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US 2003/0112104 A1Published application
Pressure sensitive trip mechanism for a rotary breaker
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsGary Douville, Palani K Doma
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsGary Douville, Palani K Doma
Estimating the term…
Abstract of the Disclosure A pressure sensitive trip mechanism for actuating a circuit breaker operating mechanism to trip a circuit breaker includes a trip lever and a trip bar. The trip lever is rotatable about a first pivot. The trip bar is positioned proximate the trip lever. The trip bar is arranged to rotate about a second pivot in response to a predetermined level of pressurized gas created by separation of the pair of electrical contacts, thereby urging the trip lever to unlatch the circuit breaker operating mechanism. The pressure sensitive trip mechanism provides for very fast tripping of the circuit breaker in the event of a short circuit condition or an overcurrent fault condition within any one on the circuit breaker poles. In a multi-pole circuit breaker, the present invention provides for protection against single-phasing.
A circuit breaker assembly comprising:
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 1, wherein the first lever is rotatably disposed on a first housing, the first set of electrical contacts being disposed in the first housing.
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 2, wherein the first housing includes a hole disposed therein, a portion of the first lever is disposed proximate the hole, and at least a portion of the pressurized gas created by separation of the first set of electrical contacts exits the first housing through the hole.
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 1, wherein an electrical contact in the first set of electrical contacts is mounted on an arm, and the arm contacts and rotates the first lever when the first set of electrical contacts are separated.
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 5, wherein the first lever is coupled to the second lever.
A circuit breaker assembly comprising:
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 7, wherein the means for separating the second set of electrical contacts includes a first lever, the pressurized gas created by separation of the first set of electrical contacts acts on and rotates the first lever.
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 8, wherein the first lever is rotatably disposed on a first housing, the first set of electrical contacts being disposed in the first housing.
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 9, wherein the first housing includes a hole disposed therein, a portion of the first lever is disposed proximate the hole, and at least a portion of the pressurized gas created by separation of the first set of electrical contacts exits the first housing through the hole.
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 7, further comprising:
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 11, wherein the means for separating the first set of electrical contacts includes a second lever, the pressurized gas created by separation of the second set of electrical contacts acts on and rotates the second lever.
The circuit breaker of claim 12, wherein the second lever is rotatably disposed on a second housing, the second set of electrical contacts being disposed in the second housing.
The circuit breaker assembly of claim 13, wherein the second housing includes a hole disposed therein, a portion of the second lever is disposed proximate the hole, and at least a portion of the pressurized gas created by separation of the second set of electrical contacts exits the second housing through the hole.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.