SYSTEM FOR PROTECTING AN ELECTRICAL SOURCE OR ELECTRICAL LOAD

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for protecting an electrical source or an electrical load, having a module comprising an input and an output, and an electronic safety device for the load that can be connected to the source. The module also comprises a voltage monitoring unit, a current monitoring unit, and semiconductor switching units and controllers associated therewith. According to the invention, in order to selectively apply the protection to the source or the protection to the load, a unit for electrical mirroring on the circuit side is provided so that in the event of source protection, the current monitoring unit is applied at the input end and the voltage monitoring unit is applied at the output end, and in the event of load protection, the voltage monitoring unit is applied at the input end and the current monitoring unit is applied at the output end.

Claims

1. A system for protecting an electrical source or an electrical load, having an assembly that has an input and an output and comprises an electronic fuse for the load that can be connected to the source, and also a voltage monitoring unit, a current monitoring unit and semiconductor switching units and controllers associated therewith, wherein, after the fuse has responded owing to an overvoltage event, said fuse can be reset, characterized in that a unit for circuit-side electrical mirroring is provided for the selective use of the source protection or the load protection in such a way that, in the case of source protection, the current monitoring unit is applied at the input side and the voltage monitoring unit is applied at the output side, and in the case of load protection, the voltage monitoring unit is applied at the input side and the current monitoring unit is applied at the output side.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said system comprises a plug or switching unit for electrical mirroring with means for selectively connecting the current monitoring unit to the input or the output of the assembly.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the assembly, consisting of an electronic fuse for the load that can be connected to the source, and also a voltage monitoring unit, a current monitoring unit and semiconductor switching units and controllers associated therewith, is arranged in a base part (1) and the plug or switching unit is located in a separate configurator part (4; 42), wherein means for selectively fixing the configurator part (4; 42) are formed on the base part (1).

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the configurator part (4; 42) has plug contacts or plug sockets and electrical wiring, wherein the plug contacts or plug sockets are complementary to mating contacts or sockets in the base part (1).

5. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the configurator part (4; 42) has switches or changeover switches for circuit-side mirroring of at least parts of the assembly in the base part (1).

6. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that means for displaying the selected interconnection or mirroring, for disconnection and/or for data logging are formed in the configurator part (4, 42).

7. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of configurator parts (4) can be fixed on the base part (1).

8. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of base parts (1) are designed so that they can be arranged adjacently to one another, wherein said base parts can be interconnected, in particular can be connected in series, by way of a configurator part in the form of a multiple connector (42).

9. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that electrical properties or parameters of the current and/or voltage monitoring unit can be changed or predefined by means of the configurator part (4).

10. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the parameters of the configurator part (4; 42) can be identified by way of its shape, haptics or coloration.

11. The system as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the polarity of a direction-dependent switch, in particular a semiconductor switch, located in the base part (1) can be reversed by means of the configurator part (4; 42).

Description

[0039] In the figures:

[0040] FIG. 1 shows basic illustrations of the prior art in the case of the structure of protective systems with combined overcurrent and overvoltage protection, wherein the overcurrent protection is denoted by E-Fuse and the overvoltage protection is denoted by USS and source and load are illustrated, with an embodiment of primary source protection (upper image), primary load protection (central image) and protection on both sides with two protective assemblies (lower image);

[0041] FIGS. 2a-2c show different illustrations of the design of a base part with the required current and voltage monitoring units integrated therein and a cutout for accommodating corresponding configurator parts that, according to FIGS. 2a and 2c, accommodate a partial molding or partial casing of the housing configuration of the base part or change into such a form;

[0042] FIGS. 3a-3c show illustrations similar to those shown in FIGS. 2a-2c, but with identifiable electrical contacts in the respective configurator part that are complementary to an indicated printed circuit board in the base part and contact surfaces present there in order to carry out electrical mirroring of the assembly located in the base part, depending on the position and arrangement of the configurator part;

[0043] FIG. 4 shows an illustration of a base part with a plurality of recesses present at the end sides for the mechanical and electrical fixing of different configurator parts and plug elements located there for implementing the electrical mirroring and for parameterizing the assembly located in the base part; and

[0044] FIG. 5 shows a perspective illustration of the mechanical adjacent arrangement of a multiplicity of (ten, in the example shown) base parts that are mechanically and electrically interconnected, in particular are mechanically and electrically interconnected in series, by way of a compact configurator part and can be mirrored internally electrically in the circuitry by rotation of the configurator part by 180°, for example.

