DYNAMIC REAL TIME TRANSMISSION LINE MONITOR AND METHOD OF MONITORING A TRANSMISSION LINE USING THE SAME

• US 20140266237A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lindsey Manufacturing Co.
• Original Assignee: Lindsey Manufacturing Co.
• Inventors: LINDSEY, Keith E., SPILLANE, Philip E., WANG, An-Chyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,784,766 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/512
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/142 Arrangements for simultaneous measurements of several parameters employing techniques covered by groups G01R15/14 - G01R15/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/085 in power transmission or distribution lines, e.g. overhead

Abstract

A dynamic real time transmission line monitor, a dynamic real time transmission line monitoring system, and a method of dynamic real time transmission line monitoring. A dynamic real time transmission line monitor includes a housing installable on a transmission line, the housing including a base portion, and a cover portion coupled to the base portion and defining a cavity of the housing together with the base portion; a sensor configured to sense in real time at least one of a temperature, a position, a current, an acceleration, a vibration, a tilt, a roll, or a distance to a nearest object; and an antenna in the cavity of the housing and configured to transmit a signal including information sensed by the sensor away from the monitor in real time.

Claims

1. A dynamic real time transmission line monitor comprising:

a housing installable on a transmission line, the housing comprising;

a base portion; and

a cover portion coupled to the base portion and defining a cavity of the housing together with the base portion, at least one of the cover portion or the base portion being movable relative to the other between an open position of the housing in which a length of the transmission line is receivable in the cavity, and a closed position of the housing in which the length of the transmission line is retained in the cavity;

a sensor configured to sense in real time at least one of a temperature, a position, a current, an acceleration, a vibration, a tilt, a roll, or a distance to a nearest object; and

an antenna in the cavity of the housing, the antenna configured to transmit a signal including information sensed by the sensor away from the monitor in real time.

2. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 1, wherein the cover portion comprises a semiconductive material.

3. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 2, wherein a thickness of the cover portion is less than one tenth of a skin depth of the semiconductive material at which radio waves are blocked.

4. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 1, further comprising a first alignment portion, and a second alignment portion corresponding to the first alignment portion and configured to engage the first alignment portion for aligning the cover portion on the base portion.

5. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 4, wherein the first alignment portion comprises a cone-shaped protrusion extending toward the cover portion, and the second alignment portion comprises a recess having a shape corresponding to that of the protrusion for receiving the protrusion therein.

6. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 1, wherein the dynamic real time transmission line monitor is powered by a current of the transmission line.

7. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of LIDAR sensor, a laser sensor, a temperature sensor, or an accelerometer.

8. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises a temperature sensor, and the dynamic real time transmission line monitor further comprises a target portion in contact with the transmission line, the temperature sensor being configured to sense a temperature of the target portion.

9. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 8, wherein the target portion comprises a black anodized aluminum target.

10. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 1, further comprising a travel bolt, and a keeper portion engaged with the travel bolt and comprising a biasing mechanism biasing the housing toward the open position, the keeper portion being descendible upon rotation of the travel bolt to move the housing to the closed position, and being further descendible upon further rotation of the travel bolt to retain the transmission line after the housing is in the closed position.

11. The dynamic real time transmission line monitor of claim 1, further comprising an electronics assembly in the housing and being configured to receive the information from the sensor and cause the antenna to transmit the signal including the information.

12. A dynamic real time transmission line monitoring system comprising:

a dynamic real time transmission line monitor comprising;

a housing installable on a transmission line;

a sensor configured to sense in real time at least one of a temperature, a position, a current, an acceleration, a vibration, a tilt, a roll, or a distance to a nearest object; and

an antenna in the cavity of the housing, the antenna configured to transmit a signal including information sensed by the sensor away from the monitor in real time; and

a remote receiving device receiving the signal from the dynamic real time transmission line monitor.

13. The dynamic real time transmission line monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the remote receiving device comprises at least one of a monitoring station or another dynamic real time transmission line monitor.

14. The dynamic real time transmission line monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the remote receiving device comprises a computer to accumulate data from the sensor and to calculate real time dynamic transmission line ratings of a critical span of the transmission line using the data accumulated from the sensor, local weather data, and an established algorithm.

15. The dynamic real time transmission line monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the computer calculates a maximum line rating of the transmission line for a next day using the accumulated data and a weather prediction for the next day.

16. The dynamic real time transmission line monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the system is configured to take a corrective action based on at least one of the sensed distance to the nearest object or the calculated real time dynamic transmission line ratings.

17. A method of dynamic real time transmission line monitoring, the method comprising:

providing a dynamic real time transmission line monitor on a transmission line;

sensing in real time at least one of a temperature, a position, a current, an acceleration, a vibration, a tilt, a roll, or a distance to a nearest object using a sensor of the dynamic real time transmission line monitor; and

transmitting a signal including information sensed using the sensor to a remote receiving device in real time.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the providing the dynamic real time transmission line monitor on the transmission line comprises installing the dynamic real time transmission line monitor on the transmission line while the transmission line is live.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the installing the dynamic real time transmission line monitor on the transmission line further comprises installing the dynamic real time transmission line monitor on the transmission line using a hot stick or bare hand.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the dynamic real time transmission line monitor includes a housing including a base portion and a cover portion coupled to the base portion and defining a cavity of the housing together with the base portion, and at least one of the cover portion or the base portion is movable relative to the other between an open position of the housing in which the cover portion and the base portion are spaced apart, and a closed position of the housing, and wherein the installing the dynamic real time transmission line monitor on the transmission line comprises:

inserting a length of the transmission line between the cover portion and the base portion into the cavity while the housing is in the open position; and

moving the at least one of the cover portion or the base portion relative to the other to the closed position to retain the length of the transmission line in the cavity.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a LIDAR sensor, a laser sensor, a temperature sensor, or an accelerometer.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the remote receiving device comprises at least one of a monitoring station or another dynamic real time transmission line monitor.

23. The method of claim 17,

wherein the providing the dynamic real time transmission line monitor on the transmission line comprises providing the dynamic real time transmission line monitor on a critical span of the transmission line, and

wherein the method further comprises calculating real time dynamic transmission line ratings using local weather data and an established algorithm.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising calculating a maximum line rating of the transmission line for a next day using data measured by the dynamic real time transmission line monitor and a weather prediction for the next day.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising taking a corrective action based on at least one of the sensed distance to the nearest object or the calculated real time dynamic transmission line ratings.