Surge protector and method of operation thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a surge protector, comprising a surge module and a control module, wherein the surge module comprises a high-voltage discharge element and a thermal release, wherein the control module comprises a power supply unit, a detection unit, a processing unit and a transmission unit; the power supply unit is used to obtain alternating current from a power supply line, the power supply unit is used to convert the alternating current in the power supply line into direct current, and the power supply unit comprises an energy storage capacitor for continuing to supply power during power failure; the detection unit is used to detect the voltage at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element, and send the detected voltage signal at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element to the processing unit; the processing unit is used to receive the voltage signal at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure reason signal, determine whether the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is powered off and the power failure reason based on the voltage signal at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure reason signal, and send the power failure reason to the transmission unit; the transmission unit is used to send the power failure reason to an external device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a surge protector and its operating method, and more particularly to a surge protector including a high-voltage discharge element and a thermal trip unit and its operating method. Background Technology

[0002] During thunderstorms, lightning can generate transient overvoltages up to 20 times the rated voltage of the low-voltage power grid, as well as large surge currents. These surge currents can directly enter buildings through power lines or damage equipment inside buildings through induction or ground backflashover, causing things like equipment aging or even complete destruction. To prevent damage to equipment inside buildings from lightning strikes, surge protectors are increasingly being used in power lines. Surge protectors can discharge surge currents to the ground and limit transient overvoltages, such as up to 4kV, to the insulation withstand voltage of equipment, for example, below 1.5kV.

[0003] Surge protectors are typically connected between the phase line and the ground line. They contain a high-voltage discharge element, such as a varistor, which operates similarly to a valve. Under the rated voltage of the power grid, i.e., when there is no transient overvoltage, the high-voltage discharge element is in a high-resistance state, and the surge protector is in an open-circuit state. When a transient overvoltage caused by lightning occurs, the high-voltage discharge element becomes a low-resistance state, and the surge protector becomes conductive. The surge current is discharged to the ground, and the voltage across the equipment is limited to below the specified insulation withstand voltage.

[0004] The high-voltage discharge element in a surge protector can be, for example, a metal oxide varistor (MOV). Design specifications for surge protectors require them to operate normally for 15 cycles at the nominal discharge current without damage. With each surge current impact on the high-voltage discharge element, it gradually ages, causing its leakage current to ground to increase progressively. The thermal trip unit, located inside the surge protector and connected in series with the high-voltage discharge element, will eventually melt due to the increasing leakage current to ground. This can be indicated on the surge protector housing to prompt the user or maintenance personnel to replace the surge protector.

[0005] The aging of high-voltage discharge elements and the melting of thermal trip units are relatively slow processes. In contrast, high-voltage discharge elements may also experience direct short circuits due to faults. In this case, the thermal trip unit may not have enough time to melt, and if the circuit breaker in the line does not trip, a large short-circuit current will flow directly through the surge protector, causing it to burn out or leading to a power line fault. Therefore, a backup circuit breaker (SCB) needs to be connected in series upstream of the surge protector. If a short circuit occurs in the high-voltage discharge element, causing a short-circuit current to flow, the backup circuit breaker will disconnect the short-circuit current. Unlike ordinary circuit breakers (MCBs), SCBs have excellent surge current withstand capability, meaning they can withstand lightning currents without malfunctioning. Furthermore, SCBs also have good overcurrent protection capability at rated voltage. Since the short-circuit current of the high-voltage discharge element is only a few amperes to a dozen amperes under short-circuit conditions, while the breaking action range of the MCB is 5-10 times the rated current, for an MCB with a rated current of 16 amperes, an overcurrent of 160 amperes is required to break the action, which obviously cannot meet the requirements. Therefore, this type of surge protector SCB is designed to break the action for short-circuit currents of only a few amperes to a dozen amperes.

[0006] However, traditional surge protectors cannot report surge protector malfunctions in a timely and accurate manner, making it inconvenient for maintenance personnel to troubleshoot. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This disclosure provides a surge protector that can determine the cause of a power outage and send the cause to an external device when a power failure occurs, thereby facilitating maintenance personnel to identify and troubleshoot the fault.

