Circuit Interrupter Wireless Unit Remote Settings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circuit interrupters, such as circuit breakers, require physical interaction to adjust settings and obtain diagnostic information, posing safety risks and increasing costs due to the need for interface panels and displays, which are not ideal for technicians working with potentially hazardous electrical systems.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a wireless unit within the circuit interrupter that communicates setting and diagnostic information via a wireless communication protocol to an external device, allowing for remote access and adjustment of settings without physical proximity to the circuit breaker.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an interface panel with rotary switches is used to adjust settings, then settings can be changed, but technicians must physically approach the circuit breaker which creates safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical interface panel with rotary switches with a wireless communication system. The trip unit now includes a wireless interface that communicates setting information and diagnostic data wirelessly to external devices, eliminating the need for technicians to physically interact with the circuit breaker while maintaining full settings adjustment capability.
2Loss of information
If a display or external module is added to provide diagnostic information, then diagnostic information can be viewed, but technicians must still approach the circuit breaker creating safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for physical displays or external modules by implementing a wireless communication interface in the trip unit. Diagnostic information is transmitted wirelessly to external devices, allowing technicians to access all circuit breaker information from a safe distance without any physical connection or proximity required.
3Adaptability or versatility
If interface panels, displays, and external modules are added to circuit breakers, then functionality is improved, but the cost of the circuit breaker increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the settings adjustment and diagnostic information functions directly into the trip unit's wireless interface. This integration eliminates the need for separate interface panels, displays, and external modules, reducing component count and manufacturing cost while maintaining full functionality for settings adjustment and diagnostic information access.
Solution Approach 2:
The wireless interface in the trip unit serves multiple functions: it provides settings adjustment, transmits diagnostic information, and enables remote monitoring. This multi-functional approach replaces multiple separate components (interface panel, display, external module) with a single integrated system, reducing overall cost while improving versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A circuit interrupter includes a first terminal structured to electrically connect to a power source, a second terminal structured to electrically connect to a load, separable contacts electrically connected between the first terminal and the second terminal and being moveable between a closed position and an open position, an operating mechanism structured to trip open the separable contacts, an electronic trip unit structured to detect a fault condition based on power flowing between the first and second terminals and to retrieve diagnostic or setting information associated with the circuit interrupter, and a wireless unit structured to provide the setting or diagnostic information associated with the circuit interrupter to an external device via a wireless communication protocol.