US 12,322,951 B2
Circuit breaker device and method
Marvin Tannhäuser, Hausen (DE)
Assigned to Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 17/911,750
Filed by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Dec. 17, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/086360
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 15, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/136136, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 30, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 216 409.6 (DE), filed on Dec. 21, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0198241 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. H02H 3/08 (2006.01); H02H 3/02 (2006.01)
CPC H02H 3/08 (2013.01) [H02H 3/021 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A circuit breaker for protecting an electrical low-voltage circuit, the circuit breaker comprising:
a housing having line-side connections and load-side connections for conductors of the electrical low-voltage AC circuit;
an electronic interruption unit having semiconductor-based switching elements;
a mechanical isolating contact system, connected to said line-side connections, for galvanically interrupting the electrically low-voltage circuit, and is further connected to said electronic interruption unit that, due to said semiconductor-based switching elements, has a high-resistance state of said semiconductor-based switching elements for interrupting and a low-resistance state of said semiconductor-based switching elements for allowing current to flow in the electrical low-voltage circuit;
said electronic interruption unit is further connected to said load-side connections;
a voltage sensor, disposed between said mechanical isolating contact system and said electronic interruption unit, for ascertaining a value of a voltage of the electrical low-voltage circuit there;
said mechanical isolating contact system being actuated manually, such that contacts of said mechanical isolating contact system are able to be manually closed for a flow of the current and opened for an interruption in the electrical low-voltage circuit;
a controller connected to said voltage sensor and said electronic interruption unit;
the circuit breaker being configured that the value of the voltage is ascertained and, in an event of a voltage dip of:
10 to 50 volts in a case of said mechanical isolating contact system having with single-pole interruption; or
20 to 100 volts in a case of said mechanical isolating contact system with double-pole interruption; or
less than 10 volts;
an opening of said mechanical isolating contact system is identified.