# US 11,442,109 B2 · System and method for assessing circuit interrupter operating mechanism reliability, and circuit interrupter

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- Number: US 11,442,109 B2
- Document ID: US11442109B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/010,511
- Filed: 2020-09-02
- Published: 2021-03-11
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-09-05
- Assignees: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
- Applicants: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited
- Inventors: Paul R. Rakus; Michael Slepian; Saudamini Joshi; Ravikumar S.; Sachin Bhimrao Ahirrao; Kunal Teli
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11442109B2

## CPC

- G01R 31/333: Testing of the switching capacity of high-voltage circuit-breakers {; Testing of breaking capacity or related variables, e.g. post arc current or transient recovery voltage}
- H01H 11/0062: {Testing or measuring non-electrical properties of switches, e.g. contact velocity (monitoring contacts H01H1/0015; monitoring gas density H01H33/563; monitoring vacuum H01H33/668; calibrating H01H69/01; adjusting H01H71/74; testing of electrical properties G01R31/333)}
- H01H 71/04: Means for indicating condition of the switching device {(by means of an auxiliary contact H01H71/46)}
- H01H 2300/052: Controlling, signalling or testing correct functioning of a switch
- G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12)
- H01H: ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES (contact cables H01B7/10; electrolytic self-interrupters H01G9/18; emergency protective circuit arrangements H02H; switching by electronic means without contact-making H03K17/00)

## Abstract

A method of determining if a circuit interrupter operating mechanism has an acceptable trip margin includes determining a model trip margin, providing a circuit interrupter, the circuit interrupter disposed in situ, the circuit interrupter including an operating mechanism, determining a circuit interrupter trip margin by: providing an internal sensor assembly, the internal trip margin sensor assembly structured to record trip margin data, providing a transfer function module, providing a computer structured to execute the transfer function module, executing the transfer function module on the computer, utilizing the trip margin sensor assembly to generate trip margin data, transmitting the trip margin data to the transfer function module, processing the trip margin data to generate a trip margin, and determining if the trip margin is acceptable relative to the model trip margin.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of determining if a circuit interrupter having an operating mechanism has acceptable trip margin, said method comprising:
determining a model trip margin;
providing a circuit interrupter, said circuit interrupter disposed in situ, said circuit interrupter comprising a housing and further comprising an operating mechanism enclosed within the housing;
determining a trip margin of the circuit interrupter by:
providing an internal trip margin sensor assembly enclosed within the housing, said internal trip margin sensor assembly structured to generate trip margin data;
providing a transfer function module;
providing a computer structured to execute the transfer function module;
executing said transfer function module on said computer;
transmitting said trip margin data to said transfer function module;
utilizing said trip margin sensor assembly to generate trip margin data;
processing said trip margin data to generate a trip margin;
determining if said trip margin is acceptable relative to said model trip margin;
if said trip margin is acceptable, continuing to 1) utilize said trip margin sensor assembly to generate further trip margin data, 2) transmit said further trip margin data to said transfer function module, 3) process said further trip margin data to generate a further trip margin, and 4) determine if said further trip margin is acceptable relative to said model trip margin; and
if said trip margin is not acceptable, initiating a remediation on the circuit interrupter.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the trip margin includes maintaining said circuit interrupter in situ.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the circuit interrupter and the determining of the trip margin includes:
providing with the operating mechanism a number of primary trip margin components; and
providing a number of primary trip margin component sensors, each of at least a subset of said primary trip margin component sensors being structured to generate primary trip margin component trip margin data.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the circuit interrupter and the determining of the trip margin includes:
providing with the operating mechanism a number of secondary trip margin components; and
providing a number of secondary trip margin component sensors, each of at least a subset of said secondary trip margin component sensors being structured to generate secondary trip margin component trip margin data.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the providing of the circuit interrupter and the determining of the trip margin includes:
providing with the operating mechanism a number of primary trip margin components;
providing with the operating mechanism a number of secondary trip margin components;
providing a number of primary trip margin component sensors, each of at least a subset of said primary trip margin component sensors being structured to generate primary trip margin component trip margin data; and
providing a number of secondary trip margin component sensors, each of at least a subset of said secondary trip margin component sensors being structured to generate secondary trip margin component trip margin data.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5 wherein the providing of the number of primary trip margin component sensors and the providing of the number of secondary trip margin component sensors comprises:
providing a number of primary trip margin component sensors structured to generate at least one of force data, motion data, and vibration data; and
providing a number of secondary trip margin component sensors structured to generate at least one of force data, motion data, temperature data, and vibration data.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the model trip margin and the determining if said trip margin is acceptable relative to said model trip margin comprise:
determining a model trip margin limit; and
comparing said trip margin to said model trip margin limit.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the model trip margin and the determining if said trip margin is acceptable relative to said model trip margin comprise:
determining a model trip margin range; and
comparing said trip margin to said model trip margin range.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the model trip margin and the determining if said trip margin is acceptable relative to said model trip margin include:
identifying a number of model interface margins;
identifying a number of model elements margins;
comparing said trip margin to said model interface margins and the elements margins; and
identifying a number of problem interfaces/elements.

### Claim 10

A circuit interrupter comprising:
a housing having an interior region;
a set of separable contacts enclosed within the interior region;
an operating mechanism enclosed within the interior region and structured to switch the set of separable contacts between a CLOSED condition and an OPEN condition; and
a trip margin test apparatus comprising a trip margin sensor assembly that is enclosed within the interior region, the trip margin test apparatus being structured to perform a trip margin test on the operating mechanism using the trip margin sensor assembly to detect a trip margin of the operating mechanism; and
wherein the trip margin test apparatus further comprises a computer, the computer being structured to make a comparison between the trip margin and a model trip margin and, responsive to the comparison, the computer being structured to make a determination whether or not the trip margin is acceptable relative to the model trip margin.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The circuit interrupter of claim 10 wherein the trip margin test apparatus comprises a probe, the probe being engaged with the operating mechanism.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The circuit interrupter of claim 11 wherein the trip margin test apparatus comprises a servo-motor that is cooperable with the probe and that is structured to move the probe with respect to the operating mechanism.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The circuit interrupter of claim 11 wherein the operating mechanism comprises a latch, the probe being engaged with the latch during at least a portion of the trip margin test.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The circuit interrupter of claim 10 wherein the trip margin test apparatus is structured to communicate the trip margin to a computer.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The circuit interrupter of claim 10 wherein, responsive to the determination being the trip margin is acceptable:
utilizing the trip margin test apparatus to generate a further trip margin; and
making another determination whether or not the further trip margin is acceptable relative to the model trip margin.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The circuit interrupter of claim 10 wherein, responsive to the determination being the trip margin is unacceptable, initiating a remediation on the circuit interrupter.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The circuit interrupter of claim 10 wherein the computer comprises a transfer function module, and wherein the trip margin sensor assembly is structured to generate trip margin data, the transfer function module being structured to receive the trip margin data as an input and to generate as an output the trip margin.