Non-linear Power Quality Visualization for Rating Sensitivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Energy management and power quality standards often obscure the movement of measurement values within categories over time, masking transitions from better to worse categories, making it difficult to detect impending power quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a power meter, processor, and graphical user interface (GUI) that monitors power parameters, determines ratings, and displays them in a non-linear visualization with categories representing different ranges, providing greater sensitivity to value changes and indicating when ratings fall outside a desired range, triggering actions to alleviate issues.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If measurement values are mapped into multiple categories using power quality standards, then assessment is simplified, but the movement of measurement values within categories over time is obscured, masking pending transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The visualization divides the power quality rating scale into multiple graphical category sub-sections, each representing a different rating range. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplified categorical assessment while simultaneously displaying the position and movement of measurement values within each category, thus resolving the contradiction between assessment simplicity and information preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a visual dimension to the categorical assessment by displaying measurement values as positions within graphical sub-sections. This dimensional enhancement allows users to see both the category (simplified assessment) and the specific position/movement within that category (preserved information), effectively resolving the information loss problem.
2Ease of operation
If equal-sized graphical category sub-sections are used, then visualization is uniform and simple, but sensitivity to value changes varies across different rating ranges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making different graphical category sub-sections have different sizes based on their importance. Critical rating ranges (such as those near failure thresholds) are represented by larger sub-sections that provide enhanced visual sensitivity to value changes, while less critical ranges use smaller sub-sections. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining visual simplicity through uniform grid structure while adding local variations that enhance measurement precision where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes an item of electrical equipment, a power meter configured to monitor a parameter of power delivered to and/or supplied by the item of electrical equipment, a processor configured to receive an indication of the monitored parameter and determine a rating from at least the indication of the monitored parameter, and a graphical user interface (GUI) configured to display the rating in a visualization including an object divided into a plurality of graphical category sub-sections. Each of the plurality of graphical categories represents a range of ratings, At least one of the plurality of graphical categories represents a greater range of ratings than at least one other of the plurality of graphical categories.