[0008] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a surge protector, including a surge module and a control module. The surge module includes a high-voltage discharge element and a thermal trip unit. The control module includes a power supply unit, a detection unit, a processing unit, and a transmission unit. In the surge module, a first terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to ground to introduce surge current to the ground, and a second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to a first terminal of the thermal trip unit, the second terminal of which is connected to a power supply line. The power supply unit is connected to the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element to obtain alternating current from the power supply line, and the power supply unit converts the alternating current in the power supply line into direct current required by the detection unit, the processing unit, and the transmission unit. The power supply unit includes an energy storage capacitor for continuing to supply power to the detection unit, the processing unit, and the transmission unit when the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized; the detection unit is used to detect the voltage at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and send the detected voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element to the processing unit; the processing unit is used to receive the voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure reason signal, determine whether the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized and the reason for the power failure based on the voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure reason signal, and send the power failure reason to the transmission unit; the transmission unit is used to send the power failure reason to an external device.

[0009] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the processing unit is configured to determine that the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized when the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is lower than a first threshold.

[0010] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the causes of power failure include: the circuit breaker in the power supply line tripping; the backup protector for the surge protector tripping; and the thermal trip unit tripping.

[0011] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the power failure cause signal includes the circuit breaker's disconnection signal, the backup protector's disconnection signal, and the thermal trip signal; and the processing unit is configured to, upon determining that the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element has lost power: if the circuit breaker's disconnection signal is received, determine that the circuit breaker in the power supply line is disconnected; if the backup protector's disconnection signal is received, determine that the backup protector for the surge protector is disconnected; and if the thermal trip signal is received, determine that the thermal trip is disconnected.

[0012] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the power failure cause signal includes a disconnection signal of the backup protector and a voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit; and the processing unit is configured to, upon determining that the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized: if the disconnection signal of the backup protector is received, determine that the backup protector for the surge protector is disconnected; if the disconnection signal of the backup protector is not received and the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit is higher than a second threshold, determine that the thermal trip unit is disconnected; and if the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit is lower than a first threshold, determine that the circuit breaker in the power supply line is disconnected.

[0013] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the detection unit is further configured to detect the current at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element and send the detected current signal to the processing unit; the processing unit is further configured to determine the remaining lifespan of the high-voltage discharge element based on the current signal; and the transmission unit is further configured to send the remaining lifespan of the high-voltage discharge element to the external device.

[0014] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the surge protector comprises multiple high-voltage discharge elements and thermal trip units, each of which is connected to a phase line of a multi-phase power supply line to form multiple ground lines. The detection unit detects the voltage at the second terminal of each high-voltage discharge element and sends the detected voltage signal at the second terminal of each high-voltage discharge element to the processing unit. The processing unit receives the voltage signal at the second terminal of each high-voltage discharge element and the power outage cause signal on each ground line, determines, based on the voltage signal at the second terminal of each high-voltage discharge element and the power outage cause signal on each ground line, which high-voltage discharge element on which ground line the power outage occurred and the corresponding power outage cause, and sends the power outage cause to the transmission unit. The transmission unit sends the power outage cause and the power outage cause to the external device.

[0015] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the detection unit stops working when a power failure occurs at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element.

[0016] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the processing unit determines the effective value of the voltage signal based on the voltage signal in three-quarters of a voltage cycle.

[0017] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, the transmission unit is a wireless transmission unit.

[0018] Embodiments of this disclosure also provide an operating method for a surge protector, wherein the surge protector includes a surge module and a control module; the surge module includes a high-voltage discharge element and a thermal trip unit; the control module includes a power supply unit, a detection unit, a processing unit, and a transmission unit; in the surge module, a first end of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to the ground to introduce surge current to the ground, and a second end of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to the first end of the thermal trip unit, the second end of the thermal trip unit being connected to a power supply line; the power supply unit is connected to the second end of the high-voltage discharge element to obtain AC power from the power supply line, the power supply unit being used to convert the AC power in the power supply line into DC power required by the detection unit, the processing unit, and the transmission unit, the power supply unit including an energy storage capacitor for continuing to supply power to the detection unit, the processing unit, and the transmission unit when the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized; and

[0019] The operation method includes: the detection unit detects the voltage at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and sends the detected voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element to the processing unit; the processing unit receives the voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and a power failure cause signal, determines the power failure at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure cause based on the voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure cause signal, and sends the power failure cause to the transmission unit; and the transmission unit sends the power failure cause to an external device.

