摘要:
An apparatus and method for detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, an input sense circuit, an arcing sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping (firing) circuit, a processor, and an electromechanical interface. The current sensor monitors a power input comprising an AC current, and provides high frequency components of the. AC current to the input sense circuit. The input sense circuit filters and rectifies the AC signal, and provides the rectified signal to the arcing sense circuit. The arcing sense circuit provides a voltage level accumulated over a predetermined time period, and digital signals indicative of possible electrical arcing occurring during the sampling period, to the processor. The processor measures the voltage level, stores information relating to measured voltages and the digital signals, and processes the stored information using one or more algorithms, thereby determining whether the signals resulted from an arc fault or a nuisance load. In the event the signals resulted from an arc fault, the processor activates the firing circuit to trip the electromechanical interface, thereby interrupting the power output to the load.
摘要:
An apparatus and method for detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, an input sense circuit, an arcing sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping (firing) circuit, a processor, and an electromechanical interface. The current sensor monitors a power input comprising an AC current, and provides high frequency components of the AC current to the input sense circuit. The input sense circuit filters and rectifies the AC signal, and provides the rectified signal to the arcing sense circuit. The arcing sense circuit provides a voltage level accumulated over a predetermined time period, and digital signals indicative of possible electrical arcing occurring during the sampling period, to the processor. The processor measures the voltage level, stores information relating to measured voltages and the digital signals, and processes the stored information using one or more algorithms, thereby determining whether the signals resulted from an arc fault or a nuisance load. In the event the signals resulted from an arc fault, the processor activates the firing circuit to trip the electromechanical interface, thereby interrupting the power output to the load.
摘要:
An apparatus and method for detecting electrical arc faults that has reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, an input sense circuit, an arcing sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping circuit, a processing unit, and an electromechanical interface. The processing unit measures multiple voltage levels provided by the arcing sense circuit during a specified number of consecutive time periods. Next, the processing unit determines the number of consecutive time periods during which the voltage levels exceeded a specified minimum value, take on successively lower or higher values, or fall outside a predetermined normal range of values. Based upon the results of this determination, the processing unit either trips the electromechanical interface to interrupt power to a load, or inhibits tripping of the electromechanical interface, thereby reducing the occurrence of nuisance tripping.
摘要:
Low cost apparatus and methods of detecting arc faults for better discriminating electrical events. The arc fault detection apparatus includes a current sensor, a di/dt input sense circuit, a dv/dt input sense circuit, and a processing unit. The current sensor monitors a power line current, and provides high frequency components of the power line current to the di/dt input sense circuit. The dv/dt input sense circuit monitors a power line voltage. The di/dt and dv/dt input sense circuits generate signals carrying information relating to changes in the power line current and the power line voltage, respectively. The processing unit analyzes these changes in the power line current and the power line voltage to discriminate detected electrical arcing events from nuisance loads with increased accuracy.
摘要翻译:低成本的检测电弧故障的设备和方法,以更好地识别电气事件。 电弧故障检测装置包括电流传感器,di / dt输入检测电路,dv / dt输入检测电路和处理单元。 电流传感器监测电力线电流,并将电力线电流的高频分量提供给di / dt输入检测电路。 dv / dt输入检测电路监视电源线电压。 di / dt和dv / dt输入检测电路分别产生携带有关电力线电流和电力线电压变化的信息的信号。 处理单元分析电力线电流和电力线电压中的这些变化,以便以更高的精度将检测到的电弧事件与有害负载区分开。
摘要:
An apparatus and a method of detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, a differential current input sense circuit, a differential current (di/dt) characteristics sense circuit, an absolute current input sense circuit, an absolute current characteristics sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping circuit, a processing unit, and an electromechanical interface. The di/dt characteristics sense circuit provides information relating to the characteristic di/dt signature of a power line current. The absolute current characteristics sense circuit provides information relating to the absolute current waveform characteristics of the power line current. The processing unit correlates the di/dt characteristics to the absolute current characteristics to distinguish between electrical arc faults and nuisance loads, thereby reducing the susceptibility of the apparatus to nuisance tripping.