System and method of detecting and locating intermittent electrical faults in electrical systems

• US 9,215,045 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Howard University
• Original Assignee: Howard University
• Inventors: Kim, Charles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, PHUC H
• Application Number:
  US13/355,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20120119753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 370216-228, 370242-248, 370/521
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/24 Testing correct operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0095 Ring

Abstract

Signals are transmitted from at least one transmitter that is positioned in an electrical network. The signals that have been transmitted are received a single receiver positioned within the electrical network. At the single receiver, the received signals are analyzed and a determination from the analyzing the received signals is made as to whether a fault has occurred in the electrical network and the approximate location of the fault.

Claims

1. A method of determining intermittent electrical faults comprising:

transmitting signals from a plurality of transmitters that are positioned in an electrical network;

receiving the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of transmitters at a single receiver positioned within the electrical network;

at the single receiver, analyzing the received signals and determining from the analyzing of the received signals whether a fault has occurred in the electrical network and an approximate location of the fault within the electrical network;

wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting from one of the plurality of transmitters a unique combination of bits that uniquely identifies the one of the plurality of transmitters; and

further comprising the receiver analyzing the unique combination of bits and comparing the combination of bits to an expected combination of bits and when there is not a match, determining that the electrical fault exist.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the single receiver is configured to determine the location of the fault based upon the comparison between the received bits and the expected bits.

2. A fault determination apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transmitters, each of the plurality of transmitters configured to transmit signals across at least a portion of an electrical network;

a single receiver communicatively coupled to the plurality of transmitters and the electrical network, the single receiver configured to receive the signals transmitted by each of the plurality of transmitters and to analyze the received signals and determine from analyzing the received signals when a fault has occurred in the electrical network and an approximate location for the fault;

wherein each of the plurality of transmitters has a unique combination of bits that identifies each transmitter and the unique combination of bits is included in signals sent to the single receiver;

wherein the single receiver is configured to analyze the received bits and to perform a comparison between the received bits to expected bits and when a match does not exist between the received bits and the expected bits, to determine that a fault exists.

4. A method of determining intermittent electrical faults comprising:

at a single receiver positioned within an electrical network;

receiving signals transmitted by each of a plurality of transmitters disposed within the electrical network;

analyzing the received signals and determining from the analyzing of the received signals whether a fault has occurred in the electrical network and an approximate location of the fault within the electrical network;

wherein receiving the signals comprises receiving a unique combination of bits that uniquely identifies one of the plurality of transmitters; and

further comprising the single receiver analyzing the unique combination of bits and comparing the unique combination of bits to an expected combination of bits and when there is not a match, determining that an electrical fault exist.