[0020] The surge protector and its operation method disclosed herein can determine the cause of a power outage and send a notification to external devices, thus achieving intelligent operation of the surge protector. This allows the maintenance center to promptly detect power outages and their causes, and provides clear instructions to maintenance personnel for troubleshooting. Furthermore, the surge protector disclosed herein can be wired similarly to traditional surge protectors. Through the energy storage capacitor in the power supply unit, additional wiring from the phase and neutral lines is unnecessary to power the control unit, thereby simplifying the installation process. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1An example application scenario and structural diagram of a surge protector connected in a power supply line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown;

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic block diagram of the control module of a surge protector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the source of the power failure cause signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the source of a power failure cause signal according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0026] Figure 5 An example application scenario and structural diagram of a surge protector connected in a three-phase power supply line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown;

[0027] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an operation method of a surge protector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0028] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0029] In this specification and accompanying drawings, substantially the same or similar steps and elements are indicated by the same or similar reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of these steps and elements will be omitted. Furthermore, in the description of this disclosure, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or order.

[0030] In this specification and accompanying drawings, elements are described in singular or plural forms according to embodiments. However, the singular and plural forms are suitably chosen for the presented cases merely for ease of explanation and are not intended to limit the disclosure thereto. Thus, singular forms may include plural forms, and plural forms may include singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise clearly stated, "connection" does not necessarily mean "direct connection" or "direct contact," but only requires electrical connection.

[0031] To discharge surge current to the ground in the event of a lightning strike, a surge protector 100 needs to be installed in the power supply line. For example... Figure 1As shown, surge protector 100 can be connected between phase line L and ground E. Surge protector 100 includes surge module 130. Surge module 130 includes high-voltage discharge element 102 and thermal trip unit 101. The first terminal vp1 of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to ground, the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to the first terminal rp1 of the thermal trip unit, and the second terminal rp2 of the thermal trip unit is connected to phase line L. High-voltage discharge element 102 can typically be a varistor, Zener diode, or gas discharge tube. Under the rated voltage of the power grid, high-voltage discharge element 102 is in a high-resistance state, i.e., an open-circuit state. When a transient overvoltage caused by lightning strike occurs, the high-voltage discharge element becomes a low-resistance state, i.e., a conducting state, at which time the surge current flows to ground through the surge protector. In addition, because the high-voltage discharge element 102 has a very small resistance in the conducting state, the voltage dropped on it, i.e., the voltage on the equipment, will drop below the specified insulation withstand voltage. As mentioned earlier, the high-voltage discharge element 102 ages with each surge current it withstands, resulting in an increasing leakage current to ground. The thermal trip unit 101 can be formed, for example, from a low-temperature solder material. Large leakage currents can cause the thermal trip unit 101 to overheat and eventually melt. Preferably, an energy storage spring can also be connected to the thermal trip unit 101 to quickly disconnect it upon melting. The melting or tripping of the thermal trip unit 101 indicates that the high-voltage discharge element 102 has aged and needs replacement.

[0032] In embodiments according to this disclosure, such as Figure 1 As shown, the surge protector 100 also includes a control module 103, which is connected to the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element. The specific configuration of the control module 103 is as follows... Figure 2As shown, it includes a power supply unit 1031, a detection unit 1032, a processing unit 1033, and a transmission unit 1034. The power supply unit 1031 obtains AC power from the power supply line through a connection to the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element, and converts the AC power in the power supply line into DC power required by the power supply unit 1031, the detection unit 1032, and the processing unit 1033. For this purpose, for example, the power supply unit 1031 may include a rectifier for converting AC power to DC power and a transformer unit for changing the rectified DC voltage to a suitable DC voltage. Furthermore, the power supply unit 1031 may also have an energy storage capacitor 1035 for continuing to supply power when the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized. The detection unit 1032 detects the voltage at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element and sends the detected voltage signal to the processing unit 1033. The processing unit 1033 can receive the voltage signal at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element and a power-off cause signal, thereby determining whether the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized and the cause of the power-off. The processing unit 1033 also sends the cause of the power failure to the transmission unit 1034. The transmission unit 1034 is used to send the cause of the power failure to an external device. The transmission unit 1034 may be, for example, a wireless transmission unit. The external device may be, for example, a monitoring device in a maintenance center.

