Devices, systems and methods for data transmission over a communication media using modular connectors

• US 10,585,125 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EI Electronics LLC (Hubbell, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electro Industries
• Inventors: Banhegyesi, Tibor
• Primary Examiner(s): Zakaria, Akm
• Application Number:
  US15/166,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20160349295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/25 using digital measurement techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/1333 adapted for special tariff measuring
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/801 using optical interconnects, e.g. light coupled isolators, circuit board interconnections

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods for coupling sensors to intelligent electronic devices (IED'"'"'s), e.g., an electrical power meter, via various communication media are provided. The present disclosure provides a mechanism for coupling an IED to another desired device, e.g., a current sensor, using modular connectors (e.g., a RJ-45 connector) and fiber-optic cables. The present disclosure also provides for coupling devices using modular connectors via wired or wireless connectivity.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one first fiber-optic cable including at least one first modular connector coupled to a first end of the at least one first fiber-optic cable and at least one second modular connector is coupled to a second end of the at least one first fiber-optic cable;

at least one first current sensor comprising;

a housing configured to be coupled to at least one first transmission line of a power distribution system;

a coil disposed within the housing, the coil wrapped around a magnetic core, wherein at least one first voltage signal is induced on the coil when current passes through the at least one first transmission line; and

at least one first modular receptacle disposed on the housing and configured to receive the at least one first modular connector, the at least one first modular receptacle coupled to the coil to provide the at least one first voltage signal to the at least one first modular connector; and

at least one intelligent electronic device (IED) comprising;

a housing;

at least one second modular receptacle disposed on the housing, wherein the at least one second modular receptacle is configured to receive the at least one second modular connector; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one second modular receptacle, the at least one processor is configured to receive the at least one first voltage signal and calculate energy consumption in the at least one transmission line;

wherein, the at least one first modular connector includes at least one first voltage to light conversion (VLC) circuit disposed therein and configured to convert the at least one first voltage signal received from the at least one first modular receptacle to at least one first light signal and provide the at least one first light signal to the at least one second modular connector via the at least one first fiber-optic cable, and

the at least one second modular connector includes at least one first light to voltage conversion (LVC) circuit disposed therein and configured to convert the at least one first light signal to the at least one first voltage signal and provide the at least one first voltage signal to the at least one processor via the at least one second modular receptacle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one first modular receptacle and the at least one second modular receptacle are each configured as an RJ-45 jack and the at least one first modular connector and the at least one second modular connector are each configured as an RJ-45 plug.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one analog to digital converter coupled between the at least one second modular receptacle and the at least one processor, wherein the at least one first voltage signal is an analog signal and the at least one analog to digital converter receives the at least one first voltage signal, converts the at least one first voltage signal to at least one first digital signal and provides the at least one first digital signal to the at least one processor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the at least one first voltage signal induced on the coil is used to supply power to the at least one first VLC circuit in the at least one first modular connector.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a photovoltaic cell coupled to the at least one first current sensor, the photovoltaic cell configured to convert received light into electrical power and provide the electrical power to the at least one first VLC circuit in the at least one first modular connector via at least one conductive line of the at least one first modular receptacle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the photovoltaic cell is disposed on a surface of the housing of the at least one first current sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a light source module coupled to the at least one second modular connector, the light source module configured to output a power light signal to the at least one first modular connector via the at least one first fiber-optic cable, wherein the power light signal provides power to the at least one first VLC circuit.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the light source module is disposed in the at least one second modular connector.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the light source module is disposed in the at least one IED.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the output of the light source module is in the range of about 5 watts to about 8 watts of power.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a power supply disposed in the housing of the at least one IED, the power supply configured to power the at least one first LVC circuit in the at least one second modular connector via at least one conductive line of the at least one second modular receptacle.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the light source module includes a laser diode for generating the power light signal.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one first modular connector, the at least one first modular receptacle, the at least one second modular connector, and the at least one second modular receptacle each include at least one first conductive line,

the at least one first conductive line of the at least one first modular receptacle contacting the at least one first conductive line of the at least one first modular connector when the at least one first modular connector is received by the at least one first modular receptacle such that the at least one first current sensor provides the at least one first voltage signal to the at least one first VLC circuit via the at least one first conductive line of the at least one first modular receptacle and the at least one first conductive line of the at least one first modular connector,

the at least one first conductive line of the at least one second modular receptacle contacting the at least one first conductive line of the at least one second modular connector when the at least one second modular connector is received by the at least one second modular receptacle such that the at least one first LVC circuit provides the at least one first voltage signal to the at least one processor of the IED via the at least one first conductive line of the at least one second modular receptacle and the at least one first conductive line of the at least one second modular connector.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one first modular connector and the at least one first modular receptacle each include at least one first conductive line,

the at least one first conductive line of the at least one first modular receptacle contacting the at least one first conductive line of the at least one first modular connector when the at least one first modular connector is received by the at least one first modular receptacle, such that the at least one first current sensor provides power to the at least one first VLC circuit via the at least one first conductive line of the at least one first modular receptacle and the at least one first conductive line of the at least one first modular connector using a portion of the at least one first voltage signal induced on the coil.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one first modular connector includes a light to voltage power conversion module configured to convert the power light signal received from the light source module to electrical power to provide power to the at least one first VLC circuit.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one first modular connector includes at least one second LVC circuit and the at least one second modular connector includes at least one second VLC circuit, such that the at least one first modular connector and the at least one second modular connector enable the at least one first current sensor and the at least one IED to communicate bi-directionally via light signals transmitted over the at least one first fiber-optic cable.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one IED is an electrical energy meter, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), a Remote Terminal Unit, a protective relay and/or a fault recorder.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one IED is a socket meter, a panel meter, a switchboard meter and/ or a circuit breaker meter.

