# US 2010/0164657 A1 · Add-On Trip Module For Multi-Pole Circuit Breaker > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2010/0164657 A1 - Document ID: US20100164657A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 12/345,313 - Filed: 2008-12-29 - Published: 2010-07-01 - Earliest claimed: 2008-12-29 - Assignees: Square D Company - Inventors: Chad R. Mittelstadt; Cameron Woodson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100164657A1 ## CPC - H01H 71/7409: {Interchangeable elements} - H01H 71/24: Electromagnetic mechanisms - H01H 71/08: Terminals; Connections - H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00) ## Abstract An add-on module adapted to be attached to the basic mechanical structure of a multi-pole circuit breaker includes multiple extended terminal plates each of which is adapted to replace one of the input and output terminals for one of the poles, multiple electromechanical transducers each of which is coupled to one of the 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 the electromechanical transducers and to the breaker contacts for operating a trip mechanism in response to a predetermined mechanical movement of any of the transducers, and a mechanical reset arm coupling the reset mechanism to the mechanical actuator for resetting the actuator in response to the resetting of the host circuit breaker. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 1 in which said mechanical actuator includes a trip link coupled to said trip mechanism for actuating said trip mechanism to open said contacts, a latch having a latched condition holding said trip link in an untripped position, and an unlatched condition releasing said trip link for movement to a tripped position, and a latch release mechanism for moving said latch to said unlatched condition in response to said predetermined movement of any of said transducers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 2 which includes an energy storage device coupled to said latch and said trip link for moving said trip link to said tripped position in response to the movement of said latch to said unlatched position. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 3 in which said mechanical reset arm is coupled to said energy storage device for re-charging said energy storage device in response to the resetting of said trip mechanism of said host circuit breaker. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 1 in which each of said electromechanical transducers includes an element that moves in response to a predetermined magnitude of electrical current in the extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled, and a dashpot coupled to said movable element for controlling the rate of movement of said element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 5 in which said movable element is a ferromagnetic element that is electromagnetically coupled to said extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 1 in which each of said electromechanical transducers includes a ferromagnetic element adjacent one of said terminals for generating a magnetic flux having a strength related to the magnitude of electrical current passing through said adjacent terminal. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 1 in which each of said electromechanical transducers comprises a stationary U-shaped ferromagnetic element positioned directly adjacent one of said extended terminal plates, and a movable ferromagnetic element mounted adjacent the open end of said U-shaped element and mounted for movement in response to said magnetic flux generated by a predetermined magnitude of electrical current in the extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 1 which includes a biasing spring resisting said mechanical movement until said electrical current in said extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled is increased to a predetermined level, and an adjustment device coupled to said biasing spring for adjusting the resisting force of said biasing spring and thereby adjusting said predetermined magnitude of electrical current at which said mechanical movement is produced. ### Claim 10 An add-on module for activating a trip mechanism of a circuit breaker for a multi-phase electrical power distribution system, said circuit breaker having multiple terminal plates each of which is adapted to be electrically connected to one of the multiple phase lines, a pair of fixed and movable contacts for each of the multiple phases and a trip mechanism for moving said movable contacts to open and close the phase lines, said module comprising: 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. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 10 in which said mechanical actuator includes a trip link coupled to said trip mechanism for actuating said trip mechanism to open said contacts, a latch having a latched condition holding said trip link in an untripped position, and an unlatched condition releasing said trip link for movement to a tripped position, and a latch release mechanism for moving said latch to said unlatched condition in response to said predetermined movement of any of said transducers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 11 which includes an energy storage device coupled to said latch and said trip link for moving said trip link to said tripped position in response to the movement of said latch to said unlatched position. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 12 in which said mechanical reset arm is coupled to said energy storage device for re-charging said energy storage device in response to the resetting of said trip mechanism of said host circuit breaker. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 10 in which each of said electromechanical transducers includes an element that moves in response to a predetermined magnitude of electrical current in the extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled, and a dashpot coupled to said movable element for controlling the rate of movement of said element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 14 in which said movable element is a ferromagnetic element that is electromagnetically coupled to said extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 10 in which each of said electromechanical transducers includes a ferromagnetic element adjacent one of said terminals for generating a magnetic flux having a strength related to the magnitude of electrical current passing through said adjacent terminal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 10 in which each of said electromechanical transducers comprises a stationary U-shaped ferromagnetic element positioned directly adjacent one of said extended terminal plates, and a movable ferromagnetic element mounted adjacent the open end of said U-shaped element and mounted for movement in response to said magnetic flux generated by a predetermined magnitude of electrical current in the extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 10 which includes a biasing spring resisting said mechanical movement until said electrical current in said extended terminal plate to which that transducer is coupled is increased to a predetermined level, and an adjustment device coupled to said biasing spring for adjusting the resisting force of said biasing spring and thereby adjusting said predetermined magnitude of electrical current at which said mechanical movement is produced. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The multiple-pole circuit breaker of claim 1 which includes an adjustment screw for adjusting the position of each of said movable ferromagnetic elements so as to change the size of an air gap between said movable ferromagnetic element and the corresponding stationary ferromagnetic element.