Wiring device having leakage detection function

• US 8,390,967 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Goto, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Stephen W
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROOKS, ANGELA D
• Application Number:
  US13/000,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20110110003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 361/42
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0092 concerning the data processing means, e.g. expert systems, neural networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/04 Arrangements for preventing response to transient abnormal conditions, e.g. to lightning or to short duration over voltage or oscillations; Damping the influence of dc component by short circuits in ac networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/33 using summation current transformers H02H3/347 takes precedence

Abstract

A wiring device includes a leakage control unit for detecting a leakage current flowing through an electrical path connecting a commercial power supply and a load to perform a leakage determination and a switching unit for interrupting the electrical path in accordance with the leakage determination of the leakage control unit The leakage control unit has a filter for filtering the detected leakage, a square operation unit for calculating the square operation value of a signal which relates to the leakage current passing through the filter, and a threshold determination unit for performing the leakage determination in accordance with the square operation value obtained by the square operation unit. Consequently, the leakage determination is performed in accordance with the square operation value, so that the leakage can be detected with high accuracy even when the leakage current has a distorted waveform, and the electrical leakage can be reliably interrupted.

Claims

1. A wiring device which has leakage detection functions and is located between a commercial power supply and a load, comprising;

a leakage controller that detects a leakage current flowing through an electrical path connecting the commercial power supply and a load to perform a leakage determination; and

a switch that interrupts the electrical path in accordance with the leakage determination of the leakage controller,

wherein the leakage controller further comprises;

a filter that removes high frequency components of the detected leakage current, the filter having a current-frequency characteristic corresponding to current waveforms that a human body perceives as aim electrical shock;

a square operator that calculates a square value of a signal passing through the filter; and

a determiner that performs the leakage determination by comparing the square value obtained by the square operator to preset threshold value.

2. The wiring device having the leakage detection function according to claim 1, wherein a current transformer is provided to detect the leakage current flowing in the electrical path.

3. The wiring device having the leakage detection function according to claim 2, wherein the leakage controller further comprising:

an amplifier which differentially amplifies the leakage current provided from the current transformer and outputs to differentially amplified leakage current to the filter;

a gain adjuster which performs a gain adjustment of the square value from the square operator; and

an integrating circuit which integrates the gain adjusted square value and outputs the integration output to the determiner.

4. The wiring device having the leakage detection function according to claim 1, wherein the filter is made up of a capacitor and a resistor.

5. The wiring device having the leakage detection function according to claim 4, wherein the filter further has a capacitor which has a DC (direct-current) cut function.

6. The wiring device having the leakage detection function according to claim 5, wherein a zero-phase-sequence current transformer is provided to detect the leakage current flowing in the electrical path.

7. The wiring device having the leakage detection function according to claim 6, wherein the leakage controller further comprising:

an amplifier which differentially amplifies the leakage current provided from the zero-phase-sequence current transformer and outputs the differentially amplified leakage current to the filter;

a gain adjuster which performs a gain adjustment of the is square value from the square operator; and

an integrating circuit which integrates the gain adjusted square value and outputs the integration output to the determiner.