METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING ELECTRICAL FAULTS AND ISOLATING POWER SOURCE FROM THE ELECTRICAL FAULTS
First Claim
1. Circuit breaker circuitry comprising:
- (a) control circuitry capable of connecting a power supply to a load;
(b) sensor circuitry that detects one or more of transient, arc, and ground faults;
(c) counting circuitry that counts the number of transient and arc fault detected; and
(d) triggering circuitry that triggers the control circuitry to isolate the power supply after a predetermined number of faults are detected.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a method and apparatus for protecting a power supply from electrical faults. The present invention operates substantially independently of the current drawn by the load. In addition, the present invention includes a time delay circuitry for preventing false detection of ground faults when the power source is connecting to the load. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention includes a control circuitry for connecting the power supply to the load. The apparatus also preferably includes a sensor circuitry for detecting electrical faults, including ground, transient, and arc faults, and triggering the control circuitry to disconnect the power source from the electrical faults when electrical faults are detected. Thus, the present invention can protect wiring and load connections from improper operation and fire hazards that may be caused by electrical faults. Finally, the apparatus preferably includes a fault protection condition indicator to indicate whether the circuit breaker circuitry is working properly.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. Circuit breaker circuitry comprising:
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(a) control circuitry capable of connecting a power supply to a load;
(b) sensor circuitry that detects one or more of transient, arc, and ground faults;
(c) counting circuitry that counts the number of transient and arc fault detected; and
(d) triggering circuitry that triggers the control circuitry to isolate the power supply after a predetermined number of faults are detected. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for isolating a power supply from one or more of transient, arc, and ground faults comprising the steps of:
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detecting one or more of transient, arc, and ground faults;
counting the number of transient, arc, and ground faults; and
disconnecting the power supply from the load when more than a preset number of transient and arc faults are detected. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification