Solid state circuit interrupter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11646567-B2
Application number	US-202117516941-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2021
Priority date	Jan 29, 2020
Publication date	May 9, 2023
Grant date	May 9, 2023

Abstract

A circuit interrupter including a current sensor having a normal sensor output and an over current detection output, a solid state switch module structured to have a closed state to allow current to flow through the circuit interrupter and an open state to interrupt current flowing through the circuit interrupter, a gate driver structured to control the solid state switch module including a desaturation function output, wherein the gate driver is structured to cause the solid state switch module to interrupt current flowing through the circuit interrupter when the DESAT function output changes to the on state, and an electronic trip circuit structured to output a trip signal to the gate driver when the normal sensor output reaches a first threshold level or the overcurrent detection output changes to the on state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit interrupter structured to electrically connect between a power source and a load, the circuit interrupter comprising:
a solid state switch module structured to have a closed state to allow current to flow through the circuit interrupter and an open state to interrupt the current flowing through the circuit interrupter;
an overcurrent detector structured to detect overcurrent flowing through the circuit interrupter and having an overcurrent detection (OCD) output that changes to an on state upon detection of the overcurrent;
an analog trip circuit structured to receive the OCD output and to output a first trip signal upon changing of the OCD output to the on state; and
a gate driver including an enable input structured to receive the first trip signal from the analog trip circuit and a desaturation (DESAT) function output that changes to an on state when the current flowing through the circuit interrupter reaches a threshold current level, wherein the gate driver is structured to cause the solid state switch module to interrupt the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based at least in part on the first trip signal and changing of the DESAT function output to the on state.

2. The circuit interrupter of claim 1 , wherein the analog trip circuit outputs the first trip signal based on changing of the OCD output to the on state without comparing the detected overcurrent to a predetermined threshold value.

3. The circuit interrupter of claim 2 , wherein the first trip signal is output faster than a trip signal based on a sensor output requiring comparing of sensed current to the predetermined threshold value.

4. The circuit interrupter of claim 2 , wherein the analog trip circuit outputs the trip signal within about 10 nanosecond of receiving the OCD output.

5. The circuit interrupter of claim 1 , wherein the DESAT function output changes to the on state when forward voltage drop of the solid state switch module reaches a threshold voltage.

6. The circuit interrupter of claim 5 , wherein the threshold voltage is reached when the current value is about 2,250 A.

7. The circuit interrupter of claim 6 , wherein the gate driver further includes a fault output electrically connected to the electronic trip unit.

8. The circuit interrupter of claim 7 wherein the gate driver is further structured to notify the electronic trip unit when the gate driver has controlled the solid state switch module to change to open or closed state.

9. The circuit interrupter of claim 1 , further comprising an electronic trip unit coupled to the enable input of the gate driver and the overcurrent detector.

10. The circuit interrupter of claim 9 , wherein the electronic trip unit is structured to output a second trip signal to the enable input based on an I-t trip curve upon detecting a fault condition.

11. The circuit interrupter of claim 10 , wherein the interruptions of the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based on the changing of the DESAT function output to the on-state and the first trip signal indicative of the changing of the OCD output to the on-state are faster than the interruption of the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based on the second trip signal received from the electronic trip unit.

12. The circuit interrupter of claim 11 , wherein the interruption of the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based on the changing of the DESAT function output to the on state occurs within 0.5 microseconds.

13. The circuit interrupter of claim 11 , wherein the interruption of the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based on the first trip signal indicative of the changing of the OCD output to the on state occurs within 2.5 microseconds.

14. The circuit interrupter of claim 11 , wherein the interruption of the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based on the second trip signal occurs at least 4 microseconds after the detecting the fault condition.

15. A method of fast tripping of a circuit interrupter including a solid state switch module, an overcurrent detector including an overcurrent detection (OCD) output, an analog trip circuit, an electronic trip unit, and a gate driver including a desaturation (DESAT) function output, comprising:
monitoring a state of at least one of the OCD output and the DESAT function output;
detecting a fault condition based at least in part on the monitored state; and
causing the solid state switch module to interrupt the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based on the detected fault condition, wherein
the detecting the fault condition comprises detecting a change of the DESAT function output into an on state or detecting a change of the OCD output into an on state, and the causing the solid state switch module to interrupt the current flowing through the circuit interrupter comprises the interruption of the current within 0.5 microseconds, the fault condition being based on the change of the DESAT function output.

16. A method of fast tripping of a circuit interrupter including a solid state switch module, an overcurrent detector including an overcurrent detection (OCD) output, an analog trip circuit, an electronic trip unit, and a gate driver including a desaturation (DESAT) function output, comprising:
monitoring a state of at least one of the OCD output and the DESAT function output;
detecting a fault condition based at least in part on the monitored state; and
causing the solid state switch module to interrupt the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based on the detected fault condition, wherein
the detecting the fault condition comprises detecting a change of the DESAT function output into an on state or detecting a change of the OCD output into an on state, the fault condition is based on the change of the OCD output, and the causing the solid state switch module to interrupt the current flowing through the circuit interrupter comprises the interruption of the current within 2.5 microseconds.

17. A method of fast tripping of a circuit interrupter including a solid state switch module, an overcurrent detector including an overcurrent detection (OCD) output, an analog trip circuit, an electronic trip unit, and a gate driver including a desaturation (DESAT) function output, comprising:
monitoring a state of at least one of the OCD output and the DESAT function output;
detecting a fault condition based at least in part on the monitored state; and
causing the solid state switch module to interrupt the current flowing through the circuit interrupter based on the detected fault condition, wherein
the detecting the fault condition comprises detecting a change of the DESAT function output into an on state or detecting a change of the OCD output into an on state, the detecting the fault condition is based on an I-t trip curve and the electronic trip unit outputs a trip signal to the gate driver based on the I-t trip curve.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein causing the solid state switch module to interrupt the current flowing through the circuit interrupter comprises the interruption of the current at least more than 4 microseconds after the detecting the fault condition based on the I-t trip curve.

Assignees

• Eaton Intelligent Power Ltd

Inventors

• Zhou Xin
• Carlson Brian E
• Feng Yanjun
• Liu Jianyang
• Slepian Michael
• Gottschalk Andrew L
• Chamarajanagar Govinda Nayaka Santosh Kumar

Classifications

• H02H3/05

  with means for increasing reliability, e.g. redundancy arrangements {(for logic circuits H03K19/003)} · CPC title

• H02H3/006

  Calibration or setting of parameters · CPC title

• H02H3/08

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

• G01R15/14

  Adaptations providing voltage or current isolation, e.g. for high-voltage or high-current networks · CPC title

• H02H3/093 Primary

  with timing means {(in general H02H3/027; thermal delay H02H3/085; timing means for undervoltage protection H02H3/247)} · CPC title