechanisms for preventing ash buildup.

Hence, in view of the above, a motor starter having a spark protection mechanism that can overcome one or more problems associated with the traditional motor starter, is therefore desirable.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

The present disclosure aims to provide a motor starter that includes two separate spark protection mechanism that prevents sparks and electrical arcs from damaging the motor starter. A first layer of protection is a spark shielding element that prevents carbon deposits from spreading to different components of the motor starter. A second layer of protection is an inner rocker element that provides additional protection from the electrical arcs. The present disclosure provides a safer and more reliable way to operate the motor starter in various applications.

By providing two separate spark protection mechanisms, the motor starter is more resilient to failures or malfunctions. If one mechanism were to fail or become damaged, the other mechanism would still be in place to provide protection. This also significantly reduces the risk of damage or injury due to electrical arcs. Advantageously, the inner rocker and the spark shield element aids in increasing the life span of the motor starter and components of the motor starter.

To further clarify the advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1a illustrates a motor starter and components of the motor starter, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

Figure 1b illustrates a side view of the motor starter, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, a plurality of components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which invention belongs. The system and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

For example, the term “some” as used herein may be understood as “none” or “one” or “more than one” or “all.” Therefore, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would fall under the definition of “some.” It should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and therefore, should not be construed to limit, restrict or reduce the spirit and scope of the present disclosure in any way.

For example, any terms used herein such as, “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and similar grammatical variants do not specify an exact limitation or restriction, and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of a plurality of features or elements, unless otherwise stated. Further, such terms must not be taken to exclude the possible removal of the plurality of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated, for example, by using the limiting language including, but not limited to, “must comprise” or “needs to include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, it may still be referred to as “plurality of features” or “plurality of elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “plurality of” or “at least one” feature or element do not preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language including, but not limited to, “there needs to be plurality of...” or “plurality of elements is required.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements of the present disclosure. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of explaining plurality of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the proposed disclosure fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.

Use of the phrases and/or terms including, but not limited to, “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or other variants thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, plurality of particular features and/or elements described in connection with plurality of embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although plurality of features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or in the context of more than one embodiment, or in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of some embodiments and therefore should not necessarily be taken as limiting factors to the proposed disclosure.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For the sake of clarity, the first digit of a reference numeral of each component of the present disclosure is indicative of the Figure number, in which the corresponding component is shown. For example, reference numerals starting with digit “1” are shown at least in Figure 1. Similarly, reference numerals starting with digit “2” are shown at least in Figure 2.

Figure 1a illustrates a motor starter 100 and the components of the motor starter 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1b illustrates a side view of the motor starter 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to Figures 1a and 1b together, the motor starter 100 is an electrical device used to start and stop electric motors. The motor starter 100 may be covered from the outside through a top cover 101. The motor starter 100 includes an inner rocker 102, a plurality of rivets 105a, 105b, and a moving contact bridge 104. The inner rocker 102, the plurality of rivets 105a, 105b, and the moving contact bridge 104 work together to start and stop the flow of electric current inside the motor to ensure a safe and reliable operation of the motor starter 100.

The inner rocker 102 is responsible for connecting and disconnecting an electrical circuit to the motor. In an embodiment, the inner rocker 102 may be made of a durable and heat-resistant material, such as polymer or ceramic, and is designed to withstand the high temperatures and electrical currents that are present in the motor starter 100.

The plurality of rivets 105a, 105b are small metal pins that are responsible for connecting and disconnecting the power supply to the motor. When the motor starter 100 is activated, the plurality of rivets 105a, 105b connect with each other and allow the electrical current to flow through the motor, causing the motor to start running.

The moving contact bridge 104 is designed to move back and forth between two fixed contact points, allowing the electrical circuit to be opened or closed as needed. The moving contact bridge 104 has a rivet 105a from the plurality of rivets 105a, 105b that connects with a fixed rivet 105b from the plurality of rivets 105a, 105b, thereby allowing the electrical current to flow into the motor.

When the motor starter 100 is switched ON, the plurality of rivets 105a, 105b comes in contact with each other that allows the flow of current into the motor. When the plurality of rivets 105a, 105b touch each other, there may be some initial arcing that occurs due to a sudden electrical discharge. The arcing can create high temperatures and ionize air surrounding the plurality of rivets 105a, 105b.

