US 12,462,994 B2
Circuit breaker device and method
Marvin Tannhäuser, Hausen (DE); Dominic Malane, Eichstätt (DE); and Fabian Döbler, Theilenhofen (DE)
Assigned to Siemens Akteingesellschaft, Munich (DE)
Appl. No. 18/258,611
Filed by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Munich (DE)
PCT Filed Dec. 21, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/087071
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 21, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/136421, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 30, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2020 216 416.9 (DE), filed on Dec. 21, 2020; and application No. 21216109 (EP), filed on Dec. 20, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0038466 A1, Feb. 1, 2024
Int. Cl. H01H 33/59 (2006.01); H01H 9/54 (2006.01)
CPC H01H 33/593 (2013.01) [H01H 9/542 (2013.01); H01H 9/548 (2013.01); H01H 2009/544 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A circuit breaker device for protecting an electrical low-voltage circuit, the circuit breaker device comprising:
a housing having first connections and second connections for conductors of the low-voltage circuit;
a series circuit of a mechanical isolating contact unit and an electronic interruption unit electrically connected between said first and second connections;
said mechanical isolating contact unit being configured to be selectively switched by opening contacts to avoid a current flow or by closing the contacts to allow a current flow in the low-voltage circuit;
said electronic interruption unit being configured to be selectively switched by semiconductor-based switching elements to a high-resistance state of said switching elements to avoid a current flow or to a low-resistance state of said switching elements to allow a current flow in the low-voltage circuit;
a current sensor unit for ascertaining a level of an instantaneous current of the low-voltage circuit to output instantaneous current values;
a control unit connected to said current sensor unit, to said mechanical isolating contact unit, and to said electronic interruption unit, and configured to initiate an avoidance of a current flow in the low-voltage circuit when at least one current threshold value is being exceeded; and
wherein the circuit breaker device is configured to adapt and vary the at least one current threshold value on a basis of the level of the current in the low-voltage circuit; and
wherein the at least one current threshold value is adapted on a basis of a level of the current by, in a case of an increasing current, reducing the at least one current threshold value and by, in a case of a decreasing current, increasing the at least one current threshold value.