Sensor-based remote condition monitoring device and method for disconnector device

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system for monitoring an electrical connection status of a disconnector apparatus (110). The disconnector device (110) is connectable to pole-mounted equipment in a power distribution network or power transmission network (200), thereby disconnecting the pole-mounted equipment. The connection state monitoring device (100) includes a determination section (130) configured to determine whether the isolation switching device (110) has been activated, and generate connection state indication data indicating whether the isolation switching device (100, 110) has been activated. The determination section (130) further comprises a wireless communication section (140) adapted to connect to the wireless communication infrastructure (150) using a wireless communication protocol and to transmit the connection status indication data through the wireless communication infrastructure (150).

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 201980093913.3, filed on March 11, 2019, entitled “Sensor-based remote condition monitoring device and method for isolating switch device”. Technical Field

[0002] The invention belongs to the field of monitoring devices in power grids. In particular, the invention discloses a device and a method for monitoring a disconnector device arranged in a power distribution network. The disconnector device may in particular be a disconnector, such as a fuse element, to disconnect a pole-mounted device such as a surge arrester or a distribution transformer from the power grid in the event of an overload. Background Art

[0003] Specific pole-mounted devices may be used to protect the power grid or attached devices to which the pole-mounted device is connected. Such pole-mounted protective devices may be, for example, surge arresters, which may be considered as important protective devices in the power grid and may protect expensive equipment such as distribution transformers from overvoltage surges by locally limiting the energy of the overvoltage surges. Preferably, they are mounted in groups of three on a three-phase pole with relative ground connection. Another example of a pole-mounted device is the distribution transformer itself.

[0004] A surge arrester can absorb a limited amount of energy, and it may fail after a certain number of protection events and / or a certain overload (e.g., amount and / or duration of overcurrent). Surge arresters may typically fail due to thermal overload, meaning that the surge arrester may overheat, spark and / or even explode in extreme cases.

[0005] To limit this risk, disconnecting switchgear, so-called spark-proof units (SPUs), have been developed, the purpose of which is to disconnect the surge arrester in a spark-safe manner before a fault occurs. These disconnecting switchgear can reduce the above-mentioned risk by disconnecting the surge arrester before a thermal overload occurs. Once disconnected, the surge arrester is removed from the network. There may be a local visual indicator on the SPU, which is used to visualize that the SPU has been disconnected (tripped), but there is currently no remote monitoring of this.

[0006] Where a utility network such as a power grid or distribution network comprises a large number of disconnector devices (typically, tens to hundreds of thousands) including SPUs, it becomes cumbersome to determine whether all of these devices are still connected. Currently, maintenance personnel need to be dispatched to perform a visual inspection of each disconnector device. This is a time-consuming task: as a result, a given SPU may be inspected only once a year, or even less frequently. As a result, a disconnected SPU may be in the network for a long time. This means that no surge protection can be provided at that location because the surge arrester has been disconnected from the grid. Similar considerations apply to other pole-mounted equipment, such as fused circuit breakers that protect distribution transformers from overloads.

[0007] In order to improve this situation, it is therefore desirable to provide devices and methods that can allow more frequent and / or simpler condition monitoring of such protection devices. Summary of the invention

[0008] In order to solve the above and other potential problems, the embodiments of the present disclosure propose:

[0009] In a first aspect, a connection status monitoring device for monitoring the electrical connection status of an isolating switch device may be disclosed. The isolating switch device is capable of being connected to a pole-mounted device in a distribution network or a transmission network, thereby disconnecting the pole-mounted device, and the connection status monitoring device includes: a determination unit configured to: determine whether the isolating switch device has been activated (in other words, whether the isolating switch device is in a state where it has interrupted the connection between the phase of the power grid and the ground), and generate connection status indication data indicating whether the isolating switch device has been activated; and a wireless communication unit adapted to connect to a wireless communication infrastructure using a wireless communication protocol, and transmit the connection status indication data via the wireless communication infrastructure.

[0010] In another aspect, a connection status monitoring system may be disclosed, comprising: the connection status monitoring apparatus according to other aspects and a central control unit, the central control unit being connected to a wireless communication infrastructure using a wireless communication protocol and being adapted to receive connection status indication data transmitted by a wireless communication unit.

[0011] In another aspect, a protective disconnector system for disconnecting a pole-mounted device in a distribution network or a transmission network may be disclosed. The protective disconnector system may include: a disconnector device that can be connected to the pole-mounted device and is configured to disconnect the pole-mounted device when the disconnector device is activated under an overload condition; and a connection state monitoring device according to other aspects or a connection state monitoring system according to other aspects, the connection state monitoring device being operatively connected to the disconnector device for monitoring the electrical connection state of the disconnector device.

[0012] On the other hand, a power grid protection system may be disclosed, which may include: a pole-mounted device connected to a distribution network or a transmission network; and a protective disconnector system according to any other aspect, wherein the disconnector device can be electrically connected to the pole-mounted device and can be configured to disconnect the pole-mounted device when the disconnector device is activated under an overload condition.

[0013] In another aspect, a method for remotely monitoring the electrical connection status of an isolating switch device may be disclosed. The isolating switch device may be connected to a pole-mounted device in a distribution network or a transmission network, and may also be configured to be activated under an overload condition, thereby disconnecting the pole-mounted device. The method may include: determining whether the isolating switch device has been activated by a determination unit of a connection status monitoring device; generating connection status indication data indicating whether the isolating switch device has been activated by the determination unit. The method may also include: transmitting the connection status indication data through the wireless communication infrastructure using a wireless communication protocol by a wireless communication unit of the connection status monitoring device connected to the wireless communication infrastructure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be presented in an exemplary sense and their advantages will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 Schematically shows a block diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 Schematically illustrates a portion of a power grid with a protection device according to an embodiment;

[0017] Figure 3 schematically illustrates exemplary details of a disconnector switch device according to an embodiment;

[0018] Figure 4 Schematically illustrates an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 5 A further exemplary embodiment according to the invention is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The disclosed subject matter will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various structures, systems, and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for illustration purposes only and to not obscure the description with details known to those skilled in the art. However, the drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples of the disclosed subject matter.

[0021] Figure 2A portion of a power grid 200 according to an embodiment is schematically shown. For simplicity, details such as insulators are not shown in the figure. L1 to L3 are power lines of the power grid 200. Exemplarily, pole-mounted devices such as surge arresters 120 and disconnector devices 110 are connected in series between a phase 105 (here L3) of the power grid 200 and a ground 210 by means of a grounding cable 190. Herein, a pole-mounted device is a device that is suitable for mounting on a pole of a power grid and is mounted on the pole during operation. Preferably, the pole-mounted device is suitable for connection to a phase of a power grid. In a particular aspect of the invention, the term "pole-mounted device" can be replaced by at least one of a surge arrester and a distribution transformer.

[0022] In the case of an overvoltage surge caused by, for example, a lightning strike, the surge arrester 120 establishes a connection to the ground 210, thereby allowing the energy of the overvoltage to be dissipated to the ground, thereby limiting the impact of the overvoltage surge. However, as mentioned above, the surge arrester 120 may be overloaded as described above. In order to avoid such an overload, the disconnector device 110 will interrupt the connection between L3 (phase 105) of the power grid 200 and the ground 210 under an overload condition. This interruption is also referred to as the activation of the disconnector device 110. Thus, the current through the surge arrester is interrupted. Similarly, the disconnector device 110 can also enable overloading of other pole-mounted devices other than the surge arrester 120 to be avoided. The distribution network or transmission network 200 and / or the pole-mounted device 120 can be rated for high voltage, at least 1 kV, preferably greater than 10 kV. In the case of a distribution transformer, the rated voltage refers to the high voltage side of the transformer.

[0023] Further, the connection status monitoring device 100 is attached to the isolating switch device 110. The connection status monitoring device 100 determines whether the isolating switch device 110 has been activated; generates connection status indication data indicating whether the isolating switch device 110 has been activated; and transmits the connection status indication data through the wireless communication infrastructure. An embodiment of such a connection status monitoring device 100 is described below.

[0024] Figure 1 The connection state monitoring device 100 and the wireless infrastructure 150 are schematically shown. In addition, as an example, a central unit 155 and a cloud 157 are connected to the wireless infrastructure 150.

[0025] Figure 1 The connection status monitoring device 100 shown includes a plurality of elements (some of which are optional), including a determination unit 130 (the determination unit 130 includes an interaction element 170 ), a wireless communication unit 140 , a position detection system 180 , and an energy supplier 160 .

[0026] In the isolating switch device 110 (the Figure 1) is disconnected, the indicator element ( Figure 1 Not shown, see e.g. Figure 3 The element 310 in the isolating switch device 110 interacts with the interactive element 170 of the isolating switch device 110. The interaction can notify the determining unit 130 about the state change of the isolating switch device 110 from "connected" / "not activated" to "disconnected" / "activated".

[0027] The determination unit determines whether the isolating switch device 110 has been activated according to the signal from the interaction element, and generates connection status indication data indicating whether the isolating switch device 110 has been activated. The connection status indication data may be represented by a bit or some other data field indicating an activated state or an inactivated state.

[0028] The connection status indication data is then output to the wireless communication unit 140 , which transmits the information wirelessly via the wireless communication infrastructure 150 , for example to a central unit 155 and / or a cloud 157 , where the data may be processed for further use.

[0029] In an exemplary embodiment, the connection status monitoring device 100 also includes a location detection system 180. The location detection system 180 determines the current location of the connection status monitoring device 100 from a positioning system (e.g., a satellite positioning system such as GPS or any other satellite-based positioning detection system). The location can also be transmitted via the wireless communication infrastructure 150.

[0030] An internal energy supplier 160 in the form of a battery, storage battery, energy harvesting system, etc. provides energy to the connection status monitoring device 100. The energy supplier 160 can output the state of the energy contained. This state can then also be transmitted from the wireless communication unit 140 through the wireless communication infrastructure 150.

[0031] Figure 3 An embodiment of a protective disconnector system including the above-mentioned connection state monitoring device 100 and the disconnector device 110 is shown. Reference numeral 300 denotes a fuse element of the disconnector device 110, which is known and will not be further described here. The fuse element 300 is connected to an indicator element 310. The indicator element 310 can be in physical contact with the interactive element 170 in the determination part 130 and can be displaced, thereby notifying the connection state monitoring device 100 with a signal: the disconnector device 110 has changed its state from "connected" to "disconnected". The determination part 130 is located in the connection state monitoring device 100 in this embodiment. Figure 4 a. Figure 4b shows another example of the interaction between the indicator element 310 of the disconnect switch device 110 and the interaction element 170 of the determination part 130 in the connection state monitoring device 100. Figure 4 In a, the disconnect switch device is in the closed position. The indicator element 310 is spaced apart from the interactive element 170 in the determination part 130. Figure 4 In b, the disconnector device 110 has been "tripped", i.e. the electrical connection of the current path between a phase (e.g. phase 105) of the power grid 200 and the ground 210 is interrupted. The interactive element 170 in the determining part 130 is displaced due to the indicator element 310. The indicator element 310 can be, for example, a solid element (possibly conductive and / or magnetic), and the interactive element 170 can be any proximity sensor, for example including photoelectric, inductive, magnetic and / or contact sensor systems.

[0032] Figure 5 a. Figure 5 b shows Figure 4 a. Figure 4 Here, the interactive element 170 and the indicator element 310 interact with each other without physical contact. Figure 5 The interactive element 170 in a may be provided in the form of a magnetically controllable switching element. Such a switching element may be available, for example, but not limited to, in the form of a reed relay. Figure 5 In a, the magnetically controllable switch element is close to a magnet 175 attached to the indicator element 310. The interactive element 170 is "closed" and the disconnect switch device 110 is in the connected state.

[0033] exist Figure 5 In b, the disconnect switch device 110 has been activated (i.e., disconnected or "tripped") and the magnet 175 is spaced apart from the interactive element (reed relay) 170. The interactive element 170 is therefore open. This signal is read by the determination section 130 in the connection status monitoring device 100 and further signaled to the wireless communication infrastructure as described above.

[0034] Detailed description of additional embodiments and aspects

[0035] In the following, other aspects, details and illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described. It should be understood that all these embodiments are provided only to allow those skilled in the art to better understand and further practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a feature shown or described as part of one embodiment can be used together with another embodiment to produce yet another embodiment. For the sake of clarity, all features of the actual implementation are not described in this specification. It is of course understood that in the development of any such actual implementation, many implementation-specific decisions should be made to achieve the developer's specific goals. Here, the figure numerals collectively refer to the above-mentioned figures, but are only meant to illustrate, and do not limit the description of the embodiments shown in these figures.

[0036] The proposed solution can provide automatic sensor-based monitoring of the isolating switch unit 110 (SPU). The main technical challenge is to reliably detect the current state of the isolating switch unit 110 (SPU state detection) or the transition from the connected state to the disconnected state (event detection). At the same time, the sensing system should reduce power consumption as much as possible to extend battery life.

[0037] The main benefit of the proposed application is the ability to monitor the disconnector device 110 even in remote locations where manual inspections cannot be performed regularly.

[0038] The present application may disclose a remote monitoring method for an isolating switch device 110, especially an SPU (spark protection unit), which may use one or more built-in sensing mechanisms to collect trigger information or status information of the isolating switch device and use wireless communication (e.g., LoRaWAN, RFID, Bluetooth, Wifi, Narrowband Internet of Things, NBIOT, Sigfox, LTE CAT M1, etc.) to forward the status information and disconnection events to a central unit 155.

[0039] A preferred solution may be to equip each disconnect switch device 110 or a group of disconnect switch devices 110 with a sensor and optionally with a wireless connection which may be connected to a wireless communication infrastructure 150 .

[0040] In a preferred embodiment of the present application, a connection status monitoring device 100 for monitoring the electrical connection status of an isolating switch device 110 may be disclosed.

[0041] The disconnector device 110 may be connected to a pole-mounted device 120 in a power distribution network or a transmission network 200 , thereby being adapted to disconnect the pole-mounted device 120 .

[0042] The pole mounted device 120 may be a device configured to protect the distribution network or transmission network 200 from damage in case of power surges, such as a surge arrester 120 or a distribution transformer. The isolating switch device 110 may be connected in series to the pole mounted device 120 (respectively a surge arrester).

[0043] The pole-mounted device 120 may have a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the first terminal may be electrically connected to a power distribution grid or a transmission grid 200 .

