SELF-CALIBRATING CONTACTLESS POWER CONSUMPTION SENSING

• US 20150002137A1
• Filed: 09/12/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Belkin International Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Patel, Shwetak N., Gupta, Sidhant, Reynolds, Matthew S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,766,277 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/130
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/207 Constructional details independent of the type of device used
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/00 Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor G01R7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/001 Measuring real or reactive component; Measuring apparent energy G01R21/01, G01R21/02, G01R21/08, G01R21/10 and G01R21/127 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/06 by measuring current and voltage G01R21/08 - G01R21/133 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/005 Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence

Abstract

A system for sensing electrical power usage in an electrical power infrastructure of a structure. The system can include a sensing device configured to be attached to a panel of the circuit breaker box overlying at least part of the one or more main electrical power supply lines. The system also can include a calibration device configured to be electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure of the structure. The system further can include one or more processing modules configured to receive one or more output signals from the sensing device. The sensing device can be devoid of being electrically or physically coupled to the one or more main electrical power supply lines or the electrical power infrastructure when the sensing device is attached to the panel. Other embodiments are provided.

Claims

1. A system for sensing electrical power usage in an electrical power infrastructure of a structure, the structure comprising a circuit breaker box and one or more main electrical power supply lines for the electrical power infrastructure of the structure, the system comprising:

a sensing device configured to be attached to a panel of the circuit breaker box overlying at least part of the one or more main electrical power supply lines, the sensing device comprising one or more magnetic field sensors;

a calibration device configured to be electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure of the structure, the calibration device comprising a load unit; and

one or more processing modules configured to receive one or more output signals from the sensing device,

wherein;

the sensing device is devoid of being electrically or physically coupled to the one or more main electrical power supply lines or the electrical power infrastructure when the sensing device is attached to the panel; and

the one or more processing modules are further configured to determine the electrical power usage when the sensing device is coupled at any location over the panel, based at least in part on the one or more output signals received from the sensing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more processing modules are configured to determine the electrical power usage when the sensing device is devoid of being located over the one or more main electrical power supply lines, is devoid of being located over one or more branch electrical power lines that are electrically coupled to the one or more main electrical power supply lines, and is devoid of being located over one or more branch circuit breakers that are electrically coupled to the one or more branch electrical power lines.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more processing modules are configured to determine the electrical power usage when the sensing device is devoid of being located at a predetermined location over the panel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the load unit of the calibration device is configured to provide a maximum load of no more than 1000 watts.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the load unit of the calibration device is configured to provide a maximum load of no more than 300 watts.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more processing modules are further configured to determine a phase difference between an electrical current flowing in the one or more main electrical power supply lines and a voltage of the one or more main electrical power supply lines.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the one or more processing modules are further configured to determine a real power usage based at least in part on the phase difference.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the sensing device further comprises one or more magnets surrounding the one or more magnetic field sensors, the one or more magnets configured to saturate a magnetic field induced by the panel.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the load unit of the calibration device is configured to draw no more than four discrete loads.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the load unit of the calibration device is configured to draw a range of loads;

the one or more processing modules are configured to use the sensing device to determine a range of electrical power usage; and

the range of loads is less than the range of electrical power usage.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the range of loads is less than 20% of the range of electrical power usage.

12. A method of sensing electrical power being provided to a structure using a sensing device, a calibration device, and one or more processing modules, the sensing device comprising one or more magnetic field sensors, the sensing device being attached to a panel of a circuit breaker box, the panel of the circuit breaker box overlying at least a part of one or more main electrical power supply lines for an electrical power infrastructure of a structure, the calibration device comprising a load unit, the calibration device being electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure of the structure, the method comprising:

automatically calibrating the sensing device by determining a first transfer function in a piecewise manner based on a plurality of ordinary power consumption changes in the structure; and

determining a power consumption measurement using the one or more processing modules based on one or more output signals of the sensing device and the first transfer function.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

automatically calibrating the sensing device by determining the first transfer function in the piecewise manner based on the plurality of ordinary power consumption changes in the structure over the first time period comprises;

iteratively predicting the first transfer function by the one or more processing modules based at least in part on (a) measured regions of magnetic flux measured by the sensing device before and after the load unit of the calibration device applies a load and (b) extrapolated regions outside the measured regions.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein:

automatically calibrating the sensing device by determining the first transfer function in the piecewise manner based on the plurality of ordinary power consumption changes in the structure over the first time period iteratively comprises;

training a neural network model upon sensing a triggering event corresponding to the plurality of ordinary power consumption changes to determine a second transfer function converting a magnetic field change measurement to a current change value; and

updating the first transfer function with the one or more processing modules based at least in part on the second function, the first transfer function being configured to convert a magnetic field measurement to an absolute current value.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

training the neural network model upon sensing the triggering event comprises;

upon sensing a first change in magnetic flux corresponding to the triggering event, measuring one or more first magnetic field values from the sensing device;

applying a predetermined load of the load unit of the calibration device to the electrical power infrastructure, the predetermined load drawing a first current amount;

sensing one or more second magnetic field values of the sensing device while the predetermined load is applied to the electrical power infrastructure; and

using the one or more processing modules to train the neural network model using the one or more first magnetic field values and the one or more second magnetic field values as an input layer of the neural network model, and the first current amount as an output layer of the neural network model.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the triggering events comprise the plurality of ordinary power consumption changes in which the one or more first magnetic field values measured from the sensing device correspond to an extrapolated region of the first transfer function.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein:

automatically calibrating the sensing device by determining the first transfer function in the piecewise manner based on the plurality of ordinary power consumption changes in the structure is performed over a first time period; and

the first time period is at least 48 hours.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the load unit of the calibration device is configured to provide a maximum load of no more than 1000 watts.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the load unit of the calibration device is configured to provide a maximum load of no more than 300 watts.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the load unit of the calibration device is configured to draw no more than four discrete loads.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the load unit of the calibration device is configured to draw a range of loads;

after the sensing device is calibrated, the one or more processing modules are configured to use the sensing device to determine a range of power consumption measurements; and

the range of loads is less than the range of power consumption measurements.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the range of loads is less than 20% of the range of power consumption measurements.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein:

determining the power consumption measurement using the one or more processing modules based on the one or more output signals of the sensing device and the first transfer function comprises;

determining a phase difference between an electrical current flowing in the one or more main electrical power supply lines and a voltage of the one or more main electrical power supply lines.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

determining the power consumption measurement using the one or more processing modules based on the one or more output signals of the sensing device and the first transfer function further comprises;

determining a real power usage based at least in part on the phase difference.

25. A method of sensing electrical power being provided to a structure using a sensing device, a calibration device, and one or more processing modules, the sensing device being attached to a panel of a circuit breaker box, the panel of the circuit breaker box overlying at least a part of one or more main electrical power supply lines for an electrical power infrastructure of a structure, the calibration device comprising a load unit, the method comprising:

determining a current flowing in the one or more main electrical power supply lines based at least in part on one or more output signals of the sensing device; and

determining a phase difference between the current flowing in the one or more main electrical power supply lines and a voltage of the one or more main electrical power supply lines measured by the calibration device,

wherein;

the calibration device is electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure of the structure;

the sensing device comprises one or more magnetic field sensors configured to measure a magnetic flux produced by at least a part of the one or more main electrical power supply lines and generate the one or more output signals of the sensing device based on the magnetic flux measured by the sensing device; and

the sensing device is devoid of being electrically or physically coupled to the one or more main electrical power supply lines.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein:

determining the phase difference between the current flowing in the one or more main electrical power supply lines and the voltage measured by the calibration device electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure of the structure comprises;

determining a phase of the current based on a phase of the magnetic flux measured by the sensing device.

27. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

determining a real power usage based at least in part on the phase difference.