Wireless Circuit Breaker Panels for Remote Fault Reporting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing circuit breaker panels and conventional circuit breaker panels often require physical access for upgrades or reprogramming, which is time-consuming and costly, and lack real-time communication capabilities for fault detection and reporting, posing challenges in identifying and upgrading circuit breakers.
Innovation Solution
Communication-enabled circuit breakers and panels that receive power from the line side phase and neutral connections, allowing for wireless or wired communication, enabling remote updates and real-time fault detection, and allowing for customization and upgrading without physical access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If circuit breakers require physical access for upgrades or reprogramming, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and ease of operation deteriorate due to time-consuming and costly manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical/physical access requirements with wireless communication capabilities. Circuit breakers are equipped with wireless transceivers that enable remote programming, upgrading, and configuration via wireless signals, eliminating the need for physical access to the circuit breaker panel while reducing operational time and cost.
2Loss of information
If circuit breakers lack communication capabilities, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of information worsens as fault detection and reporting become inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where circuit breakers continuously monitor electrical parameters, detect faults, and automatically report status information wirelessly to remote systems. This enables real-time fault detection, monitoring, and reporting without requiring physical inspection, significantly reducing information loss while maintaining manageable device complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If circuit breakers are installed in enclosed panels, then safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates as locating and inspecting breakers becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual visual inspection with wireless communication and remote monitoring systems. Circuit breakers transmit their status and location information wirelessly, allowing operators to locate and inspect breakers remotely through digital interfaces without physically accessing enclosed panels, thereby maintaining safety while dramatically improving ease of operation.
4Loss of time
If circuit breakers require visual inspection to detect faults, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of time worsens as property owners cannot immediately recognize tripped breakers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automatic feedback systems where circuit breakers continuously report their operational status wirelessly. When a breaker trips or experiences a fault, the system automatically notifies property owners and monitoring systems in real-time, eliminating the need for visual inspection and dramatically reducing fault recognition time while maintaining acceptable device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Communication enabled circuit breakers and circuit breaker panels are described. Methods associated with such communication enabled circuit breakers and circuit breaker panels are also described. A circuit breaker panel may include a circuit breaker controller and one or more communication enabled circuit breakers. Two-way wireless communication is possible between the circuit breaker controller and the one or more communication enabled circuit breakers.