Rotating Circuit Breaker Operating Mechanism for Button Reorientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retrofitting circuit breakers with different operating button orientations often requires modifying the cabinet door, increasing costs and complexity, and existing mechanisms fail to align user engagement buttons with the new circuit breaker buttons without such modifications.
Innovation Solution
An operating mechanism with a frame that rotates to align actuating components with both the user engagement buttons and the circuit breaker buttons, using extension rods to facilitate actuation without altering the door or circuit breaker design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the cabinet door is modified to accommodate different button orientations during retrofitting, then the circuit breaker can be retrofitted with different orientations, but the cost increases and critical internal arc tests are required
Solution Approach 1:
The operating mechanism incorporates a rotatable frame that can be rotated between a first position and a second position, allowing the actuating components to change orientation dynamically. This enables the mechanism to adapt to different button orientations (horizontal or vertical) without requiring modification of the cabinet door, thereby reducing retrofitting costs while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a rotational dimension to the operating mechanism by enabling the frame to rotate about a rotation axis. This additional degree of freedom allows the mechanism to transition between different spatial configurations, accommodating both horizontal and vertical button orientations without requiring different fixed designs for the cabinet door.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the operating mechanism uses fixed actuating components with offset ends, then it can accommodate different button orientations, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The operating mechanism is designed as a universal solution that can accommodate both horizontal and vertical button orientations through a single mechanism design. The frame with offset actuating components serves multiple functions by rotating to different positions, eliminating the need for separate mechanisms for different orientations and reducing overall system complexity despite the added rotational capability.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Discloses herein is an operating mechanism for a circuit breaker, the circuit breaker having two operating buttons. The operating mechanism comprises a frame configured to rotate about a first rotation axis and means for rotating the frame about the first rotation axis, from a first position to a second position, in response to first user actuation. The operating mechanism further comprises two actuating components, each having a first end and a second end. The first ends of the two actuating components are offset from each other in a first direction, and the second ends of the two actuating components are offset from each other in a second direction. Each actuating component is configured to be moved in a third direction in response to second user actuation at the first end, wherein the first, second, and third directions are different. The operating mechanism also comprises two extension rods retained within the frame. In use, the operating mechanism is configured such that: when the frame is in the first position, the second ends of the two actuating components actuate the operating buttons of the circuit breaker in response to the second user actuation; and when the frame is in the second position, the two extension rods are aligned with the second ends of the two actuating components, and the two extension rods actuate the operating buttons of the circuit breaker in response to the second user actuation. A system comprising the operating mechanism is also disclosed.