Fault Indicator with permanent and temporary fault indication

A method of indicating the occurrence of a temporary fault or of a permanent fault in a fault indicator that monitors an electrical conductor, the fault indicator including a housing, a battery, a permanent fault display and a temporary fault display, means for determining if a fault is a permanent fault or a temporary fault, and circuitry in communication with the means for determining if the fault is permanent or temporary to activate the respective permanent fault display or the temporary fault display, said method comprising the steps of:

• determining whether the fault is a permanent fault or a temporary fault based on at least one determination of whether said conductor has power applied thereto after an occurrence of the fault;
• and
• activating the permanent fault display if the fault is a permanent fault;
• or
• activating the temporary fault display if the fault is a temporary fault.

A fault indicator for indicating the occurrence of a fault in an electrical conductor, said fault indicator comprising:

• a housing;
• a battery;
• a permanent fault display for indicating that a permanent fault condition has occurred;
• a temporary fault display for indicating that a temporary fault condition has occurred;
• a current sensor for sensing the load current in said conductor, and for providing a load current signal that is related to the load current;
• a microcontroller that is in communication with said load current signal from said current sensor to determine when a fault condition occurs;
• and to determine whether the fault condition is permanent or temporary;
• said microcontroller activating the permanent fault display if the fault is permanent or activating the temporary fault display if the fault is temporary.