MXPA99011221A - Residential protection service center - Google Patents

Abstract

Residential protection service center apparatus comprising AC power line overvoltage protection, telephone voice line overvoltage and overcurrent protection, high speed data lineovervoltage and overcurrent protection and coaxial transmission line overvoltage protection, all tied to a common ground.

Description

CENTER OF RESIDENTIAL PROTECTION SERVICES Related Requests This application is a continuation in part of the application with Serial Number 08 / 868,351, filed on June 3, 1997.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to apparatus for protecting alternating current power lines, telephone lines and coaxial transmission lines and, more particularly, with devices that provide protection for those lines, using a common ground. _ - - - 2. Discussion of Related Technology Many homes now use sensitive electronic equipment, as the telecommunication and driving business from one's home has become more common. In addition to home entertainment centers with expensive audio / visual equipment, many homes currently have personal computers, modems, printers, copiers, facsimile machines, telephone answering systems, and home security systems. This sensitive electronic equipment is connected to the outside world by telephone lines (both voice lines and high-speed data lines), coaxial transmission lines (both cable TV and satellite dish antennas) and AC power lines . Standards for residential wiring have been developed, known as the EIA / TIA 570 standard and the Consumer Electronics Bus (CEBus®). These standards deal with twisted double conductor wiring without Category 3 and Category 5 protection and coaxial wiring. These standards are described in "Cabling The Workplace '96" on pages 769 to 800. Recently companies have begun offering complete home wiring systems that comply with the CEBus® standard. An example is the HomeStar® Wiring System offered by Lucent Technologies. In accordance with the literature of Lucent Technologies, the HomeStar® System "[i] ntegra a wide range of telecommunications and home automation technologies - from interactive home entertainment and personal communications to security and environmental management systems". The HomeStar® System, however, does not provide overvoltage protection for the different types of wires (RG6 coaxial wiring, twisted double conductor wiring without Category 3 and Category 5 protection) that are used in the system.

Lightning is a major source of overvoltage conditions in residential wiring. The overvoltage condition can be the result of a lightning falling directly, or it can be induced in the AC transmission lines by a lightning bolt that falls near. It is estimated that there are more than 90 million lightning bolts that fall in the United States of America annually. Of course, only a small percentage hits the buildings. However, every year thousands of homes and businesses are damaged or destroyed by lightning strikes. In 1990 residential claims for lightning damage exceeded one billion dollars. This number will increase as homeowners buy more sophisticated electronic equipment. Overvoltage conditions can also be the result of crosses of power lines caused, for example, by a vehicle hitting a utility pole. Transient phenomena (voltage spikes) are caused by the utility company when it switches the capacitor banks on and off line, in order to correct the energy factor (VI cos?). Transient phenomena can also originate inside the house when switching inductive loads, such as electric motors. Transient phenomena can also be the result of switching non-inductive loads, and can be induced in the wiring in the house. The primary protection against overvoltage for telephone lines is provided by arresters of breakwaters, located in devices of interface of the network, mounted in the exterior of the house. See devices 73 in Figure 3 of U.S. Patent No. 4,979,209, issued to Collins et al. On December 19, 1990. The grounding of these overvoltage protection devices is provided by means of a ground connection contained within the housing at the time of installation, and attached to the grounding bus 71 in terminal 71A. Coaxial transmission lines that carry cable television signals can also be introduced into a home through network interface devices mounted on the outside of the home. See U.S. Patent Number 3,394,466, issued to Schneider et al. On February 28, 1995. As shown in Figure 1 of that patent, the coaxial cable is grounded by means of connecting a belt 228 to ground from module 220 to bus 71 to ground, which is then connected to the ground connection. See column 4, lines 50-54. Breakers of coaxial breakwaters are also known to protect coaxial transmission lines from overvoltage conditions. See U.S. Patent Number 4,616,155, issued to Guichard on October 7, 1986, and U.S. Patent Number 5,566,056, issued to Chaudhry on October 15, 1996. Many homeowners attempt to protect Your valuable electronic equipment with plug-in break wave suppressors. These devices do not protect the equipment from long-range impulses caused by lightning bolts, although they offer some protection against transient low-energy phenomena that originate within the home. On the other hand, plug-in surge suppressors are usually located far from the ground connection to which they are connected. In U.S. Patent Number 4,438,477, issued to Cawley on March 20, 1984, a plug-in surge arrester is shown that protects both the AC power lines, both the telephone lines.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION - The present invention provides an integrated residential protection services center, which has protection against overvoltage for AC power lines, protection against. - overvoltage and overcurrent for voice telephone lines, overvoltage and overcurrent protection for high-speed data lines, and overvoltage protection for coaxial transmission lines. The residential protection center, which may also include an AC power meter, links all the protection devices to a common ground. The result is a protection system that is more efficient in its use of protective devices, and more effective in the sense that the protective devices are all attached to a common ground. Overvoltage plug protection devices can also be used in combination with the residential protection service center. The present matter that we consider as our invention is more particularly stated in the claims at the end of the specification. The invention, including its method of operation and its numerous advantages, can be better understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals refer to the same components.