Computer-controlled circuit breaker arrangement with circuit breaker having identification circuit

Claim 2

An energy management loadpanel arrangement, comprising: a loadpanel enclosure; a plurality of circuit breakers secured in the enclosure and each of said circuit breakers enclosed in respective circuit breaker housings, at least one of said circuit breakers being digitally-coded and including contacts constructed and arranged for opening and closing in response to a control signal so as to interrupt and establish, respectively, an associated current path, and said at least one of the circuit breakers including a signal circuit providing a digital signal indicative of a specified type of circuit breaker; and a microcomputer circuit, located outside said respective circuit breaker housings and responsive to said digital signal, for determining the type of circuit breaker represented by said digital signal and for generating said control signal to control said at least one circuit breaker and its associated current path.

Claim 3

An energy management, loadpanel arrangement, according to claim 1, wherein said signal circuit provides the digital signal using manually settable bits.

Claim 4

An energy management, loadpanel arrangement, according to claim 2, wherein said signal circuit includes soldered jumper wires to arrange the manually settable bits.

Claim 5

An energy management, loadpanel arrangement, according to claim 2, wherein said at least one circuit breaker further includes a digital interface circuit, connected to said signal circuit, for permitting said microcomputer means to read the manually settable bits selectively.

Claim 6

An energy management, loadpanel arrangement, according to claim 4, wherein said digital interface circuit includes a shift register.

Claim 7

An energy management, loadpanel arrangement, according to claim 4, wherein said digital interface circuit indicates the number of poles included in said at least one circuit breaker.

Claim 8

An energy management, loadpanel arrangement, according to claim 1, further including a real-time-clock circuit, coupled with said at least one microcomputer means, for automatically providing the time of day to said microcomputer means.

Claim 9

An energy management, loadpanel arrangement, according to claim 1, wherein said at least one circuit breaker includes a worm gear driver for interrupting the associated current path.

Claim 10

An energy management, loadpanel arrangement, according to claim 8, wherein the gear driver includes a motor having a shaft which controls a coupling member secured to the movable contact.

Claim 11

A circuit breaker device for interrupting power in a circuit path between a source and a load in response to a control signal from a computer, the circuit breaker device comprising: a first contact and a second contact cooperatively constructed and arranged in the circuit path to provide current from the source to the load and at least one of the contacts being movable for interrupting the power provided to the load; a contact controller, responsive to open control and closed control signals, for moving said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted and established, respectively; and a digital code circuit for providing a digital signal representing a designated type of circuit breaker; and a signal circuit for programming said digital code circuit to designate that the circuit breaker device is a particular type; wherein the computer determines the type of circuit breaker by reading said digital signal and controls the circuit breaker device by sending the open control and closed control signals.

Claim 12

A circuit breaker device for interrupting power in a circuit path between a source and a load in response to a control signal from a computer, the circuit breaker device comprising: a first contact and a second contact cooperatively constructed and arranged in the circuit path to provide current from the source to the load and at least one of the contacts being movable for interrupting the power provided to the load; a contact controller, responsive to open control and closed control signals, for moving said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted and established, respectively; and a digital code circuit for providing a digital signal representing a designated type of circuit breaker; and a signal circuit for programming said digital code circuit to designate that the circuit breaker device is a particular type; wherein the computer determines the type of circuit breaker by reading said digital signal and controls the circuit breaker device by sending the open control and closed control signals.

Claim 13

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the digital code circuit responds to a clock signal by providing an output signal for the microcomputer.

Claim 14

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 10 wherein the digital code circuit includes a parallel to serial conversion circuit.

Claim 15

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 12 wherein the clock signal and the output signal share a common lead.

Claim 16

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 12 further including motor and a printed circuit board coupled electrically to the motor and to the microcomputer.

Claim 17

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 10 further including a trip mechanism for moving the movable contact to an open position in response to the presence of an overload condition, and wherein the trip mechanism operates independently of the motor.

Claim 18

A remotely controllable circuit breaker device for interrupting power in a circuit path between a source and a load, comprising: a first contact and a second contact cooperatively arranged in the circuit path so as to provide current from the source to the load and at least one of the contacts being movable for interrupting the power provided to the load; means, responsive to open control and closed control signals generated from a remote location, for moving said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted and established, respectively; a rotatable gear, responsive to said means for moving and coupled to said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted in response to said control signal; a digital code circuit for providing a computer-readable digital signal representing a designated type of circuit breaker; and manually settable means for programming said digital code circuit to designate that the circuit breaker device is of a particular type.

Claim 19

A remotely controllable circuit breaker device for interrupting power in a circuit path between a source and a load, comprising: a first contact and a second contact cooperatively arranged in the circuit path so as to provide current from the source to the load and at least one of the contacts being movable for interrupting the power provided to the load; means, responsive to open control and closed control signals generated from a remote location, for moving said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted and established, respectively; a rotatable gear, responsive to said means for moving and coupled to said at least one movable contact so that the circuit path is interrupted in response to said control signal; a digital code circuit for providing a computer-readable digital signal representing a designated type of circuit breaker; and manually settable means for programming said digital code circuit to designate that the circuit breaker device is of a particular type.

Claim 20

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 16 wherein the digital code circuit includes means for providing the computer-readable digital signal in serial form.

Claim 21

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 17 wherein said means for providing further includes a shift register, responsive to a clock signal, for converting an output of said manually settable means into a serial data stream.

Claim 22

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 17 wherein said means for providing further includes means for receiving a clock signal and for generating at least one bit of said computer-readable digital signal on a common data line.

Claim 23

A circuit breaker device as claimed in claim 16 wherein the computer-readable digital signal indicates at least one of the following: how many poles the circuit breaker device includes, the position of the first and second contacts, current rating of the circuit breaker, whether there exists a circuit breaker.

Claim 24

An energy management loadpanel arrangement, comprising: a loadpanel enclosure; a plurality of circuit breakers secured in the enclosure, each of said circuit breakers enclosed in one of a plurality of housings and digitally-coded and including contacts constructed and arranged for opening and closing in response to a control signal to interrupt and establish, respectively, an associated current path and including a signal circuit providing digital signals indicative of a specified type of circuit breaker; and a microcomputer circuit, located outside said housing and responsive to said digital signal, for distinguishing one type of circuit breaker from another based on said digital signals and for generating said control signal to control said at least one circuit breaker and its associated current path.

Claim 25

An energy management loadpanel arrangement, comprising: a loadpanel enclosure; a plurality of circuit breakers secured in the enclosure, each of said circuit breakers enclosed in one of a plurality of housings and digitally-coded and including contacts constructed and arranged for opening and closing in response to a control signal to interrupt and establish, respectively, an associated current path and including a signal circuit providing digital signals indicative of a specified type of circuit breaker; and a microcomputer circuit, located outside said housing and responsive to said digital signal, for distinguishing one type of circuit breaker from another based on said digital signals and for generating said control signal to control said at least one circuit breaker and its associated current path.