Industrial arc fault circuit interrupter and method of detecting arcing conditions
US7570465B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 19, 2007 |
| Grant date | Aug 4, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 5, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02H9/00
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of detecting arcing conditions includes sensing current and HF signals therefrom; bandpass filtering the HF signals and providing filtered signals; detecting peak signals and envelopes from the filtered signals; counting occurrences of the envelopes exceeding a first value; maintaining temporary values corresponding to the peak signals; determining a trip time as a function of the current; determining if any peak signal is greater than a second value, and responsively increasing a temporary value and, otherwise, decreasing the temporary value; determining if a predetermined function of the temporary values is greater than a fifth value, and adding the temporary values to an accumulator, and otherwise, decreasing the accumulator; and tripping open the power circuit if: a difference between the occurrences of current and immediately previous half cycle having the same polarity is at least two, the accumulator is greater than a seventh value, and the trip time is reached.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.