Electricity Meter and Circuit Breaker Integration for Remote Cut-Off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern electricity meters are bulky, costly, and prone to reliability issues due to their numerous components, including a cut-off member that can suffer from contact blackening.
Innovation Solution
The system integrates a circuit breaker with a bistable relay and secondary processor to control the cut-off member, allowing the electricity meter to remotely manage power supply without needing its own cut-off member, reducing weight, size, and manufacturing costs while enhancing reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electricity meter includes its own cut-off member, then it can independently cut off the line, but the weight, size, and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cut-off function from the electricity meter with the circuit breaker by having the electricity meter's processor control the circuit breaker's cut-off member. This integration eliminates the need for a separate cut-off member in the electricity meter, reducing its weight and size while maintaining the ability to independently cut off the line when needed.
2Reliability
If the electricity meter includes its own cut-off member, then it can independently cut off the line, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cut-off functionality into the circuit breaker, which is already present in the system. By having the electricity meter's processor send control signals to the circuit breaker's cut-off member, the system eliminates the need for duplicate cut-off components, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while preserving independent cut-off capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the electricity meter includes numerous components for multiple functions, then it can perform numerous functions, but the reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into distinct functional components: the electricity meter handles measurement, communication, and control functions, while the circuit breaker handles the physical cut-off and protection functions. This segmentation reduces the number of components within the electricity meter itself, thereby improving its reliability while maintaining overall system versatility through the coordinated operation of both devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A system comprising a meter and a circuit breaker, the electricity meter comprising: a primary processing component designed to acquire a primary power supply parameter and to produce, from the primary power supply parameter, a primary command intended to control the opening or closure of a line; a primary transceiver designed to transmit the primary command; the circuit breaker comprising: a disconnection unit; a bistable relay designed to open or close the disconnection unit; a secondary receiver designed to receive the primary command; a secondary processing component designed to acquire the primary command and to control the bistable relay so as to open or close the disconnection unit on the basis of the primary command.