CN112447455A

CN112447455A - Auxiliary electronic protection module and related circuit breaker device

Info

Publication number: CN112447455A
Application number: CN202010920120.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: T.普平; B.勒博; C.伯诺特; J-B.伯纳德
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Current assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS
Priority date: 2019-09-05
Filing date: 2020-09-04
Publication date: 2021-03-05
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-04
Also published as: CN112447455B; FR3100654B1; AU2020227109A1; FR3100654A1; EP3790034A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an auxiliary electronic protection module designed to be connected to a thermomagnetic circuit breaker module (2) designed to be connected in an electrical apparatus and comprising a circuit breaker mechanism designed to perform at least one primary circuit breaker function, the auxiliary electronic protection module (4) being designed to perform at least one auxiliary protection function. The thermomagnetic circuit breaker module (2) comprises a first handle (16) designed to be positioned in a first on position, in which the current flows through the electrical apparatus, and a second off position, in which the flow of current through the apparatus is interrupted due to a manual action or the tripping of the circuit breaker mechanism. The auxiliary electronic protection module (4) comprises a second handle (18) mechanically connected to the first handle (16) of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module (2) so as to follow the position of the first handle (16) of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module (2).

Description

Auxiliary electronic protection module and related circuit breaker device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an auxiliary electronic protection module designed to be connected with a thermomagnetic circuit breaker module to form a circuit breaker device, and to the related circuit breaker device.

The field of the invention relates to the safety of electrical equipment, in particular to interrupting the supply of electrical power in the presence of an electrical fault in the equipment, commonly referred to as circuit interruption.

Background

It is known that various faults occur in electrical equipment supplied by an electrical supply network and may compromise the safety of the devices connected in the equipment, even causing fires or physical risks to the operators in some cases.

In order to ensure the safety of the electrical apparatus, devices known as circuit breakers are used, which are configured to interrupt the power supply very rapidly as soon as an overload current is detected. Conventionally, a circuit breaker includes a fixed contact and a movable contact designed to move between an open position, in which the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact and thus current is interrupted, and a closed position, in which the movable contact abuts on the fixed contact and current can flow. The circuit breaker also includes a trip mechanism for electrical interruption that moves the contacts of the circuit breaker to an open position, and a reset handle designed to move from the open position to a closed position of the trip mechanism. The operator can usually approach the reset handle on one face of the case containing the circuit breaker and can move manually between an open position (corresponding to the position in which the contacts are open) and a closed position (corresponding to the position in which the contacts are closed) and vice versa. The handle is automatically moved from the on position to the off position by triggering an electrical interrupt, or manually by an operator.

Compact thermomagnetic circuit breaker modules for "miniature circuit breakers", also known as MCBs, are known. Such a module is particularly compact and triggers a power supply interruption in the event of a thermal fault, for example due to an overheated fault load in the installation, and in the event of a magnetic fault, for example in the case of a short circuit.

Auxiliary protection modules with electronic microcontrollers are also known, said modules being designed to be connected to existing thermomagnetic circuit breakers. Such auxiliary electronic protection modules are configured to protect against, for example, the occurrence of a faulty conductor or an arc that may be generated in the connection. Furthermore, the auxiliary module is configured to implement differential protection, and the electronic microcontroller is designed to perform such differential protection functions, resulting in a power supply interruption.

The auxiliary protection modules can be sold separately or together with the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker modules, in which case they form complete circuit breaker devices designed to perform the circuit breaker function for a variety of reasons, thus providing optimal protection for the electrical equipment.

However, it is currently difficult to determine the cause of tripping such circuit breaker devices. In fact, the operator can observe that the reset handle of the circuit breaker device is in the position in which the contacts are open (open position), however, it is not possible to determine whether the handle has been manually actuated or whether a change in position has been triggered by the tripping of the circuit breaker mechanism, what the cause if it has tripped, i.e. whether it has tripped due to the occurrence of a thermal, magnetic or differential fault or an arc. Now, the corrective action to be taken in the electrical equipment depends on the electrical fault that causes the protection to trip. For example, a thermal fault indicates the presence of a faulty electrical load, an arc fault indicates the occurrence of a fire, and so forth.

Accordingly, there is a need to enhance the circuit breaker apparatus by providing a determination and indication of the root cause of tripping of the circuit breaker mechanism.

