An anti-bounce dampener assembly for dampening the closing impact force between vacuum interrupter contacts. The dampener assembly includes a dampening spring positioned within a contact adapter, a guide tube extending through the contact adapter and the spring, where the guide tube is coupled to a fixed contact stem, and a bolt extending through the guide tube and being rigidly secured to the fixed contact stem. An impact force caused when the vacuum interrupter contacts contact each other when the vacuum interrupter is closed causes the fixed contact stem, the guide tube, the bolt and the vacuum interrupter to move against the bias of the spring and dampen the impact force. A flexible strap is electrically coupled to the fixed contact stem and the contact adapter, and flexes when the stem moves so as to maintain electrical coupling between the fixed contact stem and the contact adapter.

A contact bounce reduction system including: a movable member, and a contact bounce damping device including: a body, a first ball and a second ball, a first resilient member and a second resilient member, a piston. The first resilient member holds the first ball in the seat and the second resilient member holds the second ball in the seat when the piston is in a default extended position, and a third resilient member biases the piston towards the default extended position. The movable member actuates the piston towards the retracted position, causing the first ball and the second ball to move radially out from the seat, and the third resilient member to accumulate energy.

A vacuum circuit breaker comprises a vacuum interrupter operable between a closed state and an open state, and an actuator. The actuator comprises a piezoelectric driving element that is expandable and contractable along an expansion axis in response to an electrical input signal. The actuator further comprises a mechanical amplifying structure extendable along an actuation axis and being mechanically coupled to the piezoelectric driver such that expansion or contraction of said piezoelectric driving element causes the amplifying structure to extend or retract along the actuation axis. The mechanical amplifying structure is coupled to the vacuum interrupter for operating the vacuum interrupter between said closed and open states.

A contact bounce reduction system including: a movable member, and a contact bounce damping device including: a body, a first ball and a second ball, a first resilient member and a second resilient member, a piston. The first resilient member holds the first ball in the seat and the second resilient member holds the second ball in the seat when the piston is in a default extended position, and a third resilient member biases the piston towards the default extended position. The movable member actuates the piston towards the retracted position, causing the first ball and the second ball to move radially out from the seat, and the third resilient member to accumulate energy.

A switching contact assembly for an electrical switching element includes a contact bridge, a base, and a spring assembly. The contact bridge is attached to the base with the spring assembly between the contact bridge and the base. The contact bridge attached to the base is resilient in a direction opposite a switching direction.

Provided is an electrostatic drive switch, which includes a source plate to which a voltage for driving the electrostatic drive switch is applied and a drain electrode spaced apart from the source plate. The source plate includes a source electrode and an elastic part connected to the source electrode, and a first material and a second material having lower hardness than the first material are provided on the source electrode. When the source electrode and the drain electrode are electrically connected to each other by the voltage, the second material is brought into contact with the drain electrode by the elastic part after the first material is brought into contact with the drain electrode by the elastic part.

A relay includes first and second fixed contacts, first and second fixed terminals, first and second movable contacts, a movable contact piece, a drive shaft, a stopper, and a housing. The drive shaft supports the movable contact piece to be movable relative to the drive shaft. The stopper is connected to the drive shaft above the movable contact piece. The stopper restricts an upward movement of the movable contact piece with respect to the drive shaft. The drive shaft is configured to move to an open position and a closed position. The closed position is located above the open position. The first fixed terminal includes a first uppermost portion in the housing. The second fixed terminal includes a second uppermost portion in the housing. In a state where the drive shaft is at the closed position, the stopper is located below the first uppermost portion and the second uppermost portion.

A first yoke is arranged in a contact direction with respect to a movable contact piece. A second yoke is arranged in an opening direction with respect to the movable contact piece. The first yoke and the second yoke are configured to generate a magnetic force that attracts the first yoke and the second yoke to each other when the movable contact contacts the fixed contact and is energized. The first yoke and the second yoke are arranged not to contact each other so that the movable contact piece can contact the fixed terminal in a state where the movable contact and the fixed contact are lost.

A contact press-on assembly for a switching contact piece of an electrical switching unit has a first stop and a second stop. A spring element extends between the two stops, wherein the first stop can move relative to the second stop. The second stop provides a counterbearing for the first stop, wherein a rotary bearing for the spring element can move together with the first stop.

A relay includes a fixed contact, a movable contact piece including a movable contact, a movable portion, a coil, a return spring, and a contact spring. The movable portion includes a drive shaft and a movable iron core. The drive shaft is fixed to the movable contact piece in a contact case and extends from an inside of the contact case to an outside of the contact case. The movable iron core is connected to the drive shaft outside the contact case. The return spring urges the movable portion in an open direction in which the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact. The contact spring urges the drive shaft in a contact direction in which the movable contact contacts the fixed contact. The contact spring is arranged outside the contact case.