Circuit breaker with switching rocker

In a circuit breaker composed of a contact spring fixed at one end, carrying a movable contact at its free end, and biassed to urge the movable contact away from an associated fixed contact, a switching rocker pivotally mounted to selectively move between a breaker closing position in which it can act on the contact spring to urge the movable contact toward the fixed contact and a breaker opening position in which the rocker permits the contact spring to move the movable contact away from the fixed contact, the switching rocker being mounted to pivot about an axis which extends approximately perpendicular to the length of the contact spring, a release device arranged to be responsive to a current overload and operative to permit the contact spring to move the movable contact away from the fixed contact upon the occurrence of a current overload and independently of the position of the switching rocker, and a housing containing the contact spring, the switching rocker and the release device, the improvement wherein:

• said circuit breaker further comprises a latching lever extending approximately parallel, and adjacent, to said contact spring and mounted to be movable in said housing between a contact closing position, and at least one contact opening position, said latching lever having a contact end which faces said free end of said contact spring and which is mounted to be displaceable in approximately the direction of switch opening movement of said movable contact, and having a detent end, which is opposite said contact end, said latching lever bearing against said contact spring in a manner to apply thereto a force which is counter to the direction in which said spring is biassed;
• said release device presents a detent abutment movable between a detent position in which said abutment can engage said detent end of said latching lever, and a release position in which said abutment is removed from the path of movement of said detent end;
• said switching rocker is disposed at the side of said latching lever which is remote from said contact spring;
• and
• said switching rocker includes an active end which protrudes toward said latching lever and which lies, when said rocker is in each of its positions, at a respectively different side of a line extending approximately perpendicular to the length of said latching lever and passing through the pivot axis of said rocker, said active end being operatively associated with said latching lever for moving said latching lever into its contact closing position when said rocker is in its breaker closing position and said detent end of said latching lever is in engagement with said detent abutment.