US20230307188A9 - Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications - Google Patents
Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications Download PDFInfo
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- US20230307188A9 US20230307188A9 US17/542,079 US202117542079A US2023307188A9 US 20230307188 A9 US20230307188 A9 US 20230307188A9 US 202117542079 A US202117542079 A US 202117542079A US 2023307188 A9 US2023307188 A9 US 2023307188A9
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Images
Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G4/00—Fixed capacitors; Processes of their manufacture
- H01G4/38—Multiple capacitors, i.e. structural combinations of fixed capacitors
- H01G4/385—Single unit multiple capacitors, e.g. dual capacitor in one coil
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G2/00—Details of capacitors not covered by a single one of groups H01G4/00-H01G11/00
- H01G2/10—Housing; Encapsulation
- H01G2/103—Sealings, e.g. for lead-in wires; Covers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G2/00—Details of capacitors not covered by a single one of groups H01G4/00-H01G11/00
- H01G2/14—Protection against electric or thermal overload
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G2/00—Details of capacitors not covered by a single one of groups H01G4/00-H01G11/00
- H01G2/24—Distinguishing marks, e.g. colour coding
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G4/00—Fixed capacitors; Processes of their manufacture
- H01G4/002—Details
- H01G4/018—Dielectrics
- H01G4/20—Dielectrics using combinations of dielectrics from more than one of groups H01G4/02 - H01G4/06
- H01G4/22—Dielectrics using combinations of dielectrics from more than one of groups H01G4/02 - H01G4/06 impregnated
- H01G4/221—Dielectrics using combinations of dielectrics from more than one of groups H01G4/02 - H01G4/06 impregnated characterised by the composition of the impregnant
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G4/00—Fixed capacitors; Processes of their manufacture
- H01G4/002—Details
- H01G4/228—Terminals
- H01G4/232—Terminals electrically connecting two or more layers of a stacked or rolled capacitor
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G4/00—Fixed capacitors; Processes of their manufacture
- H01G4/002—Details
- H01G4/228—Terminals
- H01G4/236—Terminals leading through the housing, i.e. lead-through
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G4/00—Fixed capacitors; Processes of their manufacture
- H01G4/32—Wound capacitors
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G4/00—Fixed capacitors; Processes of their manufacture
- H01G4/38—Multiple capacitors, i.e. structural combinations of fixed capacitors
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G5/00—Capacitors in which the capacitance is varied by mechanical means, e.g. by turning a shaft; Processes of their manufacture
- H01G5/01—Details
- H01G5/011—Electrodes
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- H—ELECTRICITY
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- H01G—CAPACITORS; CAPACITORS, RECTIFIERS, DETECTORS, SWITCHING DEVICES, LIGHT-SENSITIVE OR TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE DEVICES OF THE ELECTROLYTIC TYPE
- H01G5/00—Capacitors in which the capacitance is varied by mechanical means, e.g. by turning a shaft; Processes of their manufacture
- H01G5/01—Details
- H01G5/014—Housing; Encapsulation
Definitions
- the invention herein relates to a capacitor with multiple capacitor values selectively connectable to match the capacitance or capacitances of one or more capacitors being replaced.
- capacitors are used in connection with the motors of air-conditioning systems.
- the systems often employ two capacitors, one used in association with a compressor motor and another smaller value capacitor for use in association with a fan motor.
- Air-conditioning systems of different BTU capacity made by different manufacturers or being a different model all may use capacitors having different values. These capacitors have a finite life and sometimes fail, causing the system to become inoperative.
- a serviceman making a service call usually will not know in advance whether a replacement capacitor is necessary to repair an air-conditioning system, or what value capacitor or capacitors might be needed to make the repair.
- One option is for the serviceman to carry a large number of capacitors of different values in the service truck, but it is difficult and expensive to maintain such an inventory, especially because there can be a random need for several capacitors of the same value on the same day.
- the other option is for the serviceman to return to the shop or visit a supplier to pick up a replacement capacitor of the required value. This is inefficient as the travel time to pick up parts greatly extends the overall time necessary to complete a repair. This is extremely detrimental if there is a backlog of inoperative air-conditioning systems on a hot day. This problem presents itself in connection with air-conditioning systems, but is also found in any situation where capacitors are used in association with motors and are replaced on service calls.
- Other typical examples are refrigeration and heating systems, pumps, and manufacturing systems utilizing compressors.
- a desirable replacement capacitor would have the electrical and physical characteristics of the failed capacitor, i.e. it should provide the same capacitance value or values at the same or higher voltage rating, be connectable using the same leads and be mountable on the same brackets or other mounting provision. It should also have the same safety protection, as confirmed by independent tests performed by Underwriter Laboratories or others. Efforts have been made to provide such a capacitor in the past, but they have not resulted in a commercially acceptable capacitor adapted for replacing capacitors having a wide range of capacitance values.
- My U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,921,041 and 4,028,595 disclose dual capacitor elements in the form of two concentric wound capacitor sections.
- My U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,638 also shows dual capacitors sections formed in a wound capacitive element, and
- my U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,145 shows a wound capacitor with dual elements, but suggests that multiple concentric capacitive elements may be provided, as does my U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,312,027 and 5,313,360. None of these patents show a capacitor having electrical and physical characteristics necessary to replace any one of the variety of failed capacitors that might be encountered on a service call.
- American Radionic Co., Inc. produced a capacitor having five concentric capacitor sections in a cylindrical wound capacitor element. A common lead was provided from one end of the capacitor sections, and individual wire leads were provided from the other ends of the respective capacitor sections.
- the wound capacitor element was encapsulated in a plastic insulating material with the wire leads extending outwardly from the encapsulating material. Blade connectors were mounted at the ends of the wire leads, and sliding rubber boots were provided to expose the terminals for making connections and for shielding the terminals after connections were made.
- Various capacitance values could be selected by connecting various ones of the capacitor sections in parallel relationship, in series relationship, or in combinations of parallel and series relationships.
- blade terminals were mounted on the encapsulating material. These capacitors did not meet the needs of servicemen. The connections were difficult to accomplish and the encapsulated structure did not provide pressure interrupter protection in case of capacitor failure, wherein the capacitors did not meet industry safety standards and did not achieve commercial acceptance or success.
- Yet another object of the invention herein to provide a capacitor having one or more of the foregoing objectives and which provides for safely making and maintaining connections thereto.
- a replacement capacitor having a plurality of selectable capacitance values.
- a capacitive element has a plurality of capacitor sections, each having a capacitance value.
- Each capacitor section has a section terminal and the capacitor sections are connected at a capacitive element common terminal.
- the capacitive element is received in a case together with an insulating fluid at least partially and preferably substantially surrounding the capacitive element.
- the case is provided with a pressure interrupter cover assembly, including a cover having a common cover terminal and a plurality of section cover terminals thereon.
- the section terminals of the capacitive element are respectively connected to the section cover terminals and the common terminal of the capacitive element is connected to the common cover terminal, with the pressure interrupter cover assembly adapted to break one or more connections as required to disconnect the capacitive element from an electrical circuit in the event that the capacitive element has a catastrophic pressure-event failure.
- the replacement capacitor is connected into an electrical circuit to replace a failed capacitor by connections to selected ones of the common cover terminal and section cover terminals, the capacitor sections and connections being selected to provide one or more capacitance values corresponding to the capacitor being replaced.
- Such connections may include connecting capacitor sections in parallel, connecting capacitor sections in series, connecting capacitor sections in combinations of parallel and series, and connecting one or more capacitor sections separately to provide two or more independent capacitance values.
- the capacitive element is a wound cylindrical capacitive element having a plurality of concentric wound capacitor sections, each having a capacitance value.
- the number of capacitor sections is preferably six, but may be four or five, or may be greater than six.
- the capacitor section with the largest capacitance value is one of the outer three sections of the capacitive element.
- the capacitor sections are separated by insulation barriers and a metallic spray is applied to the ends of the capacitor sections. The insulation barriers withstand heat associated with connecting wire conductors to the capacitor sections.
- the capacitive element is two or more wound cylindrical capacitive elements. There may be one wound cylindrical capacitive element for each capacitor section and capacitance value, and there may be four, five or six such wound cylindrical capacitive elements. Further, at least one of the two or more wound cylindrical capacitive elements may provide two or more capacitor sections. In a specific aspect, there are two wound cylindrical capacitive elements each providing three capacitor sections. The capacitor sections, however provided, are connected at a common terminal.
- the case is preferably cylindrical, having a cylindrical side wall, a bottom wall and an open top, to accommodate the one wound cylindrical capacitive element or to accommodate the plurality of wound capacitive elements providing the capacitor sections.
- the pressure interrupter cover assembly includes a deformable circular cover having a peripheral edge sealingly secured to the upper end of the case.
- the common cover terminal and section cover terminals are mounted to the cover at spaced apart locations thereon, and have terminal posts extending downwardly from the cover to a distal end.
- a rigid disconnect plate is supported under the cover and defines openings therethrough accommodating the terminal posts and exposing the distal ends thereof.
- Conductors connect the capacitor section terminals and the common element terminal to the distal ends of the respective terminal posts of the section cover terminals and common cover terminal. The conductor connections at the distal ends of the terminal posts are broken upon outward deformation of the cover.
- the conductors connecting the capacitor sections to the distal ends of the section cover terminal posts are insulated wires, with the ends soldered to foil tabs that are welded or soldered to the distal ends of the terminal posts adjacent the disconnect plate.
- the common cover terminal is positioned generally centrally on the cover, and the section cover terminals are positioned at spaced apart locations surrounding the common cover terminal.
- the section cover terminals include at least one blade connector, and preferably two or more blade connectors extending outwardly from the cover for receiving mating connectors for connecting selected ones of the capacitor sections into an electrical circuit.
- the common cover terminal preferably has four blade connectors.
- Additional aspects of the invention include providing insulators for the section and common cover terminals, the insulators including cylindrical cups upstanding from the cover, with the cylindrical cup of at least the common cover terminal extending to or above the blades thereof.
- the insulators include a cover insulation barrier having a barrier cup upstanding from the cover and substantially surrounding a central common cover terminal and further having barrier fins radially extending from the barrier cup and deployed between adjacent section cover terminals.
- the invention herein is carried out by connecting one or more capacitor sections into an electrical circuit, by attaching leads to the cover terminals.
- This includes connecting capacitor sections in parallel, connecting capacitor sections in series, connecting individual capacitor sections, or connecting capacitor sections in combinations of parallel and series, as required to match the capacitance value or values of the failed capacitor being replaced.
- the capacitor sections can be connected to replace multiple capacitor values, as required, to substitute the capacitor for the capacitor that has failed.
- the capacitance values of the capacitor sections are varied within a tolerance range from a stated value, such that one capacitor section may be utilized effectively to replace one of two values, either individually or in combinations of capacitor sections.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a capacitor according to the invention herein;
- FIG. 2 is a top view of the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the capacitor of FIG. 1 , taken along the lines 3 - 3 of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the capacitive element of the capacitor of FIG. 1 , including wire conductors connected to the capacitor sections thereof;
- FIG. 5 is a top view of the capacitive element of the capacitor of FIG. 1 , including wire conductors connected to capacitor sections thereof;
- FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a distal end of a wire conductor of FIGS. 4 and 5 , connected to a foil tab;
- FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of a distal end of a wire conductor of FIGS. 4 and 5 , connected to a foil tab;
- FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the capacitor of FIG. 1 taken along the lines 8 - 8 of FIG. 3 , and showing a pressure interrupter cover assembly of the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the pressure interrupter cover assembly of the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the pressure interrupter cover assembly of the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 11 is a top view of the capacitor of FIG. 1 , shown with selected capacitor sections connected to a fan motor and a compressor motor;
- FIG. 12 is a schematic circuit diagram of the capacitor of FIG. 1 connected as shown in FIG. 11 ;
- FIG. 13 is a top view of the capacitor of FIG. 1 with jumper wires connecting selected capacitor sections in parallel, and also shown connected in an electrical circuit to a fan motor and a compressor motor;
- FIG. 14 is a schematic circuit diagram of the capacitor of FIG. 1 connected as shown in FIG. 13 ;
- FIG. 15 is a top view of the capacitor of FIG. 1 connecting selected capacitor sections in series, and also shown connected in an electrical circuit to a motor;
- FIG. 16 is a schematic circuit diagram of the capacitor of FIG. 1 as connected shown in FIG. 15 ;
- FIG. 17 is a top view of the capacitor of FIG. 1 with a jumper wire connecting selected capacitor sections in series, and also shown connected in an electrical circuit to a compressor motor;
- FIG. 18 is a schematic circuit diagram of the capacitor of FIG. 1 connected as shown in FIG. 17 ;
- FIG. 19 is a chart showing the single value capacitance values that may be provided by the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 20 is a chart showing dual value capacitances that may be provided by the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 21 is another chart showing dual value capacitances that may be provided by the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 22 is another chart showing dual value capacitances that may be provided by the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 23 is another chart showing dual value capacitances that may be provided by the capacitor of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 24 is a sectional view of the capacitor of FIG. 1 , taken generally along the lines 24 - 24 of FIG. 2 , but showing the capacitor after failure of the capacitive element;
- FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a capacitor according to the invention herein;
- FIG. 26 is a side elevation view of the capacitive element of the capacitor of FIG. 25 , including conductors connected to the capacitor sections thereof;
- FIG. 27 is a folded top and bottom view of the capacitive element of the capacitor of FIG. 26 including conductors connected to capacitor sections thereof;
- FIG. 28 is a sectional view of a capacitor according to the invention herein;
- FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the capacitive element of the capacitor of FIG. 28 , including some of the conductors connected to the capacitor sections thereof;
- FIG. 30 is a top view of the capacitive element of the capacitor of FIG. 28 , including conductors connected to capacitor sections thereof;
- FIG. 31 is a sectional view of an example of a capacitor and a magnet.
- FIG. 32 is a sectional view of an example of a capacitor and a magnet.
- FIGS. 33 A-C show an example of a capacitor and a magnet configured to be mounted to a case of the capacitor.
- FIGS. 34 A-C show another example of a capacitor and a magnet configured to be mounted to a case of the capacitor.
- FIG. 35 shows an example of a magnet configured to be mounted to a case of a capacitor.
- the same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the various Figures.
- a capacitor 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 - 3 , as well as in other Figures to be described below.
- the capacitor 10 is adapted to replace any one of a large number of capacitors. Therefore, a serviceman may carry a capacitor 10 on a service call and, upon encountering a failed capacitor, the serviceman can utilize the capacitor 10 to replace the failed capacitor with the capacitor 10 being connected to provide the same capacitance value or values of the failed capacitor.
- the capacitor 10 has a capacitive element 12 having a plurality of capacitor sections, each having a capacitance value.
- the capacitive element 12 is also shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 .
- the capacitive element 12 has six capacitor sections 20 - 25 .
- the capacitive element 12 is a wound cylindrical element manufactured by extension of the techniques described in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,921,041, 4,028,595, 4,352,145 and 5,313,360, incorporated herein by reference. Those patents relate to capacitive elements having two capacitor sections rather than a larger plurality of capacitor sections, such as the six capacitor sections 20 - 25 of the capacitive element 12 .
- the capacitive element 12 has a central spool or mandrel 28 , which has a central opening 29 .
- First and second dielectric films, each having a metalized layer on one side thereof, are wound in cylindrical form on the mandrel 28 with the non-metalized side of one film being in contact with the metalized side of the other. Selected portions of one or both of the metalized layers are removed in order to provide a multiple section capacitive element.
- Element insulation barriers are inserted into the winding to separate the capacitor sections, the element insulation barriers also assuming a cylindrical configuration.
- element insulation barriers 30 - 34 are provided to separate the six capacitor sections 20 - 25 , with element insulation barrier 30 separating capacitor sections 20 and 21 , element insulation barrier 31 separating capacitor sections 21 and 22 , element insulation barrier 32 separating capacitor sections 22 and 23 , element insulation barrier 33 separating capacitor sections 23 and 24 , and element insulation barrier 34 separating capacitor sections 24 and 25 .
- the element insulation barriers are insulating polymer sheet material, which in the capacitive element 12 is polypropylene having a thickness of 0.005 inches, wound into the capacitive element 12 . Thickness of 0.0025 to 0.007 may be used. Other materials may also be used.
- the barriers each have about 23 ⁇ 4-4 wraps of the polypropylene sheet material, wherein the element insulation barriers have a thickness of about 0.013 to 0.020 inches.
- the barriers 30 - 34 are thicker than used before in capacitors with fewer capacitor sections. The important characteristic of the barriers 30 - 34 is that they are able to withstand heat from adjacent soldering without losing integrity of electrical insulation, such that adjacent sections can become bridged.
- the metalized films each have one unmetalized marginal edge, such that the metalized marginal edge of one film is exposed at one end of the wound capacitive element 12 and the metalized marginal edge of the other film is exposed at the other end of the capacitive element 12 .
- the barriers 30 - 34 do not extend from the film, and an element common terminal 36 is established contacting the exposed metalized marginal edges of one metalized film of all the capacitor sections 20 - 25 .
- the element common terminal 36 is preferably a zinc spray applied onto the end of the capacitive element 12 .
- the element insulation barriers 30 - 34 extend above the wound metalized film.
- An individual capacitor element section terminal is provided for each of the capacitive sections 20 - 25 , also by applying a zinc or other metallic spray onto the end of the capacitive element 12 with the zinc being deployed on each of the capacitor sections 20 - 25 between and adjacent the element insulation barriers 30 - 34 .
- the element section terminals are identified by numerals 40 - 45 .
- Element section terminal 40 of capacitor section 20 extends from the outer-most element insulation barrier 30 to the outer surface of the capacitive element 12
- the element section terminal 45 of capacitor section 25 extends from the inner-most element insulation barrier 34 to the central mandrel 28 .
- Element section terminals 41 - 44 are respectively deployed on the capacitor sections 21 - 24 .
- Conductors preferably in the form of six insulated wires 50 - 55 each have one of their ends respectively soldered to the element section terminals 40 - 45 , as best seen in FIG. 5 .
- the thickness of the polypropylene barriers 30 - 34 resists any burn-through as a result of the soldering to connect wires 50 - 55 to the terminals 40 - 45 .
- the insulation of the wires 50 - 55 is color coded to facilitate identifying which wire is connected to which capacitor section.
- Wire 50 connected to element section terminal 40 of capacitor section 20 has blue insulation
- wire 51 connected to element section terminal 41 of capacitor section 21 has yellow insulation
- wire 52 connected to element section terminal 42 of capacitor section 22 has red insulation
- wire 53 connected to element section terminal 43 of capacitor section 23 has white insulation
- wire 54 connection to element section terminal 44 of capacitor section 24 has white insulation
- wire 55 connected to element section terminal 45 of capacitor section 25 has green insulation.
- the capacitive element 12 is further provided with foil strip conductor 38 , having one end attached to the element common terminal 36 at 37 .
- the foil strip conductor 38 is coated with insulation, except for the point of attachment 37 and the distal end 39 thereof.
- the conductor 50 connected to the outer capacitor element section 20 and its terminal 30 may also be a foil strip conductor. If desired, foil or wire conductors may be utilized for all connections.
- the capacitor section 20 has a value of 25.0 microfarads and the capacitor section 21 has a capacitance of 20.0 microfarads.
- the capacitor section 22 has a capacitance of 10.0 microfarads.
- the capacitor section 23 has a capacitance of 5.5 microfarads, but is identified as having a capacitance of 5.0 microfarads for purposes further discussed below.
- the capacitor section 24 has a capacitance of 4.5 microfarads but is labeled as having a capacitance of 5 microfarads, again for purposes described below.
- the capacitor section 25 has a capacitance of 2.8 microfarads.
- the capacitor section 20 with the largest capacitance value also has the most metallic film, and is therefore advantageously located as the outer section or at least one of the three outer sections of the capacitive element 12 .
- the capacitor 10 also has a case 60 , best seen in FIGS. 1 - 3 , having a cylindrical side wall 62 , a bottom wall 64 , and an open top 66 of side wall 62 .
- the case 60 is formed of aluminum and the cylindrical side wall 62 has an outside diameter of 2.50 inches. This is a very common diameter for capacitors of this type, wherein the capacitor 10 will be readily received in the mounting space and with the mounting hardware provided for the capacitor being replaced. Other diameters may, however, be used, and the case may also be plastic or of other suitable material.
- the capacitive element 12 with the wires 50 - 55 and the foil strip 38 are received in the case 60 with the element common terminal 36 adjacent the bottom wall 64 of the case.
- An insulating bottom cup 70 is preferably provided for insulating the capacitive element 12 from the bottom wall 64 , the bottom cup 70 having a center post 72 that is received in the center opening 29 of the mandrel 28 , and an up-turned skirt 74 that embraces the lower side wall of the cylindrical capacitive element 12 and spaces it from the side wall 62 of the case 60 .
- An insulating fluid 76 is provided within the case 60 , at least partly and preferably substantially surrounding the capacitive element 12 .
- the fluid 76 may be the fluid described in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,308, incorporated herein by reference, or one of the other insulating fluids used in the trade, such as polybutene.
- the capacitor 10 also has a pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 best seen in FIGS. 1 - 3 , 8 - 10 and 24 .
- the cover assembly 80 includes a deformable circular cover 82 having an upstanding cylindrical skirt 84 and a peripheral rim 86 as best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10 .
- the skirt 84 fits into the open top 66 cylindrical side wall 62 of case 60
- the peripheral rim 86 is crimped to the open top 66 of the case 60 to seal the interior of the capacitor 10 and the fluid 76 contained therein, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 .
- the pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 includes seven cover terminals mounted on the deformable cover 82 .
- a common cover terminal 88 is mounted generally centrally on the cover 82
- section cover terminals 90 - 95 are mounted at spaced apart locations surrounding the common cover terminal 88 .
- the section cover terminal 91 has three upstanding blades 98 , 100 and 102 mounted on the upper end of a terminal post 104 .
- Terminal post 104 has a distal end 105 , opposite the blades 98 , 100 and 102 .
- the cover 82 has an opening 106 for accommodating the terminal post 104 , and has a beveled lip 107 surrounding the opening.
- a shaped silicone insulator 108 fits snuggly under the cover in the beveled lip 107 and the terminal post 104 passes through the insulator 108 .
- an insulator cup 110 also surrounds the post 104 , and the insulator cup 110 sits atop the silicone insulator 108 ; thus, the terminal 91 and its terminal post 104 are well insulated from the cover 82 .
- the other cover section terminals 92 - 95 are similarly mounted with an insulator cup and a silicone insulator.
- the common cover terminal 88 has four blades 120 , and a terminal post 122 that passes through a silicone insulator 112 .
- the common cover terminal 88 mounts cover insulator barrier 114 that includes an elongated cylindrical center barrier cup 116 surrounding and extending above the blades 120 of the cover common terminal 88 , and six barrier fins 118 that extend respectively radially outwardly from the elongated center barrier cup 116 such that they are deployed between adjacent section cover terminals 90 - 95 . This provides additional protection against any arcing or bridging contact between adjacent section cover terminals or with the common cover terminal 88 .
- the common cover terminal 88 may be provided with an insulator cup 116 , preferably extending above blades 120 but with no separating barrier fins, although the barrier fins 118 are preferred.
- the terminal post 122 extends through an opening in the bottom of the base 117 of the insulating barrier cup 116 , and through the silicone insulator 112 , to a distal end 124 .
- the pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 has a fiberboard disc 126 through which the terminal posts 122 , terminal post 104 and the terminal posts of the other section cover terminals extend.
- the disc 126 may be also fabricated of other suitable material, such as polymers.
- the terminal posts 104 , 122 , etc. are configured as rivets with rivet flanges 128 for assembly purposes.
- the terminal posts 104 , 122 , etc. are inserted through the disc 126 , insulators 108 , 112 , insulator cups 110 and barrier cup 116 , and the cover terminals 88 , 90 - 95 are spot welded to the ends of the rivets opposite the rivet flanges 128 .
- the rivet flanges 128 secure the cover terminals 88 , 90 - 95 in the cover 82 , together with the insulator barrier 114 , insulator cups 110 and silicone insulators 108 , 112 .
- the fiberboard disc 126 facilitates this assembly, but may be omitted, if desired.
- the distal ends of the terminal posts are preferably exposed below the rivet flanges 128 .
- the cover assembly 80 has a disconnect plate 130 , perhaps best seen in FIGS. 3 , 9 and 10 .
- the disconnect plate 130 is made of a rigid insulating material, such as a phenolic, is spaced below the cover 82 by a spacer 134 in the form of a skirt.
- the disconnect plate 130 is provided with openings accommodating the distal ends of the terminal posts, such as opening 136 accommodating the distal end 105 of terminal post 104 and opening 138 accommodating the distal end 124 of the terminal post 122 .
- the disconnect plate 130 may be provided with raised guides, such as linear guides 140 and dimple guides 142 , generally adjacent the openings accommodating the distal ends of terminal posts. These guides are for positioning purposes as discussed below.
- the conductors between the capacitor sections and the terminal posts were generally foil strips, such as the one used for the common element terminal 36 of the capacitive element 12 herein.
- the foil strips were positioned on a breaker plate over the distal ends of terminal posts, and were welded to the distal ends of the terminal posts.
- the distal end 39 of the foil strip 38 is connected to the distal end 124 of terminal post 122 by welding, as in prior capacitors.
- the wires 50 - 55 are not well-configured for welding to the distal ends of the terminal posts of the cover section terminals. However, the wires 50 - 55 are desirable in place of foil strips because they are better accommodated in the case 60 and have good insulating properties, resist nicking and are readily available with colored insulations.
- foil tabs 56 are welded to each of the distal ends of the terminal posts of the section cover terminals 90 - 95 , and the guides 140 , 142 are helpful in positioning the foil tabs 56 for the welding procedure. The attachment may be accomplished by welding the distal end of a foil strip to the terminal post, and then cutting the foil strip to leave the foil tab 56 .
