Magnetic field detection and interaction
AssigneeAclara Technologies LLC
InventorsThomas Lee McDougall, Jr., Charles Andrew Waters
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric utility meter including a three-axis Hall Effect sensor configured to detect the presence of a magnetic field in two or more directions surrounding the electric utility meter. The electric utility meter also includes a controller having an electronic processor. The controller is configured to receive a signal indicative of an abnormal magnetic field proximate the electric utility meter from the three-axis Hall Effect sensor, determine an amount of time for which the abnormal magnetic field has been detected, and log a magnetic field tamper event in an event log when the amount of time for which the abnormal magnetic field has been detected exceeds a threshold.
Claims17
An electric utility meter comprising:
- a three-axis Hall Effect sensor configured to detect the presence of a magnetic field in two or more directions surrounding the electric utility meter;
- a controller having an electronic processor, the controller configured to:
- receive a signal indicative of a magnitude of a magnetic field proximate the electric utility meter from the three-axis Hall Effect sensor;
- determine whether the magnitude of the magnetic field exceeds a first threshold;
- determine whether a threshold flag has been set;
- set the threshold flag when the threshold flag has not been set and the magnitude exceeds the first threshold;
- determine an amount of time for which the magnitude has exceeded the first threshold when the threshold flag has been set;
- log a magnetic tamper event in an event log when the amount of time exceeds a second threshold;
- and
- clear the threshold flag when the magnitude does not exceed a third threshold, the third threshold being less than the first threshold.
A method for detecting an abnormality in a magnetic field proximate an electric utility meter, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a controller having an electronic processor, a signal indicative of a magnitude of a magnetic field proximate the electric utility meter from a three-axis Hall Effect sensor configured to detect the presence of a magnetic field in two or more directions surrounding the electric utility meter;
- determining, by the controller, whether a magnitude of the magnetic field exceeds a first threshold;
- determining, by the controller, whether a threshold flag has been set setting, by the controller, the threshold flag when the threshold flag has not been set and the magnitude exceeds the first threshold;
- determining, by the controller, an amount of time for which the magnitude has exceeded the first threshold when the threshold flag has been set;
- logging, by the controller, a magnetic tamper event in an event log when the amount of time exceeds a second threshold;
- and
- clearing the threshold flag when the magnitude does not exceed the third threshold, the third threshold being less than the first threshold.
An electric utility meter comprising:
- a three-axis Hall Effect sensor configured to detect the presence of a magnetic field in two or more directions surrounding the electric utility meter;
- a controller having an electronic processor, the controller configured to:
- receive one or more signals indicative of a magnetic field proximate the electric utility meter from the three-axis Hall Effect sensor;
- determine a magnitude indicative of a strength of the magnetic field proximate the electric utility meter based on the one or more signals;
- determine whether the magnitude exceeds a first threshold value;
- log a magnetic tamper event in an event log when the magnitude exceeds the first threshold value;
- determine whether the magnitude exceeds a second threshold value, the second threshold value being less than the first threshold value;
- and
- clear the magnetic tamper event from the event log when the magnitude does not exceed the second threshold value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.