Circuit Breaker Escutcheon Module for Modular Connectivity Upgrades
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional circuit breakers for residential applications lack advanced functionality and customization options, particularly in terms of connectivity, monitoring, and user interaction.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an escutcheon module with a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) that includes features such as a display, input/output interfaces for USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connections, a touch screen, and a physical lock, enhancing the functionality and customization of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) by allowing interaction with external devices and providing enhanced monitoring capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional circuit breakers are used, then the basic circuit protection function is provided, but advanced functionality and customization options are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit breaker is divided into two main segments: the base circuit breaker unit and the detachable escutcheon module. The escutcheon module can be removed and replaced to provide different functionalities and customization options without modifying the base circuit breaker structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The escutcheon module serves multiple functions including providing a user interface, housing additional components, enabling connectivity features, and allowing customization. This single modular component consolidates multiple potential additions into one versatile element that can be configured for different applications.
2Adaptability or versatility
If an escutcheon module with PCBA and connectivity features is added, then advanced functionality is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The escutcheon module acts as an intermediary between the user and the circuit breaker's internal components. It provides a user-friendly interface and handles connectivity functions without requiring direct modification of the circuit breaker's core protective mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The escutcheon module creates a user interface layer that replicates or mirrors the circuit breaker's status and controls through displays, buttons, and connectivity interfaces, allowing user interaction without exposing the complexity of the internal overcurrent protection mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If a display and touch screen are integrated into the escutcheon body, then user interaction is enhanced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display and touch screen are merged into the escutcheon body as an integrated assembly rather than separate components. This consolidation simplifies the manufacturing process by treating the display assembly as a single unit that can be pre-assembled and tested before installation in the escutcheon module.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple input/output interfaces (USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) are included in the PCBA, then remote monitoring and connectivity are enabled, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The PCBA is designed with dynamic configurability, allowing different I/O interfaces to be activated or deactivated based on the specific application requirements. This enables the same hardware platform to adapt to different connectivity needs without requiring multiple specialized circuit board designs.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
An escutcheon module 120 for a circuit breaker 102 includes an escutcheon body 122 configured to seat against a switch face 116 of a circuit breaker 102. One or more attachments 124 of the escutcheon body are configured to engage with one or more attachment points 118 of the circuit breaker. The escutcheon body 122 can add functionality to the circuit breaker, such as a USB connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity, or Wi-Fi connectivity. The escutcheon body 122 can be of a color the same as or different from the color of the breaker housing. It is also contemplated that the escutcheon body 122 can include a receptacle 140 for a physical lock for locking a switch of the circuit breaker.