An electrical receptacle contains a plug outlet that has a pair of contacts for electrical connection to respective hot and neutral power lines. A controlled switch, such as a TRIAC, is connected in series relationship between the outlet contact and the hot power line. Sensors in the receptacle outputs signals to a processor having an output coupled to the control terminal of the controlled switch. The processor outputs an activation signal or a deactivation signal to the controlled switch in response to received sensor signals that are indicative of conditions relative to the first and second contacts.

A detection scheme for temporary overvoltages and/or ground fault overvoltages in electric power systems is described. Current passing through a surge arrestor component of the power system is monitored. An algorithm for identifying one or more frequency components of the measured current signal is performed to screen out unwanted harmonics. In some embodiments, this is a frequency domain analysis. The frequency component(s) of the current signal is then compared to a calculated pickup current or pickup voltage of the system to determine if system protection steps should be undertaken.

A transient voltage suppressor (“TVS”) device includes a housing. Three prongs extend from the first end and are adapted for electrically connecting to an alternating current power source receptacle. Three recessed contacts extend into the second end of the housing for receiving three prongs from a power connector. The three prongs and three recessed contacts are adapted to pass electrical power along a ground wire, a neutral wire, and line wire, respectively. A protection circuit includes at least one silicon avalanche suppression diode (“SAS diode”) to limit high transient voltage imposed thereon to a lower level. A notification circuit is configured to communicate a status of the TVS device and configured to notify a user of one or more of: a correct connection of the vehicle wiring with respect to the power source, an incorrect connection of the vehicle wiring with respect to the power source, or a fault.

A surge protection circuit comprises a bridge rectifier having two input terminals coupled to an input source of electricity that may experience highly positively or negatively biased over-voltage and/or over-current, and two output terminals respectively coupled to a voltage surge blocking stage via a first bus line and to a return bus; a current surge protection stage that is series coupled in the first bus line between the voltage blocking stage and a voltage surge detection stage that is disposed between the first bus line and the return bus; two output terminals respectively coupled to the first bus line and the return bus, after the current surge protection stage. Embodiments can protect circuits or apparatus, such as DC-DC converters, that are sensitive to highly positively or negatively biased voltage/current surges by inverting negative pulses associated with a surge and outputting the inverted or rectified over-voltage/over-current to other protection circuitry. During events such as lightning strikes, apparatus such as DC-DC converters are effectively transiently powered by the strike, from which negative bias has been removed and passed through blocking and surge protection stages.

Example devices and methods for compensating for monitoring a surge protection device are provided. In some embodiments, a device is configured to couple to a surge protection device. The device comprises a processor that is capable of sending a DC current signal. A serial data interface is electrically connected to the processor and includes at least one shift register. The device also comprises a multiplexer coupled to the serial data interface. The serial data interface is operable to direct the DC current through the multiplexer. The device also comprises an analog to digital converter (optionally embedded within the processor) that is operable to output a digital signal corresponding to a voltage induced by the DC current signal. Returned DC signals represent surge protection device's health and a multitude of other surge module information.

An electrical receptacle contains a plug outlet that has a pair of contacts for electrical connection to respective hot and neutral power lines. A controlled switch, such as a TRIAC, is connected in series relationship between the outlet contact and the hot power line. Sensors in the receptacle outputs signals to a processor having an output coupled to the control terminal of the controlled switch. The processor outputs an activation signal or a deactivation signal to the controlled switch in response to received sensor signals that are indicative of conditions relative to the first and second contacts.

A clamp circuit including a power dissipation circuit having at least one transistor and a resistor which dissipates power from the surge across the resistor and the transistor by turning on the at least one transistor and forming a voltage divider between a source impedance and the resistor thereof disposed in series with a channel of the transistor; and the resistor holding a portion of transient pulse seen by the load to a low voltage and adding of the low voltage to a threshold voltage of the transistor; and a sub-circuit which tests a functionality of the power dissipation circuit.

A method for assembling a module configured to limit power surge exposure to an electrical device may include providing a carrier configured to receive at least one electrical conductor and at least one surge protection component. A lug defining a hollow space is provided in a pocket of the carrier, and an electrical lead of a surge protection component and an electrical conductor are provided in the hollow space of the lug. The method includes crimping the lug onto the electrical lead of the surge protection component and the electrical conductor such that the electrical lead and the electrical conductor are physically and electrically coupled to one another. The carrier may include multiple pockets receiving multiple lugs, and the multiple lugs may be crimped substantially simultaneously to physically and electrically couple corresponding pairs of electrical leads and conductors.

A method for reducing and/or managing energy-related stress in an electrical system includes processing electrical measurement data from or derived from energy-related signals captured by at least one intelligent electronic device (IED) in the electrical system to identify and track at least one energy-related transient in the electrical system. An impact of the at least one energy-related transient on equipment in the electrical system is quantified, and one or more transient-related alarms are generated in response to the impact of the at least one energy-related transient being near, within or above a predetermined range of the stress tolerance of the equipment. The transient-related alarms are prioritized based in part on at least one of the stress tolerance of the equipment, the stress associated with one or more transient events, and accumulated energy-related stress on the equipment. One or more actions are taken in the electrical system in response to the transient-related alarms to reduce energy-related stress on the equipment in the electrical system.

A method for reducing and/or managing energy-related stress in an electrical system includes processing electrical measurement data from or derived from energy-related signals captured by at least one intelligent electronic device (IED) in the electrical system to identify and track at least one energy-related transient in the electrical system. An impact of the at least one energy-related transient on equipment in the electrical system is quantified, and one or more transient-related alarms are generated in response to the impact of the at least one energy-related transient being near, within or above a predetermined range of the stress tolerance of the equipment. The transient-related alarms are prioritized based in part on at least one of the stress tolerance of the equipment, the stress associated with one or more transient events, and accumulated energy-related stress on the equipment. One or more actions are taken in the electrical system in response to the transient-related alarms to reduce energy-related stress on the equipment in the electrical system.