Patent ID: 7790997

Claim:
A switch unit comprising: a circuit breaker; a disconnector coplanar with the circuit breaker, the circuit breaker and the disconnector fixed to a metal casing, the circuit breaker and disconnector each having a pair of contacts that consists of a fixed contact and a contact that is linearly movable to separate the pair of contacts from each other in a switching operation; a drive assembly common to the circuit breaker and disconnector, the drive assembly comprising: a single insulating drive rod adapted for linear movement in the same plane as the linear movement of the movable contacts; and a mechanical assembly mounted in the metal casing and driven by the single insulating drive rod and permitting non-simultaneous linear movement of the two movable contacts wherein the said mechanical assembly comprises: at least one cam mounted for rotation in the metal casing, the at least one cam having an outside profile and/or inside profiles that permit non-simultaneous linear movement of the two movable contacts in engagement against or in that cam; and return means disposed in the metal casing and adapted to maintain each of the said movable contacts in engagement against the outside profile and/or in the inside profiles of the cam(s) whatever the rotational position of the cam(s).