Patent ID: 6414829
Filing Date: 2002-07-02
Classification: H01H,H02H,Y02B,Y04S

Abstract:
A system for producing a simulated ground fault when arcing is present in an electrical circuit, comprising:a sensor which monitors said electrical circuit, an arcing fault detection circuit which determines whether an arcing fault is present in said electrical circuit in response to said sensor and produces a trip signal in response to a determination that an arcing fault is present in said electrical circuit, a ground fault simulator circuit which produces a simulated ground fault in response to said trip signal; wherein said sensor detects a current in said electrical circuit and develops a corresponding sensor signal, wherein said arcing fault detection circuit comprises a circuit which determines the presence of broadband noise in said sensor signal and produces a corresponding output signal, and a controller which processes said sensor signal and said output signal in a predetermined fashion to determine whether an arcing fault is present in said electrical circuit and wherein the controller implements a plurality of counters and increments said plurality of counters in a predetermined fashion in accordance with said sensor signal and said output signal, and periodically determines whether an arcing fault is present based at least in part on the state of said plurality of counters.