Abstract:
An arc fault detector includes an average instantaneous current generator which averages the current over the fundamental period and produces a substantial output only where there are substantial variations in waveform between half-cycles which is indicative of an arc. To discriminate over inrush currents, a pulse generator generates a pulse in response to the step increase in current caused by striking of an arc. An output circuit generates an arc signal when the time attenuated accumulation of pulses occurring in half-cycles in which the average instantaneous current is above a selected threshold reaches a predetemiined level. To further discriminate over dimmers during turn on of a cold tungsten bulb, die ANDing with the average instantaneous current is delayed until a time attenuated accumulation of the pulses reaches a threshold value. The average instantaneous current can be approximated by a bandpass filter with a center frequency below the fundamental of the ac current. A second bandpass filter with a center frequency above the fundamental can be used as the pulse generator.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to detection and interruption of currents in an AC electrical power circuit experiencing arcing faults. More particularly, it relates to apparatus with increased sensitivity to difficult to distinguish arcs, such as carbon arcs, yet with enhanced immunity to nuisance tripping. 
     2. Background Information 
     Arc faults can occur in electrical systems, for instance between adjacent paired conductors, between exposed ends of broken conductors, at a faulty connection, where carbon deposits have collected adjacent terminals or outlets, and in other situations where conducting elements are in close proximity. Arc faults in AC systems can be intermittent; however, arcs caused by carbon deposits can occur regularly in successive half-cycles. 
     Arc faults typically have high resistance, so that the arc current is below the instantaneous or magnetic trip threshold of conventional circuit breakers. Also, the intermittent nature of an arc fault can create an average RMS current value which is below the thermal threshold for such circuit breakers. Even so, the arcs can cause damage or start a fire if they occur near combustible materials. It is not practical to simply lower the pick-up currents on conventional circuit breakers, as there are many typical loads which draw similar currents and which would, therefore, cause nuisance trips. 
     Much attention has been directed to trying to distinguish arcing currents from other intermittent currents. It has been recognized that arcing faults generate a great deal of high frequency noise, and flirter, that there are periods of quiescence in the high frequency component. Some circuit breakers look to such features to differentiate arcing faults from other phenomena. Circuit breakers which rely upon such detailed characteristics of current waveform to detect arc faults typically utilize a microprocessor to perform the analysis. They also require fairly good quality analog-to-digital converters to capture the high frequencies of interest. Thus, such arc fault detectors add significantly to the cost of a circuit breaker, and in die case of the typical residential circuit breaker, can multiply its cost many times. Yet even such sophisticated circuit breakers are subject to nuisance trips when confronted with some common load devices. 
     It has also been recognized that arc faults generate a step increase in current when the arc is struck. However, many typical loads generate a similar step increase when a device is turned on. In many cases, the step increase produced by a load is a singular event and can be distinguished from an arc fault which generates repetitive step increases by counting step increases during an interval such as a few half-cycles. A more sophisticated variant of this type of arc fault detector maintains a time attenuated accumulation of step increases and generates a trip when a selected level of the accumulation is reached. This type of detector provides a faster trip on large step increases while reducing nuisance trips. 
     A dimmer circuit provides unique problems for an arc fault detector which responds to the step increases generated by the striking of an arc. A dimmer, when phased back, produces a pattern of step increases in current each half-cycle. Under steady state conditions, the amplitude of these pulses will be below that of an arc current, and can, therefore, be distinguished on that basis. However, if the dimmer is used to control a tungsten bulb, the cold filament has a very low resistance on start-up which produces a large initial pulse with subsequent pulses decaying in amplitude as the filament rapidly warms up. This characteristic of a dimmer has also been used to distinguish it from arc faults, but it still has been necessary to maintain die threshold for arc detection above the handle rating to avoid nuisance tripping on a dimmer. 
     As mentioned, carbon arc faults can strike in successive half-cycles and thus look very similar to a dimmer. This presents a difficult challenge in meeting the code requirement for a reliable response to carbon arcs within eight half-cycles of onset while rejecting nuisance trips in response to a dimmer including turn on of a cold tungsten bulb. 