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a plan view of an externally mounted residential protection service center, in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, with the access covers in the closed position.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the residential protection services center of Figure 1, with the access covers removed. Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a first ground connection configuration for the residential protection services center of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a second ground connection configuration for the residential protection services center of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a third ground connection configuration for the residential protection services center of Figure 1. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a coaxial irruptive wave arrester, for use with the present invention. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a switchable electrical bushing, for a bridge module of the subscriber, for use with the present invention. Figure 8 is a perspective view of a set of electrical contacts for the switchable electrical receptacle shown schematically in Figure 7. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the same set of electrical contacts shown in Figure 8, but with contacts being shown in their test position.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of an internally mounted residential protection service center, in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of the residential protection services center of Figure . Figure 12 is a perspective view of an internally mounted residential protection service center, in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 is a schematic block diagram of the residential protection services center of Figure 12. Figure 14 is a perspective view of an internally mounted residential protection services center, in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. . Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of the residential protection services center of Figure 14. Figure 16A is a schematic diagram of an overvoltage / overcurrent protection circuit of high speed data lines., for use with the present invention. Figure 16B is a schematic diagram of another high-speed data line overvoltage / overcurrent protection circuit for use with the present invention. Figure 17A is a schematic diagram of an overvoltage / overcurrent protection circuit of voice telephone lines, for use with the present invention. Figure 17B is a schematic diagram of an alternative overvoltage / overcurrent protection circuit of voice telephone lines, for use with the present invention. Figure 18 is a perspective view of an externally mounted residential protection service center, in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention, with the access cover in the closed position. Figure 19 is a perspective view of the residential protection services center of Figure 18, with the access cover removed, and the covers on the network interface devices in the closed position. Figure 20 is a perspective view of the residential protection services center of Figure 18, with the access cover removed, and covers on the network interface devices in the open position. Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of an alternative surge protector of the alternating current power line, for the residential protection service centers of Figures 2, 10, 12 and 18.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES Figure 1 shows a residential protection services center in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. This comprises a housing 10 having an alternating current energy meter 12. The housing has an access cover 18 for the client, an access cover 14 for the utility company and a cover 16 shared by the client and the public services. Figure 2 shows the residential protection services center in Figure 1, with the access covers for the utility and the customer removed. The housing 10 receives a cable containing the alternating current lines 20a and 20b and the neutral 20c, which are connected to the input side of the base 22 of the tray of the alternating current meter. Also connected to base 22 of the AC power meter tray is a conductor 32 to ground, which functions as a common ground. The neutral wires 20c and 20f are connected to the conductor 32 to ground. At the time of installation, a ground connection 30 is inserted into the housing and connected to the conductor 32 to ground by means of a suitable electrical connector 40. The wires 20d and 20e connect the output side of the base 22 of the AC power meter tray to the input side of the client ON / OFF switch 50, which allows the customer to interrupt the power to the residence . The output side of the switch 50 is connected to the electrical distribution network of the customer, through an automatic circuit interruption panel or fuse box. The housing 10 may also contain a protector 48 against overvoltage of alternating current, to protect the AC power lines from overvoltage conditions. The surge protector 48 is connected to the residential side of the meter 12 and to the conductor 32 to earth, by means of a conductor 34 to ground. The surge protector 48 against alternating current may be, for example, an irruptive wave arrester Model EMC 240A or Model EMC 240B made by Til Industries, Inc., Copiague, N.Y. The surge protector 48 against alternating current may contain LED indicators 48a, 48b (light emitting diodes) that provide an indication when the protection has failed for each of the alternating current lines. In addition to the alternating current power lines, the housing 10 also receives the cable 24 containing the lines of the telephone company ("telco") that carry voice and / or data signals. The telco lines are connected to the overvoltage protection devices 42 (which may also include overcurrent protection) that protect the telco lines. A suitable overvoltage protection device is Model Number MSP 350 made by Til Industries, Inc., Copiague, N.Y. An adequate overvoltage and overcurrent protection device is Model Number 356M3 also made by Til Industries. The telco lines are also connected to client bridge modules 44 that interconnect the telco lines and those of the client. The client bridge modules 44 preferably contain a RJ-11 type receptacle 60, which provides a demarcation point between the telco lines and the client lines, as explained more fully below. The surge protection devices 42 are connected to a conductor 36 to ground, which is connected to the common ground 32. The housing 10 also receives a coaxial transmission line 26, which can carry video signals from a cable television company or a satellite dish. The coaxial transmission line is connected to a coaxial connector 52 that preferably includes a coaxial breakwave arrester that can be, for example, an E210 Model made by Til Industries, Inc., Copiague, N.Y. Subsequently, the coaxial irruptive wave arrester is described in more detail. The coaxial connector is mounted on a ground conductor 38, which may take the form of a ground plate, as shown in Figure 2. The coaxial ground conductor 38 is connected to the conductor 32 to ground at point 40, at where the ground connection 30 is connected to the conductor 32 to ground. Also mounted on the ground conductor 38 is a coaxial splitter 54 that divides the input coaxial transmission line into four output coaxial transmission lines. The coaxial splitter 54 may include an amplifier to compensate for the signal attenuation caused by the partitioning of the signal and / or to match the impedances of the input and output coaxial transmission lines. Figures 3 to 5 show different grounding configurations for the residential protection services center of the present invention. Because the approach of Figures 3 to 5 is in the ground connection, the different components located in the housing 10 are indicated in Figures 3 to 5 by solid or dashed lines. Therefore, the base 22 of the AC power meter tray, the AC breaker 48, and the coaxial ground conductor 38, are indicated with solid lines, while the breakers 42 of breakthrough waves. of the telephone line and the coaxial connectors 52 are indicated by dashed lines. In Figure 3 the ground conductor 32 is the main ground bus, and is connected between the base 22 of the AC power meter tray and the connection 30 to ground. The conductor 34 to ground is connected between the grounding bus 32 and the AC breaker 48, the grounding conductor 36 is connected between the grounding conductor 32 and the breaker arresters 42 of the telephone line, while conductor 56 to ground, which is shown as a junction wire, connects plate 38 to coaxial ground at point 40, where connection 30 to ground is connected to bus 32 to ground. In this way, the coaxial ground plate is directly connected to the ground connection, and is not connected to the ground connection by means of the ground conductor 36, which is used to ground the irruptive wave arresters 42 of the telephone line. In Figure 4 the ground conductor 32 is the main ground bus, and is connected between the base 22 of the AC power meter tray and the connection 30 to ground. The conductor 34 to ground is connected between the grounding bus 32 and the breaker 48 of breakthrough AC waves, while the grounding conductor 36 is connected between the grounding bus 32 and both the irruptive wave arresters 42 the telephone line as the plate 38 to coax ground. In Figure 4 the coaxial ground plate is connected to the ground connection by means of the same grounding bar 36 which is used to ground the breaker arresters 42 of the telephone line.In Figure 5 the conductor 32 to ground is the main ground bus, and is connected between the base 22 of the AC power meter tray and the connection 30 to ground. The ground conductor 34 is connected between the grounding bus 32 and the AC breaker 48, the grounding conductor 36 is connected between the grounding bus 32 and the breaker arresters 42 of the telephone line , while the coaxial ground plate 38 is connected to the collecting bar 32 to ground at a point which is intermediate to the connection 40 between the connection 30 to earth and the collecting bar 32 to ground, and the connection between the collecting bar 32 to ground and the base 22 of the AC power meter tray. In both Figure 5 and Figure 3 the coaxial ground plate 38 is not connected to ground by the grounding bus bar 36 which is used to ground the break-wave arresters 42 of the telephone line. Only in the ground connection configuration shown in Figure 4, the coaxial ground plate 38 is connected to ground using the grounding bus 36. Figure 6 is a reproduction of Figure 14 of U.S. Patent No. 5,566,056 issued to Chaudhry on October 15, 1996. Figure 6 illustrates a coaxial breakwave arrester, which can be used in connector 52 of coaxial cable of Figure 2. As explained in column 6, line 54 to column 7, line 51 of U.S. Patent Number 5,566,056, a portion of interior surface 214 of conductive housing 202, and a portion of the outer surface 216 of the central conductor 206 becomes roughened, for example, by means of threads or other forms of trimming, to concentrate the electric field and increase the reliability of the operation of the gas discharge tube. In addition, as with conventional gas discharge tubes, the surfaces 214 and 216 are preferably coated with a low working function material to reduce voltage interruption and improve the ignition characteristics of the gas discharge tube. The gas discharge occurs in region "G" between surfaces 214 and 216. Region "G" is the active discharge region. As also shown in Figure 6, the distance between the inner surface of the conductive housing 202 and the outer surface of the central conductor 206 varies along the length of the center conductor. Put another way, the ratio of the internal diameter D of the housing 202 to the external diameter d of the central conductor 206 varies along the length of the central conductor. The D / d ratio may vary by a factor of 2 or 3 or more along the length of the central conductor 206. This variation in the D / d ratio is used to adjust the impedance of the gas discharge tube, and to match the impedance of the irruptive wave arrester in which the gas discharge tube is located, with that of the gas discharge line. coaxial transmission to which the irruptive wave arrester is attached. The impedance of a coaxial transmission line is proportional to the logarithm of (D / K) / d, where "D" is the internal diameter of the external conductor, "d" is the external diameter of the internal conductor and "K" is the dielectric constant of the medium between the internal and external conductors. In the case of the gas discharge tube shown in Figure 6, the medium is an inert gas having a dielectric constant of about one. Therefore, the impedance of the gas discharge tube varies between the insulation ends as the logarithm of the D / d ratio. The insulation ends 204 are preferably ceramic and the ceramic has a dielectric constant of almost eight. By varying the D / d ratio along the length of the central conductor 206, one can compensate for the changes in the impedance caused by, inter alia, the dielectric constants of the isolation ends 204. The portion of the gas discharge tube 200 that is used for the impedance match is