I-T-E Imperial Corporation

Heinemann Electric Company

Albert Strobel

Charles T Robins

A switch coupling assembly for coupling at least a pair of switches having respective spaced apart actuator handles is provided in order to permit simultaneous switching of the separate switches. Generally tubular spacers fit between each pair of switch handles. At least one tubular spacer is dimensioned with sufficient clearance so that one end of the spacer abuts one of the switch handles while the other end of the spacer is spaced apart from the other switch handle. The switch handles are each provided with alignable openings and a tie rod is dimensioned to extend through the aligned openings in the switch handles and the spacers to couple the switch handles together. The tie rod has a groove alignable in the clearance between the spacer and the adjacent switch handle. A snap ring snugly fits in the clearance to hold the spacer in position and engages the groove on the tie rod to prevent relative movement of the tie rod. The switch handles are thereby coupled together to enable simultaneous movement of the handles.

Assembly for coupling switch handles

A plurality of single pole circuit breakers stacked side-by-side are interconnected by a tie rod connecting the magnetic armatures of their respective instantaneous trip means. When one pole is caused to trip because of a fault condition a driving cam formation on the releasable cradle of the faulted pole engages the armature moving it in the tripping direction substantially beyond the point required for releasing the cradle latch in the faulted phase. Substantial movement beyond cradle release is permitted even though the magnetic air gap at the armature is small in that after this gap is closed the magnet is moved bodily in the tripping direction. This added movement assures that the tie rod shall transmit sufficient motion to all non-faulted poles to cause tripping thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Cherry Hill, NJ, United States of America

Albert Strobel