Magnetic tampering detection in a utility meter
First Claim
1. A method of detecting a magnetic coupling in a meter, comprising:
- a) obtaining in an electricity meter information representative of power consumption as measured within the meter of a plurality of lines of an electrical service;
b) obtaining from a magnetic sensor information representative of a magnetic field within an electricity meter at a first time;
c) determining in a processing circuit whether a first condition exists wherein the magnetic field exceeds a first threshold and the information representative of the power consumption indicates a load imbalance on the plurality of lines such that the load imbalance exceeds an imbalance threshold, wherein the information representative of the power consumption is representative of the power consumption within a predetermined amount of time from the first time; and
d) performing a processing step responsive to a determination that the first condition exists, the first condition indicating that the magnetic field exceeding the first threshold and the load imbalance exceeding the imbalance threshold are caused by a same event.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of detecting a magnetic coupling in a meter includes obtaining in an electricity meter information representative of power consumption as measured within the meter of a plurality of lines of an electrical service. The method also includes obtaining from a magnetic sensor information representative of a magnetic field within an electricity meter. A processing circuit then determines whether a first condition exists wherein the magnetic field exceeds a first threshold and the information representative of the power consumption indicates a load imbalance on the plurality of lines such that the load imbalance exceeds an imbalance threshold. The method further includes performing a processing step responsive to a determination that the first condition exists.
25 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a magnetic coupling in a meter, comprising:
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a) obtaining in an electricity meter information representative of power consumption as measured within the meter of a plurality of lines of an electrical service; b) obtaining from a magnetic sensor information representative of a magnetic field within an electricity meter at a first time; c) determining in a processing circuit whether a first condition exists wherein the magnetic field exceeds a first threshold and the information representative of the power consumption indicates a load imbalance on the plurality of lines such that the load imbalance exceeds an imbalance threshold, wherein the information representative of the power consumption is representative of the power consumption within a predetermined amount of time from the first time; and d) performing a processing step responsive to a determination that the first condition exists, the first condition indicating that the magnetic field exceeding the first threshold and the load imbalance exceeding the imbalance threshold are caused by a same event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A circuit for use in an electricity meter, comprising:
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a metrology circuit configured to obtain information representative of a load on a plurality of lines of an electrical service; a magnetic sensor configured to provide information representative of a magnetic field within an electricity meter; a processing circuit operably coupled to the magnetic sensor, the processing circuit configured to; determine whether a first condition exists wherein the magnetic field exceeds a first threshold at a first time, and the information representative of the load indicates a load imbalance on the plurality of lines such that the load imbalance exceeds an imbalance threshold within a predetermined time from the first time; and perform a processing step responsive to a determination that the first condition exists the first condition indicating the magnetic field exceeding the first threshold and the load imbalance exceeding the imbalance threshold are caused by a single event. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification