Circuit Breaker and Network Management Method

Abstract

A networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking, a circuit breaker and a networking management method, wherein the networking plug-in comprises a plug-in shell and a wireless radio frequency module arranged in the plug-in shell, the networking plug-in is used to be installed on an electronic controller of the circuit breaker and connected to the electronic controller of the circuit breaker, and the wireless radio frequency module is used to store parameter information including networking parameters of the circuit breaker; the circuit breaker comprises an electronic controller, on which a networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking is installed; the networking management method comprises installing a circuit breaker provided with a networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking according to the networking design of the circuit breaker, wherein a host computer or a master station communicates with the circuit breaker according to a configured communication address, thereby realizing networking management, and having high efficiency in terms of construction and configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of low-voltage electrical appliances, and in particular to a networking plug-in and a networking management method for circuit breaker communication networking. Background Art

[0002] Circuit breaker communication networking usually connects dozens or even hundreds of intelligent circuit breakers with a certain hierarchical relationship through a host computer or a master station through a communication medium to achieve data interaction.

[0003] In the early days of circuit breaker communication networking, the communication address configuration of the circuit breaker usually needed to be manually configured on site. One way was to install a dip switch on the surface of the product and configure the communication address of each intelligent circuit breaker by adjusting the dip switch. However, this installation method firstly occupies a large volume of the dip switch, and secondly, the address range is limited, and it is also a test for the sealing of the product; another way is to go to the site with a handheld device to provide auxiliary power to the product and configure the communication address. No matter which of the above methods requires manual configuration on site, it is undoubtedly more troublesome for on-site assembly.

[0004] In addition, with this type of circuit breaker communication networking, the host computer or master station usually cannot flexibly obtain more individual information of the intelligent circuit breaker, such as installation location information, asset management information, etc., and cannot obtain product-related information after the circuit breaker is powered off. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a networking plug-in, a circuit breaker and a networking management method for circuit breaker communication networking.

[0006] The present invention is implemented by the following technical solutions:

[0007] The present invention provides a networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking, comprising a plug-in shell and a wireless radio frequency module arranged in the plug-in shell, wherein the networking plug-in is used to be installed on an electronic controller of the circuit breaker and connected to the electronic controller of the circuit breaker, and the wireless radio frequency module is used to store parameter information including networking parameters of the circuit breaker.

[0008] Preferably, the wireless RF module includes an RF antenna, an RF IC, and an external interface circuit, and the RF IC is connected to the RF antenna and the external interface circuit respectively; the RF antenna is used to induce an electromagnetic field to provide working energy for the wireless RF module, and the RF IC has a contact interface and a non-contact interface, the contact interface is used to connect to the electronic controller of the circuit breaker through the external interface circuit for data interaction, and the non-contact interface is used to interact with the RF host through radio frequency.

[0009] Preferably, the wireless radio frequency module includes a module circuit board, on which the radio frequency antenna, radio frequency IC, external interface circuit and plug-in terminals are mounted, and the plug-in terminals are arranged on the back of the module circuit board for plugging and unplugging with the electronic controller of the circuit breaker. The front of the module circuit board is also provided with an indicator light and a display unit.

[0010] Preferably, a plug-in terminal is provided on the back of the plug-in housing, and the wireless radio frequency module is connected to the electronic controller through the plug-in terminal for data exchange.

[0011] Preferably, a plug-in display unit is provided on the front of the plug-in housing for displaying configured parameter information, wherein the parameter information includes any one or more of installation level, product level, communication address, location information, product function parameters and product status information.

[0012] Preferably, an indicator light is provided on the front of the plug-in housing to indicate whether the product communication address is the default one.

[0013] The present invention further provides a circuit breaker, comprising an electronic controller, on which the above-mentioned networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking is installed.

[0014] Preferably, when powered on for the first time, the electronic controller of the circuit breaker reads parameter information of the networking plug-in used for the communication networking of the circuit breaker, updates its own parameter information, and writes the parameter information into its own non-volatile memory.

