Voltage Warning System for Medium Voltage Installations

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing medium-voltage system warning technologies fail to reliably alert individuals of potential dangers due to the need for active attention and are costly to retrofit, often resulting in operational blindness or deafness to warning signals.

Innovation Solution

A voltage warning system that includes a voltage determination unit, a status determination unit, an intention to access recognition unit, and a warning device, which generates acoustic and/or visual warnings only when a dangerous state is detected and an individual's intention to access the area is recognized, thereby targeting the warning effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a warning device continuously emits warning signals in the operating area, then the danger is constantly indicated, but persons may experience operational blindness or deafness and fail to perceive the warnings

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewarning perception reliabilityVSAvoidoperational blindness or deafness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The warning device emits warning signals periodically or intermittently rather than continuously. The control unit activates the warning device only when specific conditions are met (dangerous state detected AND intention to access recognized), creating a periodic action pattern that prevents sensory adaptation while maintaining effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The warning system transitions from a static continuous warning state to a dynamic conditional warning state. The warning signal intensity and activation are dynamically adjusted based on real-time detection of dangerous states and access intention, optimizing perception reliability without causing operational blindness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If a warning device is installed in existing medium-voltage systems, then safety warning capability is added, but the hardware cost and installation complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety warning capabilityVSAvoidhardware and installation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The base unit serves multiple functions: voltage determination, status determination, intention to access recognition, and warning signal control. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate hardware components for each function, reducing overall device complexity and installation requirements while maintaining comprehensive safety warning capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines voltage determination, status determination, access intention recognition, and warning control into a single integrated base unit. This merging of functions reduces hardware complexity and simplifies installation in existing medium-voltage systems while providing comprehensive safety warnings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Measurement precision

If the warning device activates based on both dangerous state and intention to access, then warning precision is improved, but the system complexity increases due to additional detection requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewarning activation precisionVSAvoiddetection system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The base unit integrates multiple detection functions (voltage sensing, status analysis, motion detection) into a single device. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve high warning activation precision by monitoring multiple parameters simultaneously without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges voltage determination, status determination, and motion detection functions into one base unit with a unified control logic. This consolidation achieves precise warning activation based on multiple conditions while avoiding the complexity of coordinating separate independent detection systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4113471A1Voltage warning system for a medium voltage installation, medium voltage installation and base unit
Publication Date: 2023.01.04 WESTNETZ GMBH
  • EP4113471A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4113471A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4113471A1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

The invention relates to a voltage warning system (10) for a medium-voltage system (11), comprising a voltage detection unit (12) for determining an electrical voltage in an operating area (24) of the medium-voltage system (11), a state detection unit (13) for determining a hazardous condition in the operating area (24) based on the determined voltage, an access intention detection unit (14) for detecting an access intention of a person (20) into the operating area (24), a warning device (15) for emitting an acoustic and/or optical warning signal to warn the person (20) before entering the medium-voltage system (11), and a control unit (16) configured to control the warning device (15) to generate the warning signal depending on the determined hazardous condition and depending on the detected access intention.The invention further relates to a medium voltage system (11) with a voltage warning system (10) according to the invention and a base unit (30) for a voltage warning system (10) according to the invention.