US20140049869A1 - Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression - Google Patents
Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression Download PDFInfo
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- US20140049869A1 US20140049869A1 US14/067,312 US201314067312A US2014049869A1 US 20140049869 A1 US20140049869 A1 US 20140049869A1 US 201314067312 A US201314067312 A US 201314067312A US 2014049869 A1 US2014049869 A1 US 2014049869A1
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- circuit interrupter
- circuit
- voltage
- interrupter
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02H—EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS
- H02H9/00—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection
- H02H9/04—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection responsive to excess voltage
- H02H9/042—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection responsive to excess voltage comprising means to limit the absorbed power or indicate damaged over-voltage protection device
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02H—EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS
- H02H3/00—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for automatic disconnection directly responsive to an undesired change from normal electric working condition with or without subsequent reconnection ; integrated protection
- H02H3/16—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for automatic disconnection directly responsive to an undesired change from normal electric working condition with or without subsequent reconnection ; integrated protection responsive to fault current to earth, frame or mass
- H02H3/167—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for automatic disconnection directly responsive to an undesired change from normal electric working condition with or without subsequent reconnection ; integrated protection responsive to fault current to earth, frame or mass combined with other earth-fault protective arrangements
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02H—EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS
- H02H9/00—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection
- H02H9/04—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection responsive to excess voltage
- H02H9/041—Emergency protective circuit arrangements for limiting excess current or voltage without disconnection responsive to excess voltage using a short-circuiting device
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T29/00—Metal working
- Y10T29/49—Method of mechanical manufacture
- Y10T29/49002—Electrical device making
- Y10T29/49117—Conductor or circuit manufacturing
Definitions
- the present invention relates to surge suppression, and in particular to circuit interrupters, such as ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) and related products with enhanced transient suppression and protection characteristics.
- circuit interrupters such as ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) and related products with enhanced transient suppression and protection characteristics.
- Circuit interrupters such as GFCI and AFCI, are electronic devices connected to power lines. They require having protection against surges known to “travel” in power lines. UL 943 standard for GFCIs and UL 1699 for AFCIs require these devices to pass unwanted tripping tests for combination waveform and surge immunity tests at levels of 2 kV (1 kA), 4 kV (2 kA) and 6kV (3 kA).
- MOV metal oxide varistors
- circuit interrupting products typically include an MOV positioned across the power lines of the circuit interrupting product, with the MOV providing some surge protection to the circuit interrupting product circuitry by clamping transient voltages to acceptable levels.
- An MOV is typically a non-linear resistance that has a very high resistance below its threshold voltage and is typically modeled as an open circuit. At voltages above the threshold voltage, the resistance is nearly zero and the voltage above the threshold is dissipated.
- the amount of energy that an MOV dissipates is generally related to the size of the device, typically a disc or 9, 10, 14, 20, or 40 mm or the like. A larger MOV typically dissipates more energy, but takes up more space, may be more costly and may require more open space around the device.
- the nature of the clamping and the amount of energy that may be dissipated is determined by the size of the disc and voltage rating associated with a disc type MOV.
- GFCl/AFCI and other circuit interrupting products have typically been limited to handling transient voltages of 6 kV at 3000 A.
- protection components such as the MOV in the typical GFCI and AFCI may not survive, if they are selected to only operate under 120V conditions.
- MOV in the typical GFCI operating beyond its rating at overvoltage may disintegrate, and thus such conditions may also destroy the rest of the electronics in the GFCI product and possibly cause a fire.
- an MOV may fail by rupturing, exploding or igniting. Such failure conditions are potentially dangerous.
- a surge protection circuit which allows components such as a surge protector or voltage clamping device to survive power conditions exceeding voltage and current ratings, and thus enabling a circuit interrupting product, such as a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) or arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) product to survive overvoltage conditions.
- GFCI ground fault circuit interrupter
- AFCI arc fault circuit interrupter
- a suppression and protection circuit is used in conjunction with circuit interrupter circuitry, such as circuitry in a GFCI or AFCI product.
- a surge protector or voltage clamping device such as a metal oxide varistor (MOV)
- MOV metal oxide varistor
- the circuit interrupting product further includes the use of a semiconductor protection device in addition to MOV.
- the semiconductor device is preferably either a TVS diode or a SIDAC (Silicon Diode for Alternating Current) marketed, for example, under the names SIDACtor, Transil or TSPD.
- SIDACtor Silicon Diode for Alternating Current
- TSPD Alternating Current
- these semiconductor devices require to be in series with a current limiting component to limit possible current through them.
