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US 5,933,306 AGranted
Circuit breaker with ground fault detection module
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsEsteban Santos, Edward E. Kim, Joseph Criniti, Javier I. Larranaga
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ground fault protection module is attached to a circuit breaker employing a thermal-magnetic trip unit to separate the circuit breaker contacts upon occurrence of a ground fault. The ground fault module contains a logic circuit and a giant magnetic resistor for detecting the ground fault.
Claims14
A ground fault module comprising:
- an enclosure;
- means for separating a pair of circuit breaker contacts connected within an external electric circuit;
- an electric conductor within said enclosure, said conductor being arranged for connection with an external electric circuit;
- a GMR within said enclosure in magnetic relation with said conductor whereby said GMR produces an output signal in proportion to current flow within said conductor;
- a logic circuit within said enclosure, said logic circuit connected with said GMR and with said means for separating a pair of circuit breaker contacts upon determination of a ground fault within said external electric circuit;
- and
- a second GMR within said enclosure and a second electric conductor within said enclosure, said second conductor being arranged for connection with said external electric circuit.
4 more elements
A circuit breaker having means for both overcurrent interruption and ground fault interruption comprising:
- a molded plastic case;
- a pair of contacts within said case arranged for connection with a protected electric circuit;
- an operating mechanism within said case for separating contacts upon occurrence of an overcurrent condition within said protected circuit;
- a thermal-magnetic trip unit within said case proximate said operating mechanism, said thermal-magnetic trip unit interacting with said operating mechanism for causing said operating mechanism to separate said contacts;
- a ground fault module attached to said case, said ground fault module including an electric conductor being arranged for connection with an external electric circuit;
- a GMR in magnetic relation with said conductor whereby said GMR produces an output current in proportion to current flow within said conductor;
- a logic circuit, said logic circuit connected with said GMR and with means for separating the pair of circuit breaker contacts upon determination of a ground fault within said external electric circuit;
- and,
- a second GMR and a second electric conductor, said second conductor being arranged for connection with said external electric circuit.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.