US3388358A - Circuit breaker - Google Patents

Circuit breaker Download PDF

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Publication number
US3388358A
US3388358A US426763A US42676365A US3388358A US 3388358 A US3388358 A US 3388358A US 426763 A US426763 A US 426763A US 42676365 A US42676365 A US 42676365A US 3388358 A US3388358 A US 3388358A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
circuit breaker
arm
lever
contacts
pivot axis
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
US426763A
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English (en)
Inventor
Paganelli Mario
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.)
Bassani SpA
Original Assignee
Bassani SpA
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 Bassani SpA filed Critical Bassani SpA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3388358A publication Critical patent/US3388358A/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
    • H01H73/00—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches in which excess current opens the contacts by automatic release of mechanical energy stored by previous operation of a hand reset mechanism
    • H01H73/48—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches in which excess current opens the contacts by automatic release of mechanical energy stored by previous operation of a hand reset mechanism having both electrothermal and electromagnetic automatic release
    • H01H73/52—Protective overload circuit-breaking switches in which excess current opens the contacts by automatic release of mechanical energy stored by previous operation of a hand reset mechanism having both electrothermal and electromagnetic automatic release reset by tumbler
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/12—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage
    • H01H1/14—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting
    • H01H1/20—Bridging contacts
    • H01H1/2066—Fork-shaped bridge; Two transversally connected contact arms bridging two fixed contacts