- the present disclosure provides embodiments where a TVS or SIDAC is used with the solenoid or trip coil of the GFCI as the current limiting component.
- Nominal voltage for both TVS and SIDACs has to be selected to be above (or close to maximum) peak voltage applied to the circuit interrupter during abnormal overvoltage. Therefore, TVS or SIDAC devices with nominal voltage of 350V/400V are preferable. Additionally, because of the nature of TVS and SIDAC devices of clamping voltage faster than MOV and because current through these devices is limited by the trip coil of the GFCI, the maximum voltage applied to the device electronics is limited to 400V-500V (depending on the semiconductor device used).
- a preferred TVS diode for protection of a circuit interrupter such as a GFCI product, is the SMBJ350CA manufactured by Littelfuse, Inc., Chicago, Ill.
- a preferred SIDAC for protection of a circuit interrupter is the SIDACtor P350SCMCLRP also manufactured by Littelfuse, Inc.
- a circuit interrupter having a housing; at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within the housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity; at least one output conductor disposed within the housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor; and circuit interrupter circuitry disposed within the housing and configured to break the electrical connection between the input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a ground fault or test cycle.
- the circuit interrupter circuitry includes a solenoid coil.
- the circuit interrupter further has a surge protection circuit having a semiconductor device for reducing surge voltage applied to the circuit interrupter circuitry. The solenoid coil limits the current through the semiconductor device.
- the circuit interrupter includes a reset mechanism is provided and is configured to reset the electrical connection between the input and output conductors when the reset mechanism is activated.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a GFCI circuit having a suppression and protection circuit and a TVS diode according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a GFCI circuit having a suppression and protection circuit and a SIDAC according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a GFCI circuit having a suppression and protection circuit and a TVS diode according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure
- FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a GFCI circuit having a suppression and protection circuit and a SIDAC according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure.
- circuit interrupter having improved transient and overvoltage suppression is described.
- the commonly owned U.S. patents referred to above describe circuit interrupting devices and are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
- U.S. Pat. No. 7,049,910 describes a circuit interrupting device having a reset mechanism with a reset lockout portion.
- the reset lockout portion prevents the reestablishing of electrical continuity in open conductive paths if the circuit interrupting portion is non-operational, if an open neutral condition exists or if the device is reverse wired.
- the circuit interrupter can be a GFCI and/or other related product having a circuit interrupter, such as an AFCI and a fuse, event though the present disclosure refers mainly to a GFCI product.
- the GFCI and/or related products such as an AFCI, in accordance with the present disclosure include a suppression and protection circuit which interfaces between power inputs and a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) circuit connected to a load.
- the GFCI and/or related products can also include a reset mechanism with a reset lockout portion.
- the suppression and protection circuit providing enhanced suppression of transient surges for the circuit interrupter as well as protection from overvoltage conditions, while the circuit interrupter is operational.
- the suppression and protection circuit 10 includes an overvoltage prevention circuit having a surge protector or voltage clamping device, such as a metal oxide varistor (MOV), and a semiconductor protection device, such as, for example, a TVS diode or a SIDAC (Silicon Diode for Alternating Current) marketed, for example, under the names SIDACtor, Transit or TSPD.
- a surge protector or voltage clamping device such as a metal oxide varistor (MOV)
- MOV metal oxide varistor
- semiconductor protection device such as, for example, a TVS diode or a SIDAC (Silicon Diode for Alternating Current) marketed, for example, under the names SIDACtor, Transit or TSPD.
- FIG. 1 illustrates one example embodiment of the suppression and protection circuit 10 and an interrupter or GFCI circuit 14 forming a GFCI product 100 .
- the circuit 10 includes an MOV 22 positioned between input power lines as the power inputs 12 , for example, an alternating current (AC) line connection having a phase line 24 and a neutral line 26 .
- the lines 24 , 26 are connected to phase line and neutral line conductors 21 , 23 of the GFCI 100 .
- the lines 24 , 26 are also connected through the MOV 22 and through a ground neutral transformer 28 and a differential or sensing transformer 30 to the load 16 , which may include two phase load connections 32 ′ and 32 ′′ and two neutral load connections 34 ′ and 34 ′′.
- a test line 36 may also be provided in a manner known in the art including, for example, a test switch 38 and a resistor R4 having a 15 KOhms resistance.
- a relay 40 and/or circuit breaker known in the art may be provided, as further described herein, connecting the differential transformer 30 to the load lines 32 ′, 32 ′′, 34 ′ and 34 ′′.
- a processor U1 of the GFCI circuit 14 is connected via a plurality of pins or connectors to the transformers 28 , 30 in a manner known in the art, for example, using capacitors C3 and C6-C9, resistor R4, and diodes Z1, Z2.
- the resistor R3 has a 100 ohm resistance
- the capacitors C3 and C6-C9 have capacitances of 0.01 ⁇ F, 100 pF, 0.0033 ⁇ F, 10 ⁇ F, and 100 pF, respectively, each having a voltage rating of 50 V, except for the capacitor C8 having a voltage rating of 6.3 V.
- the processor U1 may be, for example, a model LM1851 ground fault interrupter controller commercially available from “NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR”, capable of providing ground fault protection for AC power outlets in consumer and industrial environments.
- the processor U1 is also connected via its pins/connectors to the MOV 22 in a manner known in the art, for example, using capacitors C10, C4 and C5 having capacitances of 0.01 ⁇ F, 1 ⁇ F, and 0.018 ⁇ F, respectively, at 50 V; a capacitor C2 having a 680 pF capacitance at 500 V; resistors R1 and R2 having 15 kohms and 2 Mohms resistances, respectively; a diode D1; a rectifier SC1 such as a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR); and a set of diodes D2-D5 forming a bridge diode circuit or configuration 42 , as shown in FIG. 1 .
- a rectifier SC1 such as a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR)
- the circuit 10 further includes a semiconductor protection device 50 , such as a SIDAC D7 shown in FIG. 1 connected to the bridge diode circuit 42 and to the neutral line 26 .
- a semiconductor protection device 50 such as a SIDAC D7 shown in FIG. 1 connected to the bridge diode circuit 42 and to the neutral line 26 .
- An optional snubber circuit (C1, R10) 52 may be connected in parallel to the semiconductor protection device 50 .
- the snubber circuit 52 can be used in addition to the described protection device 50 to improve the noise immunity by eliminating noise.
- the MOV 22 and the semiconductor protection device 50 are connected to an inductor 44 .
- the inductor 44 may be a solenoid coil or bobbin acting as a trip coil, such that the inductor 44 also functions as an actuator to disengage the relay mechanism 40 on the load side. More specifically, the MOV 22 provides primary protection against overvoltage conditions on the power line and the semiconductor protection device 50 provides secondary and faster protection.
- the inductor 44 or trip coil is used as a voltage dropping component or resistive component which is necessary for operation of the semiconductor protection device 50 .
- the MOV 22 clamps the voltage exposed to the capacitor C1 to be within the voltage rating of the capacitor C1, for example, 400 V.
- the MOV 22 itself in a GFCI product is capable of handling transient surges and overvoltage conditions of, for example, less than 2-6 kV at 3 kA surge.
- transient voltages exceeding, for example, 2 kV at 3 kA and even 6 kV at 3 kA are suppressed.
- the MOV 22 in the GFCI product is capable of handling voltages exceeding a root-mean-square (RMS) voltage rating of the MOV 22 , permitting the MOV 22 to survive and provide primary protection from other transient, surge, and overvoltage conditions, as described herein.
- RMS root-mean-square
- the MOV 22 performs the functions of clamping and passing surge current through its terminals, thereby protecting the rest of the circuit interrupter circuitry.
- the MOV 22 reacts too slowly to the overvoltage condition compared to the semiconductor protection device 50 . Therefore, at the beginning of the surge pulse, the voltage applied to the circuit interrupter circuitry may reach 800V or more causing the destruction of the GFCI product without the use of the device 50 .
- the semiconductor protection device 50 provides secondary protection to prevent the destruction of the GFCI product.
- the device 50 performs the function of clamping the excess voltage much faster compared with the MOV 22 , such that the GFCI product gets exposed voltage drops below 400-500V.
- the inductor 44 or trip coil is used as a resistive component to perform the functions of dropping the excess voltage and limiting current through the semiconductor protection device 50 . In this manner, the surge suppression and overvoltage protection of a GFCI product which includes the circuit 10 and the GFCI circuit 14 is significantly improved.
- FIGS. 2-4 other sample embodiments of other GFCI products in accordance with the present disclosure are described.
- the operation and functions of the MOVs 22 ′, 22 ′′ and 22 ′′′ and the operation and functions of the semiconductor protection devices 50 ′, 50 ′′ and 50 ′′′ are similar, if not identical, to the operation and functions of the MOV 22 and semiconductor protection device 50 , respectively.
