Low-voltage circuit breaker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10930458-B2
Application number	US-201716331530-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2017
Priority date	Sep 9, 2016
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A low-voltage circuit breaker includes: at least one external conductor section from an external conductor power terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker to an external conductor load terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker; a neutral conductor section from a neutral conductor terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker to a neutral conductor load terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker; a mechanical bypass switch arranged in the external conductor section; a semiconductor circuit arrangement switched in parallel to the bypass switch; an electronic control unit; and a first current measuring arrangement arranged in the external conductor section, the first current measuring arrangement including a first shunt, which is connected to the electronic control unit. The electronic control unit actuates the mechanical bypass switch and the semiconductor circuit arrangement upon detecting a prespecifiable overcurrent that includes a short circuit current, by the current measuring arrangement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A low-voltage circuit breaker, comprising:
at least one external conductor section from an external conductor power terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker to an external conductor load terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker;
a neutral conductor section from a neutral conductor terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker to a neutral conductor load terminal of the low-voltage circuit breaker; and
an electronic control unit,
wherein a mechanical bypass switch arranged in the at least one external conductor section; wherein a semiconductor circuit arrangement of the low-voltage circuit breaker is switched in parallel to the mechanical bypass switch,
wherein a first current measuring arrangement is arranged in the at least one external conductor section, the first current measuring arrangement comprising a first shunt, which is connected to the electronic control unit,
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to actuate the mechanical bypass switch and the semiconductor circuit arrangement upon detecting a prespecifiable overcurrent comprising a short circuit current, by the first current measuring arrangement,
wherein the low-voltage circuit breaker has at least a second current measuring arrangement configured to measure a first current across the mechanical bypass switch or a second current across the semiconductor circuit arrangement,
wherein the second current measuring arrangement comprises a second shunt,
wherein the second shunt along with the first shunt are arranged on a common substrate, and
wherein, in a circuit-related manner, the second current measuring arrangement is arranged in series to the semiconductor circuit arrangement and in parallel to the mechanical bypass switch.

2. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the first shunt is formed by a first conductor path section.

3. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the second shunt is formed by a second conductor path section.

4. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the common substrate is a direct copper bonded substrate.

5. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the first current measuring arrangement is arranged in series to the mechanical bypass switch and in series to the semiconductor circuit arrangement.

6. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein in the at least one external conductor section, there is arranged, in series to the mechanical bypass switch, a first mechanical disconnect switch.

7. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 6 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to actuate the first mechanical disconnect switch.

8. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein in the neutral conductor section, there is arranged a second mechanical disconnect switch.

9. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 8 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to actuate the second mechanical disconnect switch.

10. The low-voltage circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor circuit arrangement is arranged on the common substrate.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Askan Kenan
• Bartonek Michael
• Katzensteiner Matthias

Classifications

• H01H9/542 Primary

  Contacts shunted by static switch means · CPC title

• H01H9/548

  Electromechanical and static switch connected in series · CPC title

• H01H9/56

  for ensuring operation of the switch at a predetermined point in the AC cycle · CPC title

• H01H2009/543

  third parallel branch comprising an energy absorber, e.g. MOV, PTC, Zener · 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