DESC:ENCLOSURE FOR CIRCUIT BREAKER

Field of the invention:

The invention relates generally to circuit breakers, and more particularly, to enclosures of the circuit breakers.

Background of the invention:

Electrical components used for industrial, commercial or residential applications require enclosures to meet applicable code requirements, improve safety by preventing insertion of foreign objects and slow deterioration of the components caused by dust, oils and other elements. Electrical enclosures must be designed to provide necessary protection for environment surrounding a panel of the electrical components, while minimizing occupied space to meet dimensional constraints and reduce manufacturing costs. In prior art patents, various kinds of enclosures are available as described below.

An enclosure for a circuit breaker includes a housing sized to support at least one circuit breaker and to permit electrical connections to be made to the circuit breaker. A housing cover or lid has one opening through which circuit breaker is accessible.
An electrical enclosure assembly comprises of an enclosure having walls defining an interior space for housing the electrical components and having a front flange surrounding a front operating. A cover is sometimes hingeably mounted to the enclosure for selectively closing the front opening.

In one of the prior arts, an enclosure, for a circuit breaker, is provided with a venting arrangement to allow release of internal pressure caused by a short circuit fault condition in the circuit breaker. The venting arrangement is provided in the form of a blow out panel mounted over an aperture formed in the enclosure. Insulating barriers are provided to prevent vented exhaust particles from coming into contact with electrically live conductors.

The enclosure for the circuit breaker is designed for indoor use in commercial buildings, apartment buildings and other areas where a general purpose enclosure is applicable. The circuit breaker is front operable and is capable of being padlocked in the off position. The enclosure for the circuit breaker offers solutions for any environment. Factory assembled circuit breakers are available to speed up installation. Lock out provision for the enclosure prevents tampering by unauthorized personnel.

However, existing prior art enclosures have some are drawbacks. In the prior art, different enclosures are being offered for different circuit breakers having different depths. This increases inventory at factory/stockiest/distributors. Also, respectively space has to be allocated for storing these units.

Furthermore, for any enclosure, it is mandatory to accommodate the gland of cable required for maximum rating of given frame size of the circuit breaker. Considering gland size, depth of enclosure gets decided. Quite often, the depth of enclosure is more than the depth of the circuit breaker which necessitates requirement of additional spacer type component. The additional spacer type component widely called as mounting bracket or mounting plate, bridges a gap between an enclosure base and an enclosure cover/lid. The assembly of the mounting bracket or the mounting plate to enclosure base wall calls for additional assembly process which uses additional resources. This also calls for additional space to store this additional component before assembly.

Accordingly, there is need to provide an enclosure for a circuit breaker, that overcomes above mentioned drawbacks in the prior art.

Objects of the invention:

An object of the present invention is to eliminate use of additional mounting bracket arrangement or mounting plate arrangement.

Another object of the present invention is to provide mechanical strength.

Yet, another object of the present invention is to reduce working temperature of a circuit breaker installed inside the enclosure.

Still, another object of the present invention is to save inventory, storage space at assembly shop and energy resources, otherwise required.

Summary of the invention:

The present invention provides an enclosure for a circuit breaker. The enclosure comprises of a base and a cover. The circuit breaker is mounted therebetween the base and the cover. The base is configured with an inwardly wedge profile for mounting the circuit breaker therein. Specifically, the inwardly wedge profile is used as a spacer to bridge a gap between the base and the cover. Further, the inwardly wedge profile eliminates the necessity of placing any other additional component on the base for mounting the circuit breaker thereon. More particularly, the inwardly wedge profile imparts mechanical strength to the base required for withstanding the mechanical stresses being passed thereon, and also helps in reducing working temperature of the circuit breaker being installed therein. The enclosure of present invention particularly requires less storage space and helps in saving inventories and resources otherwise required for preparing enclosure assembly for the circuit breaker.

Brief description of the drawings:

Figure 1 shows an isometric view of mounting of a mounting plate in a base of an enclosure assembly for a circuit breaker, in accordance with a prior art;

Figure 2 shows an isometric view of an enclosure for a circuit breaker, in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 shows a front view of the figure 2; and

Figure 4 shows a top view of the figure 2.

Detailed description of the embodiments:

The foregoing objects of the present invention are accomplished and the problems and shortcomings associated with the prior art, techniques and approaches are overcome by the present invention as described below in the preferred embodiments.

The present invention provides an enclosure for a circuit breaker. The enclosure includes a profile, specifically an inwardly wedge profile for mounting the circuit breaker without any additional requirement of mounting plate or mounting bracket. Least number of components and number of inventory items are required to meet criteria of circuit breaker installation.

The present invention is illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, throughout which reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. These reference numbers are shown in bracket in the following description.

Referring to figure 1, an enclosure assembly (50) for a circuit breaker (not shown), in accordance with the prior art is shown. The enclosure assembly (50) comprises of a base (30), a cover (not shown) and a mounting plate (10). The mounting plate (10) is mounted on the base (30). The mounting plate (10) is used to mount the circuit breaker thereon.

Referring to figures 2 to 4, an enclosure (100) for a circuit breaker (not shown), in accordance with the present invention is shown. The enclosure (100) comprises of a base (80) and a cover (not shown). The base (80) is configured with an inwardly wedge profile (60).

The inwardly wedge profile (60) is utilized to mount the circuit breaker. Specifically, the inwardly wedge profile (60) is used as a spacer to bridge a gap between the base (80) and the cover. The inwardly wedge profile (60) enhances use of the base (80) as single assembly of two components without impairing required function. Further, the inwardly wedge profile (60) eliminates the use of any additional component like a mounting plate/a mounting bracket that required to be placed below the circuit breaker for mounting the circuit breaker. The inwardly wedge profile (60) also helps to provide mechanical strength to the base (80) of the enclosure (100). The inwardly wedge profile (60) further helps the base (80) to withstand the mechanical stresses passed thereon.

The inwardly wedge profile (60) also reduces working temperature of the circuit breaker by allowing an air to flow from a back surface (not numbered) of the base (80) of the enclosure (100) on which the circuit breaker is mounted. The air that flows from the back side of the base (80) absorbs heat therefrom and moves away. In this way, air circulation helps to reduce the working temperature of the circuit breaker installed inside the enclosure (100). The reduction in heat helps to avoid de-rating / down-rating of the circuit breaker.

Every individual circuit breaker has thermal rating in an open air condition (In) and thermal rating in an enclosed condition (Ithe). The present invention provides same thermal rating of the circuit breaker outside and inside the enclosure (100). The back surface of the base (80) on which the circuit breaker is mounted gets heated up due to thermal convention from the circuit breaker. The back surface of the base (80) gets cooled down due to radiation and convection with the air flow. Thus, final working temperature reduces with the help of the back surface of the base (80).

Least number of components and number of inventory items are required to meet criteria for an installation of the circuit breaker. Also, maximum energy saving is achieved as there is no requirement to produce variety of components. With increasing demand of green product, the enclosure (100) is beneficial in reducing consumption of raw material, reducing energy/power lost and uses the material that requires least energy to produce.

Advantages of the invention:

1. The enclosure (100) eliminates use of any additional mounting bracket arrangement or mounting plate arrangement.
2. The inwardly wedge profile (60) provides mechanical strength to the base (80) to withstand the mechanical stresses passed thereon.
3. The enclosure (100) helps in reduction in a working temperature of the circuit breaker installed therein.
4. Saving in inventory otherwise required
5. Saving in storage space at assembly shop.
6. Saving energy resources otherwise required to produce variety of components required to prepare enclosure assembly for the circuit breaker.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the present invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but such omissions and substitutions are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.
,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. An enclosure (100) for a circuit breaker, the enclosure (100) comprising of:
• a base (80), the base (80) being configured with an inwardly wedge profile (60) thereon, the inwardly wedge profile (60) being adapted for mounting the circuit breaker thereon; and
• a cover being positioned on the base (80) for creating a space therebetween to accommodate the circuit breaker therein.
2. An enclosure (100) for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inwardly wedge profile (60) is used as a spacer to bridge a gap between the base (80) and the cover.
3. An enclosure (100) for a circuit breaker as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inwardly wedge profile (60) provides mechanical strength to the base (80) to withstand the mechanical stresses passed thereon.