Low-voltage circuit breaker device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10707029-B2
Application number	US-201716342547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2017
Priority date	Oct 21, 2016
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

A low-voltage circuit breaker device includes: at least one outer conductor path from an outer conductor supply terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker device to an outer conductor load terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker device; a neutral conductor path from a neutral conductor terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker device to a neutral conductor load terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker device; a mechanical by-pass switch arranged in the outer conductor path; a semiconductor circuit arrangement of the low-voltage circuit breaker device connected in parallel to the bypass switch; an electronic control unit; and a current measurement arrangement arranged in the outer conductor path and connected to the electronic control unit. The electronic control unit actuates the mechanical by-pass switch and the first semiconductor circuit arrangement upon detection of a predefined overload current, namely a short-circuit current, by the current measurement arrangement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A low-voltage circuit breaker device, comprising:
at least one outer conductor path from an outer conductor supply terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker device to an outer conductor load terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker device;
a neutral conductor path from a neutral conductor terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker device to a neutral conductor load terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker device;
a mechanical by-pass switch arranged in the outer conductor path;
a semiconductor circuit arrangement of the low-voltage circuit breaker device connected in parallel to the bypass switch;
an electronic control unit; and
a current measurement arrangement arranged in the outer conductor path and connected to the electronic control unit,
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to actuate the mechanical by-pass switch and the semiconductor circuit arrangement upon detection of a predefined overload current, comprising a short-circuit current, by the current measurement arrangement,
wherein the semiconductor circuit arrangement comprises at least one first semiconductor component and at least one second semiconductor component, and
wherein the at least one first semiconductor component is arranged on a first side of a component carrier, and the at least one second semiconductor component is arranged on a second side of the component carrier facing away from the first side.

2. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the component carrier comprises a one-piece ceramic substrate.

3. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the component carrier has at least one first component carrier plate and one second component carrier plate,
wherein the first side of the component carrier is arranged on the first component carrier plate, and
wherein the second side of the component carrier is arranged on the second component carrier plate.

4. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 3 , wherein the first component carrier plate is arranged in parallel to the second component carrier plate so as to be contiguous thereto.

5. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 3 , wherein the first component carrier plate and the second component carrier plate comprise ceramic substrate.

6. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the first semiconductor component and the second semiconductor component are each an assembly that comprises at least one power transistor comprising an IGBT and a diode.

7. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor circuit arrangement comprises a first current path on the first side of the component carrier,
wherein the semiconductor circuit arrangement has a second current path on the second side of the component carrier, and
wherein the first current path and the second current path have substantially a same shape and/or length.

8. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor circuit arrangement comprises a first current path on the first side of the component carrier,
wherein the semiconductor circuit arrangement has a second current path on the second side of the component carrier, and
wherein the first current path and the second current path have substantially a same loop inductance.

9. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 8 , wherein the first current path and the second current path are configured substantially identically.

10. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor circuit arrangement has a first connection on the component carrier and a second connection on the component carrier.

11. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according claim 8 , wherein the semiconductor circuit arrangement has a first connection on the component carrier and a second connection on the component carrier,
wherein the first current path proceeds from the first terminal to the second terminal through the at least one first semiconductor component, and
wherein the second current path proceeds from the first terminal to the second terminal through the at least one second semiconductor component.

12. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first semiconductor component and/or the at least one second semiconductor component are each arranged as bare die on the component carrier, which comprises a ceramic substrate.

13. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first semiconductor component is provided for a first voltage polarity, and
wherein the at least one second semiconductor component is provided for a second voltage polarity.

14. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first semiconductor component comprises a first semiconductor component assembly.

15. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one second semiconductor component comprises a second semiconductor component assembly.

16. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 6 , wherein the IGBT comprises in each case a back to back IGBT.

17. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one first semiconductor component comprises a first semiconductor component assembly.

18. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one second semiconductor component comprises a second semiconductor component assembly.

19. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one first semiconductor component comprises a first semiconductor component assembly.

20. The low-voltage circuit breaker device according to claim 12 , wherein the at least one second semiconductor component comprises a second semiconductor component assembly.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Askan Kenan

Classifications

• H02H3/025

  Disconnection after limiting, e.g. when limiting is not sufficient or for facilitating disconnection · CPC title

• H02H7/222

  for switches · CPC title

• H01H2009/544

  the static switching means being an insulated gate bipolar transistor, e.g. IGBT, Darlington configuration of FET and bipolar transistor · CPC title

• H01H9/542 Primary

  Contacts shunted by static switch means · CPC title

• H02H3/08

  responsive to excess current (responsive to abnormal temperature caused by excess current H02H5/04) · CPC title