Modular Back Support for Circuit Breakers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial power distribution panels with high current flow rates require oversized copper conductive rails and supporting structures, leading to increased size and cost due to the need for extensive copper usage and oversized cabinet designs, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A modular distribution back support system with a compact, box-like structure housing conductive rails and allowing for easy assembly and expansion, featuring electrically isolated conductive rails and plug connectors for connection to circuit breakers, enabling parallel connections between adjacent supports, thus reducing the need for external copper rails and simplifying the assembly process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If traditional oversized copper conductive rails and supporting structures are used for high current flow rate applications, then the power distribution panel can handle high current (600A+), but the panel size and copper usage increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The back support is divided into multiple modular units (first back support unit, second back support unit, etc.) that can be assembled together. Each unit contains its own conductive rails and circuit breakers, allowing the system to be scaled by adding modules rather than using a single large structure. This segmentation enables high current handling capability while maintaining a compact overall size.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive rails are housed within the back support structure itself, with the rails nested inside the modular units. The insulating material is injected into cavities within the modular units to secure the rails. This nesting eliminates the need for separate external copper rails and reduces the overall panel volume while maintaining high current handling capability.
2Power
If traditional oversized copper conductive rails are used to ensure adequate current carrying capacity, then high current flow rate (600A+) can be achieved, but copper consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive rails are nested within the modular back support units, eliminating the need for extensive external copper rail installations. The rails are precisely positioned within the modular structure, reducing copper waste while ensuring adequate current carrying capacity for high power applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical distribution system is segmented into multiple modular units, each handling a portion of the total current load. This allows the copper usage to be distributed and optimized across modules rather than requiring a single large copper rail system, reducing total copper consumption while maintaining the ability to handle 600A+ current flow rates.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the supporting structure is made larger in anticipation of future expansion, then more circuit breakers can be installed, but the initial panel size and copper rail lengths increase unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The back support is designed as multiple modular units that can be assembled in various configurations. Initially, only the required number of modules are installed. As expansion needs arise, additional modular units can be easily added to the assembly, providing adaptability without requiring initial oversizing of the panel structure or copper rails.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design allows the back support system to dynamically adapt to changing requirements. The number and arrangement of modular units can be adjusted based on actual needs, making the system flexible and scalable without committing to a fixed oversized structure from the beginning.
4Reliability
If conventional back supports with significant depth are used, then circuit breakers can be properly supported and connected, but the overall panel depth and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit breakers are nested within the modular back support units, with the breakers positioned inside the compact modular structure. The insulating material is injected into cavities within the modules to secure the breakers and rails, providing reliable support within a reduced depth footprint compared to conventional back supports.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The modular back support (1) is adapted to be placed side by side with one or more identical back supports(l), to form rows both in horizontal and vertical directions, and includes: a box-like structure (2) on whose front face (2A) is fixed a circuit breaker (100); three conductive rails (41, 42, 43) made of conductive material, housed in said box-like structure (2) and insulated from each other, intended to be connected to an external three-phase power supply line; three holes (21, 22, 23), made in the box-like structure (2), in which are inserted plug connectors (101, 102, 103) of said circuit breaker (100) to connect the latter to the three conductive rails ( 41, 42, 43); three openings (24, 25, 26), made starting from each of the four side faces (2B, 2C, 2D, 2E) of the said box-like structure (2) which are perpendicular to said front face (2A), adapted to make accessible from the outside the said conductive rails (41, 42, 43); connecting means (5), provided between each of said modular back supports (1) and an adjacent one in one or more orthogonal directions, extended through said openings (24, 25, 26) and adapted to define electric bridge con¬ nections between the respective conductive rails (41, 42, 43), so that each distribution back support (1) can be electrically connected in parallel to adjacent ones placed immediately above, below and at both sides.