Abstract:
A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) with built in intelligence is described that includes circuitry to automatically indicate a device miswiring condition. When a GFCI is wired with its AC and LOAD terminals reversed, downstream devices are still protected in the event of a ground fault but the duplex receptacle on the GFCI itself is not. The invention incorporates miswiring sense circuitry that automatically triggers the generation of visual and audible alarms in the event a miswiring condition is sensed. The invention employs an alarm inhibiting technique that incorporates sense circuitry connected to the AC terminals on one side of the internal GFCI switches or relays and alarm generation circuitry connected to the LOAD terminals on the opposite side.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) are electrical devices in wide spread use today. They are designed to protect users against shock hazards by detecting very low levels of ground fault current. GFCIs are widely employed in both commercial and residential environments. A typical GFCI incorporating a duplex receptacle provides protection for devices plugged into itself and all devices located downstream of the GFCI device. Typically GFCIs are four terminal devices, two hot or AC leads for connection to AC electrical power and two LOAD leads for connection to downstream devices. Properly wired, a GFCI provides ground fault protection to downstream devices connected to its LOAD leads and to devices plugged into the GFCI receptacle itself. However, if the GFCI is reverse wired or improperly wired then downstream devices are still protected if there is a ground fault but the duplex receptacle on the GFCI itself is not.  
           [0002]    In spite of detailed instructions that come packaged with most GFCIs and identification of AC and LOAD terminals, GFCIs are sometimes miswired. One possible reason for this miswiring is that in a new home there may not be any power coming into the distribution panel, making it difficult to identify which wires are the AC and which are the LOAD. The problem is compounded when it is considered that most GFCIs have a test button that will trip and shut off the power when pushed to verify operation of internal functions in the GFCI. However, use of the test button does not indicate whether the built in duplex receptacle is protected. Typical users may not be aware of this. Users simply test the device after installation and verify that the unit trips upon pressing the test button by way of an audible click, for example. This gives the user a false sense that all is well. What is actually happening is that the GFCI disconnects power from and protects everything downstream, but does not protect the receptacle contacts of the GFCI itself. The device will trip depending on the condition of internal components and irrespective of the how the GFCI was wired. It does not matter that the GFCI was reverse wired when it is tested.  
           [0003]    One way for a user to verify that the GFCI is properly wired is to plug an electrical device or test lamp into the receptacle contacts of a GFCI and monitor it going off and on when pressing the test followed by the reset buttons. However, this is time consuming and labor intensive. Moreover, even when explained clearly in instructions provided with the GFCI, some users do not always follow them.  
           [0004]    Therefore, it is quite apparent that there is a strong need for an automatic way to sense when a GFCI is miswired and to indicate to the user by visual (i.e. blinking light) or audible (i.e., loud buzzer) indications. In addition, when the GFCI is improperly wired the user needs to be alerted with alarms that cannot be stopped until the electricity is disconnected and the GFCI is correctly wired.  
           [0005]    Although the prior art has attempted to solve this problem, the so called solutions have their own disadvantages and drawbacks. For example, one approach utilizes a GFCI with reverse line polarity lamp indicator to indicate proper installation of the GFCI. However, a push button needs to be manually pressed in order to detect whether the GFCI is miswired. An apparent drawback with this scheme is that the test is never self initiating, i.e., automatic, since the user must always remember to actually press a button to test the GFCI. In addition, no audible signal is generated to alert the user of a miswiring condition.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    A primary object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of automatically indicating when a GFCI is miswired or not properly electrically connected to its source of electrical power and to subsequently generate an alarm indicating to the user that a potentially unsafe condition exists.  
           [0007]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a reliable miswiring indicating function irrespective of how the GFCI is connected to the electrical wiring. This is achieved whether the AC and LOAD terminals are simply reversed or if they are cross reversed, meaning the AC hot and neutral are connected not to the AC or LOAD side but to either the AC-hot and LOAD-hot terminals or the AC-neutral and LOAD-neutral terminals.  
           [0008]    Yet another object of the present invention is to have the alarm remain in the on state once generated, until the user corrects the miswiring problem. More specifically, once the alarm is generated it is latched and cannot be shut off without removing the device and installing it properly.  
           [0009]    Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide both a visual alarm and an audible alarm in the event a miswiring condition is detected. The visual alarm might be in the form of a blinking light. The audible alarm might be in the form of a buzzing or high tone sound that could beep on and off at a suitable rate.  
           [0010]    The foregoing and other objects and advantages which will be apparent in the following detailed description or in the practice of the invention, are achieved by the invention disclosed herein, which generally may be characterized as a ground fault circuit interrupter comprising ground fault current interrupter means electrically connected between a source of electrical power and a load for interrupting the flow of electrical current from the source of electrical power to a load when a ground fault condition exists and indicating means responsive to the ground fault current interrupter for automatically indicating that the ground fault current interrupter is not properly connected to the source of electrical power.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    Serving to illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention are the drawings of which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the GFCI of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the proper wiring configuration of the GFCI of the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing one improper method of wiring the GFCI of the present invention to an electrical wiring system;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a second improper method of wiring the GFCI of the present invention to an electrical wiring system;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a third improper method of wiring the GFCI of the present invention to an electrical wiring system; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6 is a detailed schematic diagram of the circuit comprising the preferred embodiment of the GFCI of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]    In order to afford a complete understanding of the invention and an appreciation of its advantages, a description of a preferred embodiment in a typical operating environment is presented below.  
         [0019]    Shown in FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the GFCI Incorporating Miswiring Prevention Circuitry (GFCIMP). The GFCI  98  circuitry is depicted as a black box connected across the AC hot and neutral terminals with control signals going to both switch relays  88 ,  90 . The GFCI circuit  98  can be any typical industry standard type GFCI circuit that removes the power delivered to the load upon detection of a ground fault. Also included in many standard GFCIs is a duplex receptacle  100  built into the device. The duplex receptacle  100  is connected to the LOAD hot and neutral terminals of the GFCI  10  in order that power to it, besides devices downstream, be disconnected from the AC power upon the occurrence of a ground fault.  
         [0020]    Traditional GFCIs consist mainly of these three elements, GFCI  98 , switches  88 ,  90 , and the duplex receptacle  100 . The GFCIMP  10  employs additional circuitry to indicate the improper wiring of the device in an electrical system. The additional elements are a sense circuit  94 , alarm generation circuit  96  and power supply circuit  92 . Each will be explained in detail below. The alarm generation circuit  96  will automatically generate an alarm if the following two conditions are met: it is provided with power from the power supply circuit  92  and it does not receive an inhibit signal  102  from the sense circuitry  94 . The power supply circuit  92  is connected across hot and neutral on both sides of the switches  88 ,  90 . This connection scheme allows the power supply  92  to receive AC power regardless of how the user wires the GFCIMP  10  into the electrical system. This arrangement provides the alarm generation circuitry  96  with a reliable source of power to be able to alert the user if there is a miswiring condition.  
         [0021]    Possible wiring configurations of the GFCIMP  10  are shown in FIGS. 2, 3,  4  and  5 . Assuming power is available, the only way the alarm generation circuitry  96  can be prevented from generating audible and visual alarms is if the inhibit signal  102  is produced. The sense circuitry  94  requires AC power to be present on the AC hot and neutral terminals in order to generate an inhibit signal  102 . It does not matter, however, that hot and neutral are reversed for the inhibit signal  102  to be generated. Thus, the wiring arrangement shown in FIG. 2 is the only one that does not cause an alarm to be generated. AC power must be properly connected to the AC hot and neutral terminals to suppress alarm generation. The GFCIMP  10 , in FIG. 2, properly protects downstream devices along with its own receptacle. The inhibit signal  102  remains present to suppress generation of the alarm by the alarm generation circuitry  96 .  
         [0022]    The GFCIMP if connected as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 will cause the alarm to be generated because the alarm generation circuitry  96  does not receive -an inhibit signal  102  needed to suppress alarm generation. In FIG. 3 the downstream device is connected to the AC hot and neutral terminals of the GFCIMP  10 . Thus no AC power is available to produce the inhibit signal  102 . The AC power is connected to the LOAD hot and neutral terminals of the GFCIMP  10 . When the switches  88 ,  90  are closed, the GFCIMP  10  apparently operates normally, opening the circuit when a ground fault is detected. Since power is present at the sense circuitry  94  terminals the inhibit signal  102  is generated and suppresses alarms. However, the first time the GFCIMP  10  trips for any reason (i.e., ground fault or manual test) AC power will be removed from the sense circuitry  94 . This causes the alarm to be produced because of the absence of the inhibit signal  102 . The wiring configuration shown in FIG. 3 depicts the most common GFCI miswiring by users. Thus use of an GFCIMP with miswiring sensing and alarm generation circuitry is likely to prevent the potentially dangerous condition of the GFCI receptacle not being protected.  
         [0023]    Another improper configuration of the GFCIMP  10  is shown in FIG. 4. Here, the AC power is connected across the AC hot terminal and the LOAD neutral terminal. Whether the switches  88 ,  90  are closed or open, the power supply circuitry  92  has AC power available to generate DC power for the alarm generation circuitry  96 . The downstream device is connected to the AC neutral and LOAD hot terminals. When the switches  88 ,  90  are closed, the sense circuitry  94 , being powered, generates the inhibit signal  102  suppressing alarm generation. However, when the switches  88 ,  90  open, AC power is cutoff from the sense circuitry  94  causing the inhibit signal  102  to be removed and the alarm to be generated. The scenario is the same if the AC power and LOAD connections are reversed. This incorrect wiring arrangement is less likely to occur since most users do not interconnect AC and LOAD terminals when installing the GFCI.  
         [0024]    The configuration shown in FIG. 4 is also an improper way of wiring the GFCIMP  10  into the electrical system. However, when the device is installed and reset and the power is subsequently applied, the AC electrical breaker or fuse will trip or blow. This is because AC power has been wired to short out as soon as power is applied. This also occurs if the AC power and LOAD connections are reversed.  
         [0025]    As shown in FIG. 6, the power supply circuitry  92  utilizes four connections to generate DC power from the AC source. Due to the various ways a user can wire the GFCIMP  10  device into the electrical system, connections to hot and neutral are provided on both the AC and LOAD sides of the switches  88 ,  90 . Consequently, whether the switches  88 ,  90  are open or closed the power supply  92  generates DC voltage for the alarm generation circuitry  96 . The power supply  92  is a floating supply meaning that the grounded DC system created is not referenced to the AC source system it is generated from. AC power is fed through current limiting resistors  40 ,  42 ,  44 ,  46  to blocking capacitors  48 ,  54 ,  65 ,  58  respectively. Typical values for the resistors are 47K ohms and for the capacitors 0.1 uF rated at 250V. If AC power is applied to the AC terminals of the GFCIMP  10  then diode  64  rectifies the positive cycle of the AC wave form. If the device is wired incorrectly with AC power at the LOAD terminals, diode  66  rectifies the positive AC wave form. If the switch  88  is closed than both diodes  64  and  66  rectify the AC wave. In either case resistor  32 , nominally 10K ohm, provides current limiting for the DC load. Zener diode  24 , typically 12 volts, clamps the rectified AC wave form at the zener voltage. Current flow though blocking diode  22  and causing capacitor  86 , typically 100 uF rated at 16V, to charge up to the zener voltage minus a diode drop. The blocking diode  22  prevents the capacitor  86  from discharging during the time the AC cycle is lower than the zener  24  voltage.  
         [0026]    Current passes through the DC load, which is the alarm generation circuitry  96 , and returns through the floating ground to the AC source through diode  72 ,  70  or both, depending on whether AC power is connected to the AC terminals or the LOAD terminals and whether the switches  88 ,  90  are open or closed. The return path is through dropping capacitors  54  or  56  and current limiting resistors  42 ,  44 . The current limiting resistors and dropping capacitors are employed to meet UL standards and for safety. Thus if the diode bridges  104  or  108  fail, there still will be 50K ohm of resistance if the switches  88 ,  90  are closed. Each pair of resistors  40 ,  46  and  42 ,  44  in parallel form an equivalent 25K ohms resistor. The two parallel combinations in series are the equivalent of 50K ohms. If the switches  88 ,  90  are open, two 50K ohms combine to form 100K ohms in series with the AC power. Either scenario limits the current to 1 or 2 mA, which is within UL standards.  
