Fuse cutout cover with variable roofs for different fuse cutouts

Abstract

In one embodiment, a fuse cutout cover has an integral roof portion. The roof portion covers the energized top of a fuse in a first type of cutout. An attachable roof extension covers the energized top of a fuse in a larger second type of cutout, such as a Fault Tamer cutout. By adding the roof extension, the same cover may be used with two types of cutouts, and there is not a large gap over the fuse, preventing wildlife from entering the gap. In another embodiment, a second roof is formed over the first roof portion to accommodate different types of cutouts. Electrical insulation between wildlife and the energized cutout is also increased.

Claims

1. A fuse cutout dielectric cover for a fuse cutout, the fuse cutout dielectric cover comprising: a first portion configured for at least covering a top of a first insulator in a first type of fuse cutout, the first type of fuse cutout further comprising a first connector that provides electricity to a top end of a first fuse, a first metal hook assembly electrically contacting the first connector, and a first metal pull ring electrically connected to the first fuse; a second portion extending from the first portion, the second portion having a roof portion configured for covering at least a portion of the first connector; and an attachable roof extension for extending the roof portion to cover the top end of the first fuse.

2. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the fuse cutout dielectric cover is configured so that the roof portion covers a top end of a second fuse for a second type of fuse cutout but does not cover the top end of the first fuse for the first type of fuse cutout, wherein the second type of fuse cutout comprises a second insulator, a second connector that provides electricity to the top end of the second fuse, a second metal hook assembly electrically contacting the second connector, and a second metal pull ring electrically connected to the second fuse.

3. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the first portion and the second portion form a single molded piece.

4. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the attachable roof extension is attached using bolts.

5. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the attachable roof extension is attached using one or more resilient elements.

6. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 5 wherein the one or more resilient elements comprise snaps.

7. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the roof portion has holes for attachment of the attachable roof extension.

8. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the roof portion is a first roof portion, the fuse cutout dielectric cover further comprising a second roof portion underlying the first roof portion.

9. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 8 further comprising a third roof portion underlying the second roof portion, wherein the attachable roof extension is configured to be attached to either the first roof portion or the second roof portion.

10. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 further comprising: a spacer wall inside the fuse cutout dielectric cover within the second portion, the spacer wall having a bottom edge that is configured to contact a top surface of the first connector to support the cover over the first type of fuse cutout and space the roof portion away from a top of the first connector.

11. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the attachable roof extension is attached to the roof portion.

12. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 further comprising pins configured for being inserted through holes in the fuse cutout dielectric cover for preventing the fuse cutout dielectric cover from being blown off the first type of fuse cutout.

13. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the roof portion is substantially flat.

14. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the roof portion covers at least a portion of the first metal hook assembly but not the first metal pull ring.

15. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the fuse cutout dielectric cover is configured such that the first metal hook assembly and the first metal pull ring are laterally exposed, when the fuse cutout dielectric cover is installed over the first type of fuse cutout, to allow a loadbreak tool to engage the first metal hook assembly and the first metal pull ring at a wide range of angles.

16. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the fuse cutout dielectric cover is installed over the first type of fuse cutout.

17. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the first insulator has a top skirt, and wherein the fuse cutout dielectric cover is narrower than the top skirt so as to not surround the top skirt.

18. The fuse cutout dielectric cover of claim 1 wherein the fuse cutout dielectric cover is installed over the first type of fuse cutout, the fuse cutout dielectric cover further comprising one or more pins that extend into holes in the fuse cutout dielectric cover and below the first connector to secure the fuse cutout dielectric cover in position.

19. A fuse cutout dielectric cover for a fuse cutout, the fuse cutout dielectric cover comprising: a first portion configured for at least covering a top of a first insulator in a first type of fuse cutout, the first type of fuse cutout further comprising a first connector that provides electricity to a top end of a first fuse, a first metal hook assembly electrically contacting the first connector, and a first metal pull ring electrically connected to the first fuse; a second portion extending from the first portion, the second portion having a first roof portion for covering at least a portion of the first connector and for covering a top end of the first fuse in the first type of fuse cutout; the second portion also having a second roof portion, the second roof portion overlying the first roof portion and extending beyond the first roof portion for covering a top end of a second fuse in a second type of fuse cutout, wherein the second type of fuse cutout comprises a second insulator, a second connector that provides electricity to the top end of the second fuse, a second metal hook assembly electrically contacting the second connector, and a second metal pull ring electrically connected to the second fuse; and wherein the second roof portion includes an attachable roof extension that covers the top end of the second fuse.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a side view of a conventional fuse cutout.

