Acoustic Signal Parsimony for Electric Arc Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric arc detection methods in electrical installations face challenges such as false alarms due to electrical load perturbations and require complex parameter adjustments, making them difficult to implement and resource-intensive, especially in constrained environments like aircraft systems.
Innovation Solution
A system that detects electric arcs by analyzing temporal acoustic signals using a parsimony measurement, which involves sampling, compressing, and reconstructing signals to determine a parsimony probability, allowing for precise discrimination with a single parameter and reduced calculation resources, employing a 'compressed sensing' algorithm and pre-conditioning circuit to minimize data processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If temporal and frequency-base signal processing is used to analyze acoustic signals for electric arc detection, then detection precision is improved, but device complexity and calculation resources increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential characteristic of the acoustic signal - its sparsity in the temporal domain - and uses this single feature for detection. Instead of performing comprehensive temporal and frequency-based signal processing, the invention isolates and utilizes the sparsity property, which significantly simplifies the detection system while maintaining high precision in distinguishing electric arcs from interference events.
2Measurement precision
If temporal and frequency-base signal processing is used to analyze acoustic signals for electric arc detection, then detection precision is improved, but calculation resources are consumed excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and utilizes only the sparsity characteristic of electric arc acoustic signals in the temporal domain, avoiding the need for computationally intensive frequency-based processing. This extraction of the essential feature dramatically reduces calculation resource consumption while preserving the ability to accurately detect electric arcs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a simple sparsity measurement approach that requires minimal computational resources, effectively replacing complex signal processing algorithms. This 'cheap' measurement method consumes far less calculation energy while achieving the same detection objective, making it suitable for resource-constrained environments.
3Reliability
If electrical current measurement is used to detect electric arcs, then detection capability is achieved, but false alarms increase due to electrical load perturbations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electrical current measurement with acoustic signal analysis. By using acoustic sensors to detect the sound signature of electric arcs and analyzing the sparsity of these signals in the temporal domain, the invention avoids the interference from electrical load perturbations that plague current-based detection methods, thereby eliminating false alarms while maintaining detection capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively detects electric arcs with high precision and reliability, distinguishing them from interference events with ease, using a single parameter for adjustment and minimizing computational resources, thus enhancing operational safety in electrical systems.
Implementation Method 1
at least one sensor (5) capable of detecting temporal acoustic signals produced by the electrical installation (7)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a method and a system for detecting an electric arc in an electrical installation (7) equipped with at least one sensor (5) capable of detecting temporal acoustic signals produced by the electrical installation (7), said method being characterised in that it comprises a device for analysis (3) configured to analyse any temporal acoustic signal (5) coming from said one or more sensors (5) by associating with said acoustic signal a corresponding parsimony measurement (m) whose value indicates whether the acoustic signal is an electrical arc signature or not.