RCD mechanism with rotary contact carrier action with manual reset setting a latch that is tripped by a solenoid

摘要

A circuit-breaking mechanism for use as part of a Residual Current Device (RCD) assembly is disclosed. The mechanism has two pairs of fixed contacts (32, 30) . Each contact pair can be bridged by an associated contact bridge (702, 704), both mounted on a movable contact carrier (601) that rotates about a shaft (5) running though the mechanism. One pair of contacts is for connection to a neutral supply and the other for connection to a live supply. A user-activated latching assembly (34) engages the movable contact carrier in a releasable manor with in turn is biased by a contact carrier spring toward a position where the contacts are open. An opposing latch carrier spring is arranged such that when the latching assembly is engaged with the movable contact carrier, the latch carrier spring biases the movable contact carrier towards a closed position. On the sensing of a fault, a solenoid disengages the latch assembly from the movable contact carrier allowing the contact carrier spring to return the mechanism to an open contact position.