[0033] When the processing unit 1033 determines that a power outage has occurred based on the voltage signal at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element 102, it indicates a line fault. However, the processing unit 1033 cannot determine the cause of the power outage (i.e., the cause of the fault) based solely on this voltage signal. Even if the power outage information is sent to an external device to inform maintenance personnel, the maintenance personnel cannot determine the cause of the fault, which is detrimental to rapid and efficient repair. Therefore, according to an embodiment of this disclosure, the processing unit 1033 also receives a power outage cause signal and determines the cause of the power outage based on the signal, then sends the result to an external device to inform maintenance personnel. This allows maintenance personnel to perform rapid and efficient repair based on the cause of the power outage. The power outage cause signal can be any signal that enables the processing unit 1033 to determine the cause of the power outage; for example, it can be a detection signal emitted by a detector located at a potential fault location. The specific implementation of the power outage cause signal will be described in detail below.

[0034] The processing unit 1033 can determine that a power outage has occurred at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element when the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal is lower than a first threshold. The voltage at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is an AC voltage. When the detection unit 1032 determines that the effective value of the AC voltage at this location is lower than the first threshold, it indicates a power outage. For example, the first threshold can be set to a value close to zero voltage, such as 10% or less of the rated voltage of the power supply line. For example, the detection unit 1032 can collect the voltage signal at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element in real time at a certain frequency and send it to the processing unit 1033. The processing unit 1033 can calculate the effective value of the voltage signal based on the voltage signal provided by the detection unit 1032 over a period of time (e.g., within 1 / 2 to 10 voltage cycles). When the effective value of the voltage signal is lower than the first threshold, the processing unit 1033 determines that a power outage has occurred at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element. To determine more quickly whether a power outage has occurred, the effective value can be calculated within 1 / 2 voltage cycle, or a longer time, such as 3 / 4 voltage cycle, can be used. A longer time can ensure more accurate measurement and judgment.

[0035] In scenarios where surge protector 100 is connected to phase line L, such as Figure 1 As shown, the power supply line (phase line L) may include a circuit breaker 110, and a backup protector 120 may be connected between the surge protector 100 and the phase line L. The circuit breaker 110 is connected in series in the phase line and is used to disconnect the power supply line when a short circuit occurs in the electrical equipment. Alternatively, the circuit breaker 110 may also cooperate with an over / under voltage protector to disconnect the power supply line when an overvoltage or undervoltage occurs in the line. The backup protector 120 is connected in series in the line to ground where the surge protector 100 is located and is preceding the surge protector 100. Alternatively, the backup protector 120 may be integrated into the surge protector 100. As mentioned earlier, the backup protector is used to disconnect the line to ground where the surge protector 100 is located when a short circuit occurs due to aging of the high-voltage discharge element 102, thereby preventing the surge protector from burning out or the power supply line from being damaged.

[0036] In the above scenario, if the processing unit 1033 determines that a power outage occurred at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element, there are three possible causes for the power outage: 1) the circuit breaker 110 in the power supply line tripped; 2) the backup protector 120 tripped; 3) the thermal trip unit 101 tripped. If it is the first cause, maintenance personnel only need to troubleshoot the circuit breaker 110, such as eliminating short circuits in the building (e.g., removing short-circuited electrical equipment) or waiting for the voltage to return to normal, and then closing the circuit breaker on-site or remotely. If it is the second cause, maintenance personnel need to replace the high-voltage discharge element 102 in the surge protector 100 and also close the backup protector 120. If it is the third cause, maintenance personnel need to replace both the thermal trip unit 101 and the high-voltage discharge element 102. To determine the specific cause of the surge protector's power outage, the processing unit 1033 also needs a power outage cause signal.

[0037] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the power outage cause signal may include the tripping signal of circuit breaker 110, the tripping signal of backup protector 120, and the tripping signal of thermal trip unit 101. For the tripping signals of circuit breaker 110 and backup protector 120, the action of circuit breaker 110 / backup protector 120 can be transmitted to processing unit 1033 in wired or wireless form, for example, via an intelligent appliance accessory (iOF). For the tripping signal of thermal trip unit 101, a sensor can be installed on thermal trip unit 101 to detect the tripping action of thermal trip unit 101 and transmit it to processing unit 1033 as a signal. For example, Schneider Electric's surge protector products iPRD120r / 12.5r and iPRU40r800PV / 1000PV can detect and transmit the tripping signal of thermal trip unit 101. If the processing unit 1033 determines that the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element has lost power, if it receives a disconnection signal from the circuit breaker 110, it determines that the circuit breaker 110 in the power supply line has disconnected; if it receives a disconnection signal from the backup protector 120, it determines that the backup protector 120 preceding the surge protector 100 has disconnected; and if it receives a tripping signal from the thermal trip unit 101, it determines that the thermal trip unit 101 has disconnected.