- the GFCI product 100 ′ is similar to the GFCI product 100 except for including a TVS D7′ as the semiconductor protection device 50 ′.
- the MOV 22 ′ is a variable resistance that may have an effect as voltage changes.
- the GFCI product 100 ′′ includes a semiconductor protection device 50 ′′ which is a SIDAC D7′′.
- the device 50 ′′ is connected to the bridge diode circuit 42 and to ground.
- the MOV 22 ′′ is a variable resistance that may have an effect as voltage changes.
- the semiconductor protection device 50 ′′′ is a TVS D7′′′.
- the device 50 ′′′ is connected to the bridge diode circuit 42 and to ground.
- the MOV 22 ′′ is a variable resistance that may have an effect as voltage changes.
- TVS diodes and SIDAC are manufactured in small SMT packages (SMA (400 W) and SMB (600 W)). This allows MOV miniaturization to create semiconductor protection devices in small housings capable of fitting into a standard wall box.
- Voltage clamping devices include without limitation selenium cells, Zener diodes, silicon carbide varistors and metal oxide varistors (MOVs).
- a visual indicator is provided to indicate that the device is operating with adequate surge suppression capability.
- an alarm such as an audio indicator may be provided to indicate that the device is no longer operating with adequate surge suppression capabilities.
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Abstract
A circuit interrupter, such as a GFCI or AFCI product, is provided having a suppression and protection circuit and circuit interrupter circuitry. In one configuration, a semiconductor device and a voltage clamping device or surge protector, such as a metal oxide varistor (MOV), are utilized in the circuit interrupter for handling transient surges and overvoltage conditions. The semiconductor device, such as a SIDCA and a TVS diode, is connected to a solenoid or trip coil of the circuit interrupter circuitry to limit the amount of current through the semiconductor device. The MOV is placed between phase and neutral conductors of the circuit interrupter circuitry.
Description
- This application is related to commonly owned application Ser. No. 11/079,557, filed Mar. 14, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,021, entitled Circuit Interrupter with Improved Surge Suppression, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/829,339, filed Apr. 9, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,900,972, both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. This application is also related to the patent applications which are related to U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,021 and identified therein. These applications are the following:
- This application is related to commonly owned application Ser. No. 09/812,288, filed Mar. 20, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,049,910, entitled Circuit Interrupting Device with Reset Lockout and Reverse Wiring Protection and Method of Manufacture, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/379,138 filed Aug. 20, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,246,558, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/369,759 filed Aug. 6, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,070, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/138,955, filed Aug. 24, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,967, all of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
- This application is related to commonly owned application Ser. No. 09/812,875, filed Mar. 20, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,031,125, entitled Reset Lockout for Sliding Latch GFCI, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/688,481 filed Oct. 16, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,700, both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
- This application is related to commonly owned application Ser. No. 09/813,683, filed Mar. 21, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,779, entitled IDCI With Reset Lockout and Independent Trip, herein incorporated in its entirety by reference.
- This application is related to commonly owned application Ser. No. 09/812,601, filed Mar. 20, 2001, now abandoned, entitled Neutral Switch Test Mechanism for a Circuit Interrupter, herein incorporated in its entirety by reference.
- The present invention relates to surge suppression, and in particular to circuit interrupters, such as ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI), arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) and related products with enhanced transient suppression and protection characteristics.
- Circuit interrupters, such as GFCI and AFCI, are electronic devices connected to power lines. They require having protection against surges known to “travel” in power lines. UL 943 standard for GFCIs and UL 1699 for AFCIs require these devices to pass unwanted tripping tests for combination waveform and surge immunity tests at levels of 2 kV (1 kA), 4 kV (2 kA) and 6kV (3 kA).
- To protect circuit interrupting electronic devices against the power line surge, it is commonly known to use MOV (metal oxide varistors) devices. MOV devices are capable of clamping voltage at a predetermined level and dissipating surge energy up to another predetermined level.
- Known circuit interrupting products typically include an MOV positioned across the power lines of the circuit interrupting product, with the MOV providing some surge protection to the circuit interrupting product circuitry by clamping transient voltages to acceptable levels.
- An MOV is typically a non-linear resistance that has a very high resistance below its threshold voltage and is typically modeled as an open circuit. At voltages above the threshold voltage, the resistance is nearly zero and the voltage above the threshold is dissipated. The amount of energy that an MOV dissipates is generally related to the size of the device, typically a disc or 9, 10, 14, 20, or 40 mm or the like. A larger MOV typically dissipates more energy, but takes up more space, may be more costly and may require more open space around the device.
- The nature of the clamping and the amount of energy that may be dissipated is determined by the size of the disc and voltage rating associated with a disc type MOV. Heretofore, GFCl/AFCI and other circuit interrupting products have typically been limited to handling transient voltages of 6 kV at 3000 A.
- When overvoltage conditions occur, protection components such as the MOV in the typical GFCI and AFCI may not survive, if they are selected to only operate under 120V conditions. For example, a MOV in the typical GFCI operating beyond its rating at overvoltage may disintegrate, and thus such conditions may also destroy the rest of the electronics in the GFCI product and possibly cause a fire. Furthermore, an MOV may fail by rupturing, exploding or igniting. Such failure conditions are potentially dangerous.
- Due to the requirements of circuit protection products withstanding abnormal overvoltage conditions, 120V devices cannot use MOV rated below 230V-240V. In the event of surge pulses, such devices cannot clamp voltage fast enough so the peak voltage during surge can reach 600V-800V which may cause electronic components of the devices to malfunction or the device may trip which is undesired. For this reason, additional protection is needed to better protect GFCl/AFCI and other circuit interrupting devices and satisfy UL standard requirements.
- Accordingly, in view of the discussion above, there exists a need for a surge protection circuit which allows components such as a surge protector or voltage clamping device to survive power conditions exceeding voltage and current ratings, and thus enabling a circuit interrupting product, such as a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) or arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) product to survive overvoltage conditions.
- A suppression and protection circuit is used in conjunction with circuit interrupter circuitry, such as circuitry in a GFCI or AFCI product. In embodiments described herein, a surge protector or voltage clamping device, such as a metal oxide varistor (MOV), is utilized in the circuit interrupting product for handling transient surges and overvoltage conditions. In embodiments described herein, the circuit interrupting product further includes the use of a semiconductor protection device in addition to MOV.
- In embodiments described herein, the semiconductor device is preferably either a TVS diode or a SIDAC (Silicon Diode for Alternating Current) marketed, for example, under the names SIDACtor, Transil or TSPD. To work properly these semiconductor devices (in difference to MOV) require to be in series with a current limiting component to limit possible current through them. The present disclosure provides embodiments where a TVS or SIDAC is used with the solenoid or trip coil of the GFCI as the current limiting component.
- Nominal voltage for both TVS and SIDACs has to be selected to be above (or close to maximum) peak voltage applied to the circuit interrupter during abnormal overvoltage. Therefore, TVS or SIDAC devices with nominal voltage of 350V/400V are preferable. Additionally, because of the nature of TVS and SIDAC devices of clamping voltage faster than MOV and because current through these devices is limited by the trip coil of the GFCI, the maximum voltage applied to the device electronics is limited to 400V-500V (depending on the semiconductor device used).
- A preferred TVS diode for protection of a circuit interrupter, such as a GFCI product, is the SMBJ350CA manufactured by Littelfuse, Inc., Chicago, Ill. A preferred SIDAC for protection of a circuit interrupter is the SIDACtor P350SCMCLRP also manufactured by Littelfuse, Inc.
- In particular, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, there is provided a circuit interrupter having a housing; at least one input conductor disposed at least partially within the housing and capable of being electrically connected to a source of electricity; at least one output conductor disposed within the housing and capable of conducting electrical current to a load when electrically connected to said at least one input conductor; and circuit interrupter circuitry disposed within the housing and configured to break the electrical connection between the input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a ground fault or test cycle. The circuit interrupter circuitry includes a solenoid coil. The circuit interrupter further has a surge protection circuit having a semiconductor device for reducing surge voltage applied to the circuit interrupter circuitry. The solenoid coil limits the current through the semiconductor device.
- In an alternate embodiment, the circuit interrupter includes a reset mechanism is provided and is configured to reset the electrical connection between the input and output conductors when the reset mechanism is activated.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a GFCI circuit having a suppression and protection circuit and a TVS diode according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; -
FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a GFCI circuit having a suppression and protection circuit and a SIDAC according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; -
FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a GFCI circuit having a suppression and protection circuit and a TVS diode according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; and -
FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a GFCI circuit having a suppression and protection circuit and a SIDAC according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure. - A circuit interrupter having improved transient and overvoltage suppression is described. The commonly owned U.S. patents referred to above describe circuit interrupting devices and are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,049,910 describes a circuit interrupting device having a reset mechanism with a reset lockout portion. The reset lockout portion prevents the reestablishing of electrical continuity in open conductive paths if the circuit interrupting portion is non-operational, if an open neutral condition exists or if the device is reverse wired. The circuit interrupter can be a GFCI and/or other related product having a circuit interrupter, such as an AFCI and a fuse, event though the present disclosure refers mainly to a GFCI product.
