US 12,347,637 B2
Lighted visual trip indicator module for circuit breakers
Benjamin W. Edwards, Andover, MA (US); Ezequiel Salas Zamarripa, Andover, MA (US); Tannan Whidden Winter, Andover, MA (US); Jodi Marie Palmer, Andover, MA (US); and Gerardo Torres Guzman, Andover, MA (US)
Assigned to Schneider Electric USA, Inc., Boston, MA (US)
Appl. No. 17/918,693
Filed by Schneider Electric USA, Inc., Andover, MA (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 29, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/057287
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 13, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/094235, PCT Pub. Date May 5, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/108,121, filed on Oct. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0090370 A1, Mar. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. H01H 73/14 (2006.01); H01H 71/04 (2006.01)
CPC H01H 73/14 (2013.01) [H01H 71/04 (2013.01); H01H 2071/042 (2013.01)] 27 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A visible circuit breaker trip indicator comprising:
a circuit breaker having a handle for operating the circuit breaker between a plurality of predefined states;
a microprocessor;
a sensing device for sensing an event of the circuit breaker;
a light source;
a memory containing computer program code configured to maintain a state machine indicating a current state of the circuit breaker and configured to update the current state of the state machine based on event data received from the sensing device and further configured to selectively activate the light source based on the current state of the state machine to flash a coded signal indicating the current state of the circuit breaker; and
an independent power supply providing power to at least one of the microprocessor, the light source, the sensing device and the memory,
wherein the microprocessor and associated memory, sensing device, light source, and independent power supply are located on, or connected to, a printed circuit board (PCB) that is (1) enclosed in an aperture defined in a visible circuit breaker trip indicator module that is attachable to the circuit breaker handle or (2) located in a pocket defined by a circuit breaker housing.