Series arc fault current interrupters and methods
First Claim
1. A circuit interrupter for interrupting current on a line conductor, comprising:
- separable contacts in electrical communication with the line conductor;
a trip mechanism for selectively opening said separable contacts when activated;
a bimetal connected in series with the line conductor;
a microprocessor in electrical communication with said trip mechanism;
a series arc detection sequence resident on said microprocessor, said series arc detection sequence comprising a plurality of series fault detection algorithms;
a low-pass filter circuit configured to provide a low-pass signal from said bimetal to said series arc detection sequence, said sequence being configured to select a particular algorithm from said plurality of algorithms based on said low-pass signal; and
a high-pass filter circuit configured to provide a high-pass signal from said bimetal to said series arc detection sequence, said sequence being configured to calculate a plurality of statistical features from said high-pass signal and being configured to send an output signal to activate said trip mechanism based on a comparison of said plurality of statistical features to said particular algorithm.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A circuit interrupter for interrupting current on a line conductor is provided. The circuit interrupter includes separable contacts, a trip mechanism, a bimetal, a microprocessor, a series arc detection sequence, a low-pass filter circuit, and a high-pass filter circuit. The trip mechanism selectively opens the separable contacts when activated. The series arc detection sequence is resident on the microprocessor and includes a plurality of series fault detection algorithms. The low-pass filter circuit provides a low-pass signal to the series arc detection sequence. The high-pass filter circuit provides a high-pass signal to the series arc detection sequence. The sequence selects a particular algorithm from the plurality of algorithms based on the low-pass signal. The sequence calculates a plurality of statistical features from the high-pass signal and sends an output signal to activate the trip mechanism based on a comparison of the plurality of statistical features to the particular algorithm.
75 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A circuit interrupter for interrupting current on a line conductor, comprising:
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separable contacts in electrical communication with the line conductor; a trip mechanism for selectively opening said separable contacts when activated; a bimetal connected in series with the line conductor; a microprocessor in electrical communication with said trip mechanism; a series arc detection sequence resident on said microprocessor, said series arc detection sequence comprising a plurality of series fault detection algorithms; a low-pass filter circuit configured to provide a low-pass signal from said bimetal to said series arc detection sequence, said sequence being configured to select a particular algorithm from said plurality of algorithms based on said low-pass signal; and a high-pass filter circuit configured to provide a high-pass signal from said bimetal to said series arc detection sequence, said sequence being configured to calculate a plurality of statistical features from said high-pass signal and being configured to send an output signal to activate said trip mechanism based on a comparison of said plurality of statistical features to said particular algorithm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for detecting a series arc fault on a line conductor, comprising:
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sensing current across a bimetal in series with the line conductor; passing said current through a high-pass filter circuit to generate a high-pass signal; passing said current through a low-pass filter circuit to generate a low-pass signal; calculating a plurality of statistical features based at least on said high-pass signal; selecting a particular arc series algorithm from a plurality of algorithms based on said low-pass signal; and determining a trip command based on said plurality of statistical features and said particular arc series algorithm. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification