A fault current sensor for a fault current protection device for monitoring an electrical consumer for a vehicle is provided. The fault current sensor has a measuring device for measuring a differential current between a first electrical current in an electrical forward conductor, which conducts from a control device for controlling the electrical consumer to the electrical consumer, and a second electrical current in an electrical return conductor, which conducts away from the electrical consumer. The fault current sensor also has a reporting device for reporting a fault current at the control device via the forward conductor depending on a comparison of the measured differential current with a threshold value.

A load protection system and a method of protecting a load. The load protection system includes a PLC transmitter module and a PLC receiver module, which are configured to communicate a plurality of bits of data, each bit transmitted near a zero-crossing of a voltage on the power lines supplying power to the load, in the form of a high frequency burst of pulses. The pulses are structured in two patterns. The first pattern serves to identify the start of the second pattern, and the second pattern includes the data. The first pattern is unique and not represented within the second pattern. The load may be a motor, and the data may include a parameter value representing a parameter of the motor.

The aim of the invention is to detect an arc in an assembly for transmitting a direct voltage. This aim is achieved by a communication transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being connected to a transmitting device, which is designed to impress a communication signal onto the secondary winding of the communication transformer, and the primary winding being connected to one of the direct voltage lines in order to feed a communication signal transformed by the communication transformer to one of the direct voltage lines. In order to detect, in the assembly, the arc signal caused by an arc, the secondary winding is connected to an arc detection unit, which is designed to detect an arc signal transformed by the communication transformer.

An electrical protection system protects a high-voltage DC electrical installation and comprises at least one sensor of first type configured to perform measurements of a non-electrical physical quantity, at least one sensor of second type configured to perform measurements of an electrical physical quantity, and a control unit connected to said at least one sensor of first type and to said at least one sensor of second type. The control unit commands a circuit breaker of the high-voltage DC electrical installation to open when, in a sliding time window, an abnormal non-electrical phenomenon is detected by virtue of the measurements of said at least one sensor of first type and when, furthermore, an abnormal electrical phenomenon is detected by virtue of the measurements of said at least one sensor of second type.

The aim of the invention is to detect an arc in an assembly for transmitting a direct voltage. This aim is achieved by a communication transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being connected to a transmitting device, which is designed to impress a communication signal onto the secondary winding of the communication transformer, and the primary winding being connected to one of the direct voltage lines in order to feed a communication signal transformed by the communication transformer to one of the direct voltage lines. In order to detect, in the assembly, the arc signal caused by an arc, the secondary winding is connected to an arc detection unit, which is designed to detect an arc signal transformed by the communication transformer.

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide techniques for detecting electrical arcing in an electrical system. A powerline communications (PLC) application executing on a network communications device acquires, via a PLC modem, first voltage readings associated with an electrical circuit. The PLC application performs one or more operations based on the first voltage readings to determine that an electrical arcing condition is present within the electrical circuit. The PLC application performs a remedial operation in response to determining that the electrical arcing condition is present.

A residual current sensor for a residual current protective device for monitoring an electrical load for a vehicle is presented. The residual current sensor has an electrical circuit for identifying a test signal in an electrical forward conductor, which forward-conducts from a control apparatus for controlling the electrical load to the electrical load the test signal represents a request to perform a self-test of the residual current sensor. The residual current sensor also has a residual-current-generating apparatus for generating a test residual current in an electrical reverse conductor, which conducts away from the electrical load, in response to the identified test signal. The residual current sensor furthermore has a measuring apparatus for measuring a differential current between a first electric current in the electrical forward conductor and a second electric current in the electrical reverse conductor.

A load protection system and a method of protecting a load. The load protection system includes a PLC transmitter module and a PLC receiver module, which are configured to communicate a plurality of bits of data, each bit transmitted near a zero-crossing of a voltage on the power lines supplying power to the load, in the form of a high frequency burst of pulses. The pulses are structured in two patterns. The first pattern serves to identify the start of the second pattern, and the second pattern includes the data. The first pattern is unique and not represented within the second pattern. The load may be a motor, and the data may include a parameter value representing a parameter of the motor.

An electrical protection system protects a high-voltage DC electrical installation and comprises at least one sensor of first type configured to perform measurements of a non-electrical physical quantity, at least one sensor of second type configured to perform measurements of an electrical physical quantity, and a control unit connected to said at least one sensor of first type and to said at least one sensor of second type. The control unit commands a circuit breaker of the high-voltage DC electrical installation to open when, in a sliding time window, an abnormal non-electrical phenomenon is detected by virtue of the measurements of said at least one sensor of first type and when, furthermore, an abnormal electrical phenomenon is detected by virtue of the measurements of said at least one sensor of second type.

The aim of the invention is to detect an arc in an assembly for transmitting a direct voltage. This aim is achieved by a communication transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the secondary winding being connected to a transmitting device, which is designed to impress a communication signal onto the secondary winding of the communication transformer, and the primary winding being connected to one of the direct voltage lines in order to feed a communication signal transformed by the communication transformer to one of the direct voltage lines. In order to detect, in the assembly, the arc signal caused by an arc, the secondary winding is connected to an arc detection unit, which is designed to detect an arc signal transformed by the communication transformer.