Circuit breaker system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016006238-A1
Application number	US-201414454836-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 8, 2014
Priority date	Jul 7, 2014
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A circuit breaker device includes plural bridges conductively coupled parallel to each other between plural terminals that are configured to be conductively coupled with a power source and a load. The bridges include first and second outer bridges each having plural switches and at least an impedance bridge. The switches of the first and second outer bridges are configured to be closed to conduct electric current between the power source and the load and at least one switch in each of the first and second outer bridges are configured to be opened while at least one other switch in each of the first and second outer bridges are configured to remain closed to prevent conduction of the electric current between the power source and the load and to direct the electric current into the impedance bridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A circuit breaker device comprising:
plural bridges conductively coupled parallel to each other between plural terminals that are configured to be conductively coupled with a power source and a load, the bridges including first and second outer bridges each having plural switches and at least an impedance bridge, wherein the switches of the first and second outer bridges are configured to be closed to conduct electric current between the power source and the load and at least one switch in each of the first and second outer bridges are configured to be opened while at least one other switch in each of the first and second outer bridges are configured to remain closed to prevent conduction of the electric current between the power source and the load and to direct the electric current into the impedance bridge.

2 . The circuit breaker device of claim 1 , wherein the impedance bridge is configured to absorb and reduce the electric current.

3 . The circuit breaker device of claim 1 , wherein the impedance bridge also includes one or more switches configured to be open during conduction of the electric current between the power source and the load and configured to close during conduction of the electric current into the impedance bridge.

4 . The circuit breaker device of claim 1 , wherein the impedance bridge includes at least one resistive element and at least one capacitive element conductively coupled in series with each other.

5 . The circuit breaker device of claim 1 , wherein the resistive element is formed from an internal resistance of the switches.

6 . The circuit breaker device of claim 1 , wherein the impedance bridge is disposed between the first and second outer bridges.

7 . The circuit breaker device of claim 1 , wherein the bridges also include an arrester bridge having an arrester device configured to absorb energy of the electric current subsequent to the impedance bridge absorbing at least some of the energy of the electric current.

8 . The circuit breaker device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the switches includes a ring-shaped body that extends around a gate opening, the gate opening providing access to a gate terminal of the at least one of the switches.

9 . A circuit breaker assembly comprising:
plural circuit breaker devices conductively coupled in series with each other between opposite terminal ends that are configured to be conductively coupled with a power source and a load between the power source and the load, the circuit breaker devices including plural bridges conductively coupled parallel to each other between the power source and the load, the bridges of each of the circuit breaker devices including first and second outer bridges each having plural switches and at least an impedance bridge, wherein the switches of the first and second outer bridges in each of the circuit breaker devices are configured to be closed to conduct electric current through the respective circuit breaker device between the power source and the load, and wherein at least one switch in each of the first and second outer bridges of each of the circuit breaker devices are configured to be opened while at least one other switch in each of the first and second outer bridges of the respective circuit breaker device are configured to remain closed to prevent conduction of the electric current between the power source and the load and to direct the electric current into the impedance bridge of the respective circuit breaker device.

10 . The circuit breaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the circuit breaker devices include bodies on which the switches are disposed, and further comprising a conductive interconnect body extending between and including the opposite terminal ends, the interconnect body disposed between neighboring pairs of the circuit breaker devices and conductively coupling the circuit breaker devices in series with each other.

11 . The circuit breaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the impedance bridges are configured to absorb and reduce the electric current.

12 . The circuit breaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the impedance bridges also include one or more switches configured to be open during conduction of the electric current through the respective circuit breaker device between the power source and the load, and wherein the one or more switches of the impedance bridges are configured to close during conduction of the electric current into the impedance bridge of the respective circuit breaker device.

13 . The circuit breaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the impedance bridges include at least one resistive element and at least one capacitive element conductively coupled in series with each other.

14 . The circuit breaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the bridges of the circuit breaker devices also include arrester bridges having arrester devices that are configured to absorb energy of the electric current conducted into the respective circuit breaker devices subsequent to the impedance bridge of the respective circuit breaker device absorbing at least some of the energy of the electric current.

15 . The circuit breaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the circuit breaker devices are stacked side-by-side such that the switches of the bridges in different ones of the circuit breaker devices are axially aligned with each other along respective axes.

16 . The circuit breaker assembly of claim 15 , wherein two or more of the switches in the circuit breaker devices include ring-shaped bodies that extends around gate openings that are axially aligned with each other along at least one of the axes, the gate openings providing access to gate terminals of the two or more of the switches.

17 . A circuit breaker system comprising:
plural circuit breaker assemblies conductively coupled in parallel to each other between opposite first terminal ends, each of the circuit breaker assemblies including plural circuit breaker devices conductively coupled in series with each other between opposite second terminal ends that are configured to be conductively coupled with a power source and a load between the power source and the load, the circuit breaker devices including plural bridges conductively coupled parallel to each other between the power source and the load, the bridges of each of the circuit breaker devices including first and second outer bridges each having plural switches and at least an impedance bridge, wherein the switches of the first and second outer bridges in each of the circuit breaker devices are configured to be closed to conduct electric current through the respective circuit breaker device between the power source and the load, and wherein at least one switch in each of the first and second outer bridges of each of the circuit breaker devices are configured to be opened while at least one other switch in each of the first and second outer bridges of the respective circuit breaker device are configured to remain closed to prevent conduction of the electric current between the power source and the load and to direct the electric current into the impedance bridge of the respective circuit breaker device.

18 . The circuit breaker system of claim 17 , wherein the circuit breaker devices include bodies on which the switches are disposed, and further comprising plural conductive interconnect bodies extending between and including the opposite second terminal ends, the interconnect bodies disposed between neighboring pairs of the circuit breaker devices in the circuit breaker assemblies and conduc

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Garces Luis Jose
• Zhou Rui
• Raju Ravisekhar Nadimpalli
• Prabhakaran Satish
• Cioffi Philip Michael

Classifications

• H01H71/1045

  Multiple circuits-breaker, e.g. for the purpose of dividing current or potential drop · CPC title

• H02H9/02 Primary

  responsive to excess current {(current limitation for voltage regulators G05F1/573; disconnection after limiting H02H3/025)} · CPC title

• H02H3/087

  for DC applications · CPC title

• H01H9/542

  Contacts shunted by static switch means · CPC title

• H02H3/025

  Disconnection after limiting, e.g. when limiting is not sufficient or for facilitating disconnection · CPC title