An apparatus is provided for protecting high-voltage electrical connections, in particular in vehicles. A fuse for interrupting a line includes a conduction coil, which is designed to have a conduction current on the line flowing through the conduction coil and to thereby generate a magnetic field. Furthermore, the includes a control coil, which is magnetically coupled to the conduction coil, and a circuit breaker, which is designed to interrupt the line depending on a field intensity of the magnetic field. In addition, the fuse includes a control unit, which is designed to determine a control current through the control coil in order to vary the field intensity of the magnetic field, and thus to cause or suppress an interruption of the line by way of the circuit breaker.

A relay drive control device is configured to control drive of a relay for connecting a battery mounted on a vehicle and an external power supply. The relay drive control device includes a controller configured to, when driving the relay, supply an output voltage of the battery to the relay after increasing the output voltage to a voltage value at which the relay is drivable.

A semiconductor package includes a VLSI semiconductor die and one or more output circuits connected to supply power to the die mounted to a package substrate. The output circuit(s), which include a transformer and rectification circuitry, provide current multiplication at an essentially fixed conversion ratio, K, in the semiconductor package, receiving AC power at a relatively high voltage and delivering DC power at a relatively low voltage to the die. The output circuits may be connected in series or parallel as needed. A driver circuit may be provided outside the semiconductor package for receiving power from a source and driving the transformer in the output circuit(s), preferably with sinusoidal currents. The driver circuit may drive a plurality of output circuits. The semiconductor package may require far fewer interface connections for supplying power to the die.

Exemplary embodiments are disclosed that include multi-voltage contactors, controls, and related methods.

A contactor apparatus and method for operating the contactor apparatus can include a contactor assembly with a contactor coil operably coupled to a contactor switch. One or more sensors can be provided in the contactor assembly adapted to measure one or more aspects of the contactor assembly. Based upon the measured aspects, a controller can initiate operation of the contactor switch to effectively toggle the contactor switch at a zero-crossing point along an alternating current waveform.

Provided is an arc suppression device including one or more current-limiting circuits provided in parallel with a circuit breaker that switches between feeding and shutoff of power from a power supply. The current-limiting circuit shuts off a current from the power supply when the power from the power supply is fed to a load through a circuit breaker. The current from the power supply is shut off when a voltage generated by a potential difference between contacts of the circuit breaker becomes a predetermined voltage or higher in a case where feeding of the power from the power supply to the load is shut off by the circuit breaker. The potential difference is generated upon shutoff.

Provided is an arc suppression device including one or more current-limiting circuits provided in parallel with a circuit breaker that switches between feeding and shutoff of power from a power supply. The current-limiting circuit shuts off a current from the power supply when the power from the power supply is fed to a load through a circuit breaker. The current from the power supply is shut off when a voltage generated by a potential difference between contacts of the circuit breaker becomes a predetermined voltage or higher in a case where feeding of the power from the power supply to the load is shut off by the circuit breaker. The potential difference is generated upon shutoff.

A relay state determination device includes a voltage value acquisition unit, a contact bounce time acquisition unit, and a state determination unit. The voltage value acquisition unit acquires a voltage value between one pair of contacts mutually opened and closed in a relay. The contact bounce time acquisition unit obtains a contact bounce time indicated by the one pair of contacts based on the temporal change in the voltage value after the ON instruction to the relay. The state determination unit compares the contact bounce time with a time threshold value to determine whether or not the relay 4 has deteriorated.

A multi-level feedback actuator assembly for a circuit breaker assembly including an interlock system. The interlock system for the multi-level feedback actuator assembly is structured to maintain the multi-level feedback actuator assembly, and elements thereof, in a safe configuration. The interlock system for the multi-level feedback actuator assembly includes an interlock assembly structured to configure the rotary solenoid and at least one of the first actuator or the second actuator in a safe configuration.

An electric utility distribution system in which power is supplied by a distribution transformer through an electric utility meter including an apparatus for detecting the presence of a back-feed voltage source connected to the load. The apparatus includes a virtual neutral established in the electric utility meter at ground potential and a remote switch that is opened to interrupt electric power flow from the distribution transformer to the load. The apparatus further includes a balanced voltage divider circuit including a connection point established between a pair of series connected resistive elements. In addition, the apparatus includes a detection circuit configured to monitor a voltage signal at the connection point to detect a back-feed voltage source connected between a neutral conductor of the electric utility distribution system and one of a first or second power line at the load.