[0044] The disconnect switch device 110 may have a third terminal and a fourth terminal, wherein the third terminal may be electrically connected to the second terminal of the pole-mounted device (surge arrester) 120 , and the fourth terminal may be electrically connected to the ground 210 via the ground cable 190 .

[0045] Environmental sensors (e.g., temperature sensors and humidity sensors) may be used to continuously monitor the operating conditions of the disconnector device 110. In the case where the pole-mounted device 120 is a surge arrester, the disconnector device 110 may be connected in a ground path between a line (also considered to be a phase 105) of a distribution or transmission grid 200 and a ground 210, and configured to be activated under an overload condition on the disconnector device 110, thereby disconnecting the pole-mounted device 120 from the grid 200 or the ground 210.

[0046] As considered in the present application, an overload condition may be in terms of the intensity, duration or a combination of the current / power flowing through the disconnector device. This may be, for example, an overcurrent through the disconnector device 110 caused by, for example, a lightning strike, such that the current exceeds an intensity threshold of the overcurrent and an optional duration threshold of the overcurrent, or any other condition indicating a risk of thermal overload of the disconnector device (indicating a risk of thermal overload of the disconnector device and a risk of thermal overload of the connected surge arrester 120, respectively).

[0047] A non-limiting example of such an isolating switch device 110 may be a consumable fuse element adapted to change from an unconsumed state to a consumable state in an operating state of the isolating switch device 110. The connection state monitoring device 100 may be adapted to determine whether the fuse element is blown, ie activated.

[0048] The connection state monitoring device 100 may include a determination unit 130, which may be configured to determine whether the disconnector device 110 has been activated and generate connection state indication data. The connection state indication data may indicate whether the disconnector device 110 has been activated, which means that the disconnector device 110 has disconnected the pole-mounted device 120 from the power grid or the ground 210.

[0049] The connection status indication data may not be determined by their bit sequence or the like, but by their information content (i.e., indicating whether the disconnect switch device 110 has been activated). The connection status indication data may be, for example, analog data in the form of voltage or switch state, as they can be presented by a sensing method. The connection status indication data may be converted on the way from the determination unit 130 to the wireless communication unit 140, as long as the information content is preserved.

[0050] The connection status monitoring device 100 may further include a wireless communication unit 140. The wireless communication unit 140 may be adapted to connect to a wireless communication infrastructure 150 using a wireless communication protocol, and transmit connection status indication data via the wireless communication infrastructure 150.

[0051] Optionally, the indication data may be transmitted to a receiving unit directly or indirectly connected to the wireless communication infrastructure 150, such as the central unit 155 or the cloud 157. The wireless communication infrastructure 150 may be a low energy wireless infrastructure supporting low energy data transmission, such as but not limited to a LoRaWAN based network. For transmitting data, the data transmission energy used may preferably be in the range of at least 1 μWh and / or at most 1 mWh per transmission.

[0052] The wireless communication infrastructure 150 may be connected to a data network, preferably a global data network. The data network may be an Ethernet network using TCP / IP, such as a LAN, WAN or the Internet. The central unit 155 may include a distributed storage unit, such as a cloud 157. Depending on the application, the cloud 157 may be in the form of a public cloud, a private cloud, a hybrid cloud or a community cloud.

[0053] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, the connection status monitoring device 100 according to the embodiment may further include an energy supplier 160 , such as a battery or an energy collection system.

[0054] The energy supply 160 may allow the connection status monitoring device 100 to operate independently of the power grid or any external power source. The energy supply 160 may be, for example, a rechargeable energy supply 160, such as a battery; the energy supply 160 may also include an energy collection system, in particular a photovoltaic cell or a circuit device for collecting energy from the current flowing through the disconnect switch device 110. The energy collection system may optionally be adapted to charge / recharge the rechargeable energy supply 160.

[0055] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, according to one or more embodiments of the present application, the connection status monitoring device 100 may also be adapted to establish a multi-hop network with at least one adjacent connection status monitoring device 100. This may be a mesh network, for example; the multi-hop network may also have a linear topology, in which at least a portion of the nodes may be connected to their two nearest neighbors.

[0056] In an area where a connection status monitoring device 100 is not within the range of any existing communication infrastructure 150, other connection status monitoring devices 100 can act as recipients of data messages, which will then be forwarded along multiple hops of the ad hoc network or mesh wireless network to the fixed infrastructure (e.g., gateway) and the central unit 155. In this case, the communication time slots between adjacent monitoring devices can be coordinated based on time signals from, for example, a gateway. This improves the transmission of data messages.

[0057] In another preferred embodiment of the connection status monitoring device 100 according to one or more embodiments, the determination unit 130 may include at least one interactive element 170 from the following non-limiting group: an electric switch having, for example, a magnetic switch actuator or a mechanical switch actuator, an acceleration sensor, a photoelectric barrier.

[0058] The interactive element 170 may be adapted to interact with the disconnect switch device 110 when the disconnect switch device 110 is activated. Such interaction between the interactive element 170 arranged at the determination part 130 of the connection state monitoring device 100 and the indicator element 310 in the disconnect switch device 110 is Figures 3 to 5 Shown in.

