Apparatus and method for monitoring and controlling detection of stray voltage anomalies
DCFirst Claim
1. A mobile apparatus mounted to a motor vehicle for identifying a hazardously energized object, the mobile apparatus comprising:
- one or more sensor probes that detect an electric field and provide an analog signal corresponding to the electric field;
a signal converter for generating a digital signal from the analog signal;
a signal processor to process the digital signal at the fundamental frequency pertaining to the hazardously energized object and to provide a second signal representing a magnitude of the electric field at the fundamental frequency;
one or more audio devices configured to emit a continuous audio tone with variable pitch commensurate with a rise, peak and fall of the magnitude of the electric field when the mobile apparatus moves past the hazardously energized object at street level; and
a display configured to display at least one of the analog signal or the second signal corresponding to the electric field, wherein at least a plot of the electric field over time is displayed.
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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.
61 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A mobile apparatus mounted to a motor vehicle for identifying a hazardously energized object, the mobile apparatus comprising:
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one or more sensor probes that detect an electric field and provide an analog signal corresponding to the electric field; a signal converter for generating a digital signal from the analog signal; a signal processor to process the digital signal at the fundamental frequency pertaining to the hazardously energized object and to provide a second signal representing a magnitude of the electric field at the fundamental frequency; one or more audio devices configured to emit a continuous audio tone with variable pitch commensurate with a rise, peak and fall of the magnitude of the electric field when the mobile apparatus moves past the hazardously energized object at street level; and a display configured to display at least one of the analog signal or the second signal corresponding to the electric field, wherein at least a plot of the electric field over time is displayed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for detecting a hazardously energized object using a mobile apparatus, the method comprising:
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moving the mobile apparatus; detecting an electric field proximate the mobile apparatus using one or more sensor probes of the mobile apparatus that generate an analog signal corresponding to the electric field; converting the analog signal into a digital signal; processing the digital signal at the fundamental frequency pertaining to the hazardously energized object and providing a second signal representing a magnitude of the electric field at the fundamental frequency; and emitting a continuous audio tone with a variable pitch commensurate with a rise, peak and fall of the second signal when the mobile apparatus moves past a hazardously energized object at street level, displaying at least one of the analog signal or the second signal corresponding to the electric field, wherein at least a plot of the electric field over time is displayed. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification