Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Safety and protection of systems and devices – Ground fault protection
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-19
2001-07-31
Sherry, Michael J. (Department: 2836)
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Safety and protection of systems and devices
Ground fault protection
C361S047000, C361S093600, C361S115000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06268987
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a ground fault circuit, interrupter with a residual current transformer which is connected via evaluation and tripping electronics to a open circuit shunt release, the open circuit shunt release via a breaker mechanism actuating the main contacts in the leads to be monitored, the line voltage supply of the evaluation and/or tripping electronics and/or the open circuit shunt release being connected electrically separably to a least one lead.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
EP 495 771 A2 discloses a generic circuit interrupter in which the trip of the breaker mechanism is connected electrically separably to an outer lead and the neutral lead via a switch. When the outer lead or neutral lead is interrupted there is therefore no longer any operation of the FI interrupter.
EP 0 570 603 A discloses a residual current circuit breaker which is dependent on the line voltage and in which the tripping relay is supplied between all three outer leads and the neutral lead. The electronics of the residual current circuit breaker which is known from EP 0 570 603 A1 is however unable to turn off the load current which flows when tripped by the tripping relay, if the terminal for the load current is between the power supply line and the main contacts for the phase conductor. For this reason, in the known residual current circuit breaker the load side and the line side are stipulated so that the main contacts also undertake turning off the load current.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to further develop a very reliable ground fault circuit interrupter of the initially mentioned design such that the load side and the line side can be optionally chosen, and which is built and can be assembled as simply as possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is achieved with a ground fault circuit interrupter with a residual current transformer which is connected via evaluation and tripping electronics to an open circuit shunt release, the open circuit shunt release via a breaker mechanism actuating the main contacts in the leads to be monitored, the line voltage supply of the evaluation and/or tripping electronics and/or the open circuit shunt release being connected electrically separably to a least one lead, which is characterized in that the evaluation and/or tripping electronics and/or tlae open circuit shunt release is connected via auxiliary contact apparatus to at least two leads, and that the movable auxiliary contacts of the auxiliary contact apparatus are located on a drum controller of the main contact and the housing-mounted auxiliary contacts of the auxiliary contact apparatus are located in the housing cover of the ground fault circuit interrupter.
In the invention it is provided that the line voltage supply of the evaluation and/or tripping electronics and/or the open circuit shunt release is connected electrically separably to at least two leads; this offers the advantage that the line voltage supply is reliably separated in any case, regardless of on what side the power supply and load are connected to the ground fault circuit interrupter. The at least two-pole line voltage supply increases operating reliability since it still works even if one of the two poles fails.
Since the movable auxiliary contacts are located on the drum controller of the main contact, the ground fault circuit interrupter as claimed in the invention is characterized by technical simplicity, since the auxiliary contact apparatus in this case are actuated at the same time with the main contacts on the drum controller.
In a development of the invention voltage can be supplied to the evaluation and/or tripping electronics and/or the open circuit shunt release via a rectifier and the rectifier can be connected to the line by three poles or all poles.
Here, due to the multi-pole supply of the open circuit shunt release which is preferably full-wave rectified, the operating reliability of the ground fault circuit interrupter is increased, since, for example for all-pole supply, it can still work even when two poles fail, since the open circuit shunt release is still supplied with line voltage even. if for example two outer leads or one outer lead and the neutral lead fail in a case of tripping.
With the appropriate dimensioning of the parts of the ground fault circuit interrupter operation is ensured starting with 0.4×U
n
for two-pole supply and up to 1.1×U
n
for all-pole supply (nominal voltage 230/400 V).
To make the structure and assembly of the ground fault circuit interrupter very simple, it can be developed in that the housing-mounted auxiliary contacts, the rectifier, optionally the overvoltage protection, the power cables which lead from the auxiliary contacts to the rectifier, and the contacts located on the DC voltage side following the rectifier are located in the housing cover of the ground fault circuit interrupter and in that the contacts in the housing trough are assigned to the contacts in the housing cover and are electrically connected to the evaluation and/or tripping electronics and/or the open circuit shunt release.
This makes it possible to premount the entire voltage supply of the evaluation and/or tripping electronics and/or the open circuit shunt release on the housing cover of the ground fault circuit interrupter, the pertinent contacts or connections being automatically produced in the assembly of the housing cover; this is very simple.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5371646 (1994-12-01), Biegelmeier
patent: 35 28 702 (1986-02-01), None
patent: 0 495 771 (1992-07-01), None
patent: 0 570 603 (1993-11-01), None
patent: 2 549 287 (1985-01-01), None
Moeller Gebaudeautomation KG
Sherry Michael J.
Young & Thompson
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