2029results about "Protective switch details" patented technology

The subject matter of the present invention is a load breaker arrangement (1) for switching on and off a DC current of a DC current circuit in a photovoltaic plant with a semiconductor switching element (4) to avoid a switching arc, there being provided an electronic control unit (5) configured such that one or more signals are received by the control unit, and the load breaker arrangement (1) being configured such that in at least one current-carrying line of the DC current circuit there is galvanic separation by a switching contact that is automatically controllable by the control unit (5) in the switched-off condition and one or more control signals being transmitted to the load breaker arrangement (1) and a semiconductor switching element (4) interrupting the DC current so that the switching contact is de-energized, whereby

• • the signals are flaw signals that are received in case of a flaw in the PV generator, inverter or on the AC side, the DC current circuit being automatically switched on or off by the control signals in case of at least one flaw,
  • said arrangement being configured such that, during switch off,
  • said semiconductor switching element (4) is at first closed in a first step,
  • the switching contacts (K1, K2) of a first switching means are opened in a second step for the DC current to flow through said semiconductor switching element (4),
  • said semiconductor switching element (4) being again opened in a third step and
  • switching contacts (K1, K2) of a second switching means being opened in order to cause galvanic separation to occur
  • and that an additional manually operable load breaker (8) is connected, said manually operable load breaker (8) being a manually breakable DC current connecting system with plug contacts for photovoltaic plants that is provided with an electronic arc quenching system.

The present invention is directed to a circuit and method for self-testing a protection device for use in an AC power distribution system. The device is configured to be coupled between an AC power distribution system and at least one load. The method includes the step of introducing a simulated ground neutral fault during a first predetermined half cycle half cycle of the AC power. An attempt is made to detect the introduced simulated grounded neutral fault during the first predetermined half cycle half cycle. A fault condition is signaled if the introduced simulated grounded neutral fault is not detected within a predetermined period of time.

The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring protection device including a housing assembly including at least one receptacle, the at least one receptacle being configured to receive plug contact blades inserted therein. The housing assembly includes a hot line terminal, a neutral line terminal, a hot load terminal, a neutral load terminal, a hot user-accessible receptacle contact, and a neutral user accessible receptacle contact. A fault detection circuit is coupled to the hot line terminal and the neutral line terminal. The fault detection circuit is configured to detect at least one fault condition and provide a fault detect signal in response thereto. An interrupting contact assembly is coupled to the fault detection circuit. A weld breaker mechanism is coupled to the interrupting contact assembly. The weld breaker mechanism is configured to strike the first pair of contacts and/or the second pair of contacts in response to the tripping stimulus.

The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring protection device that includes a housing assembly having at least one receptacle. The receptacle is configured to receive plug contact blades inserted therein. The housing assembly includes a hot line terminal, a neutral line terminal, a hot load terminal, and a neutral load terminal. A set of receptacle contacts is disposed in the housing assembly and in communication with the receptacle. The receptacle contacts includes a hot user-accessible load contact and a neutral user accessible load contact. A fault detection circuit is coupled to the test assembly. The fault detection circuit is configured to detect at least one fault condition and provide a fault detect signal in response thereto. A four-pole interrupting contact assembly is coupled to the fault detection circuit and includes a set of four-pole interrupting contacts. A reset mechanism is coupled to the four-pole interrupting contact assembly. The reset mechanism includes a reset button and a reset actuator configured to reestablish electrical continuity between the first pair of hot contacts, the second pair of hot contacts, the first pair of neutral contacts, and the second pair of neutral contacts in response to a reset stimulus.

The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring protection device that includes a housing assembly having at least one line terminal and at least one load terminal partially disposed therein. A first conductive path is electrically coupled to the at least one line terminal. A second conductive path is electrically coupled to the at least one load terminal, the second conductive path being connected to the first conductive path in a reset state. A fault detection circuit is coupled to the first conductive path. The fault detection circuit is configured to generate a fault detection signal in response to detecting at least one fault condition. A wiring state detection circuit is coupled to the first conductive path. The wiring state detection circuit selectively provides a wiring state detection signal when the at least one line terminal is coupled to a source of AC power, and not providing the wiring state detection signal otherwise. An actuator assembly is configured to provide an actuation stimulus in response to the fault detection signal or the wiring state detection signal. A circuit interrupter is coupled to the actuator assembly. The circuit interrupter is configured to disconnect the first conductive path and the second conductive path in response to the actuation stimulus.

Electrical fire risks and consumer safety are major concerns driving regulators worldwide to implement more stringent electrical code and enforcement. While there are many commercially available protective devices available, none affords total protection, and they are made and classified only to protect circuits from specific or limited number of faults.

