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US 2014/0177118 A1Published application
Apparatus and method of adaptive electronic overload protection
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorsROBERT T. ELMS, SANDY O. JIMENEZ, ENGELBERT HETZMANNSEDER
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Abstract
A method provides electronic overload protection having a thermal trip level. The method executes a function by a processor; provides the electronic overload protection by the function executed by the processor; and adjusts the thermal trip level by the function executed by the processor in order to mimic adjusting a physical thermal characteristic of a thermal time constant of a fixed mechanical system.
Claims20
A method of providing electronic overload protection having a thermal trip level, said method comprising:
- executing a function by a processor;
- providing said electronic overload protection by said function executed by said processor;
- and
- adjusting the thermal trip level by said function executed by said processor in order to mimic adjusting a physical thermal characteristic of a thermal time constant of a fixed mechanical system.
1 more element
A circuit interrupter comprising:
- separable contacts structured to be electrically connected in series with a power circuit conductor having a conductor gauge;
- an operating mechanism structured to open and close said separable contacts;
- a processor comprising a thermal overload predictive function;
- a shunt conductor in series with said separable contacts and being structured to measure current flowing through said separable contacts for said thermal overload predictive function, said shunt conductor having about the same conductor gauge as the conductor gauge of said power circuit conductor;
- and
- a temperature sensor structured to measure the temperature of said shunt conductor,
- wherein said thermal overload predictive function receives said measured current and said measured temperature of said shunt conductor,
- wherein said processor responsive to said thermal overload predictive function is structured to cause said operating mechanism to trip open said separable contacts in response to said measured current and said measured temperature of said shunt conductor when said thermal overload predictive function determines that said measured current is greater than a first predetermined value, and said measured temperature of said shunt conductor is greater than a second value, and
- wherein said thermal overload predictive function is further structured to adjust said second value in order to mimic adjusting a physical thermal characteristic of a thermal time constant of a fixed mechanical system.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.