Electrical switching apparatus employing a circuit for selectively enabling and disabling a close actuator mechanism
First Claim
1. An electrical switching apparatus comprising:
- separable contact means for movement between a closed position and an open position, said separable contact means having at least one electrical condition;
operating means for moving said separable contact means between the closed position and the open position thereof;
sensing means for sensing said at least one electrical condition of said separable contact means and producing at least one signal corresponding to said at least one electrical condition;
tripping means employing said at least one signal corresponding to said at least one electrical condition for producing a trip signal;
trip actuator means employing the trip signal for actuating said operating means to move said separable contact means to the open position thereof;
closing means for producing a close signal; and
close actuator means employing the close signal for actuating said operating means to move said separable contact means to the closed position thereof,with said tripping means including means for selectively enabling and disabling said close actuator means as a function of said at least one signal corresponding to said at least one electrical condition, said tripping means further including means for receiving a remote reset signal,said means for selectively enabling and disabling said close actuator means includingmeans for disabling said close actuator means after said tripping means produces the trip signal, andmeans for enabling said close actuator means in response to the remote reset signal.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A circuit breaker includes separable contacts for movement between a closed position and an open position, and an operating mechanism for moving the separable contacts between the closed and open positions. Current transformers and potential transformers sense current, voltage and frequency conditions of the separable contacts and produce signals corresponding to those electrical conditions. A trip unit employs those signals corresponding to the electrical conditions to produce a trip signal. A trip coil employs the trip signal to actuate the operating mechanism to move the separable contacts to the open position. A closing mechanism produces a close signal, and a close actuator mechanism employs the close signal to actuate the operating mechanism to move the separable contacts to the closed position. The trip unit includes a microprocessor-based firmware routine for selectively enabling and disabling the close actuator mechanism as a function of the signals corresponding to the electrical conditions.
73 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An electrical switching apparatus comprising:
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separable contact means for movement between a closed position and an open position, said separable contact means having at least one electrical condition; operating means for moving said separable contact means between the closed position and the open position thereof; sensing means for sensing said at least one electrical condition of said separable contact means and producing at least one signal corresponding to said at least one electrical condition; tripping means employing said at least one signal corresponding to said at least one electrical condition for producing a trip signal; trip actuator means employing the trip signal for actuating said operating means to move said separable contact means to the open position thereof; closing means for producing a close signal; and close actuator means employing the close signal for actuating said operating means to move said separable contact means to the closed position thereof, with said tripping means including means for selectively enabling and disabling said close actuator means as a function of said at least one signal corresponding to said at least one electrical condition, said tripping means further including means for receiving a remote reset signal, said means for selectively enabling and disabling said close actuator means including means for disabling said close actuator means after said tripping means produces the trip signal, and means for enabling said close actuator means in response to the remote reset signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification