Computer-controlled circuit breaker arrangement with circuit breaker having identification circuit
First Claim
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1. An energy management loadpanel arrangement, comprising:
- a loadpanel enclosure;
a plurality of circuit breakers secured in the enclosure and each of said circuit breakers enclosed in respective circuit breaker housings, at least one of said circuit breakers being digitally-coded and including contacts constructed and arranged for opening and closing in response to a control signal so as to interrupt and establish, respectively, an associated current path, and said at least one of the circuit breakers including a signal circuit providing a digital signal indicative of a specified type of circuit breaker; and
a microcomputer circuit, located outside said respective circuit breaker housings and responsive to said digital signal, for determining the type of circuit breaker represented by said digital signal and for generating said control signal to control said at least one circuit breaker and its associated current path.
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Abstract
An energy management loadpanel arrangement includes a loadpanel enclosure having a plurality of circuit breakers, each of which opens and closes in response to a control signal so as to interrupt an associated current path. A microcomputer generates the control signals to control the position of the circuit breakers and their associated current paths. The circuit breakers include a digital code circuit which is manually set to indicate the type of circuit breaker, for example, a one, two or three pole circuit breaker.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. An energy management loadpanel arrangement, comprising:
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a loadpanel enclosure; a plurality of circuit breakers secured in the enclosure and each of said circuit breakers enclosed in respective circuit breaker housings, at least one of said circuit breakers being digitally-coded and including contacts constructed and arranged for opening and closing in response to a control signal so as to interrupt and establish, respectively, an associated current path, and said at least one of the circuit breakers including a signal circuit providing a digital signal indicative of a specified type of circuit breaker; and a microcomputer circuit, located outside said respective circuit breaker housings and responsive to said digital signal, for determining the type of circuit breaker represented by said digital signal and for generating said control signal to control said at least one circuit breaker and its associated current path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A circuit breaker device for interrupting power in a circuit path between a source and a load in response to a control signal from a computer, the circuit breaker device comprising:
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a first contact and a second contact cooperatively constructed and arranged in the circuit path to provide current from the source to the load and at least one of the contacts being movable for interrupting the power provided to the load; a contact controller, responsive to open control and closed control signals, for moving said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted and established, respectively; and a digital code circuit for providing a digital signal representing a designated type of circuit breaker; and a signal circuit for programming said digital code circuit to designate that the circuit breaker device is a particular type; wherein the computer determines the type of circuit breaker by reading said digital signal and controls the circuit breaker device by sending the open control and closed control signals. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A remotely controllable circuit breaker device for interrupting power in a circuit path between a source and a load, comprising:
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a first contact and a second contact cooperatively arranged in the circuit path so as to provide current from the source to the load and at least one of the contacts being movable for interrupting the power provided to the load; means, responsive to open control and closed control signals generated from a remote location, for moving said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted and established, respectively; a rotatable gear, responsive to said means for moving and coupled to said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted in response to said control signal; a digital code circuit for providing a computer-readable digital signal representing a designated type of circuit breaker; and manually settable means for programming said digital code circuit to designate that the circuit breaker device is of a particular type. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An energy management loadpanel arrangement, comprising:
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a loadpanel enclosure; a plurality of circuit breakers secured in the enclosure, each of said circuit breakers enclosed in one of a plurality of housings and digitally-coded and including contacts constructed and arranged for opening and closing in response to a control signal to interrupt and establish, respectively, an associated current path and including a signal circuit providing digital signals indicative of a specified type of circuit breaker; and a microcomputer circuit, located outside said housing and responsive to said digital signal, for distinguishing one type of circuit breaker from another based on said digital signals and for generating said control signal to control said at least one circuit breaker and its associated current path.
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Specification