Circuit breakers with integrated safety, control, monitoring, and protection features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11024474-B1
Application number	US-201916246719-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 14, 2019
Priority date	May 6, 2014
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus for circuit breakers with integrated safety, control, monitoring, and protection features. In one aspect, a circuit breaker includes, an input and an output, a switch coupled between the input and the output, a sensor configured to measure the current flowing from the input to the output, and a control system coupled to the sensor and the switch, wherein the control system is configured to perform operations including comparing a rate of change of the current measured by the sensor to a threshold rate of change of current, determining that the rate of change of the current measured by the sensor exceeds the threshold rate of change of current for at least a predetermined period of time, and as a consequence of determining that the rate of change of current exceeds the threshold rate of change, opening the switch, thereby disconnecting the input from the output.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a data processing apparatus; and
a non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
for a plurality of branch circuit breakers that connect, to a circuit panel, a plurality of electrical branches served by a circuit panel, receiving, from each branch circuit breaker, power usage data describing power usage monitored on the electrical branch;
storing, in a database, data describing electrical signal profiles of each of the branches;
storing, in the database, data indicating faults that occurred in the branches;
training a machine learned model, based on the data describing electrical signal profiles of each of the branches, and the data indicating faults that occurred in the branches, to predict when a fault condition based power usage data monitored on the branches;
storing the model; and
providing, to each of the branch circuit breakers, the model, wherein each branch circuit breaker is configured to execute the model to receive as input power usage data describing power usage monitored on the electrical branch of the branch circuit breaker and to preemptively predict a fault condition on the electrical branches.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power usage data describes current draw over time.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power usage data describes voltage level over time.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power usage data describes power consumption over time.

5. A method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising:
for a plurality of branch circuit breakers that connect, to a circuit panel, a plurality of electrical branches served by a circuit panel, receiving, from each branch circuit breaker, power usage data describing power usage monitored on the electrical branch;
storing, in a database, data describing electrical signal profiles of each of the branches;
storing, in the database, data indicating faults that occurred in the branches;
training a machine learned model, based on the data describing electrical signal profiles of each of the branches, and the data indicating faults that occurred in the branches, to predict when a fault condition based power usage data monitored on the branches; and
storing the model; and
providing, to each of the branch circuit breakers, the model, wherein each branch circuit breaker is configured to execute the model to receive as input power usage data describing power usage monitored on the electrical branch of the branch circuit breaker and to preemptively predict a fault condition on the electrical branches.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the power usage data describes current draw over time.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the power usage data describes voltage level over time.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the power usage data describes power consumption over time.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions executable by a data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
for a plurality of branch circuit breakers that connect, to a circuit panel, a plurality of electrical branches served by a circuit panel, receiving, from each branch circuit breaker, power usage data describing power usage monitored on the electrical branch;
storing, in a database, data describing electrical signal profiles of each of the branches;
storing, in the database, data indicating faults that occurred in the branches;
training a machine learned model, based on the data describing electrical signal profiles of each of the branches, and the data indicating faults that occurred in the branches, to predict when a fault condition based power usage data monitored on the branches; and
storing the model; and
providing, to each of the branch circuit breakers, the model, wherein each branch circuit breaker is configured to execute the model to receive as input power usage data describing power usage monitored on the electrical branch of the branch circuit breaker and to preemptively predict a fault condition on the electrical branches.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Sastry Jyoti
• Ramesh Anand
• Leyh Gregory E
• Collyer Ronald Scott
• Majumdar Arunava
• Somani Ankit

Classifications

• H02H1/0061 Primary

  concerning transmission of signals (transmission of measured quantities or switching orders; sectionalised protection involving signal transmission between at least two stations H02H7/261; comparison of the voltage or current values at two spaced portions of a single system H02H3/28; transferring the output of a sensing member to another variable G01D5/00; electrical measuring arrangements using modulation of electromagnetic waves, e.g. light beams G01R15/24, G01R15/26) · CPC title

• H01H9/54 Primary

  Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the switching device and for which no provision exists elsewhere · CPC title

• H01H89/06

  Combination of a manual reset circuit with a contactor, i.e. the same circuit controlled by both a protective and a remote control device · CPC title

• H02H3/44

  responsive to the rate of change of electrical quantities · CPC title

• H01H83/20

  operated by excess current as well as by some other abnormal electrical condition · CPC title