Short chaser with relay operated indicator for locating and indicating the clearance of short circuits
First Claim
1. A short circuit monitoring and locating apparatus for use in locating and clearing short circuits in wiring circuits between a high potential terminal and a low potential terminal, said apparatus comprising:
- a casing;
first conductor means adapted for connection to said high potential terminal;
second conductor means adapted for connection to a first wire of the shorted circuit which has been decoupled from said high potential terminal;
third conductor means adapted for connection to the low potential terminal of said wiring circuits;
relay means having a relay coil means and relay contact means, said relay coil means being connected in series between said first and second conductor means for conducting current therebetween and said contact means being connected between said first and third conductors for changing between normal and energized states, one state being open and the other closed, in response to a current in said relay coil means;
audible indicating means, said contact means of said relay means and said audible indicating means being connected in series between said first and third conductor means;
whereby when said connections are established to the high potential terminal, to said shorted circuit first wire and to said low-potential terminal, a circuit path is established through the first conductor means, the relay coil means and the second conductor means by the short circuit and over which path sufficient current flows to energize said relay coil means and change the state of said relay contact means, thereby changing the state of current flow to said audible indicating means, with said new state of current flow being maintained so long as the short circuit remains, and when the short circuit is cleared, said relay coil means becomes deenergized causing said relay contact means to return to their normal state, thus again changing the state of current flow to said audible indicatior means to indicate clearing of said short circuit; and
,a normally open switch means connected between said second and third connector means for closing a momentary circuit path through said relay coil means and said second and third conductor means, to energize said relay coil means and thereby change said relay contact means to said energized state when the short circuit current is insufficient to energize said relay coil means to change said relay contact means to said energized state, but is sufficient to maintain the relay contact means in said energized state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The Short Chaser is a diagnostic tool for use by electricians in locating and clearing short circuits in building wiring systems. Its value to the tradesman lies in its ability to audibly indicate the clearing of the short at the moment that the corrective action is taken, thereby pinpointing where the problem was. This enables one man working by himself to handle trouble calls involving shorted branch circuit wiring, for the Short Chaser watches the circuit and sounds off when the right move is made. Because of its design, it is suitable for use on circuits sustaining shorts across circuit conductors or shorts from hot to ground. Therefore, the nature of the short is not pertinent to the successful operation of the device.
10 Citations
5 Claims
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1. A short circuit monitoring and locating apparatus for use in locating and clearing short circuits in wiring circuits between a high potential terminal and a low potential terminal, said apparatus comprising:
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a casing; first conductor means adapted for connection to said high potential terminal; second conductor means adapted for connection to a first wire of the shorted circuit which has been decoupled from said high potential terminal; third conductor means adapted for connection to the low potential terminal of said wiring circuits; relay means having a relay coil means and relay contact means, said relay coil means being connected in series between said first and second conductor means for conducting current therebetween and said contact means being connected between said first and third conductors for changing between normal and energized states, one state being open and the other closed, in response to a current in said relay coil means; audible indicating means, said contact means of said relay means and said audible indicating means being connected in series between said first and third conductor means;
whereby when said connections are established to the high potential terminal, to said shorted circuit first wire and to said low-potential terminal, a circuit path is established through the first conductor means, the relay coil means and the second conductor means by the short circuit and over which path sufficient current flows to energize said relay coil means and change the state of said relay contact means, thereby changing the state of current flow to said audible indicating means, with said new state of current flow being maintained so long as the short circuit remains, and when the short circuit is cleared, said relay coil means becomes deenergized causing said relay contact means to return to their normal state, thus again changing the state of current flow to said audible indicatior means to indicate clearing of said short circuit; and
,a normally open switch means connected between said second and third connector means for closing a momentary circuit path through said relay coil means and said second and third conductor means, to energize said relay coil means and thereby change said relay contact means to said energized state when the short circuit current is insufficient to energize said relay coil means to change said relay contact means to said energized state, but is sufficient to maintain the relay contact means in said energized state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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Specification