摘要:
A self-testing contact closure test circuit and method in which invalid logic states are artificially created in order to simulate a switch malfunction, and thus to determine whether the testing circuitry correctly identifies the invalid state. The system is designed to be used with switches such as those incorporating form "C" arrangements having two pairs of contacts which under normal circumstances are in opposite states.
摘要:
An apparatus is provided for sensing the state of high voltage contact inputs in a process control system. Lower voltage contact closure input modules cooperate with a reference bus and reference bus regulator to reduce the voltage drop across an input module when a pair of contacts is closed, thereby reducing the energy dissipated and heat created by the input module.
摘要:
A method and apparatus for controlling the magnitude of an analog current through a load to be proportional to the magnitude of an input voltage. A sensing resistor is connected in series with the load. A controllable voltage is applied across the series connection of the load and sensing resistor for driving a current therethrough. A pulse width modulator receives the input voltage and a feedback voltage corresponding to the voltage drop across the sensing resistors when current is conducted thereby and produces square wave pulses each having a pulse width which is adjusted in response to a difference between the magnitudes of the input voltage and the feedback voltage. The magnitude of the controllable voltage is adjusted as a function of the pulse width of the square wave pulses until the magnitude of the current flowing through the load and sensing resistor causes the magnitude of feedback voltage to correspond to the magnitude of the input voltage so that the current through the load is maintained proportional to the magnitude of the input voltage.
摘要:
A terminal module provides for attaching components to terminals of a terminal frame. The terminal module utilizes an integral printed circuit board having a component assembly potted within a rectangular plastic shell with the remaining portion of the printed circuit board protruding from the shell for use as electrical terminals and for physical attachment to screw terminal strips of the termination frame. The modules are suitably of a predetermined geometric configuration, and the potted component assembly portion is contoured to fit between respective ones of stacked terminal strips.
摘要:
A redundant power supply/signal conditioner system for a resistance temperature detector includes power supply/signal conditioner modules having first and second output terminals connected to a resistance temperature detector. Diode circuits are connected across the output terminals of each of the power supply/signal conditioner modules to provide an alternate current path when the corresponding power supply/signal conditioner module is removed or is not conductive due to a failure. Each of the power supply/conditioner modules includes a constant current source for supplying a constant current which is slightly different in each of the modules. Each of the modules also includes an overvoltage protection circuit for preventing the voltage output by the constant current source from exceeding a predetermined value and a signal conditioner which outputs a signal based on the temperature detected by the resistance temperature detector. The resistance temperature detector is operated by a current from the module containing the constant current source which generates the highest current and all other constant current sources are controlled by a voltage across a feedback resistor to stay turned off as long as the current is supplied. When the current stops being supplied because the operating constant current source fails or is removed, the next highest voltage current source is turned on due to the drop in current across its feedback resistor and begins supplying current to the resistance temperature detector.
摘要:
A power interface circuit periodically which receives test pulses to test the operation and connections thereof. Voltage and current sensors detect the result of the testing and may be used for zero-crossing detection when AC powered devices are controlled by the power interface circuit. Preferrably, asymmetrical pulses, such as those representing an ASCII character, are used as the test pulses. Three input signals are received by the power interface circuit which performs two out of the three voting on the input signals to generate a control signal for two power switches. The power switches may be connected in parallel or in series to provide additional fault tolerance.
摘要:
Apparatus and a method for use therein are disclosed for an analog signal processor, particularly one suited for use in nuclear power plant applications, which converts analog process signals to digital form and employs continuous on-line automatic calibration in order to accurately compensate for gain and bias errors occurring in its input analog circuitry.
摘要:
A power contact with low off current for switching a-c loads in response to a logic signal includes a rectifier bridge circuit in a series with the load and the a-c power source, a MOSFET connected across the d-c terminals of the bridge, and a series RC filter circuit in parallel with the MOSFET. A metal oxide varistor connected across the d-c side of the bridge protects the MOSFET from transients in the a-c circuit. While this power contact is capable of switching sizable a-c currents, the leakage current with the MOSFET off is less than 1/10 of a milliamp so that it can also be used to switch loads which draw very low level currents. The MOSFET is electrically isolated from the logic signal by an opto-isolator which has a unique switchable output which permits the power contact to be readily adapted for use with normally energized or normally deenergized loads.
摘要:
An analog output network provides multiple communication paths for control of an actuator in response to an input signal. The analog output network includes at least two controllers, each of which is connected to an analog output circuit and a controller selector which is connected to each of the controllers and the analog output circuits. The controller selector ensures that at least one of the analog output circuits is enabled at all times and identifies one of the controllers as an on-line controller. The analog output circuit connected to the on-line controller generates an actuation signal which passes through the actuator and the other analog output circuit. An alternate current path comprising a diode string with a voltage drop larger than the voltage drop of the actuation signal in the other analog output circuit is provided so that if an analog output circuit is removed or defective, the actuation signal from the on-line analog output circuit is still provided with a current path.
摘要:
Signals from redundant sensors located throughout a pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plant are processed in four independent channel sets each of which includes a plurality of independent microcomputers which calibrate, convert to engineering units and calculate partial trip signals and engineered safeguard actuation signals from the sensor signals for use in the conventional voting logic of a plant protection system. The primary and secondary partial trip and engineered safeguard actuation functions associated with various postulated abnormal events are allocated to different independent microcomputers in the channel set for reliability. A test unit common to the channel set automatically, rapidly bypasses and tests each protection function independently while the other protection functions in the channel set remain on-line and also continually tests each microcomputer through a dummy test function performed along with the assigned protection functions. Signals representative of the analog value of the sensor signals are stored by the microcomputers and are transmitted by a serial data link through a common electrical isolation unit to a common analog output device for use by the plant control and monitoring systems under the control of a communication processor common to a group of microcomputers in the channel set.