[0038] In other embodiments, such as Figure 4As shown, the power failure cause signal may include the disconnection signal of the backup protector 120 and the voltage signal at the second terminal rp2 of the thermal trip unit. In this case, the processing unit 1033 only needs to acquire the disconnection signal of the nearby backup protector 120, and does not need to receive the disconnection signal of the distant circuit breaker 110, thereby reducing the requirements on the signal receiving capability and complexity of the processing unit 1033. In addition, by detecting the voltage signal at the second terminal rp2 of the thermal trip unit instead of receiving the tripping signal of the thermal trip unit 101, the sensor used to generate the tripping signal can be eliminated, thereby enabling a more compact implementation of the surge protector 100. If the processing unit 1033 determines that the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element has lost power, and receives a disconnection signal from the backup protector 120, it determines that the backup protector 120 preceding the surge protector 100 has disconnected; if no disconnection signal from the backup protector 120 is received and the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal rp2 of the thermal trip unit is higher than a second threshold, it determines that the thermal trip unit 101 has disconnected; and if the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal rp2 of the thermal trip unit is lower than the second threshold, it determines that the circuit breaker 110 in the power supply line has disconnected. The second threshold can be set to the same as the first threshold.

[0039] It should be noted that the power outage causes and power outage signal described above are merely examples, and those skilled in the art can determine the applicable power outage causes and power outage signal based on actual applications. For example, when the backup protector 120 is not connected upstream of the surge protector 100, the power outage cause does not include the disconnection of the backup protector 120, and correspondingly, there is no corresponding power outage cause signal.

[0040] In summary, the surge protector according to the embodiments of this disclosure can determine the cause of a power outage and send the affected user information to an external device, thereby achieving intelligent operation of the surge protector. The maintenance center can thus promptly identify the power outage and its cause, and provide clear instructions to maintenance personnel to facilitate troubleshooting. Furthermore, the power supply unit of the surge protector in the embodiments of this disclosure also includes an energy storage capacitor to continue supplying power to the detection unit, processing unit, and transmission unit when the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized. This prevents these units from failing to operate during a power outage, or avoids the need to additionally receive power from the phase line to continue supplying power to these units, thereby simplifying the installation process of the surge protector.

[0041] In some embodiments, to conserve power as much as possible, the detection unit 1032 stops operating when the processing unit 1033 determines that a power failure has occurred at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element. Furthermore, any peripheral devices that may be present in the surge protector 100 may be shut down, such as indicator lights. Thus, when a power failure occurs at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element, the normal operation of the processing unit 1033 and the transmission unit 1034 can be ensured, thereby guaranteeing the determination of the cause of the power failure and its successful reporting.

[0042] In embodiments of this disclosure, the transmission unit 1034 may be a wireless transmission unit, such as a unit utilizing wireless communication methods such as WiFi, ZigBee, and Bluetooth, thereby simplifying the structure and installation of the surge protector.

[0043] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the detection unit 1032 can also detect the current at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element and send the detected current signal to the processing unit 1033. The processing unit 1033 can determine the remaining lifespan of the high-voltage discharge element based on the detected current signal, for example, by inferring the remaining lifespan of the high-voltage discharge element based on the corresponding characteristic curve and a lookup table. Thus, the transmission unit 1034 can not only send the cause of power failure when the surge protector 100 loses power, but also send the remaining lifespan of the high-voltage discharge element 102 to external devices (e.g., a maintenance center) for example, when the surge protector 100 loses power or is operating normally. If the remaining lifespan of the high-voltage discharge element 102 is already very short, maintenance personnel can replace the high-voltage discharge element 102 in advance during line inspection and maintenance.

