Capacitor discharge tool
AssigneeDISH Network L.L.C.
InventorsKirk Lenzie, Eric Berg, Matthew Bailey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Novel techniques are described for discharging high voltage components. For example, a tool is provided to discharge high-voltage capacitors in electrical appliances prior to servicing those appliances. The tool can include a handle structure electrically and physically isolated from a head structure by an elongated body. The elongated body can house at least a portion of a discharge circuit configured to discharge high-voltage components and to indicate (visually, audibly, etc.) whether voltage is present on components being discharged. The head structure can include multiple probes adapted to electrically couple the tool with the high-voltage components and through which to discharge the components.
Claims18
A capacitor discharge system comprising:
- a head structure having a first probe and a second probe;
- a non-conductive handle structure;
- an elongated body coupled and extending between the head structure and the handle structure;
- and
- a discharge circuit housed at least partially by the elongated body, the discharge circuit having:
- an indicator component to provide real-time indication of a presence of voltage across the first probe and the second probe;
- a high-power load component coupled with the indicator component;
- and
- a shunt component coupled with the indicator component.
A method for discharging a capacitor, the method comprising:
- positioning first and second probes of a capacitor discharge device each to be in electrical contact with a respective one of a first terminal and a second terminal of a capacitor, the positioning performed using a handle structure of the capacitor discharge device that is coupled with and electrically isolated from the first and second probes via an elongated body that houses a discharge circuit coupled with the first and second probes,
- such that the positioning causes the discharge circuit to provide a first real-time indication that a voltage is present across the first and second probes, and
- the positioning causes the discharge circuit to discharge the voltage;
- maintaining the first and second probes in electrical contact with the first and second terminals of the capacitor until the discharge circuit provides a second real-time indication that no voltage is present across the first and second probes;
- and
- removing the first and second probes from electrical contact with the first and second terminals of the capacitor in response to the second real-time indication.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.