Patents by Inventor Christopher Nicolls
Christopher Nicolls has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 7400481Abstract: Low cost apparatus and methods of detecting arc faults for better discriminating electrical events. The arc fault detection apparatus includes a current sensor, a di/dt input sense circuit, a dv/dt input sense circuit, and a processing unit. The current sensor monitors a power line current, and provides high frequency components of the power line current to the di/dt input sense circuit. The dv/dt input sense circuit monitors a power line voltage. The di/dt and dv/dt input sense circuits generate signals carrying information relating to changes in the power line current and the power line voltage, respectively. The processing unit analyzes these changes in the power line current and the power line voltage to discriminate detected electrical arcing events from nuisance loads with increased accuracy.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2005Date of Patent: July 15, 2008Assignee: Sensata Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Christian V. Pellon, Christopher A. Nicolls, Michael T. Parker
-
Patent number: 7242291Abstract: A tester for an arc fault circuit interrupter that can selectively simulate and apply electrical arc faults and nuisance loads to at least one device under test (DUT). The tester includes a power supply, a test controller, and test circuitry coupleable to a DUT. AC power input is provided to the DUT and the power supply, which regulates the AC power input to a DC level for powering the test controller. The test circuitry full wave rectifies AC current returning from the DUT, and the test controller controls a switch in the test circuitry. When the switch is on, the AC current flows through the DUT, the full wave rectifier, the load, and the switch to ground. To simulate an arcing condition, the test controller turns the switch on and off at random intervals. To simulate a nuisance load condition, the test controller turns the switch on and off at periodic intervals. In this way, proper operation of the DUT can be verified under both arcing and nuisance load conditions.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2005Date of Patent: July 10, 2007Assignee: Sensata Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Christopher A. Nicolls, Roger D. Mayer
-
Publication number: 20070153436Abstract: Low cost apparatus and methods of detecting arc faults for better discriminating electrical events. The arc fault detection apparatus includes a current sensor, a di/dt input sense circuit, a dv/dt input sense circuit, and a processing unit. The current sensor monitors a power line current, and provides high frequency components of the power line current to the di/dt input sense circuit. The dv/dt input sense circuit monitors a power line voltage. The di/dt and dv/dt input sense circuits generate signals carrying information relating to changes in the power line current and the power line voltage, respectively. The processing unit analyzes these changes in the power line current and the power line voltage to discriminate detected electrical arcing events from nuisance loads with increased accuracy.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2005Publication date: July 5, 2007Inventors: Christian Pellon, Christopher Nicolls, Michael Parker
-
Patent number: 7227729Abstract: An apparatus and a method of detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, a differential current input sense circuit, a differential current (di/dt) characteristics sense circuit, an absolute current input sense circuit, an absolute current characteristics sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping circuit, a processing unit, and an electromechanical interface. The di/dt characteristics sense circuit provides information relating to the characteristic di/dt signature of a power line current. The absolute current characteristics sense circuit provides information relating to the absolute current waveform characteristics of the power line current. The processing unit correlates the di/dt characteristics to the absolute current characteristics to distinguish between electrical arc faults and nuisance loads, thereby reducing the susceptibility of the apparatus to nuisance tripping.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2005Date of Patent: June 5, 2007Assignee: Sensata Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Michael Parker, Christian V. Pellon, Mark D. Rabiner, Christopher A. Nicolls
-
Publication number: 20070058304Abstract: An apparatus and a method of detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, a differential current input sense circuit, a differential current (di/dt) characteristics sense circuit, an absolute current input sense circuit, an absolute current characteristics sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping circuit, a processing unit, and an electromechanical interface. The di/dt characteristics sense circuit provides information relating to the characteristic di/dt signature of a power line current. The absolute current characteristics sense circuit provides information relating to the absolute current waveform characteristics of the power line current. The processing unit correlates the di/dt characteristics to the absolute current characteristics to distinguish between electrical arc faults and nuisance loads, thereby reducing the susceptibility of the apparatus to nuisance tripping.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2005Publication date: March 15, 2007Inventors: Michael Parker, Christian Pellon, Mark Rabiner, Christopher Nicolls
