Apparatus and method for monitoring and controlling detection of stray voltage anomalies

• US 20090195255A1
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Osmose Utilities Services Incorporated (Osmose Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Power Survey LLC
• Inventors: Polyzois, Christos Alkiviadis, Paragano, Vincent, Kalokitis, David, Schultz, Leonard Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 8,598,864 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/522
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0871 Complete apparatus or systems; circuits, e.g. receivers or amplifiers G01R29/0878, G01R29/0892 take precedence; dosimeters, warning devices G01R29/0857
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0878 Sensors; antennas; probes; detectors wave guide measuring sections G01R1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/14 Measuring field distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/085 in power transmission or distribution lines, e.g. overhead

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for detecting stray voltage anomalies in electric fields are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for detecting an electrical field may comprise: at least one sensor probe for generating data corresponding to an electrical field detected by the at least one sensor probe, wherein the at least one sensor probe comprises at least one electrode; a processor, coupled to the at least one sensor probe, for analyzing the data to identify a voltage anomaly in the electric field; and an indicator, coupled to the processor, for alerting a user to a presence of the voltage anomaly in the electric field.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting an electrical field, comprising:

at least one sensor probe for generating data corresponding to an electrical field detected by the at least one sensor probe, wherein the at least one sensor probe comprises at least one electrode;

a processor, coupled to the at least one sensor probe, for analyzing the data to identify a voltage anomaly in the electric field; and

an indicator, coupled to the processor, for alerting a user to a presence of the voltage anomaly in the electric field.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one analog to digital converter respectively coupled to each of the at least one electrodes for digitizing electrical signals received from the at least one electrode representative of the electrical field detected.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the apparatus coupled to a vehicle; and

at least one measuring device coupled to the vehicle for determining at least one of the location of the apparatus, a distance traveled by the apparatus, or a speed at which the apparatus is moving.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indicator is at least one of an audio or visual indicator.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the audio indicator emits a variable pitched tone corresponding to a magnitude of the measured electric field.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one camera for collecting video images of a patrolled area.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wireless transceiver for transmitting and receiving data to and from at least one remote device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a computer having a graphical user interface for analyzing and capturing a monitored event depicting the electric field.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

at least one camera, coupled to the computer, for collecting video images of a patrolled area, wherein the collected video images are displayed on a graphical display of data of the graphical user interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the graphical display of data further comprises:

a raw electric field measurement plot;

an adaptive threshold plot; and

a processed electric field measurement plot.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the adaptive threshold plot is set relative to a local ambient or background noise level that is generated from data gathered prior to and proceeding measurement of raw electric field data.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the graphical display of data further comprises:

an indicator to alert a user to the presence of a voltage anomaly in the electric field, wherein the voltage anomaly in the electric field is present when the processed electric field measurement plot exceeds the adaptive threshold plot.

13. A mobile apparatus for detecting an electric field in a patrolled area, comprising:

at least one sensor probe for generating data corresponding to an electric field detected by the at least one sensor probe, wherein the at least one sensor probe comprises at least one electrode;

at least one amplifier having an input coupled to each of the at least one electrode for adjusting a sensitivity of the sensor probe;

a processor, coupled to the at least one sensor probe, for analyzing the data to identify a voltage anomaly in the electric field;

at least one image recording device, coupled to the processor, for collecting video images of a patrolled area;

at least one measuring device for determining the location of the apparatus;

an indicator, coupled to the processor, for alerting a user to a presence of the electric field; and

a wireless transceiver component for transmitting and receiving data associated with the captured event to and from at least one remote device.

14. A method for detecting an electric field, comprising:

a) sensing an electric field using at least one sensor probe, wherein the at least one sensor probe comprises at least one electrode;

b) identifying a location of the sensor probe;

c) collecting data representing the electrical field sensed by the at least one sensor probe;

d) analyzing the collected data to identify a voltage anomaly in the electric field; and

e) providing an indicator to alert a user to a presence of the voltage anomaly in the electrical field.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the indicator is at least one of an audio or visual indicator.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

f) digitizing electrical signals representative of the electric fields sensed by the sensor probe; and

g) processing the digitized electrical signals, wherein the digitized electrical signals are averaged commensurate with a speed at which the sensor probe is moving;

wherein f) and g) occurs between c) and d).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein processing the digitized electrical signals comprises using a Fast Fourier Transform at a rate that is a multiple of an expected frequency of the electric field.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein processing the digitized electrical signals further comprises averaging the Fast Fourier Transformed digitized electrical signals at a rate that is representative of the speed at which the at least one sensor probe is moving.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein processing the digitized electrical signals further comprises comparing the averaged Fast Fourier Transformed digitized electrical signals to a threshold value for providing an indication of the voltage anomaly in the electric field.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

(h) storing at least one of the data corresponding to the electric field detected by the at least one sensor probe, data corresponding to the location of the sensor probe, or data corresponding to the speed of which the sensor probe is moving to a storage device.