Inter-bay bipolar DC bus link

• US 6,201,722 B1
• Filed: 06/02/2000
• Issued: 03/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vertiv Corporation (Vertiv Holdings Co.)
• Original Assignee: Astec International Limited (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Hutchins, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): HAN, YOUNGHUIE JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US09/585,899
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 363/144, 174/71.B, 174/72.B, 174/133.B, 361/724, 361/611, 361/637, 361/648
• US Class Current: 363/144
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/20 Bus-bar or other wiring layouts, e.g. in cubicles, in switchyards installations of bus-bars H02G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/003 Constructional details, e.g. physical layout, assembly, wiring or busbar connections

Abstract

The dead space at the top or bottom of a power converter bay or cabinet is used for the interconnection of the DC buses of adjacent bays by securing to the DC buses a pair of brackets which between them form a channel into which a linking bus having two conductor bars laminated together and separated by an insulating layer can be longitudinally slipped and fastened. The structure of the invention makes use of the dead space in a power converter bay and also permits interconnection of DC buses while the circuit is live.

Claims

1. A linking bus structure for connecting DC buses of adjacent power converter bays in parallel, said DC buses extending vertically side by side into a dead space at the top or bottom of each of said bays and having apertures formed therethrough, said linking bus structure comprising:

a) a first electrically conductive bracket having a substantially horizontal portion and an ear extending vertically upwardly therefrom;

b) a second electrically conductive bracket having a substantially horizontal portion and an ear extending vertically downwardly therefrom;

c) insulated fasteners passing through said apertures and said ears so as to hold said ears in electrical contact each with one of said DC buses on opposite sides thereof in such alignment as to be vertically coextensive with each other;

d) an apertured linking bus including a pair of parallel conducting bars sandwiched with an insulating layer therebetween;

e) said linking bus being slidably received between said substantially horizontal portions so that each of said bars is in electrically conductive contact with one of said brackets; and

f) insulated fasteners passing through the apertures of said linking bus to hold said linking bus in contact with said brackets.

2. The structure of claim 1, in which said fasteners are insulated from one of said DC buses or bars but are in electrical contact with the other.

3. The structure of claim 2, in which said fasteners are insulated from said second bracket but are screwthreadedly received in said first bracket.

4. The structure of claim 2, in which said fasteners are bolts, and the heads of said bolts are covered with an insulating cover.

5. The structure of claim 1, in which a part of one of one of said substantially horizontal portions is slightly inclined from the horizontal so as to facilitate longitudinal sliding insertion of said linking bus between said substantially horizontal portions.

6. The structure of claim 1, in which said substantially horizontal portions are so dimensioned as to accept a pair of linking buses end to end, and to establish electrical contact therebetween.