Abb Schweiz Ag

Hetul S Patel

Chandrashekar N

A method for controlling a triode for alternating current (TRIAC), applied to a device, is provided. A voltage is connected to an anode of the TRIAC, and a scaled down voltage is fed into an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) pin of the device. The method includes (1) tracking the voltage at the anode of the TRIAC; (2) applying a trigger pulse to a gate of the TRIAC for a preset time based on the voltage at the anode of the TRIAC reaching a threshold; and (3) detecting whether there is a dip that corresponds to the preset time in the scaled down voltage at the ADC pin of the device. The method further includes, in response to not detecting a dip corresponding to the preset time in the scaled down voltage at the ADC pin, (4) waiting an amount of time; and (5) repeating the steps (1)-(3).

Triode for alternating current (TRIAC) detection in ground-fault, arc-fault, and dual fault circuit interrupters

A system to detect a status of a switching semiconductor in a switching circuit is provided. The system includes the switching semiconductor, an actuator, wherein the actuator is electrically coupled to a first end of the switching semiconductor, a resistor electrically coupled to a second end of the switching semiconductor, a switching device electrically coupled to the resistor, a detector connected to a collector terminal of the bi-polar junction transistor, and a processor. The processor is configured to provide a trigger voltage to the switching semiconductor, wherein the trigger voltage activates the switching semiconductor and induces current flow from the actuator through the resistor via the switching semiconductor. The processor activates the switching device, based on the activated switching semiconductor and detects a voltage at a collector terminal of the switching device. The processor determines the status of the switching semiconductor based on the detected voltage.

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Waterford, CT, United States of America

Hetul S Patel