Solid-state circuit interrupters
AssigneeIntelesol, LLC
InventorMark Telefus
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A circuit interrupter includes a solid-state switch and a mode control circuit. The solid-state switch is serially connected between a line input terminal and a load output terminal of the circuit interrupter. The mode control circuit is configured to implement a first control mode and a second control mode to control operation of the circuit interrupter. The first control mode is configured to generate a self-bias turn-on threshold voltage for the solid-state switch during power-up of the circuit interrupter, while maintaining the solid-state switch in a switched-off state until the self-bias turn-on threshold voltage is generated. The second control mode is configured to disrupt the self-bias turn-on threshold voltage and place the solid-state switch into a switched-off state.
Claims20
A circuit interrupter, comprising:
- a solid-state switch serially connected between a line input terminal and a load output terminal of the circuit interrupter, and configured to be placed in one of (i) a switched-on state to provide an electrical connection in an electrical path between the line input terminal and the load output terminal, and (ii) a switched-off state;
- and
- a mode control circuit configured to implement a first control mode and a second control mode to control operation of the circuit interrupter;
- wherein in the first control mode, the mode control circuit is configured to (i) utilize current drawn from an input power source applied to the line input terminal of the circuit interrupter to generate a turn-on threshold voltage during power-up of the circuit interrupter, (ii) shunt a control terminal of the solid-state switch during the power-up of the circuit interrupter to maintain the solid-state switch in the switched-off state until the turn-on threshold voltage is generated to a constant voltage level, and (iii) remove the shunt to thereby apply the turn-on threshold voltage at the constant voltage level to the control terminal of the solid-state switch to place the solid-state switch into the switched-on state;
- and
- wherein in the second control mode, the mode control circuit is configured to shunt the control terminal of the solid-state switch to disrupt the turn-on threshold voltage applied to the control terminal of the solid-state switch and thereby place the solid-state switch into the switched-off state.
A circuit interrupter, comprising:
- a solid-state switch serially connected between a line input terminal and a load output terminal of the circuit interrupter, and configured to be placed in one of (i) a switched-on state to provide an electrical connection in an electrical path between the line input terminal and the load output terminal, and (ii) a switched-off state;
- and
- a mode control circuit configured to implement a first control mode and a second control mode to control operation of the circuit interrupter;
- wherein the first control mode is configured to generate a self-bias turn-on threshold voltage for the solid-state switch during power-up of the circuit interrupter, while maintaining the solid-state switch in the switched-off state until the self-bias turn-on threshold voltage is generated;
- and
- wherein the second control mode is configured to disrupt the self-bias turn-on threshold voltage and place the solid-state switch into the switched-off state;
- wherein the mode control circuit comprises:
- a self-biasing circuit comprising a voltage clamping circuit and a first control switch;
- wherein the voltage clamping circuit is configured to generate the self-bias turn-on threshold voltage for the solid-state switch during power-up of the circuit interrupter using current drawn from an input power source applied to the line input terminal of the circuit interrupter;
- and
- wherein the first control switch is configured to short a control input of the solid-state switch to maintain the solid-state switch in a switched-off state until the self-bias turn-on threshold voltage is generated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.