Smart Meter Detection of Circuit Breaker Open-Switch Events
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers often mistake a tripped circuit breaker for a power outage, leading to safety hazards and inefficiencies, as they lack easy access to information distinguishing between the two.
Innovation Solution
Implementing smart electricity meters that measure voltage and current values to differentiate between utility power outages and circuit breaker trips, providing real-time notifications and load disaggregation to associate appliances with circuits, and using machine learning to predict and prevent such events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If customers investigate the electrical system at the service site to determine power loss cause, then they may identify the issue, but they expose themselves to safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of smart meters, circuit breaker sensors, and communication devices that mediate between the electrical system and the customer. These devices safely detect power loss conditions and communicate cause information to customers without requiring them to physically investigate the electrical system, thereby eliminating safety hazards while maintaining information access
2Object-affected harmful factors
If customers wait for service restoration or leave to check neighboring sites, then they avoid safety hazards, but they lose time and cannot distinguish between power outages and tripped breakers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where smart meters and circuit breaker sensors continuously monitor electrical conditions and provide real-time information to customers about the cause of power loss. This immediate feedback eliminates the need for customers to wait or perform time-consuming investigations, while the safe remote monitoring maintains hazard avoidance
3Measurement precision
If smart meters measure voltage and current to differentiate outages from breaker trips, then accurate differentiation is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the multi-functionality of smart meters, which are already designed to measure voltage, current, and power consumption for billing purposes. By adding circuit breaker trip detection to these existing functions, the system achieves accurate differentiation without significantly increasing overall device complexity, as the additional sensing capabilities build upon the smart meter's existing measurement infrastructure
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate differentiation between power outages and circuit breaker trips, reducing safety hazards and improving grid reliability by preventing unnecessary service disruptions and optimizing appliance usage.
Implementation Method 1
a voltage value of a transformer-side of a service site is measured
Implementation Method 2
at least one of a power value or a current value of at least one circuit of the service site is measured
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for smart electricity meter operation and management of open-switch events are described. In an example, a voltage value of a transformer-side of a service site is measured. Power consumption at the service site is measured. Based at least in part on the voltage value being non-zero and the power consumption being zero, it is determined that an open-switch event occurred. That is, because the utility company is supplying typical voltage to the electricity meter, and because the power consumption is zero, a breaker switch may have tripped. Accordingly, a customer of the service site is notified of the open-switch event.