Load management control system and method
First Claim
1. A power distribution system including load tap changing transformers and associated conventional voltage maintenance circuits, comprising:
- substation controller means, associated with each load tap changing transformer, for responding to overide and control signals input thereto to override normal tap changing operation of said voltage maintenance circuits, and for subsequently and selectively controlling the tap position of said tap changing transformer to produce step changes in the line voltage output of said tap changing transformer to thereby produce an encoded message;
central station controller means for inputting said override and control signals to said substation controller means; and
,a plurality of load control receiver means for monitoring said step line voltage changes caused by said load tap changing transformer and, in response to said encoded message, selectively interrupting power to loads which are uniquely associated with each of said plurality of receiver means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A load management control system and method which communicates load shedding information from a central station controller via existing telephone lines to a substation controller. The substation controller in turn controls the tap position selection of a load tap changing transformer to send encoded step voltage signals down a power distribution line to a load control receiver. The load control receiver decodes the encoded signal message and appropriately controls uniquely associated loads. The substation controller interrupts automatic operation of the voltage maintenance circuitry of the load tap changing transformer during transmission of a message. Control is returned to the automatic circuitry of the load tap changing transformer after the message is completed so as to make existence of the load management control system of the present invention transparent to existing equipment in the field. The method of the present invention maximizes utilization of existing lines of communication and existing power distribution field equipment while minimizing the effect on that same equipment.
81 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A power distribution system including load tap changing transformers and associated conventional voltage maintenance circuits, comprising:
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substation controller means, associated with each load tap changing transformer, for responding to overide and control signals input thereto to override normal tap changing operation of said voltage maintenance circuits, and for subsequently and selectively controlling the tap position of said tap changing transformer to produce step changes in the line voltage output of said tap changing transformer to thereby produce an encoded message; central station controller means for inputting said override and control signals to said substation controller means; and
,a plurality of load control receiver means for monitoring said step line voltage changes caused by said load tap changing transformer and, in response to said encoded message, selectively interrupting power to loads which are uniquely associated with each of said plurality of receiver means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In combinsation, a telecommunications and power distribution network, comprising:
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a plurality of two-way telecommunications links established respectively between a central station controller and a plurality of substation controllers; a plurality of load tap changing transformers, each of which is uniquely associated with a respective one of said substation controllers; and a plurality of load control receivers associated with a power distribution line of a given load tap changing transformer, each load control receiver having a plurality of loads uniquely associated therewith;
wherein;load-shedding information is originated by the central station controller, transmitted via said telecommunications links to selected substation controllers, impressed in a coding scheme on respective power distribution lines by said substation controller by causing tap position changes specified in said load-shedding information to occur in said transformers so as to generate an encoded signal over the power distribution line, said encoded signal being decoded and executed by said load control receivers so as to shed loads designated by said load-shedding information. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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12. A method of controlling loads through a power distribution system, comprising the steps of:
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selectively controlling the tap position of a tap changing transformer to generate step line voltage changes in said tap changing transformer output to thereby produce a multi-bit digitally encoded signal impressed on the line voltage; monitoring the line voltage and decoding said encoded signal; and selectively deenergizing specific loads in accordance with said encoded signals. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of controlling loads by selectively positioning the tap position of a tap changing transformer, comprising the steps of:
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interrupting the normal tap changing operation of voltage maintenance circuitry associated with said tap changing transformer; selectively raising and lowering said tap position to generate step voltage changes in the line voltage produced by said transformer, wherein said step voltage changes constitute a multi-bit encoded message; monitoring said line voltage and distinguishing between normal tap changing operations and tap changes which constitute said encoded message; when said message is present, receiving and decoding said message to obtain load control information contained therein; and controlling said loads in accordance with the load control information. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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Specification