designated with the letter "I", to distinguish it from the "G" region of active discharge. See Figure 14 of the United States Patent Number 5,566,056. In addition to adjusting the D / d ratio inside the gas discharge tube, it is also possible to adjust the length of the "G" region of active gas discharge, relative to the length of the "I" region of impedance matching , to match the impedance of the gas discharge tube with that of the coaxial transmission line. Therefore, for a 50 ohm coaxial transmission line, the ratio of the "G" region to the "I" region may be in the order of one to one, while for a 75 ohm coaxial transmission line, the ratio of region "G" to region "I" may be in the order of one to two. Figure 7 shows a switchable, plug-activated type RJ-11 receptacle 60 for use in the client bridge module 44 shown in Figure 2. The receptacle 60 is adapted to be connected to a test telephone 70. Under normal operation (no obturator in the line for switchable cable) the telco wires 62a, 62b are connected to the customer wires 64a, 64b. When a plug is inserted into the receptacle, the telco wires are disconnected from the customer's wires and connected to the wires 66a, 66b, which are then connected to the test telephone 70. This configuration provides a demarcation pin between the telco lines and those of the client. Figures 8 and 9 are reproduced from Figures 17 and 18 of U.S. Patent Number 5,553,136, issued to Meyerhoefer et al. On September 3, 1996. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the receptacle 60 switch-activated shutter has a customer contact 78, for connection to customer wires, a telco contact 80 for connection to the telco wires, and a test contact 82 for connection to a shutter. The test contact 82 is not in the same plane as the contacts 78 and 80 of the client and telco. Note that the contact 78 of the customer and the contact 80 of telco are of a material of heavier gauge (and therefore have a greater capacity to carry current) than the test contact 82. This increases the reliability of the switchable enclosure as a mechanism to connect the telco and customer lines. Figures 8 and 9 also show the interaction of customer, telco and test contacts. As one of ordinary skill in the art will understand, although Figures 8 and 9 only show a set of customer, telco and test contacts, the switchable receptacle 60 has two sets of those contacts to accommodate the pair of telco wires. and the client. When the shutter is not plugged into the receptacle 60, the telco contact 80, and therefore the telco wires, are connected to the customer's contact 78, and therefore the customer's wires, and the test contact 82 is outside the circuit. When the plug is inserted into the receptacle 60, the contact 78 of the customer, and therefore the customer's wires, is disconnected from the telco contact 80, and therefore from the telco wires, and the telco contact and the contacts. Telco wires are connected to the test contact 82 in the receptacle 60, which coincides with the contacts in the test receptacle RJ-ll. See also Figures 14-16 of U.S. Patent No. 5,553,136, which shows the mechanical interaction between the test plug and the switchable receptacle. Figures 14-16 are incorporated herein by reference. Figure 10 is a perspective view of another residential protection services center, in accordance with the present invention. The protection center 100 is designed to be located inside a residence, and comprises a housing that contains AC power line protection, voice telephone line protection, high-speed data line protection, and line protection. coaxial transmission. The AC power line protection can be an EMC 240A or EMC 240B Model irruptive wave arrester made by Til Industries, Inc., Copiague, N.Y. and identified in Figure 2 with the number 48. The surge arrester of the AC power line has the indicators 48a, 48b which provide an indication when the protection for each of the alternating current lines has failed. The protection center 100 also provides protection for a coaxial transmission line, having an input 104 and an output 106, for a voice telephone line having an input 108 and the output 110, and for a high-speed data line having an input 112 and an output 114. Voice telephone line 108, 110 is shown connected to the protection center by means of RJ-type sockets and receptacles 116, which are preferably RJ-11 sockets and receptacles. The high-speed data line 112, 114 is shown connected to the protection center by means of RJ-type sockets and receptacles 118, which are preferably RJ-45 sockets and receptacles. Although only one coaxial transmission line is shown in Figure 10, there may be multiple coaxial transmission lines from, for example, CATV and a satellite dish. Similarly, although only one voice telephone line and one high-speed data line are shown, there may be multiple voice telephone lines and / or multiple high-speed data lines. It is intended that Figure 10 be merely to illustrate some of the different types of telecommunications lines that can be protected using common ground. The coaxial transmission line is preferably protected by means of a coaxial irruptive wave suppressor, which has been previously described. See the coaxial breakwave suppressor 52 in Figure 2, and the coaxial breakwave 200 suppressor in Figure 6, and U.S. Patent Number 5,566,056. In Figures 16A and 16B, which are described in detail below, the preferred overvoltage / overcurrent protection circuits for the high-speed data line 112, 114 are schematically shown. In Figures 17A and 17B, which are described in detail below, the preferred overvoltage / overcurrent protection circuits for the voice telephone line are shown schematically. The overvoltage / overcurrent protection circuit for the voice telephone line is connected between the RJ-11 receptacles, mounted in the housing 102, while the overvoltage / overcurrent protection circuit for the high-speed data line is connected between the RJ-45 receptacles mounted in the housing 102. Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of the residential protection services center of Figure 10. Figure 11 shows the coaxial transmission line 104, 106 and the wave suppressor 52 irruptive coaxial, which protects the coaxial transmission line from overvoltage conditions. Figure 11 also shows the telephone voice line 108, 110 and the overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit 109 that protects that line from overvoltage and overcurrent conditions. Figure 11 also shows high-speed data line 112, 114 and overcurrent and overcurrent protection circuit 113, which protects that line from over-voltage and over-current conditions. Figure 11 also shows the manner in which the protection center is wired within an automatic interruption panel of the circuit or distribution panel. As shown in Figure 11, four cables are connected between the protection center and the panel: the wire 124 is connected to an alternating current line, the wire 126 is connected to a second line of alternating current, the wire 128 is connected to a neutral alternating current, while the wire 130 is connected to a common ground. In the Til EMC device 240, the wires 124 and 126 are black, the wire 128 is white and the wire 130 is green. In the protection center 100 the earths for the protection of alternating current, the coaxial protection, the protection of the telephone voice line, and the protection of the high-speed data line are preferably connected together. Figure 12 is a perspective view of another residential protection services center in accordance with the present invention. Figure 12 shows a protection center 150 which is designed to be located inside a residence, and which comprises a housing having a base 152 and a cover 154. Mounted in the housing is an AC power line protector 48 (described previously), which has indicators 48a, 48b. Also mounted in the housing is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) 156 having an ON / OFF switch 158, and an indicator light 160. The AC line power protector 48 and the UPS 156 are connected by means of a terminal block 162. The four wires (124, 126, 128, 130) from the alternating current power line protector 48 are numbered as in Figure 11. Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the residential protection services center of Figure 12. The input 156a of the UPS 156 is connected to the AC power source, through the terminal block 162, while the output 156b of the UPS 156 is connected to the load, through the terminal block 162. The UPS 156 and the alternating current protector 48 are connected to a common ground 164, which is connected to a grounding bus 132 in the distribution panel. Figure 14 is a perspective view of another residential protection services center in accordance with the present invention. The protection center 22 is designed to be located inside a residence, and comprises a housing having a base 222 and a cover 224. The housing houses the protection for voice telephone lines, high-speed data lines and lines of coaxial transmission. The coaxial breakwave arrester 52 (described previously) is connected to an external coaxial transmission line 226, which can carry CATV or satellite TV signals. The output of the coaxial break wave arrester 52 is connected to the input of the RF amplifier 230. The output of the RF amplifier 230 is connected to a 1 x 3 coaxial splitter 232, one output of which is connected to a 1 x 4 coaxial splitter 54 (see Figure 2). The outputs 228a to 228d of the splitter 54 are then distributed inside the residence as desired. The power is supplied to the RF amplifier 230, by means of the alternating current power transformer 234. The protection center 220 also handles the distribution of the internal coaxial transmission lines that are used, for example, for the local area networks (LAN's) inside the residence. The coaxial transmission line 236 is an internal coaxial transmission line that comes, for example, from a router. This is connected to the input of a block converter 240, a / k / a distribution device (DD). The output of the block converter 240 is connected to a 1 x 4 coaxial splitter 54, which outputs 238a to 238d, which can then be distributed throughout the residence as desired.

The protection center 220 also provides protection for high-speed voice lines and data lines using, for example, modular splitters that contain the appropriate protection circuits. As shown in Figure 14, the protection center 220 contains the modules 242 and 244, which are adapted to connect to voice telephone lines and which contain overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuits for the voice telephone lines. The module 242 contains an input receptacle 242A, and four output receptacles 242b to 242e, while the module 244 contains an input receptacle 244a and the output receptacles 244b to 244e. Each module 242, 244 divides an incoming voice telephone line into four output voice lines, while simultaneously protecting the voice telephone line from over-voltage and over-current conditions. In Figures 17A and 17B, which are described below, the current protection circuits for the voice telephone line are shown. The protection center 220 also contains the modules 246 and 248 which are adapted to connect to high-speed data lines and which contain overcurrent and overcurrent protection circuits for the high-speed data lines. The module 246 contains an input receptacle 246a, and four receptacles 246b through 246e of output, while the module 248 contains an input receptacle 248a and four receptacles 248b through 248e of output. Each module 246, 248 divides a high-speed data entry line into four high-speed output data lines, while simultaneously protecting the high-speed data line from over-voltage and over-current conditions. In Figures 16A and 16B, which are described below, the current protection circuits for the high-speed data lines are shown. As shown in Figure 14, the receptacles in the modules 244 to 248 are preferably RJ type receptacles, and the protection circuits are connected between the input and output receptacles. The RJ-11 receptacles are preferably used in the voice telephone line modules, while the RJ-45 receptacles are preferably used in the modules of the high-speed data line. Figure 15 is a schematic diagram for the residential protection services center 220 of Figure 14. In Figure 15 only the protection portion of the protection center 220 is shown. Therefore, Figure 15 does not show the internal coaxial transmission line distribution system, which is not protected by coaxial breakwave suppressors. The protection center 220 is connected to the collector bar 132 to ground in the distribution panel, in order to provide a common ground. Alternating current power is also supplied to the power transformer 234, from the distribution panel. Inside the protection center 220 all protection circuits and devices are connected to a common ground. Therefore, the protection center 220 contains a ground bus 250, to which the voice telephone line protection modules 242, 244, and the data line protection modules 246, 248 are connected. high speed. The coaxial break wave suppressor 52 is connected to the bus bar 250 to ground via the conductor 252 to ground. It should be noted that although Figures 12 and 14 show the protection of the AC power line and the UPS in a housing, and the protection