System and method for detecting impaired electric power equipment
First Claim
1. A system for detecting impaired equipment for the generation, transmission, and/or distribution of electric power wherein the impaired equipment is adapted to produce an increased level of electromagnetic radiation, said system comprising:
- a signal detection circuit adapted to produce an analog output that is proportional to a level of electromagnetic radiation;
a timing circuit adapted to determine time data;
a location tracking circuit adapted to receive location data;
a low pass filter adapted to receive said analog output of said signal detection circuit;
an analog-to-digital converter in electrical communication with said low pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert an output of said low pass filter into a digital signal;
a digital signal processing circuit adapted to receive said digital signal and identify a frequency modulation component associated with spiking and having a frequency component within a predetermined frequency band; and
a computing device in electrical communication with said timing circuit, said location tracking circuit, and said digital signal processing circuit, said computing device adapted to process data from said frequency modulation component and said location data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is directed to a system and method for detecting impaired electric power equipment. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention may receive electromagnetic radiation and process the resulting signal. For example, signal processing may be used to identify electromagnetic radiation having a particular pattern that is characteristic of electric power equipment. Furthermore, an embodiment of the present invention may determine the time and/or location during testing. As a result, the present invention may be useful for stationary and/or mobile testing of an electrical system.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A system for detecting impaired equipment for the generation, transmission, and/or distribution of electric power wherein the impaired equipment is adapted to produce an increased level of electromagnetic radiation, said system comprising:
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a signal detection circuit adapted to produce an analog output that is proportional to a level of electromagnetic radiation; a timing circuit adapted to determine time data; a location tracking circuit adapted to receive location data; a low pass filter adapted to receive said analog output of said signal detection circuit; an analog-to-digital converter in electrical communication with said low pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert an output of said low pass filter into a digital signal; a digital signal processing circuit adapted to receive said digital signal and identify a frequency modulation component associated with spiking and having a frequency component within a predetermined frequency band; and a computing device in electrical communication with said timing circuit, said location tracking circuit, and said digital signal processing circuit, said computing device adapted to process data from said frequency modulation component and said location data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for detecting impaired equipment for the generation, transmission, and/or distribution of electric power, said system comprising:
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a signal detection circuit adapted to produce an analog output that is proportional to a level of electromagnetic radiation; a global positioning system (GPS) circuit adapted to receive location data; an analog filter adapted to receive said analog output of said signal detection circuit, said analog filter adapted to prevent aliasing during conversion of said analog output of said signal detection circuit; an analog-to-digital converter in electrical communication with said analog filter, said analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert an output of said analog filter into a digital signal; a digital signal processing circuit adapted to receive said digital signal and identify a frequency modulation component associated with spiking and having a frequency component within a predetermined frequency band; a microcontroller in electrical communication with said GPS circuit and said digital signal processing circuit, said microcontroller adapted to process data from said frequency modulation component and said location data; a memory device in electrical communication with said microcontroller, said memory device adapted to store said data related to said frequency modulation component and said location data; and a mapping program adapted to produce a map showing a variation of electromagnetic radiation signal strength with location. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method of detecting impaired equipment for the generation, transmission, and/or distribution of electric power, said method comprising:
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providing a signal detection circuit and a global positioning system (GPS) circuit in a vehicle; simultaneously detecting electromagnetic radiation and receiving location data while moving in a path in the vicinity of electric power equipment; producing a digital signal derived from said electromagnetic radiation; processing said digital signal to identify a frequency modulation component associated with spiking and having a frequency component within a predetermined frequency band; processing data from said frequency modulation component and said location data; and creating a map showing the levels of electromagnetic radiation produced by said electric power equipment. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A system for detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted by an electrical system, said system comprising:
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a signal detection circuit adapted to produce an analog output that is proportional to a level of electromagnetic radiation; a timing circuit adapted to determine time data; a low pass filter adapted to receive said analog output of said signal detection circuit; an analog-to-digital converter in electrical communication with said low pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert an output of said low pass filter into a digital signal; a digital signal processing circuit adapted to receive said digital signal and identify a frequency modulation component associated with spiking and having a frequency component within a predetermined frequency band; and a computing device in electrical communication with said timing circuit and said digital signal processing circuit, said computing device adapted to process data from said frequency modulation component and said location data. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification