Direct current circuit breaker

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Power Supply (H02J)

Published March 31st, 2026

Detected March 31st, 2026

Summary

USPTO granted patent US12592566B2 to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation for a direct current circuit breaker with dual-breaking unit design combining resonance current superposition and semiconductor switching. This routine patent grant provides Mitsubishi Electric exclusive rights to the technology in the US market.

View original document View source feed page

What changed

USPTO granted patent US12592566B2 to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation on March 31, 2026, for a direct current circuit breaker invention. The patent (Application No. 18576148, filed September 27, 2021) covers a dual-breaking unit design where the first unit uses resonance current superposition to create current zero points for breaking, while the second unit employs semiconductor switching. The patent contains 6 claims and is classified under CPC H02J 3/36.

Competitors in the power electronics and circuit protection space should review this patent when developing DC circuit breaker technologies. Legal and R&D teams should assess whether their products or development pipelines could infringe on these claims. No immediate compliance actions are required as this is a patent grant, not a regulatory mandate.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

Direct current circuit breaker

Grant US12592566B2 Kind: B2 Mar 31, 2026

Assignee

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Inventors

Takashi Inagaki, Sho Tokoyoda, Kenji Kamei

Abstract

A direct current circuit breaker includes a first breaking unit and a second breaking unit. The first breaking unit includes: a first circuit breaker inserted in a direct current line; and a resonance circuit unit that generates a resonance current. The first breaking unit forms a current zero point by superimposing the resonance current on a direct current flowing through the direct current line, and breaks the direct current by opening the first circuit breaker. The second breaking unit includes a semiconductor element, allows the direct current to flow when energization of the semiconductor element is ON, and breaks the direct current by switching energization of the semiconductor element from ON to OFF.