Protection device with a contact breaker mechanism

An electrical wiring protection device comprising:

• a housing assembly including at least one receptacle, the at least one receptacle being configured to receive plug contact blades inserted therein, the housing assembly including a hot line terminal, a neutral line terminal, a hot load terminal, a neutral load terminal, a hot user-accessible receptacle contact, and a neutral user accessible receptacle contact;
• a fault detection circuit coupled to the hot line terminal and the neutral line terminal, the fault detection circuit being configured to detect at least one fault condition and provide a fault detect signal in response thereto;
• a four-pole interrupting contact assembly coupled to the fault detection circuit, the four-pole interrupting contact assembly including,
• a first cantilever connected to the hot line terminal at a first end and including a first cantilever contact disposed thereon at a second end, the first cantilever contact and a hot load terminal contact forming a first contact pair of hot contacts configured to couple the hot line terminal and the hot load terminal,
• a second cantilever connected to the hot line terminal at the first end and including a second cantilever contact disposed thereon at the second end, the second cantilever contact and a hot user-accessible load contact forming a second contact pair of hot contacts configured to couple the hot line terminal and the hot user-accessible load terminal,
• a third cantilever connected to the neutral line terminal at a first end and including a third cantilever contact disposed thereon at the second end, the third cantilever contact and a neutral load terminal contact forming a first contact pair of neutral contacts configured to couple the neutral line terminal and the neutral load terminal, and
• a fourth cantilever connected to the neutral line terminal at the first end and including a fourth cantilever contact disposed thereon at the second end, the fourth cantilever contact and a neutral user-accessible load contact forming a second contact pair of neutral contacts configured to couple the neutral line terminal and the neutral user-accessible load terminal, whereby the first pair of hot contacts, the second pair of hot contacts, the first pair of neutral contacts, and the second pair of neutral contacts are decoupled in response to the fault detect signal;
• and
• a weld breaker mechanism coupled to the interrupting contact assembly, the weld breaker mechanism being configured to strike the first cantilever, the second cantilever, the third cantilever, and/or the fourth cantilever in response to the tripping stimulus.

An electrical wiring protection device comprising:

• a housing assembly including at least one receptacle, the at least one receptacle being configured to receive plug contact blades inserted therein, the housing assembly including a hot line terminal, a neutral line terminal, a hot load terminal, a neutral load terminal, a hot user-accessible receptacle contact, and a neutral user accessible receptacle contact;
• a fault detection circuit coupled to the hot line terminal and the neutral line terminal, the fault detection circuit being configured to detect at least one fault condition and provide a fault detect signal in response thereto;
• an interrupting contact assembly includes a first tri-contact member configured to provide electrical continuity between the hot line terminal, the hot load terminal, and the hot user-accessible load terminal in a coupled state and cause electrical discontinuity between the hot line terminal, the hot load terminal, and the hot user-accessible load terminal in a tripped state, the interrupting contact assembly also including a second tri-contact member configured to provide electrical continuity between the neutral line terminal, the neutral load terminal, and the neutral user-accessible load terminal in a coupled state and cause electrical discontinuity between the neutral line terminal, the neutral load terminal, and the neutral user-accessible load terminal in a tripped state;
• and
• a weld breaker mechanism coupled to the interrupting contact assembly, the weld breaker mechanism being configured to strike the first tri-contact member and/or the second tri-contact member in response to the tripping stimulus.

An electrical wiring protection device comprising:

• a housing assembly including at least one receptacle, the at least one receptacle being configured to receive plug contact blades inserted therein, the housing assembly including a hot line terminal, a neutral line terminal, a hot load terminal, a neutral load terminal, a hot user-accessible receptacle contact, and a neutral user accessible receptacle contact;
• a fault detection circuit coupled to the hot line terminal and the neutral line terminal, the fault detection circuit being configured to detect at least one fault condition and provide a fault detect signal in response thereto;
• a four-pole interrupting contact assembly coupled to the fault detection circuit, the four-pole interrupting contacts including,
• a hot cantilever assembly including a hot line cantilever connected to the hot line terminal and including a first hot contact disposed thereon, a fixed second hot contact coupled to the hot user-accessible load terminal, and a hot load cantilever connected to the hot load terminal and including a third hot contact disposed thereon, the first hot contact, the second hot contact, and the third hot contact being aligned and configured to provide electrical continuity between the hot line terminal, the hot load terminal, and the hot user-accessible load terminal in a coupled state and cause electrical discontinuity between the hot line terminal, the hot load terminal, and the hot user-accessible load terminal in a tripped state, and
• a neutral cantilever assembly including a neutral line cantilever connected to the neutral line terminal and including a first neutral contact disposed thereon, a fixed second neutral contact coupled to the neutral user-accessible load terminal, and a neutral load cantilever connected to the neutral load terminal and including a third neutral contact disposed thereon, the first neutral contact, the second neutral contact, and the third neutral contact being aligned and configured to provide electrical continuity between the neutral line terminal, the neutral load terminal, and the neutral user-accessible load terminal in a coupled state and cause electrical discontinuity between the neutral line terminal, the neutral load terminal, and the neutral user-accessible load terminal in a tripped state;
• and
• a weld breaker mechanism coupled to the four-pole interrupting contact assembly, the weld breaker mechanism being configured to strike the hot cantilever assembly and/or the neutral cantilever assembly in response to the tripping stimulus.

An electrical wiring protection device comprising:

• a housing assembly including at least one receptacle, the at least one receptacle being configured to receive plug contact blades inserted therein, the housing assembly including a hot line terminal, a neutral line terminal, a hot load terminal, a neutral load terminal, a hot user-accessible receptacle contact, and a neutral user accessible receptacle contact;
• a fault detection circuit coupled to the hot line terminal and the neutral line terminal, the fault detection circuit being configured to detect at least one fault condition and provide a fault detect signal in response thereto;
• an interrupting contact assembly coupled to the fault detection circuit, the interrupting contact assembly including at least one set of one-pole interrupting contacts having a pair of contacts coupling one of the line terminals to a corresponding load terminal or coupling the one line terminal to a corresponding user-accessible load terminal, the at least one set of one-pole interrupting contacts being configured to provide electrical continuity between the pair of contacts in a coupled state, the interrupting contact assembly generating a tripping stimulus to separate the pair of contacts in response to the fault detect signal, the pair of contacts being separated in a tripped state;
• and
• a weld breaker mechanism coupled to the interrupting contact assembly, the weld breaker mechanism being configured to strike the pair of contacts in response to the tripping stimulus.