Switchgear and switchgear operating mechanism

A switchgear having a movable contact that can be moved in a reciprocating manner and an operating mechanism that reciprocatively drives the movable contact and which can be shifted between an open state and a closed state by the movement of the movable contact, the operating mechanism comprising:

• a frame;
• a closing shaft rotatably disposed relative to the frame;
• a main lever which is rotatably fixed to the closing shaft and which can be swung in conjunction with the movable contact;
• a opening spring which is disposed such that it accumulates energy when the switchgear operating state is shifted from the open state to the closed state in accordance with rotation of the closing shaft while the opening spring discharges its accumulated energy when the switchgear operating state is shifted from the closed state to the open state;
• a sub-shaft which is rotatably disposed relative to the frame so as to be positioned around a rotation axis substantially parallel to a rotation axis of the closing shaft;
• a sub-lever which is swingably fixed to the sub-shaft;
• a main-sub connection link which rotatably connects a leading end of the sub-lever and the main lever;
• a cam mechanism which swings the sub-shaft in accordance with the rotation of the closing shaft;
• a latch lever which swingably fixed to the sub-shaft;
• a roller rotatably fixed to a leading end of the latch lever;
• a latch which is disposed so as to be rotated relative to the frame around a rotation axis substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the closing shaft;
• a kick lever which is disposed so as to be rotated relative to the frame around a rotation axis substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the latch;
• a lock lever which is connected to the latch and kick lever so as to be rotated around different rotation axes substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the latch;
• a latch return spring which biases the latch so as to rotate the latch in a predetermined direction;
• a lock lever return spring which biases the lock lever so as to push the latch in the biasing direction of the latch return spring;
• and
• a stopper which is fixed to the frame so as to restrict the rotation of the biasing direction of the latch return spring of the latch, wherein
• in the closed state, the roller pushes the leading end of the latch in the direction substantially toward the rotation center of the latch, and
• in a state where the switchgear operating state is shifted from the closed state to the open state, the lock lever is pulled so as to allow the latch to be rotated in the opposite direction to the biasing direction of the latch return spring to release an engagement between the roller and the leading end of the latch, which causes the opening spring to discharge its energy to rotate the sub-shaft.