Integrally coupled power control system having a solid state relay

• US 7,652,395 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Commare, Donald Leo, Dennis, Craig Richard, McNutt, Leon J., Tiedemann, Larry Emil, Von Arx, Theodore Thomas, Pape, Robert Allen, Lemke, John Frederic, Pfingsten, Thomas Robert, Ness, Keith Douglas, Breitlow, Stanton Hopkins
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amrany; Adi
• Application Number:
  US11/219,472
• Publication Number:
  US 20060050464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,607 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 307/112
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/2425 Structural association with built-in components for coupling parts H01R13/66
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0005 the elements or equipment being or involving power plugs or sockets
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1471 Modules for controlling actuators
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1484 Electrical diagrams relating to constructional features, e.g. signal routing within PLC; Provisions for disaster recovery, e.g. redundant systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

A power control system includes a base having a housing configured for releasably receiving a control unit and a cavity within the housing for receiving a solid state relay having a hockey puck configuration. The base includes an input power terminal for coupling to an input power source, an output power terminal for coupling to a power receiving load, and coupling fixtures for fixedly and electrically coupling to input and output power terminals and control terminals of the received solid state relay. A control unit is configured to control the solid state relay for selectively providing, at least a portion of, the power received at the input power terminal to the output power terminal. The control unit has a housing adapted to be releasably coupled to the base housing. The control unit and base each configured to electrically couple the control unit to the control terminals of the received solid state relay as a function of the control unit being coupled to the base.

Claims

1. A power control system utilizing one of a plurality of interchangeable base models, the power control system comprising:

a base being one of the plurality of interchangeable base models, the base including a base housing, the base housing configured for releasably receiving a control unit and a cavity within the base housing for receiving a solid state relay having a hockey puck configuration, the base including an input power terminal for coupling to an input power source, an output power terminal for coupling to a power receiving load, and coupling fixtures for fixedly and electrically coupling to input and output power terminals and control terminals of the received solid state relay; and

