Patent · US Expired

Method for detecting short-circuit conditions and device which uses this method

US6437576B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
6References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJun 5, 1998
Grant dateAug 20, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 5, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R31/52
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Method and device for the rapid detection of short-circuits in an electrical network. The method is based on estimating the electrical characteristics of the short-circuit load and calculating the peak value of the current on the basis of N successive samplings of the instantaneous current (i(t)). If the calculated value, typically available before the current actually attains this value, is greater than a pre-established threshold (Icc), a signal (C) is emitted indicative of a short-circuit fault. The calculation of the peak value may occur automatically for example upon switching on, or be subject to the exceeding of a guard threshold (Is) by the instantaneous current (i(t)). Moreover, the method makes it possible concurrently to determine the value of the power factor of the short-circuit (cos &phgr;) and the phase of the voltage at the moment of the short-circuit.

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