Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A circuit interrupter comprising:
- a housing;
at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within said housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity;
at least one output conductor disposed within said housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor;
circuit interrupter circuitry disposed within said housing and configured to break said electrical connection between said input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a fault or test cycle, said circuit interrupter circuitry including a solenoid coil;
a reset mechanism configured to reset said electrical connection between said input and output conductors when said reset mechanism is activated; and
a surge protection circuit comprising a semiconductor device for reducing surge voltage applied to said circuit interrupter circuitry, wherein said solenoid coil limits the current through said semiconductor device and said semiconductor device is a transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A circuit interrupter, such as a GFCI or AFCI product, is provided having a suppression and protection circuit and circuit interrupter circuitry. In one configuration, a semiconductor device and a voltage clamping device or surge protector, such as a metal oxide varistor (MOV), are utilized in the circuit interrupter for handling transient surges and overvoltage conditions. The semiconductor device, such as a SIDCA and a TVS diode, is connected to a solenoid or trip coil of the circuit interrupter circuitry to limit the amount of current through the semiconductor device. The MOV is placed between phase and neutral conductors of the circuit interrupter circuitry.
73 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A circuit interrupter comprising:
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a housing; at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within said housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity; at least one output conductor disposed within said housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor; circuit interrupter circuitry disposed within said housing and configured to break said electrical connection between said input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a fault or test cycle, said circuit interrupter circuitry including a solenoid coil; a reset mechanism configured to reset said electrical connection between said input and output conductors when said reset mechanism is activated; and a surge protection circuit comprising a semiconductor device for reducing surge voltage applied to said circuit interrupter circuitry, wherein said solenoid coil limits the current through said semiconductor device and said semiconductor device is a transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A circuit interrupter comprising:
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a housing; at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within said housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity; at least one output conductor disposed within said housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor; circuit interrupter circuitry disposed within said housing and configured to break said electrical connection between said input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a fault or test cycle, said circuit interrupter circuitry including a solenoid coil; and a surge protection circuit comprising a semiconductor device for reducing surge voltage applied to said circuit interrupter circuitry, wherein said solenoid coil of the circuit interrupter circuitry limits the current through said semiconductor device and said semiconductor device is a transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A circuit interrupter comprising:
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a housing; an input comprising at least one phase input and one neutral input conductor disposed at least partially within said housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity; an output comprising at least one phase output and one neutral output conductor disposed within said housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said phase input and said neutral input conductors, respectively; circuit interrupter circuitry disposed within said housing and configured to break said electrical connection between said input and said output in response to the occurrence of a fault or test cycle, said circuit interrupter circuitry including a solenoid coil; a reset mechanism configured to reset said electrical connection between said input and said output when said reset mechanism is activated; and a surge protection circuit disposed in electrical communication between said at least one input and said circuit interrupter circuitry, said surge protection circuit comprising a metal oxide varistor (MOV) and a semiconductor device, wherein said MOV is coupled between said phase input and said neutral input, wherein said semiconductor device is arranged and configured to reduce surge voltage applied to said circuit interrupter circuitry, and wherein said solenoid coil limits the current through said semiconductor device. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A circuit interrupter comprising:
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a housing; at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within said housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity; at least one output conductor disposed within said housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor; circuit interrupter circuitry disposed within said housing and configured to break said electrical connection between said input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a fault or test cycle, said circuit interrupter circuitry including a solenoid coil; a reset mechanism configured to reset said electrical connection between said input and output conductors when said reset mechanism is activated; and a surge protection circuit comprising a metal oxide varistor (MOV) and a semiconductor device, wherein said semiconductor device is arranged and configured to reduce surge voltage applied to said circuit interrupter circuitry, wherein said solenoid coil limits the current through said semiconductor device, and wherein said semiconductor device is a SIDAC having a voltage equal to or greater than a voltage of the MOV. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification