US 11,940,498 B2
Apparatuses and methods for passive fault monitoring of current sensing devices in protective circuit interrupters
Gary Michael Miller, Kearneysville, WV (US); William Vernon Miller, Aldie, VA (US); and Edward Shi Chen, Camas, WA (US)
Assigned to Hubbell Incorporated, Shelton, CT (US)
Filed by Hubbell Incorporated, Shelton, CT (US)
Filed on Apr. 28, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/141,221.
Application 18/141,221 is a continuation of application No. 17/869,537, filed on Jul. 20, 2022, granted, now 11,644,507.
Application 17/869,537 is a continuation of application No. 16/797,152, filed on Feb. 21, 2020, granted, now 11,408,940, issued on Aug. 9, 2022.
Application 16/797,152 is a continuation of application No. 15/528,223, granted, now 10,591,546, issued on Mar. 17, 2020, previously published as PCT/US2015/061472, filed on Nov. 19, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/084,924, filed on Nov. 26, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2023/0349974 A1, Nov. 2, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01R 31/327 (2006.01); G01R 35/00 (2006.01); H02H 1/00 (2006.01); H02H 3/16 (2006.01); H02H 3/28 (2006.01); H02H 3/33 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 31/3277 (2013.01) [G01R 35/00 (2013.01); H02H 1/0015 (2013.01); H02H 3/16 (2013.01); H02H 3/28 (2013.01); H02H 3/331 (2013.01); H02H 3/335 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of self-testing a protection device interrupter comprising:
monitoring components in the protection device interrupter to determine whether the components are operational during an arrangement chosen from (a) a line hot arm and a line neutral arm of the protection device interrupter being disconnected, respectively, from a load hot arm and a load neutral of the protection device interrupter; and (b) the line hot arm and the line neutral arm of the protection device interrupter being connected, respectively, to the load hot arm and the load neutral of the protection device interrupter and a load connected to the protection device interrupter via the load hot arm and the load neutral is drawing zero current, and
disabling connection of the line hot arm and the line neutral arm to, respectively, the load hot arm and the load neutral when the monitored components are determined to be operational during either of the arrangement (a) and the arrangement (b);
wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring a characteristic associated with at least a selected one of the components in the protection device interrupter chosen from a coil, analog signal conditioning circuitry, and an analog to digital input of a digital processor in the protection device interrupter.