Control cabinet for building automation systems

• US 5,763,959 A
• Filed: 07/02/1996
• Issued: 06/09/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael Chambers
• Original Assignee: Michael Chambers
• Inventors: Chambers, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Elms, Richard T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ganjian, Peter
• Application Number:
  US08/674,674
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 307/11, 307/30, 307/31, 307/35, 307/38, 307/39, 307/42, 307/85, 307/86, 307/125, 307/126, 307/139, 307/140, 307/132 R, 307/132 E, 307/20, 361/166, 361/170, 361/189, 361/191, 361/192, 364/492, 364/707, 395/750, 340/638, 340/644, 340/652
• US Class Current: 307/20
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks

Abstract

A control cabinet for distributing power to a plurality of automated independent and parallel operated loads. A plurality of control cabinets can be interfaced with control cable to be supervised by one main controller. The main controller distributes low voltage ac signals to each control cabinet, which transfers the low voltage signal into high voltage power distribution by a series of low and high voltage relays, thus eliminating the need for excess circuit boards and transformers normally associated with this task.

Claims

1. A control cabinet for interfacing a circuit breaker panel to one or more line voltage loads under control of a low voltage controller, comprising:

a cabinet housing;

a plurality of line voltage relay circuits secured within the housing, each for selectively electrically connecting a circuit breaker in the circuit breaker panel to a corresponding line voltage load, each line voltage relay circuit including a line voltage relay actuator and a line voltage relay switch selectively opened/closed by the actuator, said line voltage relay switch connected in series connection between said circuit breaker and said corresponding line voltage load;

a line voltage bus and a neutral bus, said line voltage bus and said neutral bus connected to an external supply of line voltage, wherein said line voltage bus and said neutral bus do not supply line voltage power to said line voltage loads;

a plurality of low voltage relays secured within the housing, each low voltage relay comprising a low voltage relay actuator and a low voltage relay switch selectively opened/closed by said low voltage relay actuator, each low voltage actuator connected between a low voltage common bus and a low voltage command signal terminal, each low voltage relay switch connected in series with a corresponding line voltage actuator and said line voltage bus and said neutral bus, wherein closure of said low voltage switch results in application of line voltage to said corresponding line voltage actuator to actuate the corresponding line voltage switch, wherein application of a low voltage command signal to said low voltage command signal terminal by the low voltage controller actuates said low voltage relay actuator, operating said corresponding low voltage relay switch, which in turn actuates said line voltage relay actuator, operating said corresponding line voltage relay switch to selectively connect/disconnect a corresponding circuit breaker to/from its corresponding line voltage load;

and wherein the control cabinet is free of any voltage transformers for transforming between line voltage and low voltage, so that all low voltage power required to operate said low voltage relays is supplied from outside the control cabinet.

2. The control cabinet of claim 1 wherein said low voltage command signals from the low voltage controller are low voltage alternating current command signals.

3. The control cabinet of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of indicator lights disposed within said control cabinet and wired between a low voltage common bus and a corresponding low voltage command signal terminal to visually indicate the status of the command signal.

4. The control cabinet of claim 1 wherein said external supply of line voltage is electrically isolated from said circuit breaker panel.

5. The control cabinet of claim 4 wherein one of said line voltage relay switches includes a first switch terminal connected to the line voltage bus, and a second switch terminal for connection to a corresponding one of the line voltage loads.

6. The control cabinet of claim 1 wherein one of said low voltage relays controls actuation of two or more of said line voltage relays.

7. A building energy management system for controlling application of line voltage to building line voltage loads, comprising:

a circuit breaker panel connected to a source of line voltage and comprising a plurality of circuit breakers;

a low voltage controller for providing a plurality of independent low voltage command signals;

a control cabinet external to said circuit breaker panel and said low voltage controller, said control cabinet comprising

a cabinet housing;

a plurality of line voltage relay circuits secured within the housing, each for selectively electrically connecting a circuit breaker in the circuit breaker panel to a corresponding line voltage load, each line voltage relay circuit including a line voltage relay actuator and a line voltage relay switch selectively opened/closed by the actuator, said line voltage relay switch connected in series connection between said circuit breaker and said corresponding line voltage load;

a line voltage bus and a neutral bus, said line voltage bus and said neutral bus connected to an external supply of line voltage;

a plurality of low voltage relays secured within the housing, each low voltage relay comprising a low voltage relay actuator and a low voltage relay switch selectively opened/closed by said low voltage relay actuator, each low voltage actuator connected between a low voltage common bus and a low voltage command signal terminal, each low voltage relay switch connected in series with a corresponding line voltage actuator and said line voltage bus and said neutral bus, wherein closure of said low voltage switch results in application of line voltage to said corresponding line voltage actuator to actuate the corresponding line voltage switch, wherein application of a low voltage command signal to said low voltage command signal terminal by the low voltage controller actuates said low voltage relay actuator to selectively connect/disconnect a corresponding circuit breaker to/from its corresponding line voltage load;

and wherein the control cabinet is free of any voltage transformers for transforming between line voltage and low voltage, so that all low voltage power required to operate said low voltage relays is supplied from outside the control cabinet.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said low voltage command signals from the low voltage controller are low voltage alternating current command signals.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising a plurality of indicator lights disposed within said control cabinet and wired between a low voltage common bus and a corresponding low voltage command signal terminal to visually indicate the status of the command signal.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said external supply of line voltage being isolated from said circuit breaker panel.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein one of said line voltage relay switches includes a first switch terminal connected to the line voltage bus, and a second switch terminal for connection to a corresponding one of the line voltage loads.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein one of said low voltage relays controls actuation of two or more of said line voltage relays.