Self testing ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)
AssigneeHubbell Incorporated
InventorsJohn R. Baldwin, David Yu, Nelson Bonilla
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self testing fault detector having a line side and a load side and a conductive path there between, said apparatus is provided. The self testing fault detector includes a controller, adapted to perform periodic status tests on a protection circuit of the self testing fault detector without interrupting power to the load.
Claims31
A self testing fault detector having a line side adapted to receive a sinusoidal input signal, a load side adapted for connection to a load and a conductive path there between, said apparatus comprising:
- a controller, adapted to perform periodic self tests to determine a status of a protection circuit of said self testing fault detector without interrupting power to said load side;
- and
- a capacitor having a terminal connected between a solenoid and a switching device of the protection circuit;
- wherein the capacitor is charged through the solenoid during positive half-cycles of the input signal and discharges at a first rate when the switching device is on and at a second rate, different from the first rate, when the switching device is off, during negative half-cycles of the input signal;
- and
- wherein the controller detects operability of the protection circuit by detecting a discharge of the capacitor at the first rate.
A method for performing a self test on a fault detector having a line side adapted to receive a sinusoidal input signal, and a load side adapted for connection to a load, and a conductive path there between, comprising:
- performing periodic self tests to determine a status of a protection circuit of said self testing fault detector without interrupting power to said load side;
- said self tests comprising detecting a discharge rate of a capacitor during a negative half-cycle of the input signal;
- said capacitor being charged through a solenoid of the protection circuit during positive half-cycles of the input signal, and discharged at a first rate during the negative half-cycle of the input signal when a switching device is turned on, and discharged at a second rate, slower than the first rate, during the negative half-cycle of the input signal when the switching device is turned off.
A self testing fault detector having a line side and a load side and a conductive path there between, said apparatus comprising:
- a solenoid, adapted to move a miswire prevention plate from a first position operable to prevent closure of at least one contact disposed in said conductive path, to a second position operable to allow closure of said at least one contact when said self testing fault detector is powered from the line side;
- and
- a processor, adapted to perform a periodic self test to determine a status of the self testing fault detector without interrupting power to the load side.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.