US2596506A - Electric circuit breaker - Google Patents

Description

May 13, 1952 3, G 2,596,506

a ELEQTRIC CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed Dec. 21, 1950 Z5 2 ZAJE'WI 1w by 5 mum/0m 5% 8 0 /f 25 4 27 f) v Z6 z Ihventor:

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Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT BREAKER Robert G. Page, New Britain,- Conm, assignor, by

mesneassignmentato General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 21, 1950; Serial No; 201.943 1 6 Claims.- (Cl. 200-166) Mydnvention relates to circuitwbreaker units andpartieularly to thecontacts of arunit which isrdesigned to'be detachablymounted on "a panel board or the like.

One object of the invention is to providefor a.

resiliently supported contact.

A special object isto providefor a contact structure adapted to be 'detachably supported on a fixed base.

One objectis to providea'compact and effec tive'structure.

Another object is: to provide an economical structure consisting of few and simple parts.

Another 'object is to provide a structure which is easy; to assemble.

Another object is to provide astructure having good arc-interrupting ability.

Another object is to provide a structure which is highly resistant to mechanical shock.

Another object is to guard the resiliently mounted contact structure from arcing.

Fig. 1 is a side view and partial section showing the contacts ofacircuit breaker embodying myinventicn as applied to a panel board or other support.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on a larger scale, the section being-taken on the planeof the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. Bis a perspective view'showing parts of the contacts of Figs. 1 and'2.

Fig. 4 is'a perspective view of a reinforcing spring.

Fig. 5 is a side view showing the rock shaft, the switch arm being shown in section.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one end of the rock shaft.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the switch arm.

The insulating support I, constituting a part of a panel board or other support, has a circuit terminal 2 with a projecting terminal prong or blade 3.

The circuit breaker has an insulating base, a part 4 of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The relatively stationary jaws 5, 6 and I are formed as a part of the terminal structure 3 which is secured to the base 4 by a screw 9. The jaws are preferably formed of resilient material so that they will clamp the opposite sides of the panel blade 3 when the circuit breaker is mounted on the panel.

An insulating cover plate I0 is secured to the terminal structure 8 by suitable means such as the rivets H. The contact member I2 is in the form of a cup which is mounted in a passage l3 in. plate I0 and has a flange portion l4 beneath the plate Ill. The contact surface may be iii) 2. separately formed of suitable material and attached to or made a part of the contact cup 12-. A spring I6 is interposed between the insulating support lland the cup I2.- The contact cup is electrically connected to the structure 8 by flexible conductors I 8. IS.

The cover plate Ill of insulating material guards all of the contact structureexcept the contact l5-lwhich, of course, must be exposed.

The contact 20 iscarried by the arm 2| and coacts withthe relatively stationary contact member. The lever 21 constitutes the movable switch member of the circuit breaker and is mounted on a shaft 22 of the rocker mechanism (not shown).

The shaft 22 may be enclosed-in an insulating sleeve 23. The switch arm. 2| has a collar 24 drawn from. the metal'of the arm to receive sleeve 23. The extension 25 is secured to the shaft 22 by a set screw 26 and constitutes the means for transmitting motion from the circuit breaker mechanism (not shown);

The switch arm 2! is connected electrically to a terminal of "the circuit breaker (not shown) by means .of afiexible conductor 27. The use of an edgewi'semounted blanked switch arm permits close assembly of adjacent parts.

The contact jaws 5, E and I may be reinforced by a spring clamp member 28 having a crosspiece 29 compressing against the spring jaw 5 and having end members 30, 3S pressing against the back of the jaws 6 and i.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the con tact $5 is pressed toward the contact 29 by the action of the spring it, but the movement of the contact member i2 is limited by the engagement of the flange is beneath the insulating plate it It will be understood that the operating and tripping mechanism and overload devices of a circuit breaker will function in a conventional manner.

The spring-pressed contact member 12 acts as a buffer for the switch arm and holds the circuit closed in case the switch arm should become loose.

I claim:

1. In an electrical circuit breaker, a lower fixed terminal blade, an upper movable switch arm and a contact unit between said blade and switch arm including a body portion of strip metal having downwardly extending spaced contact jaws formed on one end thereof for engaging said terminal blade and having an oiiset portion formed on the opposite end, an insulatin plate secured to said offset end and extending parallel to said body portion in spaced relation, a movable contact member guarded by said insulating plate, a flexible conductor connecting said body portion and said movable contact member, and a spiral spring between said body portion and said movable contact member for urging said movable contact member into engagement with said upper switch arm.

2. In an electrical circuit breaker, a lower fixed terminal blade, an upper movable switch arm and a contact unit between said blade and said switch arm including a body portion having a plurality of spaced resilient contact jaws depending from one end thereof for engaging the terminal blade, an insulating plate mounted on said body portion, an upwardly extending movable contact member carried by said insulating plate and spaced from said contact jaws for engaging said switch arm, a flexible conductor connecting said body portion and contact member, and spring means in the space between said body portion and said movable contact member for urging the latter into engagement with said switch arm.

3. In an electrical circuit breaker, a lower fixed terminal blade, an upper movable contact member and a contact unit between said blade and contact member including a body portion having a plurality of spaced resilient contact jaws depending from one end thereof for engaging the terminal blade, an insulating plate mounted on said body portion and having an opening, an upwardly extending movable contact member extending through the openin in said insulating plate for engaging said upper movable contact member, a flexible conductor connecting said body portion and said contact member, and

spring means for urging said upwardly extending contact member into engagement with said upper movable contact member.

4. As an article of manufacture, an electrical contact unit for use with a circuit breaker, comprising a fiat body portion of strip metal, a pair of parallel resilient jaw members depending from one end of said body portion and another jaw member offset from said pair for engaging a switch blade, the opposite end of said body portion being offset, an insulating plate secured at one end to said offset end of the body portion and extendin along the remainder of the body portion in spaced relation, a switch member movably supported at the other free end of the insulating plate, a conductor connecting said body portion and said switch member, a spiral spring in the space between the body portion and insulating plate for urging said switch member upwardly, and a spring encircling said jaws for urging the jaws toward each other in a clamping action.

5. As an article of manufacture, an electrical contact unit for use with a circuit breaker, comprising a body portion, spaced resilient contact jaws depending from one end of said body portion for engaging a terminal blade, a movable contact member supported on the body portion and spaced from the contact jaws, a flexible conductor connecting said body portion and contact member, and spring means in the space between said jaws and said movable contact member for urging the latter into engagement with a switch arm.

6. As an article of manufacture, an electrical contact structure, for use with a circuit breaker, comprising a flat body portion of strip metal having a pair of spaced resilient parallel jaws depending from one end thereof and having another resilient jaw between said pair and offset therefrom for receiving a blade between said jaws, said body portion having an offset portion at its other end, a flat insulating plate secured at one end to said ofiset portion and extending over said body portion in spaced relation, a cup-shaped contact member movably mounted in the other end of said insulating plate for engaging a switch arm, a flexible conductor connecting said body portion and contact member, and a spiral spring having one end seated on the body portion and its other end seated in said cup-shaped contact member for urging said cup-shaped contact member outwardly of the insulating plate support into engagement with the switch arm.

ROBERT G. PAGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,922,648 Watts Aug. 15, 1933 2,164,200 Douglas June 27, 1939

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