Eaton Corporation

Eaton Intelligent Power Limited

Drs Power & Control Technologies, Inc.

Slobodan Krstic

Steven Andrew Dimino

Michael P Nowak

Yanzhen Liu

Thomas G Habetler

Ramzy R Obaid

Jerome Kenneth Hastings

Mark Allan Juds

Peter J Theisen

Kurt Von Eckroth

Ashish R Bendre

Xin Zhou

Earl T Piber

Birger Pahl

Joseph Charles Zuercher

Steven Zhenghong Chen

Peter K Moldovan

Mark Alan Juds

James R Jaeschke

Yanjun Feng

James C Vander Meer

Hemant K Mody

Ralph F Bielinski

William Edward Berkopec

C Gregory Chen

Ronald R Jahn

Fred W Haselow

Scott W Braun

James C Vandermeer

Ping S Lee

Mark A Juds

Ronald Richard Jahn

A hybrid switch assembly for use in a circuit interrupter, the hybrid switch assembly including an input, an output, separable contacts electrically connected between the input and the output, a solid state switching circuit electrically connected between the input and the output and in parallel with the separable contacts, and a fuse electrically connected in series with the solid state switching circuit. The solid state switching circuit is structured to turn on and allow current to flow through it between the input and the output for a predetermined amount of time after the separable contacts separate.

Hybrid switch assembly and circuit interrupter including the same

An apparatus includes an output port configured to be coupled to a load, a plurality of current source rectifier (CSR) circuits having outputs coupled in series across the output port, and a control circuit configured to control the CSR circuits responsive to a voltage at the output port. The quantity of CSR circuits may be sufficient to provide redundancy in the event one or more of the CSR circuits fails.

High voltage power supplies using serially coupled current source rectifiers and methods of operating the same

An electrical connection element is for a power connector. The power connector has an electrical component having a number of first electrical mating members. The electrical connection element includes a housing having a number of second electrical mating members structured to be electrically connected to the number of first electrical mating members, a contact assembly structured to move between an OPEN position and a CLOSED position, the contact assembly including a number of sets of separable contacts each structured to be electrically connected to at least one of the number of second electrical mating members, and an arc suppression system for redirecting current away from at least one of the sets of separable contacts in order to suppress arcing.

Power connector, and electrical connection element and arc suppression method therefor

An electrical connection element is for a power connector. The power connector includes an electrical component having a number of first electrical mating members. The electrical connection element includes: a housing including a number of second electrical mating members electrically connected to the first electrical mating members; a contact assembly comprising a number of sets of separable contacts each structured to be electrically connected to at least one of the second electrical mating members; and an arc suppression system including: a number of electronic devices each electrically connected to a respective set of separable contacts, and a control mechanism for controlling the electronic devices. When the contact assembly moves between an OPEN position and a CLOSED position, the control mechanism redirects current from the respective set of separable contacts to a corresponding one of the electronic devices in order to suppress arcing across the respective set of separable contacts.

A high voltage inverter is provided which includes a plurality of k-level flying capacitor H bridge modules, k being greater than 2, each having a positive dc terminal, a negative dc terminal, and two ac terminals, a connecting unit for connecting said ac terminals of said plurality of k-level flying capacitor H bridge modules in series to form a cascading set of modules, and a dc source connected to an ac source and having a transformer, a rectifier rectifying an output voltage of said transformer, and a capacitor connected between the positive and negative dc terminals.

Cascaded flying capacitor modular high voltage inverters

The present invention is directed to a system and method for proactively determining motor wellness arising from potential mechanical faults of the motor. A controller is configured to detect indicia of impending mechanical motor faults. The controller includes a processor configured to determine motor parameters of a given motor including a load and generate a set of baseline data for the given motor. The processor is also configured to acquire current spectrum data from the given motor during operation, map at least one from a plurality of load bins based on the load, and generate a mechanical fault signature from the current spectrum. The processor is caused to compare the mechanical fault signature to baseline data from the set of baseline data corresponding to the mapped bin and determine amplitude variances within the mechanical fault signature indicative of an impending mechanical fault prior to an actual mechanical fault occurrence.

System and method for proactive motor wellness diagnosis based on potential mechanical faults

The present invention is directed to a power meter or overload relay including a housing and a plurality of sensors configured to monitor operation of a motor. A processor disposed within the housing and configured to receive operational feedback from the plurality of sensor and proactively determine an operational wellness of the motor from the operational feedback.