Disclosure of Invention

To this end, the invention proposes an auxiliary electronic protection module designed to be connected to a thermomagnetic circuit breaker module designed to be connected in an electrical apparatus powered by an electrical supply network and comprising a circuit breaker mechanism designed to perform at least one main circuit breaker function. The auxiliary electronic protection module comprises an auxiliary tripping mechanism which is independent of the circuit breaker mechanism of the thermomagnetic circuit breaker module and is designed to perform at least one auxiliary protection function. The thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module comprises a first handle designed to be in a first on position, in which an electric current flows through the electrical apparatus, and a second on position, in which the flow of the electric current through the apparatus is interrupted due to a manual action or the tripping of the circuit breaker mechanism, the auxiliary electronic protection module comprising a second handle designed to be in the first on position and the second on position.

The second handle of the auxiliary electronic protection module is mechanically connected with the first handle of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module so that the second handle follows the position of the first handle of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module.

Advantageously, the auxiliary electronic protection module according to the invention comprises a handle connected to the handle of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module and moving therewith.

The auxiliary protection module according to the invention may have one or more of the following features, which may be employed independently or in any permissible combination.

The mechanical connection comprises a rest (rest) and a return spring arranged such that movement of the first handle to the first on position causes the second handle to move to the first on position, and movement of the first handle to the second off position automatically causes the second handle to move to the second off position under the action of the return spring.

The mechanical connection includes a bi-directional mechanical link between the first handle and the second handle.

The secondary electronic protection module includes circuitry for determining the position of the second handle, the circuitry being closed when the second handle is in the first position and open when the second handle is in the second position.

The circuit is supplied with a known reference voltage at a power supply point electrically connected to a connection point associated with the second handle.

The circuit comprises a storage capacitor connected between a converter supplying a reference voltage and said connection point.

The auxiliary electronic protection module further comprises a processing unit, said connection point being connected to an input of said processing unit.

The auxiliary electronic protection module also comprises a voltage shaping module that supplies an image of the voltage of the supply network at the input of the processing unit.

The processing unit is configured to compare said image of the voltage of the power supply network with a voltage representative of the position of the second handle and to determine whether the first handle has been moved to the second position based on said comparison.

The auxiliary electronic protection module further comprises: a current sensor for current flowing through the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module; and a current shaping module connected at the output of the current sensor and supplying an image of the measured current at the input of a processing unit configured to store the current values measured within a sliding time window of predetermined duration.

The processing unit is configured to compare at least one current value measured before the second handle has moved to the second position with a threshold current value and to determine a cause of the movement to the second position from among a manual operation and tripping of a circuit breaker mechanism of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module based on a result of the comparison.

The processing unit is configured to analyze the current value measured before the second handle has moved to the second position and determine whether tripping of the circuit breaker module is due to a thermal fault or a magnetic fault based on the analysis.

According to another aspect, the invention relates to a circuit breaker device comprising a thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module and an auxiliary electronic protection module connected, wherein the auxiliary electronic protection module is of the type that has been briefly described above.

Drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description thereof, given below by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a circuit breaker arrangement according to the invention in a first closed state, the circuit breaker arrangement being formed by a circuit breaker module and an auxiliary protection module linked to each other;

fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a circuit breaker arrangement according to the invention in a second open state, the circuit breaker arrangement being formed by a circuit breaker module and an auxiliary protection module linked to each other;

FIG. 3 is a view of the mechanism of an auxiliary electronic protection module according to an embodiment in a first closed state;

FIG. 4 is a view of the mechanism of an auxiliary electronic protection module according to an embodiment in a second open state;

fig. 5 schematically shows a circuit breaker arrangement according to an embodiment, which is formed by a circuit breaker module and an auxiliary protection module linked to each other;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the primary steps of a method implemented by a secondary electronic protection module, according to an embodiment;

fig. 7 schematically shows a curve for voltage measurement over time in a first case of using a circuit breaker arrangement;

fig. 8 schematically shows a curve for voltage measurement over time in a second case of using a circuit breaker arrangement;

fig. 9 schematically shows a curve for voltage measurement over time in a third case using a circuit breaker arrangement;

fig. 10 schematically shows a curve for voltage measurement over time in a fourth case of using a circuit breaker arrangement.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 are schematic perspective views of a circuit breaker device 1 comprising two coupled modules, respectively a thermomagnetic circuit breaker module 2 and an auxiliary electronic protection module 4, hereinafter referred to as auxiliary protection module.

The thermomagnetic circuit breaker module 2 performs a circuit breaker function due to thermal or magnetic faults, said function being referred to as the main circuit breaker function.

The auxiliary electronic protection module 4 performs a protection function, referred to as auxiliary protection function, based on the detection of differential faults or arcs, or another protection function, such as overvoltage protection. The mechanism of the auxiliary electronic protection module 4 is independent of the circuit breaker mechanism of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module 2.

Each module 2, 4 comprises an

outer housing

6, 8. These modules are coupled by mechanical and electrical connection means (not shown in these figures) to form the circuit breaker device 1. Preferably, the shapes of the

outer shells

6, 8 match each other; in particular, the dimensions are chosen so as to provide a direct mechanical engagement.

According to a variant, the modules 2, 4 are incorporated in an integral casing forming the casing of the circuit breaker device, there being no electrical link for providing position information, except for the line through which the current supplied to the load downstream of the circuit breaker module flows.

Each

housing

6, 8 comprises a

face

10, 12, called front face, intended to be accessible to an operator after installation of the circuit breaker device.

On the respective front faces 10, 12, each module 2, 4 comprises a

connector

14a, 14b, 14c, 14d intended to receive an electrical conductor.

Furthermore, a first reset handle 16 is located on the front face 10 of the housing 6 of the circuit breaker module 2 and a second reset handle 18 is located on the front face 12 of the housing 8 of the auxiliary protection module 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, each handle 16, 18 is designed to pivot about an axis between a first position and a second position, which will be described in more detail below.

The second handle 18 of the auxiliary protection module 4 is mechanically connected or biased to the first handle 16 of the circuit breaker module 2.

According to one embodiment, the handle 18 is connected to the handle 16 by a one-way bearing and is biased by a return spring. Closing the handle 16 causes the handle 18 to close by acting on the handle 18 through a one-way abutment on the handle 16. Opening the handle 16 causes the handle 18 to automatically open under the action of the return spring.

Another embodiment is to mechanically connect the two

handles

16 and 18, with the opening and closing of the handle 16 driving the handle 18 to the same position. In this case, the mechanical connection is provided by any suitable bi-directional mechanical link.

In the embodiment of fig. 1, the circuit breaker arrangement 1 is in a first state (referred to as "closed" state), which means that a current provided by a power supply network (not shown) may flow through a protected electrical device (not shown). In this first state, the

handles

16 and 18 are in a first position (on position, also referred to as closed position).

In the embodiment of fig. 2, the circuit breaker device 1 is in a second state (referred to as the "open" state) in which the flow of current is interrupted. In this second state, the

handles

16 and 18 are in the second position (off position, also referred to as the open position).

Movement from the first state to the second state is triggered, for example by tripping a protection mechanism of the circuit breaker module 2, which causes the contacts of the circuit breaker module to open and the position of the handle 16 to change. As a variant, the movement from the first state to the second state is triggered by manual manipulation by an operator.

Pivoting of the handle 16 between the first and second positions causes the handle 18 to pivot in the same manner, by the mechanical interlock described above.

Fig. 3 and 4 are views of the mechanism of the auxiliary protection module 4 in the first state of fig. 3 (the handle 18 in the first position) and in the second state of fig. 4 (the handle 18 in the second position), respectively.

The various elements of the mechanism of the auxiliary protection module 4 that can be seen in this view are known elements and will not be described in detail here. Only certain elements that more particularly relate to embodiments of the present invention are described below.

The auxiliary protection module 4 comprises a tripping mechanism 54 comprising a plate 20, the plate 20 being linked by connection means 22, 24 to an arm 26, the arm 26 being designed to move between a first position (fig. 3) and a second position (fig. 4) in conjunction with the pivoting of the handle 18.

In addition, a circuit 30 for determining the position of the second handle 18 is added according to the present invention. The circuit is provided with a known reference voltage at a first power supply point 32 and includes an electrical connection 34.

As shown in fig. 3, when the handle 18 is in the first position, the electrical connection line 34 is in contact with the first power point 32. The wire 34 is connected to a second connection point 36. When the handle 18 is in the first position, current flows through the circuit 30 and a reference voltage is read at the second connection point 36. The second connection point 36 is also connected to an input of a processing unit, for example a microcontroller, of the auxiliary protection device module 4, as described in more detail below.

