Monitoring device with a switching mechanism

• US 5,214,559 A
• Filed: 04/02/1990
• Issued: 05/25/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Freitag, Richard, Jaehne, Hans-Joachim, Froehlich, Paul, Zerbian, Erich, Neumann, Siegfried
• Primary Examiner(s): Pellinen, A. D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Osborn, David
• Application Number:
  US07/503,531
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 361/23, 361/24, 361/87, 361/93, 364/483, 364/492, 364/551.01, 364/551.02, 364/554, 340/648, 340/679, 318/490
• US Class Current: 361/93.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/0015 Means for testing or for inspecting contacts, e.g. wear indicator measuring circuits G01R31/3274
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2071/044 Monitoring, detection or measuring systems to establish the end of life of the switching device, can also contain other on-line monitoring systems, e.g. for detecting mechanical failures
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2089/065 Coordination between protection and remote control, e.g. protection job repartition, mutual assistance or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/03 Application domotique, e.g. for house automation, bus connected switches, sensors, loads or intelligent wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/006 Calibration or setting of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/0822 Integrated protection, motor control centres
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/14 Protecting elements, switches, relays or circuit breakers
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

A monitoring device having a switching mechanism to open or close electric circuits in case of overload which operates as a function of a current-detecting device includes a processor and setpoint memories for comparing and evaluating actual values. A device for detecting additional load operational errors, statistical operating data, and maintenance instructions from at least the load current over the lifetime of the device and providing a run display to display this data are consecutively integrated into the monitoring device. Furthermore, input keys are provided for setting desired parameters, which can be displayed in the run display.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

a monitoring device comprising;

a switching mechanism to open or close electric circuits to turn the circuits on or off;

a current detecting device providing inputs to cause operation of said switching mechanism in case of overload;

a processor and setpoint memories coupled to said current detecting device which compare and evaluate actual values, said processor and setpoint memories being capable of detecting and accruing additional operational error data and statistical operating data over a time of a least two on cycles, said processor and setpoint memories choosing maintenance instructions based on said operational error data and statistical operating data;

a tripping state indicating device; and

a run display to display said data; and

a bus coupled to said processor and setpoint memories of said monitoring device via one or more serially operating interfaces, said bus providing two-way data transmission between said monitoring device and other separate devices coupled to said bus, wherein said monitoring device is capable of performing output operations and assigning said various output operations to a respective setpoint selection; and

a plurality of input keys, such that desired operating parameters are capable of being entered into said monitoring system via input keys, said desired operating parameters capable of being displayed at said run display.

2. The monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising:

a blocking device capable of blocking the enabling of said switching mechanism in dependence on an impermissible specification of at least one of a load capacitance of a current transformer, contactor size, rated current and tripping class.

3. The monitoring device of claim 2, wherein said blocking device is capable of providing explosion protection in dependence on specifications for explosion protection.

4. The monitoring device of claim 1 further comprising:

a primary circuit breaker;

a device to block and to open the electric circuit by means of said primary circuit breaker.

5. The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein said monitoring device is capable of performing at least one of an instant startup operation, a reverse startup operation, a star-delta startup operation, a Dahlander startup operation, a pole reversal operation, a valve actuation operation, a shift operation, a soft start operation and a control operation of latched switching devices.

6. The monitoring device of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more serially operating interfaces for two-way data transmission between said monitoring device and a separate unit.

7. The monitoring device of claim 6, wherein said monitoring device and said separate unit are locally separated.

8. The monitoring device of claim 7, wherein a release of a input key operation takes place as a function of the interface terminal for the locally separated units.

9. The monitoring device of claim 8 wherein said input keys comprise one enabling key, two shift keys and one feedback key capable of operating according to a default menu.

10. The monitoring device of claims 8, wherein the interface for the locally separated unit is functionally coupled to the input keys.

11. The monitoring device of claim 6, wherein said monitoring device and said separate unit comprise separate processors.

12. The monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the control of the data transmission takes place through the base processor and wherein the base processor emits a byte clock pulse and a block clock pulse to the additional processor.

13. The monitoring device of claim 6, wherein transmitted and received data of the two-way data transmission is arranged into several data blocks, and the transmission sequence of the individual data blocks takes place according to the required timing priority.

14. The monitoring device of claims 1 and further including a separate operator control block coupled to said monitoring device via plug-in connectors.

15. The monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the operator control block has light-emitting diodes as operational status indicators.

16. The monitoring device of claim 14, wherein the operator control block has control keys which are assigned to output operations according to replaceable labels.

17. The monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising:

an enable input for detecting operational errors.