Square D Company

Schneider Electric USA, Inc.

Steven M Meehleder

Henry J Zylstra

Paul Andrew Reid

Kevin John Malo

Brian Grattan

James R Marano

A method and an apparatus are provided for monitoring the currents in a load center, and ultrasonically reporting currents to a data aggregator. The monitoring is performed by branch circuit current monitors which are inductive. The data aggregator receives the current reports from the branch circuit current monitors. The data aggregator manages collisions and transmission medium distortions to ensure reliable receipt of the current reports and stores in a storage location that which it learns about the currents drawn.

Ultrasonic based load center current measurement system

A module for a high voltage electronic circuit breaker that includes a power supply and related circuitry for suppressing high voltage transients. The power supply receives a range of voltages, such as up to 600V, and is powered from the line current instead of through a transformer, exposing the module electronics to potential voltage transients. A large capacitor is connected to the high voltage input for absorbing the energy of a voltage transient. Transient voltage suppressors are connected in parallel to the capacitor to absorb any further energy in the transient not absorbed by the capacitor. Inductors are series-connected with the high voltage input to present an impedance and inductance to the voltage transient, reducing the transient before it reaches the power supply. Inductors in the trip coil and the indicator coils also present an impedance and inductance to the transient, further enhancing protection against transients. Fuses connected in line with the high voltage input protect the module electronics against short circuits.

Earth leakage detection module with robust transient suppression

A low voltage DC power supply is provided in a load center for distributing electrical power from electrical power utility lines to multiple branch circuits via a load center bus connected to the utility lines, each of the branch circuits having a circuit breaker coupled to a processor that is shared by multiple circuit breakers in the load center. The low voltage DC power supply includes a switch mode low voltage power supply connected to the processor for supplying the processor with a DC power input, and a line-derived power supply and a fault-derived power supply coupled between the utility and the switch mode power supply for supplying DC inputs to the switch mode power supply. The magnitude of electrical current supplied to the multiple branch circuits from the load center bus is determined by producing signals representing the current levels in the bus at successive locations on opposite sides of each connection of the bus to the multiple branch circuits, and determining the current supplied to each branch circuits from those signals.

Electrical load center

An electrical device having a heat conductive housing has a flexible circuit board attached to the surface of the housing to control or take readings from the electrical. The flexible circuit board preferably has an adhesive coating on at least a portion of one side for adhering the flexible circuit board to the surface of the metal housing. At least one component mounted on the flexible circuit breaker generates heat, which is dissipated via the conductive housing. This arrangement provides a compact design that reduces the overall size of the electrical device and its associated circuitry, and also avoids the problem of dielectric separation between the electronic components and the heat sink. The electrical device may be a solenoid, a motor, a position detector, or a relay.

Flexible circuit adhered to metal frame of device

A wide input range power supply for a circuit protection and/or fault detector device includes a passive supply for providing power to a load under nominal input voltage conditions at or near the nominal line voltage with minimum power loss, and a linear regulating supply path for assisting the passive supply at an input line voltage substantially below the nominal line voltage value.

Ultra-wide input range power supply for circuit protection devices

A motor control circuit controls operation of a motor for making or breaking one or more pairs of contacts of a power switching device such as a circuit breaker. The motor control circuit includes a logic circuit responsive to a control input signal and an enable signal for producing an active signal state when both the control signal and the enable signal are present, and for producing an inactive logic signal state when either of the control signal and the enable signal is not present. A switching control signal producing circuit is responsive to said active state of the logic signal for producing a switching control signal for operating the motor for a predetermined time interval sufficient to perform one of opening and closing of the one or more pairs of contacts.

Growing community of inventors

Cedar Rapids, IA, United States of America

Steven M Meehleder