     It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide an improved arc fault detector and circuit breaker incorporating the same which has increased sensitivity to arc faults, while also having enhanced immunity to nuisance trips. 
     It is a particular object of the invention to provide such apparatus which responds reliably to carbon arcs while rejecting trips attributable to dimmers and especially dimmers controlling tungsten bulbs. 
     It is another object of the invention to increase the sensitivity of an arc fault detector which responds to step increases in current caused by the striking of an arc. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide such apparatus which is economical and compact and can be implemented in the limited space available in small circuit breakers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These objects and others are satisfied by the invention which is directed to an arc fault detector, and a circuit breaker incorporating such an arc fault detector, having a current detector which includes an average instantaneous current generator which generates a running average of the instantaneous current. Averaging over the fundamental period of the ac current results in a signal that can be used to distinguish arcing faults over normal loads. The average over die fundamental period of a pure sine wave is ideally zero. The magnitude of the average current over the period of the fundamental is a function of the non-repeatability of the current waveform from half-cycle to half-cycle. This function produces greater outputs for current waveforms that vary from half-cycle to half-cycle in magnitude and pulse width. Arcing faults, being random in nature and having varying magnitudes, pulse widths and missing half-cycles, produce magnitudes greater than current waveforms of a consistent half-cycle to half-cycle nature for normal loads. The arc fault detector of the basic form of the invention includes a trip signal generator which generates a trip signal when die average instantaneous current reaches a threshold value. 
     As mentioned, die carbon arc can have a very consistent half-cycle to halfcycle current waveform, and therefore, it does not produce a sufficient magnitude of average current to distinguish it as an arc. Accordingly, a second embodiment of the invention incorporates additional features which ensure detection of the carbon arc. An approximation of the average instantaneous current over the fundamental period can be obtained with an analog bandpass filter having a center frequency which is below the fundamental frequency of the ac current. This approximation includes a fraction of the fundamental magnitude. Using this approximation, the carbon arc produces sufficient magnitudes to be effectively distinguished as an arc, while maintaining the increased sensitivity to random arcing and immunity to nuisance tripping. Tis also causes the output of the fundamental to no longer be zero. The threshold for this value can be set so that the carbon arc can be distinguished from the steady state dimmer current which will have a lower fundamental amplitude. 
     The arc fault detector must also be able to ignore inrush currents such as those associated with the motor start-up. Hence, in another embodiment of the invention, a di/dt or pulse detector is added to determine if a step increase in current has occurred within each half-cycle. In this embodiment, the trip signal generator responds only to a function of pulses generated in half-cycles in which the average instantaneous current is more than the threshold. Preferably, the trip signal generator generates the trip signal as a time attenuated accumulation of pulses in half-cycles in which the average instantaneous current is more than the threshold. This pulse generator can be implemented as a second bandpass filter having a center frequency above the fundamental frequency so that it generates a pulse in response to a step increase in the current. This bandpass filter can be set to trip at a desired pure 60 Hz current waveform by adjusting the level of 60 Hz in the di/dt bandpass filter. This serves as an electronic overcurrent detector. Thus, this circuit consists of two bandpass channels, one below the fundamental and one above the fundamental. The trip signal generator logically ANDs the output to these two bandpass filters. 
     To further improve sensitivity to arcs and to increase immunity to nuisance tripping, the pulse generator can be configured to generate an output as a function of a predetermined value of pulses generated each time an arc is struck. Preferably, this function is a time attenuated accumulation of the pulses. When a predetermined level of this time attenuated accumulation is reached, the pulse generator generates an output which enables the time attenuated accumulation of the average instantaneous current. If a sufficient average instantaneous current occurs, when enabled, a trip signal is generated. 
     The invention also includes incorporation of this novel arc fault detector in a circuit breaker which interrupts current in response to detection of an arc fault. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an arc fault detector and a circuit breaker incorporating such an arc fault detector with improved sensitivity to arc faults, including carbon arc faults, and with enhanced immunity to nuisance trips, including response to dimmers and especially dimmers used to control tungsten bulbs. 
     It is also an object of the invention to provide such apparatus which monitors the average instantaneous current for use in detecting arc faults. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide an enhanced version which combines monitoring of average instantaneous current with detection of step increases in current such as are produced each time an arc is struck. 