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to circuit breakers, and more specifically to a circuit breaker of small size adapted to be mounted in a wall bracket with other electrical components such as outlet sockets, switches, or the like.
  • the circuit breaker mainly comprises a support, at least one stationary contact mounted on the support, at least one arm carrying in the region at one end thereof a movable contact engaging the stationary contact, a first lever pivotally connected in the region of one end thereof to the aforementioned arm for pivotal movement about a first pivot axis located intermediate the ends of the arm, a second lever pivotally connected in the region of one end thereof to the first lever for pivotal movement about the second pivot axis located intermediate the ends of the first lever, an operating member movably mounted on the support to which the second lever is pivotally connected for pivotal movement about a third pivot axis spaced from the second pivot axis, the aforementioned pivot axes are located in a common plane, a stop member fixed to the support and located spaced from the other end of the arm and on the side of the latter facing away from the stationary contact, biasing means engaging with the arm intermediate the other end and the first pivot axis and biasing the one
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective outside view of the circuit breaker according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the circuit breaker mounted in a wall bracket
  • FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, with part of the housing of the circuit breaker broken away to show the elements of the circuit breaker in the housing, and wherein the circuit breaker is shown in open position;
  • FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 with the housing completely omitted and showing the circuit breaker in closed position;
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic side view illustrating some of the elements of the circuit breaker in closed position of the latter
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic side view similar to FIG. 5 showing the elements during the first part of the opening movement
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic side view similar to FIG. 6 and showing thecircuit breaker in open position
  • FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 4 and showing the circuit breaker in the open position.
  • FIG. 9 is a wiring diagram of the circuit breaker.
  • the cover 9 is formed with an opening through which an operating member of the circuit breaker in form of a rocker 14 which will be described later on in detail projects outwardly of the housing.
  • the cover 9 serves to fasten the circuit breaker-to the supporting frame 15 provided to enable other electrical equipment, such as conventional switches, pushbuttons, or sockets, to be mounted flush with the plaster layer of a wall.
  • Frame 15 is usually covered by means of a cover plate 12 provided with small apertures through which the control members of the various devices supported thereby project outwardly.
  • the circuit breaker according to the present invention comprises further two fixed contact carriers 16 and 17 resting on and preferably connected in any convenient manner to the bottom walls 17' of the housing 8 and connected at the rear, or right ends thereof, as viewed in the aforementioned figures, to two terminals 18 and 19, whereas the other ends of the contact carriers 16 and 17 carry stationary contacts.
  • An offset plate member 20 rests on the upper surface of the contact carrier 16 and partly covers the terminals 18 and 19.
  • the movable contacts which in the closed position of the circuit breaker as shown in FIG. 4 engage the stationary contacts, are respectively supported on a pair of arms 21 and 22 of electrically conductive material mechanically and electrically connected to each other by a pair of transverse shafts or rods 23 and 26.
  • a first lever 27 is pivotally connected in the region of its bottom end to the transverse rod 26 between the arms 21 and 22, and the lever 27 is in turn, intermediate its ends, pivotally connected by a pin 28 to the bottom end of a stirrup-shaped second lever 29 between the legs of which the lever 27 may pivot.
  • the lever 29 is pivotally connected intermediate the ends thereof by means of a pin extending between two lugs 30 projecting downwardly from the rocker 14.
  • a spring 31 is wound about opposite ends of the last-mentioned pivot pin and the ends of the springs 31 are fastened to the rocker 14, whereas the middle portion of the spring forms a bridge 32 resting on the lever 29.
  • the rocker 14 is pivoted by means of lateral projections 46 in the side walls of the housing 8 and on the cover 9 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In the closed position of the circuit breaker the axes of all aforementioned described pivots are located in a common plane as best shown in FIG. 5.
  • Biasing means preferably in form of coil compression springs 24 and 25 abut with the bottom ends thereof against the plate 20, whereas the top ends of the springs 24 and 25 respectively engage the levers 21 and 22 at the bottom faces thereof intermediate the transverse rod 26 and the rear or right end of the arms, as viewed for instance in FIG. 4, to thus apply, in the position of the members of the circuit breaker as shown in FIG. 4, to the arms a moment in counterclockwise direction about the axis of the transverse shaft 26 so as to maintain the movable contacts in engagement with the stationary contacts.
  • the release lever 27 has two projections, a projection 33 about the pivot pin 28 and a projection 34 at the upper end thereof.
  • the projection 33 is situated in front of the armature 35 of an electromagnetic trip relay 36, and projection 34 is located in front of a pusher 37 of a thermal trip 38.
  • both levers 27 and 29 When both levers 27 and 29 are disposed as shown in FIG. 4 so that the three aforementioned pivot axes are aligned in a common plane, the front ends of the arms 21 and 22 will be pushed downwardly thus maintaining the circuit breaker in the closed position.
  • the shafts 23 and 26 are not connected to any fixed part of the circuit breaker, and the arms 21 and 22 and the shafts 23 and 26 together constitute a mobile frame subjected only to the action of the springs 24 and 25 and to that of the lever 27.
  • levers 27 and 29 When the circuit breaker is in its closed position, both levers 27 and 29 are aligned, the movable contacts are pressed against the stationary contacts, and the springs 24 and 25 are compressed.
  • lever 27 When an overload or a shortcircuit occurs in the electrical circuit connected to the circuit breaker, lever 27 is moved, due to the action of pusher 37 or armature 35 to rotate in counterclockwise direction about the pivot axis of shaft 26, and in this way (FIG. 9) displaces the pin 28 out of the common plane in which the shaft 26 and the pin on rocker 14 are located.
  • the arms 21 and 22 will thereby first pivot about the points of engagement of the movable contacts with the stationary contacts until the rear ends or right ends of the arms, as viewed in FIG. 6 will engage with the bottom face of a stop member 45 fixed to and projecting forwardly from the rear wall of the housing. Thereafter the springs 24 and 25 will urge the arms to move in clockwise direction to the position shown in FIG. 7, thereby opening the circuit breaker.
  • Opening of the circuit breaker can be manually performed by tilting the rocker about its fulcrum 46 to thereby displace the lugs 3t) and with it the levers 27 and 29. These levers, once displaced will continue to move due to the force exerted on them by shaft 26 due to springs 24 and 25, thus effecting the opening of the contacts.
  • the fixed and movable contacts are disposed within respective enclosures 39 and 40, each of which is separated from the other by means of double walls between which an air gap 41 is left.
  • the front walls of the aforementioned enclosures are provided with ventilating openings 42 and the upper part of the respective enclosure is formed with a larger aperture 43.
  • the enclosures provide exhaust passages for the hot gases generated by arcing at the contacts, thus favoring de-ionization of the air within the enclosures with consequent extinguishing of the arcs.
  • the electric path through the circuit breaker is from the terminal 18 to the contact carrier 16, the stationary contact at one end thereof, the movable contact on the arm 21 and through the latter, through shafts 23 and 26 to the arm 22 through the movable contact at the end of this arm to the stationary contact on the contact carrier 17 t0 the terminal 44 at the other end of the contact carrier 17, through coil 36 of the trip relay, through the thermal relay 38, and from there to the other terminal contact 19.
  • this invention provides for a miniature circuit breaker of very simple construction, of small dimensions and which can be produced at low cost and which will be safe in operation.
  • a circuit breaker comprising, in combination, a support; at least one stationary contact mounted on said support; at least one arm carrying in the region at one end thereof a movable contact engaging said stationary contact; a first lever pivotally connected in the region of one end thereof to said arm for pivotal movement about a first pivot axis located intermediate the ends of said arm; a second lever pivotally connected in the region of one end thereof to said first lever for pivotal movement about a second pivot axis located intermediate the ends of said first lever; an operating member movably mounted on said support, said second lever being pivotally connected in spaced relation to said second pivot axis to said operating member for pivotal movement about a third pivot axis, said pivot axes being located in a com mon plane; a stop member fixed to said support and being located in spaced relation to the other end of said arm and on the side of the latter facing away from said stationary contact; biasing means engaging said arm intermediate said other end and said first pivot axis and biasing said one end of said arm toward said stationary contact; and current controlled
  • biasing means is a coil compression spring engaging with one end a wall of said housing and with the other end that side of said arm which faces away from said stop means.
  • a circuit breaker as defined in claim 1, wherein said current controlled means comprises an electromagnetic trip relay having a movable armature adapted to cooperate with said first lever to turn the latter about said first pivot axis.
  • a circuit breaker as defined in claim 5, wherein said current controlled means comprises further a thermal trip having a pusher adapted to cooperate with said first member to turn the latter about said first pivot axis.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electromagnetism (AREA)
  • Breakers (AREA)
US426763A 1964-04-11 1965-01-21 Circuit breaker Expired - Lifetime US3388358A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT4602664 1964-04-11
IT788464 1964-04-11

