Patent ID: 7885045

Claim:
An electrical wiring device comprising: a plurality of line terminals and a plurality of load terminals, the plurality of line terminals being coupled to the plurality of load terminals in a reset state and decoupled therefrom in a tripped state; a wiring state detection circuit coupled to the plurality of line terminals or the plurality of load terminals, the wiring state detection circuit being configured to monitor an electrical signal propagating on the plurality of line terminals or the plurality of load terminals and derive at least one signal characteristic therefrom, the wiring state detection circuit being configured to automatically determine a wiring state of the electrical wiring device based on the at least one signal characteristic upon device installation or device reinstallation, the wiring state detection circuit generating a miswire detection signal if the wiring state is determined to be in a miswired wiring state and generating a proper wiring detection signal if the wiring state is determined to be in a proper wiring state; a fault detection circuit coupled to the plurality of line terminals, the fault detection circuit being configured to generate a fault detection signal in response to detecting at least one fault condition; and a circuit interrupter assembly responsive to the wiring state detection circuit and the fault detection circuit, the circuit interrupter being configured to drive the plurality of line terminals and the plurality of load terminals into the tripped state in response to either the fault detection signal or the miswire detection signal.