Molded case circuit breaker latch and operating mechanism assembly
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRoger N. Castonguay, David J. Meiners
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An industrial rated molded case circuit breaker having an electronic trip circuit contained within the circuit breaker enclosure includes a reset spring in cooperation with the circuit breaker latch spring to insure manual reset of circuit breaker after an automatic trip function. The reset spring allows the circuit breaker latch assembly to be manually reset upon minimum travel of the circuit breaker operating handle due to internal circuit breaker component space restrictions. The circuit breaker latch assembly is robotically loaded to the operating mechanism which is then attached to the circuit breaker case by an automated fastening process.
Claims13
A latch arrangement for molded case circuit breakers comprising;
- a support frame having a pair of side pieces joined by a back plate, each of said side pieces having a slot formed in a top part thereof;
- a secondary latch having a primary latch latching surface formed on a bottom part, a first pair of posts extending outboard from said bottom part for insertion within corresponding receptacles formed within said side pieces and a second pair of posts extending from a top part of said secondary latch for interacting with a circuit breaker trip bar to rotate said secondary latch counterclockwise about said first pair of posts;
- a reset spring intermediate said back plate and said secondary latch, said reset spring including a top member extending from a central body member over said back plate, said central body member including a reset surface lanced therein.
- a primary latch pivotally mounted on said support frame under said secondary latch and consisting of an apertured body member defining a cradle latching surface within said aperture with a secondary latch latching surface formed on a top part of said body member;
- and
- a secondary latch return spring on a side of said back plate opposite said reset spring and having a U-shaped surface interfacing with said secondary latch to rotate said secondary latch clockwise about said first pair of posts and a lanced central surface interfacing with said top member for preventing said secondary latch from rotating about said first pair of posts.
A molded case circuit breaker comprising:
- a molded plastic case;
- a pair of separable contacts arranged within said case for interrupting circuit current through a protected electric circuit upon the occurrence of an overcurrent condition;
- an operating mechanism within said case proximate said contacts and biased for separating said contacts by means of an over-center operating spring;
- a latching assembly within said case comprising a support frame carrying a secondary latch pivotally attached to a top part of said support frame and a primary latch pivotally attached to a bottom part of said support frame, a reset spring arranged on said support frame intermediate said primary latch and one side of said support frame, a return spring arranged on an opposite side of said support frame;
- and
- an operating cradle on said operating mechanism having a cradle hook interfacing with said primary latch and preventing said operating mechanism from separating said contacts while said cradle hook is retained by said primary latch, said primary latch releasing said cradle hook upon said overcurrent condition to allow said contacts to separate and interrupt said circuit current.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.