Power circuit locater
AssigneeZenith Electronics Corporation
InventorJohn G. Konopka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A circuit locater includes a passive signal device adapted to be plugged into a power outlet to draw a large amplitude current pulse of very short duration (identification signal) from the power source supplying the outlet. A receiver has a pickup coil that senses the magnetic field generated by the identification signal current. A sensitivity control reduces the sensitivity of the pickup coil until an output signal is produced only when the receiving coil is adjacent to the circuit breaker of the electrical control panel that is supplying power to the passive signal device.
Claims4
A power circuit locater for identifying a circuit interrupter for a low frequency AC power line among a plurality of similar circuit interrupters for respective ones of a plurality of adjacent power lines, comprising:
- a passive plug in load device including a relaxation oscillator for developing a very low frequency series of very large amplitude, short duration identification pulses in a selected power line circuit to produce a corresponding magnetic field adjacent its corresponding circuit interrupter and magnetic fields of lesser strength in the vicinity of others of said adjacent power lines;
- pickup means movable within the vicinity of all of said circuit interrupters for sensing all said magnetic fields;
- trigger means including broadly tuned high frequency amplifier means operated in response to said pickup means;
- sensitivity means coupled to said trigger means for reducing the sensitivity of said trigger means to all said magnetic fields for responding only to said corresponding magnetic field;
- and
- signalling means operated by said trigger means for indicating that said corresponding magnetic field has been sensed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.