A switching apparatus for medium voltage electric systems, said apparatus comprising one or more electric poles, each electrically coupleable with a corresponding electric line, said switching apparatus comprising:
- for each electric pole, a fixed contact and a corresponding movable contact, said movable contact being reversibly movable, along a corresponding translational displacement axis, between a decoupled position from said fixed contact and a coupled position with said fixed contact, said movable contact moving from said decoupled position to said coupled position during a closing manoeuvre of said switching apparatus, said movable contact moving from said coupled position to said decoupled position during an opening manoeuvre of said switching apparatus;
- an actuation assembly having, for each electric pole, an actuation shaft rotating about a rotation axis during the closing manoeuvre or the opening manoeuvre of said switching apparatus;
- for each electric pole, a motion transmission assembly including:
- an eccentric mechanism operatively coupled with said actuation shaft, said eccentric mechanism being actuated by rotational mechanical forces provided by said actuation shaft to actuate said movable contact during the closing manoeuvre or the opening manoeuvre of said switching apparatus;
- a transmission mechanism operatively coupled with said eccentric mechanism and with said movable contact, said motion transmission assembly being actuated by translational mechanical forces provided by said eccentric mechanism to actuate said movable contact during the closing manoeuvre or the opening manoeuvre of said switching apparatus;
- wherein said eccentric mechanism is movable between a first end-of-run position, at which said movable contact is decoupled from said fixed contact, and a second end-of-run position, at which said movable contact is coupled to said fixed contact, during the opening manoeuvre or the closing manoeuvre of said switching apparatus,
- wherein said eccentric mechanism reaches said first end-of-run position at an end of the opening manoeuvre of said switching apparatus and stably maintains said first end-of-run position until the closing manoeuvre of said switching apparatus is carried out,
- wherein said eccentric mechanism reaches said second end-of-run position at another end of the closing manoeuvre of said switching apparatus and stably maintains said second end-of-run position until the opening manoeuvre of said switching apparatus is carried out, and
- wherein said eccentric mechanism comprises an end-of-run element in a fixed position, said end-of-run element preventing the eccentric mechanism from rotating in one direction in said first end-of-run position or said second end-of-run position, said eccentric mechanism thereby rotating in opposite directions during the opening manoeuvre and the closing manoeuvre.