Detecting and sensing actuation in a circuit interrupting device
First Claim
1. A circuit interrupting device configured to cause electrical discontinuity along a conductive path upon the occurrence of a predetermined condition, comprising:
- a fault sensing circuit configured to detect the predetermined condition and to generate a circuit interrupting actuation signal; and
a coil and plunger assembly, having at least one coil and a plunger actuatable by the circuit interrupting actuation signal and configured and disposed within the circuit interrupting device so that upon detection of the occurrence of the predetermined condition the plunger will move in a fault direction from a non-actuated configuration to an actuated configuration a distance sufficient to cause disengagement of at least one set of contacts from each other and thereby cause electrical discontinuity along the conductive path; and
a test assembly configured to cause the plunger to move in a test direction, from a pre-test configuration to a post-test configuration, a distance insufficient to disengage the at least one set of contacts from each other.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A circuit interrupting device configured to cause electrical discontinuity along a conductive path upon the occurrence of a predetermined condition is disclosed. The device includes a fault sensing circuit detecting the predetermined condition and generating a circuit interrupting actuation signal, and a coil and plunger assembly actuatable by the circuit interrupting actuation signal so that, upon detecting the predetermined condition, the plunger will move in a fault direction from a non-actuated to an actuated configuration a distance sufficient to cause disengagement of at least one set of contacts from each other to cause electrical discontinuity along the conductive path; and a test assembly causing the plunger to move in a test direction, from a pre-test configuration to a post-test configuration, a distance insufficient to disengage the at least one set of contacts from each other. Analogous methods of testing the circuit interrupting device are also disclosed.
68 Citations
65 Claims
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1. A circuit interrupting device configured to cause electrical discontinuity along a conductive path upon the occurrence of a predetermined condition, comprising:
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a fault sensing circuit configured to detect the predetermined condition and to generate a circuit interrupting actuation signal; and a coil and plunger assembly, having at least one coil and a plunger actuatable by the circuit interrupting actuation signal and configured and disposed within the circuit interrupting device so that upon detection of the occurrence of the predetermined condition the plunger will move in a fault direction from a non-actuated configuration to an actuated configuration a distance sufficient to cause disengagement of at least one set of contacts from each other and thereby cause electrical discontinuity along the conductive path; and a test assembly configured to cause the plunger to move in a test direction, from a pre-test configuration to a post-test configuration, a distance insufficient to disengage the at least one set of contacts from each other. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of testing a circuit interrupting device comprising the steps of:
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generating an actuation signal; causing a plunger to move in response to said actuation signal, without causing said circuit interrupting device to trip; measuring said movement of said plunger; and determining whether said movement reflects an operable circuit interrupting device. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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Specification