Apparatus and method for monitoring and controlling detection of stray voltage anomalies
DCFirst Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for identifying a hazardously energized object, the apparatus comprising:
- a motor vehicle configured to drive along a patrolled environment;
one or more sensor probes, coupled to the motor vehicle, that detect an electric field proximate the motor vehicle and provide an analog signal corresponding to the electric field as the motor vehicle moves past a potentially hazardously energized object,a signal converter that generates a digital signal from the analog signal;
a processor configured to process the digital signal at the fundamental frequency or its harmonics pertaining to the hazardously energized object and to provide a second signal representing a magnitude of the electric field at the desired frequency; and
a display configured to display a change in the form of a rise, peak and fall in the digital signal over time as the motor vehicle performs a movement along the patrolled environment, the change indicating that a hazardously energized object is passed near-field, approximately ten to fifty feet away from the energized object.
6 Assignments
Litigations
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for detecting stray voltage anomalies in electric fields are provided herein. In some embodiments, an apparatus for detecting an electrical field may comprise: at least one sensor probe for generating data corresponding to an electrical field detected by the at least one sensor probe, wherein the at least one sensor probe comprises at least one electrode; a processor, coupled to the at least one sensor probe, for analyzing the data to identify a voltage anomaly in the electric field; and an indicator, coupled to the processor, for alerting a user to a presence of the voltage anomaly in the electric field.
59 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for identifying a hazardously energized object, the apparatus comprising:
-
a motor vehicle configured to drive along a patrolled environment; one or more sensor probes, coupled to the motor vehicle, that detect an electric field proximate the motor vehicle and provide an analog signal corresponding to the electric field as the motor vehicle moves past a potentially hazardously energized object, a signal converter that generates a digital signal from the analog signal; a processor configured to process the digital signal at the fundamental frequency or its harmonics pertaining to the hazardously energized object and to provide a second signal representing a magnitude of the electric field at the desired frequency; and a display configured to display a change in the form of a rise, peak and fall in the digital signal over time as the motor vehicle performs a movement along the patrolled environment, the change indicating that a hazardously energized object is passed near-field, approximately ten to fifty feet away from the energized object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method for identifying a hazardously energized object, the method comprising:
-
moving a motor vehicle coupled with one or more sensor probes that detect an electric field and provide an analog signal corresponding to the electric field as the motor vehicle moves past a potentially hazardously energized object; converting the analog signal into a digital signal; processing the digital signal at the fundamental frequency or its harmonics pertaining to the hazardously energized object and providing a second signal representing a magnitude of the electric field at the desired frequency; and displaying a change in the form of a rise, peak and fall in the second signal over time as the motor vehicle performs a movement along a patrolled environment, the change indicating that a hazardously energized object is passed near-field approximately ten to fifty feet away from the energized object. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification