US 12,412,713 B2
Contact assembly
Jean Louis Gérard Mathae, Ludvika (SE); and Per Algot Sundqvist, Smedjebacken (SE)
Assigned to HITACHI ENERGY LTD, Zurich (CH)
Appl. No. 18/834,332
Filed by Hitachi Energy Ltd, Zürich (CH)
PCT Filed Aug. 30, 2023, PCT No. PCT/EP2023/073841
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 30, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2024/052194, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 14, 2024.
Claims priority of application No. 22194045 (EP), filed on Sep. 6, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2025/0112012 A1, Apr. 3, 2025
Int. Cl. H01H 33/664 (2006.01)
CPC H01H 33/664 (2013.01) 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A contact assembly for an electrical circuit breaker, for an electrical circuit maker, or for an electrical switch, said contact assembly comprising:
a first contact member electrically connected to a first electrical terminal by means of an electrical cable, by the first contact member being integrally formed with the first electrical terminal or by the first contact member being directly connected to the first electrical terminal,
a second contact member electrically connected to a second electrical terminal,
a third contact member guided for movement along a first longitudinal axis between at least a first contacting position in which the third contact member physically contacts the second contact member, and a non-contacting position in which the third contact member is physically spaced apart from the second contact member by movement of the third contact member a first predetermined distance along the first longitudinal axis away from the first contacting position,
said contact assembly further comprising an elastically deformable and electrically conductive fourth contact member provided between a first abutment surface of the first contact member and a second abutment surface of the third contact member,
wherein the first abutment surface and the second abutment surface are configured such that a distance between the first abutment surface and the second abutment surface increases when the third contact member is moved in a direction along the first longitudinal axis away from the second contact member, and such that the distance between the first abutment surface and the second abutment surface decreases when the third contact member is moved in a direction towards the second contact member, and
wherein the fourth contact member is configured such that the fourth contact member physically contacts both the first abutment surface and the second abutment surface at least when the third contact member is in the first contacting position.