(2) FIG. 2 illustrates a conventional loadbreak tool for operating a conventional cutout.

(3) FIG. 3 is a partially transparent side view of a cover, without the inventive feature, installed over the cutout of FIG. 1, where the roof of the cover rests on the energized top connector of the cutout.

(4) FIG. 4 illustrates a problem with the cover of FIG. 3 being used with a larger fuse cutout, such as the Fault Tamer cutout.

(5) FIG. 5 is a side view of one embodiment of the new cutout cover design, showing a higher roof and a customizable roof extension. The roof extension is used with a Fault Tamer cutout (shown) but not used with a conventional cutout.

(6) FIG. 6 is a partially transparent top down view of the structure of FIG. 5.

(7) FIG. 7 is a front view of the structure of FIG. 5, showing a spacer wall that rests on an energized connector of the cutout.

(8) FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cover of FIGS. 5-7 showing the spacer wall and holes in the roof for attaching an optional roof extension.

(9) FIG. 9 is a top down view of a cover installed over a Fault Tamer cutout, where the roof extension is a molded portion, or the cover or is attached using other than plastic bolts.

(10) FIG. 10 illustrates how a single cover may be provided with three molded roofs, where the user or manufacturer can customize the cover for different types of fuse cutouts by attaching a roof extension to either the intermediate roof or the upper roof. Although FIG. 10 shows two roof extensions used simultaneously, only one of them would actually be used.

(11) FIG. 11 illustrates how the roof extension of FIG. 5 may be attached using snaps.

(12) Elements in the various figures that are the same or equivalent are labelled with the same numeral.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(13) FIGS. 5-8 illustrate one embodiment of the invention used with a Fault Tamer cutout 70, and the inventive feature can be applied to any type of cutout cover.

(14) The cutout cover 86 of FIGS. 5-8 may be similar to that shown in FIG. 3 except for the addition of an inner spacer wall 88 (FIG. 8) molded in the cover 86 to raise the roof 90, the cover 86 being taller to accommodate the wall 88, and the raised roof 90 having a customizable roof extension 92 affixed to it.

(15) The cover 86 has a rear vertical slot 94 for receiving an energized wire 16 (FIG. 1) connected to the Fault Tamer cutout 70. The wire 16 extends through a top opening 96 after installation.

(16) The back portion of the cover 86 covers the insulator 14 and the cutout's wire connector (similar to the connector 18 in FIG. 1). The middle of the back portion has a widened section 98 to accommodate the top of the insulator 14. The front portion has a molded roof 90 that covers the cutout's energized top connector 100 and a portion of the hook assembly 82. The front portion includes a flared out opening 102 to allow the loadbreak tool 34 (FIG. 2) to access the hook assembly 82 and pull-ring 80 through a wide range of angles. The roof 90 is shown flat, but may be arched to make it more difficult for a bird to perch on it.

(17) The roof 90 has holes for attachment of a polymer roof extension 92 that covers the top portion 76 of the fuse area.

(18) Through-holes 106, 107, and 108 receive pins 110 (FIG. 6) that extend under the top connector 100 of the cutout 70 to keep the cover 86 in place in high winds.

(19) The holes 112 and 114 (FIG. 6) in the roof 90 can be grabbed with a hot stick to position the cover 86 over the cutout 70.

(20) The same cover 86, but without the roof extension 92, may be used with the conventional cutout 10 of FIG. 1. With such a smaller cutout, the roof extension 92 is not needed and would create a large sheltered gap for birds and squirrels to enter.

(21) FIG. 6 is a top down view of the installed cover 86 showing how the roof extension 92 is vertically overlying the top portion 76 of the fuse area.

(22) FIGS. 7 and 8 show the molded spacer wall 88 whose bottom edge rests on the energized top connector 100 of the cutout 86 to support the cover 86 and space the roof 90 well above the energized top portion 76 of the fuse. The spacer wall 88 also blocks access to the enlarged space over the top connector 100 so that birds cannot build a nest in the enlarged space, or squirrels cannot store nuts in the enlarged space. The spacer wall 88 should be located slightly in back of the sidewalls 115 (FIG. 8) flaring out near the opening.

(23) In one embodiment, the roof 90 is about 2-3 inches higher than the roof 60 (FIG. 4) of the previous cover 50, so the roof 90 is well above the energized top connector 100 (for improved electrical insulation). This enables the use of the cover 86 with either the Fault Tamer cutout or the conventional cutout. With the Fault Tamer cutout, the roof extension 92 is also used. The higher roof 90 also gives more vertical clearance for the loadbreak tool.

(24) FIG. 8 does not show the roof extension 92 (FIG. 5) and shows holes 116 and 118 in the roof 90 for attachment of the roof extension 92 using plastic bolts 120 (FIG. 5). The bolts 120 may be installed using tools (e.g., an Allen wrench) or no tools (e.g., using wingnuts).

(25) The pin 110 (FIG. 6) has a ring 120 that engages a hook on a hotstick. At the other end of the pin 110 is a resilient portion 122 with a narrow tip that expands outward at about a 15 degree angle. The resilient portion 122 allows the pin 110 to be inserted easily through the holes by the hotstick, but the top of the resilient portion 122 has a 45 degree angle, which makes it much more difficult to remove the pin 110. The pin 110 extends below the top connector 100 so the cover 86 does not blow off in high winds. More detail regarding the pin 110 is found in the inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 8,963,011, incorporated herein by reference. The pin 110 need not go through both through-holes, but added security is achieved by going through both holes.

(26) The areas with the through-holes 106-108 are stepped out from the remainder of the cover 86 to compensate for the reduced insulating properties as a result of the hole. Modeling of the design shows that the stepped out distance offsets the effect of the hole so the insulating properties of the cover 86 are fairly consistent over the cover 86.

(27) In a preferred embodiment, the cover 86 is made only slightly wider than the cutout 70 so as to not take up excess space. This allows the cutout 70 and cover 86 to be sold in the same box that is typically used just for cutouts 70. The cover 86 is narrower than the top skirt of the insulator 14 so as to not surround the top skirt. This allows the back of the cover 86 to be supported by the top skirt of the insulator 14 and the front of the cover 86 to be supported by the bottom edge of the spacer wall 88 resting on the top connector 100. The cover 86 is designed to be approximately horizontal in this configuration if the cutout is vertical. As shown in FIG. 5, an optional plastic tab 124 extends through the cover 86 and enters a narrow portion of the insulator 14 to provide extra protection against twisting in high winds.

(28) As seen, the cover 86 with the raised roof 90 is customizable for use with multiple sizes and types of cutouts by affixing the roof extension 92 by the lineman or the manufacturer. The raised roof with the extension 92 provides added electrical insulation between a bird and the energized components.

(29) FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of a cutout cover 128 where the roof extension 130 is permanently attached to the roof 90 by an adhesive or by being a molded portion of the cutout. The user can specify to the manufacturer whether the covers are to be customized by the lineman or by the manufacturer.

(30) FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment of a cutout cover 132 where three integral roofs 134, 135, and 136 are provided. If the cover 132 is to be used with a conventional cutout (e.g., cutout 10 in FIG. 1), the lower roof 134 will sufficiently cover the cutout, but there will be little vertical clearance between the energized top connector 100 and the lower roof 134. No roof extension is needed with a conventional cutout. The roofs 135 and 136 above the lower roof 134 provide added electrical insulation between a bird, perching on the top roof 136, and the energized components.

(31) If the cover 132 is to be used with a Fault Tamer cutout or other large cutout, a roof extension 137 or 138 may be attached to the intermediate roof 135 or the upper roof 136 to cover the energized top portion 76 of the cutout while providing optimal spacing for electrical insulation and prevention of a large sheltered gap that would be inviting to birds and squirrels. Attaching the roof extension 138 to the upper roof 136 also gives the lineman more vertical clearance for the loadbreak tool.

(32) In a variation of FIG. 10, the intermediate roof 135 is formed to be extended beyond the lower roof 134 so there is no roof extension needed. The upper roof 136 is then deleted.

(33) FIG. 11 illustrates how the roof extension of FIG. 5 may be attached using plastic snaps. In FIG. 11, the cover 140 is identical to the cover of FIG. 5 except for the method of attachment of the roof extension 142 to the roof 144 of the cover 140. Instead of plastic bolts, plastic snaps 146 are used. The roof extension 142 has the female portion of the snap molded into it. The male portion of the snap can be either molded into the roof 144, or separate male pieces may be inserted through holes in the roof 144 which snap into the female portion of the snaps 146. The male portion of the snap has a widened end that is pushed into a resilient opening in the female portion, like a conventional snap.

(34) In another embodiment, both the roof 144 and the roof extension 142 have holes, and separate snap pieces are inserted through the holes.

(35) In another embodiment, any other type of attachment means may be used, such as the roof having molded resilient pieces that just snap into holes formed in the roof extension.

(36) Other embodiments are envisioned.

(37) Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, given the present disclosure, modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept described herein. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated and described.