- the conductor 58 of wire 50 is soldered to the tab 56 , by solder 57 .
- the insulation 59 of wire 50 has been stripped to expose the conductor 58 .
- the other wires 51 - 55 are similarly connected to their respective cover section terminals.
- the foil tabs may be soldered to the wires and the tabs may then be welded to the terminal posts, if desired, or other conductive attachment may be employed.
- each of the capacitor sections 20 - 25 is connected to a corresponding section cover terminal 90 - 95 by a respective one of color coded wires 50 - 55 .
- the insulator cups 110 associated with each of the section cover terminals 90 - 95 are also color coded, using the same color scheme as used in the wires 50 - 55 . This facilitates assembly, in that each capacitor section and its wire conductor are readily associated with the correct corresponding section cover terminal, so that the correct capacitor sections can be identified on the cover to make the desired connections for establishing a selected capacitance value.
- the connections of the wires 50 - 55 and the foil 38 to the terminal posts are made prior to placing the capacitive element 12 in the case 60 , adding the insulating fluid 76 , and sealing the cover 82 of cover assembly 80 to the case 60 .
- the case 60 may be labeled with the capacitance values of the capacitance sections 20 - 25 adjacent the cover terminals, such as on the side of case 60 near the cover 82 or on the cover 82 .
- the capacitor 10 may be used to replace a failed capacitor of any one of over two hundred different capacitance values, including both single and dual applications. Therefore, a serviceman is able to replace virtually any failed capacitor he may encounter as he makes service calls on equipment of various manufacturers, models, ages and the like.
- Air conditioning units typically have two capacitors; a capacitor for the compressor motor which may or may not be of relatively high capacitance value and a capacitor of relatively low capacitance value for a fan motor.
- the compressor motor capacitors typically have capacitances of from 20 to about 60 microfarads.
- the fan motor capacitors typically have capacitance values from about 2.5 to 12.5 microfarads, and sometimes as high as 15 microfarads, although values at the lower end of the range are most common.
- capacitor 10 is connected to replace a compressor motor capacitor and a fan motor capacitor, where the compressor motor capacitor has a value of 25.0 microfarads and the fan motor capacitor has a value of 4.0 microfarads.
- the 25.0 microfarad replacement capacitance for the compressor motor is made by one of the compressor motor leads 160 being connected to one of the blades of the blue section cover terminal 90 of capacitor section 20 , which has a capacitance value of 25.0 microfarads, and the other compressor motor lead 161 being connected to one of the blades 120 of common cover terminal 88 .
- the lead 162 from the fan motor is connected to the white section cover terminal 94 of capacitor section 24
- the second lead 163 from the fan motor is also connected to the common cover terminal 88 .
- the actual capacitance value of the capacitor section 24 that is connected to the section cover terminal 94 is 4.5 microfarads
- the instructions and/or labeling for the capacitor 10 indicate that the capacitor section 24 as represented at terminal 94 should be used for a 4.0 microfarad replacement.
- Preferred labeling for this purpose can be “5.0 (4.0) microfarads” or similar.
- the 4.5 microfarad capacitance value is within approximately 10% of the specified 4.0 microfarad value, and that is within acceptable tolerances for proper operation of the fan motor.
- capacitor section 24 and terminal 94 may be connected to replace a 5.0 microfarad capacitance value as well, whereby the 4.5 microfarad actual capacitance value of capacitor section 24 gives added flexibility in replacing failed capacitors.
- the 5.5 microfarad capacitor section 23 can be used for either 5.0 microfarad or 6.0 microfarad replacement, and the 2.8 microfarad capacitor section 25 can be used for a 3.0 microfarad replacement or for a 2.5 microfarad additive value.
- FIG. 12 schematically illustrates the connection of capacitor sections 20 and 24 to the compressor motor and fan motor shown in FIG. 11 .
- FIG. 13 illustrates another connection of the capacitor 10 for replacing a 60.0 microfarad compressor motor capacitor and a 7.5 microfarad fan motor capacitor.
- a 60.0 microfarad capacitance value for the compressor motor is achieved by connecting in parallel the section cover terminal 90 (capacitor section 20 at a value of 25.0 microfarads), section cover terminal 91 (capacitor section 21 at a value of 20.0 microfarads), section cover terminal 92 (capacitor section 22 at a value of 10.0 microfarads) and section cover terminal 93 (capacitor section 23 at a nominal value of 5.0 microfarads).
- the foregoing connections are made by means of jumpers 164 , 165 and 166 , which may be supplied with the capacitor 10 .
- FIG. 14 diagrammatically illustrates the connection of the capacitor 10 shown in FIG. 13 .
- the capacitor sections can also be connected in series to utilize capacitor 10 as a single value replacement capacitor.
- This has the added advantage of increasing the voltage rating of the capacitor 10 in a series application, i.e. the capacitor 10 can safely operate at higher voltages when its sections are connected in series.
- the operating voltage will not be increased as it is established by the existing equipment and circuit, and the increased voltage rating derived from a series connection will increase the life of the capacitor 10 because it will be operating well below its maximum rating.
- the capacitor 10 is shown with capacitor section 22 (terminal 92 ) having a value of 10.0 microfarads connected in series with capacitor section 25 (terminal 95 ) having a nominal value of 2.5 microfarads to provide a replacement capacitance value of 2.0 microfarads.
- Leads 175 and 176 make the connections from the respective section cover terminals 92 and 95 to the motor, and the element common terminal 36 connects the capacitor sections 22 and 25 of capacitive element 12 .
- FIG. 16 the connection of capacitor 10 shown in FIG. 15 is illustrated diagrammatically. In both FIGS. 15 and 16 , it will be seen that the cover common terminal 88 is not used in making series connections.
- each of the capacitor sections 20 - 25 is rated at 440 volts.
- the applied voltage section is divided between the capacitor sections in inverse proportion to their value.
- the nominal 2.5 microfarad section sees about 80% of the applied voltage
- the 10.0 microfarad section sees about 20% of the applied voltage.
- the net effect is that the capacitor 10 provides the 2.0 microfarad replacement value at a higher rating, due to the series connection. In this configuration, the capacitor 10 is lightly stressed and is apt to have an extremely long life.
- the capacitor sections of the capacitor 10 are shown connected in a combination of parallel and series connections to provide additional capacitive values at high voltage ratings, in this case 5.0 microfarads.
- the two capacitor sections 23 and 24 each having a nominal value of 5.0 microfarads are connected in parallel by jumper 177 between their respective cover section terminals 93 and 94 .
- the leads 178 and 179 from a compressor motor are connected to the section cover terminal 92 of capacitor section 22 having a value of 10.0 microfarads, and the other lead is connected to cover section terminal 94 of capacitor section 24 .
- a capacitance value of 5.0 microfarads is provided according to the following formula
- C 1 is a parallel connection having the value C+C, in this case 5.0+5.0 for a C 1 of 10.0 microfarads. With that substitution, the total value is
- FIG. 17 The connection of capacitor 10 illustrated in FIG. 17 is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 18 .
- FIG. 19 is a chart showing single capacitance values that can be provided by the capacitor 10 connected in parallel. The values are derived by connecting individual capacitor sections into a circuit, or by parallel connections of capacitor sections. The chart should be interpreted remembering that the 2.8 microfarad capacitor section can be used as a 2.5 or 3.0 microfarad replacement, and that the two 5.0 microfarad values are actually 4.5 and 5.5 microfarad capacitor sections, also with possibilities for more replacements.
- FIGS. 20 - 23 are charts showing applications of capacitor 10 in replacing both a fan motor capacitor and a compressor motor capacitor. This is an important capability, because many air conditioning systems are equipped with dual value capacitors and when one of the values fails, another dual value capacitor must be substituted into the mounting space bracket.
- the chart of FIG. 20 shows dual value capacitances that can be provided by capacitor 10 wherein the nominal 2.5 microfarad capacitor section 25 is used for one of the dual values, usually the fan motor. Fan motors are generally not rigid in their requirements for an exact capacitance value, wherein the capacitor section 25 may also be used for fan motors specifying a 3.0 microfarad capacitor.
- the remaining capacitor sections 20 - 24 are available for connection individually or in parallel to the compressor motor, providing capacitance values from 5.0 to 65.0 microfarads in 5.0 microfarad increments.
- the chart of FIG. 21 also shows dual value capacitances that can be provided by capacitor 10 .
- one of the dual values is 5.0 microfarads that can be provided by either capacitor section 23 having an actual capacitance value of 5.5 microfarads or by capacitor section 24 having an actual capacitance of 4.5 microfarads.
- the capacitor section 24 can also be used for a 4.0 microfarad replacement value, and capacitor section 23 could be used for a 6.0 microfarad replacement value.
- the FIG. 21 chart represents more dual replacement values than are specifically listed.
- the other capacitor section may be used in various parallel connections to achieve the second of the dual capacitance values.
- the chart of FIG. 22 illustrates yet additional dual value capacitances that can be provided by capacitor 10 .
- Capacitor section 25 (nominal 2.5 microfarads) is connected in parallel with one of capacitor section 23 (5.5 microfarads) or capacitor section 24 (4.5 microfarads) to provide a 7.5 microfarad capacitance value as one of the dual value capacitances.
- the remaining capacitor sections are used individually or in parallel to provide the second of the dual value capacitances.
- FIG. 23 chart illustrates yet additional dual value capacitances that can be provided by capacitor 10 , where capacitor section 22 (10 microfarads) is dedicated to provide one of the dual values. The remaining capacitor sections are used individually or in parallel for the other of the dual values.
- any one or group of capacitor sections may be used for one of a dual value, with a selected one or group of the remaining capacitor sections connected to provide another capacitance value.
- the capacitor 10 could provide six individual capacitance values corresponding to the capacitor sections, or three, four or five capacitance values in selected individual and parallel connections. Additional single values can be derived from series connections.
- the six capacitor sections 20 - 25 can provide hundreds of replacement values, including single and dual values. It will further be appreciated that if fewer replacement values are required, the capacitor 10 can be made with five or even four capacitor sections, and that if more replacement values were desired, the capacitor 10 could be made with more than six capacitor sections. It is believed that, at least in the intended field of use for replacement of air conditioner capacitors, there should be a minimum of five capacitor sections and preferably six capacitor sections to provide an adequate number of replacement values.
- the pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 provides such protection for the capacitor 10 and its capacitive element 12 .
- the capacitor 10 is shown after failure. Outgassing has caused the circular cover 82 to deform upwardly into a generally domed shape.
- the terminal posts 104 , 122 are also displaced upwardly from the disconnect plate 130 , and the weld connection of the distal end 124 of common cover terminal post 122 to the distal end 39 foil lead 38 from the element common terminal 36 of the capacitive element 12 is broken, and the welds between the foil tabs 56 and the terminal posts 104 of the section cover terminals 90 - 95 are also broken, the separation at section cover terminals 91 and 94 being shown.
- the preferred pressure interrupter cover assembly includes the foil lead 38 and foil tabs 56 , frangibly connected to the distal ends of the terminal posts, the frangible connections both known in the art and to be developed may be used.
- the terminal posts themselves may be frangible.
- the capacitor sections of the capacitor 10 are utilized in a series connection, it is necessary that only one of the terminal posts used in the series connection be disconnected from its foil tab at the disconnect plate 130 to remove the capacitive element from an electrical circuit.
- the outgassing condition will persist until the pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 deforms sufficiently to cause disconnection from the circuit, and it is believed that an incremental amount of outgassing may occur as required to cause sufficient deformation and breakage of the circuit connection at the terminal post of one of the section cover terminal.
- the common cover terminal 88 will be used and the central location of the common cover terminal 88 will cause fast and certain disconnect upon any failure of the capacitive element.
- the common cover terminal 88 may be twisted to pre-break the connection of the terminal post 122 with the foil strip 38 , thus eliminating the requirement of any force to break that connection in the event of a failure of the capacitive element 12 .
- the force that would otherwise be required to break the connection of cover common terminal post 122 is then applied to the terminal posts of the section cover terminals, whereby the section cover terminals are more readily disconnected. This makes the pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 highly responsive in a series connection configuration.
- the structural aspects of welding foil tabs to the distal ends of the terminal posts corresponding to the various capacitor sections and thereafter soldering the connecting wires onto the foil tabs 56 is also believed to make the pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 more responsive to failure of the capacitive element 12 .
- the solder and wire greatly enhance the rigidity of the foil tabs 56 wherein upon deformation of the cover 82 , the terminal posts break cleanly from the foil tabs 56 instead of pulling the foil tabs partially through the disconnect plate before separating.
- the capacitor 10 despite having a common cover terminal and section cover terminals for six capacitor sections, is able to satisfy safety requirements for fluid-filled metalized film capacitors, which is considered a substantial advance in the art.
- FIGS. 25 - 27 Another capacitor 200 according to the invention herein is illustrated in FIGS. 25 - 27 .
- the capacitor 200 has the same or similar external appearance and functionality as capacitor 10 , and is adapted to replace any one of a large number of capacitors with the capacitor 200 connected to provide the same capacitance value or values of a failed capacitor.
- the capacitor 200 is characterized by a capacitive element 212 having two wound cylindrical capacitive elements 214 and 216 stacked in axial alignment in case 60 .
- the first wound cylindrical capacitive element 214 provides three capacitor sections 20 a , 22 a and 23 a
- the second wound cylindrical element 216 provides an additional three capacitive sections 21 a , 24 a and 25 a .
- These capacitor sections correspond in capacitance value to the capacitor sections 20 - 25 of capacitor 10 , i.e. capacitor sections 20 and 20 a have the same capacitance value, capacitor sections 21 and 21 a have the same capacitance value, etc.
- the wound cylindrical capacitive element 214 has a central spool or mandrel 228 , which has a central opening 229 .
- First and second dielectric films, each having metalized layer on one side thereof, are wound in cylindrical form on the mandrel 228 with the non-metalized size of one film being in contact with the metalized side of the other. Selected portions of one or both of the metalized layers are removed in order to provide multiple sections in the wound cylindrical capacitive element.
- Element insulation barriers 230 and 231 are inserted into the winding to separate the capacitor sections, the element insulation barriers also assuming a cylindrical configuration, with the element insulation barrier 230 separating capacitor sections 20 a and 22 a , and element insulation barrier 231 separating capacitor sections 22 a and 23 a .
- Zinc or other metal spray is applied between the barriers to form section terminals 40 a , 42 a and 43 a at one end of wound cylindrical capacitive element 214 , and first common element terminal 36 a.
- the second wound cylindrical capacitive element 216 is similarly formed, on a mandrel 226 with central opening 227 , providing three capacitor sections 21 a , 24 a and 25 a , with insulation barriers 232 and 233 separating the sections.
- the insulation barriers may be as described above with respect to capacitive element 12 , i.e. polypropylene barriers sufficient to withstand heat from adjacent soldering without loosing the integrity of electrical insulation.
- the capacitor sections 21 a , 24 a and 25 a are also metal sprayed to form section terminals 41 a , 44 a and 45 a with capacitance values respectively corresponding to sections 41 , 44 and 45 of capacitive element 12 .
- Element common terminal 36 a ′ is also formed.
- Element common terminal 36 a of wound cylindrical capacitive element 214 connects the sections 20 a , 22 a and 23 a thereof, and an element common terminal 36 a ′ of wound cylindrical capacitive element 216 electrically connects the capacitor sections 21 a , 24 a and 25 a .
- the element common terminals 36 a and 36 a ′ are connected by a foil strip 236 , wherein they become the common terminal for all capacitor sections.
- the wound cylindrical capacitive elements 214 and 216 are stacked vertically in the case 60 , with the common element terminals 36 a , 36 a ′ adjacent to each other such that any contact between these common element terminals is normal and acceptable because they are connected as the common terminal for all capacitor sections.
- An insulator cup 270 is positioned in the bottom of case 60 , to protect element section terminals 21 a , 24 a and 25 a from contact with the case 60 and a post 272 keeps the wound cylindrical elements 214 and 216 aligned and centered in case 60 .
- Conductors 50 a - 55 a preferably in the form of six insulated foil strips or insulated wires, each have one of their respective ends soldered to corresponding element section terminals 20 a - 25 a , and have their other respective ends connected to the corresponding terminal posts of pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 .
- One of the element common terminals 36 a , 36 a ′ is connected to the cover common terminal post 122 by conductor 38 a .
- the conductors are foil strips, all of the conductors may be connected as described above with respect to the foil strip 38 , and if the conductors are insulated wire conductors they may be connected as described above with respect to the insulated wires 50 - 55 .
- the case 60 is filled with an insulating fluid 76 .
- the length L of the two wound cylindrical capacitives 214 and 216 i.e. the length of the mandrels 226 and 228 on which the metalized dielectric sheet is wound, is selected in part to provide the desired capacitance values.
- the outer capacitor sections having the greater circumferential dimension contain more metalized dielectric film than the capacitor sections more closely adjacent to the mandrels, and therefore provide a larger capacitance value.
- the longer wound cylindrical capacitive element 214 provides the 25 microfarad capacitor section 20 a and the 10 microfarad capacitor section 22 a , with the 5.5 microfarad capacitor section 23 a adjacent mandrel 238 .
- the shorter wound cylindrical capacitive element 216 provides the 20 microfarad capacitor section 21 a , the 4.5 microfarad capacitor section 24 a and the 2.8 microfarad capacitor section 25 a.
- a capacitive element 212 made up of two wound cylindrical capacitive elements 214 and 216 therefore provides the same capacitance values in its various capacitor sections as capacitive element 12 and, when connected to the cover section terminals 90 - 95 , may be connected in the same way as described above with respect to the capacitor 10 and to provide the same replacement capacitance values shown in the charts of FIGS. 19 - 23 .
- capacitor 300 is shown, also having the same or similar exterior appearance as the capacitor 10 and having the same functionality and replacing failed capacitors of varying values.
- the capacitor 300 includes case 60 and pressure interrupter cover assembly 80 , and the capacitor 300 is characterized by a capacitive element provided in six separate wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320 - 325 , each wound cylindrical capacitive element providing one capacitor section 20 b - 25 b of the total capacitive element 312 .
- the capacitive element includes a first wound cylindrical capacitive element 320 which provides a capacitive section 20 b , preferably having a capacitance value of 25 microfarads.
- the capacitive section 20 b has a section terminal 40 b which is connected by conductor 50 b to section cover terminal 90 of the cover assembly 80 , and has bottom common terminal 360 .
- Wound cylindrical capacitor element 321 provides the capacitor section 21 b having a value of 20 microfarads, having a section terminal 41 b connected to the cover section terminal 91 by a conductor 51 b .
- This section also has a bottom terminal 361 .
- a wound cylindrical capacitive element 322 provides the capacitor section 22 b of capacitance value 10 microfarads, with section terminal 42 b connected to the corresponding section cover terminal 92 by conductor 52 c , and has a bottom terminal 362 .
- Wound cylindrical capacitive element 325 provides capacitor section 25 b having sectional terminal 45 b connected to the section cover terminal 95 by insulated wire conductor 55 b . It also has a bottom terminal 325 .
- the wound cylindrical capacitive element 325 providing only 2.8 microfarads of capacitance value, is quite small compared to the wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320 , 321 and 322 .
- the four wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320 , 321 , 322 and 325 are oriented vertically within the case 60 , but provide sufficient head room to accommodate two additional wound cylindrical capacitive elements 323 and 324 , which are placed horizontally under the cover assembly 80 .
- the wound capacitive element 323 provides capacitor section 23 b , preferably having a value of 4.5 microfarads
- the wound cylindrical capacitive element 324 provides capacitor section 24 b having a value of 5.5 microfarads.
- These capacitor sections have, respectively, section terminals 43 b and 44 b connected to cover terminals 93 and 94 by conductors 53 b and 54 b and bottom terminals 323 and 324 .
- All of the bottom terminals 320 - 325 are connected together to form common element terminal 36 b , and are connected to the common cover terminal 88 .
- the bottom terminals 320 , 321 , 322 and 325 of the capacitor sections 20 b , 21 b , 22 b and 25 b are connected together by strips soldered or welded thereto, these strips providing both an electrical connection and a mechanical connection holding the assemblies together. Additionally, they may be wrapped with insulating tape.
- An insulated foil strip 38 b connects the aforesaid bottom terminals to the common cover terminal.
- the bottom terminals 323 and 324 of capacitor sections 23 b and 24 b are also connected together, and are further connected to the common cover terminal by an insulated foil strip 38 b′.
- the wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320 - 325 are placed in case 60 with an insulating fluid 76 .
- the capacitor 300 may be used in the same way as described above with respect to capacitor 10 , to provide selected replacement values for a large number of different failed capacitors.
- the wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320 - 325 occupy less space in the case 60 than the single wound cylindrical capacitive element 12 of capacitor 10 . This is achieved by using thinner dielectric film wherein the capacitance values can be provided in less volume; however, the voltage rating of the wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320 - 325 is correspondingly less because of the thinner dielectric material. Thus, the capacitors made with this technique may have a shorter life, but benefit from a lower cost of manufacture.
- FIG. 31 Another capacitor 400 according to the invention herein is illustrated in FIG. 31 .
- the capacitor 400 may have the same or similar external appearance and functionality as capacitor 10 , and may be adapted to replace any one of a large number of capacitors with the capacitor 400 connected to provide the same capacitance value or values of a failed capacitor.
- the capacitor 400 may include one or more magnetic elements for assisting in mounting of the capacitor 400 (e.g., to an air conditioning system).
- a magnet 402 is positioned toward a bottom end of the capacitor 400 .
- the magnet 402 is positioned between a bottom wall 464 of a case 460 of the capacitor 400 and a bottom cup 470 of the capacitor 400 (e.g., beneath a center post 472 of the bottom cup 470 ).
- the magnet 402 is configured to create magnetic attraction between the magnet 402 and a magnetic surface in proximity to the capacitor 400 .
- the magnet 402 may cause the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 to be attracted to a metallic surface of an air conditioning system, thereby improving the integrity of a mounting between the capacitor 400 and the air conditioning system after installation.
- the magnet 402 may be designed such that the strength of magnetic attraction between the magnet 402 and the air conditioning system is such that the magnet 402 may remain firmly in place in response to possible vibration and/or other movement of the air conditioning system during operational use.
- the strength of magnetic attraction between the magnet 402 and the air condition system is such that a user (e.g., a technician installing or uninstalling the capacitor 400 ) can remove the capacitor from the surface of the air conditioning system without requiring excessive effort.
- the magnet 402 is illustrated as being positioned interior to the case 460 of the capacitor 400 , in some implementations, the magnet 402 may be positioned outside of the case 460 on an exterior of the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 .
- the magnet 402 may have a disk shape that is positioned outside of the case 460 at an outer surface of a base of the case 460 .
- the magnet 402 may have a rectangular shape.
- the magnet 402 may be a rectangular strip that runs along the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 of the capacitor 400 .
- the rectangular strip may have a particular thickness, a first dimension that runs from the left side of the capacitor 400 to the right side of the capacitor 400 as illustrated in FIG. 31 , and a second dimension that is perpendicular to the first dimension and smaller than the first dimension.
- the magnet 402 may have a square shape (e.g., such that the first dimension is equal to or substantially equal to the second dimension).
- the magnet 402 may have a rod shape.
- the magnet 402 may have a circular shape (e.g., a disk shape) or a hollow circular shape (e.g., a ring shape).
- the magnet 402 may have dimensions equal to or substantially equal to the dimensions of a disk-shaped battery (e.g., a watch battery such as a CR2032 battery).
- the magnet 402 is a disk-shape with a thickness of approximately 4 mm and a diameter of approximately 160 mm.
- the magnet 402 is a disk-shape with a thickness of approximately 4 mm and a diameter of approximately 40 mm.
- the magnet 402 is a disk-shape with a thickness of approximately 4.5-5 mm and a diameter of about 60 mm. In some implementations, the magnet 402 is a disk-shape with a thickness of approximately 5 mm and a diameter of about 60 mm.
- the particular shape and/or dimensions of the magnet 402 may be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction.
- the magnet 402 may be designed with a particular shape and/or larger dimensions and/or larger thicknesses to achieve a relatively higher strength of magnetic attraction with a magnetic surface.
- increased surface area of the magnet 402 toward the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 of the capacitor 400 may increase the strength of magnetic attraction.
- the magnet 402 has a strength of approximately 30-40 milliTeslas (mT) or a strength of approximately 65-75 mT. In some implementations, the strength of magnetic attraction can be increased by stacking multiple magnets 402 (e.g., on top of each other). In some implementations, two stacked magnets 402 can have a strength of approximately 70-80 mT, 60-80 mT, or 130-150 mT, although other ranges are also possible. In some implementations, the magnet 402 may be a D40 ⁇ 4 ferrite ceramic magnet manufactured by Hangzhou Honesun Magnet Co., Ltd.
- the magnet 402 may be magnetized using one or more of a plurality of techniques.
- the magnet 402 may be magnetized such that a north and a south pole of the magnet 402 is located at a particular position of the magnet 402 .
- the techniques for magnetizing the magnet 402 may cause the north and/or south pole to be located at various thicknesses of the magnet 402 , various axial positions of the magnet 402 , various diametric positions of the magnet 402 , and/or various radial positions of the magnet 402 .
- the magnet 402 may be a multi-pole magnet.
- the magnet 402 is a permanent magnet that is made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field.
- the magnet 402 may be made from a ferromagnetic material that can be magnetized, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, and/or an alloy of rare-earth metals, among others.
- the magnet 402 is a ferrite and/or ceramic magnet.
- the magnet 402 may include one or more of ferric oxide, iron oxide, barium, barium carbonate, strontium, and/or strontium carbonate.
