Electrical fault detector in remote systems using a saturable core
In a fault detector for detecting electrical circuit faults in a remote system connected thereto, comprising means is described for passing an outgoing current to said remote system and for receiving an incoming current from said remote system, said outgoing and incoming currents bearing a known relationship to each other in the absence of a fault in said remote system and differing from said relationship when a fault is present in said remote system, a saturable magnetic core, first coil means on said core responsive to said outgoing current and said incoming current to produce in said core a corresponding magnetic flux of a sense and magnitude dependent upon the sense and magnitude of any differences between said outgoing and incoming currents, and excitation coil means on said core responsive to a varying excitation voltage applied thereto to produce currents therein sufficient to drive said core intermittently into magnetic saturation in at least one sense, the improvement wherein: said fault detector comprises a source of excitation voltage comprising a voltage wave and resistive means connecting said source to said excitation coil to produce corresponding pulses of charging current in said excitation coil in alternately opposite directions, each of said current pulses starting substantially in phase with a reversal of polarity of said voltage wave and at least one of said current pulses increasing at least until it produces flux saturation in said core, the response of said core to successive ones of said current pulses differing depending upon the level of flux established in said core by said first coil means; and said fault detector comprises means for measuring said response of said core.
- Assignee:
- Moore Products Co., Spring House, PA (United States)
- Patent Number(s):
- US 5229725; A
- Application Number:
- PPN: US 7-864517
- OSTI ID:
- 6120262
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: 7 Apr 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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