[0045] As illustrated in FIGS. 2a to 2c, the system according to the invention for protecting an electrical source or an electrical load consists of an electrical assembly that has an input and an output. This assembly comprises an electronic fuse for the load that can be connected to a source, and also a voltage monitoring unit, a current monitoring unit and semiconductor switching units in addition to controllers associated therewith. These above-mentioned assemblies are located in the housing arrangement, that is to say within the base part 1.

[0046] The base part 1 is provided with a recess 2 on its bottom side for DIN rail mounting.

[0047] According to FIG. 2a there is a recessed section 3 on a left-hand narrow side of the base part 1.

[0048] A configurator part 4 that has in its section 41 plug contacts or plug sockets, switches or changeover switches or similar means, which are not shown, for electrical mirroring of the assembly within the base part 1 can be plugged into this recessed section 3.

[0049] The configurator part 4 can have a contour that corresponds to the casing, that is to say the basic shape, of the base part 1 and in this respect completes it.

[0050] FIG. 2c shows a design, which is mirror-symmetrical in this regard, of a base part 1 with a recessed section formed on the right-hand narrow side and the configurator part 4 with a section 41. FIG. 2c also makes it clear how the configurator part 4 can be inserted into an opening section 5 of the base part.

[0051] FIG. 2b shows an embodiment with a configurator part 4 as a variant that can be inserted from above into a corresponding section 5 of the base part 1.

[0052] FIGS. 3a to 3c are matched to the illustrations of FIGS. 2a to 2c and illustrate a possible structure and a possible arrangement of a wiring carrier, that is to say an exemplary printed circuit board 6, within the respective base part 1.

[0053] The printed circuit board 6 has contact surfaces, which are not shown, that correspond to contact terminals or contact connectors 7 in the respective configurator part 4 in order to allow, depending on the insertion position, polarity reversal of the corresponding assembly that is located on the printed circuit board and implemented there.

[0054] According to the illustration in FIG. 4, it is possible to form a configurator part not only on one of the end sides of the plug part 1 accessible during usual operation, but on all or a plurality of sides so as to implement different functionalities. In this case, parameterization of the assembly located in the base part 1 can also be carried out with the aid of an appropriately configured configurator part 4.

[0055] In the example shown in FIG. 5c, a mechanical adjacent arrangement of a plurality of base parts can be interconnected with the aid of a common compact configurator part 42, designed as a multiple connector.

[0056] In this case, with the aid of the uniform configurator part 42, both a series circuit of the corresponding assemblies within the base parts 1 and the desired mirroring can be achieved by virtue of the configurator part 42, which is withdrawn and rotated by 180°, being brought into connection again with the corresponding recesses in the respective base parts 1.

[0057] The invention accordingly constitutes a system for combined overcurrent and overvoltage protection that protects both source and load and in this respect can be arranged close to the load and close to the source, wherein the respective functionality by way of electrical mirroring can be selected only by way of a simple, mechanically releasable configurator part.

[0058] The actual overvoltage and overcurrent protection is located in the base part. In contrast, the means for electrical mirroring are implemented in the removable configurator part and housed there.

[0059] A display function can also additionally be integrated in the configurator parts. This display can serve to illustrate whether the configurator part is inserted precisely and has been inserted in such a way that the necessary solution for source or load protection is available.

[0060] For the purpose of the above-mentioned parameterization of the assembly in the base part, the configurator parts can have different shunts, for example, in order to alter the selectivity or sensitivity of the overcurrent protection. There is also the possibility of integrating a fuse into the configurator part as galvanic isolation for active semiconductor components that are located in the base part and are constituent parts of the assembly. This would make it possible to simply change such a fuse, since it does not have to engage into the base part.

[0061] The configurator part therefore forms an essential component part of an electrical mirroring assembly that is provided for changing the order of overvoltage and overcurrent protection in the assembly located on the base part such that the system can be used appropriately close to the source or close to the load for optimum source protection or optimum load protection.