Electrical Panel Image Analysis for Unused Capacity Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical panels face challenges in determining whether additional secondary circuits, such as those for electric vehicle charging stations, can be safely and efficiently integrated, due to limitations in assessing facility-specific electrical characteristics.
Innovation Solution
The use of computer vision software to analyze digital images of electrical panels, identifying attributes like circuit breaker ratings, vacant slots, and panel types, allows for the calculation of overall electrical power capacity and load, thereby generating reports on unused capacity and suitability for additional circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual assessment methods are used to evaluate electrical panel capabilities, then flexibility in handling diverse panel configurations is maintained, but time consumption and labor requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection methods with an automated computer vision system that uses image processing algorithms to detect and analyze electrical panel components. The system captures images of the panel and uses automated recognition to identify breaker types, ratings, and configurations, eliminating the need for manual assessment while maintaining accuracy across diverse panel types.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical panel assessment system performs self-analysis by automatically capturing images of the panel and processing them through computer vision algorithms. The system independently identifies component characteristics, calculates power capacity, and generates assessment reports without requiring external manual intervention, thereby reducing time consumption while maintaining operational flexibility.
2Measurement precision
If detailed manual inspection of each circuit breaker is performed, then measurement precision of electrical characteristics is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal computer vision system that can handle multiple types of electrical panels and circuit breakers through a single integrated platform. The system uses standardized image processing algorithms that automatically adapt to different breaker configurations, ratings, and panel layouts, achieving high measurement precision without requiring complex manual inspection procedures for each specific component type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex manual inspection procedures with automated computer vision technology that captures panel images and uses algorithmic processing to precisely identify electrical characteristics. The automated recognition system eliminates the need for inspectors to manually examine each breaker's detailed specifications, thereby maintaining high measurement precision while significantly reducing operational complexity.
3Reliability
If comprehensive electrical panel analysis is conducted to determine capacity for additional circuits, then reliability of safety assessment is improved, but loss of time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary analysis by capturing and processing electrical panel images in advance, automatically identifying all relevant components and their characteristics before capacity calculation is needed. The system pre-processes the visual data to extract breaker ratings, configurations, and panel specifications, so that when capacity assessment is required, the computation can proceed quickly using already-processed information, thereby maintaining high reliability while reducing time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces time-consuming manual capacity calculation with automated computational algorithms that process extracted image data to determine power capacity and assess safety for additional circuits. The computer vision system rapidly calculates available capacity based on identified component specifications, providing reliable safety assessments significantly faster than manual methods while reducing computational resource requirements through efficient algorithmic processing.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of determining a capability of an electrical panel includes providing information relative to the electrical panel to a computer vision software, such as through an image captured by a camera. An attribute of the electrical panel may be analyzed, using the computer vision software, panel at least partially based on the information. An overall electrical power capacity of the electrical panel may be calculated based at least in part on the attribute of the electrical panel. An electrical load on the electrical panel may be calculated based at least in part on the attribute of the electrical panel. A report may be generated that includes an unused electrical power capacity of the electrical panel at least partially based on the electrical load and the overall electrical power capacity of the electrical panel.