     It is an overall object of the invention to provide such apparatus which is economical and practical to implement. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram in block form of the basic embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram in block form of a second embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a graphical representation of the response of bandpass filters utilized in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     FIG. 4 is the schematic diagram in block form of yet another embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic circuit diagram of the embodiment of the invention disclosed in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic circuit diagram of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A basic concept upon which the arc fault detector of this invention is based is that the average of the instantaneous current over the interval of the fundamental of a sine wave is substantially zero, while due to their random nature, arcing faults in which half-cycles of the current have varying magnitudes, pulse widths and missing half-cycles will produce a value for the average instantaneous current over the period of the fundamental which will be greater in magnitude than that generated by the consistent half-cycle to half-cycle current waveforms typically drawn by normal loads. Thus, the arc fault detector  1  of FIG. 1 has a current detector  2  in the form of an average instantaneous current generator  3  which generates a running average of the instantaneous current over the period of the fundamental of the ac current. An arc fault signal generator  5  generates an arc detection signal when this average instantaneous current is above a threshold value. The average instantaneous current generator  3  can be implemented in a microprocessor which samples the current waveforms and generates a moving window which provides a running average of the instantaneous current. 
     The average instantaneous current generator can also be implemented in analog form by a bandpass filter having a center frequency below the fundamental frequency. For instance, as shown in FIG. 3, the bandpass filter for detecting arc faults in an ac system having a 60 Hz fundamental frequency can have a response  7  which is centered about 6 Hz. As mentioned, a carbon arc fault can produce a fairly regular pattern from half-cycle to half-cycle and therefore will not generate a large value for the average instantaneous current. Since a dimmer circuit, when phased back, also produces a rather uniform waveform from cycle to cycle, the response characteristic  7  of the bandpass filter is selected so that it includes a fraction of the fundamental as indicated at  9 . As the carbon arc fault current will exceed the amplitude of the current drawn by a dimmer, the threshold of the output generator  5  can be selected to discriminate between the carbon arc fault and steady state dimmer circuit. 
     As is known, many loads draw inrush currents when turned on. For instance, a motor can draw 6 to 8 times its steady state current during start-up. As such inrush currents decay with time, they also produce an average instantaneous current which is non zero. In order to meet the requirement that an arc fault be detected within 8 half-cycles, additional measures are taken to differentiate arc faults from these inrush currents. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of the arc fault detector  1 ′ which, in addition to monitoring the average instantaneous current generated by the average instantaneous current generator  3 , also looks for the step increases in current which occur each time an arc is struck. Thus, the current detector  2 ′ of the arc fault detector  1 ′ of FIG. 2 includes a pulse generator or di/dt detector  11  which generates a pulse each time an arc is struck. The outputs of the average instantaneous current generator  3  and the pulse detector  11  are logically ANDed at  13 . The output generator  5 ′ then generates an arc detection signal as a function of the value of the average instantaneous current at instants in half-cycles when a pulse is generated. Preferably, this function is a time attenuated accumulation. 
     Again, the embodiment of FIG. 2 can be implemented digitally in a microprocessor or with analog circuitry. In the latter case, the pulse generator  11  can be a second bandpass filter having a center frequency above the fundamental frequency. As an example, the response  15  of the bandpass filter forming the pulse generator  11  shown in FIG. 3, has a center frequency of about 10 KHz. 
