Protective apparatus

• US 7,414,820 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2005
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kuo, Heng-Chen
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherry; Michael J
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, ANN THI
• Application Number:
  US11/298,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20060126244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 361/77
• US Class Current: 361/77
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 11/002 in case of inverted polarity or connection; with switching for obtaining correct connection

Abstract

A protective apparatus for protecting electric device connected to an AC circuit from being damaged at a time of misconnection between a live line and a neutral line thereof. The protective apparatus includes a detector, a controller, and an alarm. The detector is connected between the neutral line and the earth line. The controller is connected between the live line and the neutral line and includes a DPDT switch. Two blades of the switch switchably connected to the electric device and the alarm. The detector includes a voltage grading circuit, a rectifier-filter, a detect circuit, and an isolating circuit. Once misconnection between the live line and the neutral line occurs, an abnormal voltage is transformed by the detector to a stable DC power output, which drives the controller to disconnect the device from the live line and the neutral line and activate the alarm.

Claims

1. A protective apparatus for preventing an electrical device from being electrically damaged, the device is connected to an AC circuit via the protective apparatus, the circuit comprising a live line, a neutral line, and an earth line, the protective apparatus comprising;

a detector connected between the neutral line and the earth line, the detector comprising a rectifier-filter circuit, a detection circuit, and an isolating circuit connected in series, the detector converting an abnormal AC voltage between the neutral line and the earth line, when a misconnection occurs, to a stable DC voltage; and

a controller connected between the live line and the neutral line, the controller receiving and driven by the stable DC voltage of the detector, the controller allowing power to the device in a normal working state and disconnecting from the device when the misconnection occurs between the live line and the neutral line, the controller comprising a field-effect transistor having a control terminal receiving a start voltage, a power terminal, and a ground terminal, a winding with an iron core, and a switch, the ground terminal connected to ground via the winding, the switch attracted by the iron of the winding when the transistor is turned on to disconnect the live line and the neutral line;

wherein the detector further comprises a voltage grading circuit, the voltage grading circuit comprises a first resistor and a second resistor connected in series between the neutral line and the earth line;

wherein the rectifier-filter circuit comprises a diode, a capacitor, and a tantalum capacitor, an anode of the diode is connected to a node between the first and second resistors, a cathode of the diode is connected to a cathode of the tantalum capacitor, an anode of the tantalum capacitor is grounded, the capacitor is connected in parallel to the tantalum capacitor;

wherein the rectifier-filter circuit further comprises a Zener diode, an anode of the Zener diode is grounded, a cathode of the Zener diode is connected to the cathode of the tantalum capacitor; and

wherein the detection circuit comprises a third resistor, a forth resistor, a fifth resistor, a first transistor, a second transistor, one end of the third resistor is connected to the cathode of the diode, the forth resistor is connected to the other end of the third resistor and the earth line, a base of the first transistor is connected to a node between the third and forth resistors, an emitter of the first transistor is grounded, the fifth resistor is connected between a collector of the first transistor and a base of the second transistor, an emitter of the second transistor is connected to the cathode of the diode.

2. The protective apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the isolating circuit comprises a sixth resistor, a seventh resistor, a power supply, and an optical coupler, one end of the sixth resistor is connected to a collector of the second transistor, the other end of the sixth resistor is connected to an anode of the optical coupler, a cathode of the optical coupler is grounded, the seventh resistor is connected between the power source and a collector of the optical coupler, an emitter of the optical coupler is grounded.

3. The protective apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the field-effect transistor is a P-channel field-effect transistor, a gate of the transistor is connected to a node between the seventh resistor and the collector of the optical coupler, a source of the transistor is connected to the power supply, a drain of the transistor is connected to one end of the winding.

4. The protective apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising an alarm configured in a circuit with the switch, wherein the switch is a double-pole double throw switch and located above the winding, the winding comprises a pair of blades, the blades switch away from the alarm in a normal state, the blades are connected to the alarm in an abnormal state when the misconnection occurs.

5. The protective apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the controller further comprises a second diode, an anode of the second diode is connected to the drain of the field-effect transistor, a cathode of the second diode is connected to the source of the field-effect transistor.

6. The protective apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an alarm connected to the controller, wherein the alarm is connected with the switch to form a circuit for giving out a warning when the misconnection occurs.