When the handle 18 is in the second position, as shown in figure 4, the electrical connection line 34 of the circuit 30 for determining the position of the handle, which line is driven by the plate 20, is no longer in contact with the first power supply point 32. Thus, when the handle is in the second position, the circuit 30 for determining the position of the handle is open and the voltage at the second connection point 36 is zero.

Advantageously, the position of the reset handle 18 is determined by reading the voltage at the second connection point 36 with little additional volume and without having to reconsider the design of the auxiliary protection module.

Advantageously, by means of the mechanical interlock that locks the handle 18 of the auxiliary protection module to the handle 16 of the circuit breaker module 2, the position of the reset handle 16 of the circuit breaker module 2 is determined by means of the circuit 30 without any modification to the thermomagnetic circuit breaker module 2.

Fig. 5 shows an embodiment of a system 40 for determining the cause of an electrical fault causing an interruption of a circuit breaker arrangement 1 such as has been described with reference to fig. 1 and 2, said system being implemented in an auxiliary protection module 4.

The auxiliary protection module 4 comprises a processing unit 42, for example a Microcontroller (MCU), which is an electronic component designed to perform calculations based on voltage and current measurements received as inputs.

The auxiliary protection module 4 further comprises a current sensor 44 designed to measure the current flowing through the circuit breaker module 2, the current sensor 44 being connected to a current shaping module 46. The module 46 is designed to generate an image of the measured current compatible with the specifications of the processing unit 42, and the output of the current shaping module 46 is connected to the first input 45A of the processing unit 42.

The auxiliary protection module 4 also comprises a voltage shaping module 48 which receives as input voltage measurements provided by the supply network and shapes the voltage in a manner compatible with the specifications of the processing unit 42. For example, in one embodiment, module 48 uses a voltage divider bridge. The output of the voltage shaping module 48 provides an image of the voltage of the network to a second input 45B of the processing unit 42.

The circuit 30 for determining the position of the handle, which is part of the auxiliary protection module 4, comprises a voltage converter 50 designed to convert an AC voltage into a DC voltage in order to provide a DC reference supply voltage (Vcc), and a storage capacitor 52 connected to a tripping mechanism 54 for tripping the handle. One of the terminals of the storage capacitor 52 is grounded (shown as GND in the figure).

The position of the handle 18 of the auxiliary protection module 4 is schematically shown by a switch 56, which may be closed (position 55) or open (position 57). The storage capacitor 52 is connected to a switch 56 via conductor 34, and switch 56 is also connected to a third input 45C of the processing unit 42.

If the switch 56 is open or if the power supply is lost, the voltage read at the third input 45C of the processing unit 42 is equal to 0V, resulting in a loss of the reference voltage.

Advantageously, by means of the additional storage capacitor 52, it is possible to distinguish between these two situations or, in other words, to determine whether the voltage loss at the third input of the microcontroller is due to the switch 56 being open (i.e. a change in position of the handle) or to the loss of voltage supply. For example, if an interruption occurs upstream of the power supply network without the circuit breaker device 1 tripping, the supply of power to the auxiliary protection module may be stopped.

According to a variant, the storage capacitor 52 may be replaced by a rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery cell or an external power source (for example a 24V external power source) or any other device providing a continuous reference voltage.

The processing unit 42 stores the voltage and current values received at the first, second and third inputs over a sliding time window of predetermined duration, for example a duration between 0 and 80ms or 8 half cycles at a network frequency of 50 Hz.

The processing unit 42 is configured to implement a method for determining a cause of tripping of the disconnect mechanism, one embodiment of which is shown in fig. 6.

During a first step 60, it is determined whether the handle of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module has been moved to the "off" position due to the opening of the electric circuit by the trip mechanism of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module 2.

For this purpose, the processing unit 42 determines whether the value of the voltage received at the third input originating from the circuit 30 is equal to 0V, and identifies the instant Tc at which this voltage becomes 0V.

A distinction is made between two different cases:

-case 1: the auxiliary protection module 4 is powered by the thermomagnetic circuit breaker module 2, also called "upstream power supply";

case 2: the protection module 4 is directly powered by the grid, also called "downstream power supply".

Fig. 7 to 10 each show in parallel the second input ("V") of the processing unit during a predetermined time interval_Measuring"curve") and a third input ("TOGGLE POSITION" curve), representing the measured mains voltage and the voltage from circuit 30 to determine the POSITION of handle 18.

Fig. 7 and 8 correspond to case 1, in which the auxiliary protection module 4 is powered by the thermomagnetic circuit-breaker module 2 (upstream power supply), and fig. 9 and 10 correspond to case 2, in which the auxiliary protection module 4 is powered directly by the power grid (downstream power supply).

