Power Quality Event Protection Circuit with Voltage Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical devices lack comprehensive protection against power quality events such as transients, swells, interruptions, waveform distortions, voltage fluctuations, and frequency variations, which can damage loads and are not adequately addressed by current surge protection devices or uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).
Innovation Solution
An electrical device comprising a voltage sensor and a control unit that detects power quality events and controls a switch or a buck converter to mitigate these events, providing protection by disconnecting the power supply during swells and adjusting the duty cycle to manage voltage fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a UPS or power conditioner is used to limit voltage and protect against swells, then protection from power quality events is improved, but device cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The device uses a voltage sensor and control unit that monitors power quality events and controls a switch to protect loads. This approach provides effective protection against swells and other power quality events without requiring expensive UPS systems with batteries and complex voltage regulation circuitry. The solution prioritizes essential protection functions at a lower cost by avoiding unnecessary features.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a switch is opened during a power quality event, then protection from damage is improved, but power interruption to the load occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit continuously monitors voltage characteristics through the voltage sensor and uses this feedback to determine when to open or close the switch. The system responds to detected power quality events by opening the switch to protect the load, then recloses it after the event passes, providing dynamic protection while minimizing interruption time. This feedback-based control enables the system to balance protection needs with continuous power supply requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical device includes a first terminal structured to electrically connect to a power source; a second terminal structured to electrically connect to a load; a voltage sensor electrically connected to a point between the first and second terminals and being structured to sense a voltage at the point between the first and second terminals; a switch electrically connected between the first terminal and the second terminal; and a control unit structured to detect a power quality event in the power flowing between the first and second terminals based on the sensed voltage and to control a state of the switch based on the detected power quality event.