- the magnet 402 may include one or more magnetically “hard” materials (e.g., materials that tend to stay magnetized). Alternatively or additionally, the magnet 402 may include one or more magnetically “soft” materials.
- the magnet 402 may be a rare-earth magnet.
- a rare-earth magnet is typically a relatively strong permanent magnet that is made from one or more alloys of rare-earth elements.
- Example of rare-earth elements that can be used in a rare-earth magnet include elements in the lanthanide series, scandium, and yttrium, although other elements may also or alternatively be used.
- the rare-earth magnet may produce a magnetic field of greater than 1.0 T (teslas).
- the rare-earth magnet may include one or both of samarium-cobalt and neodymium.
- the magnet 402 may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite) that can be produced by combining iron oxide and one or more metallic elements.
- ceramic compounds may be electrically nonconductive. The use of such ceramic compounds for the magnet 402 may eliminate the inclusion of electrically conductive elements in the capacitor 400 that may otherwise affect the operation of the capacitor 400 .
- the magnet 402 may have a grade that corresponds to a particular standard (e.g., a National and/or International standard).
- the grade of the magnet 402 corresponds to the Chinese ferrite magnet nomenclature system.
- the magnet 402 is grade Y10 T, Y25, Y30, Y33, Y35, Y30BH, or Y33BH, although other grades are also possible.
- the grade corresponds to a working temperature of 250° C.
- the grade of the magnet 402 corresponds to a Feroba, an American (e.g., “C”), or a European (e.g., “HF”) grading standard.
- the magnet 402 may be an electromagnet that produces a magnetic field by introducing an electric current.
- the electromagnet may include a magnetic core and a wire (e.g., an insulated wire) wound into a coil around the magnetic core.
- the magnetic core may be made from a ferromagnetic or a ferrimagnetic material such as iron or steel.
- the magnetic core may be made from a “soft” magnetic material (e.g., a magnetic material that can allow magnetic domains in the material to align upon introduction of the current through the coil).
- the strength of magnetic attraction can be turned on and off and/or customized according to the current passed through the coil. For example, current can be applied through the coil to cause the electromagnet to generate a magnetic field, and the current can be removed from the coil to cause the electromagnetic to cease generating the magnetic field.
- the strength of the magnetic field (and, e.g., the strength of magnetic attraction created by the electromagnet) can be adjusted based on the magnitude of electrical current passed through the coil. For example, relatively higher magnitudes of electrical current correspond to higher magnetic field strengths and therefore higher strengths of magnetic attraction (e.g., with a magnetic surface), and relatively lower magnitudes of electrical current correspond to lower magnetic field strengths and therefore lower strength of magnetic attraction.
- the particular material used for the core of the electromagnet and/or the dimensions of the core may be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction.
- the core may be made from a material such as one or both of iron and steel.
- the dimensions of the coil and/or the number of turns of the coil may also be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction.
- the current that is provided through the coil may be provided by a connection with one or more of the section cover terminals 90 - 95 and the common cover terminal 88 of the capacitor 400 .
- a conductor e.g., a wire
- a conductor may be used to connect one or more of the section cover terminals 90 - 95 to a first end of the coil and a conductor may be used to connect another one of the section cover terminals 90 - 95 or the common cover terminal 88 to a second end of the coil.
- the current that otherwise runs through the electrical components of the capacitor 400 can also be used to power the electromagnetic, thereby causing the electromagnet to generate a magnetic field.
- the capacitor 400 may include one or more different and/or additional electrical components that can be used by the electromagnet to generate the magnetic field.
- the capacitor 400 may include a separate capacitor that is configured to store a charge to be used to subsequently apply current through the coil of the electromagnetic.
- the electromagnet may have a separate power source that can be used when generation of a magnetic field is desired.
- the capacitor 400 may include a switch that can be toggled by a user (e.g., a technician or an operator of the capacitor 400 ) to cause the electromagnetic to generate or cease generating the magnetic field.
- the switch may cause an electrical connection in the coil to be temporarily broken and restored.
- the switch may cause the conductor that connects the coil to one or more of the section cover terminals 90 - 95 and/or the conductor that connects the coil to the common cover terminal 88 to be temporarily broken and restored, such that the magnetic field generated by the electromagnet can be toggled on and off.
- the user can toggle the magnetic field on when mounting of the capacitor 400 is desired (e.g., at the time of installation) and toggle the magnetic field off when mounting of the capacitor 400 is not desired (e.g., when the capacitor 400 is not in use and/or being stored) or when magnetic attraction is not desired (e.g., when mounting the capacitor 400 at a location that does not include a magnetic surface).
- one or more of the capacitive elements of the capacitor 400 and/or the capacitor sections of the capacitor 400 may be used to store the charge that is provided to the coil to cause the magnetic field to be generated.
- the capacitive element 12 and/or one or more of the capacitor sections 20 - 25 may be configured to store a charge that is subsequently provided to the coil of the electromagnetic. In this way, electrical charge that is otherwise stored by the capacitor 400 during typical use can also be used to power the electromagnet.
- a plurality of magnets 402 may be positioned between the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 of the capacitor 400 and the bottom cup 470 of the capacitor 400 .
- the plurality of magnets 402 may have dimensions that are relatively smaller than dimensions that may be chosen for implementations in which only a single magnet 402 is used.
- the plurality of magnets 402 may have dimensions substantially similar to dimensions of a watch battery, such as a CR2032 battery.
- the plurality of magnets 402 may be positioned at various locations at the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 .
- the plurality of magnets 402 may be arranged in a ring around a perimeter of the bottom wall 464 such that the plurality of magnets 402 are spaced approximately equidistant from one another.
- the plurality of magnets 402 may be arranged in groups of two, three, etc. magnets 402 . Any number of magnets 402 may be provided to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction.
- the capacitor 400 includes two magnets 402 positioned between the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 of the capacitor 400 and the bottom cup 470 of the capacitor 400 .
- the two magnets 402 are each circular shape (e.g., disk shaped).
- the two magnets 402 may have a stacked configuration such that a first disk shaped magnet is stacked on top of a second disk shaped magnet.
- the two magnets 402 may have a combined strength of approximately 70-80 mT, 60-80 mT, or 130-150 mT, although other ranges are also possible.
- the two magnets 402 may have the same or different diameters.
- the two magnets 402 may be positioned at a location that is misaligned with a center of the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 .
- the center of the magnets 402 may be misaligned with the center of the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 such that the magnets 402 are positioned proximate to a side wall of the case 460 .
- the center of the magnets 402 may be aligned with the center of the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 .
- the centers of the two magnets 402 may be misaligned relative to each other. In other words, a center of one of the magnets may be misaligned with a center of the other magnet.
- FIG. 32 Another capacitor 500 according to the invention herein is illustrated in FIG. 32 .
- the capacitor 500 may have the same or similar external appearance and functionality as capacitors 10 and 400 , and may be adapted to replace any one of a large number of capacitors with the capacitor 500 connected to provide the same capacitance value or values of a failed capacitor.
- the capacitor 500 may include one or more magnets for assisting in mounting of the capacitor 500 (e.g., to an air conditioning system).
- a magnet 502 is positioned inside a side wall 562 of a case 560 (e.g., sometimes referred to as a container) of the capacitor 500 .
- the magnet 502 is configured to create magnetic attraction between the magnet 502 and a magnetic surface in proximity to the capacitor 500 .
- the magnet 502 may cause the side wall 562 of the case 560 to be attracted to a metallic surface of an air conditioning system, thereby improving the integrity of a mounting between the capacitor 500 and the air conditioning system after installation.
- the magnet 502 may be designed such that the strength of magnetic attraction between the magnet 502 and the air conditioning system is such that the magnet 502 may remain firmly in place in response to possible vibration and/or other movement of the air conditioning system during operational use.
- the strength of magnetic attraction between the magnet 502 and the air condition system is such that a user (e.g., a technician installing or uninstalling the capacitor 500 ) can remove the capacitor from the surface of the air conditioning system without requiring excessive effort.
- the magnet 502 may have a rectangular shape.
- the magnet 502 may be a rectangular strip that runs from top to bottom along the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 .
- the rectangular strip may have a particular thickness, a first dimension that runs from the top end of the capacitor 500 to the bottom end of the capacitor 500 , and a second dimension that is perpendicular to the first dimension and smaller than the first dimension.
- the magnet 502 may have a square shape (e.g., such that the first dimension is equal to or substantially equal to the second dimension).
- the magnet 502 may have a rod shape.
- the magnet 502 may have a circular shape (e.g., a disk shape) or a hollow circular shape (e.g., a ring shape).
- the magnet 502 may have dimensions equal to or substantially equal to the dimensions of a disk-shaped battery (e.g., a watch battery such as a CR2032 battery).
- a disk-shaped battery e.g., a watch battery such as a CR2032 battery.
- other shapes, a combination of shapes, etc. may be employed; for example, various types of curves may be incorporated into one or more magnetic strips (e.g., elongated oval shaped strips). Patterns of magnetic material may used; for example two crossed magnetic strips, a pattern of crosses, circles, etc. may be attached, incorporated into the bottom wall, side wall 562 , etc. of the capacitor 500 .
- the magnet 502 may have a curved shape that matches or substantially matches a curve of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 .
- the magnet 502 may have a curve that allows the magnet 502 to make continuous contact with the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 .
- the magnet 502 may have dimensions of approximately 1 inch ⁇ 1 inch and a thickness of about 1/10 of an inch. Such a magnet 502 may be curved such that the magnet 502 is configured to interface with an inner wall of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 (e.g., interior to the case 560 ).
- the magnet 502 may be positioned exterior to the case 560 of the capacitor 500 .
- a first surface of the magnet 502 may be curved such that the first surface of the magnet 502 interfaces with an exterior wall of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 , and a second surface opposite of the first surface may have a substantially flat shape that is configured to interface with a flat surface of a separate object (e.g., a surface or wall of an air conditioning system).
- multiple curved magnets 502 may be provided in one or more of the configurations described herein (e.g., including multiple curved magnets, a curved and a non-curved magnet, etc.).
- the magnet 502 may run along (e.g., make continuous contact) with the full perimeter of the side wall 562 of the case 560 . That is, the magnet 502 may have a sleeve shape with a diameter that is slightly less than a diameter of the capacitor 500 . In this way, substantially all of the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 may be magnetic such that the user can affix any portion of the side wall 562 of the capacitor 500 to a magnetic surface (e.g., without needing to rotate the capacitor 500 to find a surface that is in line with the magnet 502 , as may be the case in implementations in which a magnet 502 having a strip shape is used).
- the particular shape and/or dimensions of the magnet 502 may be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction.
- the magnet 502 may be designed with a particular shape and/or larger dimensions and/or larger thicknesses to achieve a relatively higher strength of magnetic attraction with a magnetic surface.
- increased surface area of the magnet 502 toward the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 may increase the strength of magnetic attraction.
- the magnet 502 has a strength of approximately 30-40 milliTeslas (mT) or a strength of approximately 65-75 mT. In some implementations, the strength of magnetic attraction can be increased by stacking multiple magnets 502 (e.g., one beside the other). In some implementations, two stacked magnets 502 can have a strength of approximately 70-80 mT, 60-80 mT, or 130-150 mT, although other ranges are also possible. In some implementations, the magnet 502 may be a D40 ⁇ 4 ferrite ceramic magnet manufactured by Hangzhou Honesun Magnet Co., Ltd.
- the magnet 502 may be magnetized using one or more of a plurality of techniques.
- the magnet 502 may be magnetized such that a north and a south pole of the magnet 502 is located at a particular position of the magnet 502 .
- the techniques for magnetizing the magnet 502 may cause the north and/or south pole to be located at various thicknesses of the magnet 502 , etc.
- the magnet 502 may be a multi-pole magnet.
- the magnet 502 is a permanent magnet that is made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field.
- the magnet 502 may be made from a ferromagnetic material that can be magnetized, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, and/or an alloy of rare-earth metals, among others.
- the magnet 502 is a ferrite and/or ceramic magnet.
- the magnet 502 may include one or more of ferric oxide, iron oxide, barium, barium carbonate, strontium, and/or strontium carbonate.
- the magnet 502 may include one or more magnetically “hard” materials (e.g., materials that tend to stay magnetized). Alternatively or additionally, the magnet 502 may include one or more magnetically “soft” materials.
- the magnet 502 may be a rare-earth magnet.
- a rare-earth magnet is typically a relatively strong permanent magnet that is made from one or more alloys of rare-earth elements.
- Example of rare-earth elements that can be used in a rare-earth magnet include elements in the lanthanide series, scandium, and yttrium, although other elements may also or alternatively be used.
- the rare-earth magnet may produce a magnetic field of greater than 1.0 T.
- the rare-earth magnet may include one or both of samarium-cobalt and neodymium.
- the magnet 502 may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite) that can be produced by combining iron oxide and one or more metallic elements.
- ceramic compounds may be electrically nonconductive. The use of such ceramic compounds for the magnet 502 may eliminate the inclusion of electrically conductive elements in the capacitor 500 that may otherwise affect the operation of the capacitor 500 .
- the magnet 502 may have a grade that corresponds to a particular standard (e.g., a National and/or International standard).
- the grade of the magnet 502 corresponds to the Chinese ferrite magnet nomenclature system.
- the magnet 502 is grade Y10 T, Y25, Y30, Y33, Y35, Y30BH, or Y33BH, although other grades are also possible.
- the grade corresponds to a working temperature of 250° C.
- the grade of the magnet 502 corresponds to a Feroba, an American (e.g., “C”), or a European (e.g., “HF”) grading standard.
- a plurality of magnets 502 may be positioned proximate to the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 .
- the plurality of magnets 502 may have dimensions that are relatively smaller than dimensions that may be chosen for implementations in which only a single magnet 502 is used.
- the plurality of magnets 502 may have dimensions substantially similar to dimensions of a watch battery, such as a CR2032 battery.
- the plurality of magnets 502 may be positioned at various locations proximate to the side wall 562 of the case 560 .
- the plurality of magnets 502 may be arranged in a ring around a perimeter of the side wall 562 such that the plurality of magnets 502 are spaced approximately equidistant from one another.
- the plurality of magnets 502 may be arranged in groups of two, three, etc. magnets 502 . Any number of magnets 502 may be provided to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction.
- the magnet 502 illustrated in FIG. 32 can also be an electromagnet that includes a core and a coil wrapped around the core, in which the materials, dimensions, configuration, and/or operating characteristics of the electromagnet can be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction.
- the capacitors 400 , 500 may be configured to accept the magnet 402 , 502 after manufacture of the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- the capacitor 400 , 500 may include one or more movable surfaces (e.g., doors or compartments) that can be opened by the user such that the user can place the magnet 402 , 502 inside the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- the user can add and/or remove the magnet 402 , 502 if magnetic attraction is desired or on longer desired. Further, the user can add additional magnets or remove magnets if a lesser strength of magnetic attraction is desired.
- the strength of magnetic attraction provided by the configuration of the magnets 402 , 502 may be excessive. As such, the user can remove one or more of the magnets 402 , 502 from the capacitor 400 , 500 until the desired strength of magnetic attraction is achieved.
- the strength of magnetic attraction provided by the configuration of the magnets 402 , 502 may be too low. As such, the user can add one or more additional magnets to the capacitor 400 , 500 until the desired strength of magnetic attraction is achieved.
- a bottom end of the capacitor 400 may be removable from the rest of the case 460 of the capacitor.
- the bottom end of the capacitor 400 may be attached by threading such that the bottom end of the capacitor 400 may be removed by twisting the bottom end of the capacitor 400 away from the rest of the case 460 . Removing the bottom end of the capacitor 400 may reveal a compartment within which the magnet 400 (and, e.g., additional magnets) can be placed and/or removed.
- the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 may include a slidable and/or otherwise openable door that reveals a compartment of the capacitor 500 within which the magnet 502 (and, e.g., additional magnets) can be placed and/or removed.
- the case 460 , 560 of the capacitor 400 , 500 may be made from a magnetic material (e.g., a metallic material).
- the magnet 402 , 502 may be held in place at least in part by magnetic attraction between the magnet 402 , 502 and the case 460 , 560 .
- the magnet 402 may be magnetically attracted to the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 of the capacitor 400
- the magnet 502 may be magnetically attracted to the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 .
- the case 460 , 560 may be made from a non-magnetic material such as a plastic material. In such implementations, one or more other mechanisms or techniques may be used to fix the magnet 402 , 502 in place, as described below.
- the magnet 402 , 502 may be affixed to a surface of the capacitor 400 , 500 by one or more mounting mechanisms.
- one or more brackets may be used to affix the magnet 402 to the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 .
- a bracket may be positioned around a surface of the magnet 402 , and one or more fasteners may be used to affix the bracket against the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 .
- one or more brackets may be used to affix the magnet 502 to the side wall 562 of the case 560 .
- a bracket may be positioned around a surface of the magnet 502 , and one or more fasteners may be used to affix the bracket against the side wall 562 of the case 560 .
- an adhesive may be used to affix the magnet 402 , 502 to the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 and/or the bottom cup 470 and the side wall 562 of the case 560 .
- the magnet 402 , 502 may be held sufficiently in place by being wedged between the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 and the bottom cup 470 , or by being wedged between the side wall 562 of the case 560 and other components of the capacitor 500 .
- magnetic attraction between the magnet 402 , 502 and other components of the capacitor 400 , 500 may assist in holding the magnet 402 , 502 in place.
- the magnet 402 , 502 may be held in place at least in part by an epoxy.
- an epoxy can be introduced in proximity to the magnet 402 , 502 . Upon curing, the epoxy can provide sufficient strength for holding the magnet 402 , 502 in its desired mounting location.
- a cutout (e.g., a recess) may be provided in which the magnet 402 , 502 can be seated (e.g., to assist in holding the magnet 402 , 502 in place at its desired mounting location).
- the cutout may be provided in the case 460 , 560 of the capacitor 400 , 500 and/or in the bottom cup 470 of the capacitor 400 .
- the cutout may provide a ridge that surrounds a perimeter of the magnet 402 , 502 to keep the magnet 402 , 502 in place. In this way, the magnet 402 , 502 is prevented from sliding to other locations within the case 460 , 560 of the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- the magnet 402 , 502 may be mounted to an exterior of the case 460 , 560 .
- the magnet 402 may be mounted to a bottom surface of the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 of the capacitor 400 .
- the magnet 402 may have a shape that substantially matches the shape of the bottom surface of the bottom wall 464 . In this way, when the capacitor 400 is mounted to a magnetic object (e.g., an air conditioning system), the capacitor 400 can be positioned flush with the surface of the object.
- a magnetic object e.g., an air conditioning system
- the magnet 502 may be mounted to an outside surface of the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 .
- the magnet 502 may be wrapped around or substantially around the outside surface of the side wall 562 of the case 560 such that substantially all outside surfaces of the case 560 are magnetic.
- the magnet 402 , 502 may be mounted using one or more mounting mechanisms (e.g., brackets), an adhesive, an epoxy, one or more fasteners, etc.
- one or more brackets may be used to mount the magnet 402 , 502 in an interior of the case 460 , 560 or at an exterior of the case 460 , 560 .
- the magnet 402 , 502 may be a magnetic film that is applied to a portion of the case 460 , 560 of the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- the magnet 402 , 502 may be a magnetic film applied to the exterior of the case 460 , 560 .
- the magnet 402 , 502 may have a thickness of approximately 4 mm.
- a width of approximately 4 mm for the magnet 402 may provide sufficient strength of magnetic attraction without making the capacitor 400 unwieldy (e.g., by adding excessive height to the capacitor 400 ). Therefore, the capacitor 400 does not take up excessive volume at its mounting location (e.g., at or within an air conditioning system).
- one or more portions of the case 460 , 560 of the capacitor 400 , 500 are themselves magnetic, and/or the bottom cup 70 , 470 is magnetic.
- the capacitor 400 , 500 may be designed such that the case 460 , 560 is made from a magnetic material. In this way, the capacitor 400 , 500 can be mounted in a variety of configurations as required for the particular application.
- the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 of the capacitor 400 and/or the bottom cup 70 , 470 of the capacitor 400 may be made from a magnetic material such that the bottom wall 464 of the capacitor 400 can be magnetically attracted to a magnetic object
- the side wall 562 of the case 560 of the capacitor 500 may be made from a magnetic material such that the side wall 562 of the capacitor 500 may be magnetically attracted to a magnetic object.
- the magnets 402 , 502 have been illustrated and described as belonging to different capacitors 400 , 500 , in some implementations, the magnet 402 of FIG. 31 and/or the magnet 502 of FIG. 32 may be incorporated into other capacitors described herein.
- the magnet 502 may also be incorporated into the capacitor 400 (e.g., instead of or in addition to the magnet 402 ), and vice versa.
- one or both of the magnet 402 and the magnet 502 may be incorporated into the capacitor 10 and/or the capacitor 200 and/or the capacitor 300 .
- the capacitors described herein may include multiple stacked magnets toward the bottom of the capacitor (e.g., similar to the capacitor 400 of FIG. 31 , and as described above, between the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 and the bottom cup 470 ).
- the capacitors described herein may include multiple stacked magnets toward the bottom of the capacitor (e.g., similar to the capacitor 400 of FIG. 31 , and as described above, between the bottom wall 464 of the case 460 and the bottom cup 470 ).
- two magnets having a circular shape e.g. disk shape
- the two magnets may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite), for example, which can be produced by combining iron oxide and one or more metallic elements.
- multiple magnets may be provided at the side wall of the capacitor (e.g., the side wall 62 , 562 of the capacitor 400 , 500 ).
- two magnets may be provided inside the side wall 62 , 562 of the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- the two magnets may have a curved shape (e.g., as described above).
- each of the curved magnets may be configured to interface with an inner wall of the case 460 , 560 .
- the curved magnets may have dimensions of approximately 1 inch ⁇ 1 inch and a thickness of approximately 1/10 of an inch.
- the two curved magnets are stacked vertically.
- a first curved magnet may be provided at a first height between the side wall 62 , 562 of the capacitor 400 , 500 and the capacitive element 12
- a second curved magnet may be provided at a second height (e.g., above or below the first height) between the side wall 62 , 562 of the capacitor 400 , 500 and the capacitive element 12
- each of the curved magnets may run around a full circumference of the side wall 62 , 562 of the capacitor 400 , 500 (e.g., such that the magnets have a ring or sleeve shape).
- one of the magnets may run around a full circumference while the other magnet runs around less than an entirety (e.g., a portion) of the circumference.
- both of the magnets may run around less than an entire circumference (e.g., a portion of the circumference of the side wall 62 , 562 ).
- the two curved magnets are positioned at the same vertical height along the length of the side wall 62 , 562 . In such implementations, the two curved magnets may each run less than the entire circumference of the side wall 62 , 562 .
- one or both of the two curved magnets may be a rare-earth magnet that includes neodymium.
- one or both of the magnets placed inside the side wall 62 , 562 may be positioned between an inside surface of the side wall 62 , 562 and a portion of the bottom cup 70 , 470 .
- one or both of the curved magnets may be positioned between the side wall 62 , 562 and the up-turned skirt 74 that embraces the lower side wall of the cylindrical capacitive element 12 and spaces it from the side wall 62 , 562 of the case 460 , 560 .
- the up-turned skirt 74 may run further up the side wall 62 , 562 an additional length than what is illustrated in the figures (e.g., in FIGS. 31 and 32 ).
- the multiple curved magnets may be stacked vertically or located at the same vertical height in a manner similar to that described above.
- a liner may be positioned between the two curved magnets and the capacitive element 12 .
- a liner may be applied over one or both of the curved magnets to separate the curved magnets from the capacitive element 12 .
- the liner may include a non-conductive material or any other material suitable for separating the magnets from the capacitive element 12 (e.g., for minimizing effects of the magnet on the performance of the capacitive element 12 and/or other components).
- the liner is a plastic adhesive material that can be applied over a surface of one or both of the curved magnets to separate the curved magnets from other components of the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- the liner can assist in holding the one or both of the curved magnets in place at the side wall 62 , 562 of the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- one or both of the two curved magnets may be positioned between the bottom cup 70 , 470 of the capacitor 400 , 500 and the bottom wall 64 , 464 of the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- one or both of the curved magnets may be placed in a position between the bottom cup 470 and the bottom wall 464 of the capacitor 400 shown in FIG. 31 .
- the curved magnets may be placed instead of or in addition to the magnet 402 of FIG. 31 .
- the one or both of the curved magnets may be positioned in one or more of the configurations described in the preceding paragraphs.
- the two curved magnets may be stacked vertically (e.g., one on top of the other, with the two curved magnets optionally making contact with one another) or the two curved magnets may be positioned at the same vertical height of the capacitor 400 , 500 (e.g., such that each of the curved magnets runs along less than an entire circumference of the side wall 62 , 562 , or such that each of the curved magnets runs along half of the circumference of the side wall 62 , 562 such that the sides of the two magnets make contact with each other).
- one or more of the curved magnets may be a rare-earth magnet that include neodymium, while the disk shaped magnets may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite), although other materials are also possible.
- the neodymium curved magnets may have a relative higher (e.g., a substantially higher) degree of magnetic attraction as compared to that of the disk shaped ceramic magnets.
- one or more of the magnets described herein may be placed outside of the case 460 , 560 .
- one or more of the disk shaped magnets may be positioned on a bottom (e.g., outside) surface of the bottom wall 64 , 464 of the case 460 , 560 .
- the magnets may be affixed to the outside of the case 460 , 560 by the strength of magnetic attraction.
- one or more mounting mechanisms e.g., brackets
- an adhesive e.g., an epoxy, one or more fasteners, etc.
- a liner (e.g., such as the liner described above) may be used to assist in mounting the one or more magnets to the case 460 , 560 .
- one or more of the curved magnets may be positioned on an outside surface of the side wall, 62 , 562 of the case 460 , 560 .
