Power circuit breaker having a housing structure with accessory equipment for the power circuit breaker

Housing structure with accessory devices for power circuit breakers, the housing structure comprising:

• a main housing comprising a bottom part and a front-side top part, which housing encloses a power circuit breaker;
• at least one accessory housing, from which an actuator element projects rearwardly, and each of which encloses an accessory device and contains, in a forward area within narrow side walls, connection openings, whose terminal means are actuated from the front side;
• on at least one side next to an actuator handle for actuating the power circuit breaker in the top part, there is-a recess which is essentially enclosed by outside walls which run perpendicular to the front side, in which recess the accessory device is inserted from the front side, and sits rearward on the base of the recess, whereby base has a slot-shaped actuator opening which guides the actuator element;
• on the accessory housing, in a rear portion of the narrow side walls, there is a rigid, interlocking first guide and retaining means which extend substantially perpendicular to the front side, and, on a side opposite the first guide and retaining means, there is a rigid, interlocking second retaining means, which have a first retaining shoulder and a second retaining shoulder respectively;
• from opposite inside walls of the recess, essentially diagonally in relation to the base, extends at least one rigid third guide and retaining means which interact with the first guide and retaining means, and flexible fourth retaining means which interact with the second retaining means, respectively.

A method of assembling a circuit breaker, the circuit breaker comprising:

• a housing structure;
• at least one electrical contact area disposed within said housing structure, said at least one electrical contact area having a stationary contact member;
• at least one breaker mechanism for connecting and disconnecting with said at least one electrical contact area, said at least one breaker mechanism being movably disposed within said housing structure;
• means for manually connecting and disconnecting said at least one breaker mechanism with said at least one electrical contact area;
• said means for manually connecting and disconnecting being pivotably displaceable between a first position and a second position;
• said at least one breaker mechanism comprising:
• contact carrier means pivotably disposed within said housing structure, said contact carrier means having a movable contact member for contacting said stationary contact member of said at least one electrical contact area to complete an electrical circuit;
• means for operatively connecting said means for manually connecting and disconnecting with said contact carrier means, said means for operatively connecting being configured for pivotally displacing said contact carrier means with respect to said at least one electrical contact area;
• said housing structure comprising:
• a main housing comprising a bottom part and a front-side top part, which main housing substantially encloses said circuit breaker;
• at least one accessory housing, from which an actuator element projects rearwardly, and each of which encloses an accessory device and contains connection openings, in a forward area within narrow side walls of the at least one accessory housing, whose terminal means are actuated from the front side;
• on at least one side adjacent said means for manually connecting and disconnecting, there is a recess which is essentially enclosed by outside walls which extend perpendicular to the front side, in which recess the accessory device is inserted from the front side, and sits rearward on a base of the recess, whereby the base has a slot-shaped actuator opening which guides the actuator element;
• on the accessory housing, in a rear portion of the narrow side walls, there is a rigid, interlocking first guide and retaining means which extend substantially perpendicular to the front side, and on a side opposite the first guide and retaining means, there is a rigid, interlocking second retaining means, which have a first retaining shoulder and a second retaining shoulder respectively;
• and from opposite inside walls of the recess, essentially diagonally in relation to the base, extends at least one rigid third guide and retaining means which interact with the first guide and retaining means, and flexible fourth retaining means which interact with the second retaining means, respectively, said method comprising the steps of:
• providing a housing structure;
• providing at least one electrical contact area, said at least one electrical contact area having a stationary contact member;
• providing at least one breaker mechanism for connecting and disconnecting with said at least one electrical contact area;
• providing means for manually connecting and disconnecting said at least one breaker mechanism with said at least one electrical contact area, said means for manually connecting and disconnecting being pivotably displaceable between a first position and a second position;
• said step of providing said at least one breaker mechanism further comprising:
• providing contact carrier means, said contact carrier means having a movable contact member for contacting said stationary contact member of said at least one electrical contact area to complete an electrical circuit;
• providing means for operatively connecting said means for manually connecting and disconnecting with said contact carrier means, said means for operatively connecting being configured for pivotally displacing said contact carrier means with respect to said at least one electrical contact area;
• said step of providing said housing structure further comprising:
• providing a main housing comprising a bottom part and a front-side top part;
• providing at least one accessory housing, from which an actuator element projects toward the rear, and each of which encloses an accessory device and contains, in the forward area of its narrow side walls connection openings, whose terminal means is actuated from the front side;
• providing the top part with a recess on at least one side adjacent said means for manually connecting and disconnecting, the recess being essentially enclosed by outside walls which extend perpendicular to the front side;
• providing the recess with a base, whereby the base has a slot-shaped actuator opening which guides the actuator element;
• providing a first guide and retaining means having a first retaining shoulder, the first guide and retaining means extending substantially perpendicular to the front side;
• providing a rigid, interlocking second retaining means having a second retaining shoulder;
• providing at least one rigid third guide and retaining means;
• providing flexible fourth retaining means;
• said method further comprising the steps of:
• disposing said electrical contact area within said housing structure;
• movably disposing said at least one breaker mechanism within said housing structure;
• pivotably disposing said contact carrier means within said housing structure;
• disposing the first guide and retaining means on the accessory housing in the rear portion of its narrow side walls;
• disposing the third guide and retaining means essentially diagonally in relation to the base, toward the middle of the recess;
• and
• inserting the accessory device in the recess from the front side, such that the accessory device sits rearward on the base of the recess, and such that the first guide and retaining means interacts with the third guide and retaining means, and the second retaining means interacts with the fourth retaining means.