of the voice telephone line, the high-speed data line, and the line of Coaxial transmission in another housing, you can include all the protection in a single housing. How protection is physically divided between accommodations is a matter of choice. Therefore, all or part of the protection can be included in the same housing that contains the circuit's automatic interruption panel. No matter how physically divided, the protection device is still preferably joined to a common ground. The common ground can be provided by means of a localized ground bus, for example, on the circuit's automatic interruption panel, or by connecting individual wires to ground to a ground connection external to the residence, or by means of of a combination of the above. The best protection is obtained when all the lands are connected together in close physical proximity. Figure 16A is a schematic diagram of an overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit 300, which is adapted to be connected in series with a twisted pair without wire protection carrying digital input signals in an Ethernet or "X" DSL network, which includes different forms of Digital Subscriber Line technology. The circuit 300 has an input side (receive) and an output side (receive). The input side is adapted to be connected to a source of digital signals at terminals 312 and 314. The source may be, for example, the output of an optical network unit (ONU), a hub, a computer, a network of local area (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). The output side of the circuit 300 is adapted to be connected to a destination of digital signals at terminals 340 and 342. The destination may be, for example, a computer or a LAN and one or more servers, and one or more personal computers ( PCs) can be connected to the LAN. Circuit 300 provides protection against both primary and secondary overvoltage, as well as overcurrent protection. The overcurrent protection is provided by means of the positive temperature coefficient resistors (PTCRs) 316 and 318, which are connected in series with the twisted pair without wire protection carrying the digital input signals. The PTCRs can be of type TR600-150 that are available with the Raychem Corp., Menlo Park, CA. The primary overvoltage protection section comprises a three-electrode gas discharge tube 320 which is connected through the twisted pair of wires carrying the digital input signals. The gas discharge tube 320 is conducted when the voltage in any of the twisted wires exceeds a threshold value. The insulation material failure voltage can be between about 150 and about 300 volts, preferably with a failure voltage of insulating material in the order of 250 volts. In the United States Patent Number 4,212,047 to Napiorkowski, a suitable three-electrode gas discharge tube is shown. Suitable three-electrode gas discharge tubes are also available with Til Industries, Inc., Copiague, NY, such as type Til 71 or type 73/75, with an insulation voltage range of 150-300. VDC As will be understood by those skilled in the art, two two-electrode gas discharge tubes can be used in place of a single three-electrode gas discharge tube, and the use of two two-electrode gas discharge tubes is the full equivalent of the use of a three-electrode gas discharge tube. In the present invention, three-electrode gas discharge tubes are preferred to two-electrode gas discharge tubes and, therefore, three-electrode gas discharge tubes are shown in Figures 16A and 16B. The secondary overvoltage protection section of circuit 300 comprises diodes 326 to 336, and avalanche diode 338. The diodes 326 to 332 form a diode bridge and the avalanche diode 338 is connected through the diode bridge. The diode bridge is connected through the twisted pair of wires carrying the digital input signals, and limits the voltage on those wires in the event that the voltage substantially exceeds, for example, normal digital signal levels. Typical digital signal levels are plus or minus five volts. The diodes 326 to 332 can be PIV diodes of the type IN4007, 1 amp, 1000 volts. The diodes 334 and 336 can be PIV diodes of the type RL204G, 2 amp, 1000 volts. The diode 338 can be an avalanche diode type 1.5KE12, 12 volts. Alternatively, the diode 338 may be two low-capacitance diodes, connected in series, of 6 volts, 1500 watts made by Samtech of 650 Mitchell Road, Newbury Park, CA 91320, and sold under part number LC01-6. The use of two avalanche diodes connected in series provides two benefits: (1) the capacity of handling the breakthrough wave energy of the protector is doubled and (2) the capacitance offered to the diode bridge is halved. Two diodes of avalanche connected in parallel could also double the capacity of handling of breakthrough waves, but the diodes do not have the same voltage of failure of inting material, and therefore do not share the energy in the same way. On the other hand, the use of two avalanche diodes connected in parallel causes the capacitance of the diode bridge to be doubled, which can significantly attenuate the digital signal. The excessive positive voltages appearing on the terminal 340 are held by the diodes 326 and 336 and the avalanche diode 338. The excessive negative voltages appearing on the terminal 340 are held by the diodes 328 and 334 and the avalanche diode 338. To the excessive positive voltages that appear in the terminal 342 are held by the diodes 332 and 336 and the avalanche diode 338. To the excessive negative voltages that appear in the terminal 342 the diodes 330 and 334 and the avalanche diode 338 hold them. If diode 338 is a 12 volt avalanche diode, then at voltages exceeding approximately plus or minus 15 volts would be held by the secondary protection circuit. If the 338 diode is two 12-volt avalanche diodes connected in series, then at the voltages exceeding approximately 35 volts the secondary protection circuit would hold them. The avalanche diodes are available with many different fault voltages of inting material, and the clamping voltage can be chosen by means of selecting suitable avalanche diodes. Figure 16B is a schematic diagram of an overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit 350, which is the same as circuit 300, and operates in the same manner. The terminals 352 and 354 are connected to the twisted pair without wire protection which carry high speed digital signals from the destination back to the source, while the terminals 356 and 358 are connected to the twisted pair without wire protection which are connected to the wire. the fountain. Figure 17A is a schematic diagram of an overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit 370 for a voice telephone line. The circuit 370 is connected between the receptacles 372 and 374 RJ-11. The circuit comprises fuses 375 and 376, which can be 250 volt, 350 milliampere fuses made by Littelfuse, and sold under part number 220-003. These fuses protect against overcurrent conditions. The circuit 370 further includes the resistors 377 and 378 which may be resistors of 10 ohms, 5 watts. These resistors limit the current flowing through the circuit in the case of an overvoltage condition. Circuit 370 also includes MOVs 379 and 380 that can be obtained with Harris Semiconductor Corp. under part number V180ZA10. The MOVs start clamping at around 200 volts and the maximum clamping voltage is about 300 volts. The conductor 382 is grounded and earthed the MOVs 379 and 380. Figure 17B is a schematic diagram of an alternative overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit 390 for a voice telephone line. The only difference between circuit 370 and circuit 390 is that circuit 370 uses a pair of MOVs, while circuit 390 uses a three-electrode gas tube. In this application a three-electrode gas tube is equivalent to a pair of MOVs connected back to back. Instead of a three-element gas tube, you can also use a pair of gas tubes of two elements, connected back to back. A suitable three-element gas tube is a Til 11 gas tube, made by Til Industries, Inc., Copiague, New York. Figure 18 is a perspective drawing of another embodiment 400 of the residential protection service center of the present invention. As shown in Figure 18, the service center is designed to be mounted outside the residence. The alternating current lines 20a, 20b and the neutral 20c are placed in a housing having a base 404 and an access cover 406, by means of a conduit 402. The housing also contains the alternating current meter 12 . Attached to the housing is an alternating current overvoltage protection circuit 48 (described previously) having the indicators 48a and 48b. A second housing comprising the base 408 and the access cover 410 is located below the first housing. The second housing receives the telephone lines (not shown) and a coaxial transmission line 26. Figure 19 shows the second housing with the access cover removed. As shown in Figure 19, the second housing contains the network interface devices (NIDs) 412 and 414 and subscriber bridge modules 44. The NID 412 handles the telephone lines, while the NID 414 handles the coaxial transmission lines. Between the first and second housings the conductor 32 is connected to ground, to establish a common ground. Although this is the preferred configuration, separate conductors can be extended to ground from each housing, and connected to a ground connection. Figure 20 shows the second housing with the access cover removed and the covers on the NIDs 412 and 414 in the open position. As shown in Figure 20, NID 412 contains overvoltage protection devices 42, which provide the primary overvoltage protection for telephone lines. The NID 414 contains a coaxial irruptive wave arrester 52 (described previously), which provides the primary overvoltage protection for the coaxial transmission line. A 1 x 4 coaxial splitter 54 is connected to the output of the coaxial breakwave arrester, and divides the coaxial input line 26 into four coaxial output lines 26a to 26d. Figure 21 is a schematic diagram of an alternate current overvoltage protection circuit 420, which can be used in any of the residential protection service centers shown in Figures 2, 10, 12 and 18, instead of the EMC devices 240. The circuit 240 is connected to the alternating current power lines at terminals 422 and 424, and to the alternating current neutral at 426. The circuit 420 comprises the temperature detection fuses 428 and 430. Suitable fuses are made by Microtemp Corp. and are available under part number 4178A1. Connected to the fuses 428 and 430, respectively, are the MOVs 432 and 434, which can be obtained with the Harris Semiconductor Corp. under part number V131A40. Connected between the two MOVs and the neutral AC is a three-electrode gas tube 436 which can be a Til 11 gas tube made by Til Industries, Inc., Copiague, New York. The MOVs 432 and 434 begin to clamp to approximately 350 volts, while the tube 436 of gas can have a failure voltage of insulating material of 260 to 600 volts. Although a single three-electrode gas tube 436 is shown in Figure 21, a pair of two-electrode gas tubes connected back to back can also be used, and are equivalent to a three-electrode gas tube in this application. Connected between an alternating current line and the neutral AC line is the light emitting diode (LED) 438 and the resistor 442 in series. Connected between the other line of alternating current and the neutral of alternating current is a second LED 440 and a second resistance 444. The LEDs 438 and 440 can be green, and are available with the Dial Light Corp., while resistors 442 and 444 can be 10K ohm resistors, half a watt. The LEDs light up when the overvoltage protection is in effect. See indicators 48a and 48b in Figure 2. As noted above, fuses 428 and 430 are temperature sensitive fuses, therefore, as the temperature of the fuse increases, the capacity to carry the current of the fuse decreases. fuse. The fuses 428 and 430 are located in close physical proximity to the MOVs 432 and 434 and the gas tube 436. In the absence of an overvoltage condition, the gas discharge tube 436 has an open circuit (essentially infinite impedance) and, therefore, no current flows through the MOVs 432 and 434. When an overvoltage condition exists , the gas discharge tube 436 conducts (presenting a low impedance), and the MOVs fix, the alternating current lines at a low voltage, avoiding by the same as the energy between the residence. The use of a gas discharge tube in combination with the MOVs has two advantages. First, it extends the life of the MOVs because there is no dispersion current through the MOVs in the absence of an overvoltage condition. Secondly, because MOVs only drive when there is an overvoltage condition, MOVs of lower voltage can be used, which fix the alternating current lines to a lower voltage than would be possible if a tube was not used. gas discharge. This improves the protection provided by the overvoltage protection circuit. Although the present invention has been described by reference to different preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made in those preferred embodiments, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In accordance with the foregoing, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the preferred embodiments described, but that it has the full scope afforded by the following claims.

