Abb Power Td & Company

Elster Electricity, LLC

Abb Automation Gmbh

Fred F Schleifer

Rodney C Hemminger

Mark L Munday

Albert H Maxwell, Jr

Michael A Murphy

Richard L Tenor

Thomas J Van Heuklon

Todd Kelsey

A power supply comprises a rectifier, a transformer, a switching member, a controller and a voltage blocking clamp. A power supply can receive an alternating current (AC) input voltage having any magnitude within a wide range of AC input voltage magnitudes and can produce from any such AC input voltage magnitude a direct current (DC) output voltage. The voltage blocking clamp comprises at least one transistor connected between the rectifier and the transformer and switching member that limits the amount of rectified AC input voltage applied to the transformer and switching member to a predetermined amount when the rectified input voltage exceeds that predetermined amount. When the rectified input voltage exceeds the predetermined amount, the amount of the rectified input voltage above the predetermined amount is applied to the at least one transistor instead of the transformer and switching member.

Power supply having voltage blocking clamp

Methods and apparatus for supplying power for use in metering electrical energy over a wide range of voltages with a single meter are disclosed. The wide ranging meter includes a processing unit for processing divided input voltage and a current component in order to determine electrical energy metering values. The processing unit is operable in response to supply voltages. A power supply, connected to receive the undivided voltage component, generates the supply voltages over the wide dynamic range. It is especially preferred for the power supply to include a transformer having first, second and third windings, wherein the undivided voltage component is provided to the first winding and wherein the second winding defines the output of the power supply. A switching member is connected to the first winding for permitting and preventing the flow of current in response to a control signal. A control member generates the control signal in response to the output of the power supply. It is also preferred for the control signal to disable the witch member. It is further preferred for the power supply to include a voltage blocking clamp, connected to the transformer for blocking the voltage applied to the transformer. It is still further preferred for an oscillator to be used to generate an oscillating signal for switching the switching member ON and OFF so that the switching member is provided a substantially constant OFF time.

Apparatus for metering at least one type of electrical power over a predetermined range of service voltages

A method and apparatus to detect off-hook and intrusion conditions on a telephone line. A voltage to frequency converter is used to convert the voltage measured between the TIP and RING terminals of a telephone line to a frequency. The voltage is continuously monitored, once during each sample period. The measured frequency is compared to predetermined threshold values to determine the state of the telephone line. The predetermined threshold values are updated in each sample period.

Telecommunications off-hook and intrusion detection method and apparatus

An apparatus for metering electrical energy over a predetermined range of voltages within a single meter. The meter includes a divider network for dividing the voltage to generate a divided voltage. The divided voltage is substantially linear with minimal phase shift over the wide dynamic range. A processing unit processes the divided voltage and a current component to determine metered electrical power. A power supply receives the voltage component and generates a supply voltage from the voltage component over the predetermined range to power the processing unit. The power supply may include a transformer having first, second and third windings, so that the voltage component is provided to the first winding and the second winding defines the output of the power supply. A switching member is connected to the first winding for permitting and preventing the flow of current through the first winding. The switch member is operable in response to a control signal, which disables the switch member, that is generated by a controller in response to the output of the power supply.

An electronic energy meter for use with a 3-wire delta service having a resistive voltage divider for sensing and scaling the line voltages is disclosed. The resistive voltage divider includes three resistive dividers, one being associated with each phase of the electrical energy being metered. Each resistive divider includes a current limiter for reducing the current into the meter to a safe level when the meter electronics are operating at an elevated level, and a resistor for scaling the line voltage to a predetermined maximum peak-to-peak value. The scaled voltage that is generated has minimal phase shift, and therefore, does not require phase shift compensation prior to processing by a processing system of the electronic meter.

Electrical energy meter for 3-wire delta service

A universal electronic energy meter for measuring electrical energy usage of a circuit having a 4-wire service is disclosed. The universal meter is operable with both 4-wire wye and 4-wire delta services without modification to the meter's hardware or software. The universal meter is further operable over a wide range of standard service voltages that are supplied in connection with 4-wire services. The universal meter includes a voltage divider network that senses the line voltages from the circuit and scales the line voltages to a voltage suitable for processing by the meter. The scaled voltage has a maximum peak-to-peak voltage irrespective of the particular standard service supplying the electrical energy to the circuit, and therefore, the voltage divider network is not reconfigured to accommodate a wide range of service voltages. The voltage divider network includes resistive dividers that scale the line voltage to provide a linear voltage with minimal phase shift. The universal meter also includes a power supply that is also operable over a wide range of service voltages. The power supply supplies a regulated fixed supply voltage used by the meter for processing functions carried out by the meter independent of the type of 4-wire service supplying the electrical energy to the circuit.

Universal electronic energy meter for use with 4-wire standard services

Methods and apparatus for supplying power for use in metering electrical energy over a wide range of voltages with a single meter are disclosed. The wide ranging meter includes a processing unit for processing divided input voltage and a current component in order to determine electrical energy metering values. The processing unit is operable in response to supply voltages. A power supply, receives an undivided voltage component and generates supply voltages over the wide dynamic range. It is especially preferred for the power supply to include a transformer having first, second and third windings, wherein the undivided voltage component is provided to the first winding and wherein the second winding defines the output of the power supply. A switching member is connected to the first winding for permitting and preventing the flow of current in response to a control signal. A control member generates the control signal in response to the output of the power supply. It is also preferred for the control signal to disable the switch member. It is further preferred for the power supply to include a voltage blocking clamp, connected to the transformer for blocking the voltage applied to the transformer. It is still further preferred for an oscillator to be used to generate an oscillating signal for switching the switching member ON and OFF so that the switching member is provided a substantially constant OFF time.

Switching power supply for use in an electronic energy meter having a

Methods and apparatus for supplying power for use in metering electrical energy over a wide range of voltages with a single meter are disclosed. The wide ranging meter includes a processing unit for processing divided input voltage and a current component in order to determine electrical energy metering values. The processing unit is operable in response to supply voltages. A power supply, connected to receive the undivided voltage component, generates the supply voltages over the wide dynamic range. It is especially preferred for the power supply to include a transformer having first, second and third windings, wherein the undivided voltage component is provided to the first winding and wherein the second winding defines the output of the power supply. A switching member is connected to the first winding for permitting and preventing the flow of current in response to a control signal. A control member generates the control signal in response to the output of the power supply. It is also preferred for the control signal to disable the switch member. It is further preferred for the power supply to include a voltage blocking clamp, connected to the transformer for blocking the voltage applied to the transformer. It is still further preferred for an oscillator to be used to generate an oscillating signal for switching the switching member ON and OFF so that the switching member is provided a substantially constant OFF time.

Growing community of inventors

Elk Mound, WI, United States of America

Fred F Schleifer