Patent ID: 8269119

Claim:
An apparatus for mutually locking two switches, comprising: two plungers, each of the two plungers engaging in one of the two switches and moving in a longitudinal direction of the plunger in opposition to one another via a forced mechanical coupling, wherein when one of the two switches opens, the plunger which engages into said one of the two switches is shifted out of its zero position into its opening position, and the plunger which engages into the other of the two switches is shifted out of its zero position into its locking position, wherein each of the two plungers includes a toothed rack, which runs in the longitudinal direction of the plunger, the two toothed racks being arranged substantially parallel to one another and facing away from one another, each toothed rack meshing with a gearwheel, on which a respective lever, which runs radially outwards, is arranged fixedly, wherein ends of the respective levers are connected to one another in articulated fashion via a connecting rod, a length of the connecting rod corresponding to a distance between the two gearwheels, wherein a stop lever is mounted in rotary fashion on each gearwheel and, when the plungers are located in the zero position, bears in each case against a fixing stop, wherein a driver is arranged fixedly on each gearwheel and, when the plungers are located in the zero position, bears in each case against a stop face formed on the stop lever, and wherein, when a plunger is shifted out of the zero position, one driver pivots the stop lever counter to an elastic force, while another driver is removed from the stop face of the stop lever, which in the process continues to remain in its position on the fixing stop.