[0015] Preferably, the electronic controller periodically writes its own updated data into the networking plug-in, and the written updated data includes product function parameters and / or product status information; when a fault occurs, the electronic controller writes the fault information into the networking plug-in.

[0016] The present invention also provides a networking management method for a circuit breaker, comprising the following steps: installing at least one circuit breaker provided with a networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking according to the networking design of the circuit breaker, connecting the circuit breaker to a host computer or a master station network, and the circuit breaker serves as a circuit breaker slave station; acquiring parameter information corresponding to the circuit breaker based on the installation position information of the circuit breaker, the parameter information including a communication address, connecting an external radio frequency device to the networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking of the circuit breaker through a radio frequency method, and writing parameter information corresponding to the circuit breaker into the networking plug-in; when the circuit breaker is powered on for the first time, the electronic controller of the circuit breaker reads parameter information from the corresponding networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking, updates its own parameter information, and writes the parameter information into its own non-volatile memory, the parameter information including the networking parameters of the circuit breaker; configuring the communication address of the circuit breaker slave station in the host computer or the master station according to the networking design of the circuit breaker, and the host computer or the master station communicates with the circuit breaker according to the configured communication address.

[0017] The networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking of the present invention is used to be installed on the electronic controller of the circuit breaker and connected to the electronic controller of the circuit breaker. The wireless radio frequency module is used to store parameter information including the networking parameters of the circuit breaker. At the networking construction site, the circuit breaker does not need to be powered and communication configuration can be performed using an external radio frequency host.

[0018] When the circuit breaker is powered on for the first time, the electronic controller of the circuit breaker reads the parameter information of the networking plug-in used for the circuit breaker communication networking, updates its own parameter information, and implements the networking parameter configuration.

[0019] The host computer or master station communicates with the circuit breaker slave station according to the known configured communication address to realize data interaction, and builds the network topology according to the obtained circuit breaker slave station data to realize network management, construction and configuration with high efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the cooperation between the electronic controller, the networking plug-in and the external radio frequency device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a front view of an embodiment of a networking plug-in of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 is a side view of an embodiment of a networking plug-in of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a topology diagram of the network design of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following is combined with Figures 1 to 4 The given examples further illustrate the specific implementation methods of the networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking, circuit breaker and networking management method of the present invention. The networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking, circuit breaker and networking management method of the present invention are not limited to the description of the following examples.

[0025] The circuit breaker communication network is usually connected through a host computer or a master station through a communication medium to realize data interaction. The intelligent circuit breaker usually includes a contact mechanism, an operating mechanism and a tripping protection mechanism arranged in the circuit breaker housing, which are used to realize the normal opening and closing operation of the circuit, as well as overload, short circuit, leakage, undervoltage and / or overvoltage protection; it also includes an electronic controller installed on the circuit breaker housing, which is used for information collection, fault protection and communication with the host computer or the master station of the circuit breaker. The electronic controller usually includes a control unit, a current sampling unit, a voltage sampling unit, a communication unit and / or a tripping drive unit. The control unit is a microprocessor MCU or a single-chip microcomputer. The control unit can collect circuit information based on the current sampling unit and the voltage sampling unit, judge whether there is a fault based on the circuit information, and drive the circuit breaker to trip for protection through the tripping drive unit; the control unit can communicate with the host computer or the master station through the communication unit to exchange data, such as uploading the collected circuit information, receiving the control signal of the host computer or the master station to break or close the circuit, modify the circuit breaker parameters, etc. This all belongs to the prior art in this field and will not be described in detail.

[0026] In order to realize the communication connection between the intelligent circuit breaker and the host computer or the master station, in addition to the corresponding network hardware connection, the circuit breaker needs to be configured with parameter information including the communication address. One of the improvements of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker that is easy to configure for communication. At the networking construction site, the circuit breaker does not need to be powered and can be configured for communication using an external radio frequency host.

