Solid state relay

• US 5,406,442 A
• Filed: 09/10/1993
• Issued: 04/11/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Carlo Gavazzi Services AG
• Original Assignee: Carlo Gavazzi AG
• Inventors: Kristensen, Ove S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Krishnan, Aditya
• Application Number:
  US08/119,280
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: 361/64, 361/68, 361/76, 361/87, 361/33, 361/67, 361/18, 361/13, 361/187, 361/90-92, 361/86, 361/2-7, 307/632, 307/630, 307/633, 307/357, 307/311, 307/639-640, 323/300, 323/265, 323/274-277
• US Class Current: 361/187
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 47/002 Monitoring or fail-safe circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/79 controlling bipolar semiconductor switches with more than two PN-junctions, or more than three electrodes, or more than one electrode connected to the same conductivity region

Abstract

A solid state relay having circuitry incorporated therein which senses line conditions and load conditions and activates an alarm when a fault is detected.

Claims

1. In a solid state relay having a relay control input (38) and a power output switch (1;

8,9) activatable by a control current or a control voltage, said power output switch being open or closed depending upon a control signal applied to said relay control input (38), a first sensing circuit (6) integrated with the relay and sensing the control current or the control voltage received by the power output switch (1;

8,9), a second sensing circuit (7) sensing the voltage applied to the power output switch (1;

8,9), and an evaluation circuit (24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31) connected with said first sensing circuit (6) and said second sensing circuit (7), which delivers an alarm signal as may be required.

2. Solid state relay according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation circuit (24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31) is connected with the relay control input (38).

3. Solid state relay according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the first sensing circuit contains an optically coupled and galvanically isolated circuit (6).

4. Solid state relay according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the second sensing circuit contains an optically coupled and galvanically isolated circuit (7).

5. Solid state relay according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the first sensing circuit contains a magnetically coupled and galvanically isolated circuit.

6. Solid state relay according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the second sensing circuit contains a magnetically coupled and galvanically isolated circuit.

7. Solid state relay according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the evaluation circuit contains a first exclusive-NOR-gate (24) and a second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) connected in parallel with said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24), the output of said second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) being connected with the output of said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24).

8. Solid state relay according to claim 7, wherein the common output of the exclusive-NOR-gates (24,25) is connected with an integrating RC-member (29,30).

11. Solid state relay according to claim 3, wherein the second sensing circuit contains an optically coupled and galvanically isolated circuit (7).

12. Solid state relay according to claim 3, wherein the evaluation circuit contains a first exclusive-NOR-gate (24) and a second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) connected in parallel with said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24), the output of said second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) being connected with the output of said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24).

13. Solid state relay according to claim 4, wherein the evaluation circuit contains a first exclusive-NOR-gate (24) and a second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) connected in parallel with said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24), the output of said second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) being connected with the output of said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24).

14. Solid state relay according to claim 5, wherein the evaluation circuit contains a first exclusive-NOR-gate (24) and a second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) connected in parallel with said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24), the output of said second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) being connected with the output of said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24).

15. Solid state relay according to claim 6, wherein the evaluation circuit contains a first exclusive-NOR-gate (24) and a second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) connected in parallel with said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24), the output of said second exclusive-NOR-gate (25) being connected with the output of said first exclusive-NOR-gate (24).

9. A solid state relay having a relay control input and a power output switch and being able to monitor line and load conditions comprising, in combination, a solid state relay having a sensing circuit integrated into said relay, said sensing circuit including an optically insulated switch for sensing the control current of the output power switch, and an optically insulated switch for sensing the voltage across the output power semiconductor, means for comparing two or more of the three parameters consisting of said sensed current and said sensed voltage and the control input, and an alarm output.

10. A solid state relay having a relay control input and a power output switch and being able to monitor line and load conditions comprising, in combination, a solid state relay having a sensing circuit integrated into said relay, said sensing circuit including a magnetically coupled insulator for sensing the control current of the output power switch, and a magnetically coupled insulator for sensing the voltage across the output power semiconductor, means for comparing two or more of the three parameters consisting of said sensed current and said sensed voltage and the control input, and an alarm output.