Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Electrical power generation or distribution system
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-02
2001-06-12
Grant, William (Department: 2121)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Electrical power generation or distribution system
C700S286000, C361S054000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06246928
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an electrical interruption device comprising a plurality of locations for auxiliary contacts whose state is representative of the state of the device, at least one auxiliary contact located in one of said locations and a communication module designed to be connected to a communication bus.
Electrical interruption devices, and more particularly circuit breakers and/or contactors, must be able to communicate with supervision and/or control devices.
FIGS. 1
to
3
illustrate the various types of communication provided in known circuit breakers.
The circuit breaker
1
, according to
FIG. 1
, comprises a trip device
2
of electronic type. The trip device
2
comprises a communication output enabling data transmission to an external indication module
4
via a unidirectional serial link
3
. As an example, the trip device
2
can transmit data representative of the trip device settings, of the measured current values, of overshooting of certain thresholds, or of the cause of tripping. The module
4
can, for its part, be connected to a communication bus
5
. A trip device of this kind is, for example, marketed by the Applicant under the trademark STR53UE, in association with a circuit breaker of COMPACT NS mark, to communicate with a module of DIALPACT mark able to communicate with a supervisor via a BatiBUS or JBUS type bus.
The circuit breaker
1
according to
FIG. 2
also comprises a trip device
2
of electronic type. This trip device is able to transmit information to a bus
6
able to be connected directly to a supervision unit. It can in addition be equipped with an electrical control
7
connected to a bus
5
by means of an external remote control module
8
. A trip device of this kind is, for example, marketed by the Applicant under the trademark STR68, in association with a circuit breaker of MASTERPACT trademark. It transmits information representative of the state of the circuit breaker or of the state of the power supply network to a supervisor by means of a JBUS or PPNET type bus.
The circuit breaker
1
of
FIG. 3
is equipped with a thermomagnetic type trip device
2
. A trip device of this kind cannot communicate directly with an external bus. However, the circuit breaker
1
classically comprises a certain number of auxiliary contacts
9
actuated by the circuit breaker mechanism and whose position, linked to the position of the main contacts of the circuit breaker, is representative of the state of the circuit breaker. Conventionally, an auxiliary contact (O/F) indicates the open/closed position of the circuit breaker poles, another auxiliary contact (SD) indicates that the circuit breaker is in the tripped state, whereas a third contact (SDE) supplies an electrical fault signal when the circuit breaker has been tripped by an electrical fault (overload, short-circuit, differential fault) detected by the circuit breaker. The auxiliary contacts can be connected, wire to wire, to an external indication module
4
, of DIALPACT type for example, which can itself be connected to a supervisor by a bus
5
. The circuit breaker can, as in
FIG. 2
, be remote controlled, by means of the bus
5
and of a remote control module
8
acting on an electrical control
7
of the circuit breaker. A circuit breaker of this type is, for example, marketed by the Applicant under the trademark COMPACT NS, with a TM type thermomagnetic trip device. Wire to wire cabling of the auxiliary contacts and of the indication module is performed by the switchboard fitter.
In all these circuit breakers, communication with the bus requires the use of indication and/or remote control modules external to the circuit breaker and a specific cabling by the switchboard fitter according to the type of trip device used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to achieve a device able to be connected directly to a communication bus. In the case of a circuit breaker this connection must be independent of the type of trip device used.
This object is achieved by the fact that the communication module is electrically connected to the auxiliary contacts and arranged inside the device in one of said locations, said module constituting a communication interface between the auxiliary contacts and the bus.
The communication module being connected to the auxiliary contacts, this is applicable to any device, circuit breaker or contactor of standard type. In the case of a circuit breaker, the latter can be equipped either with a thermomagnetic trip device or with an electronic trip device. In addition, the use of the location of an auxiliary contact to contain the communication module enables communication by bus to be integrated into any interruption device without using external modules. The communication module being located inside a circuit breaker, the wiring between the auxiliary contacts and the module is performed in plant, which reduces to the maximum the wiring to be performed by the switchboard fitter when installing the device.
According to a development of the invention, the interruption device comprising opening and closing control relays of the device, the module is electrically connected to said relays so as to enable remote control of the device by means of the bus.
The communication module then enables both indication information to be supplied and remote control orders to be received by means of the communication bus.
According to a development of the invention, the communication module comprises a logic circuit associated to means for storing at least one parameter able to be modified by means of the bus, said logic circuit receiving from the auxiliary contacts information representative of the state of the interruption device and remote control orders from the bus and supplying control orders to the opening and closing relays according to the remote control orders, the state of the device and said parameters.
According to particular embodiments, one of said parameters can prevent closing of the device by remote control after opening of the device in response to an electrical fault or authorize automatic resetting of the device or authorize remote control of the device from a local control and indication module connected to the bus.
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patent: 5440088 (1995-08-01), Coudert et al.
patent: 5691619 (1997-11-01), Vingsbo
patent: 5786641 (1998-07-01), Nakanishi et al.
patent: 5859596 (1999-01-01), McRae
patent: 5880954 (1999-03-01), Thomson et al.
patent: 5973898 (1999-10-01), Merchant et al.
patent: 6005757 (1999-12-01), Shvach et al.
patent: 195 46 268A1 (1997-06-01), None
patent: 0 571 898 A1 (1993-12-01), None
patent: 0 792 096 A1 (1997-08-01), None
patent: WO 93/12566 (1993-06-01), None
Lemoine Jocelyn
Louis Patrice
Bahta Kidest
Grant William
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P
Schneider Electric SA
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