Integrated soft starter for electric motor
US6087800A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 12, 1999 |
| Grant date | Jul 11, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 12, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01H9/542
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A solid state motor starter, commonly referred to as a soft starter, is constructed in a manner to be easily manufacturable while at the same time combining all the required components in a relatively small package. A solid state power switch is clamped between a pair of bus bars in an offset manner to accommodate a discrete switching relay mounted in an inverted manner between the line input and the bus bar in communication with the load outputs. When in a motor run node, current is shunted away from the solid state power switching device and through the switching relay, a substantially linear current path is achieved to reduce power loss and heat buildup. The arrangement allows for a heat sink mounted to one of the bus bars with adequate spacing between the heat sink and the discrete relay for insertion of a cooling fan. Current sensing is achieved with a Hall effect sensor mounted to the bus bar in a small current sensing region that is created by having a pair of slots in the bus bar to direct current. A pair of magnetic pins extend perpendicular from the bus bar to create the magnetic flux for the Hall effect/sensor to sense current flow through the current sensing region. The…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.