[0044] The surge protector according to the embodiments of this disclosure can also be applied to multiphase power supply lines. Figure 5A schematic diagram of a surge protector for a three-phase power supply line is shown. In the three-phase power supply line, a circuit breaker 110 can be installed on each phase line L1, L2, L3. These three phase lines are grounded through a surge protector 100. For this purpose, three high-voltage discharge elements 102 and three thermal trip units 101 are arranged in the surge module 130 of the surge protector 100. These high-voltage discharge elements 102 and thermal trip units 101 can be connected to the corresponding phase lines L1, L2, L3, respectively. Correspondingly, three backup protectors 120 are also arranged in front of the surge protector 100 to protect the three high-voltage discharge elements 102 respectively. A detection unit 1032 is used to detect the voltage at the second terminal vp2 of each high-voltage discharge element and send the detected voltage signal at the second terminal vp2 of each high-voltage discharge element to a processing unit 1033. The processing unit 1033 receives the voltage signal at the second terminal vp2 of each high-voltage discharge element and the power outage cause signal on each line to ground. As described in detail above, the power outage cause signal may include the trip signal of circuit breaker 110, the trip signal of backup protector 120, and the trip signal of thermal trip unit 101. Alternatively, the power outage cause signal may include the trip signal of backup protector 120 and the voltage signal at the second terminal RP2 of the thermal trip unit. Based on the voltage signal at the second terminal VP2 of each high-voltage discharge element and the power outage cause signal on each ground line, processing unit 1033 can determine at which ground line the power outage occurred at the second terminal VP2 of the high-voltage discharge element and the corresponding cause of the power outage, and can send this information to transmission unit. Transmission unit can send the information on which ground line the power outage occurred and the cause of the power outage to external devices.

[0045] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a method for operating a surge protector is also provided, the surge protector being, for example, based on the above-described method. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The surge protector 100 is described. Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an operation method of a surge protector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The operation method includes steps 601, 602, and 603. In step 601, the detection unit 1032 detects the voltage at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element and sends the detected voltage signal at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element to the processing unit 1033. In step 602, the processing unit 1033 receives the voltage signal at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element and a power failure cause signal, determines the power failure at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure cause based on the voltage signal at the second terminal vp2 of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure cause signal, and sends the power failure cause to the transmission unit 1034. In step 603, the transmission unit 1034 sends the power failure cause to an external device. The above description of the surge protector also applies to the operation method and will not be repeated here.

[0046] The block diagrams of circuits, units, devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems disclosed herein are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that connections, arrangements, or configurations must be made in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As those skilled in the art will recognize, these circuits, units, devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner that achieves the desired purpose. The circuits, units, devices, and apparatuses disclosed herein can be implemented in any suitable manner, such as using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or using general-purpose processors in conjunction with programs.

[0047] Those skilled in the art should understand that the specific embodiments described above are merely examples and not limitations. Various modifications, combinations, partial combinations, and substitutions can be made to the embodiments of this disclosure according to design requirements and other factors, as long as they are within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents, and thus fall within the scope of the rights to be protected by this disclosure.

Claims

1. A surge protector, comprising a surge module, a control module, and a backup protector, wherein... The surge module includes a high-voltage discharge element and a thermal trip unit; The control module includes a power supply unit, a detection unit, and a processing unit; In the surge module, the first end of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to the ground to introduce the surge current to the ground, the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to the first end of the thermal trip unit, and the second end of the thermal trip unit is connected to the power supply line through the backup protector, wherein a circuit breaker is arranged in the power supply line. The power supply unit is connected to the second end of the high-voltage discharge element to obtain AC power from the power supply line. The power supply unit is used to convert the AC power in the power supply line into DC power required by the detection unit and the processing unit. The power supply unit includes an energy storage capacitor to continue to supply power to the detection unit and the processing unit when the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized. The detection unit is used to detect the voltage at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element and send the detected voltage signal at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element to the processing unit. The processing unit is used to receive the voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure cause signal, wherein the power failure cause signal includes the disconnection signal of the backup protector and the tripping signal of the thermal trip unit. The processing unit determines the cause of the power outage based on the voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and the power outage cause signal, which includes the circuit breaker tripping, the backup protector tripping, or the thermal trip unit tripping. The processing unit is configured to, upon determining that the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized: if a disconnection signal from the backup protector is received, determine that the backup protector for the surge protector is disconnected; if a tripping signal from the thermal trip unit is received, determine that the thermal trip unit is disconnected; and if neither a disconnection signal from the backup protector nor a tripping signal from the thermal trip unit is received, determine that the circuit breaker is disconnected.

