Method and system for protecting against voltage surges

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11296498-B2
Application number	US-201816651750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A method for protecting an electronic system against a voltage surge, which electronic system is connected to a telecommunication network and includes a control integrated circuit, the method including successively connecting the electronic system to a remote server containing meteorological data; recovering meteorological data originating from the remote server; analyzing by the control circuit the recovered meteorological data to assign thereto a danger level of the current or imminent meteorological event; and, when the assigned danger level exceeds a main warning threshold: sending by the control circuit a warning signal to a display terminal connected to the electronic system; displaying a first warning message on the display terminal from information contained in the warning signal, the first warning message warning a user of the display terminal of a risk of voltage surge due to the current or imminent meteorological event; and electrical isolating a port of the electronic system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for protecting at least one electronic system against a voltage surge likely to be caused by a current or imminent meteorological event, which electronic system is connected to a telecommunication network and comprises a control integrated circuit, the method comprising successively:
a step of connecting the electronic system to a remote server containing meteorological data;
a step of recovering meteorological data originating from the remote server;
a step of analysis by the control circuit of the recovered meteorological data to assign thereto a danger level of the current or imminent meteorological event;

and, when the assigned danger level exceeds a main warning threshold recorded in a memory space of the control circuit:
a step of sending by the control circuit a warning signal to a display terminal connected to the electronic system;
a step of displaying a first warning message on the display terminal from information contained in the warning signal, the first warning message warning a user of the display terminal of a risk of voltage surge due to the current or imminent meteorological event; and
a step of electrical isolation commanded by the control circuit of at least one port of the electronic system.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising an additional step of displaying at least one command button on the display terminal and associating the button with the transmission of a command to the electronic system intended to control the step of electrical isolation.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the warning signal is configured to switch on the display terminal when said terminal is switched off.

4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising, when the danger level assigned to the recovered meteorological data exceeds an additional warning threshold below the main warning threshold, an additional step of displaying on the display terminal a datum informing the user of the impending arrival of a meteorological event likely to generate a voltage surge.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a time out step is provided before the step of isolating at least one port of the electronic system, the time out period being able to be set by a user of the terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the time out period is contained in the warning signal and wherein the display terminal is isolated from an electrical network at the end of the time out period.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of connecting the electronic system to the remote server comprises a sub-step of sending to the remote server a request to collect meteorological data, the request comprising geolocation information of the electronic system.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of recovering meteorological data is carried out in real time and comprises the following sub-steps:
collecting and saving meteorological data sent by the remote server;
repeating this sub-step of collecting and saving data according to a determined period of which the value is recorded in the memory space of the control circuit.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of analysis of the meteorological data comprises at least the following sub-steps:
partitioning the meteorological data to extract temperature, pressure, humidity level and wind speed and direction data;
correlating the extracted data to assign thereto a danger level from a level scale recorded in the memory space of the control circuit.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of analysis of meteorological data comprises at least the following sub-steps:
partitioning the meteorological data to extract a warning level calculated by the remote server;
analysing the warning level of the remote server to assign thereto a danger level from a level scale recorded in the memory space of the control circuit.

11. The method according to claim 1 , comprising a step of generating a second warning message by the control circuit, intended to be sent to every computer terminal or peripheral in communication with the electronic system, the second warning message providing warning of the risk of voltage surge due to the current or imminent meteorological event.

12. An electronic system comprising a control integrated circuit having a memory space, the electronic system further comprising a power supply port to an electrical network, at least one network input port to connect the system to a wide area computer network, at least one multimedia output port to connect the electronic system to a display terminal, the control circuit being configured to successively:
connect the electronic system to a remote server containing meteorological data;
recover and analyse meteorological data originating from the remote server in order to determine and assign a danger level of a current or imminent meteorological event likely to generate a voltage surge at least in the electronic system;
and, when the assigned danger level exceeds a warning threshold recorded in the memory space:
send a warning signal to the display terminal, the warning signal containing information making it possible to display a warning message on the display terminal in order to warn a user of the display terminal of a risk of voltage surge due to the current or imminent meteorological event;
electrically isolate at least one of the ports of the electronic system.

13. The electronic system according to claim 12 , wherein the control integrated circuit comprises a cut-off circuit comprising electrically controlled circuit breakers, the circuit breakers being respectively mounted in respective power supply lines of the considered ports and driven by the control circuit.

14. A computer programme comprising instructions which, when the programme is executed by computer, lead said computer to implement the steps of the method according to claim 1 .

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, on which is recorded the computer programme according to claim 14 .

16. The electronic system according to claim 12 , wherein the electronic system is a decoder.

Assignees

• Sagemcom Broadband Sas

Inventors

• Kerhoas Florian
• Abrahami Mathieu

Classifications

• H02H5/005

  responsive to ionising radiation; Nuclear-radiation circumvention circuits (radiation detectors G01T; nuclear-explosion detection G21J5/00) · CPC title

• G01W1/16

  Measuring atmospheric potential differences, e.g. due to electrical charges in clouds (measuring potentiels in general G01R) · CPC title

• G01S13/95

  for meteorological use · CPC title

• H02H9/04 Primary

  responsive to excess voltage (lightning arrestors H01C7/12, H01C8/04, H01G9/18, H01T) · CPC title

• G01W1/00

  Meteorology · CPC title