[0027] The circuit breaker of the present invention includes an electronic controller, on which a networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking is installed. The networking plug-in includes a plug-in shell and a wireless radio frequency module arranged in the plug-in shell. The networking plug-in is used to be installed on the electronic controller of the circuit breaker and connected to the electronic controller of the circuit breaker. The wireless radio frequency module is used to store parameter information including networking parameters of the circuit breaker.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, the electronic controller 1 of this embodiment is installed with a networking plug-in 2 for circuit breaker communication networking, and the external radio frequency device 3 is connected to the networking plug-in 2 for circuit breaker communication networking of the circuit breaker through radio frequency, and the external radio frequency device 3 can write and or read the parameter information of the plug-in 2. The electronic controller 1 is installed on the circuit breaker. When the circuit breaker does not need to be powered, the user can obtain the parameter information corresponding to the circuit breaker according to the electrical networking design, and write it into the plug-in 2 through the external radio frequency device 3 for configuration. The parameter information includes networking parameters. When powered on for the first time, the electronic controller of the circuit breaker reads the parameter information of the networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking, updates its own parameter information, and writes the parameter information into its own non-volatile memory; the parameter information includes networking parameters, such as communication address, and the configuration of the network parameters of the circuit breaker is completed after the circuit breaker updates its own parameter information.

[0029] like Figure 1-3 As shown, the networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking in this embodiment is installed on the front panel of the electronic controller 1, and the networking plug-in 2 includes a plug-in shell and a wireless radio frequency module 23 installed in the plug-in shell. Preferably, the wireless radio frequency module 23 includes a radio frequency antenna, a radio frequency IC and an external interface circuit, and the radio frequency IC is connected to the radio frequency antenna and the external interface circuit respectively; the radio frequency antenna is used to induce an electromagnetic field to provide working energy for the wireless radio frequency module to achieve passivity; the radio frequency IC has a contact interface and a non-contact interface, the contact interface is used to connect to the electronic controller of the circuit breaker through the external interface circuit for data interaction, and the non-contact interface is used to interact with the radio frequency host through radio frequency. The model of the radio frequency IC in this embodiment is FM11NT081DI.

[0030] Optionally, a connector terminal 24 is provided on the back of the plug-in housing, and the plug-in is installed on the front panel of the electronic controller and plugged in. The external interface circuit of the wireless RF module is connected to the electronic controller through the connector terminal 24 for data exchange, and the plug-in and the electronic controller can be conveniently plugged in and out.

[0031] Optionally, a plug-in display unit 22 is provided on the front of the plug-in housing for displaying parameter information of the configured product (circuit breaker), wherein the parameter information includes installation level, product level, communication address, location information, product function parameters and / or product status information, etc. Any one or more of the above parameter information may be displayed, and other parameters may be added as needed.

[0032] Optionally, an indicator light 21 is provided on the front of the plug-in housing to indicate whether the product communication address is the default. For example, when the plug-in uses the indicator light 21 for indication, when the product communication address is the default factory address, the indicator light 21 is off; when it is a non-default factory address, the indicator light 21 is lit at intervals.

[0033] A preferred embodiment is that a module circuit board for fixing and assembling a wireless RF module 23 is provided in the plug-in shell, and the connector terminals 24 are welded on the back of the module circuit board to realize a reliable and stable connection between the external interface circuit of the RF IC and the electronic controller circuit; a plug-in display unit 22 and an indicator light 21 are welded on the front of the module circuit board; and a display window and an indicator hole are provided in the plug-in shell corresponding to the plug-in display unit 22 and the indicator light 21.

[0034] The circuit breaker networking of the present invention uses a networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking to realize the networking management of circuit breaker communication, and provides a circuit breaker networking management method. The technical solution is as follows:

[0035] The circuit breaker of this embodiment has an electronic controller with a networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking as standard. The wireless radio frequency module of the networking plug-in stores parameter information including the networking parameters of the circuit breaker. In one embodiment, the factory default parameter information of the wireless radio frequency module includes: access rights, initial password, product level, communication address, location information, product function parameters, product status information, and networking communication password.