a control unit configured to releasably couple with each of the plurality of interchangeable base models, the control unit being configured to control the solid state relay for selectively providing, at least a portion of, the power received at the input power terminal to the output power terminal, the control unit having a control housing separate from and external to the base housing, the control housing being adapted to be releasably coupled to the base housing, the control unit and base are each configured to electrically couple the control unit to the control terminals of the received solid state relay as a function of the control unit being coupled to the base.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein a first coupling fixture electrically couples the input power terminal to the input terminal of the received solid state relay and a second coupling fixture electrically couples the output power terminal to the output power terminal of the received solid state relay, wherein an input power coupler, an output power coupler and the base housing are configured to fixedly couple the base to the received solid state relay.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the input power coupler includes a first bus bar and the output power coupler includes a second bus bar.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein at least one of the first bus bar and the second bus bar is configured to include a current sensing portion.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein each of the first bus bar and the second bus bar are configured to mechanically couple the base housing to the solid state relay.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the coupling fixtures for fixedly and electrically coupling to the solid state relay control terminals include a spring contact configured to compressively contact an electrical contact control surface of the control unit upon the releasable coupling of the controller to the base.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein coupling fixtures for fixedly and electrically coupling to the solid state relay control terminals and the base housing are configured for fixedly coupling the base to the solid state relay.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the control housing includes a top end, a bottom end, and two sets of opposing sides with each set of opposing sides defining a set of flexible latches configured to releasably couple to a different mounting orientation of two different base housings.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein a top end of the base housing and a lower portion of the control housing define interoperable keying and locking fixtures for selective coupling of the control housing to the base housing.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the cavity of the base housing is configured for enabling a heat conducting surface of the received solid state relay to extend beyond a lower end of the base housing and to contact a surface on which the received solid state relay is mounted.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the base housing is configured for receiving one of a plurality of hockey puck solid state relays, each of which has a different terminal height from a lower datum defined by a lower heat conducting surface of the solid state relay, the base cavity and housing being configured to define a connection datum for receiving and physically and electrically coupling the base to each of the plurality of hockey puck solid state relays independent of their terminal height and configured to extend each of the lower heat conducting surfaces for each of the plurality of hockey puck solid state relays beyond the lower end of the base housing for substantially contacting the lower heat conducting surface of the received solid state relay to a surface on which the received solid state relay is mounted.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the control housing includes a connector receiver cavity adapted to receive a connector from the exterior of the control unit housing.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the control housing defines holes within the receiver cavity for receiving pins from a PCB board contained within the control unit.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the control housing is adapted to receive a plurality of connectors for coupling to external systems and wherein the base housing and the control unit housing are dimensioned to having a footprint that is not substantially greater than a footprint of the solid state relay, and wherein the base housing and the control unit housing are adapted to be positioned substantially about the footprint of the received solid state relay.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the control unit includes one or more control printed circuit boards (PCB) within an interior of the control housing and wherein at least one control PCB includes a male F-terminal for ambidextrously coupling the at least one control PCB board with a female connector received within the connector receiver cavity.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes a current sensor within the control housing for sensing a current provided to the output power terminal within the base housing, the current sensor being positioned within the control unit for sensing the current selectively provided by the solid state relay to the output power terminal within the base housing.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the control unit includes a limit module for controlling a limit switch as a function of at least one of a sensed limit characteristic and the sensed current.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the base includes a bus bar having a current sensing portion, and wherein the control housing, the base housing, and the bus bar being configured to align the current sensor with the current sensing portion of the bus bar upon releasably coupling the control unit to the base.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the solid state relay is a first power switch and the first power switch is in electrical series connection with a second power switch, wherein the control unit includes a limit module for controlling the delivery of supply power to the second power switch as a function of a sensed limit operating characteristic received from a limit sensor, the limit module having a limit sensor interface for connecting to the limit sensor and receiving the sensed limit operating characteristic, and a power switch control interface for providing a control signal to the second power switch.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes a communication interface configured for providing a communication with at least one of a second control system and a remote operational system.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the communication interface is adapted for compatibility with a communication selected from the group consisting of a WatBus™

, Dallas Semiconductor one-wire protocol, a Seriplex, a sensorbus, a DeviceNet™

bus, a FMS, Lon Works, a Control Area Network (CAN), an Interbus S, an SDLC, AS-Interface (AS-i), a Local Interconnect bus (LIN-bus), an IEEE-1118 bus, a Profibus, Modbus RTU, an enterprise communication bus including an Ethernet TCP/IP, an Internet, a token ring LAN, an Ethernet LAN, an FDDI network, a private data network, an ISDN, and a VPN.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes a memory for storing at least one of a characteristic, a diagnostic parameter, a profile, and a configuration.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes a processing system for determining a characteristic, a diagnostic, a profile, and a configuration of the power control system.

24. The system of claim 1, further comprising a definite purpose contactor coupled in series with at least one of the input terminal or the output terminal of the solid state relay, the base housing further defining a contactor cavity configured for receiving and fixedly retaining the definite purpose contactor.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the control unit housing is configured to be releasably coupled to the base housing defining the contactor cavity and to a base housing not defining the contactor cavity.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the base housing includes a pivot formation on a lower end and positioned on an opposing portion of the lower end from the solid state relay cavity, the pivot formation extended downward from the lower end for enabling the pivoting of the base housing upon coupling of the base housing to a mounting surface.

27. The system of claim 1, further comprising an intermediate power tap for tapping, at least a portion of, power selectively provided at an output of a contactor and before the input terminal of the solid state relay.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the base housing includes a contactor cover having an intermediate tap port for enabling connection to the intermediate power tap without removing the contactor cover, further comprising a secondary power switching device electrically coupled to the intermediate power tap through the intermediate tap port.

