US 12,081,012 B2
DC voltage switching device having earth fault protection
Tobias Grote, Luedge (DE); Lutz Heuer, Blomberg (DE); and Detlev Schuergens, Blomberg (DE)
Assigned to PHOENIX CONTACT GMBH & CO. KG, (DE)
Appl. No. 18/577,178
Filed by PHOENIX CONTACT GmbH & Co. KG, Blomberg (DE)
PCT Filed Jul. 3, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/068358
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 5, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/280729, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 12, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 2021/5522 (BE), filed on Jul. 5, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0266820 A1, Aug. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. H02H 3/16 (2006.01); H02H 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC H02H 3/16 (2013.01) [H02H 1/0007 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A DC voltage switching device for coupling a DC voltage load via a positive conductor and negative conductor to a DC voltage source, the positive conductor and the negative conductor being routed through the DC voltage switching device, comprising:
a first switch for coupling and decoupling the DC voltage load, wherein the first switch is a semiconductor-based, electronically controllable switch integrated in the positive conductor or in the negative conductor;
a fuse integrated in the respective other conductor;
a sensor, at least for detecting a current flow of the conductor in which the first switch is integrated; and
an evaluation device connected to the sensor and the first switch, which together with the first switch and the sensor forms an earth fault protection for the conductor in which the first switch is integrated and is set up for this purpose to compare the detected current flow with respect to a threshold value and to trigger the first switch in order to disconnect the DC voltage load when the threshold value is passed.