Circuit interrupter with a magnetically-induced automatic trip assembly having improved armature pivoting

A circuit interrupter comprising:

• a housing;
• separable main contacts within said housing;
• an operating mechanism within said housing and interconnected with said separable main contacts;
• and
• a trip mechanism within said housing and having an automatic trip assembly for generating a tripping operation to cause said operating mechanism to open said contacts upon a predetermined current threshold, said automatic trip assembly including an armature and a magnetic yoke having pivot supports, said armature including a head portion having a first hook-like member and a second hook-like member, said first hook-like member and said second hook-like member facing opposite directions, said first hook-like member having a first recess, said second hook-like member having a second recess, said automatic trip assembly including a pivot pin positioned on said pivot supports and engaging said first recess and said second recess to provide a rotatable disposition of said armature, said automatic trip assembly further including a biasing member applying a force to said armature in a direction to normally rotationally displace a bottom portion of said armature away from said magnetic yoke.

A circuit interrupter comprising:

• a housing;
• separable main contacts within said housing;
• an operating mechanism within said housing and interconnected with said separable main contacts;
• and
• a trip mechanism within said housing and having an automatic trip assembly for generating a tripping operation to cause said operating mechanism to open said contacts upon a predetermined current threshold, said automatic trip assembly including an armature and a magnetic yoke having pivot supports, said armature including a head portion having a first hook-like member and a second hook-like member, said first hook-like member and said second hook-like member facing opposite directions, said first hook-like member having a first recess, said second hook-like member having a second recess, said automatic trip assembly including a pivot pin positioned on said pivot supports and disposed in said first recess and said second recess to provide a rotatable disposition of said armature, said automatic trip assembly further including a biasing member applying a force to said armature in a direction to normally rotationally displace a bottom portion of said armature away from said magnetic yoke.