Semiconductor Circuit Breaker Junction Temperature Monitoring
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circuit breakers often experience unnecessary shutdowns due to rapid, momentary low-power current increases, known as transient processes, leading to false releases and reduced system availability and service life.
Innovation Solution
A circuit breaker design that includes a semiconductor switch, a current measuring arrangement, and a characteristic variable unit to assess the junction temperature of the semiconductor switch, allowing for accurate monitoring and reduction of false releases by correlating the current profile with the junction temperature.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If simple current threshold monitoring is implemented, then device complexity is reduced, but false shutdowns during transient processes increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a thermal model as an intermediary between the current measurement and the release decision. This thermal model acts as a filter that translates raw current profiles into meaningful thermal states, preventing direct threshold comparisons from triggering false releases during transient processes while still detecting genuine overload conditions.
2Reliability
If junction temperature monitoring is implemented, then false releases are reduced, but measurement and calculation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary thermal modeling and characteristic variable calculations in advance, preparing lookup tables or pre-computed thermal responses that can be quickly referenced during operation. This allows the system to implement sophisticated thermal protection logic without requiring complex real-time calculations during critical monitoring moments, reducing computational burden while maintaining accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A circuit breaker includes: at least one switching path of a first terminal of the circuit breaker to a second terminal of the circuit breaker; at least one semiconductor switch arranged in the switching path; a semiconductor version switch for predefinably interrupting the switching path upon actuation by a release of the circuit breaker; a characteristic variable unit connected to the release; and a current measuring arrangement for ascertaining a current profile through the at least one semiconductor switch, the current measuring arrangement being connected with the characteristic variable unit. The characteristic variable unit correlates a characteristic variable with a junction temperature of the at least one semiconductor switch that is ascertained from the current profile through the at least one semiconductor switch.