Systems, methods, and apparatus for indicating faults within a power circuit utilizing dynamically modified inrush restraint
AssigneeSchweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsRyan W. Swartzendruber, Laurence V. Feight, Tyson J. Salewske
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Abstract
A faulted circuit indicator comprises a processor, which dynamically determines a conductor de-energization level based on a monitored average current. This dynamically-determined de-energization level and/or monitored average current may be used to provide dynamic inrush restraint and/or dynamic backfeed restraint (reset restraint). If current within a power conductor falls below the determined de-energization level, the processor determines that the conductor has de-energized, and accordingly ignores high current spikes less than a predetermined duration that occur during re-energization.
Claims9
A faulted circuit indicator for detecting abnormally high current levels on a power conductor comprising:
- i) a housing;
- ii) a current acquisition circuit disposed within said housing and adapted to monitor current within said power conductor;
- iii) an averaging circuit for generating an average current, said averaging circuit disposed within said housing and coupled to said current acquisition circuit;
- and
- iv) a processor coupled to said current acquisition circuit and said averaging circuit, said processor generating a de-energization level based on said average current and ignoring abnormally high current levels on said power conductor for a predetermined time after said monitored current rises above said de-energization level.
A method for detecting abnormally high current levels as a result of inductive load inrush on a power conductor comprising the steps of:
- i) monitoring a current level within said power conductor;
- ii) determining an average current;
- iii) generating a de-energization level based on said average current;
- and
- iv) ignoring abnormally high current levels on said power conductor for a predetermined time after said monitored current rises above said de-energization level.
A faulted circuit indicator for detecting abnormally high current levels on a power conductor comprising:
- i) means for monitoring a current level within said power conductor;
- ii) means for determining an average current;
- iii) means for generating a de-energization level based on said average current;
- and
- iv) means for ignoring abnormally high current levels on said power conductor for a predetermined time after said monitored current rises above said de-energization level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.