Electric Service Detection Using Voltage Tolerance Ranges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting electric service components in electrical energy meters require complex calculations, such as Discrete Fourier Transform, which are resource-intensive and time-consuming, and often involve calculating phase angles, making them inefficient.
Innovation Solution
The method involves measuring line to neutral and line to line voltage signals as RMS values, comparing them to reference information in service records using tolerance ranges to determine service type and nominal voltage, eliminating the need for phase angle calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If Discrete Fourier Transform calculations are used to determine phase angles for service detection, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and computational resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary information (voltage magnitudes and phase differences) from the complex DFT calculation process, eliminating the need for full phase angle calculations. By comparing voltage magnitudes directly and using simplified phase difference detection, the system achieves service detection without the computational burden of complete DFT-based phase angle determination.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of calculating phase angles from voltage signals and then determining service type, the patent inverts the approach by comparing voltage magnitudes and simplified phase differences directly against predefined service characteristics. This reversal eliminates the need for complex intermediate calculations while achieving the same detection goal.
2Measurement precision
If Discrete Fourier Transform calculations are performed to calculate phase angles, then service detection accuracy is improved, but productivity decreases due to time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-storing service type characteristics (voltage magnitude relationships and phase difference ranges) in lookup tables. During operation, the system simply compares measured values against these pre-computed reference values, eliminating the need for real-time complex calculations and significantly accelerating service detection while maintaining accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If complex phase angle calculations are used to determine service components, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by creating simplified representations of service characteristics (voltage ratios and phase difference ranges) that can be quickly compared against measured values. Instead of performing complex real-time calculations, the system copies pre-determined service patterns into lookup structures for rapid matching, dramatically reducing calculation time while preserving detection precision.
4Reliability
If DFT-based phase angle determination is used, then service detection reliability is improved, but use of energy increases due to computational requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by replacing expensive, energy-intensive DFT calculations with inexpensive, simple comparison operations. The system uses basic magnitude and phase difference measurements that require minimal computational resources, effectively substituting high-energy calculation methods with low-energy alternatives while maintaining sufficient detection reliability through careful threshold selection.
Data Source
AI summary
Components of an electric service may be identified by measuring voltage signals relating to the connection of an electrical energy meter connected to the electric service. The voltage signals that may be measured include line to neutral voltages and line to line voltages. The values of the measured line to neutral voltages may be compared to reference information comprising tabulated values that may be tabulated as ratios of nominal service voltages associated with different service types. The values of the measured line to line voltages may be compared to ideal line to line voltages calculated using fixed values from the reference information.