System and method for proactive motor wellness diagnosis

A medium voltage power converter is provided that has an input transformer adapted to connect to a multi-phase power source, multiple low voltage drives each coupled to a respective set of secondary windings of the input transformer and operatively configured to provide a corresponding set of three-phase power outputs, and an output transformer. The output transformer has multiple input primary winding circuits each operatively coupled to the three-phase power outputs of a respective one of the drives, a plurality of output secondary winding circuits each disposed in relation to a respective input primary winding circuit, and a secondary winding connection arrangement in which each output secondary winding circuit has three secondary windings each of which is connected in series or in parallel with each other secondary winding of each other output secondary winding circuit to form a respective one of three phase-shifted outputs of the secondary winding connection arrangement.

Medium voltage power converter formed using low voltage drives

The present invention is directed to system and method for determining motor wellness based on potential faults including cavitation faults. Specifically, a controller configured to detect indicia of motor faults. The controller includes a processor configured to determine motor parameters of a given motor, generate a set of baseline data for the given motor, and acquire current data from the given motor during operation. The processor is also caused to isolate sidebands within the current data and map the current data within the sidebands to one of a plurality of bins. The processor is caused to compare the current data within the sidebands to baseline data from the set of baseline data associated with the bin and determine a predictive fault index of the given motor prior to an actual fault occurrence.

System and method for proactive motor wellness diagnosis based on potential cavitation faults

Electrical equipment ( ) is safeguarded from damage due to parallel arc faults by a circuit that provides several levels of protection. A semiconductor switch ( ) and a current sensor ( ) are placed in series with the electrical equipment ( ). When the current to the equipment exceeds a first threshold for a predefined period of time, the semiconductor switch ( ) is rendered non-conductive until the circuit is specifically reset. When the current to the equipment exceeds a greater second threshold, a pulsed signal alternately places the semiconductor switch ( ) in conductive and non-conductive states so that the average current applied to the equipment ( ) is within an acceptable level. The pulses are measured to determine whether a parallel arc fault has occurred. When the measured pulses ( ) are within a predetermined range, a parallel arc fault is declared and the semiconductor switch ( ) is rendered non-conductive. Should the current exceed an even greater third threshold, the semiconductor switch ( ) is immediately rendered non-conductive until the circuit is manually reset.

Method and apparatus for detecting and suppressing a parallel arc fault

An electric arc extinguishing mechanism is provided for an electric current switching apparatus of the type having a pair of contacts which selectively engage to complete an electric circuit. The mechanism includes a plurality of splitter plates located adjacent to the contacts and formed of electrically conductive material. Each splitter plate has a body of electrically conductive material, and a casing with a pair of planar portions on opposite sides of the body and connected by the curved edge portion. The edge portion is adjacent the contacts with the planar portions extending from the edge portion in an open loop having a gap. Any arc introduced between adjacent splitter plates moves around the open loop before being extinguished thereby not residing in one spot long enough to cause gross melting and associated erosion of the splitter plate.

Electric current switching apparatus with arc spinning extinguisher

Solenoid control circuitry can be used with either a first solenoid requiring a relatively large holding current or a second solenoid requiring a relatively small holding current. A solenoid connected with the solenoid control circuitry is initially energized to effect operation of the solenoid from an unactuated condition to an actuated condition. A detector detects whether a characteristic of the initial energization of the solenoid corresponds to a characteristic of the first solenoid or the second solenoid. The solenoid control circuitry varies the amount of holding current supplied to the solenoid as a function of whether the detector detects the first solenoid requiring the relatively large holding current or the second solenoid requiring a relatively small holding current. A fault detection circuit is provided to interrupt energization of the solenoid in the event of an excessive flow of current.

Solenoid control circuitry

A hybrid switch (2) having a solid state circuit (2a) including a thyristor (SCR) for closing and reopening a supply circuit (S,4,6) to a load (L) and contacts including an isolating contact (S1) for connecting power to and disconnecting power from the solid state circuit (2a), a control contact (S2) for initiating turn-on and turn-off of the thyristor (SCR), and a bypass contact (S3) for shunting the solid state circuit (2a) after the load has been energized. A zero voltage crossover circuit (ZVC) allows turn-on of the thyristor (SCR) only when the A.C. supply voltage is below a preset value to avoid arcing at the contacts on closing. The inherent zero current crossing turn-off characteristic of the thyristor (SCR) avoids arcing at the contacts on opening. A pushbutton switch (8,10) provides a mechanically controlled time delay of a minimum of the time of one-half cycle of the power supply voltage between the closing of the control contact (S2) and the closing of the bypass contact (S3) and also between the opening of the control contact (S2) and the opening of the isolation contact (S1) to allow operation of the thyristor (SCR) at zero voltage or zero current thereby to avoid arcing for long contact life and elimination of EMI (electromagnetic interference).

Growing community of inventors

Brookfield, WI, United States of America

Slobodan Krstic