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3388358A true US3388358A (en) 1968-06-11

Family

ID=26325929

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US426763A Expired - Lifetime US3388358A (en) 1964-04-11 1965-01-21 Circuit breaker

Country Status (10)

Country Link
US (1) US3388358A (xx)
AT (1) AT277364B (xx)
BE (1) BE656464A (xx)
BR (1) BR6465286D0 (xx)
CH (1) CH409092A (xx)
DE (1) DE1438953B2 (xx)
DK (1) DK122295B (xx)
GB (1) GB1090456A (xx)
NL (1) NL6504527A (xx)
SE (1) SE339712B (xx)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0045672A1 (fr) * 1980-08-06 1982-02-10 Merlin Gerin Disjoncteur miniature à coupure du neutre et de la phase
FR2495826A1 (fr) * 1980-12-09 1982-06-11 Merlin Gerin Disjoncteur miniature a haut pouvoir de coupure
US4825096A (en) * 1987-02-09 1989-04-25 Bassani Ticino S.P.A. Remote control apparatus for tripping off switches
WO2006074883A1 (en) * 2005-01-17 2006-07-20 Vimar S.P.A. Differential thermomagnetic switch
EP3483913A4 (en) * 2016-07-06 2020-01-15 Seari Electric Technology Co., Ltd. CONDUCTIVE CIRCUIT BREAKER

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE793961A (fr) * 1972-01-12 1973-05-02 Landis & Gyr Sarl Appareil de coupure basse tension pour tableaux de distribution electriques
IT207989Z2 (it) * 1986-08-04 1988-03-14 Bassani Spa Gruppo contatti mobili, per un interruttore di apparecchiature elettriche di serie civili.
DE4233918B4 (de) * 1992-10-08 2004-02-26 Schulte-Elektrotechnik Gmbh & Co Kg Elektrischer Schalter mit Stromüberwachung
GB2295275B (en) * 1994-11-15 1998-08-12 Matsushita Electric Works Ltd Circuit breaker

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
None *

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0045672A1 (fr) * 1980-08-06 1982-02-10 Merlin Gerin Disjoncteur miniature à coupure du neutre et de la phase
FR2488440A1 (fr) * 1980-08-06 1982-02-12 Merlin Gerin Disjoncteur miniature a coupure du neutre et de la phase
FR2495826A1 (fr) * 1980-12-09 1982-06-11 Merlin Gerin Disjoncteur miniature a haut pouvoir de coupure
EP0053973A1 (fr) * 1980-12-09 1982-06-16 Merlin Gerin Disjoncteur miniature à haut pouvoir de coupure
US4825096A (en) * 1987-02-09 1989-04-25 Bassani Ticino S.P.A. Remote control apparatus for tripping off switches
WO2006074883A1 (en) * 2005-01-17 2006-07-20 Vimar S.P.A. Differential thermomagnetic switch
CN101128899B (zh) * 2005-01-17 2010-05-19 维马股份公司 差动热磁开关
EP3483913A4 (en) * 2016-07-06 2020-01-15 Seari Electric Technology Co., Ltd. CONDUCTIVE CIRCUIT BREAKER

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
SE339712B (xx) 1971-10-18
CH409092A (it) 1966-03-15
DE1438953A1 (de) 1968-11-21
DE1438953B2 (de) 1971-11-25
GB1090456A (en) 1967-11-08
BR6465286D0 (pt) 1973-02-15
DK122295B (da) 1972-02-14
AT277364B (de) 1969-12-29
NL6504527A (xx) 1965-10-12
BE656464A (xx) 1965-03-16

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