Portable self powered line mountable device for measuring and transmitting the undisturbed conductor temperature of electric power line conductors

• US 9,055,808 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2013
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murray W. Davis
• Original Assignee: Murray W. Davis
• Inventors: Davis, Murray W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagan, Mirellys
• Application Number:
  US14/096,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 374/152, 374/208, 374/141
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/3073 Brush for cleaning specific unusual places not otherwise covered, e.g. gutters, golf clubs, tops of tin cans, corners
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/028 Bristle profile, the end of the bristle defining a surface other than a single plane or deviating from a simple geometric form, e.g. cylinder, sphere or cone
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/0616 of coating
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/30 Supports specially adapted for an instrument; Supports specially adapted for a set of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/223 for determining moisture content, e.g. humidity rain detectors on vehicle windows B60S1/0825
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/20 Modifications of basic electric elements for use in electric measuring instruments; Structural combinations of such elements with such instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/22 Tong testers acting as secondary windings of current transformers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 15/186 using current transformers with a core consisting of two or more parts, e.g. clamp-on type G01R15/142 - G01R15/16 take precedence; tong testers G01R1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0084 measuring voltage only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/0092 measuring current only all subgroups of G01R19/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/08 Locating faults in cables, transmission lines, or networks
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/086 in power transmission or distribution networks, i.e. with interconnected conductors
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/14 Rainfall or precipitation gauges measuring volume in general G01F
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/02 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/22 Cooling by heat conduction through solid or powdered fillings
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/30 Constructions
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/28 Clamped connections, spring connections made by means of terminals specially adapted for contact with, or insertion into, printed circuits H01R12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 1/02 for overhead lines or cables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 : Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 : Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 : Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A device for attaching to a power line conductor includes a jaw assembly and at least one jaw slot formed on a portion of the jaw assembly configured to engage a stranded power line conductor. The at least one jaw slot extends at an angle on the jaw assembly configured to match a helical angle of strands on an outer surface of the stranded power line conductor and configured to space the jaw assembly from at least one strand of the stranded power line conductor.

Claims

1. A device for attaching to a power line conductor comprising:

a jaw assembly; and

at least one jaw slot formed on a portion of the jaw assembly configured to engage a stranded power line conductor, wherein the at least one jaw slot extends at an angle on the jaw assembly configured to match a helical angle of the strands on an outer surface of the stranded power line conductor and configured to space the jaw assembly from at least one strand of the stranded power line conductor.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the jaw slot is semi-circular in shape and has a width greater than a diameter of at least one of the strands of the stranded power line conductor.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the jaw assembly includes at least one upper jaw and at least one lower jaw configured to engage the stranded power line conductor.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the jaw slot is located on at least one of the at least one upper jaw or the at least one lower jaw with the helical angle being approximately 14 degrees.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the jaw assembly includes two spaced apart upper jaws and at least one lower jaw, each of the two upper jaws including at least one jaw slot formed on a surface configured to engage the stranded power line conductor and extending in a helical direction of approximately 14 degrees.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the two spaced apart upper jaws are mounted above the at least one lower jaw.

7. The device of claim 1 including at least one pocket formed in the jaw assembly, each of the at least one pocket extending into a corresponding one of the at least one jaw slot and configured to accept a conductor temperature sensor probe.

8. The device of claim 7 including a conductor temperature sensor probe assembly located in the pocket and configured to engage the stranded power line conductor.

9. A device for attaching to a power line conductor comprising:

a jaw assembly for engaging a power line conductor, the jaw assembly including at least one upper jaw and at least one lower jaw, the at least one upper jaw including a contact surface for contacting the power line conductor having a first slope, wherein the at least one upper jaw and the at least one lower jaw are configured to clamp onto the power line conductor and the at least one upper jaw includes a jaw slot formed on the contact surface at an angle configured to match a helical angle of a strand on the power line conductor; and

a jaw insert located adjacent the at least one upper jaw, the jaw insert including a second contact surface having a second slope, wherein the first slope is greater than the second slope.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the helical angle is 14 degrees.

11. The device of claim 9 including at least one “

C”

loop coil wherein the jaw assembly is configured to align the power line conductor on a vertical centerline of the “

C”

loop coil and within one half inch of a horizontal centerline of the “

C”

loop coil.

12. The device of claim 9 wherein the at least one upper jaw includes at least one spring pin configured to secure the at least one upper jaw to the device.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the at least one lower jaw includes at least one spring pin configured to secure the at least one lower jaw to the device.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the at least one lower jaw is surrounded by a lower power supply magnetic core configured to engage an upper power supply magnetic core.

15. The device of claim 14 including at least one compression spring configured to compress the upper power supply magnetic core against the lower power supply magnetic core.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the force applied by the at least one compression spring to the upper power supply magnetic core is equal to or greater than a repulsive force due to the core flux created by a current flowing in the power line conductor.

17. The device of claim 9 including a pocket formed in the at least one upper jaw, the pocket configured to receive a temperature sensor probe assembly.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the temperature sensor probe assembly is configured to ground the device to a voltage of the power line conductor.

19. The device of claim 17 including a sensor electronics module in communication with the temperature sensor probe assembly and a transmitter-receiver unit configured to transmit temperature data to a remote location.

20. The device of claim 17 wherein the temperature sensor probe assembly includes an electrically conductive and electro magnetically shielded protection tube having a temperature sensor mounted inside and at the bottom an electrically conductive shoe mounted at the bottom and on the outside of the protection tube.

21. The device of claim 20 including isolation slots on the protection tube adjacent the shoe configured to mitigate the flow of heat from being conducted from the power line conductor to an upper part of the protection tube.

22. The device of claim 21 including a thermally insulated isolation washer surrounding the protection tube that seats on top of the shoe and a compression spring placed over the protection tube which seats on top of the isolation washer and is compressed between the top of the isolation washer and a threaded nipple which in turn is mounted to an upper jaw holder and keeper.

23. The device of claim 22 including a ring nut placed over the shoe and the compression spring that is threaded onto the bottom of the threaded nipple which seats against the bottom of the upper jaw holder and keeper for adjusting the temperature sensor probe assembly in a first or second direction to maintain constant pressure of the temperature sensor probe assembly on the power line conductor.

24. The device of claim 23 including an adjustment spring surrounding the threaded nipple, wherein the threaded nipple is located in a hole in the upper jaw keeper and holder and secured with a bottom ring nut threaded onto the threaded nipple that seats under the upper jaw holder and keeper.