Patent ID: 8649139

Claim:
A method for protecting an electric circuit, said method comprising: measuring a first current level through a portion of the circuit; measuring a first voltage level in the portion of the circuit; detecting a sensitivity setting of the circuit; and based on the first current level, the first voltage level, and the sensitivity setting, determining whether to activate a first circuit protection device or a second circuit protection device, wherein determining whether to activate a first circuit protection device or a second circuit protection device comprises: comparing the first current level to a threshold current level selected based on the detected sensitivity setting; comparing the first voltage level to a threshold voltage level selected based on the detected sensitivity setting; measuring a first time interval between determining that the first current level is higher than the threshold current level and determining that the first voltage level is higher than the threshold voltage level; and initiating the first circuit protection when the first current level is higher than the threshold current level and the first voltage level is higher than the threshold voltage level.