[0036] Preferably, in the parameter information, the access rights include read-only and read-write, and the access rights are positively correlated with the password (initial password) level, which can be consistent with the network communication password. The network communication password may not be set as needed, or the password (initial password) may be used as the network communication password.

[0037] The product level is the networking topology level; the networking parameters include the communication address, which is a network ID that is guaranteed to be unique in the network; the location information is the actual installation location of the product to achieve physical positioning; the product function parameters and product status information mainly include information related to the product function and status stored in the electronic controller of the circuit breaker, which is convenient for viewing and setting the product through the RF host when the product is powered off.

[0038] The user installs the circuit breaker at the construction site according to the design drawing, including the installation location of the circuit breaker, the circuit connection of the circuit breaker, and the network connection. The topology diagram of the network connection can be referred to Figure 4 , the user connects the circuit breaker to the host computer or the master station network according to the networking design of the circuit breaker, and the circuit breaker serves as a circuit breaker slave station.

[0039] According to the network design, the user obtains the parameter information corresponding to the circuit breaker based on the installation location information of the circuit breaker, and the parameter information includes the networking parameters of the circuit breaker, and the networking parameters include the communication address and the networking communication password. The external radio frequency device is connected to the networking plug-in of the circuit breaker for the circuit breaker communication networking through radio frequency, and the parameter information corresponding to the circuit breaker is written into the networking plug-in. For example, see Figure 4 , based on the installation position of the circuit breaker being 501, the product level of the circuit breaker is determined to be 1 and the communication address is 5 from the networking design drawing. The on-site construction user modifies the parameter information of the networking plug-in of the circuit breaker through an external radio frequency device without power supply, and writes the product level 1 and the communication address 5 into the networking plug-in. It should be noted that the installation position 501 here is only a schematic description, and it can also be described in combination with specific text, numbers or numbers; the communication address 5 is only a schematic description, and it can be a different communication address according to different networking methods, such as 192.168.0.100. In addition, only part of the parameter information is listed in the figure, and more parameter information can be configured as needed, including access rights, initial passwords, product levels, communication addresses, location information, product function parameters, product status information, networking communication passwords, etc.

[0040] After the construction and configuration information are completed, the circuit is connected, and when the circuit breaker is powered on for the first time, the electronic controller of the intelligent circuit breaker reads the parameter information of the networking plug-in through the interface circuit, updates its own operating parameters, and writes the read parameter information into its own non-volatile memory to bind with the networking plug-in. The parameter information includes the communication address of the networking parameters of the circuit breaker. In daily operation, the electronic controller of the circuit breaker can regularly write its own updated data into the networking plug-in to realize local viewing during power outages. The written updated data may include product function parameters and / or product status information. When a fault occurs, the electronic controller writes the fault information into the networking plug-in. When there is no power outage, this information can be viewed through the electronic controller. When the circuit breaker is powered off, especially when the power is off due to a fault, the above information is stored in the networking plug-in. The external radio frequency device can read the relevant information in the networking plug-in to view the information of the circuit breaker and the cause of the fault. During the operation of the circuit breaker, when the product communication address is the default factory address, the indicator light 21 is off; if the communication address is reconfigured to a non-default factory address, the indicator light 21 is lit at intervals.

[0041] According to the networking design of the circuit breaker, the communication address of the circuit breaker slave is configured in the host computer or the master station. The host computer or the master station communicates with the circuit breaker slave station according to the known configured communication address to realize data interaction, and builds the network topology according to the obtained circuit breaker slave station data to realize networking management. When the networking communication password is set, the host computer communicates with the circuit breaker slave station according to the communication address, and authenticates through the networking communication password, and then exchanges data after authentication to improve security.

[0042] Based on the networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking and the networking management method for circuit breaker in the embodiment, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0043] 1. At the networking construction site, the circuit breaker does not need to be powered, and communication configuration can be performed using an external RF host.

[0044] 2. The master station can build network topology based on configuration information to achieve asset management.

[0045] 3. When the product is under maintenance or there is a power outage due to a fault, the RF host can be used to set product parameters or view fault information locally.

[0046] The above contents are further detailed descriptions of the present invention in combination with specific preferred embodiments, and it cannot be determined that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, several simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, which should be regarded as falling within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A circuit breaker, comprising an electronic controller mounted on a circuit breaker housing, the electronic controller comprising a non-volatile memory, a control unit, a current sampling unit, a communication unit and a tripping drive unit, the control unit determines whether there is a fault based on circuit information collected by the current sampling unit, and drives the circuit breaker to trip for protection through the tripping drive unit, characterized in that: A networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking is installed on the electronic controller, and the networking plug-in includes a plug-in shell and a wireless radio frequency module arranged in the plug-in shell. The networking plug-in is pluggable with the electronic controller, installed on the electronic controller and connected to the electronic controller, and the wireless radio frequency module is used to store parameter information including the networking parameters of the circuit breaker; when powered on for the first time, the electronic controller reads the parameter information of the networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking, updates its own parameter information, and writes the parameter information into its own non-volatile memory.

2. A circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electronic controller periodically writes its own updated data into the networking plug-in, and the written updated data includes product function parameters and / or product status information; when a fault occurs, the electronic controller writes the fault information into the networking plug-in.

3. A circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wireless RF module includes an RF antenna, an RF IC, and an external interface circuit, wherein the RF IC is connected to the RF antenna and the external interface circuit respectively; the RF antenna is used to induce an electromagnetic field to provide working energy for the wireless RF module, and the RF IC has a contact interface and a non-contact interface, wherein the contact interface is used to connect to an electronic controller of a circuit breaker through an external interface circuit for data exchange, and the non-contact interface is used to exchange data with an RF host through radio frequency.

4. A circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wireless radio frequency module includes a module circuit board, on which a radio frequency antenna, a radio frequency IC, an external interface circuit and plug-in terminals are all installed. The plug-in terminals are arranged on the back of the module circuit board for plugging and unplugging with the electronic controller of the circuit breaker; an indicator light and a plug-in display unit are also provided on the front of the module circuit board.

5. A circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plug-in terminal is provided on the back of the plug-in shell, and the wireless radio frequency module is connected to the electronic controller through the plug-in terminal for data exchange.

6. A circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plug-in display unit is provided on the front of the plug-in shell for displaying configured parameter information, wherein the parameter information includes any one or more of installation level, product level, communication address, location information, product function parameters and product status information.

7. A circuit breaker according to claim 1, characterized in that: An indicator light is provided on the front of the plug-in housing to indicate whether the product communication address is the default.

8. A network management method for a circuit breaker, characterized in that: The following steps are included: Install at least one circuit breaker according to any one of claims 1 to 7 according to the network design of the circuit breaker, connect the circuit breaker to the host computer or the master network, and the circuit breaker serves as a circuit breaker slave; Based on the installation location information of the circuit breaker, parameter information corresponding to the circuit breaker is obtained, wherein the parameter information includes a communication address, and the external radio frequency device is connected to a networking plug-in for circuit breaker communication networking of the circuit breaker through a radio frequency method, and the parameter information corresponding to the circuit breaker is written into the networking plug-in; When the circuit breaker is powered on for the first time, the electronic controller of the circuit breaker reads parameter information from the corresponding networking plug-in for the circuit breaker communication networking, updates its own parameter information, and writes the parameter information into its own non-volatile memory, wherein the parameter information includes the networking parameters of the circuit breaker; The communication address of the circuit breaker slave station is configured in the upper computer or the master station according to the networking design of the circuit breaker, and the upper computer or the master station communicates with the circuit breaker according to the configured communication address.

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