General Electric Company

Other

David Dean Elmore

Gregory Paul Lavoie

Richard A Balch

Warren R Germer

Daniel Arthur Staver

Robert E Lee, Jr

Maurice J Ouellette

Donald F Bullock

Mark J Plis

Larry A Schmidt

Ertugrul Berkcan

Curtis Whitmore Crittenden

Virginia H Zinkowski

Jeffrey W Mammen

Wolfgang Daum

Patrick Joseph Horan

Leslie J Rosenau

Kenneth W Atherton

David Carl Coburn

Mark E Hoffman

Carol Ann Cummiskey

Roland J Provost

Thomas Maehl

Ellen D Edge

Joseph R Legere

Glenn Alan Watts

Gerard Chevalier

Jokin Galletero

Arthur C Burt

Sivarama Seshu Putcha

Raymond B Ridley

The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for metering energy consumption with an electric meter. The method includes steps of: generating metering quantities for a plurality of phase voltages from a multiphase voltage source, including generating revenue-related data; monitoring voltage changes on at least one of the phase voltages; and performing a predetermined task in response to a voltage change on at least one of the phase voltages while continuing to generate revenue-related data.

Methods and apparatus for metering energy consumption

A method of forming a toroidal winding assembly comprises: forming a longitudinal assembly having a first assembly end and a second assembly end; bending the longitudinal assembly to form a generally toroidal assembly; and bonding the first assembly end to the second assembly end to form the toroidal winding assembly.

Methods for forming torodial windings for current sensors

An electronic electricity meter includes voltage sensors configured to generate measurements of voltage at voltage elements, current sensors configured to generate measurements of current through current elements, a microcomputer coupled to the current and voltage sensors and configured to control operation of the meter, and a memory coupled to the microcomputer including calibration constants to compensate for instrument transformer ratio and phase angle errors. The microcomputer is configured to use the calibration constants, when so instructed, to correct for measurement errors that occur based upon instrument transformer ratios and phase angles and to correct metering quantities calculated by the microcomputer.

Electronic electricity meter configured to correct for transformer inaccuracies

An electricity meter which, in one embodiment, includes a digital signal processor configurable for generating energy measurements for a plurality of meter form types and connections is described. In the one embodiment, the meter includes voltage and current sensor for generating signals representative of current and voltage at a load, and the digital signal processor (DSP) is coupled to the voltage and current sensors. The DSP includes a memory, and a plurality of selectable instruction sets corresponding to respective meter form types are stored in the DSP memory. The form types includes meter ANSI form and meter ANSI form type forms, and the instruction sets include processing steps to be executed to determine line voltages and line currents for respective meter form types. The meter also includes a microcomputer coupled to the DSP for receiving data generated by the DSP. The microcomputer is operable transmit a selection command to the DSP to control selection of one of the instruction sets stored in the DSP memory. An optical port may be electrically coupled to the microcomputer, and the microcomputer is configured to receive a control command from the optical port. The microcomputer uses the control command to generate the selection command.

Electronic electricity meter configurable to operate in a plurality of meter forms and ratings

The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for defining meter data calculations in an electronic electric meter. The method includes steps of: storing a set of predefined data calculation instructions in a non-volatile memory of the meter; storing a first set of vectors in a memory of the meter, the vectors pointing to data calculations of the set of predefined data calculation instructions; metering a plurality of electrical quantities of a power source; and controlling calculations performed on the metered electrical quantities in accordance with the data calculation instructions pointed to by the first stored set of vectors.

Methods and apparatus for defining meter data calculations in an electronic electricity meter

An electricity meter which, in one embodiment, includes a temperature sensing unit for determining a signal representative of the temperature within the meter is described. In the one embodiment, the meter includes a current sensor, a voltage sensor and a processing unit. The current sensor generates an signal representative of a line current and the voltage sensor generates a signal representative of a line voltage. The current and voltage sensor and temperature sensing unit outputs are coupled to the processing unit. The processing unit includes an analog to digital (A/D) converter, a digital signal processor (DSP) and a microcomputer. The digital outputs of the A/D converter are connected to the DSP. The outputs of the DSP are connected to the microcomputer. Temperature characteristics of the meter are stored within the DSP. In operation, the output signals from the current sensor and the voltage sensor are sampled by the A/D converter to generate digital output signals representative of the line current and the line voltage. The output of the sensing unit is sampled by the A/D converter to generate a digital output signal representative of the temperature within the meter. The A/D converter digital output signals are transmitted to the DSP. The DSP determines if the output signal representative of the temperature within the meter is within a valid range. If the temperature signal is within the valid range, the DSP adjusts the line current and line voltage by the temperature characteristics of the meter based on the temperature representative signal. An adjusted energy consumption value is then determined by the DSP using the adjusted line current and the adjusted line voltage.