19. A system comprising:

at least one first fiber-optic cable including a first end and a second end;

at least one first modular connector coupled to the first end of the at least one first fiber-optic cable and at least one second modular connector coupled to the second end of the at least one first fiber-optic cable;

at least one first device including at least one first modular receptacle configured to receive the at least one first modular connector, the at least one first device configured to provide at least one first electrical signal to the at least one first modular connector via the at least one first modular receptacle;

at least one intelligent electronic device (IED) including at least one second modular receptacle configured to receive the at least one second modular connector,

the at least one first modular connector includes at least one first voltage to light conversion (VLC) circuit disposed therein and configured to convert the at least one first electrical signal received from the at least one first device to at least one first light signal and provide the at least one first light signal to the at least one second modular connector via the at least one first fiber-optic cable and the at least one second modular connector includes at least one first light to voltage conversion (LVC) circuit disposed therein and configured to convert the at least one first light signal to the at least one first electrical signal and provide the at least one first electrical signal to the at least one first IED via the at least one second modular receptacle, wherein the at least one IED further includes a power supply coupled to the at least one second modular receptacle for supplying power to the at least first one LVC circuit in the at least one second modular connector; and

a light source module for outputting a light signal of predetermined optical power through the at least one first fiber-optic cable to the at least one first modular connector to supply power to the at least one first modular connector.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the light source module includes a laser diode for generating the light signal of predetermined optical power.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one first modular connector includes a light to voltage power conversion module configured to convert the light signal of predetermined optical power received from the light source module to electrical power to provide power to the at least one first VLC circuit.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one first modular receptacle and the at least one second modular receptacle are each configured as an RJ-45 jack and the at least one first modular connector and the at least one second modular connector are each configured as an RJ-45 plug.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the light source module is disposed in the at least one second modular connector.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the light source module is disposed in the at least one IED.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one IED is an electrical energy meter, a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), a Remote Terminal Unit, a protective relay and/or a fault recorder.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the at least one IED is a socket meter, a panel meter, a switchboard meter and/or a circuit breaker meter.

27. A system comprising:

at least one first fiber-optic cable including at least one first modular connector coupled to a first end of the at least one first fiber-optic cable and at least one second modular connector is coupled to a second end of the at least one first fiber-optic cable;

at least one first current sensor comprising;

a housing configured to be coupled to at least one first transmission line of a power distribution system;

a coil disposed within the housing, the coil wrapped around a magnetic core, wherein at least one first voltage signal is induced on the coil when current passes through the at least one first transmission line;

at least one first modular receptacle disposed on the housing and configured to receive the at least one first modular connector, the at least one first modular receptacle coupled to the coil to provide the at least one first voltage signal to the at least one first modular connector; and

a photovoltaic cell disposed on a surface of the housing of the at least one first current censor, wherein the at least one first modular connector includes a light source module positioned such that when the at least one first modular receptacle receives the at least one first modular connector, the light source module is disposed adjacent to the photovoltaic cell, the light source module is configured to output light to the photovoltaic cell and the photovoltaic cell is configured to convert the received light into electrical power and provide the electrical power to the at least one first VLC circuit in the at least one first modular connector via at least one conductive line of the at least one first modular receptacle; and

at least one intelligent electronic device (IED) comprising;

a housing;

at least one second modular receptacle disposed on the housing, wherein the at least one second modular receptacle is configured to receive the at least one second modular connector; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one second modular receptacle, the at least one processor is configured to receive the at least one first voltage signal and calculate energy consumption in the at least one transmission line;

wherein, the at least one first modular connector includes at least one first voltage to light conversion (VLC) circuit disposed therein and configured to convert the at least one first voltage signal received from the at least one first modular receptacle to at least one first light signal and provide the at least one first light signal to the at least one second modular connector via the at least one first fiber-optic cable, and

the at least one second modular connector includes at least one first light to voltage conversion (LVC) circuit disposed therein and configured to convert the at least one first light signal to the at least one first voltage signal and provide the at least one first voltage signal to the at least one processor via the at least one second modular receptacle.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one fiber-optic cable includes a plurality of optical fibers and a portion of the plurality of optical fibers are disposed in the light source module and configured to output the light to the photovoltaic cell.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the light outputted by the portion of the plurality of optical fibers is received via a light signal module coupled to the fiber-optic cable.