Operating mechanism and circuit breaker

Abstract

This invention discloses an operating mechanism and a circuit breaker. The operating mechanism includes a handle assembly and a closing / opening assembly. The handle assembly includes a handle and a connecting rod. The closing / opening assembly includes a contact support and a locking member distributed along the thickness direction of the housing. The contact support is rotatably connected to the housing, and a receiving groove is formed on its end near the handle. The receiving groove has a tripping stop position and a closing drive part. The connecting end of the locking member is rotatably connected to the contact support, and the driving end of the locking member extends to the location of the receiving groove. A ratchet is formed on the locking member, and a tooth groove is provided on the housing. When closing, the handle drives the connecting rod to first push the locking member, and the ratchet on the locking member disengages from the tooth groove to release the end of the contact support near the handle. Subsequently, the connecting rod pushes the contact support and the moving contact to close through the closing drive part. When opening, the contact support and the locking member reset, and the ratchet on the locking member engages with the tooth groove on the housing to lock the end of the contact support near the handle to lock the moving contact.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of circuit breakers, and particularly to an operating mechanism and a circuit breaker. Background Technology

[0002] A circuit breaker is a switching device that can close, carry, and interrupt current under normal circuit conditions and close, carry, and interrupt current under abnormal circuit conditions within a specified time. To achieve the closing or opening of the moving and stationary contacts, an operating mechanism is usually required inside the circuit breaker.

[0003] In existing circuit breaker structures, the breaking of the moving contact mainly relies on the restoring force of the elastic element on the operating mechanism. Due to factors such as mechanical impact, the inertia of the elastic element, reaction force, and wear of the mechanism, the moving contact inevitably undergoes high-frequency, small-amplitude reciprocating motion (i.e., moving contact chattering) during the opening of existing circuit breakers. Under overload, short circuit, or excessive leakage current conditions, moving contact chattering leads to a smaller gap between the moving contact and the stationary contact, weakening the dielectric restoring strength between the contacts. When the voltage between the moving and stationary contacts exceeds the dielectric insulation strength, the gap can break down again, triggering a secondary arc. Secondary arcing not only damages the circuit breaker but can also cause circuit faults in severe cases. To avoid contact chattering, existing circuit breakers primarily use increased reaction force from the elastic element within the operating mechanism (such as the limiting energy storage spring in Chinese patent CN212783323U) to quickly drive the moving contact apart. Although this solution can improve the secondary arcing phenomenon to some extent, it still cannot completely solve the problem caused by contact jitter, and the reaction force provided by the limit energy storage spring during opening is limited. Under high voltage, secondary arcing will still occur between the moving and stationary contacts.

[0004] Furthermore, in existing circuit breaker operating mechanisms, the latch extends above the connecting rod. When closing, the hook at the top of the latch presses against the connecting rod from top to bottom; when opening, the latch rotates to engage the hook and lock it against the connecting rod before disengaging. This operating mechanism's latch is not only large in size but also has a large moment of inertia, resulting in low sensitivity during opening and making rapid segmentation difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides an operating mechanism and a circuit breaker.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an operating mechanism disposed within a circuit breaker housing and comprising a handle assembly and a closing / opening assembly. The handle assembly includes a handle and a connecting rod. The closing / opening assembly includes a contact support and a locking member distributed along the thickness direction of the housing. The contact support is rotatably connected to the housing, and a receiving groove for accommodating the connecting rod is formed on its end near the handle. The receiving groove has a tripping stop position and a closing drive portion. The connecting end of the locking member is rotatably connected to the contact support, and the driving end of the locking member extends to the location of the receiving groove. A ratchet is formed on the locking member, and a toothed groove cooperating with the ratchet is provided on the housing.

[0007] When closing, the handle drives the connecting rod to push the locking element first. The ratchet on the locking element disengages from the mating groove to release the contact support near the handle. Then, the connecting rod continues to move to the closing drive unit to push the contact support and moving contact to close. When opening, the contact support and locking element reset, the ratchet on the locking element engages with the groove on the housing, and the contact support near the handle is locked to lock the moving contact in the open state.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, within the receiving groove, the travel of the connecting rod from the tripped stop position to the closing drive part is greater than the height of the tooth groove on the housing, so that the connecting rod abuts the closing drive part only after the ratchet disengages from the tooth groove.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the locking member is connected to the housing or contact support by a locking member spring; when the circuit is closed, the locking member compresses the locking member spring; when the circuit is opened, the reaction force of the locking member spring drives the locking member to reset, so that the ratchet engages with the tooth groove on the housing for locking.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the locking member is provided with one or more ratchet teeth, and the housing is provided with one or more tooth grooves that cooperate with the ratchet teeth.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a ratchet is formed at the drive end and near the housing side, and the drive end of the locking member is cam-shaped, the surface of which abuts against the connecting rod includes an initial surface, an inclined surface and a retaining surface; when the circuit is closed, the connecting rod abuts against the initial surface, the inclined surface and the retaining surface in sequence.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing assembly further includes a locking plate, which is rotatably connected to the housing via a rotating shaft and supported by a locking plate spring. The locking plate is located on the side of the connecting rod away from the handle, and the top of the locking plate has a locking surface. When closing, the locking surface abuts against the connecting rod located above it, pressing the connecting rod into the closing drive part in the receiving groove. A tripping trigger part is formed on the other end of the locking plate.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the distance from the center of the locking plate pivot to the center of the locking surface is less than or equal to the distance from the center of the locking plate pivot to the center of the end face of the release trigger part.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a fixing part extends outward from the middle of the latch plate, and a latch plate spring is disposed between the latch plate fixing part and the contact support.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the opening and closing assembly further includes a tripping reaction spring, which is a tension spring connected between the housing and the contact support, or a compression spring connected between the contact support and the housing.

[0016] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a circuit breaker including the above-described operating mechanism and a moving contact. The moving contact is connected to a contact support within the operating mechanism.

[0017] In summary, the operating mechanism provided by this invention includes a locking element in the opening and closing assembly. This locking element is rotatably connected to the contact support and has ratchet teeth that engage with the toothed grooves on the housing for locking. During opening, the contact support drives the locking element and the moving contact to reset. When the ratchet teeth move to the toothed groove position, they quickly engage, thereby locking the end of the contact support near the handle and ensuring that the contact support and the moving contact stop moving. This invention, through the active mechanical locking of the locking element, fundamentally eliminates the problem of secondary arcing caused by contact jitter during opening, significantly improving the safety performance of the circuit breaker under overload, short circuit, or high voltage conditions, reducing the risk of failure, and providing rapid and reliable locking. Furthermore, since the locking element is rotatably connected to the contact support, the driving end of the locking element is located in front of the closing drive part of the contact support. During closing, the connecting rod first drives the locking element to disengage from the housing groove, allowing the end of the contact support near the handle to be in a free state before driving the contact support. This "unlock first, drive later" sequence effectively avoids interference between the locking element and the contact support during closing, making the closing process smoother and more stable, and preventing malfunctions such as accidental engagement between the locking element and the housing teeth.

[0018] To make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the circuit breaker provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 The image shown is related to Figure 1 The cover plate on the housing that is snapped into the base.

[0021] Figure 3 As shown Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure when the locking element inside the operating mechanism locks with the toothed groove on the housing.

[0022] Figure 4 The diagram shows the structure of the locking component inside the operating mechanism.

[0023] Figure 5 The diagram shows the assembly of the opening and closing components and the moving contact within the operating mechanism.

[0024] Figure 6 As shown Figure 5 Rear view.

[0025] Figure 7 The diagram shows the structure of the opening and closing assembly within the operating mechanism.

[0026] Figure 8 The diagram shows the structure of the locking element engaging with the toothed groove on the housing when the circuit breaker is tripped.