Temperature compensation for an electronic electricity meter

High speed multifunction testing and calibration of electronic electricity meters comprises whole cycle synchronized testing. More specifically, start and end test commands defining a test interval synchronized to whole cycles of the pulsating a.c. potentials and currents are signaled by a meter under test (MUT) to a plurality of standard meters, during which multiple electrical quantities are accumulated by both the MUT and the standard meters. The MUT accumulated quantities and the accumulated quantities of the standard meters are communicated to the external test device for comparison. These comparisons may be used by the external test device to calculate coefficients for correcting or calibrating the MUT. The coefficients are transmitted to the MUT where they are incorporated into the algorithms for calculation of the desired electrical quantities.

High speed multifunction testing and calibration of electronic electricity meters

A method for measuring electricity usage that includes steps of: coupling a sensor to a power source; converting a signal from the sensor to a digital measurement signal; using a microcomputer to determine quantities indicative of electricity consumption from the digital measurement signal; and using a nonvolatile, reprogrammable memory coupled to the microcomputer to control the microcomputer in determining the quantities indicative of electricity consumption.

High function, user configurable electricity meter

A current sensor assembly includes a plurality of symmetric current conductors that pass asymmetrically through an opening in a toroidal core having a sensing winding wound on the core. A blade is connected to each end of the conductors. Each of the conductors has the general shape of a &ldquo;V&rdquo; as viewed along a central axis passing through the opening in the toroidal core.

Primary current conductor configurations for a residential electronic meter

Line voltage and line current signals are sensed on a power line having at least one conducting path. The sensed line voltages and line currents are converted into a digital signal. A phase-to-neutral voltage signal and phase current signal are computed from the digital signal to thereby define a phase of the power line. An interval of orthogonality is determined from the sensed voltage and current signals, coinciding with passage of an integral number of cycles of a fundamental frequency reference signal which is computed from the computed phase-to-neutral voltage signal. A vector metering quantity is computed for the determined interval of orthogonality from the computed phase-to-neutral voltage signal and the computed phase current signal. The vector metering quantities to be computed may be identified and computed based upon an associated detent. The vector metering quantity is also computed based on an identified circuit topology.

Vector electricity meters and associated vector electricity metering methods

High speed multifunction testing and calibration of electronic

Vacuum fixture

Vector electricity meters and associated vector electricity metering

A wide range single-phase/polyphase switching power supply is presented. The power supply comprises first and second full wave bridge circuits. The rectified outputs of the bridge circuits are connected to a preregulator circuit, i.e., a FET circuit, where the primary input voltage from bridge circuits is limited. The output of the preregulator circuit is presented to a filter circuit. A current mode controller circuit operates at a fixed frequency with a variable duty cycle. An output of the current mode controller circuit drives the gate of a switching FET, at the fixed frequency and variable duty cycle. The aforementioned filtered voltage signal and the drain of the switching FET are connected across a first winding on the primary side of a flyback transformer. A second winding on the primary side of the flyback transformer is connected across Vcc, the supply voltage of the current mode controller circuit. The winding on the secondary side of the flyback transformer is connected to a voltage and filter circuit. Feedback is provided by an opto-isolator from the output voltage back to the compensation input of the current mode controller circuit. A voltage reference V.sub.REF is used in the feedback by an error correction amplifier to provide the feedback signal. The power supply of the present invention is particularly well suited for use with electronic electricity meters as such allows a common voltage reference for the power supply and the meter to be used. In a preferred embodiment, the second full wave bridge circuit is carried on a separate circuit board. The attachment of the second bridge circuit board on the main power supply circuit board converts the power supply from a single phase power supply to a polyphase power supply.

Wide range single-phase/polyphase switching power supply

Growing community of inventors

Brookston, IN, United States of America

David Dean Elmore