- the magnets may be affixed to the outside of the case 460 , 560 by the strength of magnetic attraction.
- one or more mounting mechanisms e.g., brackets
- an adhesive e.g., an adhesive
- an epoxy e.g., one or more fasteners, etc.
- one or more brackets may be used to mount the one or more magnets to the exterior of the case 460 , 560 .
- a liner e.g., such as the liner described above
- a first wall of one or more of the curved magnets may have a curved shape that interfaces with the side wall 62 , 562 of the case 460 , 560
- an opposite wall e.g., a wall opposite of the curved wall of the one or more magnet
- the substantially flat shape may allow the case 460 , 560 to interface with a flat surface of a separate object (e.g., an air conditioning system).
- one or more of the curved magnets may be positioned on an exterior of the side wall 62 , 562 of the case 460 , 560 (e.g., as described above).
- the opposite surface of the curved magnet may have a flat shape that can substantially interface with a flat magnetically-attractive surface, such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system.
- the flat shape of the opposite surface of the one or more magnets may allow the capacitor 400 , 500 to create a sufficient magnetic bond with the air conditioning unit or system, such that the capacitor cannot become inadvertently dislodged or misaligned from its intended mounting position.
- one or more of the curved magnets may be configured to interface with both an outside of the side wall 62 , 562 of the capacitor 400 , 500 and the bottom wall 64 , 464 of the capacitor 400 , 500 .
- one or more of the curved magnets may include at least five relevant surfaces: a first curved surface (e.g., inside surface) that is configured to interface with the outside surface of the side wall 62 , 562 , a second flat surface (e.g., inside surface) that is configured to interface with the bottom wall 64 , 464 , and three additional flat surfaces (e.g., outside surfaces) that are configured to interface with one or more mounting location (e.g., of one or more surfaces of an air conditioning unit or system).
- a first curved surface e.g., inside surface
- second flat surface e.g., inside surface
- three additional flat surfaces e.g., outside surfaces
- the inside surfaces can allow the magnet to make intimate contact with the case 460 , 560 of the capacitor 400 , 500 , thereby allowing the one or more magnets to maintain contact with the capacitor 400 , 500 using one or more of the techniques described above.
- the three outside surfaces may allow the one or more magnets to make intimate contact with a mounting location, such as a corner mounting location that allows a bottom outside surface of the magnet to interface with a bottom mounting location, a first side outside surface perpendicular to the bottom outside surface to interface with a side mounting location, and a second side outside surface perpendicular to the bottom outside surface and the first side surface to interface with another side mounting location, thereby allowing the capacitor 400 , 500 to be mounted in a corner target area while being placed on a bottom surface of the target area.
- a mounting location such as a corner mounting location that allows a bottom outside surface of the magnet to interface with a bottom mounting location, a first side outside surface perpendicular to the bottom outside surface to interface with a side mounting location, and a second
- the magnet may include two outside surfaces (e.g., without a bottom outside surface) that allows the capacitor 400 , 500 to be mounted in a corner target area without the capacitor 400 , 500 necessarily being placed on (e.g., magnetically attracted to) a bottom surface of the mounting area.
- the capacitor 400 , 500 can be mounted to a corner target area of an air conditioning unit or system while being suspended (e.g., without being placed on a bottom surface of the mounting area).
- one or more of the curved magnets may be a rare-earth magnet that include neodymium, while the disk shaped magnets may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite), although it should be understood that other materials can additional or alternatively be used for any of the magnets described herein.
- the neodymium curved magnets may have a relatively higher (e.g., a substantially higher) degree of magnetic attraction as compared to that of the disk shaped ceramic magnets.
- Such a configuration may, for example, provide additional magnetic mounting strength for implementations in which the capacitor 400 , 500 is side mounted (e.g., mounted to a side surface of a target mounting location without the bottom wall 64 , 464 of the case 460 , 560 making contact with a bottom surface of the mounting location), sometimes referred to herein as a suspended mounting configuration.
- the relatively higher degree of magnetic attraction provided by one or more of the curved magnets may allow the capacitor 400 , 500 to be mounted in such configurations without becoming dislodged or misplaced from the target location.
- the relatively higher degree of magnetic attraction may prevent the capacitor 400 , 500 from sliding down a wall of the mounting location due to the effects of gravity.
- bottom wall 64 , 464 of the capacitor 400 , 500 is mounted to a bottom surface of the target mounting location (e.g., on a bottom surface of an air conditioning unit or system)
- additional strength of magnetic attraction may not be necessary to maintain the capacitor 400 , 500 in proper mounting configuration.
- additional curved magnets may also be included to provide additional and/or redundant magnetic attraction for mounting purposes.
- FIGS. 33 A-C show an example of a capacitor 3300 and a magnet 3302 mounted to an outside surface of the capacitor 3300 .
- FIG. 33 A shows a curved magnet 3302 that is mounted to an outside surface of a side wall 3362 of a case 3312 of the capacitor 3300 by a fastener.
- the fastener is a cable tie 3306 (e.g., a zip tie).
- the magnet 3302 is in a mounted position (e.g., as shown in FIG. 33 A )
- a portion of the cable tie 3306 resides in an elongated recess 3304 of the magnet 3302 .
- the recess 3304 is configured to accept the portion of the cable tie 3306 and prevent the magnet 3302 from sliding upward or downward and out from underneath the cable tie 3306 .
- a remainder of the cable tie 3306 wraps around an outer circumference of the case 3312 and applies an inward radial force to the magnet 3302 , thereby holding the magnet 3302 in place on the outside surface of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 .
- the magnet 3302 may additionally be affixed to the case 3312 with the assistance of magnetic attraction.
- the case 3312 may be made from a material that is magnetically attractive, and additional mounting strength can be provided by the strength of magnetic attraction between the magnet 3302 and the case 3312 .
- the magnet 3302 includes the elongated recess 3304 that provides a track in which a portion of the cable tie 3306 may reside.
- the recess 3304 includes a plurality of grooves that interface with the cable tie 3306 when the cable tie 3306 is positioned therein.
- the magnet 3302 also includes an inner curved surface 3308 that is configured to interface with the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 , and an opposite outer flat surface 3310 (e.g., opposite to the curved surface 3308 ) that has a substantially flat shape.
- the flat surface 3310 can allow the case 3312 to interface with a surface (e.g., a substantially flat surface) of a separate object, such as an air conditioning system.
- the magnet 3302 may be positioned on the exterior of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 33 A ).
- the flat surface 3310 of the magnet 3302 can interface with a magnetically-attractive surface, such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system.
- the strength of magnetic attraction between the flat surface 3310 and the magnetically-attractive surface may allow the capacitor 3300 to create a sufficient magnetic bond with the air conditioning unit or system such that the capacitor 3300 cannot become inadvertently dislodged or misaligned from its intended mounting position.
- one or more structures may be included to assist with and/or facilitate the mounting.
- one or more mount-assist structures may be interfaced between the exterior of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 and the magnet 3302 .
- the structure(s) may interface with the exterior of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 via one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. that are provided on the case 3312 and/or the structure.
- one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be incorporated into an inner surface of the structure and configured to interface with the case 3312 .
- corresponding (e.g., complementing, inverse, mirror, etc.) recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. on the case 3312 are also or alternatively provided to assist with the interfacing.
- the case 3312 may include a recess that is configured to accept the inner surface of the mount-assist structure.
- the structure may include a curved surface that interfaces with the case 3312 (e.g., similar to the curved surface 3308 of the magnet 3302 ).
- Such recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may assist in maintaining the structure in place (e.g., by guiding the structure into a particular position on the exterior of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 ).
- the magnet 3302 may interface with an outer surface of the mount-assist structure (e.g., a surface that is opposite to the inner surface that interfaces with the case 3312 ) via one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. that are provided on the structure and/or the magnet 3302 .
- one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be incorporated into the outer surface of the structure and configured to interface with the magnet 3302 .
- corresponding (e.g., complementing, inverse, mirror, etc.) recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. on the magnet 3302 are also or alternatively provided to assist with the interfacing.
- the mount-assist structure may include a recess that is configured to accept the magnet 3302 .
- a magnet other than the magnet 3302 illustrated in FIGS. 33 A-C may be used.
- a rectangular magnet with flat sides may be used.
- the structure may include a rectangular recess with a flat surface that is sized and shaped to match the rectangular magnet, and the rectangular magnet may be configured to fit into the recess.
- Such recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may assist in maintaining the magnet in place (e.g., by guiding the magnet into a particular position on the mount-assist structure, and thus into a particular position with respect to the exterior of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 ).
- one or more materials e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.
- one or more of the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above may be applied to the case 3312 and/or the magnet 3302 directly to assist with the mounting.
- one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be incorporated into the exterior of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 and configured to interface with the magnet 3302 .
- the exterior of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 may include a recess that is configured to accept the magnet 3302 .
- the recess may be sized and shaped to accept the curved surface 3308 of the magnet 3302 such that the magnet 3302 resides at least partially within the recess.
- Such recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may assist in maintaining the magnet 3302 in place (e.g., by guiding the magnet 3302 into a particular position on the exterior of the side wall 3362 of the case 3312 ).
- one or more materials e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.
- one or more of the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above may be applied to another surface of the magnet 3302 (e.g., the flat surface 3310 of the magnet 3302 ) to assist with interfacing the magnet 3302 with the surface of the separate object (e.g., the air conditioning system).
- the surface of the separate object e.g., the air conditioning system
- one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be incorporated into the flat surface 3310 of the magnet 3302 and configured to interface with the surface of the air conditioning system.
- the strength of magnetic attraction between the magnet 3302 and a magnetically-attractive surface of the air conditioning system may improve the bond between the two.
- the inclusion of one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may improve the integrity of the interface between the magnet 3302 and the surface and therefore minimize the need to rely on any magnetic attraction to assist with the interface.
- the magnet 3302 (and the capacitor 3300 ) may be mounted to surfaces that have little or no magnetic attraction to the magnet 3302 .
- corresponding (e.g., complementing, inverse, mirror, etc.) recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. on the mounting surface (e.g., of the air conditioning system) can also or alternatively be provided to assist with the interfacing.
- the mounting surface may include a recess that is configured to accept the magnet 3302 .
- the recess may be sized and shaped to accept the flat surface 3310 of the magnet 3302 such that the magnet 3302 resides at least partially within the recess.
- Such recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may assist in maintaining the magnet 3302 in place (e.g., by guiding the magnet 3302 into a particular position on the mounting surface of the air conditioning system).
- one or more materials e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.
- the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above can be implemented in addition to the cable tie 3306 or, in some cases, without the cable tie 3306 to assist in the mounting.
- the magnet 3302 may be mounted toward a middle portion of the capacitor 3300 (e.g., toward the middle in an axial direction) as shown in FIG. 33 A . However, in some implementations, the magnet 3302 may be mounted elsewhere. For example, in some implementations, the magnet 3302 may be mounted toward a top portion or a bottom portion of the capacitor 3300 .
- FIGS. 34 A-C show another example of a capacitor 3400 and a magnet 3402 that is mounted toward a bottom portion of the capacitor 3400 .
- one or more of the capacitors described herein may include one or more relays (e.g., potential relays, control relays, electronic relays, etc.).
- One or more relays may be incorporated into one or more of the capacitors described herein, for example, to allow the capacitor to operate as a hard start capacitor.
- Such capacitors are sometimes referred to as “start” capacitors, “hard start” capacitors, “easy start” capacitors, “motor start” capacitors, etc.
- a relay may be accommodated above a capacitor container of the capacitors described herein, for example, within a projected cylindrical envelope.
- capacitor may be configured to accept a cylindrical cap that can surround and cover the relay.
- operations of the relay may be affected by magnetic fields in the vicinity of the relay.
- the magnets described herein may alter the magnetic field around the relay and cause the relay to operate in a manner that is undesirable.
- the positioning of the magnet 3402 toward the bottom portion of the capacitor 3400 (e.g., as shown in FIG. 34 A ) and away from the relay mounted toward the top portion of the capacitor 3400 may minimize the impact of the magnetic field created by the magnet 3402 on the operation of the relay, thereby allowing the relay to operate as intended.
- the magnet 3402 illustrated in FIGS. 34 A-C may be similar to the magnet 3302 illustrated in FIGS. 33 A-C .
- the magnet 3402 is a curved magnet 3402 that is mounted to an outside surface of a side wall 3462 of a case 3412 of the capacitor 3400 by a cable tie 3406 .
- a portion of the cable tie 3406 resides in an elongated recess 3404 of the magnet 3402 .
- the recess 3404 is configured to accept the portion of the cable tie 3406 and assist in preventing the magnet 3402 from sliding upward or downward and out from underneath the cable tie 3406 .
- a remainder of the cable tie 3406 wraps around an outer circumference of the case 3412 and applies an inward radial force to the magnet 3402 , thereby holding the magnet 3402 in place on the outside surface of the side wall 3462 of the case 3412 .
- the magnet 3402 may additionally be affixed to the case 3412 with the assistance of magnetic attraction.
- the case 3412 may be made from a material that is magnetically attractive, and additional mounting strength can be provided by the strength of magnetic attraction between the magnet 3402 and the case 3412 .
- the magnet 3402 includes the elongated recess 3404 that provides a track in which a portion of the cable tie 3406 may reside.
- the recess 3404 includes a plurality of grooves that interface with the cable tie 3406 when the cable tie 3406 is positioned therein.
- the magnet 3402 also includes an inner curved surface 3408 that is configured to interface with the side wall 3462 of the case 3412 , and an opposite outer flat surface 3410 (e.g., opposite to the curved surface 3408 ) that has a substantially flat shape.
- the flat surface 3410 can allow the case 3412 to interface with a surface (e.g., a substantially flat surface) of a separate object, such as an air conditioning system.
- the magnet 3402 may be positioned on the exterior of the side wall 3462 of the case 3412 (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 34 A ).
- the flat surface 3410 of the magnet 3402 can interface with a magnetically-attractive surface, such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system.
- the strength of magnetic attraction between the flat surface 3410 and the magnetically-attractive surface may allow the capacitor 3400 to create a sufficient magnetic bond with the air conditioning unit or system such that the capacitor 3400 cannot become inadvertently dislodged or misaligned from its intended mounting position.
- the magnet 3402 also includes a projection 3414 toward a bottom portion of the magnet 3402 that is configured to assist in holding the magnet 3402 in place at an intended mounted location on the case 3412 of the capacitor 3400 .
- the projection 3414 may be provided as a separate portion of the magnet 3402 such that the magnet includes at least two separate pieces that are attached (e.g., by one or more of an adhesive, a mounting structure, magnetic attraction, etc.). In other words, the magnet 3402 may not be formed of a single monolithic piece.
- the projection 3414 may be formed as a lip (e.g., a tab or shelf) that extends horizontally, thereby creating a bottom surface of the magnet 3402 that has an area that is larger than a horizontal cross section of the rest of the magnet 3402 .
- the magnet 3402 may be mounted toward the bottom portion of the case 3412 such that the projection 3414 resides beneath a bottom surface of the case 3412 of the capacitor 3400 .
- the projection 3414 can prevent the magnet 3402 from sliding upward and out from underneath the cable tie 3406 .
- the capacitor 3400 and magnet 3402 illustrated in FIGS. 34 A-C may also employ one or more structures to assist with and/or facilitate the mounting.
- one or more mount-assist structures may be interfaced between the exterior of the side wall 3462 and/or a bottom wall of the case 3412 and the magnet 3402 .
- one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be provided on the case 3412 , the magnet 3402 , and/or the mount-assist structure to assist with interfacing between the various components, in a manner similar to that described above.
- the techniques described above may be applied to another surface of the magnet 3402 (e.g., the flat surface 3410 of the magnet 3402 ) to assist with interfacing the magnet 3402 with a surface of a separate object (e.g., the air conditioning system).
- a separate object e.g., the air conditioning system.
- one or more materials e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.
- an epoxy may be placed between the magnet 3402 and an exterior of a bottom surface of the case 3412 and/or the exterior of the side wall 3462 of the case 3412 .
- FIG. 35 shows another example of a magnet 3502 that (e.g., like the magnet 3402 of FIGS. 34 A-C ) is configured for mounting toward a bottom portion of a capacitor.
- one or more of the capacitors described herein may include one or more relays (e.g., potential relays, control relays, electronic relays, etc.).
- a relay may be included toward a top portion of the capacitor.
- operations of the relay may be affected by magnetic fields in the vicinity of the relay.
- the magnets described herein may alter the magnetic field around the relay and cause the relay to operate in a manner that is undesirable.
- the positioning of the magnet 3502 toward the bottom portion of the capacitor away from the relay situated toward the top portion of the capacitor may minimize the impact of the magnetic field created by the magnet 3502 on the operation of the relay, thereby allowing the relay to operate as intended.
- the magnet 3502 illustrated in FIG. 35 may be similar to the magnet 3402 illustrated in FIGS. 34 A-C .
- the magnet 3502 includes a curved portion and is configured to be mounted to an outside surface of a side wall of a case of a capacitor (e.g., the capacitor 3400 of FIGS. 34 A-C or a similar capacitor) by a cable tie or other structure.
- a portion of the cable tie may reside in an elongated recess 3504 of the magnet 3502 .
- the recess 3504 is configured to accept the portion of the cable tie and assist in preventing the magnet 3502 from sliding upward or downward and out from underneath the cable tie.
- a remainder of the cable tie can wrap around an outer circumference of the capacitor and apply an inward radial force to the magnet 3502 , thereby holding the magnet 3502 in place on the outside surface of the side wall of the case of the capacitor.
- the magnet 3502 may additionally be affixed to the capacitor with the assistance of magnetic attraction.
- the case of the capacitor may be made from a material that is magnetically attractive, and additional mounting strength can be provided by the strength of magnetic attraction between the magnet 3502 and the case of the capacitor.
- the recess 3504 includes a plurality of grooves that interface with the cable tie when the cable tie is positioned therein.
- the magnet 3502 also includes an inner curved surface 3508 that is configured to interface with the side wall of the case of the capacitor, and an opposite outer flat surface 3510 (e.g., opposite to the curved surface 3508 ) that has a substantially flat shape.
- the flat surface 3510 can allow the case to interface with a surface (e.g., a substantially flat surface) of a separate object, such as an air conditioning system.
- the magnet 3502 may be positioned on the exterior of the side wall of the case of the capacitor (e.g., similarly to the illustration of FIG. 34 A , except with the magnet 3502 of FIG. 35 ).
- the flat surface 3510 of the magnet 3502 can interface with a magnetically-attractive surface, such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system.
- a magnetically-attractive surface such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system.
- the strength of magnetic attraction between the flat surface 3510 and the magnetically-attractive surface may allow the capacitor to create a sufficient magnetic bond with the air conditioning unit or system such that the capacitor cannot become inadvertently dislodged or misaligned from its intended mounting position.
- the magnet 3502 also includes a projection 3514 toward a bottom portion of the magnet 3502 that is configured to assist in holding the magnet 3502 in place at an intended mounted location on the case of the capacitor.
- the magnet 3502 is a monolithic piece that includes the projection 3514 .
- the magnet 3502 is formed of a single monolithic piece that includes a cutout 3516 that increases a surface area of a top surface of the projection 3514 (e.g., a top surface that faces in a direction of the curved surface 3508 of the magnet 3502 ).
- the projection 3514 may be formed as a lip (e.g., a tab or shelf) that extends horizontally, thereby creating a bottom surface of the magnet 3502 that has an area that is larger than a horizontal cross section of the rest of the magnet 3502 .
- the magnet 3502 may be mounted toward the bottom portion of the capacitor such that the projection 3514 resides beneath a bottom surface of the case of the capacitor.
- the projection 3514 can prevent the magnet 3502 from sliding upward and out from underneath the cable tie used to mount the magnet 3502 to the capacitor.
- the magnet 3502 illustrated in FIG. 35 may also employ one or more structures to assist with and/or facilitate the mounting.
- one or more mount-assist structures may be interfaced between an exterior of the side wall and/or a bottom wall of the case of the capacitor and the magnet 3502 .
- one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be provided on the case, the magnet 3502 , and/or the mount-assist structure to assist with interfacing between the various components, in a manner similar to that described above.
- one or more of the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above may be applied to another surface of the magnet 3502 (e.g., the flat surface 3510 of the magnet 3502 ) to assist with interfacing the magnet 3502 with a surface of a separate object (e.g., the air conditioning system).
- one or more materials e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.
- an epoxy may be placed between the magnet 3502 and an exterior of a bottom surface of the case of the capacitor and/or the exterior of the side wall of the case of the capacitor.
- the projection 3514 may have a form different from what is illustrated in FIG. 35 and described above.
- the magnet may include a disk-shaped projection such that the projection resides beneath a bottom wall of the capacitor to assist in preventing the magnet from moving vertically upwards in an axial direction along the capacitor.
- the disk-shaped projection may have a circumference and area that is similar to, smaller than, or larger than the circumference and/or area of the capacitor to which the magnet is mounted.
- the disk-shaped portion may be formed of a magnetic material (e.g., to allow for mounting via the bottom surface of the case), and the rest of the structure may be formed of a non-magnetic material.
- the magnetic material can be situated away from the top of the capacitor (e.g., which may include a relay), and the remainder of the structure that may be situated relatively closer to the top of the capacitor may be formed of a material that will not influence the operation of the relay.
- the disk-shaped projection may be connected to the flat surface of the magnet in a manner similar to the projection 3514 and magnet 3502 illustrated in FIG. 35 .
- the magnet 3502 may include a curved surface 3508 that is configured to interface and/or match a curved surface of the case of the capacitor
- the magnet may include two canted surfaces (e.g., having a “v-shaped” cross section) that is configured to accommodate capacitors of various sizes, cross-sectional areas, circumferences, and diameters.
- the two canted surfaces meet at a point.
- a magnet including the canted surfaces described herein may be configured to accommodate a wider range of different capacitors. In turn, such a magnet may be especially useful when provided as an aftermarket addition to a capacitor to assist an end user in mounting the capacitor as desired.
- the two canted surfaces may have a relatively wide v-shaped cross section such that, when the magnet is placed against a round surface of a capacitor, the capacitor makes contact with the case of the capacitor at at least two points; in particular, the capacitor and the magnet may make contact with each other at a first line on a first one of the canted surfaces, the capacitor and the magnet may make contact with each other at a second line on a second one of the canted surfaces, and the capacitor and the magnet may not make contact at the location where the two canted surfaces meet.
- a void may be formed between the magnet and the capacitor, and edge portions of the canted surfaces may flare away from the capacitor such that outer edges of the canted surfaces do not make contact with the capacitor.
- an outer (e.g., exterior) surface of each of the canted surfaces may include a recess (e.g., similar to the recesses 3404 , 3504 described above) that is configured to accept a cable tie to apply inward force to the magnet 3502 , thereby assisting in mounting the magnet 3502 to the capacitor.
- an outer point e.g., the seam at which the two canted surfaces meet
- the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 may be mounted to a capacitor (e.g., the capacitors 3300 , 3400 , or other capacitors in accordance with those described herein) such that the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 is configured to maintain a particular vertical (e.g., axial) position on the case while being permitted to rotate about the case.
- a capacitor e.g., the capacitors 3300 , 3400 , or other capacitors in accordance with those described herein
- mounting by the cable tie may sufficiently hold the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 in place against the case of the capacitor such that the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 will not become dislodged from the case, yet the cable tie may include enough slack to allow the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 to be rotated about a central axis of the case when a tangential force is applied to the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 .
- an adhesive and/or epoxy may be omitted between the case and the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 to allow for such rotation.
- Rotating the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 about the case can allow a user to customize the configuration of the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 to meet a particular need.
- the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 can be positioned as desired to allow the capacitor to be mounted at a desired position.
- the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 can be positioned such that particular ones of the terminals of the capacitor are positioned at desired locations.
- the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 can be rotated such that one or more particular terminals of the capacitor are accessible or more easily accessible (e.g., for attaching a wire thereto).
- the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 may be rotated such that a terminal to which a wire/clip is to be attached is openly positioned (e.g., with sufficient clearance) when the capacitor is mounted at a desired position at an air conditioning unit.
- the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 may be mounted such that rotation is prevented.
- the capacitor and magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 can be provided (e.g., from a manufacturer or supplier) in an assembled form substantially as illustrated in FIGS. 33 A and 34 A .
- the capacitor can be provided with the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 mounted thereon by the cable tie. In this way, the capacitor, the magnet 3302 , 3402 , and the cable tie are all in contact with their respective components (e.g., at the time of manufacturer and/or prior to shipping).
- the various components illustrated in FIGS. 33 A-C , 34 A-C, and/or 35 may be provided separately for subsequent assembly.
- one or more of the capacitor, the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 , and the cable tie may not be in contact with each other initially (e.g., at the time of shipping).
- the illustrated components may be provided as a capacitor mounting kit/system that includes the capacitor, the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 , and the cable tie (and in some cases the mount-assist structure(s)) for assembly by an end user and/or a retailer.
- the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 may be provided without the cable tie 3306 , 3406 , the capacitor 3300 , 3400 , and/or any mount-assist structure(s) for attachment to a capacitor by an end user and/or retailer (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 35 ).
- the capacitor can be provided without the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 , the cable tie, and/or the mount-assist structure(s) in a form that is configured to be fitted with a separate magnet and a cable tie after the fact.
- the capacitors described herein may be provided with an indicator, label, recess, etc.
- the capacitor and the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 may be provided together with instructions for the end user to mount the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 to the capacitor by a cable tie (which is to be obtained by the end user).
- the magnet 3302 , 3402 , 3502 can have one or more characteristics of the various magnets described herein, including but not limited to the magnets 402 and 502 of FIGS. 31 and 32 , in any of a number of combinations.
- any of the various magnets described herein may be mounted inside and/or outside of the case of the capacitor.
- multiple disk shaped magnets may be mounted on an exterior of the case.