Fig. 7 schematically shows a situation in which the loss of the measured supply voltage starts at time Tc, corresponding to the loss of voltage originating from the circuit 30.

In this case, it can be concluded that the circuit breaker mechanism has tripped, the handle 18 of the auxiliary protection module 4 and therefore the handle 16 of the circuit breaker module 2 moves to the "off" position at time Tc.

Fig. 8 schematically shows the loss of the power supply voltage at the time Tp. The voltage measurement originating from the circuit 30 becomes 0V at the subsequent time Tc. In this case, it is concluded that a voltage loss has occurred and that the circuit 30 remains closed, the voltage loss continuing to propagate over time due to the presence of the storage capacitor 52. For example, in this case, the voltage loss is due to the tripping of the circuit breaker device upstream of the distribution chain.

In other words, when power is supplied to the auxiliary protection module 4 through the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module 2, a simultaneous or almost simultaneous loss of voltage at the second and third inputs of the processing unit 42 indicates that the handle of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module moves to the "off" position by manual action or opening of the thermo-magnetic circuit.

Fig. 9 schematically shows a situation in which the mains voltage of the grid is not lost, but the voltage measurement originating from the circuit 30 becomes 0V at the time Tc. In this case, the circuit 30 has opened, representing the

handle

16, 18 moving to the "off" position.

Fig. 10 schematically shows the situation in which the mains voltage of the grid is lost at the instant Tp and the voltage originating from the circuit 30 is lost and becomes 0V at the instant Tc (which is later than the instant Tp). In this case, it is concluded therefrom that a voltage loss has occurred and the circuit 30 remains closed, which voltage loss continues to propagate over time due to the presence of the storage capacitor 52. It is concluded therefrom that the circuit breaker mechanism has not tripped.

In other words, when the auxiliary protection module 4 is directly powered by the grid, the simultaneous or almost simultaneous loss of voltage at the second and third inputs of the processing unit indicates that the handle of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module has moved to the "off position.

Referring to fig. 8 and 10, for example, in the case where the energy storage capacitor 52 is replaced by a battery cell or an external power source, the time Tc of the voltage loss from the circuit 30 may be slightly later than the time Tp, or not later than it at all. From this, however, it is concluded that the continued presence of voltage originating from the circuit 30 at the second input of the processing unit exceeds the situation in which the loss of voltage indicates that the circuit breaker mechanism has not tripped.

Returning to fig. 6, if it is determined that the position of the handle 16 has changed (positive response to the test of step 60), step 60 is followed by a comparison 62 of at least one measured current value I with a threshold current value In, the current value I being obtained at the first input of the processing unit at a time before the time Tc of the loss of the measured voltage.

For example, In one embodiment, a series of current values I In a sliding window of a selected duration, for example equal to 80ms, or 8 half cycles at a network frequency of 50Hz, is used, and the maximum measured current value In this sliding window is compared with a threshold current value In.

According to a variant, the average current value over the sliding window is calculated In step 62 and compared with the threshold current value In.

The threshold current value In is specific to the operation of the circuit breaker module 2 and is indicative of the current value beyond which it is determined that a current overload is required to trip the circuit breaker.

The threshold current value In is for example input by an operator In the installation phase of the circuit breaker arrangement 1 and stored by the processing unit 42.

If the current value I obtained from the series of current values In the sliding window is smaller than the threshold current value In, it is determined that the

handles

16, 18 have been opened by the manual operation (step 64).

If the current value I obtained from the series of current values In the sliding window is greater than the threshold current value In (step 62), an analysis is performed within a predetermined time interval (step 66), for example 8 half cycles at a frequency of duration 80ms or 50Hz, after the comparison step 62, to detect the sudden appearance of a spike In the measured current value.

For example, a sudden spike is characterized by a maximum (or peak) of a half cycle (referred to as the current peak) that is higher than the average of the half cycle peaks over a number of previous half cycles. For example, it is checked whether the current peak value is greater than twice the average value of the half period peak values in the 8 previous half periods.

If it is determined after the analysis performed in step 66 that there is no sudden current spike, it is inferred therefrom that the circuit breaker mechanism tripped as a result of a thermal fault (step 68).

If, after the analysis performed in step 66, it is determined that there is a sudden current spike, it is inferred therefrom that the circuit breaker mechanism tripped as a result of a magnetic fault (step 70).

