US 10,326,264 B1 · Auto-monitoring redundancy for enhanced miniature circuit breaker reliability

Abstract

Systems and methods for auto-monitoring a trip solenoid and a switching semiconductor in a circuit breaker comprises determining whether the trip solenoid or the switching semiconductor is open-circuited or otherwise non-operational. The trip solenoid has multiple windings therein and the switching semiconductor has multiple semiconductor switches therein. The circuit breaker automatically performs a designated action if one of the multiple windings or one of the semiconductor switches is determined to be open-circuited or otherwise non-operational. In some embodiments, the circuit breaker is a miniature circuit breaker.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method for auto-monitoring a trip solenoid and a switching semiconductor in a circuit breaker, the method comprising:

testing the trip solenoid and the switching semiconductor in the circuit breaker, the trip solenoid having multiple parallel windings therein and the switching semiconductor having multiple parallel semiconductor switches therein, each parallel semiconductor switch being connected to each one of the multiple parallel windings so that each parallel semiconductor switch when energized allows current to flow through any one of the multiple parallel windings;
automatically performing a designated action if one of the multiple parallel windings is open-circuited or otherwise non-operational;
and
automatically performing the designated action if one of the multiple parallel semiconductor switches is open-circuited or otherwise non-operational.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Auto-monitoring redundancy for enhanced miniature circuit breaker reliability

Life of this patent

Auto-monitoring redundancy for enhanced miniature circuit breaker reliability

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19