[0027] Figure 9 The diagram shows the structure of the connecting rod pushing the locking component to disengage it from the tooth groove during the initial closing phase.

[0028] Figure 10 The diagram shows the assembly of the connecting rod and locking component when the circuit is closed.

[0029] Figure 11 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of a circuit breaker provided in another embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Due to factors such as mechanical impact, inertia of elastic components, reaction force, and wear of the mechanism, the moving contact of a circuit breaker inevitably chatteres during opening, potentially triggering a secondary arc. To mitigate this problem, existing technologies attempt to install a limiting energy storage spring between the moving and stationary contacts, increasing the reaction force during opening to facilitate rapid separation. However, because the reaction force provided by the energy storage spring is limited and possesses elastic inertia, this solution still cannot completely eliminate contact chattering.

[0031] In view of this, such as Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a circuit breaker, which includes a housing 10, an operating mechanism 20, a moving contact 30, a stationary contact 40, and a trip unit. The operating mechanism 20 actively locks the contact support 21 after tripping by mechanical means to prevent the moving contact 30 from moving, thereby fundamentally eliminating the problem of secondary arcing caused by contact bounce. Figure 1 In the case, the operating mechanism 20, the moving contact 30, the stationary contact 40, and the trip unit are assembled on the base 102 of the housing 10. Figure 2 The cover plate 103 of the housing is shown, which is fastened to... Figure 1 The base 102 in the housing has a contact support shaft 210 that is rotatably connected to the cover plate 103 of the housing. However, the present invention does not limit this in any way.

[0032] like Figures 1 to 7As shown, the operating mechanism 20 provided in this embodiment includes a handle assembly 1 and a circuit breaker assembly 2. The handle assembly 1 includes a handle 11 and a connecting rod 12. The circuit breaker assembly 2 includes a contact support 21 and a locking member 22 distributed along the thickness direction of the housing. The contact support 21 is rotatably connected to the housing 10 and is located at one end near the handle 11. Figure 1 The upper end of the contact support 21 has a receiving groove 211 for accommodating the connecting rod. The receiving groove 211 has a tripping stop position 212 and a closing drive part 213. The connecting end 221 of the locking member is rotatably connected to the contact support 21. The driving end 222 of the locking member extends to the location of the receiving groove 211. A ratchet 223 is formed on the locking member 22. The housing is provided with a tooth groove 101 that mates with the ratchet 223.

[0033] The operating mechanism 20 provided in this embodiment, when the circuit is opened, the locking member 22 follows the contact to support the movement in the opening direction. Figure 1 (The direction of the center-opening switch is counterclockwise). When the ratchet 223 on the locking member moves to the tooth groove 101 on the housing, the ratchet 223 quickly engages in the tooth groove 101 to lock the end of the contact support 21 near the handle. The contact support 21 is connected to the housing 10 via a pivot 210 in its central region. Therefore, once the end near the handle 11 is locked, the contact support 21 is fixed and can no longer rotate relative to the housing 10. Correspondingly, the moving contact 30 connected to the contact support 21 will also be locked and unable to move, fundamentally eliminating the secondary arcing problem induced by the reciprocating vibration of the moving contact 30.

[0034] Specifically, the following will combine Figures 1 to 10 The working principle of the operating mechanism 20 provided in this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, the circuit breaker is in the open state at this time (i.e., the moving contact 30 and the stationary contact 40 are separated), and the connecting rod 12 is located in the trip stop position 212 in the receiving groove 211. The ratchet 223 on the locking member 22 engages with the tooth groove 101 on the housing 10, and the upper end of the contact support 21 is in a locked state.

