Circuit Breaker Control Unit With Recessed Module Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical circuit breakers require connection modules to be installed with service interruption and are bulky, posing safety risks due to inadequate isolation distances and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A control unit with a recessed connection housing and modular connection module, allowing installation without service interruption, ensuring sufficient isolation distances and compact design through recessed contact pads and a movable cover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a connection module is connected from the rear of the control unit, then isolation distances are ensured, but service interruption is required and the design becomes bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The connection housing is recessed from the front plane of the control unit, creating a three-dimensional arrangement where contact pads are positioned at the bottom of the recessed housing. This spatial reconfiguration allows front-side connection while maintaining isolation distances through depth-based separation, eliminating the need for rear connection and service interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection housing is nested within the control unit casing, with contact pads positioned recessed at the bottom of the connection housing. The movable cover further nests within this structure to provide additional protection. This nested arrangement maintains compact dimensions while ensuring adequate isolation distances through multiple layers of spatial separation.
2Reliability
If contact pads are positioned recessed from the front plane, then isolation distances are increased, but the connection housing becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is segmented into distinct functional zones: the front plane for user interaction, the recessed connection housing for electrical connections, and the movable cover for protection. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the connection housing providing the necessary isolation through its recessed position without requiring excessive structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable cover provides dynamic protection for the recessed connection housing. When opened, it allows access to the connection housing; when closed, it provides additional isolation and protection. This dynamic element maintains the compact recessed design while ensuring isolation distances are met through the cover's protective function.
3Reliability
If a movable cover is added to protect the connection housing, then user safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable cover acts as a flexible protective barrier that can be opened for maintenance and closed for protection. This simple cover mechanism provides effective safety isolation without requiring complex structural modifications to the control unit, maintaining ease of operation while improving user safety.
Data Source
AI summary
Control Unit for an Electrical Circuit Breaker and Associated Electrical Circuit BreakerThis control unit (20) presents a front face (22) extending on a front plane (P22) where a connection housing (301), closable by a cover (308), opens and which is configured to receive a connection module (300) in an assembled position. Contact pads (36) are arranged at the bottom of the housing. The connection module presents a front face (311A) with an output connector (316). In the assembled position, the closed cover extends a creepage distance between the output connector and the front plane beyond a class 1 isolation distance under a voltage less than or equal to 690 V. In the absence of the connection module, the closed cover extends a clearance distance between each contact pad and the front plane (P22) beyond a class 2 isolation distance under a voltage greater than 690 V.