Remote fault monitoring system

• US 7,355,412 B1
• Filed: 08/05/2005
• Issued: 04/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cannon Technologies, Inc. (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cannon Technologies, Inc. (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Cannon, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirshfeld; Andrew H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NATALINI, JEFF WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US11/198,813
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 324/522
• US Class Current: 324/522
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/088 Aspects of digital computing

Abstract

Remote indication devices are each a combination of electrical parameter measurement circuitry, a CPU, and a communication device. Each remote indication device is electrically or electromagnetically coupled to a power distribution circuit conductor to monitor the current flowing in the conductor. The monitored conductor may be an energized power line (“phase”), or a current return line (“neutral”). In either case, the direction of power transfer at each measurement point can also be monitored by each remote indication device. Each remote indication device processes the monitored electrical current information to convert it into a form suitable for data transmission. The information is then presented to a monitoring station. The monitoring station collects and analyzes the electrical current information from the plurality of remote indication devices and is programmed to identify one or more particular power line segments that appear to have a fault.

Claims

1. A remote fault monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of remote indication devices, wherein each of said remote indication devices includes;

an electrical parameter measurement circuit, wherein said circuit is electrically or electromagnetically coupled to a high voltage power distribution circuit conductor and samples the power distribution circuit conductor to generate samples that are obtained asynchronous of any injected signals generated by any other remote indication device;

a CPU, wherein said CPU processes the samples to obtains electrical power parameter measurements generated only by the electrical parameter measurement circuit of the remote indication device; and

a communication device, wherein said communication device transmits the measurements obtained by the CPU;

a monitoring station, wherein the monitoring station receives the transmission of the measurements from the CPU of each of the plurality of remote indication devices and determines from the measurements from each of the plurality of remote indication devices whether a fault intermediate a pair of neighboring remote indication devices has occurred.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said conductor comprises an energized power line or a current return line.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said monitoring station determines said fault by recognizing a change of current magnitude and/or current direction from of the one of the plurality of remote indication devices, or by recognizing a condition where neighboring remote indicator devices report disparate electrical current measurements.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication device communicates to the monitoring station via WAN implemented land-based telecommunications, two-way radio, microburst cellular, or satellite-based telecommunications.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said monitoring station includes a database associating each remote indication device with its corresponding location along a power distribution network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the determination of a fault by said monitoring station prompts the generation of a report containing fault location information.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said fault location information prompts the transmission of a control message to an automatic switch located on the distribution system to isolate a faulty segment in the distribution system.

8. A method for remote fault monitoring comprising:

obtaining a plurality of electrical power parameter measurements, each measurement based on samples obtained by one of a plurality of remote indication devices each located at a different points along a conductor in a high voltage power distribution system, said samples being obtained from any one point asynchronous of any injected signal generated at any other point;

transmitting said plurality of electrical power parameter measurements from said plurality of remote indication devices;

receiving the transmitted plurality of electrical power parameter measurements; and

analyzing the transmitted plurality of electrical power parameter measurements to determine whether a fault intermediate a pair of neighboring points along said conductor has occurred.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said conductor comprises an energized power line or a current return line.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said fault is determined by recognizing a change of current magnitude and/or current direction from a first point to its neighboring point along the conductor, or by recognizing a condition where neighboring points along the conductor report disparate electrical current measurements.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the electrical measurements are transmitted via WAN implemented land-based telecommunications, two-way radio, microburst cellular, or satellite-based transmissions.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of analyzing includes utilizing a database wherein each electrical measurement is associated with its corresponding point along said conductor.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of generating a report containing fault location information based upon the analysis.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of transmitting a control message to automatically isolate a faulty segment along the conductor based upon the analysis.

15. A remote fault monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of means for obtaining a plurality of electrical power parameter measurements, each means located at a different point along a conductor in a high voltage power distribution system and including;

means for sampling the conductor independent of any other means for obtaining the plurality of electrical power parameter measurements; and

means for transmitting said plurality of electrical power parameter measurements;

means for analyzing the transmitted plurality of electrical power parameter measurements to determine whether a fault intermediate a pair of neighboring points along said conductor has occurred.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said conductor comprises an energized power line or a current return line.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said fault is determined by recognizing a change of current magnitude and/or current direction from a first point to its neighboring point along the conductor, or by recognizing a condition where neighboring points along the conductor report disparate electrical current measurements.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for formatting the plurality of electrical measurements into a format suitable for transmission.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein means for transmitting comprises WAN implemented land-based telecommunications, two-way radio, microburst cellular, or satellite-based transmissions.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein means for analyzing utilizes a database wherein each electrical measurement is associated with its corresponding point along said conductor in making its fault determination.

21. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for generating a report containing fault location information based upon the analysis.

22. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for transmitting a control message to automatically isolate a faulty segment along the conductor based upon the analysis.

23. A remote fault monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of remote fault detection devices distributed on a high voltage power distribution network, wherein each remote fault detection device includes

an electrical parameter measurement circuit, wherein said circuit is electrically or electromagnetically coupled to a power distribution circuit conductor and samples the power distribution circuit conductor to generate samples that are obtained asynchronous of any injected signals generated by any other remote fault detection,

a central processing unit (CPU), wherein said CPU processes the samples to obtain measurements generated only by the electrical parameter measurement circuit of the remote fault detection, wherein the measurements generated by the electrical parameter measurement circuit comprise current magnitudes of currents in the power distribution circuit conductor, and

a communication device, wherein said communication device transmits the measurement obtained by the CPU;

a monitoring station adapted to receive the measurements transmitted by the communication devices and to determine from the measurements whether a fault intermediate a pair of adjacent remote fault detection devices has occurred.