US 7,714,735 B2 · Monitoring electrical assets for fault and efficiency correction

Abstract

A system and method of monitoring a plurality of electrical assets comprise an electricity distribution infrastructure, including a plurality of electrical asset sensors coupled to the electrical assets for monitoring an operating condition of the electrical assets as well as any fault conditions. The sensors may include a current transformer for obtaining a current waveform, a GPS receiver for applying a synchronized time-stamp to the waveform data, and a mesh network radio for transmitting the time-stamped waveform data. Data from the plurality of sensors may be encrypted and transmitted over a mesh network to one or more gateways that are in communication with a central command processor. In response to an abnormal operating condition of any electrical asset, the central command processor may determine a probable fault location, a probable fault type, and a fault response.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An apparatus for monitoring an electrical asset in an electrical infrastructure, the apparatus comprising:

a sensor coupled to the electrical asset for obtaining data corresponding to at least one of a voltage, current, and phase angle waveforms;
a globally synchronized timer for time-stamping the data with a globally synchronized time;
a mesh network radio for communicating with at least one gateway and for relaying communications between one or more other electrical asset monitors and the at least one gateway;
a processor for detecting one of a normal condition or an abnormal condition of the electrical asset based on the data;
and
a memory coupled to the processor for storing a plurality of fault type signatures;
a power supply for extracting and storing energy from the electrical asset and supplying power to at least the sensor, the timer, and the radio,
wherein the processor is configured to correlate the data to the plurality of fault type signatures to identify a fault type, and
the mesh network radio is configured to transmit the fault type to the at least one gateway.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Monitoring electrical assets for fault and efficiency correction

Life of this patent

Monitoring electrical assets for fault and efficiency correction

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims11