US 12,444,552 B2
Circuit breaker device and method
Marvin Tannhäuser, Hausen (DE)
Assigned to Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 18/696,499
Filed by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Sep. 5, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/074609
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 28, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/052046, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 6, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2021 210 831.8 (DE), filed on Sep. 28, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0395479 A1, Nov. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. H01H 9/54 (2006.01)
CPC H01H 9/547 (2013.01) 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A circuit breaker for protecting an electrical low-voltage circuit, the circuit breaker comprising:
a housing with at least one network-side connection and at least one load-side connection;
an electronic interruption unit having semiconductor-based switching elements, said electronic interruption unit is switched, by means of said semiconductor-based switching elements, to a high-impedance state of said semiconductor-based switching elements to avoid a current flow or a low-impedance state of said semiconductor-based switching elements for the current flow in the electrical low-voltage circuit;
a mechanical isolating contact unit connected in series with said electronic interruption unit and having contacts, wherein said mechanical isolating contact unit is assigned to said at least one load-side connection and said electronic interruption unit is assigned to said at least one network-side connection, wherein said mechanical isolating contact unit switched by opening said contacts in order to avoid the current flow or closing said contacts for the current flow in the electrical low-voltage circuit;
a current sensor for determining a level of a current of the electrical low-voltage circuit;
a controller connected to said current sensor, said mechanical isolating contact unit and said electronic interruption unit, wherein avoidance of the current flow in the electrical low-voltage circuit is initiated when at least one of current limit values or current-time limit values are exceeded; and
the circuit breaker is configured such that, when said contacts of said mechanical isolating contact unit are closed and said electronic interruption unit has been switched to the low-impedance state, said electronic interruption unit is switched to the high-impedance state for a first period of time for functional testing.