Motor operator for over-head air break electrical power distribution switches
First Claim
1. An operator for an overhead electrical power switch, in which the operator comprises:
- a controlled motor drive adapted to be coupled to an overhead electrical power switch;
motor drive position sensor producing a signal representing motor drive position; and
dynamic controller for controlling said motor drive in response to the signal produced by said motor drive position sensor, said dynamic controller comprising a digital processor having switch opening and closing modes, said switch opening and closing modes computing stopping distance of said motor drive as a function of motor drive speed determined from the signal representing motor drive position and turning off said motor drive before a predetermined end point of travel of said motor drive in accordance with said computed stopping distance.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A motor operator for an overhead power switch is disclosed including a microcontroller, a unique and powerful array of well-integrated sensors, a motor and drive developing substantial torque and speed and coupled to a switch actuator and responsive to the microcontroller, and a sophisticated program algorithm stored in memory at the actuator site for dynamically controlling, i.e., governing the various control modes as called for by changing conditions. The sensors include an encoder associated with the motor and drive that develops position information signals fed to the dynamic microcontroller to compute real time information including position, speed, and stopping distance used in conjunction with remote operate commands to open, close and monitor status of the switch in the various ways disclosed. Under the supervision of the microcontroller, a motor drive power switching circuit selectively applies a source of power, such as from an on site battery, to an electric motor to drive the switch toward open or closed position at different speeds, output force levels such as at different torques, and in continuous or incremental movements depending on conditions determined by the microcontroller in response to sensor inputs.
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Citations
78 Claims
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1. An operator for an overhead electrical power switch, in which the operator comprises:
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a controlled motor drive adapted to be coupled to an overhead electrical power switch;
motor drive position sensor producing a signal representing motor drive position; and
dynamic controller for controlling said motor drive in response to the signal produced by said motor drive position sensor, said dynamic controller comprising a digital processor having switch opening and closing modes, said switch opening and closing modes computing stopping distance of said motor drive as a function of motor drive speed determined from the signal representing motor drive position and turning off said motor drive before a predetermined end point of travel of said motor drive in accordance with said computed stopping distance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A motor operator for an electrical power switch coupled to the operator by a switch actuator, in which the motor operator comprises:
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a motor drive adapted to be coupled to the switch actuator, said motor drive having variable output drive levels;
motor drive position sensor producing an electrical signal representing motor drive position;
controlled motor drive power conditioning circuit for applying power to said motor drive; and
a digital controller having a first input adapted for receiving a switch close or open command signal for causing an open or closed state of the switch, a second input coupled to said position sensor for receiving the electrical signal representing motor drive position, a memory for storing digital travel limits representing positions for a switch in open and closed states respectively, said digital controller having an output coupled to said motor drive power conditioning circuit for applying power to said motor drive, said digital controller having a plurality of control modes responsive to command signals and said second input, the plurality of control modes including respective opening and closing modes to cause the actuator to move the switch to its open or closed state respectively in response to an open or close command signal respectively and stored digital travel limits in said memory, the plurality of control modes further including an override control mode responsive to indications of the switch being mechanically blocked or stuck to cause said motor drive power conditioning circuit to vary application of power to said motor drive, the closing mode further including causing said controlled motor drive power conditioning circuit to produce said variable output drive levels during closing. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
motor drive output force level sensing producing an electrical signal representing a level of force output to the switch actuator; and
said digital controller being responsive to said signal representing level of force output.
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27. The motor operator of claim 26 said wherein the override control mode is responsive to a sensing of output force level of said motor drive and said position sensor to alter the application of power to said motor drive.
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28. The motor operator of claim 26, wherein said override control mode is responsive to a motor drive output force level for causing said power conditioning circuit to reverse direction of said motor drive.
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29. The motor operator of claim 25, wherein said motor drive has stopping characteristics that predict the position of a switch after turning off said motor drive by said drive power conditioning circuit, and said digital controller has a switch stopping distance computation mode that determines the position for turning off the motor drive as a function of the stored travel limits and a present position signal from said position sensor.
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30. The motor operator of claim 25, wherein said motor drive includes an electrical motor.
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31. The motor operator of claim 25, wherein said motor drive includes a direct current electrical motor.
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32. The motor operator of claim 25, wherein said motor drive has a rotating drive shaft and said position sensor has a shaft encoder producing an electrical signal representing movement of said shaft.
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33. The motor operator of claim 25, wherein said motor drive has a rotating drive shaft and an output gear box coupled thereto and adapted to be coupled to the switch actuator, and said position sensor includes a shaft encoder coupled to said rotating drive shaft to produce the electrical signal representing position.
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34. The motor operator of claim 33, wherein said shaft encoder has an electrical signal output that represents degrees of shaft rotation and corresponding movement of said gear box, and said digital controller including a counting means coupled to said encoder for receiving said electrical signal output therefrom and storing a count representing position.
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35. The motor operator of claim 25, wherein said motor drive is reversible for driving the switch actuator and switch toward either open or closed positions, and said position sensor has a device for detecting direction of movement of said motor drive and said electrical signal representing position includes direction and degree of movement.
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36. The motor operator of claim 25, wherein said motor drive is an electrical motor and said controlled motor drive power conditioning circuit has variable motor current to provide said variable output drive levels.
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37. The motor operator of claim 25, wherein said controlled motor drive power conditioning circuit includes an output power sensing circuit that produces an electrical signal representing the level of power being used by said motor drive to move the switch actuator, and said digital controller has a mode for determining an out of range switch failure condition when said electrical signal representing the level of power is outside predetermined normal operating values.
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38. The motor operator of claim 37, wherein said mode for determining an out of range failure condition includes determination of an excessive level of power being used by the drive motor indicating blockage or stuck switch, and changing the application of power to said drive motor in response thereto.
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39. The motor operator of claim 37, wherein said output power sensing circuit includes an impedance in circuit with a winding of said electrical motor, and a means for sensing a change in voltage or current at said impedance.
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40. A digital controller for a motor operated electrical power switch having at least high and low drive levels, the digital controller comprising:
a first input adapted for receiving a command signal for commanding an open or closed state of a switch, a second input adapted for receiving an electrical signal representing motor position, a third input adapted for receiving an electrical signal representing a motor output force level, said digital controller having a processor mode in which an output causing application of power to a motor operated electrical power switch to drive it to its open or closed state in response to a command signal and varying application of power thereto in response to predetermined conditions of said command signal and signals representing motor position and motor output force level, said digital controller having a switch operating processor that comprises a memory for storing motor positions corresponding to switch open and closed states, said digital controller being responsive to said command signal for commanding an opened or closed condition to apply power to the motor operated electrical power switch to cause it to reach an at rest condition in which said motor position signal is substantially at said stored motor positions, corresponding to said switch open or closed conditions, respectively, said digital controller comprising a switch operating processor that varies between said high and low drive levels in response to said motor position. - View Dependent Claims (41)
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42. A digital controller for a motor operated electrical power switch, comprising:
a first input adapted for receiving a switch command signal for commanding an open or closed state of a switch, a second input adapted for receiving an electrical signal representing motor position, a processor having switch opening and closing modes for turning on power to the motor operated electrical power switch to drive it toward its open or closed states, respectively, memory for storing stopping point positions for the motor and turning off power in response to reaching said stored motor stopping point positions, said processor mode for closing comprising a dynamic stopping computation for turning off the motor at a dynamically computed begin stopping position that is before the stopping end point position at which the switch comes to rest in its closed state. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45)
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46. A motor operator for an electrical power switch coupled to the operator by a switch actuator, in which the motor operator comprises:
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an electric motor drive adapted to be coupled to a switch actuator;
motor drive position sensor producing an electrical signal representing position of said electric motor drive;
controlled motor drive power conditioning circuit for applying power to said motor drive; and
dynamic digital controller having a first input adapted for receiving a command signal for an open or closed state of the switch, a second input coupled to said position sensor for receiving the electrical signal representing motor drive position, a travel limit memory for storing digital signals representing motor drive positions for a switch in open and closed states respectively, said digital controller having an output coupled to said motor drive power conditioning circuit for applying power to said motor drive to cause the actuator to force the switch to its open or closed state in response to a command signal for an open or closed state of the switch and said stored digital signal representing motor drive positions for said switch open and closed states, and including a closing processor mode for dynamically computing a stopping begin position at which said power conditioning circuit turns off said motor drive so that it spins down to a stopping end position corresponding to a stored travel limit for a switch closed state. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
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49. A method of operating an overhead electrical power switch, comprising:
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coupling a motor drive to an overhead electrical power switch through an actuator, said motor drive including an electrical motor;
sensing electrical current and voltage applied to said electrical motor;
sensing motor drive position and producing a signal representing such motor drive position; and