- multiple disk shaped magnets in a stacked configuration may be positioned on an exterior (e.g., bottom) surface of a bottom wall of the capacitor.
- a first disk shaped magnet may be mounted inside of the case, and a second disk shaped magnet may be mounted outside of the case (e.g., on the exterior surface of the bottom wall of the capacitor).
- any of the various magnets described herein may be molded from a magnetic material and/or may be a single, monolithic piece.
- one or more of the magnets described herein may be molded from a magnetic powder.
- any combination of one or more disk shaped magnets, and/or one or more strip shaped magnets, and/or one or more curved magnets, etc. may be mounted in any combination of inside and/or outside of the case.
- any combination of the interior and/or exterior magnets described herein may be incorporated into the various capacitors 10 , 200 , 300 , 400 , 500 , 3300 , and/or 3400 described herein.
- providing magnetic mounting capability for the capacitor can provide a number of advantages.
- a component to which or within which the capacitor is to be mounted e.g., an air conditioning system
- the user may desire to mount the capacitor elsewhere.
- the capacitor is mounted at locations that include metallic and/or magnetic objects. Such objects may impact the performance of the capacitor.
- the user may desire to mount the capacitor at a particular location such that particular operating conditions are achieved. Magnetic mountability of the capacitor can allow the user to mount the capacitor at such locations.
- the capacitor can be mounted at locations that allow for shorter conductive connections (e.g., wires) between the capacitor's section cover terminals and common cover terminal and the device to which the capacitor is connected. Without such flexibility in possible mounting locations, the wires may be excessively long and may be susceptible to being cut or broken along with being susceptible to noise and/or distortions.
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Abstract
Description
- This application is a continuation of and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 120 to U.S. application Ser. No. 16/742,557, filed Jan. 14, 2020, which is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to U.S. application Ser. No. 15/973,876, filed May 8, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,183,338, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/505,483, filed on May 12, 2017. U.S. application Ser. No. 15/973,976 also claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/792,187, filed on Jan. 14, 2019, the entirety of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
- The invention herein relates to a capacitor with multiple capacitor values selectively connectable to match the capacitance or capacitances of one or more capacitors being replaced.
- One common use for capacitors is in connection with the motors of air-conditioning systems. The systems often employ two capacitors, one used in association with a compressor motor and another smaller value capacitor for use in association with a fan motor. Air-conditioning systems of different BTU capacity, made by different manufacturers or being a different model all may use capacitors having different values. These capacitors have a finite life and sometimes fail, causing the system to become inoperative.
- A serviceman making a service call usually will not know in advance whether a replacement capacitor is necessary to repair an air-conditioning system, or what value capacitor or capacitors might be needed to make the repair. One option is for the serviceman to carry a large number of capacitors of different values in the service truck, but it is difficult and expensive to maintain such an inventory, especially because there can be a random need for several capacitors of the same value on the same day. The other option is for the serviceman to return to the shop or visit a supplier to pick up a replacement capacitor of the required value. This is inefficient as the travel time to pick up parts greatly extends the overall time necessary to complete a repair. This is extremely detrimental if there is a backlog of inoperative air-conditioning systems on a hot day. This problem presents itself in connection with air-conditioning systems, but is also found in any situation where capacitors are used in association with motors and are replaced on service calls. Other typical examples are refrigeration and heating systems, pumps, and manufacturing systems utilizing compressors.
- A desirable replacement capacitor would have the electrical and physical characteristics of the failed capacitor, i.e. it should provide the same capacitance value or values at the same or higher voltage rating, be connectable using the same leads and be mountable on the same brackets or other mounting provision. It should also have the same safety protection, as confirmed by independent tests performed by Underwriter Laboratories or others. Efforts have been made to provide such a capacitor in the past, but they have not resulted in a commercially acceptable capacitor adapted for replacing capacitors having a wide range of capacitance values.
- My U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,921,041 and 4,028,595 disclose dual capacitor elements in the form of two concentric wound capacitor sections. My U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,638 also shows dual capacitors sections formed in a wound capacitive element, and my U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,145 shows a wound capacitor with dual elements, but suggests that multiple concentric capacitive elements may be provided, as does my U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,312,027 and 5,313,360. None of these patents show a capacitor having electrical and physical characteristics necessary to replace any one of the variety of failed capacitors that might be encountered on a service call.
- An effort to provide a capacitor with multiple, selectable capacitance values is described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,394. Three capacitance sections are provided in a wound capacitor element that is encapsulated in a plastic insulating material. An external terminal lug is connected with one of capacitor's sections and a second external terminal lug is provided with a common connection to all three capacitor sections. Pre-wired fixed jumper leads each connect the three capacitive sections in parallel, and the pre-wired fixed jumper leads have a portion exposed above the plastic encapsulation. This permits one or two jumper leads to be severed to remove one or two of the capacitor sections from the parallel configuration, and thereby to adjust the effective capacitance value across the terminal lugs. The '394 patent suggests that further combinations could be made with different connections, but does not provide any suitable means for doing so.
- Another attempt to provide a capacitor wherein the capacitance may be selected on a service call is described in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,138,519. This capacitor has two capacitor sections connected in parallel, and has two external terminals for connecting the capacitor into a circuit. One of the terminals is rotatable, and one of the capacitor sections is connected to the rotatable terminal by a wire which may be broken by rotation of the terminal. This provides for selectively removing that capacitor section and thereby reducing the capacitance of the unit to the value of the remaining capacitor. This capacitor provides a choice of only two capacitance values in a fluid-filled case with a cover incorporating a pressure interrupter system.
- In another effort to provide a universal adjustable capacitor for AC applications, American Radionic Co., Inc. produced a capacitor having five concentric capacitor sections in a cylindrical wound capacitor element. A common lead was provided from one end of the capacitor sections, and individual wire leads were provided from the other ends of the respective capacitor sections. The wound capacitor element was encapsulated in a plastic insulating material with the wire leads extending outwardly from the encapsulating material. Blade connectors were mounted at the ends of the wire leads, and sliding rubber boots were provided to expose the terminals for making connections and for shielding the terminals after connections were made. Various capacitance values could be selected by connecting various ones of the capacitor sections in parallel relationship, in series relationship, or in combinations of parallel and series relationships. In a later version, blade terminals were mounted on the encapsulating material. These capacitors did not meet the needs of servicemen. The connections were difficult to accomplish and the encapsulated structure did not provide pressure interrupter protection in case of capacitor failure, wherein the capacitors did not meet industry safety standards and did not achieve commercial acceptance or success.
- Thus, although the desirability of providing a serviceman with a capacitor that is adapted to replace failed capacitors of a variety of values has been recognized for a considerable period of time, a capacitor that meets the serviceman's needs in this regard has not heretofore been achieved. This is a continuing need and a solution would be a considerable advance in the art.
- It is a principal object of the invention herein to provide a capacitor that is connectable with selectable capacitance values.
- It is another object of the invention herein to provide a capacitor incorporating multiple capacitance values that may be connected in the field to replace the capacitance value or values of a failed capacitor.
- It is a further object of the invention herein to provide a capacitor having the objectives set forth above and which operates to disconnect itself from an electrical circuit upon a pressure-event failure.
- It is also an object of the invention herein to incorporate multiple capacitance values in a single replacement capacitor that is adapted for connecting selected ones of the multiple capacitance values into a circuit.
- Yet another object of the invention herein to provide a capacitor having one or more of the foregoing objectives and which provides for safely making and maintaining connections thereto.
- It is a further object of the invention herein to increase the flexibility of replacing failed capacitors with capacitors incorporating multiple capacitance values by utilizing a range of tolerances in selecting the multiple capacitance values provided.
- It is another principal object of the invention herein to provide a capacitor for replacing any one of a plurality of failed capacitors having different capacitance values and to meet or exceed the ratings and safety features of the failed capacitor.
- In carrying out the invention herein, a replacement capacitor is provided having a plurality of selectable capacitance values. A capacitive element has a plurality of capacitor sections, each having a capacitance value. Each capacitor section has a section terminal and the capacitor sections are connected at a capacitive element common terminal. The capacitive element is received in a case together with an insulating fluid at least partially and preferably substantially surrounding the capacitive element. The case is provided with a pressure interrupter cover assembly, including a cover having a common cover terminal and a plurality of section cover terminals thereon. The section terminals of the capacitive element are respectively connected to the section cover terminals and the common terminal of the capacitive element is connected to the common cover terminal, with the pressure interrupter cover assembly adapted to break one or more connections as required to disconnect the capacitive element from an electrical circuit in the event that the capacitive element has a catastrophic pressure-event failure. The replacement capacitor is connected into an electrical circuit to replace a failed capacitor by connections to selected ones of the common cover terminal and section cover terminals, the capacitor sections and connections being selected to provide one or more capacitance values corresponding to the capacitor being replaced. Such connections may include connecting capacitor sections in parallel, connecting capacitor sections in series, connecting capacitor sections in combinations of parallel and series, and connecting one or more capacitor sections separately to provide two or more independent capacitance values.
- In one preferred aspect of the invention, the capacitive element is a wound cylindrical capacitive element having a plurality of concentric wound capacitor sections, each having a capacitance value. The number of capacitor sections is preferably six, but may be four or five, or may be greater than six. The capacitor section with the largest capacitance value is one of the outer three sections of the capacitive element. The capacitor sections are separated by insulation barriers and a metallic spray is applied to the ends of the capacitor sections. The insulation barriers withstand heat associated with connecting wire conductors to the capacitor sections.
- In another preferred aspect of the invention, the capacitive element is two or more wound cylindrical capacitive elements. There may be one wound cylindrical capacitive element for each capacitor section and capacitance value, and there may be four, five or six such wound cylindrical capacitive elements. Further, at least one of the two or more wound cylindrical capacitive elements may provide two or more capacitor sections. In a specific aspect, there are two wound cylindrical capacitive elements each providing three capacitor sections. The capacitor sections, however provided, are connected at a common terminal.
- The case is preferably cylindrical, having a cylindrical side wall, a bottom wall and an open top, to accommodate the one wound cylindrical capacitive element or to accommodate the plurality of wound capacitive elements providing the capacitor sections.
- Also, according to preferred aspects of the invention, the pressure interrupter cover assembly includes a deformable circular cover having a peripheral edge sealingly secured to the upper end of the case. The common cover terminal and section cover terminals are mounted to the cover at spaced apart locations thereon, and have terminal posts extending downwardly from the cover to a distal end. A rigid disconnect plate is supported under the cover and defines openings therethrough accommodating the terminal posts and exposing the distal ends thereof. Conductors connect the capacitor section terminals and the common element terminal to the distal ends of the respective terminal posts of the section cover terminals and common cover terminal. The conductor connections at the distal ends of the terminal posts are broken upon outward deformation of the cover. In more specific aspects, the conductors connecting the capacitor sections to the distal ends of the section cover terminal posts are insulated wires, with the ends soldered to foil tabs that are welded or soldered to the distal ends of the terminal posts adjacent the disconnect plate.
- Also, according to aspects of the invention herein, the common cover terminal is positioned generally centrally on the cover, and the section cover terminals are positioned at spaced apart locations surrounding the common cover terminal. The section cover terminals include at least one blade connector, and preferably two or more blade connectors extending outwardly from the cover for receiving mating connectors for connecting selected ones of the capacitor sections into an electrical circuit. The common cover terminal preferably has four blade connectors.
- Additional aspects of the invention include providing insulators for the section and common cover terminals, the insulators including cylindrical cups upstanding from the cover, with the cylindrical cup of at least the common cover terminal extending to or above the blades thereof. According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the insulators include a cover insulation barrier having a barrier cup upstanding from the cover and substantially surrounding a central common cover terminal and further having barrier fins radially extending from the barrier cup and deployed between adjacent section cover terminals.
- The invention herein is carried out by connecting one or more capacitor sections into an electrical circuit, by attaching leads to the cover terminals. This includes connecting capacitor sections in parallel, connecting capacitor sections in series, connecting individual capacitor sections, or connecting capacitor sections in combinations of parallel and series, as required to match the capacitance value or values of the failed capacitor being replaced. The capacitor sections can be connected to replace multiple capacitor values, as required, to substitute the capacitor for the capacitor that has failed.
- In another aspect of the invention, the capacitance values of the capacitor sections are varied within a tolerance range from a stated value, such that one capacitor section may be utilized effectively to replace one of two values, either individually or in combinations of capacitor sections.
- Other and more specific objects and features of the invention herein will, in part, be understood by those skilled in the art and will, in part, appear in the following description of the preferred embodiments, and claims, taken together with the drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a capacitor according to the invention herein; -
FIG. 2 is a top view of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 , taken along the lines 3-3 ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the capacitive element of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 , including wire conductors connected to the capacitor sections thereof; -
FIG. 5 is a top view of the capacitive element of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 , including wire conductors connected to capacitor sections thereof; -
FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a distal end of a wire conductor ofFIGS. 4 and 5 , connected to a foil tab; -
FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of a distal end of a wire conductor ofFIGS. 4 and 5 , connected to a foil tab; -
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 taken along the lines 8-8 ofFIG. 3 , and showing a pressure interrupter cover assembly of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the pressure interrupter cover assembly of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the pressure interrupter cover assembly of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 11 is a top view of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 , shown with selected capacitor sections connected to a fan motor and a compressor motor; -
FIG. 12 is a schematic circuit diagram of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 connected as shown inFIG. 11 ; -
FIG. 13 is a top view of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 with jumper wires connecting selected capacitor sections in parallel, and also shown connected in an electrical circuit to a fan motor and a compressor motor; -
FIG. 14 is a schematic circuit diagram of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 connected as shown inFIG. 13 ; -
FIG. 15 is a top view of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 connecting selected capacitor sections in series, and also shown connected in an electrical circuit to a motor; -
FIG. 16 is a schematic circuit diagram of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 as connected shown inFIG. 15 ; -
FIG. 17 is a top view of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 with a jumper wire connecting selected capacitor sections in series, and also shown connected in an electrical circuit to a compressor motor; -
FIG. 18 is a schematic circuit diagram of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 connected as shown inFIG. 17 ; -
FIG. 19 is a chart showing the single value capacitance values that may be provided by the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 20 is a chart showing dual value capacitances that may be provided by the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 21 is another chart showing dual value capacitances that may be provided by the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 22 is another chart showing dual value capacitances that may be provided by the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 23 is another chart showing dual value capacitances that may be provided by the capacitor ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 24 is a sectional view of the capacitor ofFIG. 1 , taken generally along the lines 24-24 ofFIG. 2 , but showing the capacitor after failure of the capacitive element; -
FIG. 25 is a sectional view of a capacitor according to the invention herein; -
FIG. 26 is a side elevation view of the capacitive element of the capacitor ofFIG. 25 , including conductors connected to the capacitor sections thereof; -
FIG. 27 is a folded top and bottom view of the capacitive element of the capacitor ofFIG. 26 including conductors connected to capacitor sections thereof; -
FIG. 28 is a sectional view of a capacitor according to the invention herein; -
FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the capacitive element of the capacitor ofFIG. 28 , including some of the conductors connected to the capacitor sections thereof; and -
FIG. 30 is a top view of the capacitive element of the capacitor ofFIG. 28 , including conductors connected to capacitor sections thereof; -
FIG. 31 is a sectional view of an example of a capacitor and a magnet. -
FIG. 32 is a sectional view of an example of a capacitor and a magnet. -
FIGS. 33A-C show an example of a capacitor and a magnet configured to be mounted to a case of the capacitor. -
FIGS. 34A-C show another example of a capacitor and a magnet configured to be mounted to a case of the capacitor. -
FIG. 35 shows an example of a magnet configured to be mounted to a case of a capacitor. The same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the various Figures. - A
capacitor 10 is shown inFIGS. 1-3 , as well as in other Figures to be described below. Thecapacitor 10 is adapted to replace any one of a large number of capacitors. Therefore, a serviceman may carry acapacitor 10 on a service call and, upon encountering a failed capacitor, the serviceman can utilize thecapacitor 10 to replace the failed capacitor with thecapacitor 10 being connected to provide the same capacitance value or values of the failed capacitor. - The
capacitor 10 has acapacitive element 12 having a plurality of capacitor sections, each having a capacitance value. Thecapacitive element 12 is also shown inFIGS. 4 and 5 . In the preferred embodiment described herein, thecapacitive element 12 has six capacitor sections 20-25. Thecapacitive element 12 is a wound cylindrical element manufactured by extension of the techniques described in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,921,041, 4,028,595, 4,352,145 and 5,313,360, incorporated herein by reference. Those patents relate to capacitive elements having two capacitor sections rather than a larger plurality of capacitor sections, such as the six capacitor sections 20-25 of thecapacitive element 12. Accordingly, thecapacitive element 12 has a central spool ormandrel 28, which has acentral opening 29. First and second dielectric films, each having a metalized layer on one side thereof, are wound in cylindrical form on themandrel 28 with the non-metalized side of one film being in contact with the metalized side of the other. Selected portions of one or both of the metalized layers are removed in order to provide a multiple section capacitive element. Element insulation barriers are inserted into the winding to separate the capacitor sections, the element insulation barriers also assuming a cylindrical configuration. Five element insulation barriers 30-34 are provided to separate the six capacitor sections 20-25, withelement insulation barrier 30 separatingcapacitor sections element insulation barrier 31 separatingcapacitor sections element insulation barrier 32 separatingcapacitor sections element insulation barrier 33 separatingcapacitor sections element insulation barrier 34 separatingcapacitor sections - The element insulation barriers are insulating polymer sheet material, which in the
capacitive element 12 is polypropylene having a thickness of 0.005 inches, wound into thecapacitive element 12. Thickness of 0.0025 to 0.007 may be used. Other materials may also be used. The barriers each have about 2¾-4 wraps of the polypropylene sheet material, wherein the element insulation barriers have a thickness of about 0.013 to 0.020 inches. The barriers 30-34 are thicker than used before in capacitors with fewer capacitor sections. The important characteristic of the barriers 30-34 is that they are able to withstand heat from adjacent soldering without losing integrity of electrical insulation, such that adjacent sections can become bridged. - As is known in the art, the metalized films each have one unmetalized marginal edge, such that the metalized marginal edge of one film is exposed at one end of the
wound capacitive element 12 and the metalized marginal edge of the other film is exposed at the other end of thecapacitive element 12. With reference toFIGS. 3 and 5 , at the lower end of thecapacitance element 12, the barriers 30-34 do not extend from the film, and an elementcommon terminal 36 is established contacting the exposed metalized marginal edges of one metalized film of all the capacitor sections 20-25. The elementcommon terminal 36 is preferably a zinc spray applied onto the end of thecapacitive element 12. - At the top end of the
capacitive element 12 as depicted inFIGS. 3 and 5 , the element insulation barriers 30-34 extend above the wound metalized film. An individual capacitor element section terminal is provided for each of the capacitive sections 20-25, also by applying a zinc or other metallic spray onto the end of thecapacitive element 12 with the zinc being deployed on each of the capacitor sections 20-25 between and adjacent the element insulation barriers 30-34. The element section terminals are identified by numerals 40-45.Element section terminal 40 ofcapacitor section 20 extends from the outer-mostelement insulation barrier 30 to the outer surface of thecapacitive element 12, and theelement section terminal 45 ofcapacitor section 25 extends from the inner-mostelement insulation barrier 34 to thecentral mandrel 28. Element section terminals 41-44 are respectively deployed on the capacitor sections 21-24. - Conductors preferably in the form of six insulated wires 50-55 each have one of their ends respectively soldered to the element section terminals 40-45, as best seen in
FIG. 5 . The thickness of the polypropylene barriers 30-34 resists any burn-through as a result of the soldering to connect wires 50-55 to the terminals 40-45. - The insulation of the wires 50-55 is color coded to facilitate identifying which wire is connected to which capacitor section.
Wire 50 connected toelement section terminal 40 ofcapacitor section 20 has blue insulation,wire 51 connected toelement section terminal 41 ofcapacitor section 21 has yellow insulation,wire 52 connected toelement section terminal 42 ofcapacitor section 22 has red insulation,wire 53 connected toelement section terminal 43 ofcapacitor section 23 has white insulation,wire 54 connection toelement section terminal 44 ofcapacitor section 24 has white insulation, andwire 55 connected toelement section terminal 45 ofcapacitor section 25 has green insulation. These colors are indicated onFIG. 4 . - The
capacitive element 12 is further provided withfoil strip conductor 38, having one end attached to the elementcommon terminal 36 at 37. Thefoil strip conductor 38 is coated with insulation, except for the point ofattachment 37 and thedistal end 39 thereof. Theconductor 50 connected to the outercapacitor element section 20 and its terminal 30 may also be a foil strip conductor. If desired, foil or wire conductors may be utilized for all connections. - In the
capacitive element 12 used in thecapacitor 10, thecapacitor section 20 has a value of 25.0 microfarads and thecapacitor section 21 has a capacitance of 20.0 microfarads. Thecapacitor section 22 has a capacitance of 10.0 microfarads. Thecapacitor section 23 has a capacitance of 5.5 microfarads, but is identified as having a capacitance of 5.0 microfarads for purposes further discussed below. Thecapacitor section 24 has a capacitance of 4.5 microfarads but is labeled as having a capacitance of 5 microfarads, again for purposes described below. Thecapacitor section 25 has a capacitance of 2.8 microfarads. Thecapacitor section 20 with the largest capacitance value also has the most metallic film, and is therefore advantageously located as the outer section or at least one of the three outer sections of thecapacitive element 12. - The
capacitor 10 also has acase 60, best seen inFIGS. 1-3 , having acylindrical side wall 62, abottom wall 64, and anopen top 66 ofside wall 62. Thecase 60 is formed of aluminum and thecylindrical side wall 62 has an outside diameter of 2.50 inches. This is a very common diameter for capacitors of this type, wherein thecapacitor 10 will be readily received in the mounting space and with the mounting hardware provided for the capacitor being replaced. Other diameters may, however, be used, and the case may also be plastic or of other suitable material. - The
capacitive element 12 with the wires 50-55 and thefoil strip 38 are received in thecase 60 with the elementcommon terminal 36 adjacent thebottom wall 64 of the case. An insulatingbottom cup 70 is preferably provided for insulating thecapacitive element 12 from thebottom wall 64, thebottom cup 70 having acenter post 72 that is received in the center opening 29 of themandrel 28, and an up-turnedskirt 74 that embraces the lower side wall of thecylindrical capacitive element 12 and spaces it from theside wall 62 of thecase 60. - An insulating
fluid 76 is provided within thecase 60, at least partly and preferably substantially surrounding thecapacitive element 12. The fluid 76 may be the fluid described in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,308, incorporated herein by reference, or one of the other insulating fluids used in the trade, such as polybutene. - The
capacitor 10 also has a pressureinterrupter cover assembly 80 best seen inFIGS. 1-3, 8-10 and 24 . Thecover assembly 80 includes a deformablecircular cover 82 having an upstandingcylindrical skirt 84 and aperipheral rim 86 as best seen inFIGS. 9 and 10 . Theskirt 84 fits into the open top 66cylindrical side wall 62 ofcase 60, and theperipheral rim 86 is crimped to theopen top 66 of thecase 60 to seal the interior of thecapacitor 10 and the fluid 76 contained therein, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 3 . - The pressure
interrupter cover assembly 80 includes seven cover terminals mounted on thedeformable cover 82. Acommon cover terminal 88 is mounted generally centrally on thecover 82, and section cover terminals 90-95, each respectively corresponding to one of the capacitor sections 20-25, are mounted at spaced apart locations surrounding thecommon cover terminal 88. With particular reference toFIGS. 1, 2, 9 and 10 , thesection cover terminal 91 has threeupstanding blades terminal post 104.Terminal post 104 has adistal end 105, opposite theblades cover 82 has anopening 106 for accommodating theterminal post 104, and has abeveled lip 107 surrounding the opening. A shapedsilicone insulator 108 fits snuggly under the cover in thebeveled lip 107 and theterminal post 104 passes through theinsulator 108. On the upper side of the cover, aninsulator cup 110 also surrounds thepost 104, and theinsulator cup 110 sits atop thesilicone insulator 108; thus, the terminal 91 and itsterminal post 104 are well insulated from thecover 82. The other cover section terminals 92-95 are similarly mounted with an insulator cup and a silicone insulator. - The
common cover terminal 88 has fourblades 120, and aterminal post 122 that passes through asilicone insulator 112. Thecommon cover terminal 88 mounts coverinsulator barrier 114 that includes an elongated cylindricalcenter barrier cup 116 surrounding and extending above theblades 120 of the covercommon terminal 88, and sixbarrier fins 118 that extend respectively radially outwardly from the elongatedcenter barrier cup 116 such that they are deployed between adjacent section cover terminals 90-95. This provides additional protection against any arcing or bridging contact between adjacent section cover terminals or with thecommon cover terminal 88. Alternatively, thecommon cover terminal 88 may be provided with aninsulator cup 116, preferably extending aboveblades 120 but with no separating barrier fins, although thebarrier fins 118 are preferred. Theterminal post 122 extends through an opening in the bottom of the base 117 of the insulatingbarrier cup 116, and through thesilicone insulator 112, to adistal end 124. - The pressure
interrupter cover assembly 80 has afiberboard disc 126 through which theterminal posts 122,terminal post 104 and the terminal posts of the other section cover terminals extend. Thedisc 126 may be also fabricated of other suitable material, such as polymers. The terminal posts 104, 122, etc. are configured as rivets withrivet flanges 128 for assembly purposes. The terminal posts 104, 122, etc. are inserted through thedisc 126,insulators barrier cup 116, and thecover terminals 88, 90-95 are spot welded to the ends of the rivets opposite therivet flanges 128. Thus, therivet flanges 128 secure thecover terminals 88, 90-95 in thecover 82, together with theinsulator barrier 114, insulator cups 110 andsilicone insulators fiberboard disc 126 facilitates this assembly, but may be omitted, if desired. The distal ends of the terminal posts are preferably exposed below therivet flanges 128. - The
cover assembly 80 has adisconnect plate 130, perhaps best seen inFIGS. 3, 9 and 10 . Thedisconnect plate 130 is made of a rigid insulating material, such as a phenolic, is spaced below thecover 82 by a spacer 134 in the form of a skirt. Thedisconnect plate 130 is provided with openings accommodating the distal ends of the terminal posts, such asopening 136 accommodating thedistal end 105 ofterminal post 104 andopening 138 accommodating thedistal end 124 of theterminal post 122. With particular reference toFIG. 9 , thedisconnect plate 130 may be provided with raised guides, such aslinear guides 140 and dimple guides 142, generally adjacent the openings accommodating the distal ends of terminal posts. These guides are for positioning purposes as discussed below. - In prior capacitors having three or fewer capacitor sections, the conductors between the capacitor sections and the terminal posts were generally foil strips, such as the one used for the
common element terminal 36 of thecapacitive element 12 herein. The foil strips were positioned on a breaker plate over the distal ends of terminal posts, and were welded to the distal ends of the terminal posts. Incapacitor 10, thedistal end 39 of thefoil strip 38 is connected to thedistal end 124 ofterminal post 122 by welding, as in prior capacitors. - The wires 50-55 are not well-configured for welding to the distal ends of the terminal posts of the cover section terminals. However, the wires 50-55 are desirable in place of foil strips because they are better accommodated in the
case 60 and have good insulating properties, resist nicking and are readily available with colored insulations. In order to make the necessary connection of the wires 50-55 to their respective terminal posts,foil tabs 56 are welded to each of the distal ends of the terminal posts of the section cover terminals 90-95, and theguides foil tabs 56 for the welding procedure. The attachment may be accomplished by welding the distal end of a foil strip to the terminal post, and then cutting the foil strip to leave thefoil tab 56. Thereafter, and as best seen inFIGS. 6, 7 and 10 , theconductor 58 ofwire 50 is soldered to thetab 56, bysolder 57. Theinsulation 59 ofwire 50 has been stripped to expose theconductor 58. The other wires 51-55 are similarly connected to their respective cover section terminals. Alternatively, the foil tabs may be soldered to the wires and the tabs may then be welded to the terminal posts, if desired, or other conductive attachment may be employed. - Accordingly, each of the capacitor sections 20-25 is connected to a corresponding section cover terminal 90-95 by a respective one of color coded wires 50-55. The insulator cups 110 associated with each of the section cover terminals 90-95 are also color coded, using the same color scheme as used in the wires 50-55. This facilitates assembly, in that each capacitor section and its wire conductor are readily associated with the correct corresponding section cover terminal, so that the correct capacitor sections can be identified on the cover to make the desired connections for establishing a selected capacitance value.
- The connections of the wires 50-55 and the
foil 38 to the terminal posts are made prior to placing thecapacitive element 12 in thecase 60, adding the insulatingfluid 76, and sealing thecover 82 ofcover assembly 80 to thecase 60. Thecase 60 may be labeled with the capacitance values of the capacitance sections 20-25 adjacent the cover terminals, such as on the side ofcase 60 near thecover 82 or on thecover 82. - The
capacitor 10 may be used to replace a failed capacitor of any one of over two hundred different capacitance values, including both single and dual applications. Therefore, a serviceman is able to replace virtually any failed capacitor he may encounter as he makes service calls on equipment of various manufacturers, models, ages and the like. - As noted above, the
capacitor 10 is expected to be used most widely in servicing air conditioning units. Air conditioning units typically have two capacitors; a capacitor for the compressor motor which may or may not be of relatively high capacitance value and a capacitor of relatively low capacitance value for a fan motor. The compressor motor capacitors typically have capacitances of from 20 to about 60 microfarads. The fan motor capacitors typically have capacitance values from about 2.5 to 12.5 microfarads, and sometimes as high as 15 microfarads, although values at the lower end of the range are most common. - With reference to
FIG. 11 ,capacitor 10 is connected to replace a compressor motor capacitor and a fan motor capacitor, where the compressor motor capacitor has a value of 25.0 microfarads and the fan motor capacitor has a value of 4.0 microfarads. The 25.0 microfarad replacement capacitance for the compressor motor is made by one of the compressor motor leads 160 being connected to one of the blades of the bluesection cover terminal 90 ofcapacitor section 20, which has a capacitance value of 25.0 microfarads, and the othercompressor motor lead 161 being connected to one of theblades 120 ofcommon cover terminal 88. The lead 162 from the fan motor is connected to the whitesection cover terminal 94 ofcapacitor section 24, and thesecond lead 163 from the fan motor is also connected to thecommon cover terminal 88. As set forth above, the actual capacitance value of thecapacitor section 24 that is connected to thesection cover terminal 94 is 4.5 microfarads, and the instructions and/or labeling for thecapacitor 10 indicate that thecapacitor section 24 as represented at terminal 94 should be used for a 4.0 microfarad replacement. Preferred labeling for this purpose can be “5.0 (4.0) microfarads” or similar. The 4.5 microfarad capacitance value is within approximately 10% of the specified 4.0 microfarad value, and that is within acceptable tolerances for proper operation of the fan motor. Of course, thecapacitor section 24 and terminal 94 may be connected to replace a 5.0 microfarad capacitance value as well, whereby the 4.5 microfarad actual capacitance value ofcapacitor section 24 gives added flexibility in replacing failed capacitors. Similarly, the 5.5microfarad capacitor section 23 can be used for either 5.0 microfarad or 6.0 microfarad replacement, and the 2.8microfarad capacitor section 25 can be used for a 3.0 microfarad replacement or for a 2.5 microfarad additive value.FIG. 12 schematically illustrates the connection ofcapacitor sections FIG. 11 . -
FIG. 13 illustrates another connection of thecapacitor 10 for replacing a 60.0 microfarad compressor motor capacitor and a 7.5 microfarad fan motor capacitor. The formula for the total capacitance value for capacitors connected in parallel is additive namely: Ct=C1+C2+C3 Therefore, with reference toFIG. 13 , a 60.0 microfarad capacitance value for the compressor motor is achieved by connecting in parallel the section cover terminal 90 (capacitor section 20 at a value of 25.0 microfarads), section cover terminal 91 (capacitor section 21 at a value of 20.0 microfarads), section cover terminal 92 (capacitor section 22 at a value of 10.0 microfarads) and section cover terminal 93 (capacitor section 23 at a nominal value of 5.0 microfarads). The foregoing connections are made by means ofjumpers capacitor 10.Lead 167 is connected from thesection cover terminal 90 of thecapacitor section 20 to the compressor motor, and lead 168 is connected from thecommon cover terminal 88 to the compressor motor. This has the effect of connecting the specifiedcapacitor sections - Similarly, a 7.5 microfarad capacitance is provided to the fan motor by connecting
section cover terminal 94 of the 5.0microfarad capacitor section 24 and thesection cover terminal 95 of the nominal 2.5microfarad capacitor section 25 in parallel viajumper 169.Leads common cover terminal 88 and thesection cover terminal 95 of thecapacitor section 25.FIG. 14 diagrammatically illustrates the connection of thecapacitor 10 shown inFIG. 13 . - It will be appreciated that various other jumper connections between section cover terminals can be utilized to connect selected capacitor sections in parallel, in order to provide a wide variety of capacitance replacement values.
- The capacitor sections can also be connected in series to utilize
capacitor 10 as a single value replacement capacitor. This has the added advantage of increasing the voltage rating of thecapacitor 10 in a series application, i.e. thecapacitor 10 can safely operate at higher voltages when its sections are connected in series. As a practical matter, the operating voltage will not be increased as it is established by the existing equipment and circuit, and the increased voltage rating derived from a series connection will increase the life of thecapacitor 10 because it will be operating well below its maximum rating. - With reference to
FIG. 15 , thecapacitor 10 is shown with capacitor section 22 (terminal 92) having a value of 10.0 microfarads connected in series with capacitor section 25 (terminal 95) having a nominal value of 2.5 microfarads to provide a replacement capacitance value of 2.0 microfarads. Leads 175 and 176 make the connections from the respectivesection cover terminals common terminal 36 connects thecapacitor sections capacitive element 12. With reference toFIG. 16 , the connection ofcapacitor 10 shown inFIG. 15 is illustrated diagrammatically. In bothFIGS. 15 and 16 , it will be seen that the covercommon terminal 88 is not used in making series connections. - The formula for capacitance of capacitors connected in series is
-
- and the total capacitance of the
capacitor sections FIGS. 15 and 16 is -
- microfarads. The capacitance of each of the capacitor sections 20-25 is rated at 440 volts. However, when two or more capacitor sections 20-25 are connected in series, the applied voltage section is divided between the capacitor sections in inverse proportion to their value. Thus, in the series connection of
FIGS. 15 and 16 , the nominal 2.5 microfarad section sees about 80% of the applied voltage and the 10.0 microfarad section sees about 20% of the applied voltage. The net effect is that thecapacitor 10 provides the 2.0 microfarad replacement value at a higher rating, due to the series connection. In this configuration, thecapacitor 10 is lightly stressed and is apt to have an extremely long life. - With reference to
FIG. 17 , the capacitor sections of thecapacitor 10 are shown connected in a combination of parallel and series connections to provide additional capacitive values at high voltage ratings, in this case 5.0 microfarads. The twocapacitor sections jumper 177 between their respectivecover section terminals section cover terminal 92 ofcapacitor section 22 having a value of 10.0 microfarads, and the other lead is connected to coversection terminal 94 ofcapacitor section 24. Thus, a capacitance value of 5.0 microfarads is provided according to the following formula -
- where C1 is a parallel connection having the value C+C, in this case 5.0+5.0 for a C1 of 10.0 microfarads. With that substitution, the total value is
-
- microfarads. The connection of
capacitor 10 illustrated inFIG. 17 is shown diagrammatically inFIG. 18 . -
FIG. 19 is a chart showing single capacitance values that can be provided by thecapacitor 10 connected in parallel. The values are derived by connecting individual capacitor sections into a circuit, or by parallel connections of capacitor sections. The chart should be interpreted remembering that the 2.8 microfarad capacitor section can be used as a 2.5 or 3.0 microfarad replacement, and that the two 5.0 microfarad values are actually 4.5 and 5.5 microfarad capacitor sections, also with possibilities for more replacements. -
FIGS. 20-23 are charts showing applications ofcapacitor 10 in replacing both a fan motor capacitor and a compressor motor capacitor. This is an important capability, because many air conditioning systems are equipped with dual value capacitors and when one of the values fails, another dual value capacitor must be substituted into the mounting space bracket. The chart ofFIG. 20 shows dual value capacitances that can be provided bycapacitor 10 wherein the nominal 2.5microfarad capacitor section 25 is used for one of the dual values, usually the fan motor. Fan motors are generally not rigid in their requirements for an exact capacitance value, wherein thecapacitor section 25 may also be used for fan motors specifying a 3.0 microfarad capacitor. The remaining capacitor sections 20-24 are available for connection individually or in parallel to the compressor motor, providing capacitance values from 5.0 to 65.0 microfarads in 5.0 microfarad increments. - The chart of
FIG. 21 also shows dual value capacitances that can be provided bycapacitor 10. In the chart ofFIG. 21 , one of the dual values is 5.0 microfarads that can be provided by eithercapacitor section 23 having an actual capacitance value of 5.5 microfarads or bycapacitor section 24 having an actual capacitance of 4.5 microfarads. As discussed above, thecapacitor section 24 can also be used for a 4.0 microfarad replacement value, andcapacitor section 23 could be used for a 6.0 microfarad replacement value. Thus, theFIG. 21 chart represents more dual replacement values than are specifically listed. The other capacitor section may be used in various parallel connections to achieve the second of the dual capacitance values. - The chart of
FIG. 22 illustrates yet additional dual value capacitances that can be provided bycapacitor 10. Capacitor section 25 (nominal 2.5 microfarads) is connected in parallel with one of capacitor section 23 (5.5 microfarads) or capacitor section 24 (4.5 microfarads) to provide a 7.5 microfarad capacitance value as one of the dual value capacitances. The remaining capacitor sections are used individually or in parallel to provide the second of the dual value capacitances. - The
FIG. 23 chart illustrates yet additional dual value capacitances that can be provided bycapacitor 10, where capacitor section 22 (10 microfarads) is dedicated to provide one of the dual values. The remaining capacitor sections are used individually or in parallel for the other of the dual values. - It will be appreciated that any one or group of capacitor sections may be used for one of a dual value, with a selected one or group of the remaining capacitor sections connected to provide another capacitance value. Although there are no known applications, it will also be appreciated that the
capacitor 10 could provide six individual capacitance values corresponding to the capacitor sections, or three, four or five capacitance values in selected individual and parallel connections. Additional single values can be derived from series connections. - The six capacitor sections 20-25 can provide hundreds of replacement values, including single and dual values. It will further be appreciated that if fewer replacement values are required, the
capacitor 10 can be made with five or even four capacitor sections, and that if more replacement values were desired, thecapacitor 10 could be made with more than six capacitor sections. It is believed that, at least in the intended field of use for replacement of air conditioner capacitors, there should be a minimum of five capacitor sections and preferably six capacitor sections to provide an adequate number of replacement values. - As is known in the art, there are occasional failures of capacitive elements made of wound metalized polymer film. If the capacitive element fails, it may do so in a sudden and violent manner, producing heat and outgassing such that high internal pressures are developed within the housing. Pressure responsive interrupter systems have been designed to break the connection between the capacitive element and the cover terminals in response to the high internal pressure, thereby removing the capacitive element from a circuit and stopping the high heat and overpressure condition within the housing before the housing ruptures. Such pressure interrupter systems have been provided for capacitors having two and three cover terminals, including the common terminal, but it has not been known to provide a capacitor with four or more capacitor sections and a pressure interrupter cover assembly.
- The pressure
interrupter cover assembly 80 provides such protection for thecapacitor 10 and itscapacitive element 12. With reference toFIG. 24 , thecapacitor 10 is shown after failure. Outgassing has caused thecircular cover 82 to deform upwardly into a generally domed shape. When thecover 82 deforms in the manner shown, theterminal posts disconnect plate 130, and the weld connection of thedistal end 124 of common coverterminal post 122 to thedistal end 39foil lead 38 from the elementcommon terminal 36 of thecapacitive element 12 is broken, and the welds between thefoil tabs 56 and theterminal posts 104 of the section cover terminals 90-95 are also broken, the separation atsection cover terminals - Although the preferred pressure interrupter cover assembly includes the
foil lead 38 andfoil tabs 56, frangibly connected to the distal ends of the terminal posts, the frangible connections both known in the art and to be developed may be used. As an example, the terminal posts themselves may be frangible. - It should be noted that although it is desirable that the connections of the capacitive element and all cover terminals break, it is not necessary that they all do so in order to disconnect the
capacitive element 12 from a circuit. For all instances in which thecapacitor 10 is used with its capacitor sections connected individually or in parallel, only theterminal post 122 ofcommon cover terminal 88 must be disconnected in order to remove thecapacitive element 12 from the circuit. Locating the covercommon terminal 88 in the center of thecover 82, where the deformation of thecover 82 is the greatest, ensures that the common cover terminal connection is broken both first and with certainty in the event of a failure of thecapacitive element 12. - If the capacitor sections of the
capacitor 10 are utilized in a series connection, it is necessary that only one of the terminal posts used in the series connection be disconnected from its foil tab at thedisconnect plate 130 to remove the capacitive element from an electrical circuit. In this regard, it should be noted that the outgassing condition will persist until the pressureinterrupter cover assembly 80 deforms sufficiently to cause disconnection from the circuit, and it is believed that an incremental amount of outgassing may occur as required to cause sufficient deformation and breakage of the circuit connection at the terminal post of one of the section cover terminal. However, in the most common applications of thecapacitor 10, thecommon cover terminal 88 will be used and the central location of thecommon cover terminal 88 will cause fast and certain disconnect upon any failure of the capacitive element. - Two other aspects of the design are pertinent to the performance of the pressure interrupter system. First, with respect to series connections only, the
common cover terminal 88 may be twisted to pre-break the connection of theterminal post 122 with thefoil strip 38, thus eliminating the requirement of any force to break that connection in the event of a failure of thecapacitive element 12. The force that would otherwise be required to break the connection of cover commonterminal post 122 is then applied to the terminal posts of the section cover terminals, whereby the section cover terminals are more readily disconnected. This makes the pressureinterrupter cover assembly 80 highly responsive in a series connection configuration. - Second, the structural aspects of welding foil tabs to the distal ends of the terminal posts corresponding to the various capacitor sections and thereafter soldering the connecting wires onto the
foil tabs 56 is also believed to make the pressureinterrupter cover assembly 80 more responsive to failure of thecapacitive element 12. In particular, the solder and wire greatly enhance the rigidity of thefoil tabs 56 wherein upon deformation of thecover 82, the terminal posts break cleanly from thefoil tabs 56 instead of pulling the foil tabs partially through the disconnect plate before separating. Thus, thecapacitor 10, despite having a common cover terminal and section cover terminals for six capacitor sections, is able to satisfy safety requirements for fluid-filled metalized film capacitors, which is considered a substantial advance in the art. - Another
capacitor 200 according to the invention herein is illustrated inFIGS. 25-27 . Thecapacitor 200 has the same or similar external appearance and functionality ascapacitor 10, and is adapted to replace any one of a large number of capacitors with thecapacitor 200 connected to provide the same capacitance value or values of a failed capacitor. - The
capacitor 200 is characterized by acapacitive element 212 having two wound cylindricalcapacitive elements case 60. The first wound cylindricalcapacitive element 214 provides threecapacitor sections cylindrical element 216 provides an additional threecapacitive sections capacitor 10, i.e. capacitorsections capacitor sections - The wound cylindrical
capacitive element 214 has a central spool ormandrel 228, which has acentral opening 229. First and second dielectric films, each having metalized layer on one side thereof, are wound in cylindrical form on themandrel 228 with the non-metalized size of one film being in contact with the metalized side of the other. Selected portions of one or both of the metalized layers are removed in order to provide multiple sections in the wound cylindrical capacitive element.Element insulation barriers element insulation barrier 230 separatingcapacitor sections element insulation barrier 231 separatingcapacitor sections section terminals capacitive element 214, and firstcommon element terminal 36 a. - The second wound cylindrical
capacitive element 216 is similarly formed, on amandrel 226 withcentral opening 227, providing threecapacitor sections insulation barriers capacitive element 12, i.e. polypropylene barriers sufficient to withstand heat from adjacent soldering without loosing the integrity of electrical insulation. Thecapacitor sections section terminals sections capacitive element 12. - Element
common terminal 36 a′ is also formed. Elementcommon terminal 36 a of wound cylindricalcapacitive element 214 connects thesections common terminal 36 a′ of wound cylindricalcapacitive element 216 electrically connects thecapacitor sections common terminals foil strip 236, wherein they become the common terminal for all capacitor sections. The wound cylindricalcapacitive elements case 60, with thecommon element terminals insulator cup 270 is positioned in the bottom ofcase 60, to protectelement section terminals case 60 and apost 272 keeps the woundcylindrical elements case 60. -
Conductors 50 a-55 a, preferably in the form of six insulated foil strips or insulated wires, each have one of their respective ends soldered to correspondingelement section terminals 20 a-25 a, and have their other respective ends connected to the corresponding terminal posts of pressureinterrupter cover assembly 80. One of the elementcommon terminals terminal post 122 byconductor 38 a. When the conductors are foil strips, all of the conductors may be connected as described above with respect to thefoil strip 38, and if the conductors are insulated wire conductors they may be connected as described above with respect to the insulated wires 50-55. Thecase 60 is filled with an insulatingfluid 76. - The length L of the two wound
cylindrical capacitives mandrels capacitive element 214 provides the 25microfarad capacitor section 20 a and the 10microfarad capacitor section 22 a, with the 5.5microfarad capacitor section 23 a adjacent mandrel 238. The shorter wound cylindricalcapacitive element 216 provides the 20microfarad capacitor section 21 a, the 4.5microfarad capacitor section 24 a and the 2.8microfarad capacitor section 25 a. - A
capacitive element 212 made up of two wound cylindricalcapacitive elements capacitive element 12 and, when connected to the cover section terminals 90-95, may be connected in the same way as described above with respect to thecapacitor 10 and to provide the same replacement capacitance values shown in the charts ofFIGS. 19-23 . - With reference to
FIGS. 28-30 , anothercapacitor 300 is shown, also having the same or similar exterior appearance as thecapacitor 10 and having the same functionality and replacing failed capacitors of varying values. Thecapacitor 300 includescase 60 and pressureinterrupter cover assembly 80, and thecapacitor 300 is characterized by a capacitive element provided in six separate wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320-325, each wound cylindrical capacitive element providing onecapacitor section 20 b-25 b of the total capacitive element 312. - Accordingly, the capacitive element includes a first wound cylindrical
capacitive element 320 which provides acapacitive section 20 b, preferably having a capacitance value of 25 microfarads. Thecapacitive section 20 b has asection terminal 40 b which is connected byconductor 50 b tosection cover terminal 90 of thecover assembly 80, and has bottomcommon terminal 360. Woundcylindrical capacitor element 321 provides the capacitor section 21 b having a value of 20 microfarads, having a section terminal 41 b connected to thecover section terminal 91 by a conductor 51 b. This section also has abottom terminal 361. Similarly, a wound cylindricalcapacitive element 322 provides thecapacitor section 22 b ofcapacitance value 10 microfarads, withsection terminal 42 b connected to the correspondingsection cover terminal 92 by conductor 52 c, and has abottom terminal 362. Wound cylindricalcapacitive element 325 providescapacitor section 25 b having sectional terminal 45 b connected to thesection cover terminal 95 byinsulated wire conductor 55 b. It also has abottom terminal 325. The wound cylindricalcapacitive element 325, providing only 2.8 microfarads of capacitance value, is quite small compared to the wound cylindricalcapacitive elements - The four wound cylindrical
capacitive elements case 60, but provide sufficient head room to accommodate two additional wound cylindricalcapacitive elements cover assembly 80. Thewound capacitive element 323 providescapacitor section 23 b, preferably having a value of 4.5 microfarads, and the wound cylindricalcapacitive element 324 providescapacitor section 24 b having a value of 5.5 microfarads. These capacitor sections have, respectively,section terminals terminals conductors bottom terminals - All of the bottom terminals 320-325 are connected together to form
common element terminal 36 b, and are connected to thecommon cover terminal 88. As best seen inFIG. 29 , thebottom terminals capacitor sections insulated foil strip 38 b connects the aforesaid bottom terminals to the common cover terminal. Thebottom terminals capacitor sections insulated foil strip 38 b′. - The wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320-325 are placed in
case 60 with an insulatingfluid 76. Thecapacitor 300 may be used in the same way as described above with respect tocapacitor 10, to provide selected replacement values for a large number of different failed capacitors. - It will be noted that the wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320-325 occupy less space in the
case 60 than the single wound cylindricalcapacitive element 12 ofcapacitor 10. This is achieved by using thinner dielectric film wherein the capacitance values can be provided in less volume; however, the voltage rating of the wound cylindrical capacitive elements 320-325 is correspondingly less because of the thinner dielectric material. Thus, the capacitors made with this technique may have a shorter life, but benefit from a lower cost of manufacture. - Another
capacitor 400 according to the invention herein is illustrated inFIG. 31 . Thecapacitor 400 may have the same or similar external appearance and functionality ascapacitor 10, and may be adapted to replace any one of a large number of capacitors with thecapacitor 400 connected to provide the same capacitance value or values of a failed capacitor. - The
capacitor 400 may include one or more magnetic elements for assisting in mounting of the capacitor 400 (e.g., to an air conditioning system). In the illustrated example, amagnet 402 is positioned toward a bottom end of thecapacitor 400. In particular, themagnet 402 is positioned between abottom wall 464 of acase 460 of thecapacitor 400 and abottom cup 470 of the capacitor 400 (e.g., beneath acenter post 472 of the bottom cup 470). Themagnet 402 is configured to create magnetic attraction between themagnet 402 and a magnetic surface in proximity to thecapacitor 400. For example, themagnet 402 may cause thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 to be attracted to a metallic surface of an air conditioning system, thereby improving the integrity of a mounting between thecapacitor 400 and the air conditioning system after installation. Themagnet 402 may be designed such that the strength of magnetic attraction between themagnet 402 and the air conditioning system is such that themagnet 402 may remain firmly in place in response to possible vibration and/or other movement of the air conditioning system during operational use. In some implementations, the strength of magnetic attraction between themagnet 402 and the air condition system is such that a user (e.g., a technician installing or uninstalling the capacitor 400) can remove the capacitor from the surface of the air conditioning system without requiring excessive effort. - While the
magnet 402 is illustrated as being positioned interior to thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400, in some implementations, themagnet 402 may be positioned outside of thecase 460 on an exterior of thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460. For example, themagnet 402 may have a disk shape that is positioned outside of thecase 460 at an outer surface of a base of thecase 460. - In some examples, the
magnet 402 may have a rectangular shape. For example, themagnet 402 may be a rectangular strip that runs along thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400. In particular, the rectangular strip may have a particular thickness, a first dimension that runs from the left side of thecapacitor 400 to the right side of thecapacitor 400 as illustrated inFIG. 31 , and a second dimension that is perpendicular to the first dimension and smaller than the first dimension. In some implementations, themagnet 402 may have a square shape (e.g., such that the first dimension is equal to or substantially equal to the second dimension). In some implementations, themagnet 402 may have a rod shape. In some implementations, themagnet 402 may have a circular shape (e.g., a disk shape) or a hollow circular shape (e.g., a ring shape). For example, in some implementations, themagnet 402 may have dimensions equal to or substantially equal to the dimensions of a disk-shaped battery (e.g., a watch battery such as a CR2032 battery). In some implementations, themagnet 402 is a disk-shape with a thickness of approximately 4 mm and a diameter of approximately 160 mm. In some implementations, themagnet 402 is a disk-shape with a thickness of approximately 4 mm and a diameter of approximately 40 mm. In some implementations, themagnet 402 is a disk-shape with a thickness of approximately 4.5-5 mm and a diameter of about 60 mm. In some implementations, themagnet 402 is a disk-shape with a thickness of approximately 5 mm and a diameter of about 60 mm. - The particular shape and/or dimensions of the
magnet 402 may be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction. For example, themagnet 402 may be designed with a particular shape and/or larger dimensions and/or larger thicknesses to achieve a relatively higher strength of magnetic attraction with a magnetic surface. In some implementations, increased surface area of themagnet 402 toward thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400 may increase the strength of magnetic attraction. - In some implementations, the
magnet 402 has a strength of approximately 30-40 milliTeslas (mT) or a strength of approximately 65-75 mT. In some implementations, the strength of magnetic attraction can be increased by stacking multiple magnets 402 (e.g., on top of each other). In some implementations, twostacked magnets 402 can have a strength of approximately 70-80 mT, 60-80 mT, or 130-150 mT, although other ranges are also possible. In some implementations, themagnet 402 may be a D40×4 ferrite ceramic magnet manufactured by Hangzhou Honesun Magnet Co., Ltd. - In some implementations, the
magnet 402 may be magnetized using one or more of a plurality of techniques. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 402 may be magnetized such that a north and a south pole of themagnet 402 is located at a particular position of themagnet 402. For example, the techniques for magnetizing themagnet 402 may cause the north and/or south pole to be located at various thicknesses of themagnet 402, various axial positions of themagnet 402, various diametric positions of themagnet 402, and/or various radial positions of themagnet 402. In some implementations, themagnet 402 may be a multi-pole magnet. - In some implementations, the
magnet 402 is a permanent magnet that is made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field. For example, themagnet 402 may be made from a ferromagnetic material that can be magnetized, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, and/or an alloy of rare-earth metals, among others. In some implementations, themagnet 402 is a ferrite and/or ceramic magnet. In some implementations, themagnet 402 may include one or more of ferric oxide, iron oxide, barium, barium carbonate, strontium, and/or strontium carbonate. Themagnet 402 may include one or more magnetically “hard” materials (e.g., materials that tend to stay magnetized). Alternatively or additionally, themagnet 402 may include one or more magnetically “soft” materials. - In some implementations, the
magnet 402 may be a rare-earth magnet. A rare-earth magnet is typically a relatively strong permanent magnet that is made from one or more alloys of rare-earth elements. Example of rare-earth elements that can be used in a rare-earth magnet include elements in the lanthanide series, scandium, and yttrium, although other elements may also or alternatively be used. In some implementations, the rare-earth magnet may produce a magnetic field of greater than 1.0 T (teslas). In some implementations, the rare-earth magnet may include one or both of samarium-cobalt and neodymium. - In some implementations, the
magnet 402 may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite) that can be produced by combining iron oxide and one or more metallic elements. In some implementations, such ceramic compounds may be electrically nonconductive. The use of such ceramic compounds for themagnet 402 may eliminate the inclusion of electrically conductive elements in thecapacitor 400 that may otherwise affect the operation of thecapacitor 400. - In some implementations, the
magnet 402 may have a grade that corresponds to a particular standard (e.g., a National and/or International standard). In some implementations, the grade of themagnet 402 corresponds to the Chinese ferrite magnet nomenclature system. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 402 is grade Y10 T, Y25, Y30, Y33, Y35, Y30BH, or Y33BH, although other grades are also possible. In some implementations, the grade corresponds to a working temperature of 250° C. In some implementations, the grade of themagnet 402 corresponds to a Feroba, an American (e.g., “C”), or a European (e.g., “HF”) grading standard. - In some implementations, the
magnet 402 may be an electromagnet that produces a magnetic field by introducing an electric current. In some implementations, the electromagnet may include a magnetic core and a wire (e.g., an insulated wire) wound into a coil around the magnetic core. The magnetic core may be made from a ferromagnetic or a ferrimagnetic material such as iron or steel. The magnetic core may be made from a “soft” magnetic material (e.g., a magnetic material that can allow magnetic domains in the material to align upon introduction of the current through the coil). - By using an electromagnet as the
magnet 402, the strength of magnetic attraction can be turned on and off and/or customized according to the current passed through the coil. For example, current can be applied through the coil to cause the electromagnet to generate a magnetic field, and the current can be removed from the coil to cause the electromagnetic to cease generating the magnetic field. In some implementations, the strength of the magnetic field (and, e.g., the strength of magnetic attraction created by the electromagnet) can be adjusted based on the magnitude of electrical current passed through the coil. For example, relatively higher magnitudes of electrical current correspond to higher magnetic field strengths and therefore higher strengths of magnetic attraction (e.g., with a magnetic surface), and relatively lower magnitudes of electrical current correspond to lower magnetic field strengths and therefore lower strength of magnetic attraction. - In some implementations, the particular material used for the core of the electromagnet and/or the dimensions of the core may be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction. The core may be made from a material such as one or both of iron and steel. In some implementations, the dimensions of the coil and/or the number of turns of the coil may also be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction.
