Overvoltage protection apparatus with monitoring function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10074973-B2
Application number	US-201515508624-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 1, 2015
Priority date	Oct 1, 2014
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

The object of the invention is an overvoltage protection apparatus with monitoring function having a parallel circuit of two branch circuits, wherein the first branch circuit has a first overvoltage protection device and a second overvoltage protection device that are connected in series, wherein the second branch circuit has a third device and a fourth device that are connected in series, wherein the first overvoltage device and the third device have a first shared voltage potential during operation, and wherein the second overvoltage device and the fourth device have a second shared voltage potential during operation, wherein a first measuring tap is provided between the first overvoltage protection device and the second overvoltage protection device and wherein a second measuring tap is provided between the third device and the fourth device, with a signal being derived from the voltage between the first measuring tap and the second measuring tap that provides state information in relation to the first overvoltage protection device and the second overvoltage protection device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An overvoltage protection apparatus with monitoring function, comprising:
a parallel circuit comprising a first branch circuit and a second branch circuit;
a first measuring tap; and
a second measuring tap;
wherein the first branch circuit has a first overvoltage protection device and a second overvoltage protection device that are connected in series,
wherein the second branch circuit has a third device and a fourth device that are connected in series,
wherein the first overvoltage device and the third device have a first shared voltage potential during operation,
wherein the second overvoltage device and the fourth device have a second shared voltage potential during operation,
wherein the first measuring tap is provided between the first overvoltage protection device and the second overvoltage protection device and wherein the second measuring tap is provided between the third device and the fourth device, and
wherein a signal is derived from a comparison of the voltage between the first measuring tap and the second measuring tap that provides state information in relation to the first overvoltage protection device and the second overvoltage protection device.

2. The overvoltage protection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein an evaluation circuit is also provided, with the evaluation circuit evaluating a differential voltage between the first measuring tap and the second measuring tap.

3. The overvoltage protection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the measurement is performed during ongoing operation.

4. The overvoltage protection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the derived signal is used as a switch signal for a shutoff device.

5. The overvoltage protection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first overvoltage protection device and the second overvoltage protection device are selected from the group consisting of varistors and transient voltage suppressor diodes.

6. The overvoltage protection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the third device and the fourth device are overvoltage protection devices.

7. The overvoltage protection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first overvoltage protection device and the second overvoltage protection device are subvaristors of a multicontact varistor and that the first measuring tap is a contact of the multicontact varistor.

8. The overvoltage protection apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the impedance ratio of the first overvoltage protection device to the second overvoltage protection device corresponds during normal operation to the impedance ratio of the third device to the fourth device.

9. An overvoltage protection apparatus with monitoring function having a parallel circuit of two branch circuits, wherein the first branch circuit has a first overvoltage protection device and a second overvoltage protection device that are connected in series, wherein the second branch circuit has a third device and a fourth device that are connected in series, wherein the first overvoltage device and the third device have a first shared voltage potential during operation, and wherein the second overvoltage device and the fourth device have a second shared voltage potential during operation, wherein a first measuring tap is provided between the first overvoltage protection device and the second overvoltage protection device and wherein a second measuring tap is provided between the third device and the fourth device, with a signal being derived from the voltage between the first measuring tap and the second measuring tap that provides state information in relation to the first overvoltage protection device and the second overvoltage protection device, wherein a spark gap with auxiliary electrodes, wherein the overvoltage protection apparatus and the spark gap are connected in parallel and wherein the first measuring tap of the overvoltage protection apparatus is connected to a first auxiliary ignition electrode of the spark gap.

Assignees

• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co

Inventors

• Durth Rainer
• Pfortner Steffen

Classifications

• H02H9/042 Primary

  comprising means to limit the absorbed power or indicate damaged over-voltage protection device · CPC title

• H02H1/0007

  concerning the detecting means (in general G01R or other subclasses of G01; reed switches H01H71/2445) · CPC title

• H01C7/12

  Overvoltage protection resistors; Arresters · CPC title

• H02H9/06

  using spark-gap arresters · CPC title

• G01R31/1236

  of surge arresters (monitoring overvoltage diverters or arresters H02H3/048) · CPC title