Full-Duplex Signaling for Arc Event Protection

A power protection and distribution assembly comprising an arc flash protection system configured to control a trip system to conditionally trip an upstream circuit breaker to isolate a power distribution bus or one of its component parts from a power source, wherein the arc flash protection system is characterized by:

• a status circuit configured to generate a light status signal indicating whether or not light characteristic of an arc event is detected;
• a full-duplex signaling module configured to receive a current status signal from the trip system by demodulating the magnitude of a current through or a voltage across a pair of conductors coupling the arc flash protection system to the trip system, the current status signal indicating whether or not current characteristic of an arc event is detected by the trip system;
• and
• a controller configured to generate, based on the light status signal and the current status signal, a control signal for controlling the trip system;
• wherein the full-duplex signaling module is further configured to send the control signal to the trip system by distinctively modulating the magnitude of the current through or the voltage across the pair of conductors.

A power protection and distribution assembly, characterized by, within a housing:

• an upstream circuit breaker connected to a power source;
• one or more downstream circuit breakers connected to the power source via the upstream circuit breaker;
• a trip system configured to generate a current status signal indicating whether or not current characteristic of an arc event is detected;
• an arc flash protection system configured to generate, based on the current status signal and a light status signal indicating whether or not light characteristic of an arc event is detected in the housing, a control signal for controlling the trip system to trip the upstream breaker;
• and
• a pair of conductors connecting the arc flash protection system and the trip system;
• the trip system and the arc flash protection system configured for full-duplex exchange of the current status signal and the control signal, by either:
• the trip system modulating the magnitude of a current through the pair of conductors distinctively from the arc flash protection system modulating that magnitude;
• or
• a first one of the trip system and the arc flash protection system modulating the magnitude of a current through the pair of conductors and a second one of the trip system and the arc flash protection system modulating the magnitude of a voltage across the pair of conductors.