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US 4,697,163 AGranted
Circuit breaker with impact trip delay
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsKurt A. Grunert, James R. Farley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A circuit breaker having a trip delay mechanism characterized by a variable magnetic air gap that is adjustable to permit time delay at low level overcurrents to avoid nuisance tripping during motor starting.
Claims6
A circuit breaker comprising:
- a pair of separable contacts including a movable contact;
- a movable contact arm carrying the movable contact and movable between open and closed positions of the contacts;
- an operable mechanism for actuating the contact arm and comprising a pivotally supported releasable member;
- latching means for latching the releasable member and including a latch lever movable between latched and unlatched positions of the releasable member;
- trip means including a trip bar for releasably holding the latch lever in the latched position;
- trip delay means for avoiding premature unlatching of the trip bar and including a body movable against the trip bar and biased away therefrom;
- an electromagnetic device responsive to a predetermined overcurrent condition and including a solenoid coil and a plunger for moving the body against the trip bar to an unlatched position thereof;
- the plunger being slidably mounted on the body for movement of the body against the trip bar to thereby move the trip bar to the unlatched position of the latch lever;
- and
- a delay spring between the plunger and the body for controlling movement of the plunger against the body by a force of the magnetic flux incurred by the solenoid coil as overcurrent conditions approach the predetermined overload conditions.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.