     A tungsten filament has a very low resistance when cold, but its resistance increases rapidly as it beats up in response to current flow. Hence, if a dimmer is used to control a tungsten bulb, a current waveform is produced at bulb turn-on which exhibits a step increase during each half-cycle and an amplitude which decays from an initial very high value. This can make it necessary to reduce the sensitivity to carbon arc faults in order to avoid a nuisance trip. FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of die arc fault detector  1 ″ which preserves the sensitivity to carbon arc faults while preventing nuisance trips attributable to turn-on of a tungsten bulb controlled by a dimmer. In this embodiment, die pulse generator  11 ′ includes a di/dt detector  17  and, in addition, a pulse processor  19 . In its preferred form, the pulse processor generates a time attenuated accumulation of pulses generated by the di/dt detector and produces an output when this accumulation reaches a predetermined level. The output of the pulse processor  19  is used to enable die output of the average instantaneous current generator  3 . This enabling function is represented in FIG. 4 by an operational amplifier  13 ′ which generates an output, if enabled by the pulse processor  19 , when the average instantaneous current signal is above a threshold. As in the embodiment of FIG. 2, an output signal generator  5 ′ generates an output as a function of the analog instantaneous average current when enabled. Preferably, the output is generated as a function of a time attenuated accumulation. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a circuit breaker  21  which incorporates an analog implementation of the arc fault detector  1 ′ shown in FIG.  2 . The circuit breaker  21  provides protection for an electrical circuit  23  which has a line conductor  25  and a neutral conductor  27 . The circuit breaker  21  provides overcurrent and short circuit protection through a conventional thermal-magnetic trip mechanism  29  which includes a bimetal  31 . As is well known, the bimetal  31  responds to persistent overcurrent conditions to actuate a spring-powered operating mechanism  33  to open a set of separable contacts  35  connected in series with the line conductor  25  to interrupt current flow in the electrical system  23 . Short circuit protection is provided by a magnetic armature  37  which is magnetically attracted by the high short circuit current to also trip the operating mechanism  33  and open the separable contacts  35 . 
     Arc fault protection is provided by the arc fault detector  1 ′ which utilizes leads  39  connected across the bimetal  31  to sense current in the protected electrical system  23 . As taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,561, the voltage drop across the known resistance of the bimetal  31  provides a measure of the current flowing in the line conductor  25 . The sensed current is applied to the average instantaneous current generator  3 , which in this case is an analog bandpass filter having a center frequency below the fundamental frequency of the electrical system. This bandpass filter  3  includes a high-pass filter  41  formed by the series-connected capacitor  43  and the resistor  45 , followed by a low-pass filter  47  formed by the parallel-connected capacitor  49  and the resistor  51 . The bandpass filter  3  provides an approximation of the average instantaneous current over the period of the fundamental. As discussed in connection with FIG. 2, the response curve  7  of this bandpass filter  3  can have a center frequency of about 6 Hz and includes some 60 Hz as shown at  9  in FIG. 3 for, as explained, discriminating carbon arc faults over dimmer circuits. 
     An operational amplifier (op amp)  53  provides gain for the average instantaneous current signal. The op amp  53  is biased at its non-inverting input by a 13 vdc supply voltage. Complementary highpass filter  41 ′ and low-pass filter  47 ′ delay application of the bias to prevent generation of false trip signals during power-up. 
     The average instantaneous current signal rides on a +13 vdc volt bias supplied to the op amp  53 . This bias is removed by the ac coupling capacitor  55  which, along with the resistor  57 , forms another highpass filter stage. The bipolar average instantaneous current signal resulting is rectified by a rectifier circuit  59  which includes another op amp  61 . Positive values of the bipolar average instantaneous current signal are applied to the non-inverting input of the op amp  61  through the diode  63 , while negative values are applied to the inverting input through the diode  65 . The output of the op-amp  61  is an average instantaneous current signal having a single polarity. 
     The amplitude of the average instantaneous current signal output by the rectifier circuit  59  is limited by a zener diode  67 . In addition, a capacitor  69 , shunted by a bleed resistor  71 , serves as a peak detector of the average instantaneous current signal. A diode  73  prevents discharge of the capacitor  69  through the rectifier  59 . 
     The sensed current signal taken across the bimetal  31  is also applied to the pulse generator  11 . The pulse generator  11  is implemented by analog circuitry similar to that of the average instantaneous current generator  3 , except that the parameters are selected such that the bandpass filter of the pulse generator  11  has a center frequency above the fundamental frequency of the electrical system, and in the exemplary embodiment has a center frequency of about 5 kHz and a response such as that shown by the curve  9  in FIG.  3 . The result is that the pulse generator  11  outputs a pulse in response to each step increase in current in the line conductor  25  produced when an arc is struck. This pulse signal is passed through a rectifier circuit  59  to produce a pulse signal of a single polarity. Again the pulses are limited in amplitude by a zener diode  67 ′. In the case of this pulse signal, the capacitor  69 ′ and resistor  71 ′ stretch the pulses to produce pulses of generally uniform width. 
