Importance

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Abstract

Aspects of this disclosure concern the integration of AFCI protection into the electrical panel itself. An electrical panelboard includes a main terminal that receives a supply of electricity, multiple terminals to supply electricity to branch circuits, and a bus structure that distributes the electricity from the main terminal to the branch circuit terminals. The branch circuit terminals may be conductive stabs, to which traditional overcurrent circuit breakers are attached. The AFCI protection is integrated, either fully or partially, onto the panelboard, rather than implemented as separate stand-alone devices. The integrated AFCI protection includes current sensors, switching devices and a processing system. The current sensors sense the flow of electricity through the branch circuits and the switching devices can interrupt this flow of electricity. The processing system analyzes the detected currents for arc faults and controls the switching devices accordingly.

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First Claim