Circuit-breaker and mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11181563-B2
Application number	US-202017023779-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2020
Priority date	Sep 27, 2019
Publication date	Nov 23, 2021
Grant date	Nov 23, 2021

Abstract

A circuit-breaker includes an electronic trip unit, which initiates an interruption or reduction of the current flow in a low-voltage circuit when current or current-time limits are exceeded in the low-voltage circuit. The electronic trip unit includes at least two processors that independently check whether current or current-time limits are being exceeded. A test signal is fed to the circuit-breaker via a first communication interface, which is fed to one of the two processors during operation so that a test of the circuit-breaker is carried out during operation, while at the same time an active protection is provided with regard to the exceeding of current or current-time limits.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit-breaker for protecting a low-voltage circuit, comprising:
a housing;
input connections and output connections, for conductors of the low-voltage circuit, connected internally by current paths having a contact system;
a current sensor to determine a level of current of at least one conductor of the conductors of the low-voltage circuit,
an electronic trip unit, connected to the current sensor and the contact system, to initiate an interruption or reduction of current flow in the low-voltage circuit via the contact system upon current or current-time limits in the low-voltage circuit being exceeded, the electronic trip unit including at least one analog-to-digital converter, to which a signal is fed from the current sensor, digitized and fed in parallel to two processors, each processor of the two processors being configured to evaluate the signal independently of the other processor of the two processors, with regard to the current or current-time limits being exceeded; and
a first communication interface, connected to the electronic trip unit, the circuit-breaker being designed to allow test signals to be fed to one processor of the two processors via the first communication interface during operation, to carry out a test of the circuit-breaker during operation, a protection function, with regard to the exceeding of current or current-time limits, being simultaneously active.

2. The circuit-breaker of claim 1 , wherein the first communication interface is a wired interface.

3. The circuit-breaker of claim 2 , wherein the first communication interface is a USB interface.

4. The circuit-breaker of claim 2 , wherein the first communication interface or supply of the test signals to the two processors is at least one of protected by a code and is carried out over a secure communication connection.

5. The circuit-breaker of claim 2 , further comprising:
an OR unit, connected to outputs of the two processors on the input side, to a control input of the contact system on the output side.

6. The circuit-breaker of claim 2 , wherein one processor, of the two processors, is connected to a control input of the contact system, wherein the two processors are interconnected, and wherein the other processor, of the two processors, that is not connected to the control input, being configured to send a trip command to the one processor connected to the control input to interrupt the current flow.

7. A mobile device comprising: a display unit; an operating unit; and a communication unit including a second communication interface, the mobile device being designed to generate the test signals for the circuit-breaker of claim 1 .

8. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the mobile device is designed to generate the test signals for the circuit-breaker, via a computing unit, and output the test signals via the second communication interface.

9. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the test signals are equivalent to the digital signals output by the analog-to-digital converter.

10. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the mobile device is a computer, and includes a computer program to generate the test signals.

11. The mobile device of claim 7 , wherein the mobile device is designed such that at least one of a code is attached to the generated test signals and a secure communication connection is enabled.

12. The circuit-breaker of claim 1 , wherein the first communication interface or supply of the test signals to the two processors is at least one of protected by a code and is carried out over a secure communication connection.

13. The circuit-breaker of claim 1 , further comprising:
an OR unit, connected to outputs of the two processors on the input side, to a control input of the contact system on the output side.

14. The circuit-breaker of claim 1 , wherein one processor, of the two processors, is connected to a control input of the contact system, wherein the two processors are interconnected, and wherein the other processor, of the two processors, that is not connected to the control input, being configured to send a trip command to the one processor connected to the control input to interrupt the current flow.

15. The circuit-breaker of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power supply, connected both to the current paths and to the electronic trip unit.

16. The circuit-breaker of claim 1 , wherein the first communication interface is only connected to one processor of the two processors.

17. A method for a circuit-breaker including an electronic trip unit, to initiate an interruption or reduction of current flow in a low-voltage circuit when a current or current-time limits are exceeded in the low-voltage circuit, the electronic trip unit including at least one analog-to-digital converter and at least two processors to each independently perform a check to determine whether current or current-time limits are exceeded, the method comprising:
feeding a test signal to the circuit-breaker via a first communication interface, the test signal then being digitized by the at least one analog-to-digital converter and fed in parallel to two processors of the at least two processors, each processor of the two processors being configured to evaluate the signal independently of another processor of the two processors, with regard to the current or current-time limits being exceeded; and
carrying out a test of the circuit-breaker during operation via one processor of the at least two processors, a protection function, with regard to the exceeding of the current or current-time limits, being simultaneously active.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the feeding of the test signal is at least one of secured by a code and carried out over a secured communication connection.

19. A non-transitory computer program product, storing a computer program, the computer program being loadable into a memory device of a computing unit, and the computer program being configured to carry out the method of claim 17 when the computer program is executed on the computing unit.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program, the computer program being loadable into a memory device of a computing unit, and the computer program being configured to carry out the method of claim 17 when the computer program is executed on the computing unit.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Bruell Marco
• Boerzsoenyi Christoph
• Gerstner Michael
• Jakubowski Ilka

Classifications

• G01R19/252 Primary

  using analogue/digital converters of the type with conversion of voltage or current into frequency and measuring of this frequency · CPC title

• H01H71/123 Primary

  using a solid-state trip unit (circuits H02H) · CPC title

• G01R19/2509

  Details concerning sampling, digitizing or waveform capturing · CPC title

• H01H2009/0083

  using redundant components, e.g. two pressure tubes for pressure switch · CPC title

• H01H71/025

  Constructional details of housings or casings not concerning the mounting or assembly of the different internal parts · CPC title