Patent ID: 6445274
Filing Date: 2002-09-03
Classification: H01H

Abstract:
A circuit interrupter comprising:a housing; separable main contacts within said housing; an operating mechanism within said housing and interconnected with said separable main contacts; and a trip mechanism within said housing and including a rotatable trip bar assembly that, when rotated, generates a tripping operation causing said operating mechanism to open said contacts, said trip bar assembly having a thermal trip member disposed for longitudinal movement in relation to said tip bar assembly, said trip mechanism further including a bimetal through which electrical current flows, said bimetal bending and contacting a contact area of said thermal trip member causing said trip bar assembly to rotate and generate said tripping operation upon a predetermined current threshold, said contact area having regions protruding to different extents towards said bimetal, wherein when said thermal member is longitudinally moved in relation to said trip bar assembly, a different one of said regions of said contact area of said thermal trip member is positioned to be contacted by said bimetal whereby said predetermined current threshold is changed.