Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Kunio Takemura

Hideya Kondo

Kunimitsu Nakano

Akira Yoshio

A circuit breaker wherein one or two of circuit-breaking electric element blocks respectively including current source side and load side terminals, fixed and movable contactors, means for forcibly tripping the movable contactor away from the fixed contactor by operating at least electromagnetically responsive to an overcurrent and an arc suppressing means, and movably supporting the movable contactor at a stationary part of the tripping means is arranged in each of side spaces within a single housing, while a single mechanical contact operating mechanism for moving the movable contactor in each of the blocks between both positions of opening and closing contacts responsive to an external operating force and operatively connected with the tripping means of the blocks is contained in an intermediate space provided between the side spaces, in each of the latter of which the movable contactor of an elongated member is arranged with one end having the movable contact directed toward the source side terminal and with the other supported end directed toward the load side terminal, the arc suppressing means is arranged on the side of the source side terminal and the tripping means is arranged on the side of the load side terminal remote farthest from the arc suppressing means.

Circuit breaker

A multipolar type circuit breaker has a plurality of breaker element assemblies corresponding to AC source pole number. Each assembly comprises a contact operating mechanism for ON and OFF operations of a movable contactor connected to a load side terminal with respect to a fixed contactor connected to a current source side terminal. A trip mechanism forms an electric current path between the movable contactor and the load side terminal an interlinks with the contact operating mechanism for releasing its normal ON position latch with respect to the movable contactor upon incoming of a excessive curent to arbitrarity trip ON state. The assemblies are housed in a single housing in a mutually parallel and aligning relation. The contact operating mechanisms in all assemblies are operated by a single handle extending transversely to them within the housing. The tripping operation of the trip mechanism in any of the assemblies is synchronously transmitted at a high speed to other assemblies through a single interlinking rod also extending transverse to all the assemblies and holds the handle at a neutral position between its ON and OFF positions.

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Kadoma, Japan

Kunio Takemura