Combination ground fault and arc fault circuit interrupter

• US 6,266,219 B1
• Filed: 06/02/1998
• Issued: 07/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pass & Seymour Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Pass & Seymour Incorporated (Legrand SA)
• Inventors: Packard, Thomas N., Macbeth, Bruce F.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERRY, MICHAEL JUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/089,475
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 362/42-50, 362/93, 362/99, 362/102, 362/160, 362/187, 362/170, 362/93.1, 362/93.6, 324/418, 324/422-424, 324/546
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0015 Using arc detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/334 with means to produce an artificial unbalance for other protection or monitoring reasons or remote control H02H3/338 takes precedence

Abstract

A combined ground fault and arc fault circuit interrupter includes a differential current transformer, a hot electrical line and a neutral electrical line passing through the current transformer and forming the primary thereof, an asymmetrical current transformer having a core through which the hot and common electrical leads pass, and a secondary wound on the core for producing a signal more strongly responsive to the current in the common line than in the hot line. An arc fault detector is connected to the secondary of the second transformer, while a ground fault detector is connected to the secondary of the first transformer, and the outputs of the ground fault and arc fault detectors are both connected to a circuit interrupter arranged for disconnecting the circuit when either a ground fault or an arc fault is detected.

Claims

1. A circuit protector comprising:

a differential current transformer for producing a signal in response to a ground fault in the circuit;

an asymmetrical transformer for producing a signal in response to an arc fault in the circuit;

a ground fault detector connected to the differential current transformer; and

an arc fault detector connected to the asymmetrical transformer.

2. The circuit protector of claim 1 comprising a hot electrical conductor and a neutral electrical conductor, each conductor forming a primary winding of each of the differential current transformer and the asymmetrical transformer.

3. The circuit protector of claim 2 in which the asymmetrical current transformer produces an output signal that is more responsive to signals on a selected one of the hot and the neutral conductor than to signals on the other conductor.

4. The circuit protector of claim 2 in which the differential transformer comprises a toroidal core.

5. The circuit protector of claim 2 in which the asymmetrical transformer comprises a core selected from the group consisting of toroidal cores, sectional cores and square cores.

6. The circuit protector of claim 5 in which the asymmetrical transformer comprises a first winding coupled to an oscillator for producing a ground fault indicating current in the differential transformer when the secondary neutral conductor is connected to a ground conductor.

7. The circuit protector of claim 6 in which the first winding of the asymmetrical transformer, which is used to generate a ground fault indicating current in the differential transformer, is also used as an output winding for the arc fault detection signal.

8. The circuit protector of claim 1 in which the differential current transformer is characterized by a greater common mode rejection characteristic than the asymmetrical transformer.

9. The circuit protector of claim 1 in which the asymmetrical transformer comprises a core having circumferentially non uniform magnetic characteristics.

10. The circuit protector of claim 1 in which the asymmetrical transformer comprises a core having a notch formed therein.

11. The circuit protector of claim 1 comprising a circuit interrupter.

12. The circuit protector of claim 11 in which the circuit interrupter comprises a relay.

13. The circuit protector of claim 12 comprising a switching device connected to the relay for selectively energizing the relay.

14. The circuit protector of claim 1 comprising an arc fault simulator coupled to the asymmetrical transformer for simulating an arc fault for verifying the operation of the circuit protector.

15. The circuit protector of claim 1 comprising a ground fault simulator coupled to the hot and neutral lines on opposite sides of the differential current transformer for simulating a ground fault for verifying the operation of the circuit protector.

16. The circuit protector of claim 15 comprising a ground fault simulator coupled to the hot and neutral lines for simulating a ground fault for verifying the operation of the circuit protector.

17. The circuit protector of claim 14 comprising a timer for periodically energizing the arc fault simulator.

18. The circuit protector of claim 15 comprising a timer for periodically energizing the ground fault simulator.

19. The circuit protector of claim 15 comprising a timer for periodically energizing the ground fault simulator and the arc fault simulator.

20. The circuit protector of claim 1 in which the asymmetrical transformer comprises a non symmetrical winding.

21. The circuit protector of claim 12 comprising a ground fault simulator coupled to the hot and neutral lines on opposite sides of the differential current transformer for simulating a ground fault for verifying the operation of the circuit protector.

22. The circuit protector of claim 12 comprising an arc fault simulator coupled to the asymmetrical transformer for simulating an arc fault for verifying the operation of the circuit protector.

23. The circuit protector of claim 21 where the relay coil is momentarily de-energized and then re-energized, before the relay contacts can open, in order to test the interrupting electronics for proper operation.

24. The circuit protector of claim 22 where the relay coil is momentarily de-energized and then re-energized, before the relay contacts can open, in order to test the interrupting electronics for proper operation.

25. The circuit protector of claim 14 comprising a resetable timer which is reset each time the arc detector activates the circuit interrupter drive circuitry, and which if not reset, causes the circuit interrupter to interrupt power to the load.

26. The circuit protector of claim 15 comprising a resetable timer which is reset each time the ground fault detector activates the circuit interrupter drive circuitry, and which if not reset, causes the circuit interrupter to interrupt power to the load.