Ground Fault Monitoring Using NGR Voltage Frequency Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ground fault monitoring systems in industrial automation environments fail to accurately pinpoint the location of fault conditions without costly and complex designs or manual effort, leading to inefficiencies and increased downtime.
Innovation Solution
A ground fault monitoring system that includes fault detection circuitry and processing circuitry to identify a non-zero voltage signal indicative of a fault, measure its frequency, and determine the location by comparing the frequency value with operational parameters of devices in the system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple ground resistors and sensors are deployed at each device to identify fault locations, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fault location identification capability from the traditional approach of deploying multiple sensors at each device. Instead, it uses a single ground fault monitoring system that leverages existing NGR voltage signals and operational parameters to pinpoint fault locations, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces frequency analysis as an intermediary mechanism to connect the NGR voltage signal with fault location identification. By comparing the frequency of the detected voltage signal with the operational frequencies of devices in the system, the patent can identify which device is faulty without requiring direct sensors at each device location
2Measurement precision
If multiple ground resistors and sensors are deployed at each device to identify fault locations, then measurement precision improves, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fault location identification capability from the traditional approach of deploying multiple sensors at each device. Instead, it uses a single ground fault monitoring system that leverages existing NGR voltage signals and operational parameters to pinpoint fault locations, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses frequency information as a signature or fingerprint that can be copied and compared across different devices. By matching the frequency of the fault signal with the operational frequencies of devices in the system, the patent can identify the faulty device without physically placing sensors at each location, thus reducing overall system cost
3Device complexity
If ground fault monitoring is performed without frequency analysis, then device complexity decreases, but loss of information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter used for fault location identification from spatial distribution of sensors to temporal frequency analysis. By monitoring the frequency characteristics of the NGR voltage signal and comparing it with operational parameters, the system maintains simplicity while avoiding loss of fault location information
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring the NGR voltage signal frequency and comparing it with the operational frequencies of devices in the system. This feedback mechanism enables automatic fault location identification without requiring complex sensor deployments, thus maintaining system simplicity while preserving critical fault information
Data Source
AI summary
The present technology relates to ground fault detection in an industrial automation environment supplied by a resistively grounded power source by using voltage and frequency information measured at a grounding resistor to detect a system ground fault and identify a fault location. A ground fault monitoring system may include detection circuitry and processing circuitry. Fault detection circuitry may identify signals that include non-zero grounding resistor voltages indicative of a fault condition in the environment. The processing circuitry may receive signals from the fault detection circuitry and identify a frequency value corresponding to the fault condition. The processing circuitry determines which location corresponds to the fault condition by comparing the fault frequency value and known operational parameters of devices at various locations. Upon identifying presence and location of the fault condition, the processing circuitry may indicate the fault condition or disconnect power from the fault location.