Claims (12)

1. A residential protection service center apparatus comprising: (a) a housing; (b) an overvoltage protection circuit of alternating current, located inside the housing to protect the AC power lines from overvoltage conditions, the AC surge protection circuit having at least three conductors, a first adapted conductor to connect to a first AC power line, a second conductor adapted to be connected to a second AC power line, and a third conductor adapted to be connected to the AC neutral, the circuit further comprising (1) a first temperature detection fuse connected in series with the first conductor, (2) a second temperature detection fuse connected in series with the second conductor, (3) a three-electrode gas discharge tube, the first electrode being connected to the neutral of alternating current, (4) a first MOV connected between the first fuse and the second electrode of the gas pipe, and (5) a second MOV connected between the second fuse and the third electrode of the gas pipe, wherein the first and second fuses are located in close physical proximity to the gas pipe and the MOVs. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises an indicator associated with each line of alternating current, to provide an indication of the presence or absence of the overvoltage protection. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises an overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit, located inside the housing, and adapted to be connected in series with a voice telephone line and a common ground, to protect the telephone line from voice of overvoltage and overcurrent conditions. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises first and second overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuits, located inside the housing, and adapted to be connected in series with a high-speed data line, and a common ground, for Protect the high-speed data line from over-voltage and over-current conditions. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a coaxial irruptive wave arrester, located inside the housing and adapted to be connected in series with a coaxial transmission line and a common ground, to protect the coaxial transmission line of conditions of overvoltage. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises: (a) an overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit, located inside the housing and adapted to be connected in series with a voice telephone line and a common ground to protect the line voice telephone overvoltage and overcurrent conditions; and (b) a coaxial irruptive wave arrester, located within the housing and adapted to be connected in series with a coaxial transmission line and common ground to protect the coaxial transmission line from overvoltage conditions. The apparatus of claim 3 or claim 6, characterized in that it also comprises first and second RJ type connectors, adapted to be connected to the voice telephone line, and wherein the overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit protecting the telephone line of voice is connected between the first and second connectors type RJ. The apparatus of claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises an uninterruptible power supply having at least two conductors, a conductor being adapted to be connected to an AC power line, and a conductor being adapted to be connected to the neutral of alternating current. The apparatus of claim 5 or claim 6, wherein the coaxial breakwave arrester comprises (a) a hollow conductive housing; (b) insulating ends adapted to seal the housing; (c) an inert gas sealed in the housing; (d) a conductor extending through the housing, the conductor having a longitudinal axis oriented in a direction parallel to the direction of signal transmission; and (e) the diameter of the conductor being changed along at least a portion of the length of the conductor inside the housing, to match the impedance of the irruptive wave arrester with that of the coaxial transmission line. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein both the first overcurrent and overcurrent protection circuit and the second overcurrent and overcurrent protection circuit comprise a gas discharge tube and a diode bridge with a connected diode of avalanche. through the diode bridge. The apparatus of claim 3 or claim 6, wherein the overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit protecting the voice telephone line from overvoltage and overcurrent conditions comprises: (a) a first fuse, a first resistance and a first MOV connected in series between a first input telephone line conductor and the common ground, a first output telephone line conductor being connected between the first resistor and the first MOV; and (b) a second fuse, a second resistor and a second MOV connected in series between a second input telephone line conductor and the common ground, a second output telephone line conductor being connected between the second resistance and the second MOV . The apparatus of claim 3 or claim 6, wherein the overvoltage and overcurrent protection circuit protecting the telephone voice line of overvoltage and overcurrent conditions comprises: (a) a first fuse and a first resistor connected in series, the first fuse being connected to a first incoming telephone line conductor; (b) a second fuse and a second one connected in series, the second fuse being connected to a second input telephone line conductor; and (c) a three-electrode gas discharge tube, the first electrode being connected to the first resistance, the second electrode being connected to the second resistance, and the third electrode being connected to the common earth, a first line conductor output telephone being connected to the first electrode, and a second output telephone line conductor being connected to the second electrode.