[0059] The interactive element 170 that may be used to determine the portion 130 is described in more detail below:

[0060] The magnetic switch as a sensing method is based on the fact that when the SPU is disconnected, the electrodes and the indicator rod 310 (see Figure 4 and Figure 5 ) position change. Therefore, a magnetic sensor (such as a reed relay / switch) can be used to detect the position change of the electrode / indicator 310. This can be achieved, for example, by attaching a small magnet to the indicator rod 310 ( Figure 5 ), the magnetic switch will remain closed as long as the SPU is disconnected. Once the SPU is disconnected, the magnetic switch will open because the magnet will no longer be close to the switch, such as Figure 5 shown.

[0061] The state of the switch (open / closed) can be monitored by an electronic circuit or using a microcontroller. The advantage of this approach is that the magnetic switch is a passive electrical component and the SPU, once disconnected, remains in the disconnected position. Therefore, this solution does not consume any power.

[0062] In the alternative, the reed switch state can be relative to Figure 5 Reversal (this may require different positioning of the switch and magnet or a different switch architecture): When the disconnect switch device 110 (SPU) is open, the reed switch (reed relay) is closed. This particular configuration allows for great energy savings if the reed switch is used to control power flow in electronic equipment. The electronic equipment can be powered only when the disconnect switch device 110 is disconnected. Status and other information is then transmitted.

[0063] The use of an acceleration sensor as a sensing method is based on the fact that when the disconnect switch unit 110 (SPU) is in the disconnection process, the electrode and the indicator element 310 (visual indicator) are subjected to relatively large accelerations. Therefore, an acceleration sensor built into or attached to the electrode or indicator element 310, such as can be obtained from Figure 5 As a result, it will be possible to measure the increase in acceleration (compared to normal gravity) during a disconnection event.

[0064] In the case of an electrical switch / disconnected wire as the sensing method, the state (connected / disconnected) of the disconnect switch device 110 (SPU) is detected by an electrical switch or a wire that is disconnected when the disconnect switch device 110 is disconnected. Thus, when the disconnect switch device 110 is disconnected, the electrical switch can be maintained in a closed position or an open position (e.g., by physical contact or lack of physical contact between the electrode / indicator 310 and the switch). In a similar manner, the wire can be used as a "one-time switch" as follows: this "one-time switch" can be closed normally (current can flow through the wire) and can be opened by disconnecting the wire (no current flows) when the disconnect switch device 110 is disconnected.

[0065] The connection state monitoring device 100 may have a clamping portion for clamping onto the disconnector device 110 and / or onto a grounding connection (e.g., a grounding cable 190) that connects the disconnector device 110 to the ground 210. This may advantageously enable disconnector devices 110 that are already in use but not equipped with monitoring capabilities to be easily equipped (retrofitted) with the connection state monitoring device 100, so that even existing disconnector devices are ready for monitoring.

[0066] In another preferred embodiment, the connection status monitoring device 100 according to one or more embodiments may further include a location detection system 180. The location detection system 180 may also be adapted to detect the geographical location of the connection status monitoring device 100.

[0067] The location detection system 180 may be a satellite-based positioning system for acquiring the geographic location of the connection status monitoring device 100. Alternatively, the positioning portion of the wireless communication unit 140 may be configured to obtain location information by interacting with the wireless communication infrastructure 150 and / or a reading device for reading location information obtainable from a device of the power distribution network or transmission network 200.

[0068] The geographical location may be an absolute location, for example, given in coordinates, such as longitude and latitude values, or may be a relative location, for example, the distance from a gateway of the communication infrastructure 150, the distance from a neighboring communication unit, the distance along a transmission line or distribution line, the number of poles of a transmission line or distribution line, etc. The geographical location may be any information that allows the location of the device to be determined, for example any information that allows the location of the device on a map to be determined. Examples of such geographical locations may be pole identifiers (numbers) or line locations.

[0069] The wireless communication portion 140 may also be adapted to transmit location data indicative of the detected geographic location to the wireless communication infrastructure 150 .

[0070] In another preferred embodiment of the connection status monitoring device 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication unit 140 may also be adapted to communicate with at least one node of the wireless communication infrastructure 150. A node in the sense of the present application may be a neighboring device, a gateway, a router or a base station. The wireless communication infrastructure 150 may be adapted to determine the geographical location of the device based on the characteristics of at least one signal received by at least one node.

[0071] Such characteristics may be signal strength, which nodes have received the signal, time of flight. Alternatively, the determination may be made based on any triangulation or other known method for this purpose.

[0072] In another preferred embodiment, the connection status monitoring device 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present application may also be adapted to determine additional data.

[0073] The additional data may indicate at least one selected from a state and an event. The data indicating a state and / or an event may be a state and / or an event of the disconnector device 110, a state and / or an event of the pole-mounted device 120, a state and / or an event of the distribution network or transmission network 200, and / or a state and / or an event of the wireless communication infrastructure 150. The state may be a state of the energy supplier 160; a health state; an operating state. An event may be a change in any state.

[0074] The wireless communication section 140 of the connection status monitoring device 100 may be adapted to transmit additional data via the wireless communication infrastructure 150 .

[0075] The sensing units of the disconnector switch device 100 may periodically report their status and any observed events to the central unit 155 using the wireless communication infrastructure 150. To save energy, the communication, i.e. the data transmission, may only occur occasionally or at predefined time points, e.g. during specific, calculated time (communication) slots.

[0076] The communication time slots between the sensing unit and another wireless transceiver can be synchronized based on the real-time clock provided by the GNSS module to save energy.

[0077] In another preferred embodiment, the connection status monitoring device 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present application may disclose: the wireless communication unit 140 may be adapted to transmit the connection status indication data according to any one of the following:

[0078] - the wireless communication unit 140 may be adapted to transmit the connection status indication data using at least 1 μWh and / or at most 1 mWh of transmission energy per transmission;

[0079] - The wireless communication unit 140 is adapted to:

[0080] a) transmitting the connection status indication data at predetermined time intervals, in particular transmitting the connection status indication data at least once a day and at most once an hour, b) transmitting the connection status indication data upon an event, c) transmitting the connection status indication data upon a change of state, or d) any combination of a to c;

[0081] - the wireless communication unit 140 may be adapted to transmit the connection status indication data at a bit rate of at least 50 bit / s and / or at most 1 MBit / s; and any combination of the above.

[0082] The wireless communication section 140 may also be adapted to transmit communication status reports, additional data and / or location data in one or more outgoing data packets.

[0083] In a preferred embodiment, the connection status monitoring device 100 may be adapted to transmit location data to the wireless communication infrastructure 150 when the connection status monitoring device 100 is activated for the first time or after maintenance. The location may be sent when the connection status monitoring device 100 is automatically powered on or after manual activation by maintenance personnel.

[0084] The transmission may not be bidirectional. In other words, the wireless communication unit 140 may only transmit in a direction toward the wireless infrastructure 150, but may not receive data transmitted from the wireless infrastructure 150. Transmission between connection status monitoring devices 100 is possible, preferably when the connection status monitoring devices 100 act as nodes and form a mesh network.

[0085] In another preferred embodiment, a connection status monitoring system may be disclosed. The connection status monitoring system may include a connection status monitoring device 100 according to one or more embodiments of the present application; and Figure 1 Visible is a central control unit 155 connected to the wireless communication infrastructure 150 using a wireless communication protocol. The wireless communication protocol is a digital protocol. The central control unit 155 can be cloud-based, but can also be a distributed system.

[0086] The central control unit 155 may be connected to the wireless communication infrastructure 155 via further network components such as a gateway, wherein these further network components may include non-wireless network parts.

[0087] The central control unit 155 may be adapted to receive connection status indication data and optionally other data, such as packet data, transmitted by the wireless communication unit 140 or possibly via another network component.

[0088] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, a protective disconnector system for disconnecting a pole-mounted device 120 in a distribution network or a transmission network 200 may be disclosed.

[0089] The protective disconnector system may include a disconnector device 110, which is connectable to a pole-mounted device 120 and is configured to disconnect the pole-mounted device 120 when the disconnector device 110 is activated in an overload condition. As considered in the present application, the overload condition may be in terms of the intensity, duration, or a combination of both of the current / power flowing through the disconnector device 110. This may be, for example, an overcurrent through the disconnector device 110 caused by, for example, a lightning strike, such that the current exceeds an intensity threshold of the overcurrent and an optional duration threshold of the overcurrent, or any other condition indicating a risk of thermal overload of the disconnector device 110 (indicating a risk of thermal overload of the disconnector device 110 and a risk of thermal overload of the connected surge arrester 120, respectively).

[0090] In this case, the protective disconnector system may disconnect the pole-mounted device 120 from, for example, a power distribution network or transmission network 200 or from the ground 210 .

[0091] The protection disconnector system may further include a connection state monitoring device 100 or a connection state monitoring system according to one or more embodiments of the present application. The connection state monitoring device 100 may be operatively connected to the disconnector device 110 to monitor the electrical connection state of the disconnector device 110.

[0092] The connection status monitoring device 100 in the protection disconnect switch system can be further adapted to determine health status indication data indicating a health status (e.g., a health status of the energy supplier 160, or a health status of the disconnect switch device 110, or a health status of another part of the protection disconnect switch system). The health status can optionally include a charge status of a battery. The wireless communication unit 140 in the connection status monitoring device 100 can be adapted to transmit the health status indication data via the wireless communication infrastructure 150.

[0093] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, the protective disconnector system according to one or more embodiments may disclose that the disconnector device 110 may include an indicator element 310 for indicating activation of the disconnector device 110. This may be a movable indicator element 310 adapted to move when the disconnector is activated, such as Figures 3 to 5 As shown in the example.