2. The surge protector according to claim 1, wherein, The processing unit is used to determine that the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized when the effective value of the voltage signal at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is lower than a first threshold.

3. The surge protector according to claim 1, wherein, The trip signal of the thermal trip unit is set as a voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit; and The processing unit is configured to, in the event that the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized: If a disconnect signal from the backup protector is received, it is determined that the backup protector for the surge protector is disconnected. If no disconnection signal is received from the backup protector and the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit is higher than the second threshold, then it is determined that the thermal trip unit is disconnected. If the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit is lower than the second threshold, it is determined that the circuit breaker in the power supply line is open.

4. The surge protector according to claim 1, wherein, The detection unit is also used to detect the current at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element and send the detected current signal to the processing unit. The processing unit is also used to determine the remaining lifespan of the high-voltage discharge element based on the current signal.

5. The surge protector according to claim 1, wherein, The surge protector contains multiple high-voltage discharge elements and thermal trip units, each of which is used to connect to each phase line of the multi-phase power supply line to form multiple ground lines. The detection unit is used to detect the voltage at the second end of each high-voltage discharge element and send the detected voltage signal at the second end of each high-voltage discharge element to the processing unit. The processing unit is used to receive the voltage signal at the second end of each high-voltage discharge element and the power outage cause signal on each ground line, and to determine, based on the voltage signal at the second end of each high-voltage discharge element and the power outage cause signal on each ground line, which high-voltage discharge element on which ground line the power outage occurred and the corresponding power outage cause.

6. The surge protector according to claim 1, wherein, When a power failure occurs at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element, the detection unit stops working.

7. The surge protector according to claim 1, wherein, The processing unit determines the effective value of the voltage signal based on the voltage signal in three-quarters of the voltage cycle.

8. The surge protector according to claim 1, wherein, The control module also includes a transmission unit. The processing unit transmits the cause of the power failure to the transmission unit, and the transmission unit sends the cause of the power failure to an external device.

9. The surge protector according to claim 8, wherein, The transmission unit is a wireless transmission unit.

10. A method for operating a surge protector, wherein, The surge protector includes a surge module and a control module; The surge module includes a high-voltage discharge element and a thermal trip unit; The control module includes a power supply unit, a detection unit, and a processing unit; In the surge module, the first end of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to the ground to introduce the surge current to the ground, the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is connected to the first end of the thermal trip unit, and the second end of the thermal trip unit is connected to the power supply line through a backup protector, wherein a circuit breaker is arranged in the power supply line. The power supply unit is connected to the second end of the high-voltage discharge element to obtain AC power from the power supply line. The power supply unit is used to convert the AC power in the power supply line into DC power required by the detection unit and the processing unit. The power supply unit includes an energy storage capacitor to continue to supply power to the detection unit and the processing unit when the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized. as well as The operation method includes: The detection unit detects the voltage at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element and sends the detected voltage signal at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element to the processing unit. The processing unit receives a voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and a power failure reason signal, wherein the power failure reason signal includes a disconnection signal from the backup protector and a tripping signal from the thermal trip unit. The processing unit determines the cause of power failure based on the voltage signal at the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element and the power failure cause signal, which includes the circuit breaker tripping, the backup protector tripping, or the thermal trip unit tripping. When the processing unit determines that the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized: if it receives a tripping signal from the backup protector, it determines that the backup protector for the surge protector is tripped; if it receives a tripping signal from the thermal trip unit, it determines that the thermal trip unit is tripped; and if it receives neither a tripping signal from the backup protector nor a tripping signal from the thermal trip unit, it determines that the circuit breaker is tripped.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, If the effective value of the voltage signal at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is lower than the first threshold, the processing unit determines that the second end of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The trip signal of the thermal trip unit is set as a voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit; and When the processing unit determines that the second terminal of the high-voltage discharge element is de-energized: If a disconnect signal from the backup protector is received, it is determined that the backup protector for the surge protector is disconnected. If no disconnection signal is received from the backup protector and the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit is higher than the second threshold, then it is determined that the thermal trip unit is disconnected. If the effective value of the voltage signal at the second terminal of the thermal trip unit is lower than the second threshold, it is determined that the circuit breaker in the power supply line is open.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: The detection unit detects the current at the second end of the high-voltage discharge element and sends the detected current signal to the processing unit. The processing unit determines the remaining lifespan of the high-voltage discharge element based on the current signal.

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