Circuit interrupting device with automatic test

• US 7,800,874 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leviton Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Stewart, Stephen, Bradley, Roger M., Calixto, Armando, Germain, Frantz, DiSalvo, Nicholas L., Mernyk, Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Stephen W
• Application Number:
  US12/118,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 361/42
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/335 the main function being self testing of the device

Abstract

Resettable circuit interrupting devices having self-test and non-resettable or limited resettable power interrupting systems are provided. The permanent power interrupting system activates when a circuit interrupting device is no longer capable of operating in accordance with applicable standards governing such devices or the device is no longer capable of operating in accordance with its design characteristics.

Claims

1. A circuit interrupting device comprising:

at least two conductive paths each having a line side and a load side;

a fault sensor disposed to monitor the at least two conductive paths for a predefined fault condition and disposed to output a condition signal in the event the predefined fault condition is detected;

a relay;

a relay controller coupled to said relay and disposed to receive the outputted condition signal, such that when the relay controller receives the condition signal, said relay is disposed to cause electrical discontinuity in the at least two conductive paths between the line side and load side;

a load voltage sensor disposed to measure the voltage between the at least two conductive paths at the load side and disposed to output a voltage signal in response to the measured voltage; and

a power interrupting system having a power interrupting controller coupled to the fault sensor and the load voltage sensor and capable of outputting a disconnect signal in response to the detection of a predefined operational condition based upon the condition signal and the voltage signal, and a power interrupter disposed to cause permanent electrical discontinuity in the at least two conductive paths between the line side and load side in response to the disconnect signal.

2. The circuit interrupting device as in claim 1, wherein the at least two conductive paths comprise at least a phase conductive path and at least a neutral conductive path.

3. A fault circuit interrupting device having a line side and a load side, the device comprising:

a) a fault sensor disposed to monitor a power line for a fault;

b) at least one first interrupter configured to selectively disconnect electrical continuity between the line side and the load side, the at least one first interrupter comprising;

i) a relay;

ii) a relay controller coupled to an output of said fault sensor, said relay controller being disposed to selectively open said relay; and

c) at least one second interrupter coupled in series with said first interrupter and configured to selectively permanently disconnect electrical continuity between said line side and said load side.

4. The device as in claim 3, wherein said fault sensor comprises an integrated circuit.

5. The device as in claim 3, further comprising at least one microcontroller coupled to said fault sensor and to said relay controller, said microcontroller being configured to selectively operate at least one of said at least one first interrupter and said at least one second interrupter.

6. The device as in claim 5, wherein said microcontroller is configured to perform a self test, and to activate at least one of said at least one first interrupter and said at least one second interrupter when said microcontroller determines that said self test fails.

7. The device as in claim 6, wherein the device further comprises at least two conductive paths, each extending on the line side and the load side, and said self test comprises a current imbalance formed between said at least two conductive paths.

8. The device as in claim 3, wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI), immersion detection circuit interrupters (IDCI), appliance leakage circuit interrupters (ALCI), and equipment leakage circuit interrupters (ELCI).

9. The device as in claim 6, wherein said at least one microcontroller is configured to activate said at least one second interrupter if said at least one first interrupter fails to operate.

10. The device as in claim 3, further comprising at least one microcontroller, wherein said microcontroller is configured to perform an automatic self test on a periodic basis.

11. The device as in claim 6, wherein said self test is a ground fault condition simulation.

12. The device as in claim 11, wherein said ground fault condition simulation is created on the line side of the device.

13. The device as in claim 5, wherein said microcontroller comprises a clock disposed to periodically perform an automatic self test.

14. The device as in claim 12 wherein said microcontroller is configured to send a signal between one of:

a line side neutral line and a load side phase line; and

a line side phase line and a load side neutral line.

15. The device as in claim 3, further comprising a self test system comprising at least one clocking circuit disposed to periodically perform a self test on at least one of:

said fault sensor, and said at least one first line interrupter.

16. The device as in claim 15, wherein said self test system is configured to periodically create a ground fault condition simulation.

17. The device as in claim 16, wherein said ground fault condition simulation is created by passing a signal between one of:

a line side neutral line and a load side phase line; and

a line side phase line and a load side neutral line.

18. The device as in claim 3, further comprising at least one voltage sensor disposed to measure a voltage on a load side and disposed to output a voltage signal in response to a measured voltage.

19. The device as in claim 5, further comprising a voltage sensor in communication with the load side of the device, and disposed to measure a voltage on the load side, wherein said microcontroller is coupled to said voltage sensor and at least one of said first line interrupter and said second line interrupter, wherein said microcontroller is configured to operate at least one of said line interrupter after receiving a signal from said voltage sensor.

20. The device as in claim 3, further comprising a voltage sensor, wherein at least one of said first line interrupter and said second line interrupter is coupled to said voltage sensor and is configured to operate when said voltage sensor produces a signal.

21. The device as in claim 3, wherein said at least one second interrupter is a power interrupting system, configured to permanently disconnect electrical communication between the line side and the load side, and wherein said power interrupting system comprises at least one power interrupting controller and at least one power interrupter.

22. The device as in claim 21, wherein said at least one power interrupting controller comprises a condition test logic circuit and at least one switch, wherein an output of said condition test logic circuit is an input into said at least one switch to selectively activate said at least one switch to operate said at least one power interrupter to permanently disconnect electrical communication between said line side and said load side.

23. The device as in claim 22, wherein said at least one switch is selected from the group consisting of a triac, and a transistor.

24. The device as in claim 21, wherein said at least one power interrupter comprises a fuse.

25. The device as in claim 24, wherein said at least one power interrupter comprises a heater disposed to heat said fuse to permanently disconnect electrical continuity between said line side and said load side.

26. A method for performing a self test on a fault circuit interrupter comprising:

a) performing a self test;

b) determining if there is a hardware failure;

c) detecting a load voltage;

d) determining if there is a reset request; and

e) permanently disconnecting power to a load side after determining that there was a hardware failure.

27. The method as in claim 26, further comprising the step of performing a second self test after determining that a reset request has been made.

28. The method as in claim 26, further comprising the step of opening at least one relay if the self test on the fault circuit interrupter has failed.