[0094] The protection disconnector system may further include: the determining part 130 may have at least one interactive element 170. The interactive element 170 may be adapted to interact with the indicator element 310 of the disconnector device 110 when the disconnector device 110 is activated. The interactive element 170 may be from the following group: an electric switch (with a mechanical actuator or a magnetic actuator), an acceleration sensor, a photoelectric barrier.

[0095] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, according to the protective disconnector system of one or more embodiments, the disconnector device 110 may be adapted to be activated under an overload condition to disconnect the pole-mounted device 120 from, for example, a distribution network or transmission network 200 or from the ground 210 .

[0096] An example of such an isolating switch device 110 may be a consumable fuse element, which is adapted to change from an unconsumed state to a consumable state in an operating state of the isolating switch device 110. This may be an explosive fuse or a fuse having a conductor element, such as an electric wire with a defined melting temperature, which melts when a current passes through it. The connection state monitoring device 100 may be adapted to determine whether the fuse element has blown. In other words, to determine whether the fuse element has been activated.

[0097] In another preferred embodiment of the present application, a power grid 200 protection system may be disclosed. The power grid 200 protection system may include at least one pole-mounted device 120, which may be connected to a distribution network or transmission network 200. The pole-mounted device 120 may be a distribution transformer or a device configured to protect the distribution network or transmission network 200 from damage in the event of a power surge, such as a surge arrester with a predetermined triggering threshold.

[0098] The grid 200 protection system may also include a protective disconnector system according to one or more embodiments of the present application. The disconnector device 110 may be electrically connected to the pole-mounted device 120 and may be further configured to disconnect the pole-mounted device 120 when the disconnector device 110 is activated under an overload condition.

[0099] In another preferred embodiment, the grid protection system according to one or more embodiments of the present application may disclose: the pole-mounted device 120 may be electrically connected between the line (i.e., phase 105) of the distribution network or transmission network 200 and the ground 210 through the isolating switch device 110, such as from Figure 1 Clearly visible in.

[0100] According to another preferred embodiment of the present application, a method for remotely monitoring the electrical connection status of the isolation switch device 110 may be disclosed.

[0101] The disconnect switch device 110 may be connected to a pole-mounted device 120 in a power distribution network or a transmission network 200 , and may be further configured to be activated under an overload condition to disconnect the pole-mounted device 120 from the power grid 200 or from the ground 210 .

[0102] The method may include the step of determining whether the disconnect switch device 110 has been activated by the determination unit 130 of the connection status monitoring device 100. The determination unit 130 may generate connection status indication data indicating whether the disconnect switch device 110 has been activated.

[0103] The method may further include: the wireless communication unit 140 of the connection status monitoring device 100 connected to the wireless communication infrastructure 150 transmits the connection status indication data through the wireless communication infrastructure 150 using a wireless communication protocol. The wireless communication protocol is a digital protocol.

[0104] The wireless communication infrastructure 150 may be connected to a data network, preferably to a global data network or to a central unit 155. The data network may be an Ethernet network using TCP / IP, such as a LAN, a WAN or the Internet. The central unit 155 may optionally include a distributed storage unit, such as a cloud 157. Depending on the application, the cloud 157 may be provided in the form of a public cloud, a private cloud, a hybrid cloud or a community cloud.

[0105] The central unit 155 may optionally be configured to output to the operator any alarms / events / state changes, which are transmitted via data according to any of the previous embodiments. The central unit 155 may optionally use the position information contained in the transmitted data to display such output on a map, for example on a map on a display, to visualize to the maintenance personnel the location where the disconnect switch device has been activated.

[0106] The method may optionally include determining connection status indication data and transmitting the connection status indication data via the wireless communication infrastructure 150 at predetermined time intervals and / or when a change in status and / or event is identified.

[0107] The wireless communication unit 140 may have a maximum transmission power, and may be configured to transmit the connection status indication data (and any other data) over the wireless communication infrastructure 150 using an actual transmission power that is only a (selectable) fraction of the maximum transmission power.

[0108] The actual transmission power may be selected to be above a lower threshold defined to ensure successful transmission over the wireless communication infrastructure 150. The actual transmission power may be selected to be below an upper threshold defined for the connection status monitoring device to reach a predetermined life of a power source, such as a battery.

[0109] It is envisaged that the battery life for a transmission once a day may be between 1 year and 20 years. The battery usage per transmission may be between a lower limit of 0.1‰ (parts per thousand) of the nominal battery energy content and an upper limit of 3‰ (parts per thousand) of the nominal battery energy content.

Claims

1. A protective isolating switch system, comprising: A surge arrester (120) which can be connected to a power distribution network or a transmission network (200); an isolating switch device (110) connected in series to the surge arrester (120) between a phase (105) of the distribution or transmission network (200) and ground (210) and configured to disconnect the surge arrester (120) when the isolating switch device (110) is activated in an overload condition of the surge arrester (120), and A connection status monitoring device (100) is operatively connected to the isolating switch device (110) for monitoring the electrical connection status of the isolating switch device (110), and the connection status monitoring device (100) comprises a determining unit (130) and a wireless communication unit (140), wherein The determination unit (130) is configured to determine whether the isolating switch device (110) has been activated, and generate connection state indication data indicating whether the isolating switch device (110) has been activated; The wireless communication unit (140) is adapted to connect to a wireless communication infrastructure (150) using a wireless communication protocol and transmit the connection status indication data via the wireless communication infrastructure (150); and The disconnect switch device (110) is provided as a consumable fuse element (300), which is suitable for changing from an unconsumed state to a consumable state in an operating state of the disconnect switch device (110), and the fuse element (300) is provided as a blowout fuse or a fuse having an electric wire as a conductor element, wherein the electric wire has a defined melting temperature and melts when a current passes through it.

2. The protection disconnector system according to claim 1, further comprising an energy supplier (160).

3. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 2, wherein: The energy supplier (160) is a battery or an energy collection system.

4. The protection disconnector system according to claim 1 is further suitable for establishing a multi-hop network with adjacent connection status monitoring devices (100).

5. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 1, wherein: The determining unit (130) comprises at least one interactive element (170) selected from the group consisting of an electric switch, an acceleration sensor, and a photoelectric barrier, wherein the interactive element (170) is adapted to interact with the isolating switch device (110) when the isolating switch device (110) is activated.

6. The protection disconnector system according to claim 1, further comprising a position detection system (180), wherein the position detection system (180) is adapted to detect the geographical location of the connection status monitoring device (100), and wherein: The wireless communication section (140) is further adapted to transmit location data indicative of the detected location to the wireless communication infrastructure (150).

7. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 1, wherein: The wireless communication unit (140) is also adapted to communicate with at least one node of the wireless communication infrastructure (150).

8. The protective disconnector switch system according to claim 1, further adapted to determine further data indicative of at least one selected from a state and an event, and wherein: The wireless communication section (140) is adapted to transmit the further data via the wireless communication infrastructure (150).

9. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 1, wherein: The wireless communication unit (140) is adapted to transmit the connection status indication data using at least 1 μWh and / or at most 1 mWh of transmission energy per transmission; and / or The wireless communication unit (140) is adapted to transmit the connection status indication data at a bit rate of at least 50 Bit / s and / or at most 1 Mbit / s; and / or The wireless communication unit (140) is adapted to: a) transmit the connection status indication data at predetermined time intervals, b) transmit the connection status indication data at an event, c) transmit the connection status indication data at a state change, or d) any combination of a to c.

10. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 9, wherein: The wireless communication unit (140) is adapted to transmit the connection status indication data at least once a day and at most once an hour.

11. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 1, wherein: The surge arrester (120) is provided as a pole mounted device.

12. The protection disconnector system according to claim 1 comprises a central control unit, which is connected to the wireless communication infrastructure (150) using a wireless communication protocol and is suitable for receiving the connection status indication data transmitted by the wireless communication unit (140).

13. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 1, wherein: The isolating switch device (110) comprises an indicator element (310) for indicating activation of the isolating switch device (110), and wherein the determining unit (130) comprises at least one interactive element (170), wherein the interactive element (170) is suitable for interacting with the indicator element (310) of the isolating switch device (110) when the isolating switch device (110) is activated.

14. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 13, wherein: The fuse element (300) is coupled to the indicator element (310) to be in physical contact with the interactive element (170) in the determining portion (130), and when the interactive element (170) is displaced, is configured to signal the connection status monitoring device (100) that the disconnecting switch device (110) has changed its state from "connected" to "disconnected".

15. The protection isolating switch system according to claim 1, wherein: The surge arrester (120) is electrically connected between a line of the distribution network or transmission network (200) and the ground (210) through the isolating switch device (110).

16. A method for remotely monitoring the electrical connection status of an isolating switch device (110), wherein: The disconnecting switch device (110) is connected in series to a surge arrester (120) between a phase (105) of a distribution network or transmission network (200) and ground (210) and is configured to be activated in an overload condition of the surge arrester (120), thereby disconnecting the surge arrester (120), and The method comprises the following steps: Determining, by a determination unit (130) of the connection status monitoring device (100), whether the disconnecting switch device (110) has been activated; generating, by the determination unit (130), connection status indication data indicating whether the disconnecting switch device (110) has been activated; The wireless communication unit (140) of the connection status monitoring device (100) connected to the wireless communication infrastructure (150) transmits the connection status indication data via the wireless communication infrastructure (150) using a wireless communication protocol; and The disconnect switch device (110) is provided as a consumable fuse element (300), which is suitable for changing from an unconsumed state to a consumable state in an operating state of the disconnect switch device (110), and the fuse element (300) is provided as a blowout fuse or a fuse having an electric wire as a conductor element, wherein the electric wire has a defined melting temperature and melts when a current passes through it.

Images