Pyrotechnic circuit breaker assembly for an aircraft, and an aircraft comprising such an assembly
AssigneeAirbus Operations GmbH
InventorsDavid Rousset, Jean-Marc Lacoste
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrical circuit breaker assembly, and a method for its operation, including a conductive element of an electrical circuit and a cut-off device configured to be activated by a pyrotechnic element and that is configured to sever the conductive element in a cut-off zone delimited by a downstream point. The electrical circuit breaker assembly further includes a contactor element configured to be activated by a pyrotechnic element, the contactor element being configured to connect the downstream point of the cut-off zone to an earth conductor of the electrical circuit prior to a severing of the conductive element or simultaneously with the severing of the conductive element.
Claims7
An electrical circuit breaker assembly comprising:
- a conductive element of an electrical circuit,
- a severing device configured to be activated by a first pyrotechnic element and that is configured to sever said conductive element in a predetermined cut-off zone delimited by a downstream point, and
- a contactor element configured to be activated by a second pyrotechnic element, the contactor element being configured to connect said downstream point of the cut-off zone to a ground conductor of said electrical circuit prior to a severing of said conductive element,
- wherein first and second activation signals of the first and second pyrotechnic elements, respectively, are distinct and controlled independently of one another.
A method for protecting an electrical circuit of an aircraft, the electrical circuit comprising:
- a conductive element of a circuit,
- a severing device configured be activated by a first pyrotechnic element and that is configured to sever said conductive element in a predetermined cut-off zone delimited by a downstream point, and
- a contactor element configured to be activated by a second pyrotechnic element, the contactor element being configured to connect said downstream point of the cut-off zone to a ground conductor of said electrical circuit,
- wherein first and second activation signals of the first and second pyrotechnic elements, respectively, are distinct and controlled independently of one another,
- said method comprising steps of:
- (i) detecting a current that is representative of a current greater than a predetermined threshold established in said conductive element,
- (ii) connecting said downstream point of the cut-off zone to a ground conductor of said electrical circuit, and
- (iii) severing said conductive element in a predetermined cut-off zone,
- wherein step (iii) of severing said conductive element occurs after step (ii) of connecting said downstream point of the cut-off zone to said ground conductor of said electrical circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.