Patent ID: 11955793
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 11:
12. A method of operating a circuit interruption device, the circuit interruption device comprising:
first and second terminals for connection, in use, to a respective electrical circuit or network;
a current-conductive branch including first, second and third current-conductive branch portions successively connected in series between the first and second terminals, the first current-conductive branch portion including a first switching element, the second current-conductive branch portion including a second switching element, the third current-conductive branch portion including a third switching element, each switching element configured to be switchable to selectively permit and block a flow of current in the respective current-conductive branch portion; and
first and second current bypass paths, the first current bypass path connected across the first and second current-conductive branch portions, the second current bypass path connected across the second and third current-conductive branch portions,
wherein the method comprises the steps of:
selectively controlling the switching of the switching elements in a first mode of operation of the circuit interruption device so that a flow of current between the first and second terminals is permitted to flow through the first, second and third current-conductive branch portions and is blocked from flowing through the current bypass paths; and
selectively controlling the switching of the switching elements in a second mode of operation of the circuit interruption device so that the current is blocked from flowing through the first and third current-conductive branch portions and is permitted to flow through the current bypass paths so as to reverse a direction of current flowing through the second current-conductive branch portion.