[0036] Figure 9 The diagram shows the direction of handle 11 towards closing ( Figure 1 and Figure 9The linkage 12 moves clockwise, sliding out of the trip stop position 212 and abutting the nearest locking member drive end 222. The linkage 12, through the locking member drive end 222, pushes the locking member 22 to rotate relative to the contact support 21 in the closing direction. The ratchet 223 on the locking member separates from the tooth groove 101, and the end of the contact support 21 near the handle 11 becomes a free end. In this embodiment, the stroke of the linkage 12 from the trip stop position 212 to the closing drive part 213 is set greater than the height of the tooth groove on the housing 10 to ensure that the linkage 12 abuts the closing drive part 213 only after the locking member 22 has completely disengaged from the tooth groove 101. However, the present invention does not limit this in any way. In other embodiments, the travel of the link 12 from the trip stop position 212 to the closing drive unit 213 can be set to be approximately close to the height of the tooth groove. At the same time that the ratchet 223 disengages from the tooth groove 101, the link 12 abuts against the closing drive unit 213 in the receiving groove 211.

[0037] In this embodiment, as Figure 4 , Figure 7 as well as Figure 8 As shown, the connecting end 221 and the driving end 222 of the locking member 22 are connected by an arc-shaped rod 220. A ratchet 223 is formed on the driving end and near the housing 10. The driving end 222 of the locking member is cam-shaped, and its surface abutting against the connecting rod 12 includes an initial surface 2221, an inclined surface 2222, and a retaining surface 2223. During the closing process, the connecting rod 12 first abuts against the initial surface 2221, slides along the initial surface 2221 to below the inclined surface 2222, and pushes the driving end 222 out of the toothed groove 101 on the housing along the inclined surface 2222, thereby unlocking the upper end of the contact support 21. After being pushed out, part of the connecting rod 12 abuts against the retaining surface 2223, and the other part abuts against the closing driving part 213 in the receiving groove 211, continuing to push the locking member 22 while pushing the contact support 21 so that it follows the contact support 21 continuously in the closing direction. Figure 1 (Move clockwise) until the circuit is closed, such as... Figure 10 As shown. In Figure 10 In this diagram, the contact support 21 is not shown to facilitate viewing the positional relationship between the connecting rod 12 and the locking member 22. However, this invention does not impose any limitations on the structure of the drive end; all drive end structures capable of driving the locking member to rotate relative to the contact support to avoid interference with the contact support during closing are within the protection scope of this invention.

[0038] In this embodiment, the locking member 22 is also connected to the housing 10 via a locking member spring 23. When the circuit is closed, the locking member 22 compresses the locking member spring 23; when the circuit is opened, the reaction force of the locking member spring 23 drives the locking member 22 to reset, so that the ratchet 223 engages and locks with the toothed groove 101 on the housing. Figure 4 , Figure 5 as well as Figure 6As shown, one end of the locking spring 23 is fixed to a spring seat on the arc-shaped rod 220, and the other end is connected to the inner wall of the housing 10 above the locking member 22. When the connecting rod 12 pushes the locking member 22 to rotate in the closing direction, the locking member 22 rotates relative to the contact support 21, moves upward, and compresses the locking spring 23. However, the present invention does not limit the installation position of the locking spring. In other embodiments, the locking spring may also be a torsion spring connected between the locking member connection end and the contact support; when the locking member rotates relative to the contact support, the torsion spring is compressed to store elastic potential energy; when the circuit is opened, this elastic potential energy will drive the locking member to quickly reset in the opening direction to engage with the toothed groove on the housing.

[0039] When the circuit breaker trips, the trip unit inside the circuit breaker triggers the latch plate 24, and the latch plate 24 drives the contact support 21 and the locking element 22 to move in the direction of tripping. Figure 1 (Counterclockwise direction). When the locking member drive end 222 moves to the location of the tooth groove 101, the ratchet 223 will quickly engage with the tooth groove 101, and the locking member 22 will lock the end of the contact support 21 near the handle 11. The contact support 21 can no longer rotate relative to the housing 10, and the corresponding moving contact 30 will also be locked. In this invention, locking the moving contact 30 does not mean that it is completely immobile, but rather that it is no longer subject to inertial vibration due to mechanical impact, elastic inertia, and reaction force. In practical applications, to facilitate the assembly of the locking member 22 onto the tooth groove 101 on the housing 10, the tooth groove 101 has a certain width in the rotation direction of the locking member 22; after the moving contact 30 is locked during opening, there will still be a certain assembly displacement within the width range of the tooth groove 101, but this displacement is much smaller than the contact vibration amplitude and will not cause secondary arcing. Preferably, in other embodiments, the width of the tooth groove can also be set to be basically close to the ratchet to ensure that the moving contact no longer undergoes any displacement after locking.

[0040] In this embodiment, the locking member 22 has a ratchet 223 located at the bottom of the drive end 222, and the housing 10 is provided with a plurality of tooth grooves 101 that cooperate with the ratchet 223. The ratchet 223 can engage with any of the tooth grooves 101. This arrangement greatly increases the meshing stability of the ratchet 223 and the tooth groove 101. Even if the tripping reset force is large, the ratchet 223 can still stably engage in one of the tooth grooves 101. However, the present invention does not limit this. In other embodiments, the locking member may have a plurality of ratchets, while the housing may have a single tooth groove; or, the locking member may have a plurality of ratchets, and the housing may have a plurality of matching tooth grooves.

[0041] In this embodiment, the closing and opening assembly 2 further includes a locking plate 24, which is rotatably connected to the housing 10 via a pivot 241 and acts on the contact support 21 via a locking plate spring 242. During closing, the contact support 21 compresses the locking plate spring 242, thereby driving the locking plate 24 to move in the closing direction. During opening, the locking plate 24 is triggered by the trip unit to move in the opening direction, and simultaneously, the reaction force of the locking plate spring 242 drives the contact support 21 in the opening direction. Figure 1 (It moves in a counter-clockwise direction.)

[0042] As mentioned earlier, in addition to the secondary arcing problem caused by moving contact bounce, existing circuit breakers generally suffer from slow tripping response during opening. In existing circuit breakers (such as Chinese patents CN212783323U and CN111681918A), the upper end of the latch extends above the connecting rod, and the locking part presses the connecting rod from top to bottom during closing. This type of latch is not only long but also large in volume; therefore, its moment of inertia is large, resulting in a slow tripping response. To solve this problem, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 5 as well as Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the locking plate 24 is located entirely on the side of the connecting rod 12 away from the handle 11 (i.e., entirely below the connecting rod), and the top of the locking plate 24 has a locking surface 240. When closing the circuit, the locking surface 240 abuts against the connecting rod 12 located above it, pressing the connecting rod 12 into the closing drive part 213 in the receiving groove 211, and a tripping trigger part 243 is formed on the other end of the locking plate 24.

[0043] This design reduces the moment of inertia of the locking plate 24 by optimizing its structure and installation position, thereby achieving rapid release. The optimization includes two aspects: First, the locking plate 24 is designed as a lightweight plate structure, reducing its moment of inertia by decreasing its mass. Specifically, as... Figure 5 , Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 As shown, a limiting groove 214 is formed on the contact support 21, located below the receiving groove 211 and opening towards the opening direction; the plate-like structure allows the top of the latching plate 24 to be embedded into the limiting groove 214. This assembly method is not only compact and small in size; more importantly, after opening, the contact support 21 is locked by the locking member 22, and the limiting groove 214 limits the latching plate 24, so that the latching plate 24 can only move in the opening direction ( Figure 1 It moves counterclockwise and cannot move in the closing direction. Figure 1(In a clockwise direction), this achieves the limiting of the latch plate 24 in the open state. However, the present invention does not impose any limitations on this. A second optimization: The latch plate 24 is positioned entirely below the connecting rod 12, shortening the distance from the latch plate pivot 241 to the center of the locking surface 240, making the center of mass of the latch plate 24 closer to the pivot 241, thereby reducing its moment of inertia. Furthermore, the shortened distance from the pivot 241 to the center of the locking surface 240 and the plate-type structure also make the mass of the latch plate 24 provided in this embodiment significantly smaller than that of the latches in existing circuit breakers, further reducing its moment of inertia and improving the tripping response speed.

[0044] In this embodiment, the locking surface 240 is an inclined surface. When the circuit is closed, the lower part of the connecting rod 12 abuts against the locking surface 240, and the upper part abuts against the closing drive part 213 in the receiving groove 211 and the retaining surface 2223 on the locking member drive end 222; the locking surface 240, the closing drive part 213, and the retaining surface 2223 together constrain the connecting rod 12. As the connecting rod moves, the line connecting the two ends of the connecting rod 12 is located below the center of the handle, causing the handle 11 to rotate in the closing direction, and the reaction force of the locking plate spring 242 is greater than the opening return force of the handle torsion spring; therefore, when the force acting on the handle 11 is removed at this time, the handle 11 will not automatically return to its original position to achieve closing.

[0045] Preferably, in this embodiment, the distance from the center of the locking plate pivot 241 to the center of the locking surface 240 is less than or equal to the distance from the center of the locking plate pivot 241 to the center of the end face of the triggering part 243. However, the present invention does not impose any limitation on this.

[0046] In this embodiment, a fixing portion 244 extends outward from the middle of the locking plate 24, and a locking plate spring 242 is disposed between the locking plate fixing portion 244 and the contact support 21. Specifically, the locking plate spring 242 is a torsion spring, which is sleeved on the contact support pivot 210. One end of the spring passes through a spring mounting hole on the contact support 21 to act on the contact support 21, and the other end abuts against the recess formed by the locking plate fixing portion 244 and the upper end of the locking plate 24. However, the present invention does not limit this in any way. In other embodiments, the locking plate spring may also be a compression spring disposed between the contact support and the locking plate fixing portion. Compared to compression springs, the locking plate spring 242 with torsion spring structure is not only easier to install, but also has greater elastic potential energy stored in the torsion spring during the overtravel motion of the handle 11 when closing. This not only allows the moving contact 30 to be pressed against the stationary contact 40 for stable closing when closing, but also allows the contact support 21 to be driven more quickly when opening to improve the opening response speed.

[0047] In this embodiment, the opening and closing assembly 2 further includes a tripping reaction spring 25. During closing, the contact support 21 acts on the tripping reaction spring 25 to cause it to elastically deform; during opening, the reaction force generated by the reset of the tripping reaction spring 25 drives the contact support 21 to move rapidly in the opening direction, thereby achieving rapid segmentation of the moving contact 30 to further improve its opening response speed. In this embodiment, the tripping reaction spring 25 is a tension spring connected between the housing 10 and the contact support 21. However, the present invention does not limit this in any way. In other embodiments, such as... Figure 11 As shown, the tripping reaction spring 25 can also be a compression spring connected between the contact support and the housing 10.

[0048] In this embodiment, the trip unit includes a short-circuit trip unit 501 disposed within the housing 10 opposite to the trip trigger part 243, which is a magnetic trip mechanism. During a short circuit, the push rod inside the short-circuit trip unit 501 pushes out to impact the trip trigger part 243 of the locking plate 24, thereby achieving short-circuit tripping. Furthermore, the trip unit also includes an overload trip unit 502, which includes a metal sheet that deforms due to overheating and a pull rod. One end of the pull rod acts on the metal sheet, and the other end is fixed to the trip trigger part 243. During an overload, the metal sheet deforms due to heat and drives the pull rod, which pulls the trip trigger part 243 to achieve overload tripping.

[0049] In summary, the operating mechanism provided by this invention includes a locking element in the opening and closing assembly. This locking element is rotatably connected to the contact support and has ratchet teeth that engage with the toothed grooves on the housing for locking. During opening, the contact support drives the locking element and the moving contact to reset. When the ratchet teeth move to the toothed groove position, they quickly engage, thereby locking the end of the contact support near the handle and ensuring that the contact support and the moving contact stop moving. This invention, through the active mechanical locking of the locking element, fundamentally eliminates the problem of secondary arcing caused by contact jitter during opening, significantly improving the safety performance of the circuit breaker under overload, short circuit, or high voltage conditions, reducing the risk of failure, and providing rapid and reliable locking. Furthermore, since the locking element is rotatably connected to the contact support, the driving end of the locking element is located in front of the closing drive part of the contact support. During closing, the connecting rod first drives the locking element to disengage from the housing groove, allowing the end of the contact support near the handle to be in a free state before driving the contact support. This "unlock first, drive later" sequence effectively avoids interference between the locking element and the contact support during closing, making the closing process smoother and more stable, and preventing malfunctions such as accidental engagement between the locking element and the housing teeth.

[0050] Although the present invention has been disclosed above by way of preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of protection claimed in the claims.

Claims

1. An operating mechanism characterized by comprising: The operating mechanism is arranged in a circuit breaker housing and comprises: a handle assembly comprising a handle and a connecting rod; an opening and closing assembly comprising a contact support and a locking member distributed along the thickness direction of the housing, the contact support being rotationally connected to the housing and having a receiving slot for accommodating the connecting rod formed on the end of the contact support close to the handle, the receiving slot having a tripping stop position and a closing driving portion; the connecting end of the locking member being rotationally connected to the contact support, the driving end extending to the position of the receiving slot, the locking member being provided with a ratchet, and the housing being provided with a tooth groove matched with the ratchet; when closing, the handle drives the connecting rod to first push the locking member, the ratchet on the locking member is disengaged from the matched tooth groove to release the end of the contact support close to the handle; then, the connecting rod continues to move to the closing driving portion to push the contact support and the movable contact to close; when opening, the contact support and the locking member are reset, the ratchet on the locking member is engaged with the tooth groove on the housing to lock the end of the contact support close to the handle to lock the movable contact in the open state.

2. The operating mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that In the receiving slot, the stroke of the connecting rod from the tripping stop position to the closing driving portion is greater than the height of the tooth groove on the housing, so that after the ratchet is disengaged from the tooth groove, the connecting rod abuts against the closing driving portion.

3. The operating mechanism of claim 1, wherein The connecting end and the driving end of the locking member are connected through an arc-shaped rod body, one end of a locking member spring is fixed to a spring seat on the arc-shaped rod body, and the other end is connected to the inner wall of the housing above the locking member; when closing, the locking member compresses the locking member spring; when opening, the counterforce of the locking member spring drives the locking member to reset to engage the ratchet with the tooth groove on the housing to lock.

4. The operating mechanism of claim 1, wherein The locking member is provided with one or more ratchets, and the housing is provided with one or more tooth grooves matched with the ratchets.

5. The operating mechanism of claim 1, wherein The ratchet is formed on the driving end close to the housing side, the driving end of the locking member is in the form of a cam, and the surface of the driving end abutting against the connecting rod includes an initial surface, an inclined surface, and a retaining surface; when closing, the connecting rod abuts against the initial surface, the inclined surface, and the retaining surface in sequence.

6. The operating mechanism of claim 1, wherein The opening and closing assembly further comprises a locking plate rotationally connected to the housing through a rotating shaft and acting on the contact support through a locking plate spring, the locking plate is located on the side of the connecting rod away from the handle, the top end of the locking plate has a locking surface, and the other end of the locking plate is provided with a tripping trigger portion.

7. The operating mechanism of claim 6, wherein The distance from the center of the locking plate rotating shaft to the center of the locking surface is less than or equal to the distance from the center of the locking plate rotating shaft to the center of the end surface of the tripping trigger portion.

8. The operating mechanism of claim 6, wherein The middle part of the locking plate outwardly extends a fixing portion, and the locking plate spring is arranged between the fixing portion of the locking plate and the contact support.

9. A circuit breaker characterized by, The operating mechanism comprises: the operating mechanism according to any one of claims 1-8; a movable contact connected to the contact support in the operating mechanism.

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