Bus bar arrangement and a shroud for the same

• US 9,391,413 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2014
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Technology AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Blasbalg, Paul, Yamaguchi, Lyoji Jesus
• Primary Examiner(s): Duverne, Jean F
• Application Number:
  US14/254,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20140315401A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 439/110
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 17/56 Insulating bodies
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/16 Rails or bus-bars provided with a plurality of discrete connecting locations for counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/161 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/056 Mounting on plugboards
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/06 having associated enclosures, e.g. for preventing access to live parts
• CPC Class Codes: H02B 1/21 Bus-bar arrangements for rack-mounted devices with withdrawable units
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 5/06 Totally-enclosed installations, e.g. in metal casings
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 5/10 Cooling

Abstract

A bus bar arrangement for electrical equipment has at least one bus bar and a shroud. The shroud provides a fault free interface for personnel working with the electrical equipment. First and second shrouds mounted on opposing ends of the at least one bus bar surround a substantial portion of the at least one bus bar. The shroud provides a connection surface for the connection of a wide variety of circuit breakers thereon. The shroud provides protection against intruding objects and ease of connection between circuit breaker contacts and bus bar assemblies of electrical equipment.

Claims

1. A power distribution apparatus comprising:

at least one bus bar including a straight bar portion extending between a top portion of the bus bar and a bottom portion of the bus bar, the straight bar portion having first and second end portions;

a first shroud surrounding the first end portion of said at least one bus bar and providing a connection surface for one or more circuit breakers, said first shroud comprising first and second sides, a network of spaced-apart recesses provided in the first side of the shroud, the recesses defining voids when the apparatus is in an assembled state, the voids providing physical access to the first end portion of the straight bar portion at a plurality of spaced apart locations along the first end portion of the straight bar portion, a slot provided in the second side of the shroud, the slot receiving the first end portion of the bus bar in an orientation such that the first end surface is positioned in communication with the network of spaced-apart recesses; and

a second shroud for surrounding the second end of said at least one bus bar.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a second shroud wherein the first shroud comprises first and second shroud members.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first and second shroud members are connected together at opposing longitudinal ends of each shroud member.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said each of said recesses is equidistantly spaced apart from neighboring ones of the recesses.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one bus bar is separated from adjacent ones of the at least one bus bar by spacers.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein ribs are disposed vertically along the second side of said shroud, said ribs providing a creepage distance of about 14 mm between adjacent ones of the at least one bus bar.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said shroud is formed from an aliphatic polyamide.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each of said first and second shrouds provide at least 12 mm of separation between the live connections of the electrical equipment and an intruding object.

10. The bus bar assembly of claim 7 wherein said adjacent ones of said at least one bus bar are further separated by spacers.

11. The bus bar assembly of claim 7 wherein a mounting plate is used to mount the bus bar assembly in a rear wall of electrical equipment.

9. A bus bar assembly, comprising:

at least one bus bar vertically mounted in an enclosure and retained by a first shroud having a network of spaced apart recesses for providing access to exposed connection surfaces of said at least one bus bar and a second shroud, said at least one bus bar separated from adjacent ones of the at least one bus bar by spacers, said first shroud proving a connection surface for contacts of a circuit breaker, said circuit breaker contacts removeably engageable with said connection surface of said at least one bus bar through corresponding recesses of said shroud;

wherein the at least one bus bar includes a straight portion having a height, a width and a length, a side surface extending along the width and the length, and an end surface extending along the height and the length, the end surface having a smaller area than the side surface and a greater area than a third surface extending over the height and the width, the straight portion of the at least one bus bar being inserted into a slot in the first shroud in an orientation such that the end surface is positioned deepest into the slot and the side surface extends outward from the slot.

12. A mounting plate for a bus bar assembly, said mounting plate comprising:

a main body having a generally rectangular shape, openings disposed proximate to the sides of said main body and channels disposed near side edges of said main body;

first tabs extending from side edges of the main body in a direction perpendicular to a front surface of the main body for engaging with the bus bar assembly; and

second tabs extending from side edges of the main body in a direction parallel to the front surface of the main body for engaging with a rear wall of the enclosure.

13. A shroud for insulating a bus bar assembly, comprising:

a first side having a network of spaced-apart recesses serving as connection surfaces for contacts of one or more circuit breakers and a second side having a plurality of slots receiving corresponding first end portions of the at least one bus bar, said shroud enclosing said at least one bus bar first end except for said connection surface, wherein the bus bar includes a straight portion having a height, a width and a length, a side surface extending along the width and the length, and an end surface extending along the height and the length, the end surface having a smaller area than the side surface and a greater area than a third area defined by the height and the width, the straight portion of the bus bar being positioned farthest into the slot.

14. The shroud of claim 13 wherein said connection surface is located at least 18 mm below the top surface of each recess in the network of spaced apart recesses.

15. The shroud of claim 13 wherein each of said recesses have a horizontally disposed partition and a vertically disposed beveled portion that define cells in each said recess.

16. The shroud of claim 15 wherein two adjacent cells cooperate to form a connection surface for the circuit breaker contacts.

17. The shroud of claim 13 wherein the depth of each recess is about 19 mm as measured between a top planar surface of the shroud and a connection surface of the at least one bus bar.