Add-On Trip Module For Multi-Pole Circuit Breaker

A multiple-pole circuit breaker comprising

• a host circuit breaker having a basic mechanical structure that includes, for each pole
• a power input terminal and a power output terminal,
• a pair of contacts each of which is connected to a different one of said terminals and at least one of which is movable,
• a trip mechanism coupled to said movable contact for opening said contacts by disengaging said movable contact from the other contact in said pair, and
• a reset mechanism coupled to said trip mechanism for resetting said trip mechanism and said movable contact, and
• an add-on module adapted to be attached to said basic mechanical structure and including
• multiple extended terminal plates each of which is adapted to replace one of said terminals for one of said poles,
• multiple electromechanical transducers each of which is coupled to one of said extended terminal plates for producing a mechanical movement in response to a predetermined magnitude of electrical current in the extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled,
• a mechanical actuator coupled to said electromechanical transducers and to said movable contacts for operating said trip mechanism in response to a predetermined movement of any of said transducers, and
• a mechanical reset arm coupling said reset mechanism to said mechanical actuator for resetting said actuator in response to the resetting of said host circuit breaker.