Electric circuit for detecting faults in capacitors in power systems

Claim 1

A CIRCUIT FOR DETECTING FAULTS IN A GROUP OF CAPACITORS COMPRISING A SINGLE BANK OF CAPACITORS COMPRISING ALL THE CAPACITORS IN SAID GROUP CONNECTED BETWEEN LINE AND NEUTRAL CONDUCTORS IN A POWER SUPPLY LINE, A FIRST SENSING DEVICE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CAPACITOR BANK AND THE NEUTRAL CONDUCTOR FOR DEVELOPING A FIRST SIGNAL HAVING A MAGNITUDE PROPORTIONAL TO THE SUM OF THE INSTANTANEOUS CURRENTS THROUGH SAID CAPACITORS, AN AUXILIARY CIRCUIT CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CONDUCTORS IN PARALLEL WITH SAID CAPACITORS, A SECOND SENSING DEVICE FOR DEVELOPING A SECOND SIGNAL HAVING A MAGNITUDE PROPORTIONAL TO A PREDETERMINED INSTANTANEOUS ELECTRICAL QUANTITY EXHIBITED BY SAID AUXILIARY CIRCUIT, SAID SECOND SENSING DEVICE HAVING OPERATING PARAMETERS SUCH THAT SAID SECOND SIGNAL BEARS A PREDETERMINED RATIO TO SAID FIRST SIGNAL IN THE ABSENCE OF A FAULT IN SAID CAPACITORS, AND DETECTOR MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SIGNALS AND BEING RESPONSIVE THERETO TO PRODUCE AN OUTPUT INDICATIVE OF A FAULT UPON THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID SIGNALS DIFFERING FROM SAID PREDETERMINED RATIO.