Branch circuit monitor system

• US 20060238932A1
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric USA, Inc. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Hancock, Martin A., Cowan, Peter C., Westbrock, William B. Jr., Gillis, Michael James, Lindsay, Hugh
• Granted Patent: US 7,453,267 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/42
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0038 concerning the connection of the detecting means, e.g. for reducing their number
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0061 concerning transmission of signals transmission of measured quantities or switching orders; sectionalised protection involving signal transmission between at least two stations H02H7/261; comparison of the voltage or current values at two spaced portions of a single system H02H3/28; transferring the output of a sensing member to another variable G01D5/00; electrical measuring arrangements using modulation of electromagnetic waves, e.g. light beams G01R15/24, G01R15/26
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/006 Calibration or setting of parameters

Abstract

A branch circuit monitoring system includes a plurality of current sensor modules that are installable in a panelboard. Each of the current sensor modules may be associated with a respective one of a plurality of branch circuits included in the panelboard. Each of the current sensor modules may include a current sensor, operating logic and a communication module. The current sensor may measure a power parameter of the respective branch circuit associated therewith. The operating logic may be coupled with the current sensor and the communication module, and may direct the overall functionality of the current sensor module. The communication module may be operable to communicate with a device external to the current sensor module.

Claims

1. A branch circuit monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of current sensor modules, each of said current sensor modules comprising;

a current sensor operative to measure at least one power parameter of a respective branch circuit line;

operating logic coupled with said current sensor; and

a communication module operative to establish communications with an external device, said communication module coupled with said operating logic.

2. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said communication module is operative with selective functionality to communicate in any of a plurality of protocols, and wherein said protocols comprise at least two of a BACnet protocol, a Profibus protocol, an IEC 870 protocol, a Lonworks protocol, a simple network management protocol, a distributed network protocol, or a Modbus protocol, or a combination thereof.

3. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 2, wherein said selective functionality is operable to detect incoming communication that is one of said protocols and switch between said protocols to communication in said detected one of said protocols.

4. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said communication module comprises a communication link that is formed with one of an infrared connection, a Bluetooth connection, a radio frequency connection, a Zigbee interface connection, or an 802.11 interface connection.

5. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said communication module is operative to enable electronic mail client communication.

6. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said external device comprises another current sensor module, an external monitoring device, an external digital network, or a combination thereof.

7. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said external device comprises a digital network, wherein said operating logic includes digital networking logic operative to enable direct communication between said current sensor modules and said digital network, and wherein said digital network is at least one of an Internet, a wide area network, or a local area network, or combinations thereof.

8. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 7 wherein said communication module is operative to enable communication with at least one of cellular phone communication, pager communication, or a combination thereof.

9. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 7 wherein said communication module is operative to enable electronic mail applications that include SMTP, MIME, and POP network communication protocols, or a combination thereof.

10. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said operating logic contains a unique identifier that is one of a port address representative of said respective branch circuit line and a radio frequency identification chip number.

11. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said operating logic is operative to generate a web-based configuration page, said web-based configuration page operable to enable menu-driven configuration of said current sensor modules.

12. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said operating logic includes power management logic functions comprising at least one of a sliding window demand function, a harmonics function, a waveform capture function, a time synchronization function, a power quality analysis function, a transient detection function or a fast Fourier transform analysis function, or a combination thereof.

13. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 12 wherein said time synchronization function is operative to include a time reference in data communicated from each of said current sensor modules.

14. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said communication module includes a security client application operative to provide a secure communication link with said external device.

15. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 1 wherein said current sensor, said operating logic and said communication module are embedded in one of a circuit breaker or said respective branch circuit line.

16. A branch circuit monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of current sensor modules, each of said current sensor modules comprising;

a current sensor operative to measure a power parameter of a respective branch circuit line;

operating logic coupled to said current sensor; and

communication means for communicating with an external device, said communication means coupled with said operating logic;

wherein at least some of said current sensor modules comprise a visual indicator indicative of a status of said respective branch circuit line.

17. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 16 wherein said visual indicator is a light emitting device.

18. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 17 wherein said light emitting device is a plurality of light emitting devices each representative of a portion of a load on said respective branch circuit line, and a number of light emitting devices lit at any given time is a visual indication of a remaining load capacity of said respective branch circuit line.

19. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 16 wherein said visual indicator comprises a display screen operative to display at least one of alphanumeric or graphical representations of at least one of a current characteristic or a voltage characteristic of said respective branch circuit line.

20. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 16 wherein said visual indicator is indicative of at least one predefined alarm condition of said respective branch circuit line.

21. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 16 wherein said communication means is operative to enable communication over a power line carrier.

22. A branch circuit monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of current sensor modules, each of said current sensor modules comprising;

a current sensor operative to measure a power parameter of a respective branch circuit line;

operating logic coupled with said current sensor;

a communication module operative to communicate with an external device, wherein said communication module is coupled with said operating logic; and

a power supply operative to supply power to said current sensor module that is independent of said respective branch circuit line.

23. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 22 wherein said power supply enables powering of each of said current sensor modules from power suppliable with a communication line that is coupled with each of said current sensor modules.

24. The branch circuit monitoring system of claim 22 wherein said power supply enables powering of each of said current sensor modules from an electric field of said respective branch circuit line.