Abstract: A circuit breaker includes main circuit contact shoes disposed in a circuit breaker case and urged by a contact spring, a contact opening and closing mechanism located above the contact shoes and including an opening and closing lever, a toggle link, an opening and closing handle and a latch, and an overcurrent tripping device located above the contact shoes. The toggle link includes a first link extending between the opening and closing lever and a toggle shaft located above, and a second link extending between the toggle shaft and the latch to overlap the first link in the V-form, and an opening and closing spring extends between the toggle shaft and a tip of a handle lever coupled to the opening and closing handle to extend downward. As a result, a space occupied by the contact opening and closing mechanism section in the height direction can be reduced to make the circuit breaker more compact.

Abstract: In a make-and-break mechanism for use in a circuit breaker, an alarm output plate 56, which is disposed so as to be slidable in the vertical direction along the frame (cover plate) 27 of the make-and-break mechanism, is secured to the engaging projection 27d of the cover plate 27 through a pair of right and left guide holes 57 formed therein. At the same time, one end of a handle spring 59, which, in the trip operation, is used to rotate an operation handle 26 to a trip display position, is caught on the alarm output plate 56.

Abstract: The present invention is embodied in a system and method for automatically detecting desired clusters within a data space with a radial spanning device. The radial spanning system and method finds, within a data space, connected clusters or “blobs” defined by a cluster of data points. Given a probability density on data points for class inclusion and a seed point in the data space, the radial spanning system and method of the present invention finds an approximately, strongly connected cluster of data points of that class. Exploratory spokes are traversed radially outward from the seed point. Each spoke has a start point (seed point) and a final endpoint and is governed by forces based on underlying data space data points, class probability densities, internal expansion, and interspoke springs. The final endpoints of the spokes are connected to form a polygon that circumscribes the cluster of data points found.

Abstract: An insulated container of a circuit breaker is divided into three vertically-arranged portions including a case, a middle case, and a cover. A fixed contact shoe and a movable contact shoe are accommodated in the case. An opening and closing mechanism and an overcurrent trip device are accommodated in the middle case. A holder slidably passing through a hole in a bottom wall of the middle case by an operation of the opening and closing mechanism is moved linearly and perpendicularly to the bottom wall to open and close the movable contact shoe. A gap in the hole between the holder and the bottom wall is very small due to the straight movement of the holder, so that an arc gas generated in the case is completely shut down by the bottom wall and does not reach the opening and closing mechanism in the middle case during current interruption.

Abstract: A U-shaped magnetic plate is positioned on the side of a movable contact shoe opposite to a fixed contact shoe, and the tips of the respective legs of the magnetic plate face via a gap the movable contact shoe in a closed condition of the movable contact shoe. A magnetic plate is attached to the surface of the movable contact shoe at the side of the fixed contact, so that the magnetic plates form a closed magnetic circuit surrounding the movable contact shoe. If a high current, such as short circuit current, flows, a magnetic flux passing through the closed magnetic circuit induces an attractive force between the upper end surfaces of the U-shaper magnetic plate and the end surface of the magnetic plate. Accordingly, the movable contact shoe is rapidly opened to quickly interrupt the current, before a signal from an overcurrent trip apparatus operates an opening and closing mechanism. The opening speed of the movable contact shoe is increased when high current flows.

Abstract: A switching mechanism for a circuit breaker includes a frame; a latch rotatably supported on the frame; a holder rotatably supported on the frame and having a movable contact; a handle lever rockably supported on the frame by lever shafts; a toggle link formed of first and second links rotationally connected by a toggle shaft; and a switching spring. A free end of the first link is rotatably connected to the latch, and a free end of the second link is rotatably connected to the holder. The first and second links generally overlap each other to reduce the movement range of the toggle link to miniaturize a switching mechanism. The switching spring is situated between the toggle shaft and the handle lever at a side opposite to a switching handle with respect to the lever shaft.

Abstract: A circuit breaker includes a current path for first and second contacts connected in series in an insulative container. When an overcurrent occurs by over load, the second contact is opened based on a command from a time delay trip portion of an overcurrent trip device. When a short-circuit current occurs, the first and second contacts are opened based on a command from an instantaneous trip portion of the overcurrent trip device. Since the first and second contacts are contained in a common container, the wiring works between the first contact and the second contact is unnecessary. Since the first and second contacts are opened in the instantaneous trip, interruption of a high short-circuit current is facilitated.

Abstract: A vision-based controller provides translational and rotational control signals to a computer or other input driven device. The controller includes a tracked object, positioned in space and having at least a first reference point and a second reference point. The tracked object is capable of three dimensional rotational and translational movement. At least one imaging device, positioned at a distance from the tracked object, generates an image of the tracked object, at plural succeeding times. A processor unit receives the image, comprised of pixel values, from the imaging device; identifies pixels corresponding to a current center of the tracked object, the first reference point and the second reference point; determines a current dimension (i.e., size or radius) of the tracked object; calculates a translational and rotational displacement of the tracked object based on the above information; and generates control signals in accordance with the transitional and rotational displacement.