Patent ID: 6225882
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
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; anda 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 mechanism further including an automatic trip assembly for rotating said trip bar assembly upon a predetermined current threshold, said automatic trip assembly including a magnetic yoke having two arms with a pivot support on the top of each, one of said pivot supports including a downwardly facing stop, said automatic trip assembly further including an armature having a bottom and having pivot portions positioned on said pivot supports providing for rotation of said armature between a first position where said bottom is away from said magnetic yoke and a second position where said bottom is closer to said magnetic yoke, said downwardly facing stop positioned to abut said armature when said bottom is rotated away from said magnetic yoke, said stop thereby defining said first position, a magnetic field being generated upon said predetermined current threshold causing said armature to rotate from said first position to said second position and to rotate said trip bar assembly and generate said tripping operation.