Leviton Manufacturing Company, Inc.

Other

Saul Rosenbaum

Bernard J Gershen

Lester Rivera

Benjamin B Neiger

Richard C Doyle

James N Pearse

Douglas R Watson

Joseph G Justiniano

Edward J Krajci

Alfred J Lombardi

Albert Zaretsky

James E Meehan

Gilbert Oster

Roger M Bradley

David Y Chan

Lawrence Mellyn

Thomas A Blumberg

Howard S Leopold

Sergius P Krzyzanowski

Milton J Weitzman

Ronald Landisi

Steven Campolo

A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) with built in intelligence is described that includes circuitry to automatically indicate a device miswiring condition. When a GFCI is wired with its AC and LOAD terminals reversed, downstream devices are still protected in the event of a ground fault but the duplex receptacle on the GFCI itself is not. The invention incorporates miswiring sense circuitry that automatically triggers the generation of visual and audible alarms in the event a miswiring condition is sensed. The invention employs an alarm inhibiting technique that incorporates sense circuitry connected to the AC terminals on one side of the internal GFCI switches or relays and alarm generation circuitry connected to the LOAD terminals on the opposite side.

Ground fault circuit interrupter incorporating miswiring prevention circuitry

A system protects people and property against electrical shock, using immersion detecting circuits, broken wire test circuits, electromechanical circuit breaking devices including coil/plunger arrangements, and relay circuit breaking mechanisms cooperative with associated circuitry, all of which are able to be incorporated as a system wholly within the load or appliance, and its associated cord set, including a plug.

Shock hazard protection system

An intelligent circuit interrupt system is electrically connected between an AC source and a load for interrupting a flow of AC from the source to the load upon detection of an interrupt condition. A circuit interrupter electrically connected to phase and neutral terminals of the AC source defines the interrupt condition. A relay switch with a relay coil and phase and neutral contacts is included such that line and load ends of the phase contact are electrically connected, respectively, between the interrupt means load side phase port and a phase terminal of the load. Line and load ends of the neutral contact are electrically connected, respectively, between the interrupt neutral port and a neutral terminal of the load. The relay coil is electrically coupled between load sides of said phase and neutral contacts for controlling the contacts in response to the interrupt signal. An open-contact miswiring detector (OCMD) is electrically connected to one of the phase and neutral contacts for detecting a miswiring condition when the contacts are in an open state, and a closed-contact miswiring detector (CCMD) is electrically connected to the OCMD and to one of the neutral and phase contacts for detecting a miswiring condition when the contacts are in a closed state. A timing signal generator generates system timing signals. A test circuit electrically coupled to the interrupt means and the timing signal generator tests the interrupt means operability. An alarm circuit is electrically responsive to the test circuit, the timing signal generator, the OCMD and the CCMD for communicating an open-contact miswiring condition, a closed-contact miswiring condition, an operational failure condition, and a need for external testing condition. A power supply is electrically connected between the load ends of the phase and neutral contacts, and to the timing signal generator.

Intelligent ground fault circuit interrupter

The present invention teaches a new and novel system for protecting people and property against electrical shock. The invention includes a number of preferred and other embodiments which have this as their goal, but which represent a number of distinctive and novel approaches to solving prior art problems. By way of example only, and without limiting the scope of this invention, these approaches include novel immersion detecting circuits, broken wire test circuits, electromechanical circuit breaking devices including coil/plunger arrangements, and relay circuit breaking mechanisms cooperative with associated circuitry, all of which are able to be incorporated as a system wholly within the load (appliance) and its associated cord set (including a 'plug').

Ground fault circuit interrupter incorporating miswiring prevention

A high current ground fault circuit interrupter has an induction sensor mounted on the device remote from the ground fault circuit interrupter circuitry in such a manner as to allow cables capable of carrying larger currents than the current carrying capability of the contacts in the interrupter circuitry to be passed therethrough. The induction sensor carries a differential transformer for sensing line to ground faults and a neutral transformer for sensing neutral to ground faults. It makes use of an external contactor whose coil is engaged by contacts of the ground fault circuit interrupter to interrupt the cables carrying the high currents, even at a distance somewhat remote from the ground fault circuit interrupter. The induction sensor has the capability of carrying therethrough cables of 240 volts AC line to ground or line to line.

High current ground fault circuit interrupter

A ground fault circuit interrupt system with uncommitted contacts is provided which includes line-side system, phase, neutral and ground terminals electrically connectable to phase, neutral and ground terminals of an AC power source and load-side system, phase, neutral and ground terminals electrically connectable, respectively, to phase, neutral and ground terminals of an electrical load. The system includes a ground fault circuit interrupter including line- and load-side phase and neutral terminals for electrical connection to the line-side system, phase and neutral terminals for controlling a state of conduction of AC current between the source and electrical load in accordance with a detection of an interrupt condition. A relay switch is also included which has a relay coil and phase and neutral contacts such that line and load ends of the phase contact are electrically connected, respectively, to a GFCI load-side phase terminals and load-side system, phase terminal, line and load ends of the neutral contact are electrically connected, respectively, to a GFCI load-side neutral terminal and load-side system, neutral terminal; and the relay coil is electrically coupled between the load ends of the phase and neutral contacts for controlling said contacts in response to the interrupt condition.

Ground fault circuit interrupter system with uncommitted contacts

The present invention teaches a new and novel system for protecting people and property against electrical shock. The invention includes a number of preferred and other embodiments which have this as their goal, but which represent a number of distinctive and novel approaches to solving prior art problems. By way of example only, and without limiting the scope of this invention, these approaches include novel immersion detecting circuits, broken wire test circuits, electromechanical circuit breaking including coil/plunger arrangements, and relay circuit breaking mechanisms cooperative with associated circuitry, all of which are able to be incorporated as a system wholly within the load (appliance) and its associated cord set (including a 'plug').

A solid state motor speed control is described that is capable of controlling a motor so that it operates quietly, eliminating annoying buzzing noises that would otherwise be generated by the motor's windings. The invention provides for motor speed control with infinitely variable speed control settings. Rather than use triacs that generate RFI noise and cause motor windings to buzz due to their inherent avalanche switching, the invention utilizes power FETs or IGBTs to provide the switching function to control power delivery to the motor load . The power switches are controlled by an oscillator that generates a pulse train with a duty cycle controllable by the user. A filter shapes this signal into a trapezoidal control signal that drives the gate input of the power FET or IGBT switch. A kick start circuit turns the motor on initially for two to three seconds to overcome the inertia of the motor and its load. A zero crossing detector prevents the motor from being turned on except at a zero crossing of the AC source to further reduce noise.

Solid state motor speed control

A circuit analyzing system includes a current transformer for extracting current from a phase or neutral conductor of a three phase line, a filter connected to the output of the current transformer and functioning to substantially trap current at the fundamental frequency while substantially passing currents at various harmonic frequencies thereof, and signal processing circuitry connected to the output of the filter to perform various functions with the harmonic frequency current input thereto. Among these functions, as shown in various preferred embodiments, are measurement of the harmonic signal in RMS and conveyance of the output to a display instrument for a user or utility's convenience in monitoring harmonic frequency circuits, which have become more corrosion with the advent of electronic equipment having internal power supplies such as personal computers, work stations, printers, and the like. Other functions include a user or utility's connecting a demand circuit mechanism to the measured currents (preferably RMS/harmonic frequency currents), and/or using comparator circuitry to sense the measured harmonic frequency currents and, if they exceed a desired level set by the user or utility, to output a signal to a tripping device such as a power contactor or relay which will in turn institute load shedding.

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East Meadow, NY, United States of America

Saul Rosenbaum