US 5,264,673 AGranted

Circuit interrupter with center trip position and alarm

AssigneeEaton Corporation

InventorWilliam C. Powell

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A circuit interrupter manually opens and closes its contacts by use of a manually rotatable handle which acts through a collapsible linkage rotatably connected to a crank extension of the handle and rotatably connected to a rotatably movable contact support. The rotatable contact support is urged away from closed contact position by a main spring and in moving from one contact position to the other the axis of the rotatable connection between the handle crank passes over a center line defined by the center of rotation of the handle and the rotatable connection between the linkage and the movable contact support providing a toggle action to hold the movable contact in selected open or closed position. Upon overload, the mechanism causes collapse of the collapsible linkage allowing the movable contact support to move and open the contacts. A center trip stop member, normally not interfering with the handle, is supported to be moved relative to the mechanism by structure connected to the movable contact arm to a position obstructing the handle switch movement and holding it in center trip position. An auxiliary switch for indicating trip condition may be provided with the circuit interrupter. A spring biased switch operator may be operated by a rotatable actuator pivotally supported on a frame member of the circuit interrupter whereby the collapsing linkage rotates the actuation into engagement with the switch operator of the auxiliary switch, thus actuating the auxiliary switch.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A circuit interrupter comprising:

a support frame including an insulating casing;
a stationary contact mounted on the insulating casing;
a movable contact arm rotatably supported on the frame to rotate about an axis of rotation to open and close a supported movable contact against the stationary contact;
main spring means between the movable contact arm and the support frame urging the movable contact arm away from the closed contact position;
a handle movably supported on the frame for manually opening and closing said contacts;
a collapsible linkage having opposite ends rotatably connected to the handle and to the movable contact arm, respectively, by connection means having axes generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the movable contact arm, the collapsible linkage in a rigid uncollapsed condition acting as a toggle on the movable contact arm in response to movement of the handle to move the movable contact between open and closed contact positions and to hold the movable contact in the position selected by such handle movement;
latch means mounted on the linkage operable to latch the linkage in the rigid uncollapsed condition and releasable to permit collapse of the linkage which, in turn, allows the movable contact to move away from the stationary contact while the handle is still in closed contact position;
means responsive to overload conditions for releasing the latch means to collapse the collapsible linkage upon predetermined electrical overload to allow the movable contact to move from a closed to open position;
and
a center trip stop member mounted to the frame for movement relative thereto, the center trip stop member having no engagement with the collapsible linkage;
and
means on the movable contact arm abutting the center trip stop member upon movement of the movable contact arm to the open contact position in response to collapse of the linkage, the movable contact arm means driving the center trip stop member to a position obstructing handle movement and holding the handle in a center trip position indicating that the circuit interrupter has been tripped.

9 more elements

A circuit interrupter comprising:

a support frame including an insulating casing;
a stationary contact mounted on the insulating casing;
a movable contact arm rotatably supported on the frame to rotate about an axis of rotation to open and close a supported movable contact against the stationary contact;
main spring means between the movable contact arm and the support frame urging the movable contact arm away from the closed contact position;
a handle for manually opening and closing said contacts movably supported on the frame;
a collapsible linkage having opposite ends connected by rotatable connection means to the handle and to the movable contact arm, respectively, each of said rotatable connection means being generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the movable contact arm, said linkage comprising rotatably interconnected links and latch means to hold the links, when latched, in rigid condition allowing normal opening and closing of the contacts by movement of the handle between an open and closed position;
said latch means being capable of being released to permit collapse of the linkage which, in turn, allows the movable contact to move away from the stationary contact while the handle is still in closed contact position;
means responsive to overload conditions for releasing the latch means to collapse the collapsible linkage upon predetermined electrical overload to allow the contacts to move from closed to open position;
an auxiliary switch supported by the casing having a spring biased switch operator;
and
an auxiliary switch actuator separate from the handle, cooperative with the switch operator and pivotally supported by the frame in position to be engaged only by the linkage upon collapse of the linkage to be rotated by the linkage into the switch operator to close the auxiliary switch and be held in that position until the handle is moved to relatch the linkage.

8 more elements

In a circuit interrupter having at least a movable contact arm rotatably supported on a frame to enable a supported movable contact to open and close against a stationary contact, a handle movably supported on the frame, collapsible linkage interconnecting the handle and the movable contact arm and in uncollapsed condition permitting the handle to manually open and close the contacts, and means responsive to overload conditions for releasing the collapsible linkage upon a predetermined electrical overload to allow the contacts to move from closed to open position, an improvement comprising:

a center trip stop member, normally not contacting the handle mechanism, the collapsible linkage or the movable contact arm, supported by the frame to be moved by movement of the movable contact arm upon collapse of the linkage to a position obstructing handle movement such that the handle moving against the stop member will be in a center trip position visually indicating that the circuit interrupter has been tripped.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/771,645Filed 3 Oct 1991
Granted: 23 Nov 1993
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

H01H 71/528
Actuated by lever: comprising a toggle or collapsible link between handle and contact arm, e.g. sear pin mechanism
H01H 71/46
Automatic release mechanisms with or without manual release: having means for operating auxiliary contacts additional to the main contacts
H01H 2071/467
Having means for operating auxiliary contacts additional to the main contacts: with history indication, e.g. of trip and/or kind of trip, number…
H01H
Electric switches