Trip interlock assembly for a circuit breaker

Abstract

A modular trip unit for automatically tripping a switch of a circuit breaker when the circuit breaker is being removed from its panel mounting when the circuit breaker has not been manually overridden. The modular trip unit is an integral part of the circuit breaker and includes a trip interlock assembly integrally mounted in the modular trip unit. The trip interlock assembly comprises a spring biased slider extending through and out of the housing of the trip unit, and an actuator in engagement with the slider. The actuator engages a first cam surface of a trip bar and a catching member of a latching assembly is engaged by a lip member on a second cam surface of the trip bar. When the circuit breaker is being mounted on the panel mounting, the slider is forced inwardly thereby compressing a spring associated with the slider, and the slider causes the actuator to rotate in a first direction. When the circuit breaker is removed from the panel mounting, the slider is forced outwardly pulling the actuator with it and causing the actuator to rotate in a second direction and the lip member to disengage from the catching member of the latching assembly. The latching assembly becomes disengaged from the cradle of the operating mechanism for the circuit breaker, effecting separation of the main contacts and interruption of the flow of current through the circuit breaker.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.