         [0027]    The sense circuitry  94  functions to generate an inhibit signal  102  only when AC power is applied to the AC hot and neutral terminals. As already mentioned, this can be achieved in a number of ways while the switches  88 ,  90  are closed. However, when the switches  88 ,  90  are open, the only one way the AC power can be connected to the GFCIMP  10  and consequently cause the sense circuitry  94  to generate an inhibit signal  102  is with the AC power connected to the AC hot and neutral terminals.  
         [0028]    In a typical wiring configuration AC power, during the positive half cycle, passes through current limiting resistor  40  and dropping capacitor  50 . Diode  80  rectifies the AC wave form and subsequently capacitor  84  charges. Resistor  38  further current limits the signal and zener diode  34 , typically  12  volts, limits the voltage of the inhibit signal  102 . Resistors  38  and  26  act as voltage dividers. Both typically being 50K ohms, they divide the voltage roughly in half. Resistors  38 ,  26  also serve as a path for current since the gate on JFET  14  has an extremely high input impedance. Capacitor  84  also serves to maintain a DC level of the gate of JEST  14  which could be a National Semiconductor 2N5457, for example. It is noted that almost any device with low current requirements could perform adequately in place of JFET  14 . The return path for ground is through diode  76  of bridge  106 .  
         [0029]    The scenario for the negative half cycle is similar except that current now flows through diode  78  to charge capacitor  84  and subsequently produce the inhibit signal  102 . The ground return path is now through diode  82 .  
         [0030]    The alarm generation circuitry  96  section of the GFCIMP  10  is responsible for controlling and generating audible and visual alarms in response to an inhibit signal  102 . The visual element consists of an LED  16  that could be of a variety that includes blinking circuitry built in or does not. The audible element is a piezo transducer  20  or other suitable element that likewise could incorporate circuitry built in that turns the element on and off at an appropriate rate. Alternatively, blinking circuitry  110  can be included that provides this feature. Blinking circuitry is preferred because a low duty cycle for the LED  16  and piezo transducer  20  means much less current is required for alarm generation. This causes less of a current drain on the capacitor  86 , allowing it to better maintain the zener  24  voltage. Thus the few milliamps charging capacitor  86  is sufficient to provide power to generate the alarms.  
         [0031]    The inhibit signal  102  generated by the sense circuitry  94  discussed earlier is fed to the gate of n-channel JFET  14 . When the inhibit signal  102  is being present, the JFET  14  turns on effecting a very low impedance path from drain to source. Subsequently, current flows through gate current supply resistor  30  to ground. Thus capacitor  28  is discharged and is prevented from further charging. This in turn deprives the SCR  12  of sufficient gate current to turn on. Current through the LED  16  and piezo transducer  20  is prevented from flowing because there is no return path through the SCR  12 . When the GFCIMP  10  is properly wired into the electrical system this is the state the device remains in whether the switches  88 ,  90  are open or closed.  
         [0032]    When AC power is first applied to the GFCIMP  10 , it is possible that SCR  12  might trigger and cause the alarm to be generated before the inhibit signal  102  appears at the gate of JFET  14 . Thus the alarm sounds even though the GFCIMP  10  is properly wired into the electrical system. Capacitor  28  serves to prevent this from occurring by delaying the gate signal to SCR  12  in reference to the inhibit signal  102 . In order for the SCR  12  to trigger and turn on, capacitor  28  must charge to a sufficient voltage. This delay time gives the sense circuitry  94  a chance to generate the inhibit signal  102  when the GFCIMP  10  is properly wired.  
         [0033]    When the GFCIMP  10  is miswired to prevent the inhibit signal  102  from being generated, due to the lack of AC power on the AC hot and neutral terminals, the JFET  14  does not receive any gate drive voltage. The JFET  14  now has a very high impedance from drain to source and current flows through resistor  30 , providing gate current for SCR  12 , and charging capacitor  28 . Sufficient gate current is now available to turn on SCR  12  and current can flow through LED  16  and piezo transducer  20  causing the audible and visual alarms to be generated. Once SCR  12  is triggered and turns on it becomes latched and cannot be turned off. This has the effect of forcing the user to rewire the GFCIMP  10  correctly if he wants to prevent the alarms being generated.  
         [0034]    It is clear that the above description of the preferred embodiment in no way limits the scope of the present invention which is defined by the following claims.