Self-contained electrical meter arrangement with isolated electrical meter power supply

• US 9,989,568 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tstm Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tstm Inc.
• Inventors: May, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frederiksen, David
• Application Number:
  US14/247,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20150285844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 324127, 324538, 324500, 324537
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/061 Details of electronic electricity meters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

An electrical meter and methods of use and operation are disclosed. The electrical meter includes a housing and an electrical interface including a plurality of electrical connections having a predetermined physical layout. The meter further includes a plurality of voltage measurement elements within the housing, each of the plurality of voltage measurement elements connected to at least one of the plurality of electrical connections, and an electrical metering circuit within the housing and configured to detect power consumption based at least in part on monitoring a voltage at each of the plurality of voltage measurement elements. The meter also includes a power supply electrically connected to the electrical metering circuit, the power supply supplying power to one or more circuits of the electrical meter. The meter further includes a low voltage electrical connection dedicated to the power supply and from an electrical service to which the electrical meter is connected.

Claims

1. An electrical meter comprising:

a housing;

an electrical interface including a plurality of electrical connections having a predetermined physical layout;

a plurality of voltage measurement elements within the housing, each of the plurality of voltage measurement elements connected to at least one of the plurality of electrical connections;

an electrical metering circuit within the housing and configured to detect power consumption based at least in part on monitoring a voltage at each of the plurality of voltage measurement elements;

a power supply electrically connected to the electrical metering circuit and being positioned within the housing, the power supply supplying power to one or more circuits of the electrical meter; and

wherein the power supply is configured to be connected to a signal transformer dedicated to the power supply, the signal transformer being selected and configured for electrical connection to a phase of an electrical service, the signal transformer configured to provide a lower voltage to the power supply than is supplied by the electrical service.

2. The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the power supply is configured to be connected to the signal transformer with an electrical connection that comprises a socket connection exposed external to the housing at the electrical interface for connection to the signal transformer, the signal transformer being positioned external to the housing.

3. The electrical meter of claim 1, further comprising a communications interface providing communications regarding usage of an electrical service and status of the meter to a remote system, the communications interface receiving power from the power supply.

4. The electrical meter of claim 3, wherein the communications interface comprises an automatic meter reading system.

5. The electrical meter of claim 3, wherein the communications interface comprises an advanced metering infrastructure subsystem.

6. The electrical meter of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of current measurement elements electrically connected to one or more of the plurality of electrical connections of the electrical interface.

7. The electrical meter of claim 6, wherein the signal transformer is electrically connected to the at least one of the plurality of electrical connections on a line side of any of the plurality of current measurement elements.

8. The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the signal transformer comprises a 2:

1 ratio transformer.

9. The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the electrical meter comprises a self-contained meter.

10. The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the electrical interface comprises an interface selected from among a group of formats consisting of:

a form 1 format;

a form 2 format;

a form 12 format;

a form 13 format;

a form 16 format; and

a form 25 format.

11. The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the power supply is a wide voltage range switching power supply.

12. The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the power supply provides electrical power to the electrical metering circuit.

13. The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the electrical meter is installed at a premises of a customer of an electrical service.

14. The electrical meter of claim 13, wherein the electrical service comprises a service having a format selected from among the group of formats consisting of:

a four-wire delta service;

a four-wire wye service;

a three-wire wye service; and

a three-wire delta service.

15. An electrical meter comprising:

a housing located at a premises of a customer of an electrical utility, the premises having an electrical service connection;

an electrical interface including a plurality of electrical connections having a predetermined physical layout, wherein at least some of the plurality of electrical connections are connected to the electrical service connection;

a plurality of voltage measurement elements within the housing, each of the plurality of voltage measurement elements connected to at least one of the plurality of electrical connections;

an electrical metering circuit within the housing and configured to detect electrical consumption based at least in part on monitoring a voltage at each of the plurality of voltage measurement elements;

a power supply electrically connected to the electrical metering circuit, the power supply being positioned within the housing and supplying power to at least the electrical metering circuit;

wherein the power supply is configured to be connected to a signal transformer dedicated to the power supply, the signal transformer being electrically connected to a phase of an electrical service to which the electrical meter is connected, the signal transformer configured to deliver to the power supply a voltage level lower than that of the electrical service.

16. The electrical meter of claim 15, further comprising a communications interface providing communications regarding usage of an electrical service and status of the meter to a remote system, the communications interface receiving power from the power supply.

17. The electrical meter of claim 15, wherein the power supply is configured to be connected to the signal transformer with an electrical connection, wherein the electrical connection comprises a socket connection exposed external to the housing at the electrical interface for connection to the signal transformer, the signal transformer being positioned external to the housing.

18. The electrical meter of claim 15, wherein the electrical meter comprises a self-contained meter.