Ratcheting mechanism for circuit breaker motor operator

A ratcheting mechanism for a motor operator acting to charge a spring mechanism, said ratcheting mechanism comprising, in combination:

• A. a ratchet wheel fixedly mounted on a shaft coupled to the spring mechanism and having a peripheral array of ratchet teeth;
• B. a driving pawl coupled to be oscillated by an electromotive device, said driving pawl engaging said ratchet teeth to incrementally advance said ratchet wheel during a spring mechanism charging cycle to a predetermined angular position whereupon the spring mechanism is fully charged, during a discharging cycle of the spring mechanism said ratchet wheel is overdriven in the advancing direction;
• C. a holding pawl engaging said ratchet teeth in alternating fashion with said driving pawl to sustain each incremental advance of said ratchet wheel during a charging cycle, said holding pawl being resiliently biased into engagement with the periphery of said ratchet wheel;
• D. a latch mounted for movement between latching and non-latching positions;
• and
• E. control means carried by said holding pawl for engaging said latch during a charging cycle to maintain said latch in its non-latching position and disengaging said latch to enable its movement to said latching position incident to movement of said holding pawl to an inoperative position in disengaged relation with said ratchet wheel periphery in response to the overdriving of said ratchet wheel by the spring mechanism during a discharge cycle, said latch in its latching position interfering with said control means to prevent the return of said holding pawl to an operative position in engaged relation with said ratchet wheel periphery for the duration of the discharging cycle.