Direct current circuit breaker device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10978258-B2
Application number	US-201916963265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2019
Priority date	Jan 21, 2019
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

A DC circuit breaker includes: a first current section of a first electrical polarity from a first supply terminal of the DC circuit breaker to a first load terminal of the DC circuit breaker; a second current section of a second electrical polarity from a second supply terminal of the DC circuit breaker to a second load terminal of the DC circuit breaker; a mechanical bypass switch arranged in the first current section or the second current section, the mechanical bypass switch having at least one bypass switch excitation coil; a first semiconductor circuit arrangement connected in parallel with the mechanical bypass switch; an electronic control unit of the DC circuit breaker for actuating the first semiconductor circuit arrangement; a second semiconductor circuit arrangement to be actuated by the electronic control unit, which second semiconductor circuit arrangement is connected to the bypass switch excitation coil by circuitry.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A DC circuit breaker, comprising:
a first current section of a first electrical polarity from a first supply terminal of the DC circuit breaker to a first load terminal of the DC circuit breaker;
a second current section of a second electrical polarity from a second supply terminal of the DC circuit breaker to a second load terminal of the DC circuit breaker;
a mechanical bypass switch arranged in the first current section or the second current section, the mechanical bypass switch having at least one bypass switch excitation coil;
a first semiconductor circuit arrangement connected in parallel with the mechanical bypass switch;
an electronic control unit of the DC circuit breaker configured to actuate the first semiconductor circuit arrangement;
a second semiconductor circuit arrangement configured to be actuated by the electronic control unit, which second semiconductor circuit arrangement is connected to the bypass switch excitation coil by circuitry in order to actuate the second semiconductor circuit arrangement,
wherein at least one terminal of the second semiconductor circuit arrangement is directly connected to the second supply terminal by circuitry.

2. The DC circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein a current path comprising the second semiconductor circuit arrangement and the bypass switch excitation coil is connected by circuitry, comprising a dropping resistor, to the first supply terminal.

3. The DC circuit breaker according to claim 1 , further comprising a power supply unit configured to supply at least the electronic control unit with energy, and
wherein the at least one terminal of the second semiconductor circuit arrangement is directly connected by circuitry to the second supply terminal, bypassing the power supply unit.

4. The DC circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to detect a short-circuit and/or overcurrent, and
wherein the electronic control unit is configured to activate/deactivate the second semiconductor circuit arrangement in a predeterminable manner in cycles according to pulse-width modulation if a short-circuit and/or overcurrent is detected.

5. The DC circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured to activate/deactivate the second semiconductor circuit arrangement in a predeterminable manner in cycles according to pulse-width modulation during an operational switching process.

6. The DC circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein a first disconnecting switch having a first disconnecting switch excitation coil is arranged in the first current section,
wherein a second disconnecting switch having a second disconnecting switch excitation coil is arranged in the second current section, and
wherein the first disconnecting switch excitation coil and the second disconnecting switch excitation coil are connected by circuitry to the at least one second semiconductor circuit arrangement.

7. The DC circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein at least one capacitor is connected between the first supply terminal and the second supply terminal.

8. A system, comprising:
a rectifier, and
the DC circuit breaker according to claim 1 ,
wherein the rectifier has at least one smoothing capacitor,
wherein the DC circuit breaker is connected to an output of the rectifier, and
wherein the at least one smoothing capacitor of the rectifier is configured to supply energy to the second semiconductor circuit arrangement of the DC circuit breaker.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Askan Kenan
• Bartonek Michael
• Katzensteiner Matthias

Classifications

• H01H9/542 Primary

  Contacts shunted by static switch means · CPC title

• H01H33/596 Primary

  for interrupting DC · CPC title

• H02H3/021

  concerning the disconnection itself, e.g. at a particular instant, particularly at zero value of current, disconnection in a predetermined order (disconnection at zero value in general H03K17/18) · CPC title

• H02H3/087

  for DC applications · 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