29. The system of claim 1 wherein the base housing includes a contactor control interface positioned for contact by compression upon coupling of the control unit to the base housing, the contactor control interface electrically coupled to control leads of the contactor, said contactor control interface configured for electrically coupling the control unit to the control leads of the contactor.

30. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes a current sensor for sensing a current provided by the output terminal of the solid state relay and a limit module for controlling a contactor as a function of a sensed limit characteristic and the sensed current.

31. The system of claim 1, further comprising a heat sink configured for attachment of the solid state relay and the base housing.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the heat sink is dimensioned to have a footprint that is not substantially greater than a footprint of the base housing.

33. The system of claim 1 wherein the base housing is dimensioned to have a footprint that is not substantially greater than a footprint of a solid state relay received within the cavity.

34. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes a power measurement component, further comprising a power measurement sensor configured for measuring a voltage associated with the current provided at the output power terminal.

35. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fusible link configured for receiving power received at the input power terminal, the base housing being configured for fixedly coupling, at least a portion of, the fusible link.

36. The system of claim 1 wherein the base and the control unit are configured for selectively controlling the providing of at least one of single phase power, two phase power, and three phase power to a power load.

37. A method of assembling a power control unit, the power control unit utilizing one of a plurality of interchangeable base models, the method comprising:

inserting a solid state relay having a hockey puck configuration into a cavity defined by a base having a housing;

coupling an input power terminal to an input terminal of the solid state relay;

coupling an output power terminal to an output terminal of the solid state relay;

coupling a first control attachment fixture to a first control terminal of the solid state relay;

coupling a second control attachment fixture to a second control terminal of the solid state relay; and

inserting a control unit having a control housing onto the base housing, the control unit being configured to releasably couple with each of the plurality of interchangeable base models, the control housing and the base housing being configured for releasably coupling the inserted control unit to the base, the inserting a control unit including compressively coupling the control unit to the first control attachment fixture and the second control attachment fixture and completing an electrical connection between the control unit and each of the control terminals of the solid state relay.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising attaching the solid state relay to a mounting surface.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising releasably coupling at least one of a first connector hood to the base housing to substantially cover the input power terminal and a second connector hood to the base housing to substantially cover the output power terminal.

40. The method of claim 37, further comprising attaching a bus bar to the solid state relay, said attaching a bus bar including fixedly coupling the base housing to the solid state relay with the bus bar.

41. The method of claim 37, further comprising attaching a bus bar to the solid state relay, said attaching a bus bar including fixedly coupling the base housing to the solid state relay with the bus bar, wherein the bus bar includes a current sensing portion and the control unit including a current sensor within the control housing, wherein inserting the control unit onto the base housing includes positioning the current sensor about the current sensing portion of the bus bar.

42. The method of claim 37, further comprising installing an ambidextrous PCB board within the control housing, wherein installing the PCB board includes inserting a plurality of F-connector pins connected to the PCB board through holes defined by a cover of the control housing and into a female connector on the exterior of the cover holes.

43. The method of claim 37, further comprising inserting a connector into a connector receiver cavity defined by the control housing, the inserting a connector including releasably coupling the connector to the control housing and coupling a connector retainer fixture to the connector.

44. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

inserting a definite purpose contactor into a contactor cavity of the base housing; and

electrically connecting the definite purpose contactor in series with the input power terminal, the input terminal of the solid state relay, and the output power terminal.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising inserting a contactor control connector onto the base housing and in a position to compressively contact a contactor control component of the control unit, wherein inserting the control unit onto the base includes completing an electrical connection between the control unit and a control portion of the contactor.

46. The method of claim 37, further comprising connecting a fusible link in series with the input power terminal and the output power terminal, said base housing being configured for fixedly retaining, at least a portion of, the fusible link.

47. The method of claim 37, further comprising inserting a power measurement module within the control unit to control the solid state relay and connecting a power measurement sensor to the control unit.