- The GFCI and/or related products, such as an AFCI, in accordance with the present disclosure include a suppression and protection circuit which interfaces between power inputs and a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) circuit connected to a load. The GFCI and/or related products can also include a reset mechanism with a reset lockout portion. The suppression and protection circuit providing enhanced suppression of transient surges for the circuit interrupter as well as protection from overvoltage conditions, while the circuit interrupter is operational. The suppression and
protection circuit 10 includes an overvoltage prevention circuit having a surge protector or voltage clamping device, such as a metal oxide varistor (MOV), and a semiconductor protection device, such as, for example, a TVS diode or a SIDAC (Silicon Diode for Alternating Current) marketed, for example, under the names SIDACtor, Transit or TSPD. The suppression and protection circuit is described in greater detail with reference to embodiments shown byFIGS. 1-4 . -
FIG. 1 illustrates one example embodiment of the suppression andprotection circuit 10 and an interrupter orGFCI circuit 14 forming aGFCI product 100. Thecircuit 10 includes anMOV 22 positioned between input power lines as thepower inputs 12, for example, an alternating current (AC) line connection having aphase line 24 and aneutral line 26. Thelines neutral line conductors GFCI 100. - The
lines MOV 22 and through a groundneutral transformer 28 and a differential orsensing transformer 30 to theload 16, which may include twophase load connections 32′ and 32″ and twoneutral load connections 34′ and 34″. Atest line 36 may also be provided in a manner known in the art including, for example, atest switch 38 and a resistor R4 having a 15 KOhms resistance. Optionally, arelay 40 and/or circuit breaker known in the art may be provided, as further described herein, connecting thedifferential transformer 30 to theload lines 32′, 32″, 34′ and 34″. - A processor U1 of the
GFCI circuit 14 is connected via a plurality of pins or connectors to thetransformers FIG. 1 , the resistor R3 has a 100 ohm resistance, and the capacitors C3 and C6-C9 have capacitances of 0.01 μF, 100 pF, 0.0033 μF, 10 μF, and 100 pF, respectively, each having a voltage rating of 50 V, except for the capacitor C8 having a voltage rating of 6.3 V. - The processor U1 may be, for example, a model LM1851 ground fault interrupter controller commercially available from “NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR”, capable of providing ground fault protection for AC power outlets in consumer and industrial environments. The processor U1 is also connected via its pins/connectors to the
MOV 22 in a manner known in the art, for example, using capacitors C10, C4 and C5 having capacitances of 0.01 μF, 1 μF, and 0.018 μF, respectively, at 50 V; a capacitor C2 having a 680 pF capacitance at 500 V; resistors R1 and R2 having 15 kohms and 2 Mohms resistances, respectively; a diode D1; a rectifier SC1 such as a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR); and a set of diodes D2-D5 forming a bridge diode circuit orconfiguration 42, as shown inFIG. 1 . - The
circuit 10 further includes asemiconductor protection device 50, such as a SIDAC D7 shown inFIG. 1 connected to thebridge diode circuit 42 and to theneutral line 26. An optional snubber circuit (C1, R10) 52 may be connected in parallel to thesemiconductor protection device 50. The snubber circuit 52 can be used in addition to the describedprotection device 50 to improve the noise immunity by eliminating noise. - In the example embodiment shown by
FIG. 1 , theMOV 22 and thesemiconductor protection device 50 are connected to aninductor 44. Theinductor 44 may be a solenoid coil or bobbin acting as a trip coil, such that theinductor 44 also functions as an actuator to disengage therelay mechanism 40 on the load side. More specifically, theMOV 22 provides primary protection against overvoltage conditions on the power line and thesemiconductor protection device 50 provides secondary and faster protection. Theinductor 44 or trip coil is used as a voltage dropping component or resistive component which is necessary for operation of thesemiconductor protection device 50. - In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1 , theMOV 22 clamps the voltage exposed to the capacitor C1 to be within the voltage rating of the capacitor C1, for example, 400 V. As in the prior art, theMOV 22 itself in a GFCI product is capable of handling transient surges and overvoltage conditions of, for example, less than 2-6 kV at 3 kA surge. Using thesemiconductor protection device 50 in the disclosed suppression andprotection circuit 10, transient voltages exceeding, for example, 2 kV at 3 kA and even 6 kV at 3 kA, are suppressed. Accordingly, theMOV 22 in the GFCI product is capable of handling voltages exceeding a root-mean-square (RMS) voltage rating of theMOV 22, permitting theMOV 22 to survive and provide primary protection from other transient, surge, and overvoltage conditions, as described herein. - During operation, the
