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US 9,541,593 B2Granted
Ground fault detection circuit
AssigneeControl Techniques Limited
InventorsMark Towers, Dylan Wyn Davies
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A ground fault detection circuit comprising a fuse and a fuse detect circuit. The fuse and the fuse detect circuit are arranged to be coupled in parallel between a reference point and a second point of a monitored circuit for which ground faults are to be detected. The fuse detect circuit is further arranged to detect a fuse break indicative of a ground fault condition and disable at least a portion of the monitored circuit.
Claims18
A ground fault detection circuit comprising:
- a fuse;
- and
- a fuse detect circuit coupled in parallel with the fuse, the fuse detect circuit including an isolated DC or AC source arranged to inject a sensing current into the fuse and detection means arranged to detect the sensing current that was injected into the fuse and that has passed through the fuse or a signal indicative thereof;
- the fuse and the fuse detect circuit being arranged to be coupled between a reference point and a second point of a monitored circuit for which ground faults are to be detected;
- wherein the fuse detect circuit is further arranged to:
- detect a fuse break indicative of a ground fault condition;
- and
- disable at least a portion of the monitored circuit.
5 more elements
A method of detecting a ground fault comprising:
- detecting a break in a fuse indicative of a ground fault condition with a fuse detect circuit coupled in parallel with the fuse, the fuse detect circuit having detection means to detect a sensing current injected into the fuse from an isolated DC or AC source and that has passed through the fuse or a signal indicative thereof, the fuse and the fuse detect circuit arranged to be coupled between a reference point and a second point of a monitored circuit;
- and
- disabling at least a portion of the monitored circuit in response to detecting the fuse break condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.