Research on Time–Frequency Domain Characteristics Analysis of Fault Arc Under Different Connection Methods

Arc fault detection is a key technology for preventing electrical fires. However, existing research has primarily focused on series connections, with insufficient attention paid to parallel load conditions, which are prevalent in real-world residential electricity usage. In accordance with the UL 1699 and IEC 62606 standards, this study established an experimental platform for arc faults, incorporating seven single loads (categorized into four types) and nine multi-load combinations. A systematic analysis of the differences in time–frequency characteristics under different connection modes was conducted. Time-domain and frequency-domain analyses revealed that under parallel connection the dispersion of arc fault time-domain characteristics decreases by more than 50% and the fundamental frequency component increases significantly. For parallel multi-load scenarios, the fundamental component of resistive combinations can reach 90%, while the frequency variance of inductive combinations can be as high as 400,000. By elucidating the time–frequency domain characteristics of parallel arc faults, this study proposes an optimized feature parameter analysis scheme for electrical fire monitoring systems. Based on this, this paper proposes an arc fault detection method using the Dual-Channel Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN). The method achieves 97.09% recognition accuracy for arc faults with different connection modes. Comparative experiments with other models and ablation studies show that the model attains 98.52% detection accuracy, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed method. This approach can significantly improve the accuracy of arc fault detection in multi-load environments, thereby enabling early warning of electrical circuit faults and potential fire hazards.