Circuit breaker with display function

• US 20020085326A1
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Published: 07/04/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seochang Electric Communication Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Cheon Youn Kim, Human El-Tech, Inc.
• Inventors: Kim, Cheon-Youn, Kim, Dong-Sub, Ban, Gi-Jong, Kim, Jeong-Wan
• Granted Patent: US 6,552,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0015 Using arc detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/04 with warning or supervision in addition to disconnection, e.g. for indicating that protective apparatus has functioned watching of pilot wires H02H1/0084; protection of protective arrangements H02H7/008; indication of the state of electronic switches H03K17/18

Abstract

A circuit breaker which displays eletronically state of the circuit breaker and the cause of the disconnection which enables users to determine whether to reconnect a conductor which connects a source and a load in power distribution system. An arc display part is coupled to an arc fault detector, a ground display part is coupled to a ground fault detector and an overload display part is coupled to an overload detector. If arc fault occurs, the arc fault detector generates a trip signal and the trip signal is provided to the arc display part. As the trip signal from the arc fault detector is not provided to the ground display part and the overload display part, users can determine that arc fault has occurred by the lighting of the arc display part.

Claims

1. A circuit breaker comprising at least one of an arc fault detector, a ground fault detector, and a overload detector and disconnecting a conductor coupling a source and a load if at least one of the arc fault detector, the ground fault detector and the overload detector generates a trip signal, further comprising:

means for displaying the state of the circuit breaker and the cause of the disconnection if the conductor is disconnected by the trip signal generated from at least one of the arc fault detector, the ground fault detector and the overload detector;

means for resetting the said means for displaying if the disconnected conductor is reconnected;

wherein said means for displaying is driven by an independent source.

2. The circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein said means for displaying comprises at least one of

arc fault display means displaying the state of arc fault responsive to the trip signal from the arc fault detector;

ground fault display means displaying the state of ground fault responsive to the trip signal from the ground fault detector;

overload display means displaying the state of overload responsive to the trip signal form the overload detector.

3. The circuit breaker according to claim 2, wherein said arc fault display means, the ground fault display means and the overload display means comprise silicon controlled rectifier respectively in order to form closed circuit with the independent source responsive to the trip signal.

4. The circuit breaker according to claim 2, wherein said arc fault display means, the ground fault display means and the overload display means comprise an NPN transistor and a PNP transistor respectively in order to form closed circuit with the independent source responsive to the trip signal, wherein the trip signal is provided to base of the NPN transistor and collector of the NPN transistor is coupled to base of the PNP transistor.

5. The circuit breaker according to claim 2, wherein said arc fault display means, the ground fault display means and the overload display means comprise light emitting diode which is driven responsive to the trip signal.

6. The circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein said reset means comprises a bipolar junction transistor.

7. The circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein said reset means comprises a field effect transistor.

8. The circuit breaker according to claim 6, wherein said trip signal is provided to a base of the bipolar junction transistor, a emitter of the bipolar junction transistor is grounded, and a collector of the bipolar junction transistor is coupled to the independent source.

9. The circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein said means for displaying comprises

at least one of a first level detector, a second level detector and a third level detector, wherein the first level detector coupled to the arc fault detector generating a output signal in case of receiving the trip signal from the arc fault detector, the second level detector coupled to the ground fault detector generating a output signal in case of receiving the trip signal from the ground fault detector, the third level detector coupled to the overload detector generating a output signal in case of receiving the trip signal from the overload detector;

a microprocessor receiving the output signal from one of the first level detector, the second level detector and the third level detector and determining state of the conductor and cause of the disconnection and generating a control signal according to the result of the determination,

a digital display for displaying state of the conductor and cause of disconnection according to the control signal from the microprocessor.

10. The circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein said independent source is a battery.

11. The circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein said independent source is a storage battery.

13. The method for displaying state of a circuit breaker according to claim 12, wherein the display of the cause of the disconnection in said step (a), include at least one of displaying the disconnection by arc, displaying the disconnection by ground fault and displaying the disconnection by overload.

14. The method for displaying state of a circuit breaker according to claim 12, wherein the reset of the display in said step (b) is performed using a bipolar transistor.

15. The method for displaying state of a circuit breaker according to claim 12, wherein the reset of the display in said step (b) is performed using a field effect transistor.

16. The method for displaying state of a circuit breaker according to claim 12, wherein the display of the state of the circuit breaker is performed using light emitting diodes.

17. The method for displaying state of a circuit breaker according to claim 12, wherein the display of the state of the circuit and the cause of the disconnection is processed by an independent source.

19. The circuit breaker according to claim 18, wherein said means for arming comprises, at least one of

a first sound generator alarming state of arc fault responsive to the trip signal from the arc fault detector;

a second sound generator alarming state of ground fault responsive to the trip signal from the ground fault detector;

a third sound generator alarming state of overload responsive to the trip signal form the overload detector,

wherein the first sound generator, the second sound generator and the third sound generator generate the different sounds respectively.

20. The circuit breaker according to claim 18, wherein the first sound generator, the second sound generator and the third sound generator comprises a silicon controlled rectifier respectively in order to from closed circuit with the independent source.

12. A method for displaying state of a circuit breaker comprising at least one of an arc fault detector, a ground fault detector and an overload detector, wherein the circuit breaker disconnects a conductor coupling a source and a load if at least one of the arc fault detector, the ground fault detector and the overload detector generates a trip signal comprising steps of,

(a) displaying state of the circuit breaker and cause of disconnection of the conductor if at least one of the arc fault detector, the ground fault detector and the overload detector generates the trip signal;

(b) resetting the display of the state of the circuit breaker and the cause of the disconnection, if the conductor is reconnected.

18. A circuit breaker comprising at least one of an arc fault detector, a ground fault detector, and a overload detector and disconnecting a conductor coupling a source and a load if at least one of the arc fault detector, the ground fault detector and the overload detector generates a trip signal, further comprising:

means for alarming state of the circuit breaker and the cause of the disconnection by sound if the conductor is disconnected by the trip signal generated from at least one of the arc fault detector, the ground fault detector and the overload detector;

means for resetting the said means for displaying if the disconnected conductor is reconnected;

wherein said means for displaying is driven by an independent source