To protect the internal components of the motor starter 100 from getting damaged due to the arcing and also to prevent an arc residue to deposit onto the internal components, the present disclosure discloses the motor starter 100 with a dual spark protection mechanism. The dual spark protection mechanism has two components that provide a dual spark protection, i.e., a spark shielding element 103 and the inner rocker 102. In an embodiment, the internal components include at least one of a bimetallic strip, a slider, and a tripper of the motor starter 100.

The spark shielding element 103 is designed to prevent the arc residue from spreading to different components of the motor starter 100. In an embodiment, the spark shielding element 103 may be made of a polycarbonate material which is a high-grade thermoplastic material with excellent flame-retardant properties. The spark shielding element 103 is resistant to high temperatures present in the motor starter 100 and prevents any damage to the internal components of the motor starter 100.

The spark shielding element 103 disclosed in the present disclosure may be a flat panel that is installed inside the motor starter 100. The spark shielding element 103 may have a variety of shapes depending on a specific motor starter 100 design. In some cases, the spark shielding element 103 may be designed to fit around specific components of the motor starter 100 to provide targeted protection.

Further, the spark shielding element 103 is mounted securely inside the motor starter 100 using screws, clips, or other fasteners. The spark shielding element 103 may also be designed to fit into specific slots or grooves provided in the motor starter 100 to ensure a secure fit.

The inner rocker 102 provides a second layer of protection from the arcs. During an operation of the motor starter 100, the arcs can be produced when the electrical circuit is opened or closed, which can generate heat and potentially damage the components of the motor starter 100. The inner rocker 102 is designed to help contain the arcs and prevent them from damaging other internal components. Like the spark shielding element 103, the inner rocker 102 is also made from a polycarbonate which provides excellent protection against heat and electrical currents.

Advantageously, the inner rocker 102 and the spark shielding element 103 ensure the safe and reliable operation of the motor starter 100. The inner rocker 102 and the spark shielding element 103 further aids in increasing the life span of the motor starter 100 and its components. Further, by providing two separate spark protection mechanisms, the motor starter 100 is more resilient to failures or malfunctions. If one mechanism were to fail or become damaged, the other mechanism would still be in place to provide protection. This also significantly reduces the risk of damage or injury due to electrical arcs.

While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.
,CLAIMS:1. A dual spark protection mechanism for a motor starter (100), the dual spark protection mechanism comprising:
a spark shielding element (103) for shielding a plurality of internal components from one or more electric arcs generated when the motor starter (100) is in an ON configuration; and
an inner rocker (102) adapted to be mounted on a central portion of a moving contact bridge (104), the inner rocker (102) adapted to alternate between an upward direction and a downward direction,
wherein the spark shielding element (103) and the inner rocker (102) are made from a polycarbonate material.

2. The dual spark protection mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the internal components comprise at least one of a bimetallic strip, a slider, and a tripper.

3. The dual spark protection mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spark shielding element (103) is shaped to at least partially cover the internal components.

4. The dual spark protection mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spark shielding element (103) is adapted to be secured within grooves or projections defined by a housing of the motor starter (100).

5. The dual spark protection mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner rocker (102) and the moving contact bridge (104) including a plurality of rivets (105a, 105b) are isolated from the internal components.

6. A motor starter (100), comprising:
a pair of switches adapted to operate a motor;
an inner rocker (102) coupled with the pair of switches to actuate along with the pair of switches to operate the motor; and
a dual spark protection mechanism comprising:
a spark shielding element (103) for shielding a plurality of internal components from one or more electric arcs generated when the motor starter (100) is in an ON configuration; and
an inner rocker (102) adapted to be mounted on a central portion of a moving contact bridge (104), the inner rocker (102) adapted to alternate between an upward direction and a downward direction,
wherein the spark shielding element (103) and the inner rocker (102) are made from a polycarbonate material.

7. The motor starter (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the internal components comprise at least one of a bimetallic strip, a slider, and a tripper.

8. The motor starter (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the spark shielding element (103) is shaped to at least partially cover the internal components.

9. The motor starter (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the spark shielding element (103) is adapted to be secured within grooves or projections defined by a housing of the motor starter (100).

10. The motor starter (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the inner rocker (102) and the moving contact bridge (104) including a plurality of rivets (105a, 105b) are isolated from the internal components.