Electrical protection device
AssigneeSchneider Electric Industries SAS
InventorsEric Domejean, Emmanuel Frangin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrical protection device including main electrical contacts, a switching mechanism, a solid-state power switch connected in series with the main electrical contacts, a safety device connected in parallel with the main electrical contacts, the safety device including secondary electrical contacts, and a control unit, the control unit being adapted to control the power switch and the switching mechanism. The safety device being adapted to, when a current of greater than a predetermined value flows through the safety device, activate the switching mechanism to switch the main electrical contacts and the secondary electrical contacts to the open state.
Claims8
An electrical protection device comprising:
- two connection terminals,
- main electrical contacts, separable and connected between the two connection terminals, the main electrical contacts being switchable between an open state, in which the electrical contacts are separated, and a closed state, in which the electrical contacts are in contact,
- a switching mechanism, the switching mechanism being adapted to switch the main electrical contacts to the open state,
- a solid-state power switch connected in series with the main electrical contacts, the power switch being adapted to shift between an open state, blocking a passage of current, and a closed state, allowing the current to pass through,
- a safety device connected in parallel with the main electrical contacts, the safety device comprising:
- secondary electrical contacts, the secondary electrical contacts being separable and movable between an open state and a closed state, the switching mechanism being adapted to switch the secondary electrical contacts to the open state, and
- a control unit, the control unit being adapted to shift the electrical protection device between an open state, in which the power switch, the main electrical contacts and the secondary electrical contacts are in an open state, and a closed state, in which the power switch, the main electrical contacts and the secondary electrical contacts are in a closed state, the control unit being adapted to control the power switch and the switching mechanism, and to:
- when the electrical protection device is being closed, close the secondary electrical contacts of the safety device before the main electrical contacts and the power switch, and
- when the electrical protection device is being opened, open the main electrical contacts and the power switch before opening the secondary electrical contacts of the safety device, and
- the safety device being adapted to, when a current of greater than a predetermined value flows through said safety device:
- activate the switching mechanism to switch the main electrical contacts and the secondary electrical contacts to the open state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.