Site assembled electrical load center

• US 4,159,504 A
• Filed: 06/09/1978
• Issued: 06/26/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Square D Company (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Cook, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolin, Gerald P.
• Application Number:
  US05/913,983
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: 174/68 B, 174/70 B, 174/99 B, 174/149 B, 339/198 N, 361/346, 361/353, 361/355, 361/356, 361/358, 361/361, 361/363
• US Class Current: 361/650
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/041 Mechanical coupling for side-by-side mounted apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/42 Mounting of devices therein

Abstract

An electrical load center comprising an enclosure having a bus bar assembly extending longitudinally thereof, and the bus bars being mounted on an insulated base. A pair of end base plates support the bus bar assembly, the end base plates being formed of insulating material and mounted in the enclosure at respective ends of the bus bar assembly to receive a selected one of a plurality of terminal support means, terminal barriers or cover plates.

Claims

1. An electrical load center assembly including a plurality of elongate bus bars of rectangular cross section, each of said bus bars having a first wide surface and a second wide surface parallel to said first wide surface,

each bus bar of said plurality having its said first wide surface spaced from its said second wide surface by either a first distance or by a second and lesser distance, the first distance bus bars being called first bus bars and the second distance bus bars being called second bus bars, the improvement comprising;

a pair of spaced apart insulating support members, each of said support members having respective first support means integrally formed thereon for engaging with said first wide surface of each of said first bus bars and for supporting said first bus bars at spaced positions with the second wide surface of each bus bar of said first bus bars located in a common plane to form coplanar contact surfaces in said common plane;

respective second support means integrally formed on each of said insulating support members for engaging with said first wide surface of each of said second bus bars and for supporting said second bus bars at spaced positions with said second wide surface of each bus bar of said second bus bars located in said common plane to form coplanar contact surfaces located in said common plane; and

means for locating each of said support members in a fixed position relative each other support member with the first support means of each member located in a selected plane and for engaging with said first wide surface of each bus bar of said first bus bars to locate the second wide surface of each bus bar of said first bus bars in said common plane and said second support means of each member located in another selected plane and for engaging with said first wide surface of each bus bar of said second bus bars to locate the second wide surface of each bus bar of said second bus bars in said common plane.

2. The assembly claimed in claim 1 in which each said second support means includes a respective first planar surface and each said first support means includes a second planar surface spaced from the first planar surface by a distance corresponding to the difference in distance between said first distance and said second distance, and said assembly includes a transverse boundary wall portion transverse to said first planar surface and said second planar surface.

3. The assembly claimed in claim 2 in which each first bus bar has an aperture of a first size and each second bus bar has an aperture of a second size, and said second support means comprises a boss received in said aperture of said first size and corresponding in height to the difference between said first distance and said second distance.

4. The assembly claimed in claim 3 in which said second support means includes an aperture in said boss receiving a pin which is fittingly received by said aperture of said second size in said second bus bar.

5. The assembly claimed in claim 2 in which said assembly includes a cabinet having a planar metal back wall, a pair of spaced rail members each having a longitudinally extending groove and supporting one end of a circuit breaker connected to one of said bus bars, securing means engaged with said back wall and in said groove for securing each of said rails to said metal wall, and a planar insulating sheet interposed between said bus bars and said metal wall in continuous engagement with said metal wall between said spaced rail members and captured between said metal wall and said rail members.

6. In the assembly claimed in claim 5 a predetermined eccentric configuration for each of said insulating support members formed in said transverse boundary wall portion, and a terminal barrier having a complementary configuration to said predetermined eccentric configuration in nested engagement with the predetermined configuration formed in the boundary wall portion of a selected one of said support members.

7. In the assembly claimed in claim 6, means on said terminal barrier for receiving a 100 amp. terminal for each bus bar and a 200 amp. terminal for each bus bar.

8. In the assembly claimed in claim 6 a neutral terminal assembly having a configuration complementary to the predetermined eccentric configuration formed in the boundary wall portion of said support members in nested engagement with the predetermined configuration formed in the boundary wall portion of a selected one of said support members.

9. The assembly claimed in claim 6 including a bus connector, and a bus branch center engaging selected ones of said coplanar bus bar surfaces and adapted to engage a spring terminal on a respective circuit breaker.

10. The assembly claimed in claim 5 in which said metal wall has a peripheral rim wall with spaced passages and is positioned adjacent another rim wall, and insulating means interposed between adjacent rim walls and having first passages for securing the rim walls in adjacent spaced positions and second passages aligned with the rim wall passages for passing an electrical connection through said rim walls.

11. In the assembly claimed in claim 10 a flush trim kit for use in camouflaging an adjacent wall comprising extended longitudinal sections, corner members engaging the ends of transversely extending longitudinal sections to form a frame for one rim wall, and a cover plate secured to said rim wall and having a flange overlapping said rim wall to engage said sections to secure said frame against said adjacent wall.

12. The assembly claimed in claim 8 in which said neutral terminal assembly includes means for receiving a link connected to a selected bus bar, and a terminal support for supporting a terminal connected to said link.