Controller for confirming contact status and controlling contact of latch relay in electric power meter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016268079-A1
Application number	US-201615057377-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 1, 2016
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A controller for confirming the contact status of a latch relay embedded in an electric power meter according to the invention includes a microcomputer unit that is electrically connected to the latch relay for reading and providing the contact switching status information of the latch relay during a power failure, and read the contact switching status information stored during the power failure when a power recovers, and configured to output an opening control signal to the latch relay when the read contact switching status is an open state, and configured to output a closing control signal to the latch relay when the read contact switching status is a closed state; and a non-volatile memory that stores the contact switching status information of the latch relay provided by the microcomputer unit or provides the contact switching status information of the latch relay to the microcomputer unit during a power failure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A controller for confirming the contact status of a latch relay embedded in an electric power meter, comprising:
a microcomputer unit that is electrically connected to the latch relay for reading and providing the contact switching status information of the latch relay to store when a power failure occurs, and read the contact switching status information stored during the power failure when a power recovers, and configured to output an opening control signal to the latch relay when the read contact switching status is an open state, and configured to output a closing control signal to the latch relay when the read contact switching status is a closed state; and a non-volatile memory that stores the contact switching status information of the latch relay provided by the microcomputer unit or provides the contact switching status information of the latch relay to the microcomputer unit during a power failure.

2 . The controller of claim 1 , wherein the microcomputer unit is configured to output an opening control signal to the latch relay when the read contact switching status information is an open state, and configured to output a closing control signal to the latch relay when the read contact switching status information is a closed state according to the contact switching status information read from the non-volatile memory during a power failure.

3 . The controller of claim 1 , wherein the microcomputer unit is configured to sense an input voltage and an output voltage of the embedded latch relay when a power recovers or in a state that the electric power meter is separated from a normal installation location and then reinstalled and an electric power is supplied again to the electric power meter, configured to determine the contact of the embedded latch relay as a closed state when the sensed input voltage of the embedded latch relay is substantially the same as the output voltage thereof, and configured to determine the contact of the embedded latch relay as an open state when there exists the input voltage input but does not exist the output voltage input.

4 . The controller of claim 3 , wherein the microcomputer unit is configured to output an opening control signal to the latch relay when the sensed contact switching status information represents an open state, and outputs a closing control signal to the latch relay when the sensed contact switching status information represents a closed state according to the sensed contact switching status information.

5 . The controller of claim 3 , further comprising a voltage detection device connected to an input terminal and an output terminal of the embedded latch relay, respectively, to detect the input voltage and output voltage of the embedded latch relay.

6 . The controller of claim 5 , wherein the voltage detection device is configured with a voltage dividing resistor connected to an input terminal and an output terminal of the embedded latch relay, respectively.

7 . The controller of claim 5 , wherein the voltage detection device is configured with a potential transformer connected to an input terminal and an output terminal of the embedded latch relay, respectively.

Assignees

• Lsis Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hyungkyu

Classifications

• H01H47/002

  Monitoring or fail-safe circuits · CPC title

• G05B19/04

  Program control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers (G05B19/418 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01R31/3278 Primary

  of relays, solenoids or reed switches (measuring contact resistance G01R27/205; high voltage magnetic switches G01R31/3271, G01R31/333; testing electric windings G01R31/72; monitoring of fail safe circuits H01H47/002) · CPC title

• H01H9/167

  Circuits for remote indication · CPC title

• G01R31/327

  Testing of circuit interrupters, switches or circuit-breakers · CPC title