Patent · US Expired

Electronic circuit breaker systems

US4853820A · kind A · utility

15Cited by
16References
43Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 16, 1988
Grant dateAug 1, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 16, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH02H3/066
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Electronic circuit breakers safeguard a load connected to a power supply against damage from overload conditions. These circuit breakers interrupt flow of overload currents to the load by instantaneously reducing flow of such current from the power supply to the load to a harmless residual current when that electric current flow exceeds a predetermined value. These breakers also avoid downtime after cessation of such a condition by electronically monitoring that residual current to determine when it is safe to restore electric operating current flow to the load. Flow of electric operating current from the power supply to the electronic equipment is restored in response to the latter determination. Preferably, the monitored residual current is used for automatically switching the electronic circuit breaker and the flow of electric operating current electronically back on, when the electronic monitoring has determined that the overload condition has ceased to exist.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.