ARC DETECTION APPARATUS INCLUDING CAPACITOR CONNECTED TO INPUT AND OUTPUT OF MICRO CONTROLLER, AND ARC DETECTION METHOD

摘要

PURPOSE: An arc detection apparatus and an arc detection method are provided to reduce the size of the apparatus and power consumption. CONSTITUTION: An arc detection apparatus comprises a transformer(Tr1) having a primary winding for connection to a wiring current and a weakly coupled secondary winding; a rectifier circuit connected to the secondary winding, wherein the rectifier circuit is connected to a converter circuit having a capacitor with a voltage which is proportional to the logarithm of the charge delivered by the rectifier circuit; a micro controller having an input and an output; and a wiring voltage detection circuit for generating a signal in proportion to a wiring voltage, wherein the wiring voltage detection circuit is connected to the input of the micro controller such that the micro controller measures the capacitor voltage at a selected absolute value of the wiring voltage, and the micro controller generates an output in response to the measured capacitor voltage such that the output indicates an existence of arc faults. The capacitor is connected to the input of the micro controller for measuring the capacitor voltage and the output for resetting the capacitor voltage.