Method and apparatus for detecting and suppressing a parallel arc fault

Electrical equipment (14) is safeguarded from damage due to parallel arc faults by a circuit that provides several levels of protection. A semiconductor switch (18) and a current sensor (24) are placed in series with the electrical equipment (14). When the current to the equipment exceeds a first th...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: ZUERCHER, JOSEPH CHARLES, BERKOPEC, WILLIAM EDWARD, JAHN, RONALD RICHARD, KRSTIC, SLOBODAN, HASTINGS, JEROME KENNETH, PAHL, BIRGER
Format: Patent
Sprache:eng ; fre ; ger
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Zusammenfassung:Electrical equipment (14) is safeguarded from damage due to parallel arc faults by a circuit that provides several levels of protection. A semiconductor switch (18) and a current sensor (24) are placed in series with the electrical equipment (14). When the current to the equipment exceeds a first threshold for a predefined period of time, the semiconductor switch (18) is rendered non-conductive until the circuit is specifically reset. When the current to the equipment exceeds a greater second threshold, a pulsed signal alternately places the semiconductor switch (18) in conductive and non-conductive states so that the average current applied to the equipment (14) is within an acceptable level. The pulses are measured to determine whether a parallel arc fault has occurred. When the measured pulses (74) are within a predetermined range, a parallel arc fault is declared and the semiconductor switch (18) is rendered non-conductive. Should the current exceed an even greater third threshold, the semiconductor switch (18) is immediately rendered non-conductive until the circuit is manually reset.