System and method for calibrating a non-contact energy metering assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196790-B2
Application number	US-202318170267-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2023
Priority date	Dec 22, 2022
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

This disclosure relates generally to an energy metering assembly configured to measure current and voltage of a one or more primary conductors, the energy metering assembly comprising a core; a coil having a plurality of turns, the coil being positioned around the core when securing the core to the one or more primary conductors; a voltage sensor, the voltage sensor being configured to sense a voltage of a one or more primary conductors; and a controller coupled to the coil and the voltage sensor, the controller being configured to determine a voltage of the one or more primary conductors, determine a current of the one or more primary conductors, and responsive to determining the voltage and the current, determine the power carried by the one or more primary conductors.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An energy metering assembly configured to measure current and voltage of one or more primary conductors, the energy metering assembly comprising:
a current sensor configured to sense a current of the one or more primary conductors;
a non-contact voltage sensor, the voltage sensor being configured to sense a voltage of the one or more primary conductors; and
a controller communicatively coupled to the voltage sensor, the controller being configured to
receive a voltage calibration measurement,
determine a voltage of the one or more primary conductors based at least in part on the voltage calibration measurement,
determine a current of the one or more primary conductors, and
responsive to determining the voltage and the current, determine the power carried by the one or more primary conductors.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein a voltage meter is coupled to the one or more primary conductors and communicatively coupled to the energy metering assembly and configured to provide the voltage calibration measurement to the controller.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the voltage meter provides the voltage calibration measurement to the controller at intervals.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a voltage measurement circuit coupled to the voltage sensor and configured to provide a processed analog signal to the controller, the analog signal being indicative of at least one or more of the voltage magnitude and phase of the voltage of the one or more primary conductors.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the controller determines the voltage of the one or more primary conductors responsive to receiving the processed analog signal provided by the voltage measurement circuit.

6. The system of claim 4 , further comprising a flexible bus having at least two ends, the flexible bus being coupled to the voltage measurement circuit at one end and coupled to the controller at another end.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the one or more primary conductors and provide the temperature to the controller.

8. The system of claim 7 , where the controller is further configured to adjust the voltage responsive to receiving the temperature provided by the temperature sensor.

9. The energy metering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the voltage sensor detects an electrical field that is proportional to the voltage.

10. The energy metering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the voltage sensor is coupled to a flexible bus, and the flexible bus is coupled to the controller.

11. The energy metering assembly of claim 1 , wherein the voltage sensor is rigidly coupled to a circuit configured to process the voltage and provide a processed voltage signal to the controller.

12. The energy metering assembly of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive input from a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the one or more primary conductors.

13. The energy metering assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a voltage meter configured to communicatively couple to the energy metering system and configured to measure the voltage of the one or more primary conductors.

14. The energy metering assembly of claim 13 , wherein the voltage meter is configured to provide a voltage reading to the energy metering assembly.

15. The energy metering assembly of claim 14 , wherein the energy metering system is configured to request the voltage reading and to calibrate the voltage sensor using the voltage reading.

16. The energy metering assembly of claim 13 , wherein the voltage meter provides one or more voltage readings at intervals.

17. The energy metering assembly of claim 1 further comprising
a first sensor configured to sense a temperature of the one or more primary conductors, and
a second sensor configured to sense an ambient temperature of the energy metering assembly.

18. The energy metering assembly of claim 17 wherein the controller is further configured to
compare the temperature of the one or more primary conductors and the ambient temperature to one or more historical temperature data indicative of historical temperatures of the one or more primary conductors and historical ambient temperatures,
detect, based on the ambient temperature and the historical temperature data, a change in the temperature of the one or more primary conductors indicative of a fault.

19. The energy metering assembly of claim 18 wherein the fault includes at least one of bonding trending to failure, electrical contacts trending to failure, corrosion, connections loosening with time, or other issues leading to abnormal heating of the one or more primary conductors.

20. The energy metering assembly of claim 1 wherein the controller is further configured to
calibrate the energy metering assembly when current carried on the one or more primary conductors is below a threshold current level,
detect a second voltage of the one or more primary conductors when current carried on the one or more primary conductors is above a threshold current level,
characterize a difference between voltage and the second voltage when current carried on the one or more primary conductors is above the threshold current level,
determine a normal impedance of the one or more primary conductors, and
provide an alarm when an impedance of the one or more primary conductors deviates by a threshold impedance amount from the normal impedance.

21. The energy metering assembly of claim 20 wherein the impedance of the one or more primary conductors is an impedance of an electrical distribution system between a voltage meter and the energy metering assembly.

22. A method of determining power provided to a load, comprising:
taking a voltage measurement of a one or more primary conductors;
taking a current measurement of a secondary conductor;
responsive to taking the voltage measurement of the one or more primary conductors, determining a voltage value of the one or more primary conductors;
responsive to sensing the current measurement of the secondary conductor, determining a current value of the one or more primary conductors based on the current measurement of the secondary conductor;
receiving a voltage calibration measurement;
responsive to receiving the voltage calibration measurement, adjusting the voltage value based on the voltage calibration measurement; and
responsive to adjusting the voltage value, determining the power provided to the load based on the voltage value and the current value.

23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising requesting voltage calibration measurements and adjusting the voltage value based on the voltage calibration measurements at intervals.

24. The method of claim 22 , further comprising sensing a temperature of the one or more primary conductors, and adjusting the voltage value based on the temperature of the one or more primary conductors.

25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising adjusting the voltage value based on the temperature at a first circuit and further adjusting the voltage value based on the voltage calibration measurement at a second circuit.

26. The method of claim 22 , wherein the voltage calibration measurement is received from a voltage meter configured to directly sense a voltage of the one or more primary conductors at a point different from the point where the voltage

Assignees

• Schneider Electric Usa Inc

Inventors

• Gunn Colin N
• Harding Stewart John
• Huber Benedikt Theodor

Classifications

• G01R35/005

  Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references (G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01R15/144

  Measuring arrangements for voltage not covered by other subgroups of G01R15/14 · CPC title

• G01R22/10

  using digital techniques · CPC title

• G01R35/04

  of instruments for measuring time integral of power or current · CPC title

• G01R22/08 Primary

  using analogue techniques · CPC title