This invention is about an apparatus, system and method for protection of electrical circuits and consumers from literally all known electrical faults in Direct Current (DC) and Alternating Current (AC) single and multi-phase systems such as and including Arc Faults, Ground and Leakage Faults, Surge, Overload, Short Circuit, Glowing Connections, Miswired Connections, overvoltage, undervoltage and Phase-Loss. Said apparatus, system and method come in the form of or in a housing as a Circuit Breaker, Receptacle, Convenience Outlet, Attachment Plug, Equipment Controller, a circuit, or a system integrated with another system, device or apparatus.

A self testing fault detector having a line side and a load side and a conductive path there between. The apparatus includes a solenoid, which is adapted to move a plurality of contacts disposed in the conductive path from a first position to a second position when the self testing device is powered from the line side; and a processor, which is adapted to energize the solenoid using a first switch and maintain said solenoid in the energized state using a second switch.

A ground fault circuit interrupting device detects an end-of-life condition. A ground fault detecting circuit detects a fault condition and controllably operates a switching device to energize a circuit interrupting device. An end-of-life detecting circuit detects a failure of the circuit interrupting device to open after detection of the fault condition, and activates a secondary circuit to energize the circuit interrupting device.

A self test (ST) ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) provides improved end of life (EOL) detection by rejecting false EOL information. A processing device receives fault detection signals indicating when faults are detected, and input signals indicating when contacts used to interrupt power to a load are closed. The processing device rejects the fault detection signals when they fail to meet a selected condition and the contacts are closed, and declares end of life (EOL) when the selected condition is met. The fault detection signals can correspond to pulses at an output of a gated device between the processing device and a GFCI chip, and the selected condition can be a selected integer number of pulses.

A self test (ST) ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) provides a half wave rectifier for powering circuitry for determining and annunciating end of life (EOL) of the GFCI regardless of a shorted diode bridge or opening of a printed circuit board (PCB) trace. A fuse resistor is provided to open before an open PCB trace can occur. A microprocessor-controlled heat-conducting circuit is provided adjacent to a thermal fuse to controllably open the thermal fuse and remove power from face receptacle contacts and load terminals when EOL occurs.

The invention discloses a no-arc cut-off hybrid direct-current circuit breaker. The no-arc cut-off hybrid direct-current circuit breaker comprises a high-speed vacuum switch, an LC forced branch circuit of a turn-off device with a power electronic gate, a voltage-sharing capacitor, an over-voltage limiting circuit and a control system, wherein the high-speed vacuum switch VB, the LC forced branch circuit and the over-voltage limiting circuit are connected in parallel. The turn-off device of the LC forced branch circuit is controlled to be conducted and turned off so that the no-arc opening of the high-speed vacuum switch can be realized, and electric current in the high-speed vacuum switch limits di/dt in a smaller range within a short period of time before zero passage, thus the problem that electric arcs ablate switch contacts is eliminated in the cut-off process of the contacts, simultaneously, the recovery character of a medium between the contacts is good under the no-arc breaking condition, and the over-voltage is low, and the break-time is short in the breaking process under the low di/dt condition.

An overvoltage protection device includes first and second electrically conductive electrode members, a varistor member formed of a varistor material and electrically connected with each of the first and second electrode members, and an electrically conductive, meltable member. The meltable member is responsive to heat in the device to melt and form a current flow path between the first and second electrode members through the meltable member.

Disclosed is a current-limiting circuit breaker including first and second mechanical switches connected in series with each other, a first diode, and a first snubber circuit, each connected in parallel across both ends of the first mechanical switch, and a second diode, and a second snubber circuit, each connected in parallel across both ends of the second mechanical switch.

The present invention is directed to an electrical wiring device that includes an automatic self-test assembly coupled to the plurality of line terminals or the plurality of load terminals, the detection circuit, the fault detection circuit and the circuit interrupter assembly. The automatic self-test assembly is configured to cause the detection circuit to generate a simulated sensor fault signal during a predetermined half-cycle of an AC line cycle in accordance with a predetermined periodic testing schedule, monitor the fault detection signal corresponding to the simulated sensor fault signal, and generate a test result signal based on monitoring the fault detection signal. The automatic self-test assembly also includes a noise immunized decision circuit configured to evaluate a plurality of test results to thereby provide a noise immunized end-of-life signal. One of the conductive paths that connects the plurality of line terminals and the plurality of load terminals being interrupted in response to the noise immunized end-of-life signal.

An improved exhaust baffle for a circuit protective device such as a circuit breaker utilizes material having elastomeric characteristics to provide for variable apertures where the cross-sectional opening of the apertures is dependent on the pressure gradient across the exhaust baffle, thereby effectively controlling arc pressure and arc effluent during short circuit interruption. Fabrication of the exhaust baffle with geometric symmetry about one or more axes or planes also facilitates assembly during product construction.