# US 12,181,502 B2 · System and method for detecting arc in an electrical meter > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,181,502 B2 - Document ID: US12181502B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/487,250 - Filed: 2023-10-16 - Published: 2024-02-22 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-06 - Assignees: Aclara Technologies LLC - Applicants: Aclara Technologies LLC - Inventors: Thomas Lee McDougall, Jr.; Curtis Whitmore Crittenden; Charles Andrew Waters - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181502B2 ## CPC - G01R 22/068: {Arrangements for indicating or signaling faults} - G01R 22/063: {related to remote communication} - G01R 31/12: Testing dielectric strength or breakdown voltage {; Testing or monitoring effectiveness or level of insulation, e.g. of a cable or of an apparatus, for example using partial discharge measurements; Electrostatic testing (G01R31/08, G01R31/327 and G01R31/72 take precedence; measuring in plasmas G01R19/0061; measuring dielectric constants G01R27/2617; ESD, EMC or EMP testing of circuits G01R31/002)} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract An electrical meter including a housing including a socket interface operable to connect to a facility. The meter further including a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of the electrical meter. The meter further including a controller having an electronic processor and a memory. The electronic processor is configured to receive, from the sensor, a signal indicative of the electrical characteristic, determine, based on the signal, presence of a hot socket, and output an alert based on determining presence of the hot socket. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrical meter comprising: a housing including a socket interface operable to connect to a facility; a sensor configured to sense a characteristic of the electrical meter; and a controller having an electronic processor and a memory, the electronic processor configured to: receive, from the sensor, a signal indicative of the characteristic, determine, based on the signal, a presence of a hot socket, wherein the presence of the hot socket is based on the characteristic being above a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time period, determine, based on the signal, if the determination of the presence of the hot socket is a false positive, and output an alert when the determination of the presence of the hot socket is not a false positive. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is at least one selected from a group consisting of an electrical characteristic, a radio-frequency, an ozone characteristic, and an acoustic characteristic. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electrical meter of claim 2, wherein the electrical characteristic is at least one selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a current, and a temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The electrical meter of claim 2, wherein the radio-frequency is a radio-frequency noise. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine, based on the signal, a presence of an arcing condition. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electrical meter of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to determine, based on the signal, a presence of a series arcing condition. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The electrical meter of claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to determine, based on the signal, a presence of a parallel arcing condition. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electrical meter of claim 1, wherein the alert is received by a server. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The electrical meter of claim 8, wherein the server is configured to receive a second alert from a second electrical meter located at a second facility. ### Claim 10 A method for detecting a hot socket in an electrical meter, the method comprising: sensing, via a sensor, a characteristic of the electrical meter; receiving, via a controller having an electronic processor, a signal indicative of the characteristic; determining, via the controller and based on the signal, a presence of a hot socket, wherein the presence of the hot socket is based on the characteristic being above a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time period; determining, via the controller and based on the signal, if the determination of the presence of the hot socket is a false positive, and outputting, via the controller, an alert when the determination of the presence of the hot socket is not a false positive. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the characteristic is at least one selected from a group consisting of an electrical characteristic, a radio-frequency, an ozone characteristic, and an acoustic characteristic. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the electrical characteristic is at least one selected from a group consisting of a voltage, a current, and a temperature. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the radio-frequency is a radio-frequency noise. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to determine, based on the signal, a presence of an arcing condition. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to determine, based on the signal, a presence of a series arcing condition. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to determine, based on the signal, a presence of a parallel arcing condition. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the alert is received by a server. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the server is configured to receive a second alert from a second electrical meter located at a second facility.