Circuit interrupter comprising electromagnetic opening means

Claim 2

A circuit interrupter comprising a housing, a circuit interrupter structure supported in said housing, said circuit interrupter structure comprising a stationary contact, a movable contact cooperable with said stationary contact, a contact arm carrying said movable contact, means supporting said contact arm for movement between closed and open positions, means biasing said contact arm into the closed position, a magnetic drive structure comprising a magnetic device of magnetic material having an open slot therein open at one end thereof and closed at the other end thereof, said contact arm being positioned in said slot in proximity to the open end of said slot, the circuit through said circuit interrupter passing through said contact arm and said contacts in the closed position of said contact arm, upon the occurrence of an overload current above a predetermined value through said contact arm the magnetic flux generated by said current in said contact arm operating in said magnetic device to drive said contact arm into said slot toward the closed end of said slot to thereby open said contacts.

Claim 3

A circuit interrupter according to claim 1, and an arc-extinguishing structure supported in said housing in proximity to said contacts to effect extinction of arcs drawn between said contacts during opening operations of said circuit interrupter.

Claim 4

A circuit interrupter according to claim 2, said circuit interrupter comprising a first terminal means at one end thereof and a second terminal means at the other end thereof to enable connection of said circuit interrupter in an electric circuit.

Claim 5

A circuit interrupter according to claim 1, said contact arm being an elongated contact arm, said magnetic device comprising a plurality of laminations of plates of magnetic material with said slot being an elongated slot elongated in the direction of elongation of said contact arm, and said elongated contact arm in the closed position thereof extending lengthwise through said elongated slot in proximity to the open end of said elongated slot.

Claim 6

A circuit interrupter according to claim 4, said contact arm being a generally flat contact arm positioned to move in said slot along planes coexistent with the planes of the flat sides of said contact arm.

Claim 7

A circuit interrupter according to claim 4, latch means automatically latching said contact arm in the open position, and latch release means releasable to unlatch said contact arm whereupon said biasing means automatically moves said contact arm to the closed position.

Claim 8

A circuit interrupter according to claim 6, pivot support means supporting said elongated contact arm in proximity to one end of said elongated contact arm for pivotal movement about a fixed pivot, said pivot support means being disposed at one end of said magnetic device, said contact arm carrying said movable contact thereon at the Opposite end of said contact arm and at the opposite end of said magnetic device, and said slot means in said magnetic device having a reduced height dimension in proximity to said pivot support means and an increased height dimension in proximity to said movable contact.

Claim 9

A circuit interrupter according to claim 1, said magnetic device being formed with said slot therein such that in the cross section of said magnetic device said slot is a generally T-shaped slot, a main conductor for carrying current in said circuit interrupter, said main conductor forming a plurality of turns around a portion of said magnetic device with said turns going over the top of said magnetic device and through the upper arm of said T-shaped slot and with said main conductor being connected to one end of said contact arm such that the current through said circuit interrupter extends in series relation through said turns of said main conductor and said elongated contact arm whereby the current through said turns of said main conductor and said elongated contact arm generates magnetic flux in said magnetic device to force said contact arm rapidly to the open position upon the occurrence of said overload current above said predetermined value.

Claim 10

A circuit interrupter according to claim 8, and an arc-extinguishing structure supported in said housing in proximity to said contacts to effect extinction of arcs drawn between said contacts during opening operations of said circuit interrupter.

Claim 11

A circuit interrupter according to claim 9, said contact arm being a generally flat contact arm positioned to move in said slot along planes coexistent with the planes of the flat sides of said contact arm.

Claim 12

A circuit interrupter according to claim 10, said circuit interrupter comprising a first terminal means at one end thereof and a second terminal means at the other end thereof to enable connection of said circuit interrupter in an electric circuit.

Claim 13

A circuit interrupter comprising a housing, a circuit interrupter structure supported in said housing, said circuit interrupter structure comprising a pair of elongated contact arms, a separate movable contact supported on each of said elongated contact arms, means supporting said contact arms for movement toward each other to a closed position wherein said movable contacts are engaged and for movement away from each other toward an open position wherein said movable contacts are disengaged, means biasing said contact arms into the closed position, a separate magnetic drive structure for each of said movable contact arms each of said magnetic drive structures comprising a magnetic device of magnetic material having an open slot therein open at one end thereof and closed at the other end thereof, each of said contact arms being positioned in the slot of the associated magnetic device in proximity to the open end of the slot of the associated magnetic device in the closed position of said contacts, the circuit through said circuit interrupter passing first through one of said contact arms then through the engaged movable contacts and then through the other of said contact arms, upon the occurrence of an overload current above a predetermined value through said contact arms the magnetic flux generated by said current operating in said magnetic devices to drive said contact arms in opposite directions into the slots of the associated magnetic devices to thereby open said contacts.

Claim 14

A circuit interrupter comprising a housing, a circuit interrupter structure supported in said housing, said circuit interrupter structure comprising a pair of elongated contact arms, a separate movable contact supported on each of said elongated contact arms, means supporting said contact arms for movement toward each other to a closed position wherein said movable contacts are engaged and for movement away from each other toward an open position wherein said movable contacts are disengaged, means biasing said contact arms into the closed position, a separate magnetic drive structure for each of said movable contact arms each of said magnetic drive structures comprising a magnetic device of magnetic material having an open slot therein open at one end thereof and closed at the other end thereof, each of said contact arms being positioned in the slot of the associated magnetic device in proximity to the open end of the slot of the associated magnetic device in the closed position of said contacts, the circuit through said circuit interrupter passing first through one of said contact arms then through the engaged movable contacts and then through the other of said contact arms, upon the occurrence of an overload current above a predetermined value through said contact arms the magnetic flux generated by said current operating in said magnetic devices to drive said contact arms in opposite directions into the slots of the associated magnetic devices to thereby open said contacts.

Claim 15

A circuit interrupter according to claim 12, and an arc-extinguishing structure supported in said housing in proximity to said contacts to effect extinction of arcs drawn between said contacts during opening operations of said circuit interrupter.

Claim 16

A circuit interrupter according to claim 13, each of said contact arms being an elongated contact arm, each of said magnetic devices comprising a plurality of laminations of generally flat magnetic plates of magnetic material supported in a face-to-face relationship with the associated slot extending from oNe end thereof to the other end and with the associated elongated contact arm extending lengthwise in the associated slot.

Claim 17

A circuit interrupter according to claim 14, each of said contact arms being a generally flat contact arm positioned to move in the associated slot along planes coexistent with the planes of the flat sides thereof.

Claim 18

A circuit interrupter according to claim 15, and a separate pivot support means for each of said contact arms pivotally supporting the associated contact arm for a pivotal movement about a fixed pivot.

Claim 19

A circuit interrupter according to claim 16, and a gear means in proximity to the pivoted ends of said contact arms connecting said contact arms for simultaneous movement between open and closed positions.

Claim 20

A circuit interrupter according to claim 17, releasable latch means automatically operable to latch said contact arms in the open position, and manually operable latch release means operable to release said latch means whereupon said biasing means automatically biases said contact arms back to the closed position following opening operations of said circuit interrupter.