A SOLID-STATE CIRCUIT BREAKER INCLUDING AN AIR-GAP OPERATING MECHANISM CONFIGURED TO OPERATE IN A CONFINED SPACE

Abstract

A solid-state circuit breaker comprises an air-gap operating mechanism, including components, and a housing that contains the air-gap operating mechanism components, such that each component in the operating mechanism is configured to operate in a manner that requires only a limited amount of space to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions. The operating mechanism components include a contact arm, a handle, and an interface feature for interaction between the handle and the contact arm to apply force. The interface feature is configured to adjust the contact arm, ensuring optimal positioning.The operating mechanism components include a double pivot of the contact arm and a handle feature because the contact arm has two pivot legs, an armature, an armature pivot feature and a stop feature, a hook and a stop pin configured to stop the hook during a CONNECTION operation.

Description

A SOLID-STATE CIRCUIT BREAKER INCLUDING AN AIR-GAP OPERATING MECHANISM CONFIGURED TO OPERATE IN A CONStrained Space BACKGROUND 1· FIELD Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a solid-state circuit breaker including an air-gap operating mechanism including components that are configured to operate in a manner that requires only a limited amount of space to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions, such that the air-gap operating mechanism is "relatively small" or "significantly smaller, compared to the traditional mechanism" or "comparatively compact." 2· DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED TECHNIQUE The residential electronic solid-state circuit breaker eliminates the need for an arc-extinguishing chamber and long contact separation distance seen in a traditional residential circuit breaker. These space-consuming features were required in a traditional breaker to help extinguish the arc. However, in a solid-state breaker, the arc does not exist. Solid-state electronics use semiconductors and software algorithms to detect and interrupt fault currents substantially faster than a traditional residential circuit breaker. Since it does not rely on contact separation to interrupt a fault current, numerous components used in the operating mechanism of a traditional breaker are not required.A small circuit gap, or air gap, is still required between contacts for dielectric safety when the switch is turned on or off. However, since the solid-state electronics occupy most of the space inside the switch, there is an extremely limited amount of space to accommodate an operating mechanism. The air-gap operating mechanism addresses this problem. This arrangement provides a small air gap between the contacts and uses a significantly smaller space compared to other existing switch operating mechanisms. The solid-state switch requires a substantial amount of space for its electronic components. Before the development of the solid-state breaker, residential circuit breakers relied on a long contact separation distance to extinguish the arc that occurs when the breaker is turned ON or OFF. The bimetallic element and the instantaneous magnet were the key components for overcurrent detection, and the calibration screw was needed to calibrate the bimetallic element. These components, along with the long contact separation distance for arcing, required the entire operating mechanism to occupy a significant amount of space. This not only made the overall size of a circuit breaker large, but also made the total cost for the breaker high. ocaRnn / cznz / R / viAi Therefore, there is a need for a better air gap operating mechanism for a solid-state circuit breaker. SUMMARY Briefly described, aspects of the present invention relate to an air-gap operating mechanism for a solid-state circuit breaker. The newly designed air-gap operating mechanism is comparatively compact and therefore allocates adequate space for the electronics in an otherwise limited location within the circuit breaker. As the overall size of the breaker is reduced, it becomes more space-efficient and is generally more economical when the parts are smaller. The air-gap operating mechanism achieves functions of turning the breaker ON, OFF, and ON manually, using an electromagnet to provide the air gap. Furthermore, the mechanism assembles a modular package internally, allowing flexibility to be implemented in different future designs. The modular assembly could be constructed as a subassembly and could be used in different products to fulfill the same purpose. In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a solid-state circuit breaker comprises an air-gap operating mechanism including components and a housing housing the components of the air-gap operating mechanism, such that each component in the operating mechanism is configured to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions. The components of the operating mechanism include a contact arm, a handle, and an interface feature between the handle and the contact arm for adjusting the contact arm to ensure optimal positioning. In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a solid state circuit breaker comprises an air gap operating mechanism including components and a housing housing the components of the air gap operating mechanism, each component in the operating mechanism being configured to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions. The operating mechanism components include a contact arm, a handle, and a dual pivot of the contact arm and handle feature wherein the contact arm has two pivot legs to provide dual pivoting of the contact arm and the handle, such that the two pivot legs reduce a back-out force, which is a detrimental force of an operating spring that pushes out portions of the solid state circuit breaker during a mounting procedure. In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a solid-state circuit breaker comprises an air-gap operating mechanism including components and a housing housing the components of the air-gap operating mechanism, each component in the operating mechanism being configured to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions. The operating mechanism components include a contact arm, a handle, an armature, and an armature pivot feature and a detent feature that work together to allow the armature to have a stable pivot and reset mechanism. ocoRnn / cznz / R / viAi In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a solid-state circuit breaker comprises an air-gap operating mechanism including components and a housing housing the components of the air-gap operating mechanism, each component in the operating mechanism being configured to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions. The operating mechanism components include a contact arm, a handle, a hook, and a stop pin configured to stop the hook during an CONNECT operation utilizing less space, as compared to a traditional method of using a thick plastic wall surrounding the hook at its stop. The features and advantages described above, as well as others, will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. While it would be desirable to provide one or more of these or other advantageous features, the teachings disclosed herein extend to those embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they achieve one or more of the aforementioned advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate like objects. FIG. 1 illustrates an operating mechanism of a solid-state circuit breaker in an ON position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an operating mechanism of a solid-state circuit breaker in an OFF position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 illustrates an operating mechanism of a solid-state circuit breaker in an over-center ON position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 illustrates an operating mechanism of a solid-state circuit breaker in an over-center OFF position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate a side-by-side comparison of the ON position and a first ON sequence, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 illustrates a second CONNECT sequence, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 illustrates a final ON position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate a side-by-side comparison of an ON position and an OFF position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. ocQRnn / C7nz / R / viAi FIG. 9 illustrates a pivot striker adjusting a pivot of a contact arm, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 illustrates an angle a between an operating spring and a contact arm, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 illustrates a double pivot of a contact arm and a handle, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 illustrates an armature in an OFF position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 illustrates an armature in a CONNECTED position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 illustrates a stop pin and hook in a CONNECT position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 illustrates an interface feature on a contact arm, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 illustrates an interface feature on an external portion, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Various technologies pertaining to systems and methods that facilitate an air-gap operating mechanism for a solid-state circuit breaker will now be described with reference to the drawings, where like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. The drawings discussed below and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged apparatus. It should be understood that the functionality described as being performed by certain elements of the system may be performed by multiple elements.Similarly, for example, one element may be configured to perform a functionality described as being performed by multiple elements. The numerous innovative teachings of the present application will be described with reference to non-limiting example embodiments. To facilitate understanding of the embodiments, principles, and features of the present invention, they are explained hereinafter with reference to implementation in illustrative embodiments. In particular, they are described in the context of an air-gap operating mechanism for a solid-state circuit breaker. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to use in the devices or methods described. The components and materials described hereinafter as constituting the various embodiments are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many components and OCQRnn / C7n7 / R / VIAI suitable materials that would perform the same or a similar function to the materials described herein are encompassed within the scope of embodiments of the present invention. These and other embodiments of the air gap operating mechanism for a solid-state circuit breaker according to the present disclosure are described below with reference to FIGS. 1-16 herein. Like reference numerals used in the drawings identify similar or identical elements throughout the various views. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Consistent with one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 depicts a solid-state circuit breaker 100 including a compact air-gap operating mechanism 105 in an ON position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The compact air-gap operating mechanism 105 includes components 107. The solid-state circuit breaker 100 includes a housing 109 that houses the components 107 of the compact air-gap operating mechanism 105 such that each component in the operating mechanism 105 is configured to operate in a manner that requires only a limited amount of space to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions.Since the solid state circuit breaker 100 has a very limited amount of space for the operating mechanism 105, the most crucial aspect of the new air gap mechanism design is the fact that it is compact and still achieves the ON, OFF and ON functions of a switch. FIGS. 1-16 will be shown to first explain the three positions, then key features that assist the operating mechanism 105 in achieving these positions will be discussed. Next, referring to FIG. 2 , the solid state circuit breaker 100 including the operating mechanism 105 is illustrated in an OFF position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1 and FIG. 2 show the solid state circuit breaker 100 in an ON position and an OFF position, respectively. In the ON position, a circuit is closed and an electrical current flows. In the OFF position, the contacts 110(1-2) are spaced apart to provide an air gap for dielectric separation. The components 107 of the air gap operating mechanism 105 include a handle 112 and a handle pivot 112a. The components 107 further include a hook 115, an operating spring 117, a hook pivot 115a, and a line terminal 120. The components 107 further include a reset spring 125, an armature 130, and an armature pivot 130a. The components 107 further include a contact arm 135 and a contact arm pivot 135a. The components 107 further include a base 140. The operating mechanism 105 utilizes a concept called “over-center” switching when turning ON and OFF. When an imaginary line drawn from the pivot 135a of the contact arm 135 to a point where the operating spring 117 connects to the contact arm 135 aligns with a force vector of the same operating spring 117, this position is referred to as the over-center position. In this position, the operating spring 117 switches its pull direction relative to the contact arm 135 and operates the mechanism ON or OFF. 3 , the over-center position when the mechanism 105 is turned ON is shown. FIG. 3 illustrates the operating mechanism 105 of a solid-state circuit breaker in an over-center ON position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3 shows a line over the center 305. FIG. 4 illustrates the operating mechanism 105 of a solid state circuit breaker in an over-center OFF position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows the over-center position when the mechanism 105 is turned OFF. In summary, a user need only actuate the handle 112 past the over-center position far enough to cause friction in the system, and then the mechanism 105 will actuate the assembly to turn ON or OFF, depending on the direction in which the handle 112 is rotated. A CONNECT operation begins when the solid-state circuit breaker 100 is initially in its ON position, but an electronic module detects a fault current and energizes an electromagnet to trigger a contact separation routine. This occurs in a sequential order in which the electromagnet magnetizes and attracts the armature 130, which then rotates clockwise, thereby releasing the hook 115 and allowing it to dynamically rotate toward a CONNECT stop. As seen in FIGS. 5A-5B , a side-by-side comparison of the ON position and a first ON sequence is illustrated, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A striker feature 505 on the hook 115 biases the contact arm 135, causing an immediate separation of the contacts and initiating a counterclockwise rotation of the contact arm 135. At a certain position of the hook 115, the operating spring 117 begins to bias the contact arm 135 which continues to rotate to the ON position while the hook 115 rotates clockwise. As shown in FIG. 6, a second ON sequence is illustrated, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, an end ON position is illustrated, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5A-5B exhibit the difference between the ON and the first sequence of the CONNECT operation. Due to an angle of the operating spring 117 pulling on the contact arm 135, a reaction force exists at an interface between the contact arm pivot 135a and the handle 112. A moment arm of this reaction force with respect to the handle pivot 112a creates a torque that causes the handle 112 to rotate clockwise toward its neutral position, where it abuts a second sequence, as shown in FIG. 6. Finally, during a third sequence, the reset spring 125 pulls the armature 130 back toward its original position, as shown in FIG. 7, and the mechanism ends its CONNECT operation in a neutral connection position. Referring to FIGS. 8A-8B, a side-by-side comparison of a position of OCQRnn / C7n7 / R / VIAI ON and an OFF position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Once in the ON, the solid state circuit breaker 100 must be returned to the OFF position before it can be turned ON again. The difference between the ON and OFF positions is shown in FIGS. 8A-8B. Due to the alignment of the operating spring 117 in the ON position, even if a user attempts to rotate the handle 112 counterclockwise, the operating spring 117 continues to pull the contact arm 135 toward its open position and the contacts 110(1-2) would not close. Instead, the handle 112 must rotate clockwise in order to turn the solid state circuit breaker 100 OFF. Then, in an OFF position, the hook 115 can reclose on the armature 130 during the subsequent ON operation, when the handle 112 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction. Referring to FIG. 9, an interface feature 905, such as a pivot striker feature, is illustrated that adjusts a pivot 135a of the contact arm 135, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Components 107 of the operating mechanism 105 include the contact arm 135, the handle 112, and the interface feature 905 for interacting between the handle 112 and the contact arm 135 to apply a force thereon. The interface feature 905 is configured to adjust the contact arm 135 to ensure optimal positioning.The interface feature 905 is configured to adjust the contact arm 135 to ensure optimal positioning when the operating mechanism 105 is in an ON state, such that the interface feature 905 enables the operating mechanism 105 to have a predetermined specific contact force that reduces contact resistance and has stability of the mechanism in an ON position. FIG. 10 illustrates an angle α 1005 between the operating spring 117 and the contact arm 135, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A larger angle α 1005 results in a greater contact force, which is an important performance metric of the mechanism. A key feature about a handle interface with contact arm 135 is a pivot striker 905 feature on handle 112. When contact arm 135 rotates counterclockwise to turn ON, contact arm 135 is blocked by a bump, referred to as a pivot striker in the present disclosure, which becomes its momentary center of rotation. As a result, a pivot of contact arm 135 is deflected to the right of its interface cam with handle 112. This causes angle α 1005, shown in FIG. 10 , to be larger than if contact arm pivot 135a were deflected to the left, such that the larger angle α 1005 results in a larger contact force. Having a suitable contact force results in reduced contact resistance and increased mechanism stability. For OFF and ON operations, contact arm pivot 135a slides to the left of handle pivot 112a.For an ON operation, this helps rotate the handle 112 to a neutral position. FIG. 11 illustrates a dual pivot 1105 of a contact arm 1107 and a handle 1110, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Components of operating mechanism 105 include the dual pivot 1105 of contact arm 1107 and handle 1110 feature whereby contact arm 1107 has two pivot legs 1115(1-2) to provide the dual pivot such that the two pivot legs 1115(1-2) reduce a dump force, which is a detrimental force on operating spring 117 that pushes portions of solid state circuit breaker 100 out during a reassembly procedure. As stated above, an important aspect of the contact arm 1107 is that it has two pivot legs 1115(1-2) that reduce a discharge force. The dual pivot 1105 of the contact arm 1107 interacting with the handle 1110 is shown in FIG. 11. If it were a one-pivot system, there would be a net force biased sideways and outward against the switch 100 during the mounting procedure when the operating spring 117 engages one contact arm. The two-pivot system prevents this problem. FIG. 12 illustrates an armature in an OFF position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 illustrates an armature in an ON position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The components of the operating mechanism 105 include an armature 1205, an armature pivot feature 1210, and a stop feature 1215 that work together to allow the armature 1205 to have a stable pivot and reset mechanism. A unique armature design saves space by having the armature pivot feature 1210 and the stop feature 1215. Referring to FIG. 12 , the armature 1205 is shown in an OFF position with a reset spring 1120 closed therein. On one side of the armature 1205, there is a round pivot that locates in the plastic base. However, the plastic base does not have a wall completely surrounding the pivot, so the armature 1205 could slip off the pivot. The stop feature 1215 prevents this by being supported by the wall that draws an arc to the right.This prevents the armature 1205 from moving to the left as it rotates about its pivot during the ON and OFF operations. FIG. 13 represents the ON position of the armature 1205. Once the switch completes the ON operation, the armature 1205 moves to the OFF position, as shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 14 illustrates a stop pin 1405 and a hook 1410 in an ON position, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Components of the operating mechanism 105 include the hook 1410 and the stop pin 1405 configured to stop the hook 1410 during an ON operation utilizing less space, as compared to a traditional method of using a thick plastic wall surrounding the hook 1410 in its stop. The stop pin 1405 used to stop the hook 1410 during the CONNECT operation takes up significantly less space than having a base wall constructed to stop the hook 1410. The stop pin 1405 that stops the hook 1410 during the CONNECT operation is shown in FIG. 14. If the stop pin 1405 were not used, then the plastic base would need to have a thick wall that is also relatively taller than other base features. Therefore, the stop pin 1405 provides design flexibility in the area that would otherwise need to be filled with thick plastic materials to withstand the impact of the hook 1410 during the CONNECT operation. An interface between the handle and the contact arm facilitates positioning the pivot point. The knob on the handle can easily be positioned on the contact arm to perform the same function. FIG. 15 illustrates an interface feature 1505 on a contact arm 1510, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A contact arm pivot 1515 and a pivot adjuster as the interface feature 1505 on the contact arm 1510 is shown in FIG. 15. For example, a bump is provided on the contact arm 1510 instead of a bump on a handle. FIG. 16 illustrates an interface feature 1605 on an external portion, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A contact arm pivot 1615 and an external pivot adjuster as the interface feature 1605 is shown in FIG. 16. A third part couples to the assembly to interact with a handle 1620 and the contact arm pivot 1615. While a solid-state circuit breaker design is described herein, a range of one or more other circuit breakers are also contemplated by the present invention. For example, other circuit breakers may be implemented based on one or more of the features presented above, without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The techniques described herein may be particularly useful for an interface feature for interacting between a handle and a contact arm, such as a bump feature. While particular embodiments are described in terms of the bump feature, the techniques described herein are not limited to such interfaces, but may also be used with other interface features. While embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in exemplary forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the following claims. The embodiments and the various advantageous features and details thereof are more fully explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known starting materials, processing techniques, components, and equipment are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the detailed embodiments. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments, are given by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and / or rearrangements within the spirit and / or scope of the underlying inventive concept will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure. ocQRnn / C7nz / R / viAi As used herein, the terms "comprise," "comprising," "include," "including," "has," "having," or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a method, article, or apparatus comprising a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements, but may include other elements that are not expressly listed or inherent to such method, article, or apparatus. Additionally, no example or illustration given herein should be construed in any way as restrictions upon, limits upon, or express definitions of any term or terms with which they are used. Rather, these examples or illustrations should be considered as being described with respect to a particular embodiment and as illustrative only. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any term or terms with which these examples or illustrations are used will encompass other embodiments that may or may not be given herein or elsewhere in the specification, and all such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of those term or terms. In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, one skilled in the art appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification and figures should be considered in an illustrative, rather than restrictive, sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. Although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments thereof, these embodiments are merely illustrative, and not restrictive, of the invention. The description herein of illustrated embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed herein (and in particular, the inclusion of any particular embodiment, feature, or function is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to that embodiment, feature, or function). Rather, the description is intended to describe illustrative embodiments, features, and functions, so as to provide one skilled in the art with a context for understanding the invention without limiting the invention to any particularly described embodiment, feature, or function.While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes only, various equivalent modifications are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will recognize and appreciate. As indicated, such modifications can be made to the invention in light of the foregoing description of illustrated embodiments of the invention and are to be included within the spirit and scope of the invention.Thus, while the invention has been described herein with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosures, and it will be appreciated that, in some instances, some features of the embodiments of the invention will be employed without corresponding use of other features, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as set forth. Therefore, many ocoRnn / cznz / R / viAi modifications can be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the essential scope and spirit of the invention. The respective occurrences of the phrases "in a (number) embodiment," "in a (number) embodiment," or "in a specific embodiment," or similar terminology, in various places throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics of any particular embodiment may be combined in any suitable manner with one or more other embodiments. It is to be understood that other variations and modifications of the embodiments described and illustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and should be considered within the spirit and scope of the invention. In the description herein, numerous specific details, such as examples of components and / or methods, are provided to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that an embodiment may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other apparatus, systems, assemblies, methods, components, materials, parts, and / or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, components, systems, materials, or operations are not specifically shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of embodiments of the invention.While the invention may be illustrated by the use of a particular embodiment, this does not and does not limit the invention to any particular embodiment, and one skilled in the art will recognize that additional embodiments are readily apparent and form part of the present invention. It will also be appreciated that one or more of the elements depicted in the drawings / figures may also be implemented in a more separate or integrated manner, or even eliminated or rendered inoperable in certain cases, as may be useful according to a particular application. The benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with respect to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any components that may make any benefit, advantage, or solution occur or become more pronounced should not be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A solid-state circuit breaker comprising: an air-gap operating mechanism including components; and a housing housing the components of the air-gap operating mechanism, each component in the operating mechanism being configured to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions, the components of the operating mechanism including: a contact arm, a handle, and an interface feature between the handle and the contact arm for adjusting the contact arm to ensure optimal positioning.

2. The solid state circuit breaker of claim 1, wherein the operating mechanism components include: a double pivot of the contact arm and a handle feature wherein the contact arm has two pivot legs to provide a double pivot of the contact arm and the handle such that the two pivot legs reduce a discharge force, which is a harmful force of an operating spring that pushes out parts of the solid state circuit breaker during an assembly procedure.

3. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 2, wherein the components of the operating mechanism include: an armature, and an armature pivot feature and a stop feature that work together to allow the armature to have a stable pivot and reset mechanism.

4. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 3, wherein the operating mechanism components include: a hook, and a stop pin configured to stop the hook during an ON operation that uses less space, compared to a traditional method of using a thick plastic wall surrounding the hook in its stop.

5. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 1, wherein the interface feature is configured to adjust the contact arm to ensure optimal positioning when the operating mechanism is in an ON state, such that the interface feature enables the operating mechanism to have a predetermined specific force that reduces contact resistance and has stability of the mechanism in an ON position.

6. A solid state circuit breaker comprising: an air gap operating mechanism including components; and a housing housing the components of the air gap operating mechanism, each component in the operating mechanism being configured to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions, wherein the operating mechanism components include: a contact arm, a handle, and a dual pivot of the contact arm and a handle feature wherein the contact arm has two pivot legs to provide dual pivoting of the contact arm and the handle such that the two pivot legs reduce a back-out force, which is a detrimental force of an operating spring that pushes out portions of the solid state circuit breaker during a mounting procedure.

7. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 6, wherein the components of the operating mechanism include: an armature, and an armature pivot feature and a stop feature that work together to allow the armature to have a stable pivot and reset mechanism.

8. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 7, wherein the operating mechanism components include: a hook, and a stop pin configured to stop the hook during an ON operation that uses less space, compared to a traditional method of using a thick plastic wall surrounding the hook in its stop.

9. A solid-state circuit breaker comprising: an air-gap operating mechanism including components; and a housing housing the components of the air-gap operating mechanism, each component in the operating mechanism being configured to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions, the operating mechanism components including: a contact arm, a handle, an armature, and an armature pivot feature and a stop feature that work together to allow the armature to have a stable pivot and reset mechanism.

10. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 9, wherein the operating mechanism components include: a hook, and a stop pin configured to stop the hook during an ON operation that uses less space, compared to a traditional method of using a thick plastic wall surrounding the hook in its stop.

11. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 10, wherein the operating mechanism components include: an interface feature for interacting between the handle and the contact arm to apply a force thereon, the interface feature being configured to adjust the contact arm to ensure optimal positioning.

12. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 11, wherein the interface feature is configured to adjust the contact arm to ensure optimal positioning when the operating mechanism is in an ON state, such that the interface feature enables the operating mechanism to have a predetermined specific force that reduces contact resistance and has stability of the mechanism in an ON position.

13. A solid-state circuit breaker comprising: an air-gap operating mechanism including components; and a housing housing the components of the air-gap operating mechanism, each component in the operating mechanism being configured to achieve ON, OFF, and CONNECT functions, the operating mechanism components including: a contact arm, a handle, a hook, and a stop pin configured to stop the hook during an CONNECT operation utilizing less space, as compared to a traditional method of using a thick plastic wall surrounding the hook at its stop.

14. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 13, wherein the components of the operating mechanism include: an interface feature for interacting between the handle and the contact arm to apply a force thereon, the interface feature being configured to adjust the contact arm to ensure optimal positioning.

15. The solid-state circuit breaker of claim 14, wherein the interface feature is configured to adjust the contact arm to ensure optimal positioning when the operating mechanism is in an ON state, such that the interface feature enables the operating mechanism to have a predetermined specific force that reduces contact resistance and has stability of the mechanism in an ON position.

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