US3277407A - Circuit interrupter - Google Patents

Circuit interrupter Download PDF

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Publication number
US3277407A
US3277407A US437487A US43748765A US3277407A US 3277407 A US3277407 A US 3277407A US 437487 A US437487 A US 437487A US 43748765 A US43748765 A US 43748765A US 3277407 A US3277407 A US 3277407A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
movable contact
contact arm
arm
current
electromagnetic
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US437487A
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English (en)
Inventor
Kobayasi Yoshio
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Terasaki Electric Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Terasaki Electric Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Terasaki Electric Co Ltd filed Critical Terasaki Electric Co Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3277407A publication Critical patent/US3277407A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H77/00—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches operated by excess current and requiring separate action for resetting
    • H01H77/02—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches operated by excess current and requiring separate action for resetting in which the excess current itself provides the energy for opening the contacts, and having a separate reset mechanism
    • H01H77/10—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches operated by excess current and requiring separate action for resetting in which the excess current itself provides the energy for opening the contacts, and having a separate reset mechanism with electrodynamic opening
    • H01H77/102—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches operated by excess current and requiring separate action for resetting in which the excess current itself provides the energy for opening the contacts, and having a separate reset mechanism with electrodynamic opening characterised by special mounting of contact arm, allowing blow-off movement
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H71/00—Details of the protective switches or relays covered by groups H01H73/00 - H01H83/00
    • H01H71/10—Operating or release mechanisms
    • H01H71/12—Automatic release mechanisms with or without manual release
    • H01H71/24—Electromagnetic mechanisms
    • H01H71/2418—Electromagnetic mechanisms combined with an electrodynamic current limiting mechanism

Definitions

  • This invention relates to improvements in a circuit interrupter.
  • T-he primary object of the invention is to provide an improved circuit interrupter, in addition to being brought into its stable open state through the operation of the conventional thermally or electromagnetically operated tripping device, capable of opening the associated circuit without any delay upon the occurrence of a llow of heavy current such as a shortcircuiting current and a little later, being maintained in its stable open state through the operation of such tripping device.
  • the invention resides in a circuit interrupter comprising a pair of movable contact arms having disposed on the extremities thereof a pair of contacts respectively and disposed in substantially parallel relationship in the closed state in which the contacts engage each other, the pair of movable contact arms being arranged such that, upon the occurrence of la ow of heavy current such as shortcircuiting current, one of the movable contact arms is immediately moved away from the other contact arm ⁇ under the action of an electromagnetic repulsion generated between the parallel disposed contact arms due to the ow of heavy current therethrough thereby to be brought into its open position while at a little later, the other contact arm constrained in its closed position by a switching mechanism is moved to be separated far away from the one contact arm through collapsing of the switching mechanism due to the operation of a thermally or electromagvnetically tripping mechanism, and a spring member for providing a contact pressure for the contacts and returning the one contact arm to its original position as the electromagnetic repulsion decreases.
  • FIG. l shows, partly in section and partly in elevation, a circuit interrupter constructed in accordance with the teachings of the invention
  • FIG. 2 is a fragmental elevational view of a pair of movable contact arms and their associated components in their ON and OFF positions;
  • FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the contact arms in their tripped position.
  • the circuit interrupter illustrated comprises a base member 1 and a detachable cover plate 2.
  • the Ibase member 1 and the cover plate 2 may be conveniently made of any suitable electrically insulating plastic by the molding technique and constitute a closed enclosure.
  • Within the enclosure a pair of movable contact arms 3 and 4 are disposed so as to be substantially horizontally positioned in parallel relationship .in the closed position of the inter- 3,277,407 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 rupter.
  • the contact arms 3 and 4 are made of any suitable electrically conductive material and have a pair of contcts 3a and 4a attached at their free ends respectively.
  • the lower contact arm 4 is pivotally mounted on a rotatable shaft 7 by a U-shaped support Imember 8 for rotation about the shaft 7. Disposed on either common side of the lower contact arm 4 and U-shaped support member 8 is a helical spring 9 having one end hooked to a pin 10 extending through the contact arm and the other end secured to a pin 11 disposed on the U-shaped support member.
  • the spring 9 serves -to provide to the lower contact on the lower Contact arm 4 a pressure under which the contact 4a engages the upper contact 3a.
  • the lower contact arm 4 has the other end connected by way of a flexible conductor 12 to a conductor 13 connected to a source terminal 14.
  • the lupper contact arm 3 is rotatably secured to a contact holder 15 pivotally mounted on a holder shaft 16 common to all ⁇ the poles and also is connected to a connector 17 through a llexible conductor 18.
  • a thin insulation 5 is interposed therebetween.
  • an operating mechanism generally designated by the reference numeral 20 including an operating handle 21, an operating spring 22 and a tripping plate 23.
  • the tripping plate 23 is then operatively connected to the contact holder 15 through a pair of toggle levers 24.
  • the interrupter also further comprises a thermally responsive device generally designated by the reference numeral 25 for the purpose of tripping the interrupter upon the occurrence of a flow of ordinary overload current.
  • the thermally responsive device 25 includes a bimetal element 26 electrically connected to the connector 17 through a conductor 27 and an electric resistor 28 of U- shaped disposed Iadjacent the bimetal element 27.
  • the resistor 28 has one end connected to the conductor 27 and the other end connected to another conductor 29 which, in turn, is connected to a load terminal 30.
  • an adjusting screw 31 is secured integrally at the free end of the bimetal element 26.
  • the tripping mechanism generally designated by the 'reference numeral 32 includes -a tripping piece 33.
  • the tripping piece 33 is forced by the adjusting screw 31 to rotate a tripping rod 34 integral with the tripping piece and a shaft 35 for the tripping rod whereby a tripping cam 36 disengages from ⁇ a tripping hook 37 mounted on the tripping rod 34 resulting in a tripping operation.
  • an electromagnet device including a stationary iron core 38 and a movable iron core 39 is energized to perform an instaneously tripping operation. More specifically, the lstationary iron core 3S is excited with a current flowing through the conductor 27 to attract the movable iron core 39 thereby to rotate the tripping rod 34 to disengage the tripping cam 36 from the tripping hook 37 resulting in a tripping operation.
  • the electromagnetically tripping device 38-39 is operated to override the ability of the switchin-g mechanism 2-0 to constrain the upper contact arm 3 thereby to rotate the upper contact arm 3 in the clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 to be further separated away from the lower contact arm 4 until the same is brought into its open position as illustrated at s-olid line in FIG. 3.
  • the electromagnetic repulsion as previously is damped to be lower than the force of the spring 9 tending to rotate the lower ⁇ contact arm 4 clockwise whereupon the arm 4 returns back to its original position as illustrated at solid line in FIG. 3.
  • a circuit interrupter consisting essentially of a pair of movable .contact arms having opposed contacts at their respective extremities and disposed in substantially sideby-side parallel relationship in the closed state in which the contacts engage each other, so that the current flow in one arm is in the opposite direction to the current ow in the other arm, switching means coupled to one of said arms for driving said one arm from its closed position to its open position and vice versa, release means coupled to said one arm for -moving said one arm lfor causing automatic separation of said one movable contact arm from the other, thermally responsive and electromagnetic trip means responsive to a ow of overload current through the circuit interrupter and engageable with said release means to a-ctuate said release means, a support member having the other movable contact arm pivotably mounted thereon and rotatable about a pivot on said support member independent of the operation of said switching means, said releasable means and said thermally responsive and electromagnetic trip means, a spring member extending between said other movable contact arm and said support member and biasing said other

