Leakage current interrupter device

Abstract

Abstract GROUND FAULT PROTECTIVE APPARATUS IS CONSTRUCTED AS A STACK OF THREE SIDE BY SIDE HOUSINGS, EACH HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME OUTER DIMENSIONS AS A STANDARD 1" WIDE MOLDED CASE CIRCUIT BREAKER. ONE OF THE HOUSINGS CONTAINS A STANDARD CIRCUIT BREAKER MECHANISM INCLUDING THERMAL AND MAGNETIC TRIP MEANS, BUT DOES NOT CONTAIN AN EXTERNAL LINE TERMINAL. THE SECOND HOUSING CONTAINS STANDARD CIRCUIT BREAKER CONTACTS CONNECTED IN SERIES WITH THE CONTACTS OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IN THE FIRST HOUSING. ALSO IN THE SECOND HOUSING IS A CONTACT OPERATING MECHANISM AND ELECTROMAGNETIC MEANS FOR OPERATING THE MECHANISM IN RESPONSE TO A TRIGGER SIGNAL GENERATED BY A TRIGGER DEVICE IN THE THIRD HOUSING. THE OUTPUT OF A DIFFERENTIAL TRANSFORMER IN THE THIRD HOUSING IS MONITORED BY A SENSOR IN THE THIRD HOUSING AND WHEN A PREDETERMINED IMBALANCE IS PRESENT AT THE TRANSFORMERS THE SESOR CAUSES THE TRIGGER TO GENERATE A SIGNAL WHICH OPERATES THE ELECTROMAGNETIC TRIP MEANS IN THE SECOND HOUSING. THE THIRD HOUSING ALSO MOUNTS A PLUG-IN-TYPE LINE TERMINAL CONNECTED THROUGH ONE OF THE INPUTS OF THE DIFFERENTIAL TRANSFORMER TO THE SET OF CONTACTS IN THE SECOND HOUSING. THE OTHER INPUT CIRCUIT OF THE TRANSFORMER IS CONNECTED TO THE SECOND LOAD TERMINAL AND TO A NEUTRAL POINT EXTERNAL OF THE COMBINATION. THE SETS OF CIRCUIT BREAKER CONTACTS ARE TRIPPED OPEN INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER SO THAT OPENING OF ONE OF THE SETS OF CONTACTS DUE TO A LEAKAGE CURRENT PROBLEM WILL NOT REQUIRE TRIPPING OF THE OTHER SET OF CONTACTS, AND WEARING OF THE LATCH ASSOCIATED WITH THE LATTER. D R A W I N G

Inventors

• 👤 C Gryctko

Bibliographic Details