Circuit interrupter relay

Circuit interrupter apparatus comprising:

• a housing;
• at least one stationary electrical contact fixedly mounted in said housing;
• conductor means for coupling each said stationary contact to one of a source of electrical current and an electrical load;
• a movable member pivotally mounted in said housing, said movable member including lip means;
• at least one first electrical contact mounted to said movable member, said first contact positioned on said movable member for mating engagement with said stationary contact;
• conductor means for coupling each said first contact to the other of said current source and load;
• a generally elongate actuating member slidably and pivotally mounted at one end in said housing, said actuating member having sear means forward at its other end, said sear means adapted for releasably engaging said lip means on said movable member to bring said first and stationary contacts into mating engagement when said sear and lip means are engaged;
• a mounting aperture provided in said housing, said aperture adapted to accommodate slidable insertion of said one end of said actuating member and to permit pivotal movement of said actuating member;
• a shoulder formed on said actuating member generally near said first end, said shoulder adapted to prevent slidable movement of said one into said aperture beyond a predetermined point;
• a reset button provided in said housing with an exteriorly exposed surface, said reset button adapted to abut said one end of said actuating member when inserted in said mounting aperture;
• first biasing means coupled between said movable member and said housing, said first biasing means adapted to resist mating of said first and stationary contacts;
• a spring coupled in tension between a point in said housing substantially near said mounting aperture and a point on said actuating member generally near said sear means, said tension spring urging the shoulder of said actuating member to about said mounting aperture and to pivot about a generally fixed axis and urging said other end of said actuating member to rotate slightly beyond the point whereat full engagement between said sear and lip means will be made, said tension spring adapted to provide sufficient biasing to cause mating of said contacts when said sear and lip means are engaged;
• an electromagnet positioned in said housing in generally close proximity to said actuating member, said electromagnet coupled to sensing means adapted to detect predetermined circuit conditions and to activate said electromagnet when the predetermined circuit conditions have been detected, said actuating member being made from a magnetically attractive material for attraction towards said electromagnet when energized to release engagement between said actuating and movable members, such that, when said sensing means detect the predetermined circuit conditions, said sensing means activate said electromagnet for disengaging said actuating and movable members to disengage the mated first and stationary contacts, and, when re-mating is desired, said actuating member is manually translated by an operator pushing said reset button, with said tension spring urging said actuating member to rotate for engagement between said sear and lip means, and, after said sear means of said actuating member has engaged said lip means of said movable member, mating of said first and stationary contacts is effected only when the reset button has been released by the operator, causing said tension spring, through the actuating member, to effect mating of said first and stationary contacts.

Circuit interrupter apparatus comprising:

• a housing;
• at least one stationary electrical contact fixedly mounted in said housing;
• conductor means for coupling each said stationary contact to one of a source of electrical current and an electrical load;
• a movable member pivotally mounted in said housing, said movable member formed with engaging means;
• at least one first electrical contact mounted to said movable member, said first contact positioned on said movable member for mating engagement with said stationary contact;
• conductor means for coupling each said first contact to the other of said current source and load;
• an actuating member slidably and pivotally mounted, generally at one end, in said housing and formed with latching means at its other end, said latching means adapted to releasably latchably engage said engaging means on said movable member to bring said first and stationary contacts into mating engagement;
• a frame mounted in said housing, said frame including:
• a base portion having a mounting aperture formed therein, said aperture adapted to accommodate slidable insertion of said one end of said actuating member, and
• a post portion formed with means to provide said pivotal mounting of said movable member generally spaced away from said base portion;
• a shoulder formed on said actuating member generally near said one end, said shoulder adapted to prevent slidable insertion of its said one end into said aperture beyond a predetermined point;
• a reset button provided in said housing with an exteriorly exposed surface, said reset button adapted to abut said one end of said actuating member when inserted in said mounting aperture;
• first biasing means coupled between said movable member and said housing, said first biasing means adapted to resist mating of said first and stationary contacts;
• a spring coupled in tension between a point on said base portion substantially near said mounting aperture and a point on said actuating member generally away from said one end, said tension spring urging the shoulder of said actuating member to abut said mounting aperture and to pivot about a generally fixed axis and urging the other end of said actuating member to tend to rotate into engagement with said engaging means on said movable member, said tension spring adapted to provide sufficient biasing to cause mating between said first and stationary contacts when said latching and engaging means are engaged;
• an electromagnet positioned in said housing in generally close proximity to said actuating member, said electromagnet coupled to sensing means adapted to detect predetermined circuit conditions and to activate said electromagnet when the predetermined circuit conditions have been detected, said actuating member being made from a magnetically attractive material for attraction towards said electromagnet when energized, to release engagement between said actuating and movable members, such that, when said sensing means detect the predetermined circuit conditions, said sensing means activate said electromagnet for disengaging said actuating and movable members to disengage the mated first and stationary contacts, and, when re-mating is desired, said actuating member is manually translated by an operator pushing said reset button, with said tension spring urging said actuating member to rotate into engagement with said movable member, and, after said actuating member has engaged said movable member, mating of said first and stationary contacts is effected only when the reset button has been released by the operator, causing said tension spring, through the actuating member, to effect mating of first and stationary contacts.