Series arc fault diagnostic for aircraft wiring
First Claim
1. A device for locating a series arc fault at one or more series connections having a first end and a second end, the first end of the connections being coupled to a source of common-mode voltage and the second end of the connections being coupled to a wire, the wire having a conductive layer and a insulation layer for sheathing the conductive layer, the device comprising:
- an electrode electrically coupled to the source of common-mode voltage at a first node, thereby providing a reference based on the common-mode voltage;
a probe adapted for clamping to the wire at a second node, thereby forming a coupling capacitance to electrically couple the probe to the wire; and
a measuring circuit being coupled to the probe and being coupled to the electrode so as to measure an AC voltage between the first node and the second node to detect and locate the series arc fault.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device for measuring the AC voltage drop across a series of connections under load with no direct electrical contact to the conductors. The presence of a substantial resistance at series contacts is indicative of a series arcing fault. The device comprises a capacitive probe for clamping to the outer insulation layer of the wire to sense a first voltage at a first node. The device further comprises a floating high-impedance meter having a ground reference coupled to the source of common-mode voltage at a second node, the floating high-impedance meter being adapted to measure a voltage difference between the two nodes and being further adapted to indicate the presence of the series fault when the measured voltage exceeds a predetermined level.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A device for locating a series arc fault at one or more series connections having a first end and a second end, the first end of the connections being coupled to a source of common-mode voltage and the second end of the connections being coupled to a wire, the wire having a conductive layer and a insulation layer for sheathing the conductive layer, the device comprising:
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an electrode electrically coupled to the source of common-mode voltage at a first node, thereby providing a reference based on the common-mode voltage;
a probe adapted for clamping to the wire at a second node, thereby forming a coupling capacitance to electrically couple the probe to the wire; and
a measuring circuit being coupled to the probe and being coupled to the electrode so as to measure an AC voltage between the first node and the second node to detect and locate the series arc fault. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification