Arc fault detector with circuit interrupter and early arc fault detection

Abstract From the Canadian patent

An arc fault detector comprised as a stand alone unit and in combination with a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) functions to provide protection from potentially dangerous arc fault conditions. When combined with a GFCI the combination arc fault/ground fault circuit interrupter (AFCI/GFCI) provides protection from both arc fault and ground fault conditions. A single transformer is used to detect faults between neutral and ground and arc faults. An impedance splits the current flow into two portions so as to generate differential current proportional to the current flowing through the conductors. An early arcing detector periodically tests the AC line for high impedance between the …