METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING ELECTRICAL FAULTS AND ISOLATING POWER SOURCE FROM THE ELECTRICAL FAULTS

摘要

The present invention is a method and apparatus for protecting a power supply(200) from electrical faults. The present invention operates substantiallyindependently of the current drawn by the load (300). In addition, the presentinvention includes a time delay circuitry (500) for preventing false detectionof ground faults when the power source is connecting to the load. In apreferred embodiment, the apparatus (20) of the present invention includes acontrol circuitry (100) for connecting the power supply (200) to the load(300). The apparatus (20) also preferably includes a sensor circuitry (600)for detecting electrical faults, including ground, transient, and arc faults,and triggering the control circuitry (100) to disconnect the power source fromthe electrical faults when electrical faults are detected. Thus, the presentinvention can protect wiring and load connections from improper operation andfire hazards that may be caused by electrical faults. Finally, the apparatuspreferably includes a fault protection condition indicator (514) to indicatewhether the circuit breaker circuitry is working properly.