MOV 22 performs the functions of clamping and passing surge current through its terminals, thereby protecting the rest of the circuit interrupter circuitry. However, theMOV 22 reacts too slowly to the overvoltage condition compared to thesemiconductor protection device 50. Therefore, at the beginning of the surge pulse, the voltage applied to the circuit interrupter circuitry may reach 800V or more causing the destruction of the GFCI product without the use of thedevice 50. Thesemiconductor protection device 50 provides secondary protection to prevent the destruction of the GFCI product. Thedevice 50 performs the function of clamping the excess voltage much faster compared with theMOV 22, such that the GFCI product gets exposed voltage drops below 400-500V. Theinductor 44 or trip coil is used as a resistive component to perform the functions of dropping the excess voltage and limiting current through thesemiconductor protection device 50. In this manner, the surge suppression and overvoltage protection of a GFCI product which includes thecircuit 10 and theGFCI circuit 14 is significantly improved. - Referring to
FIGS. 2-4 , other sample embodiments of other GFCI products in accordance with the present disclosure are described. The operation and functions of theMOVs 22′, 22″ and 22′″ and the operation and functions of thesemiconductor protection devices 50′, 50″ and 50′″ are similar, if not identical, to the operation and functions of theMOV 22 andsemiconductor protection device 50, respectively. InFIG. 2 , theGFCI product 100′ is similar to theGFCI product 100 except for including a TVS D7′ as thesemiconductor protection device 50′. TheMOV 22′ is a variable resistance that may have an effect as voltage changes. - In
FIG. 3 , as in the first embodiment shown byFIG. 1 , theGFCI product 100″ includes asemiconductor protection device 50″ which is a SIDAC D7″. Thedevice 50″ is connected to thebridge diode circuit 42 and to ground. TheMOV 22″ is a variable resistance that may have an effect as voltage changes. - In
FIG. 4 , as in the second embodiment shown byFIG. 2 , thesemiconductor protection device 50′″ is a TVS D7′″. Thedevice 50′″ is connected to thebridge diode circuit 42 and to ground. TheMOV 22″ is a variable resistance that may have an effect as voltage changes. - TVS diodes and SIDAC are manufactured in small SMT packages (SMA (400 W) and SMB (600 W)). This allows MOV miniaturization to create semiconductor protection devices in small housings capable of fitting into a standard wall box.
- Voltage clamping devices include without limitation selenium cells, Zener diodes, silicon carbide varistors and metal oxide varistors (MOVs).
- Additionally, it is known in the art to provide a visual indication that a device equipped with surge suppression is still operating with surge suppression capability. In an embodiment of the present invention, a visual indicator is provided to indicate that the device is operating with adequate surge suppression capability. Similarly, an alarm such as an audio indicator may be provided to indicate that the device is no longer operating with adequate surge suppression capabilities.
- While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes of the form and details of the device described and illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention.
Claims (25)
1. (canceled)
2-25. (canceled)
26. A circuit interrupter, comprising:
circuit interrupter circuitry for breaking an electrical connection between input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a fault; and
a surge protection circuit electrically coupled to the circuit interrupter circuitry, the surge protection circuit including a transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode arranged to reduce surge voltage applied to the circuit interrupter circuitry,
wherein said circuit interrupter circuitry further comprises a solenoid coil arranged to limit current through the TVS diode.
27. The circuit interrupter of claim 26 , wherein the fault includes one of an actual fault and a simulated fault.
28. The circuit interrupter of claim 26 , further comprising a metal oxide varistor (MOV) electrically disposed to provide primary protection against an over-voltage condition.
29. The circuit interrupter of claim 26 , wherein the TVS diode is arranged to provide secondary protection against an over-voltage condition.
30. The circuit interrupter of claim 26 , further comprising a bridge diode circuit electrically coupled between the TVS diode and the solenoid coil.
31. The circuit interrupter of claim 30 , wherein the solenoid coil is arranged and configured to impose a voltage drop.
32. The circuit interrupter of claim 26 , further comprising an RC circuit, wherein the TVS diode is electrically coupled in parallel to the RC circuit.
