A control device for a vehicle includes a semiconductor switch, and opens and closes a connection between a capacitor connected to one end of the semiconductor switch and an on-board battery connected to another end of the semiconductor switch by turning ON/OFF the semiconductor switch. The control device includes: a wiring for applying a drive voltage for turning ON the semiconductor switch; a drive switch for short-circuiting the wiring to turn OFF the semiconductor switch; a Zener diode having an anode connected to the one end of the switching circuit, and a cathode connected to the wiring; a voltage detection unit detects a voltage at the one end of the switching circuit; and a control unit that controls the drive switch from OFF to ON, and determines whether or not the semiconductor switch is defective by comparing the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit with a threshold value.

A ground fault circuit interrupter is provided, including a main control chip, a tripping unit and a self-test detection unit, wherein the tripping unit is connected with the self-test detection unit at a detection point and coupled with a load circuit; the self-test detection unit is coupled with the main control chip, and configured to detect a signal at the detection point and output the signal to the main control chip; the main control chip is coupled with the self-test detection unit, and configured to in a self-test state, simulate a circuit fault, perform self-test, and determine whether the circuit fault could be detected and an alarm signal response to the circuit fault is generated, based on the signal. A self-test function and alarm function response to a circuit fault in a ground fault circuit interrupter can be tested during a final test of production.

Aspects of this disclosure relate to detecting and recording information associated with electrical overstress (EOS) events, such as electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. For example, in one embodiment, an apparatus includes an electrical overstress protection device, a detection circuit configured to detect an occurrence of the EOS event, and a memory configured to store information indicative of the EOS event.

A circuit board and a battery connection module are provided. The circuit board has an insulating substrate and a plurality of circuit traces provided thereto. At least one of the traces is provided with a fuse unit. The fuse unit has a main fuse and at least one spare fuse. The main fuse has two main trace connection end portions respectively positioned at two ends of the main fuse and connected to the trace and a main fuse section connected between the two main trace connection end portions. The spare fuse has two trace connection end portions respectively positioned at two ends of the spare fuse and a fuse section connected between the two trace connection end portions, the fuse section and the main fuse section are spaced apart from each other and arranged side by side, and at least one of the two trace connection end portions is not connected with the trace so as to form an electrical disconnection with the trace, and after the main fuse section forms an electrical disconnection, the two trace connection end portions are connected to the trace so that a current conductive path is formed by the spare fuse and the trace.

A metering and control subsystem for a photovoltaic solar system is configured for metering the photovoltaic solar system using current measurement devices and individually controlling relays to selectively energize photovoltaic branch circuits. In some examples, the metering and control subsystem includes photovoltaic branch connectors, a relay matrix, current measurement devices, and a metering and relay control circuit. The metering and control circuit is configured for metering the photovoltaic solar system using current measurement data from the current measurement devices and individually controlling the relays to selectively energize each photovoltaic branch circuit.

A system and method that identify a location and/or magnitude of a ground fault in a circuit having a bus that connects battery strings with loads and a ground reference between the loads are provided. Potential of the bus is shifted relative to a ground reference in a first direction. A first impedance in the bus between the battery strings and the ground reference is determined, and the bus is shifted relative to the ground reference in a second direction. A second impedance in the bus between the battery strings and the ground reference is determined. A location and/or severity of a ground fault is determined based on a relationship between the first impedance and the second impedance.

A protection circuit, and related method, for an electronic device including a first power output interface and a second power output interface is disclosed. The protection circuit includes a first switch element, coupled between a first voltage source and the first power output interface. The detection circuit being operation to detect an output voltage value of the second power output interface to generate a detection result. The first switch element, according to the detection result, connects the first voltage source to the first power output interface to allow the first power output interface to output power to an external terminal, or disconnects the first voltage source from the first power output interface.

Systems and methods are disclosed for detecting node outages in a mesh network. A tracking node in the mesh network detects a set of signals originating from a tracked node in the mesh network. The set of signals includes beacons and communication messages transmitted by the tracked node. The tracking node determines that a threshold number of the alive beacon intervals have passed since receiving a most recent signal from the tracked node. The tracking node then outputs a ping to the tracked node requesting a response to the ping. When the response to the ping is not received from the tracked node, the tracking node transmits an outage alarm message to a next topologically higher layer of the mesh network, the outage alarm message comprising an identification of the tracked node.

Systems and methods are disclosed for detecting node outages in a mesh network. A tracking node in the mesh network detects a set of signals originating from a tracked node in the mesh network. The set of signals includes beacons and communication messages transmitted by the tracked node. The tracking node determines that a threshold number of the alive beacon intervals have passed since receiving a most recent signal from the tracked node. The tracking node then outputs a ping to the tracked node requesting a response to the ping. When the response to the ping is not received from the tracked node, the tracking node transmits an outage alarm message to a next topologically higher layer of the mesh network, the outage alarm message comprising an identification of the tracked node.

Various embodiments of the teachings herein include a sensor facility for determining a switching state of an electromechanical switching element. The sensor facility may include: connection elements for electrically contacting respective connection contacts of the switching element; a coupling capacitor having two capacitor connections, wherein the first is coupled to a first connection element; a voltage generator providing a temporally variable electrical voltage, coupled to the second capacitor connection; a first overvoltage protection circuit coupled to a second connection element and blocking an electrical voltage greater than a maximum value of the temporally variable electrical voltage of the voltage generator; and a detector circuit coupled to the first overvoltage protection circuit and detecting electrical voltage to determine the switching state of the electromechanical switching element by evaluating the detected electrical voltage.