Safe Exposed Conductor Power Distribution System
First Claim
1. ) A power distribution system for regulating the transfer of energy from a source to a load comprising:
- a) source controller means on the source side of said power distribution system responsive to sensing means that provides feedback to the source controller that includes at least a signal indicative of the voltage across the source terminals;
b) source disconnect device means responsive to a control signal from the source controller for electrically connecting or disconnecting the source from the source terminals;
c) load controller means on the load side of said power distribution system responsive to sensing means that provides feedback to the load controller that includes at least a signal indicative of the voltage across the load terminals;
d) load disconnect device means responsive to a control signal from the load controller for electrically connecting or disconnecting the load from the load terminals;
e) logic means implemented in at least the source controller for determining, based on a predetermined set of conditions that includes at least if the change in voltage across the source terminals in respect to time falls outside a predetermined range, if the source disconnect device should be opened to interrupt the electrical connection between the source and source terminals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A power distribution system that can detect an unsafe fault condition where an individual or object has come in contact with the power conductors. A block diagram of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The power distribution system regulates the transfer of energy from a source 1 to a load 3. Periodically, source controller 5 opens S1 disconnect switch 7 and load controller 9 opens S2 disconnect switch 13. A capacitor 4 represents that capacitance across the load terminals. If the capacitor discharges at a rate higher or lower than predetermined values after S1 and S2 are opened, then a fault condition is registered and S1 and S2 will not be commanded to return to a closed position, thus isolating the fault from both the source and load.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. ) A power distribution system for regulating the transfer of energy from a source to a load comprising:
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a) source controller means on the source side of said power distribution system responsive to sensing means that provides feedback to the source controller that includes at least a signal indicative of the voltage across the source terminals; b) source disconnect device means responsive to a control signal from the source controller for electrically connecting or disconnecting the source from the source terminals; c) load controller means on the load side of said power distribution system responsive to sensing means that provides feedback to the load controller that includes at least a signal indicative of the voltage across the load terminals; d) load disconnect device means responsive to a control signal from the load controller for electrically connecting or disconnecting the load from the load terminals; e) logic means implemented in at least the source controller for determining, based on a predetermined set of conditions that includes at least if the change in voltage across the source terminals in respect to time falls outside a predetermined range, if the source disconnect device should be opened to interrupt the electrical connection between the source and source terminals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. ) A method for implementing a power distribution system for the transfer of energy from a source to a load, where the power distribution system can detect unsafe conditions that include electrically conducting foreign objects or individuals that have come in contact with exposed power distribution system conductors, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) executing an algorithm in the source controller to acquire a first measurement of the voltage across the source terminals using source terminal voltage sensing means, and storing the first voltage measurement in the memory a source controller; b) executing algorithms in the source controller and a load controller to generate signals responsive to open a source disconnect device means and a load disconnect device means, resulting in the interruption of the electrical connection between the source and the source terminals and from the source terminals to the load; c) after a predetermined time has expired, acquiring a second measurement of the voltage of the source terminals using the source terminal voltage sensing means and storing the second voltage measurement in the memory of the source controller; d) executing an algorithm in the source controller to calculate the mathematical difference between the first stored voltage measurement and the second stored voltage measurement, where the mathematical difference represents the discharge rate of the capacitance as seen across the source and load and terminals; e) generating signals from the source controller to close the source disconnect device means and the load disconnect device means only if the discharge rate of the capacitance falls within a predetermined set of values, and where a discharge rate outside of the predetermined set of values indicates that there is a conducting foreign object or individual making electrical contact with the source or load terminals, or a failure in the power distribution system hardware. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification