Abstract: A drive mechanism for a circuit breaker or power switch made up of at least one switching unit and comprising a biasing mechanism which can act upon the switching unit, with actuating mechanism for biasing the biasing mechanism, drive mechanism for driving the switching unit under the influence of the energy stored in the biasing mechanism, and mechanism for resetting the switching unit from the driven state. A coupling mechanism in the form of a movement-direction-dependent carrier mechanism is provided whereby the biasing mechanism is brought in its biased state into engagement with the drive mechanism for driving the switching unit and in the driven state of the switching unit the engagement of the biasing mechanism and the drive mechanism is released for resetting the switching unit without operation of the actuating mechanism, and the biasing mechanism and the drive mechanism act upon each other only in the direction of movement opposite to the biasing direction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for moving an element, for instance a movable contact of a switch, from a first end position to a second end position and vice versa and selectively keeping the element in each of the noted end positions, the apparatus comprising an energy buffer (1), for instance a spring, mechanically coupled with the element, which can be in two stationary end conditions corresponding with the noted end positions, or in intermediate translation conditions in which potential energy is transduced into kinetic energy and vice versa, a mass (4) driven by the energy buffer (1) which can be moved to one of two end positions corresponding with the end conditions of the energy buffer, and a locking mechanism (8, 34, 31) for locking the mass (4) in its end positions.