- In some implementations, the current that is provided through the coil may be provided by a connection with one or more of the section cover terminals 90-95 and the
common cover terminal 88 of thecapacitor 400. For example, a conductor (e.g., a wire) may be used to connect one or more of the section cover terminals 90-95 to a first end of the coil and a conductor may be used to connect another one of the section cover terminals 90-95 or thecommon cover terminal 88 to a second end of the coil. In this way, the current that otherwise runs through the electrical components of thecapacitor 400 can also be used to power the electromagnetic, thereby causing the electromagnet to generate a magnetic field. - In some implementations, the
capacitor 400 may include one or more different and/or additional electrical components that can be used by the electromagnet to generate the magnetic field. For example, thecapacitor 400 may include a separate capacitor that is configured to store a charge to be used to subsequently apply current through the coil of the electromagnetic. In this way, the electromagnet may have a separate power source that can be used when generation of a magnetic field is desired. - In some implementations, the
capacitor 400 may include a switch that can be toggled by a user (e.g., a technician or an operator of the capacitor 400) to cause the electromagnetic to generate or cease generating the magnetic field. The switch may cause an electrical connection in the coil to be temporarily broken and restored. In some implementations (e.g., implementations in which the coil is connected to one or more of the section cover terminals 90-95 and/or the common cover terminal 88), the switch may cause the conductor that connects the coil to one or more of the section cover terminals 90-95 and/or the conductor that connects the coil to thecommon cover terminal 88 to be temporarily broken and restored, such that the magnetic field generated by the electromagnet can be toggled on and off. In this way, the user can toggle the magnetic field on when mounting of thecapacitor 400 is desired (e.g., at the time of installation) and toggle the magnetic field off when mounting of thecapacitor 400 is not desired (e.g., when thecapacitor 400 is not in use and/or being stored) or when magnetic attraction is not desired (e.g., when mounting thecapacitor 400 at a location that does not include a magnetic surface). - In some implementations, one or more of the capacitive elements of the
capacitor 400 and/or the capacitor sections of thecapacitor 400 may be used to store the charge that is provided to the coil to cause the magnetic field to be generated. For example, thecapacitive element 12 and/or one or more of the capacitor sections 20-25 may be configured to store a charge that is subsequently provided to the coil of the electromagnetic. In this way, electrical charge that is otherwise stored by thecapacitor 400 during typical use can also be used to power the electromagnet. - While the
capacitor 400 shown in the illustrated example includes onemagnet 402, additional magnets may also be provided. For example, a plurality ofmagnets 402 may be positioned between thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400 and thebottom cup 470 of thecapacitor 400. The plurality ofmagnets 402 may have dimensions that are relatively smaller than dimensions that may be chosen for implementations in which only asingle magnet 402 is used. The plurality ofmagnets 402 may have dimensions substantially similar to dimensions of a watch battery, such as a CR2032 battery. The plurality ofmagnets 402 may be positioned at various locations at thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460. For example, the plurality ofmagnets 402 may be arranged in a ring around a perimeter of thebottom wall 464 such that the plurality ofmagnets 402 are spaced approximately equidistant from one another. In some implementations, the plurality ofmagnets 402 may be arranged in groups of two, three, etc.magnets 402. Any number ofmagnets 402 may be provided to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction. - In some implementations, the
capacitor 400 includes twomagnets 402 positioned between thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400 and thebottom cup 470 of thecapacitor 400. In some implementations, the twomagnets 402 are each circular shape (e.g., disk shaped). The twomagnets 402 may have a stacked configuration such that a first disk shaped magnet is stacked on top of a second disk shaped magnet. In some implementations, the twomagnets 402 may have a combined strength of approximately 70-80 mT, 60-80 mT, or 130-150 mT, although other ranges are also possible. The twomagnets 402 may have the same or different diameters. In some implementations, the twomagnets 402 may be positioned at a location that is misaligned with a center of thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460. For example, the center of themagnets 402 may be misaligned with the center of thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 such that themagnets 402 are positioned proximate to a side wall of thecase 460. In some implementations, the center of themagnets 402 may be aligned with the center of thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460. In some implementations, the centers of the twomagnets 402 may be misaligned relative to each other. In other words, a center of one of the magnets may be misaligned with a center of the other magnet. - Another
capacitor 500 according to the invention herein is illustrated inFIG. 32 . Thecapacitor 500 may have the same or similar external appearance and functionality ascapacitors capacitor 500 connected to provide the same capacitance value or values of a failed capacitor. - The
capacitor 500 may include one or more magnets for assisting in mounting of the capacitor 500 (e.g., to an air conditioning system). In the illustrated example, amagnet 502 is positioned inside aside wall 562 of a case 560 (e.g., sometimes referred to as a container) of thecapacitor 500. Themagnet 502 is configured to create magnetic attraction between themagnet 502 and a magnetic surface in proximity to thecapacitor 500. For example, themagnet 502 may cause theside wall 562 of thecase 560 to be attracted to a metallic surface of an air conditioning system, thereby improving the integrity of a mounting between thecapacitor 500 and the air conditioning system after installation. Themagnet 502 may be designed such that the strength of magnetic attraction between themagnet 502 and the air conditioning system is such that themagnet 502 may remain firmly in place in response to possible vibration and/or other movement of the air conditioning system during operational use. In some implementations, the strength of magnetic attraction between themagnet 502 and the air condition system is such that a user (e.g., a technician installing or uninstalling the capacitor 500) can remove the capacitor from the surface of the air conditioning system without requiring excessive effort. - In some examples, the
magnet 502 may have a rectangular shape. For example, themagnet 502 may be a rectangular strip that runs from top to bottom along theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500. In particular, the rectangular strip may have a particular thickness, a first dimension that runs from the top end of thecapacitor 500 to the bottom end of thecapacitor 500, and a second dimension that is perpendicular to the first dimension and smaller than the first dimension. In some implementations, themagnet 502 may have a square shape (e.g., such that the first dimension is equal to or substantially equal to the second dimension). In some implementations, themagnet 502 may have a rod shape. In some implementations, themagnet 502 may have a circular shape (e.g., a disk shape) or a hollow circular shape (e.g., a ring shape). For example, in some implementations, themagnet 502 may have dimensions equal to or substantially equal to the dimensions of a disk-shaped battery (e.g., a watch battery such as a CR2032 battery). In some implementations, other shapes, a combination of shapes, etc. may be employed; for example, various types of curves may be incorporated into one or more magnetic strips (e.g., elongated oval shaped strips). Patterns of magnetic material may used; for example two crossed magnetic strips, a pattern of crosses, circles, etc. may be attached, incorporated into the bottom wall,side wall 562, etc. of thecapacitor 500. - In some implementations, the
magnet 502 may have a curved shape that matches or substantially matches a curve of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500. For example, themagnet 502 may have a curve that allows themagnet 502 to make continuous contact with theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500. In some implementations, themagnet 502 may have dimensions of approximately 1 inch×1 inch and a thickness of about 1/10 of an inch. Such amagnet 502 may be curved such that themagnet 502 is configured to interface with an inner wall of thecase 560 of the capacitor 500 (e.g., interior to the case 560). - As described in more detail below, in some implementations, the magnet 502 (e.g., the curved magnet) may be positioned exterior to the
case 560 of thecapacitor 500. In some implementations, a first surface of themagnet 502 may be curved such that the first surface of themagnet 502 interfaces with an exterior wall of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500, and a second surface opposite of the first surface may have a substantially flat shape that is configured to interface with a flat surface of a separate object (e.g., a surface or wall of an air conditioning system). In some implementations, multiplecurved magnets 502 may be provided in one or more of the configurations described herein (e.g., including multiple curved magnets, a curved and a non-curved magnet, etc.). - In some implementations, the
magnet 502 may run along (e.g., make continuous contact) with the full perimeter of theside wall 562 of thecase 560. That is, themagnet 502 may have a sleeve shape with a diameter that is slightly less than a diameter of thecapacitor 500. In this way, substantially all of theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500 may be magnetic such that the user can affix any portion of theside wall 562 of thecapacitor 500 to a magnetic surface (e.g., without needing to rotate thecapacitor 500 to find a surface that is in line with themagnet 502, as may be the case in implementations in which amagnet 502 having a strip shape is used). - The particular shape and/or dimensions of the
magnet 502 may be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction. For example, themagnet 502 may be designed with a particular shape and/or larger dimensions and/or larger thicknesses to achieve a relatively higher strength of magnetic attraction with a magnetic surface. In some implementations, increased surface area of themagnet 502 toward theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500 may increase the strength of magnetic attraction. - In some implementations, the
magnet 502 has a strength of approximately 30-40 milliTeslas (mT) or a strength of approximately 65-75 mT. In some implementations, the strength of magnetic attraction can be increased by stacking multiple magnets 502 (e.g., one beside the other). In some implementations, twostacked magnets 502 can have a strength of approximately 70-80 mT, 60-80 mT, or 130-150 mT, although other ranges are also possible. In some implementations, themagnet 502 may be a D40×4 ferrite ceramic magnet manufactured by Hangzhou Honesun Magnet Co., Ltd. - In some implementations, the
magnet 502 may be magnetized using one or more of a plurality of techniques. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 502 may be magnetized such that a north and a south pole of themagnet 502 is located at a particular position of themagnet 502. For example, the techniques for magnetizing themagnet 502 may cause the north and/or south pole to be located at various thicknesses of themagnet 502, etc. In some implementations, themagnet 502 may be a multi-pole magnet. - In some implementations, the
magnet 502 is a permanent magnet that is made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field. For example, themagnet 502 may be made from a ferromagnetic material that can be magnetized, such as iron, nickel, cobalt, and/or an alloy of rare-earth metals, among others. In some implementations, themagnet 502 is a ferrite and/or ceramic magnet. In some implementations, themagnet 502 may include one or more of ferric oxide, iron oxide, barium, barium carbonate, strontium, and/or strontium carbonate. Themagnet 502 may include one or more magnetically “hard” materials (e.g., materials that tend to stay magnetized). Alternatively or additionally, themagnet 502 may include one or more magnetically “soft” materials. - In some implementations, the
magnet 502 may be a rare-earth magnet. A rare-earth magnet is typically a relatively strong permanent magnet that is made from one or more alloys of rare-earth elements. Example of rare-earth elements that can be used in a rare-earth magnet include elements in the lanthanide series, scandium, and yttrium, although other elements may also or alternatively be used. In some implementations, the rare-earth magnet may produce a magnetic field of greater than 1.0 T. In some implementations, the rare-earth magnet may include one or both of samarium-cobalt and neodymium. - In some implementations, the
magnet 502 may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite) that can be produced by combining iron oxide and one or more metallic elements. In some implementations, such ceramic compounds may be electrically nonconductive. The use of such ceramic compounds for themagnet 502 may eliminate the inclusion of electrically conductive elements in thecapacitor 500 that may otherwise affect the operation of thecapacitor 500. - In some implementations, the
magnet 502 may have a grade that corresponds to a particular standard (e.g., a National and/or International standard). In some implementations, the grade of themagnet 502 corresponds to the Chinese ferrite magnet nomenclature system. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 502 is grade Y10 T, Y25, Y30, Y33, Y35, Y30BH, or Y33BH, although other grades are also possible. In some implementations, the grade corresponds to a working temperature of 250° C. In some implementations, the grade of themagnet 502 corresponds to a Feroba, an American (e.g., “C”), or a European (e.g., “HF”) grading standard. - While the
capacitor 500 shown in the illustrated example includes onemagnet 502, additional magnets may also be provided. For example, a plurality ofmagnets 502 may be positioned proximate to theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500. The plurality ofmagnets 502 may have dimensions that are relatively smaller than dimensions that may be chosen for implementations in which only asingle magnet 502 is used. The plurality ofmagnets 502 may have dimensions substantially similar to dimensions of a watch battery, such as a CR2032 battery. The plurality ofmagnets 502 may be positioned at various locations proximate to theside wall 562 of thecase 560. For example, the plurality ofmagnets 502 may be arranged in a ring around a perimeter of theside wall 562 such that the plurality ofmagnets 502 are spaced approximately equidistant from one another. In some implementations, the plurality ofmagnets 502 may be arranged in groups of two, three, etc.magnets 502. Any number ofmagnets 502 may be provided to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction. - Like the
magnet 402 described above with respect toFIG. 31 , themagnet 502 illustrated inFIG. 32 can also be an electromagnet that includes a core and a coil wrapped around the core, in which the materials, dimensions, configuration, and/or operating characteristics of the electromagnet can be chosen to achieve the desired strength of magnetic attraction. - In some implementations, the
capacitors magnet capacitor capacitor magnet capacitor magnet capacitor magnets magnets capacitor capacitor magnets capacitor - In some implementations, a bottom end of the capacitor 400 (e.g., an area proximate to and including the
bottom wall 464 of the case 460) may be removable from the rest of thecase 460 of the capacitor. In some implementations, the bottom end of thecapacitor 400 may be attached by threading such that the bottom end of thecapacitor 400 may be removed by twisting the bottom end of thecapacitor 400 away from the rest of thecase 460. Removing the bottom end of thecapacitor 400 may reveal a compartment within which the magnet 400 (and, e.g., additional magnets) can be placed and/or removed. In some implementations, theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500 may include a slidable and/or otherwise openable door that reveals a compartment of thecapacitor 500 within which the magnet 502 (and, e.g., additional magnets) can be placed and/or removed. - In some implementations, the
case capacitor magnet magnet case magnet 402 may be magnetically attracted to thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400, and themagnet 502 may be magnetically attracted to theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500. In some implementations, thecase magnet - In some implementations, the
magnet capacitor magnet 402 to thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460. In some implementations, a bracket may be positioned around a surface of themagnet 402, and one or more fasteners may be used to affix the bracket against thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460. Similarly, one or more brackets may be used to affix themagnet 502 to theside wall 562 of thecase 560. In some implementations, a bracket may be positioned around a surface of themagnet 502, and one or more fasteners may be used to affix the bracket against theside wall 562 of thecase 560. In some implementations, an adhesive may be used to affix themagnet bottom wall 464 of thecase 460 and/or thebottom cup 470 and theside wall 562 of thecase 560. - In some implementations, the
magnet bottom wall 464 of thecase 460 and thebottom cup 470, or by being wedged between theside wall 562 of thecase 560 and other components of thecapacitor 500. In some implementations, magnetic attraction between themagnet capacitor 400, 500 (e.g., thecase 460, 560) may assist in holding themagnet - In some implementations, the
magnet magnet case capacitor magnet magnet - In some implementations, a cutout (e.g., a recess) may be provided in which the
magnet magnet case capacitor bottom cup 470 of thecapacitor 400. The cutout may provide a ridge that surrounds a perimeter of themagnet magnet magnet case capacitor - While the
magnets case capacitor magnet case magnet 402 may be mounted to a bottom surface of thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400. Themagnet 402 may have a shape that substantially matches the shape of the bottom surface of thebottom wall 464. In this way, when thecapacitor 400 is mounted to a magnetic object (e.g., an air conditioning system), thecapacitor 400 can be positioned flush with the surface of the object. Similarly, in some implementations, themagnet 502 may be mounted to an outside surface of theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500. In some examples, themagnet 502 may be wrapped around or substantially around the outside surface of theside wall 562 of thecase 560 such that substantially all outside surfaces of thecase 560 are magnetic. Themagnet magnet case case magnet case capacitor magnet case - In some implementations, the
magnet magnet 402 is mounted to the bottom surface of thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400, a width of approximately 4 mm for themagnet 402 may provide sufficient strength of magnetic attraction without making thecapacitor 400 unwieldy (e.g., by adding excessive height to the capacitor 400). Therefore, thecapacitor 400 does not take up excessive volume at its mounting location (e.g., at or within an air conditioning system). - In some implementations, one or more portions of the
case capacitor bottom cup capacitor case capacitor bottom wall 464 of thecase 460 of thecapacitor 400 and/or thebottom cup capacitor 400 may be made from a magnetic material such that thebottom wall 464 of thecapacitor 400 can be magnetically attracted to a magnetic object, and/or theside wall 562 of thecase 560 of thecapacitor 500 may be made from a magnetic material such that theside wall 562 of thecapacitor 500 may be magnetically attracted to a magnetic object. - While the
magnets different capacitors magnet 402 ofFIG. 31 and/or themagnet 502 ofFIG. 32 may be incorporated into other capacitors described herein. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 502 may also be incorporated into the capacitor 400 (e.g., instead of or in addition to the magnet 402), and vice versa. In some implementations, one or both of themagnet 402 and themagnet 502 may be incorporated into thecapacitor 10 and/or thecapacitor 200 and/or thecapacitor 300. - While many implementations have been described above (e.g., such as the implementations described with respect to
FIGS. 31 and 32 ), other implementations are also possible. In some implementations, the capacitors described herein (e.g., thecapacitor capacitor 400 ofFIG. 31 , and as described above, between thebottom wall 464 of thecase 460 and the bottom cup 470). For example, two magnets having a circular shape (e.g. disk shape) may be stacked on top of each other such that the centers of the two magnets are in alignment. In some implementations, the two magnets may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite), for example, which can be produced by combining iron oxide and one or more metallic elements. - In some implementations (e.g., in addition to implementations that include the two stacked magnets described above), multiple magnets may be provided at the side wall of the capacitor (e.g., the
side wall capacitor 400, 500). For example, two magnets may be provided inside theside wall capacitor case side wall capacitor capacitive element 12, and a second curved magnet may be provided at a second height (e.g., above or below the first height) between theside wall capacitor capacitive element 12. In some implementations, each of the curved magnets may run around a full circumference of theside wall capacitor 400, 500 (e.g., such that the magnets have a ring or sleeve shape). In some implementations, one of the magnets may run around a full circumference while the other magnet runs around less than an entirety (e.g., a portion) of the circumference. In yet additional implementations, both of the magnets may run around less than an entire circumference (e.g., a portion of the circumference of theside wall 62, 562). In some implementations, the two curved magnets are positioned at the same vertical height along the length of theside wall side wall - In some implementations, one or both of the magnets placed inside the
side wall side wall bottom cup side wall skirt 74 that embraces the lower side wall of thecylindrical capacitive element 12 and spaces it from theside wall case skirt 74 may run further up theside wall FIGS. 31 and 32 ). The multiple curved magnets may be stacked vertically or located at the same vertical height in a manner similar to that described above. - In some implementations, a liner may be positioned between the two curved magnets and the
capacitive element 12. For example, in implementations in which the curved magnets are not positioned between theside wall skirt 74, a liner may be applied over one or both of the curved magnets to separate the curved magnets from thecapacitive element 12. The liner may include a non-conductive material or any other material suitable for separating the magnets from the capacitive element 12 (e.g., for minimizing effects of the magnet on the performance of thecapacitive element 12 and/or other components). In some implementations, the liner is a plastic adhesive material that can be applied over a surface of one or both of the curved magnets to separate the curved magnets from other components of thecapacitor side wall capacitor - In some implementations, one or both of the two curved magnets may be positioned between the
bottom cup capacitor bottom wall capacitor bottom cup 470 and thebottom wall 464 of thecapacitor 400 shown inFIG. 31 . The curved magnets may be placed instead of or in addition to themagnet 402 ofFIG. 31 . The one or both of the curved magnets may be positioned in one or more of the configurations described in the preceding paragraphs. For example, the two curved magnets may be stacked vertically (e.g., one on top of the other, with the two curved magnets optionally making contact with one another) or the two curved magnets may be positioned at the same vertical height of thecapacitor 400, 500 (e.g., such that each of the curved magnets runs along less than an entire circumference of theside wall side wall - While the various disc shapes magnets and curved magnets have largely been described as being placed inside of the
case capacitor case bottom wall case case case case case - Similarly, one or more of the curved magnets may be positioned on an outside surface of the side wall, 62, 562 of the
case case case case case - While the curved magnets have been described as having a curved shape that substantially interfaces with the
side wall case side wall case case side wall case 460, 560 (e.g., as described above). The opposite surface of the curved magnet may have a flat shape that can substantially interface with a flat magnetically-attractive surface, such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system. The flat shape of the opposite surface of the one or more magnets may allow thecapacitor - In some implementations, one or more of the curved magnets may be configured to interface with both an outside of the
side wall capacitor bottom wall capacitor side wall bottom wall case capacitor capacitor capacitor - In some implementations, the magnet may include two outside surfaces (e.g., without a bottom outside surface) that allows the
capacitor capacitor capacitor - As described above, in some implementations, one or more of the curved magnets may be a rare-earth magnet that include neodymium, while the disk shaped magnets may be made from one or more ceramic compounds (e.g., ferrite), although it should be understood that other materials can additional or alternatively be used for any of the magnets described herein. In some implementations, the neodymium curved magnets may have a relatively higher (e.g., a substantially higher) degree of magnetic attraction as compared to that of the disk shaped ceramic magnets. Such a configuration may, for example, provide additional magnetic mounting strength for implementations in which the
capacitor bottom wall case capacitor capacitor bottom wall capacitor capacitor -
FIGS. 33A-C show an example of acapacitor 3300 and amagnet 3302 mounted to an outside surface of thecapacitor 3300. In particular,FIG. 33A shows acurved magnet 3302 that is mounted to an outside surface of aside wall 3362 of acase 3312 of thecapacitor 3300 by a fastener. In the illustrated example, the fastener is a cable tie 3306 (e.g., a zip tie). When themagnet 3302 is in a mounted position (e.g., as shown inFIG. 33A ), a portion of thecable tie 3306 resides in anelongated recess 3304 of themagnet 3302. Therecess 3304 is configured to accept the portion of thecable tie 3306 and prevent themagnet 3302 from sliding upward or downward and out from underneath thecable tie 3306. A remainder of thecable tie 3306 wraps around an outer circumference of thecase 3312 and applies an inward radial force to themagnet 3302, thereby holding themagnet 3302 in place on the outside surface of theside wall 3362 of thecase 3312. In some implementations, themagnet 3302 may additionally be affixed to thecase 3312 with the assistance of magnetic attraction. For example, thecase 3312 may be made from a material that is magnetically attractive, and additional mounting strength can be provided by the strength of magnetic attraction between themagnet 3302 and thecase 3312. - Referring to
FIGS. 33B and 33C , themagnet 3302 includes theelongated recess 3304 that provides a track in which a portion of thecable tie 3306 may reside. In the illustrated example, therecess 3304 includes a plurality of grooves that interface with thecable tie 3306 when thecable tie 3306 is positioned therein. - The
magnet 3302 also includes an innercurved surface 3308 that is configured to interface with theside wall 3362 of thecase 3312, and an opposite outer flat surface 3310 (e.g., opposite to the curved surface 3308) that has a substantially flat shape. Theflat surface 3310 can allow thecase 3312 to interface with a surface (e.g., a substantially flat surface) of a separate object, such as an air conditioning system. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 3302 may be positioned on the exterior of theside wall 3362 of the case 3312 (e.g., as illustrated inFIG. 33A ). Theflat surface 3310 of themagnet 3302 can interface with a magnetically-attractive surface, such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system. The strength of magnetic attraction between theflat surface 3310 and the magnetically-attractive surface may allow thecapacitor 3300 to create a sufficient magnetic bond with the air conditioning unit or system such that thecapacitor 3300 cannot become inadvertently dislodged or misaligned from its intended mounting position. - While the
