APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING ELECTRICAL PARAMETERS OF CIRCUIT

• US 20120262153A1
• Filed: 03/16/2012
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Cheng KUNG University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Original Assignee: National Cheng KUNG University (Government of The Republic of China)
• Inventors: Yang, Chu-Sing, Lee, Chao-Yang
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/142
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/04 Housings; Supporting members; Arrangements of terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2825 in household appliances or professional audio/video equipment testing LAN's H04L43/50; testing TV systems H04N17/00; testing loudspeakers H04R29/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00036 the elements or equipment being or involving switches, relays or circuit breakers circuits for indication of single switches H01H9/167
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/18 using switches, relays or circuit breakers, e.g. intelligent electronic devices [IED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring an electrical parameter of a circuit includes a measuring unit, a plurality of connection terminals and a selection switch. The measuring unit measures the electrical parameter. The selection switch selectively causes a conduction between the selection switch and at least one of the plurality of connection terminals.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring an electrical parameter of a circuit, the apparatus comprising:

a measuring unit measuring the electrical parameter;

a plurality of first connection terminals; and

a first selection switch selectively causing a first conduction between the first selection switch and at least one of the plurality of first connection terminals.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first conduction is caused between the measuring unit and the at least one of the plurality of first connection terminals.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuit includes:

at least an appliance;

at least a second connection terminal;

at least a second selection switch connected to the respective appliance, wherein the respective second selection switch selectively causes a second conduction between the respective appliance and the respective second connection terminal; and

at least a wire connecting the second connection terminal to one of the plurality of first connection terminals.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the measuring unit includes one of an intelligent socket and an intelligent meter;

the electrical parameter includes at least one selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a current, a power consumption and an energy consumption; and

the apparatus further includes a third selection switch, a fourth selection switch, a plurality of third connection terminals and a plurality of fourth connection terminals, wherein;

the third selection switch selectively causes a third conduction between the measuring unit and one of the plurality of third connection terminals, wherein one of the plurality of third connection terminals corresponds to one of the plurality of first connection terminals;

the fourth selection switch selectively causes a fourth conduction between the measuring unit and one of the plurality of fourth connection terminals, wherein one of the plurality of fourth connection terminals corresponds to one of the plurality of first connection terminals; and

each of the first, the third and the fourth selection switches includes a respective multiplexer, and the second selection switch includes one of a relay and a transistor.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a processing unit receiving an instruction;

a communication interface having a communication protocol, connected to the processing unit, and transforming the instruction into a first signal conforming to the communication protocol, wherein the communication interface includes one selected from a group consisting of an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) control interface, a serial peripheral interface bus (SPI) control interface, an RS-232 standard control interface and an infrared control interface; and

at least a decode unit connected to the communication interface and transforming the first signal into a control signal for turning on the first and the second selection switches.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second selection switch and at least a third selection switch, wherein:

the first selection switch, the second selection switch and the third selection switch constitute a set of selection switches;

the set of selection switches is selectively electrically connected to the plurality of first connection terminals; and

the first selection switch selectively causes the first conduction between the first selection switch and the at least one of the plurality of first connection terminals when the first selection switch is selected.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the circuit includes:

at least an appliance;

at least a second connection terminal;

at least a fourth selection switch connected to the respective appliance, wherein the respective fourth selection switch selectively causes a second conduction between the respective appliance and the respective second connection terminal; and

at least a wire connecting the second connection terminal to one of the plurality of first connection terminals.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the measuring unit includes one of an intelligent socket and an intelligent meter;

the electrical parameter includes at least one selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a current, a power consumption and an energy consumption;

the apparatus further includes a plurality of third connection terminals and a plurality of fourth connection terminals, wherein;

the set of selection switches is selectively electrically connected to the plurality of third connection terminals;

the second selection switch causes a third conduction between the second selection switch and at least one of the plurality of third connection terminals when the second selection switch is selected;

the set of selection switches is selectively electrically connected to the plurality of fourth connection terminals; and

the third selection switch causes a fourth conduction between the third selection switch and at least one of the plurality of fourth connection terminals when the third selection switch is selected;

each of the set of selection switches includes one of a first relay and a first transistor; and

the fourth selection switch includes one of a second relay and a second transistor.