dynamically controlling the motor drive by controlling power thereto in response to the signal produced by said motor drive position sensor, said step of dynamically controlling having a substep of automatically detecting a blockage or stuck switch condition during the opening or closing of the switch, said motor drive being direction reversible and said step of dynamically controlling causing the reversing of direction of said motor drive in response to said step of automatically detecting, said substep of automatically detecting a blockage or stuck switch condition comprising sensing a motor drive output force level and producing a force level representing signal and processing said force level representing signal to determine if it exceeds a predetermined force level. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. An operator for an overhead electrical power switch, in which the operator comprises:
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a controlled motor drive adapted to be coupled to an overhead electrical power switch;
motor drive position sensor producing a signal representing motor drive position;
a dynamic controller for controlling said motor drive in response to the signal produced by said motor drive position sensor; and
a processor having a jog mode responsive to a manually operated jog control that applies power to said motor drive to cause a jogged movement of said motor drive. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66)
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67. An operator for an overhead electrical power switch, in which the operator comprises:
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a controlled motor drive adapted to be coupled to an overhead electrical power switch;
a motor drive position sensor producing a signal representing motor drive position;
a dynamic controller for controlling said motor drive in response to the signal produced by said motor drive position sensor, said dynamic controller comprising a digital processor having switch opening and closing modes, said switch opening and closing modes computing stopping distance of said motor drive as a function of motor drive speed determined from the signal representing motor drive position and turning off said motor drive before a predetermined end point of travel of said motor drive in accordance with said computed stopping distance, said dynamic controller having a temperature compensation processor in which said mode of computing stopping distance varies as a function of temperature;
a temperature sensor producing a signal representing sensed temperature that is communicated to said dynamic controller.
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68. An operator for an overhead electrical power switch, in which the operator comprises:
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a controlled motor drive adapted to be coupled to an overhead electrical power switch;
motor drive position sensor producing a signal representing motor drive position; and
a dynamic controller for controlling said motor drive in response to the signal produced by said motor drive position sensor, said dynamic controller including a temperature compensation processor that controls power to said motor drive as a function of temperature.
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69. A method of operating an overhead electrical power switch, comprising:
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coupling a motor drive to an overhead electrical power switch through an actuator;
sensing motor drive position and producing a signal representing such motor drive position;
dynamically controlling the motor drive by controlling power thereto in response to the signal produced by said motor drive position sensor; and
producing jog movement of said motor drive in a digitally controlled jog mode process responsive to a manually operated jog control. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71)
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72. A method of operating an overhead electrical power switch, comprising:
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coupling a motor drive to an overhead electrical power switch through an actuator, said motor drive including an electrical motor;
sensing electrical current and voltage applied to said electrical motor;
sensing motor drive position and producing a signal representing such motor drive position; and
dynamically controlling the motor drive by controlling power thereto in response to a switch command signal for commanding an open or closed state of the switch, the signal produced by a motor drive position sensor and stored end points of travel of the motor drive corresponding to open and closed positions of the switch, said step of dynamically controlling having switch opening and closing substeps for controlling the motor drive between the stored end points, said closing substep having a completion substep to ensure that the switch is in a fully closed position. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A digital controller for a motor operated electrical power switch having at least high and low drive levels, comprising:
a first input adapted for receiving a command signal for commanding an open or closed state of a switch, a second input adapted for receiving an electrical signal representing motor position, said digital controller having a processor mode in which an output causing application of power to a motor operated electrical power switch to drive it to its open or closed state in response to a command signal, said controller having a switch operating processor that comprises a memory for storing motor positions corresponding to switch open and closed conditions, said digital controller being responsive to said command signal for commanding an opened or closed condition to apply power to the motor operated electrical power switch to cause it to reach an at rest condition in which said motor position signal is substantially at said stored motor positions, respectively, corresponding to said switch open or closed conditions, said digital controller further being responsive to the motor position signal being at the substantially stored motor position corresponding to the switch closed position for driving the motor operated electrical switch until there is no change in the motor position.
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78. A digital controller for a motor operated electrical power switch, comprising:
a first input adapted for receiving a switch command signal for commanding an open or closed state of a switch, a second input adapted for receiving an electrical signal representing motor drive position, a processor having switch opening and closing modes for turning on power to the motor operated electrical power switch to drive it toward its open or closed states, respectively, memory for storing stopping point positions for the motor drive and turning off power in response to reaching said stored motor stopping point positions, said digital controller comprising a memory for storing a stopping end position value representing the end of travel of the motor drive where the switch is at rest in its closed state, said processor further comprising a setting mode for setting the stopping end position corresponding to the switch closed state, wherein said memory stores said stopping end position when a switch is driven closed and tensioned at a desired torque.
Specification