Eaton Intelligent Power Limited

Eaton Corporation

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Westinghouse Process Control, Inc.

Daniel Alan Hosko

Theodore James Miller

James Leo Lagree

Zhi Gao

Paul Richard Rakus

John E Downs

Timothy R Piper

George Gao

Matthew Bernard Horne

Randy P Shvach

Donald T McComas

James Patrick Sisley

Brian John Schaltenbrand

John C Schlotterer

Ronald Dale Hartzel

Todd Michael Shaak

Daniel Louis Simon

Arthur A Anderson

Robert T Kissell, Sr

R T Kissell, Sr

Leonardo E Bernal

Patrick Jay Woodham

Kevin Russell Hestad

Theodore J Miller

Timothy F Thompson

Systems and methods for providing detailed information about high load events in a circuit interrupter are disclosed. The systems and methods provide a user with information such as the maximum high load current reached during a high load event and the average high load current calculated for the duration of the event. In addition, detailed waveform and metered data captures are generated in order to provide a comprehensive cycle-level and/or sub-cycle level overview of the event.

Trip unit with high-load analysis

A diagnostic system for monitoring a mechanical trip mechanism of a circuit interrupter provides advanced diagnostics. The trip mechanism comprises a D-shaft that is actuated by the trip unit, an operating mechanism that is actuated by the D-shaft, and a pole shaft that is actuated by the operating mechanism to physically separate the separable contacts. During every opening operation, the diagnostic system determines how much time elapses between the D-shaft beginning to move to its open position and the pole shaft reaching its open position, in order to detect degradation of the trip mechanism as early as possible. This ensures that suboptimal performance is detected even if the trip mechanism is meeting the minimum requirements for acceptable performance. A user is notified once the performance has degraded to a level that is considered concerning before the trip mechanism fails altogether, saving significant time and resources and preventing more widespread damage.

Circuit breaker with advanced health diagnostics

Systems and methods for providing information about thermal overload conditions and near-miss tripping events in a circuit interrupter are disclosed. The systems and methods provide a user with detailed information about thermal overload and near-miss tripping events, including how much time remains until a trip will be initiated due to a thermal overload, and what the real-time thermal capacity of the circuit interrupter is after a thermal overload condition ends.

Electronic trip unit with thermal capacity measurement and display

A circuit interrupter including a busbar, a Rogowski coil disposed around the busbar and structured to sense current having a first frequency flowing through the busbar, a test injector circuit structured to input a test signal having a second frequency to the Rogowski coil, high or band pass filter circuitry structured to receive an output of the Rogowski coil, the output including a first component having the first frequency and being proportional to the current through the busbar and a second component having the second frequency and being proportional to a temperature of the Rogowski coil, and to attenuate the first component of the Rogowski coil output, and an electronic trip unit including a temperature measurement unit structured to receive an output of the high or band pass filter circuitry and to estimate the temperature of the busbar based on the output of the high or band pass filter circuitry.

Circuit interrupter and method of estimating a temperature of a busbar in a circuit interrupter

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a first trip unit that is configured to be coupled to a power distribution system arranged in a Zone Selective Interlocking (ZSI) arrangement. The first trip unit includes an Input/Output circuit including a ZSI input terminal and a ZSI output terminal, a heartbeat signaling module configured to transmit a second signal to a second trip unit in a lower-level zone than the first trip unit, responsive to the normal condition, a first monitoring module configured to monitor a first signal received by the first trip from a third trip unit in a higher-level zone, responsive to the normal condition, and a second monitoring module configured to detect the fault condition. Related systems, devices, and methods are also described.

Devices, systems and methods to monitor and report wiring status for zone selective interlocking cables

A current sensing circuit for use with a Rogowski coil arranged around a conductor having a primary current includes input terminals structured to receive an output voltage of the Rogowski coil, an analog to digital converter structured to convert a differential voltage to a digital differential voltage signal, a digital integrator structured to receive the digital differential voltage signal, to implement a discrete-time transfer function that is a transform of a transfer function of an analog integrator, and to output a digital integrator output signal, and a direct current blocker filter structured to remove a direct current bias from the digital integrator output signal and to output a digital current output signal that is proportional to the primary current in the conductor.

Current sensing circuit and current sensing assembly including the same

A circuit interrupter includes an electronic trip unit structured to receive power from a power supply. The electronic trip unit includes a start-up process and is structured to proceed through the start-up process when the electronic trip unit begins receiving power from the power supply and a timing circuit including a capacitor structured to begin charging when the electronic trip unit begins receiving power from the power supply. The electronic trip unit includes a processor that is structured to read a voltage across the capacitor when the start-up process has completed and to determine an elapsed time of the start-up process based on the read voltage across the capacitor.

Circuit interrupter including electronic trip unit and method of determining elapsed time of start-up process

A circuit interrupter that includes a passive integration channel structured to receive an output signal from a di/dt current sensor and generate a first signal output based on the output signal, and an active integration channel structured to receive the output signal from the di/dt current sensor and generate a second signal output based on the output signal that is proportional to the primary current received by the di/dt current sensor. Circuit protection functionality is provided based on the first signal output responsive to the primary current being determined to be greater than a threshold level, current metering and circuit protection functionality is provided based on the second signal output responsive to the primary current being determined to be less than or equal to the threshold level, and a seed current value is provided to the active integrator based on the first signal output.

Wide range current monitoring system and method for electronic trip units

A trip unit is for a circuit breaker and includes a plurality of capabilities defining one trip unit style selected from a plurality of different trip unit styles. The trip unit includes a processor including a communication interface having a communication protocol; and a communication adapter module including a first communication interface having the communication protocol, and a second communication interface. The communication adapter module is structured to learn the plurality of capabilities of the trip unit from the processor employing the communication protocol, and to communicate with any of the plurality of different trip unit styles including the one trip unit style.

Trip unit communication adapter module employing communication protocol to communicate with different trip unit styles, and electrical switching apparatus and communication method employing the same

A metering apparatus is connectable to the terminals of a circuit breaker and includes a detection apparatus that is configured to detect a status of the breaker and one or more operational parameters of the breaker. The metering apparatus may further include a communication apparatus that is configured to communicate the status of the breaker and/or one or more operational parameters of the breaker to another device. The metering apparatus may additionally include a power input that is independent of the breaker. Alternatively or additionally, the metering apparatus can be configured to communicate with the other device via any of a variety of established protocols, with the metering apparatus being capable of retrofitting to change the communications protocol by which it communicates with the other device.

Metering apparatus

The bases of modular units of an I/O system are connected serially by two-way electrical and mechanical connectors so that units can be inserted into and removed from lines of units connected to a controller without removal or movement of any other unit. By two-way connector is meant that confronting connectors on adjacent units disengage by movement in the same or opposite direction from that in which they engaged. The electrical connectors distribute a communication bus and power to the modular units. In addition, plug-in electronics modules and personality modules, with the latter providing selective interfaces between the electronics modules and banks of terminals for landing field wiring, have a common locking mechanism for locking both in sockets in the bases. The locking mechanism includes at least one locking assembly having a shaft rotatable from a free end of the electronics module for rotating a paddle into and out of engagement with a catch in the base. Overlapping shoulders prevent removal of the personality module without first unlatching and removing the electronics module.

Modular I/O system with two-way connectors between units and a common

A modular input/output (I/O) unit utilizes plug-in personality modules to provide any one of a variety of interfaces between I/O signal processing cards mounted in plug-in electronics module and a bank of terminals providing connections for field wiring.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Daniel Alan Hosko