9. An apparatus for measuring an electrical parameter of a circuit, the apparatus comprising:

a first measuring unit measuring the electrical parameter;

a plurality of first connection terminals; and

a first matrix switch unit selectively causing a first conduction between the first matrix switch unit and at least one of the plurality of first connection terminals.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first conduction is caused between the first measuring unit and the at least one of the plurality of first connection terminals.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the circuit includes:

at least an appliance;

at least a second connection terminal;

at least a selection switch connected to the respective appliance, wherein the respective selection switch selectively causes a second conduction between the respective appliance and the respective second connection terminal; and

at least a wire connecting the second connection terminal to one of the plurality of first connection terminals.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

the first measuring unit includes one of an intelligent socket and an intelligent meter;

the electrical parameter includes at least one selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a current, a power consumption and an energy consumption;

the apparatus further includes a plurality of third connection terminals and a plurality of fourth connection terminals, wherein;

the first matrix switch unit selectively causes a third conduction between the first measuring unit and one of the plurality of third connection terminals, wherein one of the plurality of third connection terminals corresponds to one of the plurality of first connection terminals; and

the first matrix switch unit selectively causes a fourth conduction between the first measuring unit and one of the plurality of fourth connection terminals, wherein one of the plurality of fourth connection terminals corresponds to one of the plurality of first connection terminals; and

the first matrix switch unit includes one of a relay and a transistor.

13. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a first connection terminal group including a second connection terminal and a third connection terminal, wherein the first matrix switch unit is electrically connected between the first measuring unit and the first connection terminal group;

a second measuring unit;

a second matrix switch unit; and

a second connection terminal group including a fourth connection terminal and a fifth connection terminal, wherein the second matrix switch unit is electrically connected between the second measuring unit and the second connection terminal group, wherein;

the second and the third connection terminals correspond to the fourth and the fifth connection terminals, respectively;

the first matrix switch unit selectively causes the first conduction between the first matrix switch unit and one of the second and the third connection terminals; and

the second matrix switch unit selectively causes a second conduction between the second matrix switch unit and one of the fourth and the fifth connection terminals.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the circuit includes:

a first appliance and second appliance;

a sixth connection terminal and a seventh connection terminal;

a first selection switch connected to the first appliance, and selectively causing a third conduction between the first appliance and the sixth connection terminal;

a second selection switch connected to the second appliance, and selectively causing a fourth conduction between the second appliance and the seventh connection terminal;

a first wire connecting the sixth connection terminal to the second connection terminal;

a second wire connecting the sixth connection terminal to the fourth connection terminal;

a third wire connecting the seventh connection terminal to the third connection terminal; and

a fourth wire connecting the seventh connection terminal to the fifth connection terminal.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:

each of the first and the second measuring units includes one of an intelligent socket and an intelligent meter;

the electrical parameter includes at least one selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a current, a power consumption and an energy consumption; and

each of the first and the second selection switches includes one of a relay and a transistor.

16. A method for measuring an electrical parameter of a circuit, the method comprising steps of:

providing a measuring apparatus, wherein the measuring apparatus includes a first terminal, at least a second terminal, a first selection switch and at least a second selection switch;

in a first period, causing the first selection switch to selectively form a first conduction between the first selection switch and the first connection terminal; and

in a second period, causing the second selection switch to selectively form a second conduction between the second selection switch and the second connection terminal.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising a step of providing a first measuring unit in the measuring apparatus, wherein:

the circuit includes at least an appliance, a third connection terminal, at least a fourth connection terminal and at least a third selection switch;

the first selection switch is the second selection switch;

the first conduction is caused between the measuring unit and the first connection terminal; and

the second conduction is caused between the measuring unit and the second connection terminal.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the first and the second connection terminals correspond to the third and the fourth connection terminals, respectively, and the method further comprising steps of:

in the first period, causing the third selection switch to form a third conduction between the third connection terminal and the appliance; and

in the second period, causing the third selection switch to form a fourth conduction between the fourth connection terminal and the appliance.

19. A method according to claim 18, further comprising steps of:

receiving a first instruction;

transforming the first instruction into a first signal conforming to a communication protocol;

transforming the first signal into a first control signal for making the first and the third conductions;

receiving a second instruction;

transforming the second instruction into a second signal conforming to the communication protocol; and

transforming the second signal into a second control signal for making the second and the fourth conductions.

20. A method according to claim 17, wherein the measuring apparatus further includes at least a second measuring unit.