33. The circuit interrupter of claim 26 , wherein the circuit interrupter is line powered.
34. The circuit interrupter of claim 26 , wherein the TVS diode has a clamping voltage of 400 Volts or less.
35. A circuit interrupter, comprising:
circuit interrupter circuitry for breaking an electrical connection between input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a fault; and
a surge protection circuit electrically coupled to the circuit interrupter circuitry, the surge protection circuit including a silicon diode for alternating current (SIDAC) for reducing surge voltage applied to the circuit interrupter circuitry, where a SIDAC voltage exceeds a normal power line voltage,
wherein the circuit interrupter circuitry further comprises a solenoid coil arranged to limit current through the SIDAC.
36. The circuit interrupter of claim 35 , wherein the fault includes one of an actual fault and a simulated fault.
37. The circuit interrupter of claim 35 , further comprising a metal oxide varistor (MOV) electrically disposed to provide primary protection against an over-voltage condition.
38. The circuit interrupter of claim 35 , wherein the SIDAC is arranged to provide secondary protection against an over-voltage condition.
39. The circuit interrupter of claim 35 , further comprising a bridge diode circuit electrically coupled between the SIDAC and the solenoid coil.
40. The circuit interrupter of claim 39 , wherein the solenoid coil is arranged and configured to impose a voltage dropping component.
41. The circuit interrupter of claim 35 , further comprising an RC circuit, wherein the SIDAC is electrically coupled in parallel to the RC circuit.
42. The circuit interrupter of claim 35 , wherein the circuit interrupter is line powered.
43. The circuit interrupter of claim 35 , wherein the SIDAC diode has a clamping voltage of 400 Volts or less.
44. A circuit interrupter having input and output conductors, the circuit interrupter comprising:
interrupter circuitry for breaking an electrical connection between the input and output conductors in response to the occurrence of a fault;
a surge protection circuit electrically coupled to the interrupter circuitry and configured to reduce surge voltage applied to the interrupter circuitry, the surge protection circuit including a semiconductor device and an inductor, wherein the inductor limits current through the semiconductor device; and
wherein the semiconductor device is one selected from the group consisting of a silicon diode for alternating current (SIDAC) and a transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode, where a SIDAC voltage exceeds a normal power line voltage.
45. The circuit interrupter of claim 44 , wherein the TVS diode or the SIDAC is arranged to provide secondary protection against an over-voltage condition.
46. The circuit interrupter of claim 44 , further comprising a bridge diode circuit electrically coupled between the TVS diode and the inductor or between the SIDAC and the inductor.
47. The circuit interrupter of claim 44 , wherein the circuit interrupter is line powered.
48. The circuit interrupter of claim 44 , wherein the TVS diode or the SIDAC has a clamping voltage of 400 Volts or less.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US14/067,312 US20140049869A1 (en) | 2011-07-29 | 2013-10-30 | Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US13/194,386 US8599522B2 (en) | 2011-07-29 | 2011-07-29 | Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression |
US14/067,312 US20140049869A1 (en) | 2011-07-29 | 2013-10-30 | Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression |
Related Parent Applications (1)
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US13/194,386 Continuation US8599522B2 (en) | 2011-07-29 | 2011-07-29 | Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression |
Publications (1)
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US20140049869A1 true US20140049869A1 (en) | 2014-02-20 |
Family
ID=47597038
Family Applications (2)
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US13/194,386 Active US8599522B2 (en) | 2011-07-29 | 2011-07-29 | Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression |
US14/067,312 Abandoned US20140049869A1 (en) | 2011-07-29 | 2013-10-30 | Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression |
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US13/194,386 Active US8599522B2 (en) | 2011-07-29 | 2011-07-29 | Circuit interrupter with improved surge suppression |
Country Status (3)
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US (2) | US8599522B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN103718408A (en) |
WO (1) | WO2013019284A2 (en) |
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WO2018161248A1 (en) * | 2017-03-07 | 2018-09-13 | Hamlin Electronics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd | Hybrid overvoltage protection device and assembly |
CN112310953B (en) * | 2020-11-27 | 2022-05-31 | 芜湖科越电气有限公司 | Overvoltage comprehensive control and arc suppression coil ground fault management system |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2013019284A3 (en) | 2013-04-04 |
US20130027819A1 (en) | 2013-01-31 |
WO2013019284A2 (en) | 2013-02-07 |
CN103718408A (en) | 2014-04-09 |
US8599522B2 (en) | 2013-12-03 |
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