Thus, by analyzing the current variations measured in the time interval before the circuit is opened, it can be determined what cause the handle of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module to move to the open position, thereby detecting the tripping of the circuit breaker mechanism and determining the cause thereof without modifying the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module.

In one embodiment, the auxiliary protection module is also equipped with a radio communication module, which then transmits the determined cause of the disconnection by wireless communication to a remote device, for example a hub, which is designed to perform a centralized action on the electrical device and to transmit the information to the customer or maintenance operator.

Advantageously, the auxiliary electronic protection module according to the invention is configured to detect the movement of the handle of the circuit breaker mechanism of the associated thermomagnetic circuit breaker module and to determine the cause of the trip on the basis of voltage and current measurements.

Claims

1. An auxiliary electronic protection module designed to be connected to a thermomagnetic circuit-breaker module (2) designed to be connected in an electrical apparatus powered by an electrical supply network and comprising a circuit-breaker mechanism designed to perform at least one main circuit-breaker function,

the auxiliary electronic protection module (4) comprises an auxiliary tripping mechanism, which is independent of the circuit breaker mechanism of the thermomagnetic circuit breaker module and is designed to perform at least one auxiliary protection function,

the thermomagnetic circuit breaker module (2) comprising a first handle (16) designed to be positioned in a first on position, in which the current flows through the electrical apparatus, and in a second off position, in which the flow of current through the apparatus is interrupted by manual action or by tripping of the circuit breaker mechanism,

the auxiliary electronic protection module (4) comprises a second handle (18) designed to be in a first on position and a second off position,

characterized in that said second handle (18) of the auxiliary electronic protection module (4) is mechanically connected with the first handle (16) of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module (2) so that said second handle (18) follows the position of the first handle (16) of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module (2).

2. The auxiliary electronic protection module according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical connection comprises a support and a return spring arranged such that movement of the first handle (16) to the first on position causes the second handle (18) to move to the first on position, and movement of the first handle (16) to the second off position automatically causes the second handle (18) to move to the second off position under the action of the return spring.

3. The auxiliary electronic protection module according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical connection comprises a bidirectional mechanical link between the first handle (16) and the second handle (18).

4. The auxiliary electronic protection module according to any of claims 1 to 3, comprising a circuit (30) for determining the position of the second handle (18), the circuit being closed when the second handle (18) is in the first position and open when the second handle (18) is in the second position.

5. Auxiliary electronic protection module according to claim 4, wherein said circuit (30) is supplied with a known reference voltage at a power supply point electrically connected to a connection point (36) associated with the second handle (18).

6. Auxiliary electronic protection module according to claim 5, wherein the circuit (30) comprises a storage capacitor (52) connected between a converter (50) supplying a reference voltage and the connection point (36).

7. Auxiliary electronic protection module according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising a processing unit (42), said connection point (36) being connected to an input (45C) of said processing unit (42).

8. The auxiliary electronic protection module of claim 7, further comprising a voltage shaping module (48) supplying an image of the voltage of a supply network at an input (45B) of the processing unit (42).

9. The auxiliary electronic protection module of claim 8, wherein the processing unit is configured to compare the image of the voltage of the power supply network with a voltage representative of the position of the second handle, and to determine whether the first handle has moved to the second position based on the comparison.

10. The auxiliary electronic protection module of any of claims 7 to 9, further comprising: a current sensor (44) for the current flowing through the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module (2); and a current shaping module (46) connected at the output of the current sensor (44) and supplying an image of the measured current at an input (45A) of a processing unit (42), the processing unit (42) being configured to store the current values measured within a sliding time window of predetermined duration.

11. The auxiliary electronic protection module of claim 10, wherein the processing unit (42) is configured to compare at least one current value measured before the second handle has been moved to the second position with a threshold current value and to determine the cause of the movement to the second position from among manual operation and tripping of a circuit breaker mechanism of the thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module based on the result of the comparison.

12. The auxiliary electronic protection module of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is configured to analyze a current value measured before the second handle has been moved to the second position and determine whether tripping of the circuit breaker module is due to a thermal fault or a magnetic fault based on the analysis.

13. A circuit breaker arrangement comprising a thermo-magnetic circuit breaker module (2) and an auxiliary electronic protection module (4) connected together, characterized in that the auxiliary electronic protection module is an auxiliary electronic protection module according to any one of claims 1 to 12.