magnet 3302 is illustrated as being mounted directly to thecase 3312 inFIG. 33A , in some implementations, one or more structures may be included to assist with and/or facilitate the mounting. For example, in some implementations, one or more mount-assist structures may be interfaced between the exterior of theside wall 3362 of thecase 3312 and themagnet 3302. The structure(s) may interface with the exterior of theside wall 3362 of thecase 3312 via one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. that are provided on thecase 3312 and/or the structure. For example, one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be incorporated into an inner surface of the structure and configured to interface with thecase 3312. In some implementations, corresponding (e.g., complementing, inverse, mirror, etc.) recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. on thecase 3312 are also or alternatively provided to assist with the interfacing. For example, thecase 3312 may include a recess that is configured to accept the inner surface of the mount-assist structure. The structure may include a curved surface that interfaces with the case 3312 (e.g., similar to thecurved surface 3308 of the magnet 3302). Such recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may assist in maintaining the structure in place (e.g., by guiding the structure into a particular position on the exterior of theside wall 3362 of the case 3312). - Similarly, the
magnet 3302 may interface with an outer surface of the mount-assist structure (e.g., a surface that is opposite to the inner surface that interfaces with the case 3312) via one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. that are provided on the structure and/or themagnet 3302. For example, one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be incorporated into the outer surface of the structure and configured to interface with themagnet 3302. In some implementations, corresponding (e.g., complementing, inverse, mirror, etc.) recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. on themagnet 3302 are also or alternatively provided to assist with the interfacing. For example, the mount-assist structure may include a recess that is configured to accept themagnet 3302. In some implementations, a magnet other than themagnet 3302 illustrated inFIGS. 33A-C may be used. For example, a rectangular magnet with flat sides may be used. In this way, the structure may include a rectangular recess with a flat surface that is sized and shaped to match the rectangular magnet, and the rectangular magnet may be configured to fit into the recess. Such recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may assist in maintaining the magnet in place (e.g., by guiding the magnet into a particular position on the mount-assist structure, and thus into a particular position with respect to the exterior of theside wall 3362 of the case 3312). In some implementations, one or more materials (e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.) can be used to assist in affixing the structure(s) to thecase 3312 and/or the magnet to the structure(s). - In some implementations, rather than one or more mount-assist structures being used to facilitate the mounting of the magnet 3302 (or a different magnet) to the
case 3312, one or more of the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above may be applied to thecase 3312 and/or themagnet 3302 directly to assist with the mounting. For example, one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be incorporated into the exterior of theside wall 3362 of thecase 3312 and configured to interface with themagnet 3302. In some implementations, corresponding (e.g., complementing, inverse, mirror, etc.) recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. on themagnet 3302 are also or alternatively provided to assist with the interfacing. For example, the exterior of theside wall 3362 of thecase 3312 may include a recess that is configured to accept themagnet 3302. In some implementations, the recess may be sized and shaped to accept thecurved surface 3308 of themagnet 3302 such that themagnet 3302 resides at least partially within the recess. Such recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may assist in maintaining themagnet 3302 in place (e.g., by guiding themagnet 3302 into a particular position on the exterior of theside wall 3362 of the case 3312). In some implementations, one or more materials (e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.) can be used to assist in affixing themagnet 3302 to thecase 3312. - Similarly, in some implementations, one or more of the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above may be applied to another surface of the magnet 3302 (e.g., the
flat surface 3310 of the magnet 3302) to assist with interfacing themagnet 3302 with the surface of the separate object (e.g., the air conditioning system). For example, one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be incorporated into theflat surface 3310 of themagnet 3302 and configured to interface with the surface of the air conditioning system. As described above, the strength of magnetic attraction between themagnet 3302 and a magnetically-attractive surface of the air conditioning system may improve the bond between the two. However, in some implementations, the inclusion of one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may improve the integrity of the interface between themagnet 3302 and the surface and therefore minimize the need to rely on any magnetic attraction to assist with the interface. In this way, in some implementations, the magnet 3302 (and the capacitor 3300) may be mounted to surfaces that have little or no magnetic attraction to themagnet 3302. In some implementations, corresponding (e.g., complementing, inverse, mirror, etc.) recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. on the mounting surface (e.g., of the air conditioning system) can also or alternatively be provided to assist with the interfacing. For example, the mounting surface may include a recess that is configured to accept themagnet 3302. In some implementations, the recess may be sized and shaped to accept theflat surface 3310 of themagnet 3302 such that themagnet 3302 resides at least partially within the recess. Such recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may assist in maintaining themagnet 3302 in place (e.g., by guiding themagnet 3302 into a particular position on the mounting surface of the air conditioning system). In some implementations, one or more materials (e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.) can be used to assist in affixing themagnet 3302 to the mounting surface, although it should be understood that such materials are not necessary. Further, it should be understood that the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above can be implemented in addition to thecable tie 3306 or, in some cases, without thecable tie 3306 to assist in the mounting. - In some implementations, the
magnet 3302 may be mounted toward a middle portion of the capacitor 3300 (e.g., toward the middle in an axial direction) as shown inFIG. 33A . However, in some implementations, themagnet 3302 may be mounted elsewhere. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 3302 may be mounted toward a top portion or a bottom portion of thecapacitor 3300. -
FIGS. 34A-C show another example of acapacitor 3400 and amagnet 3402 that is mounted toward a bottom portion of thecapacitor 3400. In some implementations, one or more of the capacitors described herein may include one or more relays (e.g., potential relays, control relays, electronic relays, etc.). One or more relays may be incorporated into one or more of the capacitors described herein, for example, to allow the capacitor to operate as a hard start capacitor. Such capacitors are sometimes referred to as “start” capacitors, “hard start” capacitors, “easy start” capacitors, “motor start” capacitors, etc. A relay may be accommodated above a capacitor container of the capacitors described herein, for example, within a projected cylindrical envelope. In some implementations, capacitor may be configured to accept a cylindrical cap that can surround and cover the relay. - In some implementations, operations of the relay may be affected by magnetic fields in the vicinity of the relay. In particular, the magnets described herein may alter the magnetic field around the relay and cause the relay to operate in a manner that is undesirable. In some implementations, the positioning of the
magnet 3402 toward the bottom portion of the capacitor 3400 (e.g., as shown inFIG. 34A ) and away from the relay mounted toward the top portion of thecapacitor 3400 may minimize the impact of the magnetic field created by themagnet 3402 on the operation of the relay, thereby allowing the relay to operate as intended. - The
magnet 3402 illustrated inFIGS. 34A-C may be similar to themagnet 3302 illustrated inFIGS. 33A-C . For example, themagnet 3402 is acurved magnet 3402 that is mounted to an outside surface of aside wall 3462 of acase 3412 of thecapacitor 3400 by acable tie 3406. When themagnet 3402 is in a mounted position (e.g., as shown inFIG. 34A ), a portion of thecable tie 3406 resides in anelongated recess 3404 of themagnet 3402. Therecess 3404 is configured to accept the portion of thecable tie 3406 and assist in preventing themagnet 3402 from sliding upward or downward and out from underneath thecable tie 3406. A remainder of thecable tie 3406 wraps around an outer circumference of thecase 3412 and applies an inward radial force to themagnet 3402, thereby holding themagnet 3402 in place on the outside surface of theside wall 3462 of thecase 3412. In some implementations, themagnet 3402 may additionally be affixed to thecase 3412 with the assistance of magnetic attraction. For example, thecase 3412 may be made from a material that is magnetically attractive, and additional mounting strength can be provided by the strength of magnetic attraction between themagnet 3402 and thecase 3412. - Referring to
FIGS. 34B and 34C , themagnet 3402 includes theelongated recess 3404 that provides a track in which a portion of thecable tie 3406 may reside. In the illustrated example, therecess 3404 includes a plurality of grooves that interface with thecable tie 3406 when thecable tie 3406 is positioned therein. - The
magnet 3402 also includes an innercurved surface 3408 that is configured to interface with theside wall 3462 of thecase 3412, and an opposite outer flat surface 3410 (e.g., opposite to the curved surface 3408) that has a substantially flat shape. Theflat surface 3410 can allow thecase 3412 to interface with a surface (e.g., a substantially flat surface) of a separate object, such as an air conditioning system. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 3402 may be positioned on the exterior of theside wall 3462 of the case 3412 (e.g., as illustrated inFIG. 34A ). Theflat surface 3410 of themagnet 3402 can interface with a magnetically-attractive surface, such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system. The strength of magnetic attraction between theflat surface 3410 and the magnetically-attractive surface may allow thecapacitor 3400 to create a sufficient magnetic bond with the air conditioning unit or system such that thecapacitor 3400 cannot become inadvertently dislodged or misaligned from its intended mounting position. - In the illustrated example, the
magnet 3402 also includes aprojection 3414 toward a bottom portion of themagnet 3402 that is configured to assist in holding themagnet 3402 in place at an intended mounted location on thecase 3412 of thecapacitor 3400. In some implementations, theprojection 3414 may be provided as a separate portion of themagnet 3402 such that the magnet includes at least two separate pieces that are attached (e.g., by one or more of an adhesive, a mounting structure, magnetic attraction, etc.). In other words, themagnet 3402 may not be formed of a single monolithic piece. Theprojection 3414 may be formed as a lip (e.g., a tab or shelf) that extends horizontally, thereby creating a bottom surface of themagnet 3402 that has an area that is larger than a horizontal cross section of the rest of themagnet 3402. Referring toFIG. 34A in particular, themagnet 3402 may be mounted toward the bottom portion of thecase 3412 such that theprojection 3414 resides beneath a bottom surface of thecase 3412 of thecapacitor 3400. Theprojection 3414 can prevent themagnet 3402 from sliding upward and out from underneath thecable tie 3406. - Like the
capacitor 3300 andmagnet 3302 described with respect toFIGS. 33A-C , thecapacitor 3400 andmagnet 3402 illustrated inFIGS. 34A-C may also employ one or more structures to assist with and/or facilitate the mounting. For example, one or more mount-assist structures may be interfaced between the exterior of theside wall 3462 and/or a bottom wall of thecase 3412 and themagnet 3402. Further, one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be provided on thecase 3412, themagnet 3402, and/or the mount-assist structure to assist with interfacing between the various components, in a manner similar to that described above. Similarly, one or more of the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above may be applied to another surface of the magnet 3402 (e.g., theflat surface 3410 of the magnet 3402) to assist with interfacing themagnet 3402 with a surface of a separate object (e.g., the air conditioning system). In some implementations, one or more materials (e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.) may be used to assist in affixing themagnet 3402 to thecase 3412 and/or themagnet 3402 to a mounting surface. For example, an epoxy may be placed between themagnet 3402 and an exterior of a bottom surface of thecase 3412 and/or the exterior of theside wall 3462 of thecase 3412. -
FIG. 35 shows another example of amagnet 3502 that (e.g., like themagnet 3402 ofFIGS. 34A-C ) is configured for mounting toward a bottom portion of a capacitor. As described above, in some implementations, one or more of the capacitors described herein may include one or more relays (e.g., potential relays, control relays, electronic relays, etc.). A relay may be included toward a top portion of the capacitor. In some implementations, operations of the relay may be affected by magnetic fields in the vicinity of the relay. In particular, the magnets described herein may alter the magnetic field around the relay and cause the relay to operate in a manner that is undesirable. In some implementations, the positioning of themagnet 3502 toward the bottom portion of the capacitor away from the relay situated toward the top portion of the capacitor may minimize the impact of the magnetic field created by themagnet 3502 on the operation of the relay, thereby allowing the relay to operate as intended. - The
magnet 3502 illustrated inFIG. 35 may be similar to themagnet 3402 illustrated inFIGS. 34A-C . For example, themagnet 3502 includes a curved portion and is configured to be mounted to an outside surface of a side wall of a case of a capacitor (e.g., thecapacitor 3400 ofFIGS. 34A-C or a similar capacitor) by a cable tie or other structure. When themagnet 3502 is in a mounted position, a portion of the cable tie may reside in anelongated recess 3504 of themagnet 3502. Therecess 3504 is configured to accept the portion of the cable tie and assist in preventing themagnet 3502 from sliding upward or downward and out from underneath the cable tie. A remainder of the cable tie can wrap around an outer circumference of the capacitor and apply an inward radial force to themagnet 3502, thereby holding themagnet 3502 in place on the outside surface of the side wall of the case of the capacitor. In some implementations, themagnet 3502 may additionally be affixed to the capacitor with the assistance of magnetic attraction. For example, the case of the capacitor may be made from a material that is magnetically attractive, and additional mounting strength can be provided by the strength of magnetic attraction between themagnet 3502 and the case of the capacitor. In the illustrated example, therecess 3504 includes a plurality of grooves that interface with the cable tie when the cable tie is positioned therein. - The
magnet 3502 also includes an innercurved surface 3508 that is configured to interface with the side wall of the case of the capacitor, and an opposite outer flat surface 3510 (e.g., opposite to the curved surface 3508) that has a substantially flat shape. Theflat surface 3510 can allow the case to interface with a surface (e.g., a substantially flat surface) of a separate object, such as an air conditioning system. For example, in some implementations, themagnet 3502 may be positioned on the exterior of the side wall of the case of the capacitor (e.g., similarly to the illustration ofFIG. 34A , except with themagnet 3502 ofFIG. 35 ). Theflat surface 3510 of themagnet 3502 can interface with a magnetically-attractive surface, such as a metal wall of an air conditioning unit or system. The strength of magnetic attraction between theflat surface 3510 and the magnetically-attractive surface may allow the capacitor to create a sufficient magnetic bond with the air conditioning unit or system such that the capacitor cannot become inadvertently dislodged or misaligned from its intended mounting position. - In the illustrated example, the
magnet 3502 also includes aprojection 3514 toward a bottom portion of themagnet 3502 that is configured to assist in holding themagnet 3502 in place at an intended mounted location on the case of the capacitor. In the illustrated example, themagnet 3502 is a monolithic piece that includes theprojection 3514. For example, themagnet 3502 is formed of a single monolithic piece that includes acutout 3516 that increases a surface area of a top surface of the projection 3514 (e.g., a top surface that faces in a direction of thecurved surface 3508 of the magnet 3502). Theprojection 3514 may be formed as a lip (e.g., a tab or shelf) that extends horizontally, thereby creating a bottom surface of themagnet 3502 that has an area that is larger than a horizontal cross section of the rest of themagnet 3502. Themagnet 3502 may be mounted toward the bottom portion of the capacitor such that theprojection 3514 resides beneath a bottom surface of the case of the capacitor. Theprojection 3514 can prevent themagnet 3502 from sliding upward and out from underneath the cable tie used to mount themagnet 3502 to the capacitor. - Like the
capacitors magnets FIGS. 33A-C and 34A-C, themagnet 3502 illustrated inFIG. 35 may also employ one or more structures to assist with and/or facilitate the mounting. For example, one or more mount-assist structures may be interfaced between an exterior of the side wall and/or a bottom wall of the case of the capacitor and themagnet 3502. Further, one or more recesses, grooves, cutouts, slots, patterns, etc. may be provided on the case, themagnet 3502, and/or the mount-assist structure to assist with interfacing between the various components, in a manner similar to that described above. Similarly, one or more of the recess, groove, cutout, slot, pattern, etc. techniques described above may be applied to another surface of the magnet 3502 (e.g., theflat surface 3510 of the magnet 3502) to assist with interfacing themagnet 3502 with a surface of a separate object (e.g., the air conditioning system). In some implementations, one or more materials (e.g., adhesive, epoxy, etc.) may be used to assist in affixing themagnet 3502 to the case of the capacitor and/or themagnet 3502 to a mounting surface. For example, an epoxy may be placed between themagnet 3502 and an exterior of a bottom surface of the case of the capacitor and/or the exterior of the side wall of the case of the capacitor. - In some implementations, the
projection 3514 may have a form different from what is illustrated inFIG. 35 and described above. For example, in some implementations, the magnet may include a disk-shaped projection such that the projection resides beneath a bottom wall of the capacitor to assist in preventing the magnet from moving vertically upwards in an axial direction along the capacitor. The disk-shaped projection may have a circumference and area that is similar to, smaller than, or larger than the circumference and/or area of the capacitor to which the magnet is mounted. In some implementations, rather than the magnet being completely formed for a magnetic material, the disk-shaped portion may be formed of a magnetic material (e.g., to allow for mounting via the bottom surface of the case), and the rest of the structure may be formed of a non-magnetic material. In this way, the magnetic material can be situated away from the top of the capacitor (e.g., which may include a relay), and the remainder of the structure that may be situated relatively closer to the top of the capacitor may be formed of a material that will not influence the operation of the relay. The disk-shaped projection may be connected to the flat surface of the magnet in a manner similar to theprojection 3514 andmagnet 3502 illustrated inFIG. 35 . - In some implementations, rather than the
magnet 3502 including acurved surface 3508 that is configured to interface and/or match a curved surface of the case of the capacitor, the magnet may include two canted surfaces (e.g., having a “v-shaped” cross section) that is configured to accommodate capacitors of various sizes, cross-sectional areas, circumferences, and diameters. The two canted surfaces meet at a point. For example, while the curved surfaces of the magnets described with respect toFIGS. 33A-C , 34A-C, and 35 are configured to interface with a capacitor of a particular size and/or shape, a magnet including the canted surfaces described herein may be configured to accommodate a wider range of different capacitors. In turn, such a magnet may be especially useful when provided as an aftermarket addition to a capacitor to assist an end user in mounting the capacitor as desired. - The two canted surfaces may have a relatively wide v-shaped cross section such that, when the magnet is placed against a round surface of a capacitor, the capacitor makes contact with the case of the capacitor at at least two points; in particular, the capacitor and the magnet may make contact with each other at a first line on a first one of the canted surfaces, the capacitor and the magnet may make contact with each other at a second line on a second one of the canted surfaces, and the capacitor and the magnet may not make contact at the location where the two canted surfaces meet. In other words, in some implementations, a void may be formed between the magnet and the capacitor, and edge portions of the canted surfaces may flare away from the capacitor such that outer edges of the canted surfaces do not make contact with the capacitor.
- In some implementations, an outer (e.g., exterior) surface of each of the canted surfaces may include a recess (e.g., similar to the
recesses magnet 3502, thereby assisting in mounting themagnet 3502 to the capacitor. In some implementations, an outer point (e.g., the seam at which the two canted surfaces meet) may be flattened (e.g., shaved down) and a single horizontal recess may be provided thereon to accept the cable tie. - In some implementations, the
magnet capacitors magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet magnet - In some implementations, the capacitor and
magnet FIGS. 33A and 34A . For example, the capacitor can be provided with themagnet magnet - In some implementations, the various components illustrated in
FIGS. 33A-C , 34A-C, and/or 35 may be provided separately for subsequent assembly. In this way, one or more of the capacitor, themagnet magnet magnet cable tie capacitor FIG. 35 ). In some implementations, the capacitor can be provided without themagnet magnet magnet - In some implementations, the
magnet magnets FIGS. 31 and 32 , in any of a number of combinations. - In some implementations, any of the various magnets described herein (e.g., the
magnet 402 ofFIG. 31 , and/or themagnet 502 ofFIG. 32 , and/or themagnet FIGS. 33A-C and 34A-C, and/or themagnet 3502 ofFIG. 35 , and/or multiple ones of the magnets as described herein in any combination or configuration) may be mounted inside and/or outside of the case of the capacitor. For example, to name a few examples, and not by way of limitation, multiple disk shaped magnets may be mounted on an exterior of the case. In particular, multiple disk shaped magnets in a stacked configuration, as described above, may be positioned on an exterior (e.g., bottom) surface of a bottom wall of the capacitor. In some implementations, a first disk shaped magnet may be mounted inside of the case, and a second disk shaped magnet may be mounted outside of the case (e.g., on the exterior surface of the bottom wall of the capacitor). - In some implementations, any of the various magnets described herein may be molded from a magnetic material and/or may be a single, monolithic piece. For example, one or more of the magnets described herein may be molded from a magnetic powder.
- In some implementations, any combination of one or more disk shaped magnets, and/or one or more strip shaped magnets, and/or one or more curved magnets, etc. may be mounted in any combination of inside and/or outside of the case. In sum, while particular implementations are described herein and illustrated in the figures, it should be understood that any combination of the interior and/or exterior magnets described herein may be incorporated into the
various capacitors - In some implementations, providing magnetic mounting capability for the capacitor can provide a number of advantages. For example, in some implementations, a component to which or within which the capacitor is to be mounted (e.g., an air conditioning system) may or may not include an area (e.g., a designated area) that is typically used for mounting the capacitor. However, the user may desire to mount the capacitor elsewhere. By providing magnetic mounting capability, the number of options for mounting can be greatly increased.
- In some implementations, the capacitor is mounted at locations that include metallic and/or magnetic objects. Such objects may impact the performance of the capacitor. In some implementations, the user may desire to mount the capacitor at a particular location such that particular operating conditions are achieved. Magnetic mountability of the capacitor can allow the user to mount the capacitor at such locations. In some examples, the capacitor can be mounted at locations that allow for shorter conductive connections (e.g., wires) between the capacitor's section cover terminals and common cover terminal and the device to which the capacitor is connected. Without such flexibility in possible mounting locations, the wires may be excessively long and may be susceptible to being cut or broken along with being susceptible to noise and/or distortions.
- The capacitor and the features thereof described above are believed to admirably achieve the objects of the invention and to provide a practical and valuable advance in the art by facilitating efficient replacement of failed capacitors. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is illustrative and that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is defined in the following claims.
Claims (21)
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US17/542,079 US20230307188A9 (en) | 2017-05-12 | 2021-12-03 | Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications |
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US201762505483P | 2017-05-12 | 2017-05-12 | |
US15/973,876 US11183338B2 (en) | 2005-04-07 | 2018-05-08 | Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications |
US201962792187P | 2019-01-14 | 2019-01-14 | |
US16/742,557 US11195663B2 (en) | 2017-05-12 | 2020-01-14 | Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications |
US17/542,079 US20230307188A9 (en) | 2017-05-12 | 2021-12-03 | Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications |
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US17/542,079 Pending US20230307188A9 (en) | 2017-05-12 | 2021-12-03 | Capacitor with multiple elements for multiple replacement applications |
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US7203053B2 (en) | 2005-04-07 | 2007-04-10 | American Radionic Company, Inc. | Capacitor for multiple replacement applications |
WO2008083270A1 (en) | 2006-12-29 | 2008-07-10 | American Radionic Company, Inc. | Electrolytic capacitor |
CN208608067U (en) * | 2017-05-12 | 2019-03-15 | 美国射电电子公司 | It is a kind of that the device of multiple optional capacitances is provided |
USD906969S1 (en) * | 2018-12-13 | 2021-01-05 | American Radionic Company, Inc. | Magnet for attachment to a capacitor |
USD906247S1 (en) * | 2019-07-11 | 2020-12-29 | American Radionic Company, Inc. | Capacitor |
CA3157689A1 (en) | 2021-04-30 | 2022-10-30 | Amrad Manufacturing, Llc | Hard start kit for multiple replacement applications |
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