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Breakers (AREA)
US437487A 1964-03-16 1965-03-05 Circuit interrupter Expired - Lifetime US3277407A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2004564 1964-03-16

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3277407A true US3277407A (en) 1966-10-04

Family

ID=12016072

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US437487A Expired - Lifetime US3277407A (en) 1964-03-16 1965-03-05 Circuit interrupter

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US3277407A (fr)
FR (1) FR1455834A (fr)
GB (1) GB1095192A (fr)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1638157B1 (de) * 1967-02-16 1971-07-08 Terasaki Denki Sangyo Kk Selbstschalter
EP0146805A3 (fr) * 1983-12-19 1986-02-05 Westinghouse Electric Corporation Disjoncteur avec structure d'un contact
US4611106A (en) * 1983-05-09 1986-09-09 General Electric Company Circuit breaker contact structure
US4823225A (en) * 1987-08-18 1989-04-18 Associated Mills Inc. Bipolar immersion detection circuit interrupter
CN102915890A (zh) * 2012-10-25 2013-02-06 温州市新蓝天电器有限公司 一种撬板脱扣断路器

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR1585120A (fr) * 1967-07-24 1970-01-09

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2932706A (en) * 1958-05-12 1960-04-12 Ite Circuit Breaker Ltd Hold-open and anti-rebound latches
US3005073A (en) * 1958-07-30 1961-10-17 Licentia Gmbh High speed circuit breaker
US3127488A (en) * 1960-07-18 1964-03-31 Ite Circuit Breaker Ltd Current limiting circuit breaker having both contacts movable

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2932706A (en) * 1958-05-12 1960-04-12 Ite Circuit Breaker Ltd Hold-open and anti-rebound latches
US3005073A (en) * 1958-07-30 1961-10-17 Licentia Gmbh High speed circuit breaker
US3127488A (en) * 1960-07-18 1964-03-31 Ite Circuit Breaker Ltd Current limiting circuit breaker having both contacts movable

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1638157B1 (de) * 1967-02-16 1971-07-08 Terasaki Denki Sangyo Kk Selbstschalter
US4611106A (en) * 1983-05-09 1986-09-09 General Electric Company Circuit breaker contact structure
EP0146805A3 (fr) * 1983-12-19 1986-02-05 Westinghouse Electric Corporation Disjoncteur avec structure d'un contact
US4823225A (en) * 1987-08-18 1989-04-18 Associated Mills Inc. Bipolar immersion detection circuit interrupter
CN102915890A (zh) * 2012-10-25 2013-02-06 温州市新蓝天电器有限公司 一种撬板脱扣断路器
CN102915890B (zh) * 2012-10-25 2015-04-22 温州市新蓝天电器有限公司 一种撬板脱扣断路器

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1095192A (en) 1967-12-13
FR1455834A (fr) 1966-10-21

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