Voltage Configuration Selector for Power Metering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power metering equipment is designed primarily for wye configurations and struggles to accurately calculate power consumption when dealing with delta configurations, often requiring external transformers to simulate a wye configuration, leading to incorrect power calculations if the voltage configuration is not correctly identified.
Innovation Solution
A voltage configuration selector that uses virtual grounds and differentiators to generate wye and delta voltages, allowing power meters to selectively output either phase-to-neutral or phase-to-phase voltages without the need for transformers, enabling accurate power calculation in both wye and delta configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If power metering equipment is designed to calculate power consumption based on wye configuration, then power measurement accuracy for wye configurations is improved, but the equipment cannot accurately measure power consumption in delta configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The power metering equipment is designed to handle both wye and delta voltage configurations through a unified architecture. The system uses virtual ground generation and voltage differentiation circuits that can process both configuration types, allowing a single device to perform multiple measurement functions without requiring separate specialized equipment for each configuration type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes its measurement parameters based on the detected voltage configuration. When operating in delta mode, the system adjusts its voltage reference and calculation methodology compared to wye mode, allowing accurate measurements across different configuration types by adapting the measurement parameters to match the actual electrical configuration being monitored.
2Adaptability or versatility
If transformers are used to step phase voltages down to simulate a wye configuration for delta voltage input, then the power metering equipment can process delta configuration input, but the device complexity increases and ground connection requirements are added
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical transformer-based voltage transformation approach with electronic circuitry. Virtual ground generation circuits and voltage differentiators are used to achieve the same functional result of converting delta voltage inputs into a format suitable for power measurement, eliminating the need for physical transformers and associated ground connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces virtual grounds as intermediary reference points that enable the measurement of phase-to-phase voltages in delta configurations without requiring physical transformation. These virtual references act as mediators that allow the measurement circuitry to interpret delta voltages correctly through electronic differentiation rather than physical transformation.
3Measurement precision
If a voltage configuration selector is implemented with virtual grounds and differentiators, then accurate power measurement in both wye and delta configurations is enabled, but the circuit complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage measurement function is segmented into distinct operational modes (wye and delta) with dedicated signal processing paths for each. The system divides the voltage input processing into separate handling routines that apply configuration-specific calculation methods, allowing accurate measurements in each mode while managing overall system complexity through structured modular design.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A~4
AI summary
Apparatus and methods for providing a voltage signal indicative of the voltage being supplied by each phase of a multiphase voltage being supplied to a load. For each phase, a phase to neutral voltage is produced by providing a virtual ground. For each phase, a phase to phase voltage is produced by determining a difference between a pair of phase to neutral voltages. Either the phase to neutral voltages or the phase to phase voltages for each phase are output depending on the configuration of the multiphase voltage being supplied to the load.