-
Patent number: 7190561Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, an input sense circuit, an arcing sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping (firing) circuit, a processor, and an electromechanical interface. The current sensor monitors a power input comprising an AC current, and provides high frequency components of the. AC current to the input sense circuit. The input sense circuit filters and rectifies the AC signal, and provides the rectified signal to the arcing sense circuit. The arcing sense circuit provides a voltage level accumulated over a predetermined time period, and digital signals indicative of possible electrical arcing occurring during the sampling period, to the processor.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2004Date of Patent: March 13, 2007Assignee: Sensata Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Christian V. Pellon, Mark D. Rabiner, Michael Parker, Christopher A. Nicolls, Keith W. Kawate, Robert Zanelli, Roger D. Mayer, Lucien Fontaine, Michael J. Lavado, Lynwald Edmunds, Jeffrey B. Ting
-
Patent number: 7190562Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, an input sense circuit, an arcing sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping (firing) circuit, a processor, and an electromechanical interface. The current sensor monitors a power input comprising an AC current, and provides high frequency components of the. AC current to the input sense circuit. The input sense circuit filters and rectifies the AC signal, and provides the rectified signal to the arcing sense circuit. The arcing sense circuit provides a voltage level accumulated over a predetermined time period, and digital signals indicative of possible electrical arcing occurring during the sampling period, to the processor.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2004Date of Patent: March 13, 2007Assignee: Sensata Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Christian V. Pellon, Mark D. Rabiner, Michael Parker, Christopher A. Nicolls, Keith W. Kawate, Robert Zanelli, Roger D. Mayer, Lucien Fontaine, Michael J. Lavado, Lynwald Edmunds, Jeffrey B. Ting
-
Publication number: 20070008103Abstract: A tester for an arc fault circuit interrupter that can selectively simulate and apply electrical arc faults and nuisance loads to at least one device under test (DUT). The tester includes a power supply, a test controller, and test circuitry coupleable to a DUT. AC power input is provided to the DUT and the power supply, which regulates the AC power input to a DC level for powering the test controller. The test circuitry full wave rectifies AC current returning from the DUT, and the test controller controls a switch in the test circuitry. When the switch is on, the AC current flows through the DUT, the full wave rectifier, the load, and the switch to ground. To simulate an arcing condition, the test controller turns the switch on and off at random intervals. To simulate a nuisance load condition, the test controller turns the switch on and off at periodic intervals. In this way, proper operation of the DUT can be verified under both arcing and nuisance load conditions.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2005Publication date: January 11, 2007Inventors: Christopher Nicolls, Roger Mayer
-
Publication number: 20060050447Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, an input sense circuit, an arcing sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping (firing) circuit, a processor, and an electromechanical interface. The current sensor monitors a power input comprising an AC current, and provides high frequency components of the AC current to the input sense circuit. The input sense circuit filters and rectifies the AC signal, and provides the rectified signal to the arcing sense circuit. The arcing sense circuit provides a voltage level accumulated over a predetermined time period, and digital signals indicative of possible electrical arcing occurring during the sampling period, to the processor.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2004Publication date: March 9, 2006Inventors: Christian Pellon, Mark Rabiner, Michael Parker, Christopher Nicolls, Keith Kawate, Robert Zanelli, Roger Mayer, Lucien Fontaine, Michael Lavado, Lynwald Edmunds, Jeffrey Ting
-
Publication number: 20060050450Abstract: An apparatus and method for detecting arc faults that have reduced susceptibility to nuisance tripping. The apparatus includes a current sensor, an input sense circuit, an arcing sense circuit, a power supply, a tripping (firing) circuit, a processor, and an electromechanical interface. The current sensor monitors a power input comprising an AC current, and provides high frequency components of the. AC current to the input sense circuit. The input sense circuit filters and rectifies the AC signal, and provides the rectified signal to the arcing sense circuit. The arcing sense circuit provides a voltage level accumulated over a predetermined time period, and digital signals indicative of possible electrical arcing occurring during the sampling period, to the processor.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2004Publication date: March 9, 2006Inventors: Christian Pellon, Mark Rabiner, Michael Parker, Christopher Nicolls, Keith Kawate, Robert Zanelli, Roger Mayer, Lucien Fontaine, Michael Lavado, Lynwald Edmunds, Jeffrey Ting