US 5,546,266 A · Circuit interrupter with cause for trip indication

Abstract

In a circuit interrupter which has multiple electronic trip circuits, such as ground fault and arcing fault trip circuits, indicators such as LED's produce an indication of the cause of the trip. The trip signals are latched to provide a continuing trip indication and ORed to actuate the trip device. In one embodiment SCR's connected in series with the indicator LED's serve as the latches and are connected in parallel to the trip device to provide the OR function. In other embodiments, flip-flops serve as the latches. In one such embodiment, the indicator LED's are connected from the respective flip-flops in parallel to the trip device to provide the OR function. In another such embodiment the flip-flops actuate the trip device and turn on switches actuating the LED's These switches energizing the cause of trip LED's are disabled until the contacts open to assure operation of the trip device. Alarms can be coupled to the trip circuit by additional LED's, preferably IR LED's, connected in series with the indicator LED's.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A circuit interrupting device for connecting a protected electrical system to an ac power supply, said device comprising:

separable contact means, having a line side connected to said ac power supply and a load side connected to said protected electrical system;
sensing means sensing current supplied to said protected electrical system through said separable contact means;
first electronic trip signal generating means responsive to said sensing means for generating a trip signal in response to first current conditions in said protected electrical system;
second electronic trip signal generating means responsive to said sensing means for generating a second trip signal in response to second current conditions indicating a sputtering arc fault in said protected electrical system;
and
response means responsive to said first and second trip signals for opening said separable contact means to interrupt current to said protected electrical system and for providing an indication of which trip signal opened said separable contact means, said response means comprising inhibiting said indication of which trip signal opened said separable contact means until after said separable contacts open in response to a trip signal.

3 more elements

A circuit interrupter for connecting a protected ac electrical system to an ac power supply, said interrupter comprising:

separable contact means having a line side connected to said ac power supply and a load side connected to said protected ac electrical system;
magnetic trip means responsive to short circuit currents through said separable contacts for opening said separable contacts;
thermal trip means responsive to sustained overcurrents through said separable contacts for opening said separable contacts;
electronic trip means responsive to predetermined current conditions at said separable contacts for opening said separable contacts;
and
indicator means connected to said electronic trip means for generating an electronic trip indication when said contacts are opened by said electronic trip means, said indicator means including means blocking generation of said electronic trip indication until after said separable contact means are opened in response to a trip signal.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Circuit interrupter with cause for trip indication

Life of this patent

Circuit interrupter with cause for trip indication

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14