     The average instantaneous current signal and the pulse signal, as rectified and conditioned, are logically ANDed by the logic  13  which includes transistors  75  and  77  connected in series. An additional transistor  79  forms a differential pair with the transistor  75  and, together with the resistors  80  and  81 , sets the threshold for the average instantaneous current signal necessary to turn the transistor  75  on. Output circuit, or trip signal generator,  5 ′ includes a circuit  82  which generates a time-attenuated accumulation of pulses generated in half-cycles when die average instantaneous current is above the selected threshold. The pulses are accumulated on a capacitor  83  connected to the 26 vdc supply. A bleed resistor  85  connected across the capacitor  83  provides time attenuation. Pulses are applied to the capacitor  83  only when both the transistors  75  and  77  are on. When no pulses are applied, both electrodes of the capacitor  83  are at 26 volts. When the transistors  75  and  77  arc on, charge is applied to the capacitor  83 . The successive pulses are accumulated through integration of the charge they add to the capacitor  83 . The resistor  85  continuously bleeds tie charge on the capacitor  83  with a time constant determined by the values of the capacitor  83  and the resistor  85  to time-attenuate the accumulation of the pulses. It can be appreciated that the magnitude and the time interval between die pulses and the magnitude of the instantaneous average current determine the instantaneous voltage that appears across the capacitor  83 . 
     A circuit  87  monitors the voltage across the capacitor  83  representing the time attenuated accumulation of the pulses generated when the average instantaneous current signal was above the threshold. Each pulse lowers the voltage on the capacitor which is applied to the base of a transistor  89 . A voltage is applied to the emitter of the transistor  89  by the 13 vdc supply through a resistor  91  and a diode  93 . With no pulses being generated, the voltage on the base of the transistor  89  is 26 volts. Without the diode  93 , the 13 volt reverse bias would destroy the base to emitterjunction of the transistor  89 . The diode  93  withstands this voltage. When the voltage at the lower end of the capacitor  83 , and therefor on the base of the transistor  89 , falls below the 13 volt minus the forward drop across the diode  93 , the transistor  89  is turned on. Turn-on of the transistor  89  provides base drive for a transistor  95  which draws current limited by the resistor  97  to generate an arc fault trip signal which turns on a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR)  99 . Turn-on of the SCR  99  energizes a trip solenoid  101  which draws current limited by resistor  103  from the neutral conductor  27 . Energization of the trip solenoid  101  actuates the operating mechanism  33  to open the separable contacts  35  and thereby interrupt the arc current. A capacitor  105  protects the gate of the SCR from transients and prevents tripping on spurious signals. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an analog implementation of tie embodiment of the arc fault detector  1 ″ of FIG. 4 incorporated into a circuit breaker  21 ′. This circuit is similar to the circuit of FIG. 5, except that the pulse generator  11 ′ in addition to including a circuit  17  for generating a pulse each time an arc is struck, also includes the pulse conditioner  19  which generates a pulse generator output signal controlling turnon of the transistor  77  of the and logic  13 . This circuit  19  generates an output which is a function of the pulses generated by the circuit  17 . Preferably, the function is a time-attenuated accumulation of those pulses. The time-attenuated accumulation is implemented by the circuit  81 ′, which is similar to the circuit  81 . The pulses are applied to this circuit  81 ′ by turn-on of the transistor  107 , which in turn is controlled by the threshold set by the resistors  109  and  111  and applied through the differential amplifier arrangement which includes the transistor  113 . The circuit  19  does not permit turn-on of the transistor  77  until the selected time-attenuated accumulation of pulses generated by the circuit  17  has reached a selected level. This, in effect, delays initiation of the current attenuated accumulation by the circuit  81 . This arrangement is effective in providing increased sensitivity to arcing faults and, in particular, to carbon arcing faults, without false tripping by the initially large amplitude step increases produced by a dimmer during turn-on of a cold tungsten bulb. 
     While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in die art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of invention which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.