Raytheon Company

John R Archer

Roy P McMahon

An arc-fault detecting circuit-breaker system is used in conjunction with a protected electrical circuit whose current flow is to be interrupted upon the occurrence of an overcurrent fault or an arc fault. The arc-fault detecting circuit breaker system includes a normally closed circuit breaker, an arc-fault detector of the occurrence of an arc fault in the protected electrical circuit, and a circuit-breaker activating element operable responsive to the detector. The circuit-breaker activating element opens the circuit breaker in the event that the detector detects an arc fault in the protected electrical circuit. A status indicator structure, preferably in the form of a two-part pop-up button, has a first status indicator element which indicates the opening of the circuit breaker due to the overcurrent fault, and a second status indicator element which indicates the opening of the circuit breaker due to the arc fault.

Arc-fault detecting circuit-breaker system with status indicator structure

An arc-fault detecting circuit-breaker system includes a normally closed line circuit breaker in series with a protected electrical circuit element whose current flow is to be interrupted upon the occurrence of an arc fault. A detector senses the rate of change with time of the current flow in the protected electrical circuit element. A silicon-controlled rectifier has a gate of the silicon-controlled rectifier in electrical communication with a detector output signal of the detector. The silicon-controlled rectifier shorts the current flow in the protected electrical circuit element in the event that the detector output signals that the rate of change of current with time in the protected electrical circuit element is in excess of a permitted maximum rate-of-change value, thereby activating the line circuit breaker.

Growing community of inventors

Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

John R Archer