Patent ID: 7225676

Claim:
An apparatus for detecting high pressure within an interrupter, comprising: a gas tight envelope for containing gas pressure within said interrupter, said gas pressure defining a vacuum pressure condition; a collapsible device, enclosed within said interrupter, having a first surface and a second surface, said first surface fixed relative to said interrupter, said second surface movable relative to said first surface with an increase in said gas pressure within said interrupter; a shaft, having a first end and a second end, said first end attached to said second surface of said collapsible device; a means for detecting a position of said second end of said shaft; and electrical contacts located within said gas tight envelope, mounted for relative movement between a first position in which said electrical contacts are positioned closely adjacent, and an second position in which said electrical contacts are spaced apart from each other, with the vacuum pressure condition in the interrupter preventing electrical arcing between said electrical contacts when they are moved between said first and second positions, wherein movement of said shaft is independent of movement of said electrical contacts between said first and second positions.