Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Jerry M Kennon

Theodore H York

James V Faulkner, Jr

John S Phillips

Leland E Hayden

An electric meter is provided with a magnetically sensitive switch and a means for detecting the activation of the switch. A program is provided for sensing, recording and transmitting the status history of the magnetically sensitive switch to a remote device. The electric meter is connected in signal communication with a power line communication system and provided with the capability of transmitting and receiving messages in conjunction therewith. The electric meter senses the presence of a strong magnetic field in the region of the electric meter and, if other appropriate flags are not set, this information is used to determine that an effort to tamper with the meter by using magnetic fields has occurred.

Magnetic tamper detector

A transceiver is provided with a means for determining its own prescribed frequency upon the occurrence of an adverse transient condition, such as lightning, or upon initial installation after manufacture. Since it can safely be assumed that a transceiver's prescribe reception frequency is the same as its transmission frequency, the present invention measures the period of its transmission frequency in order to determine the frequency of its reception frequency. The exact frequency of incoming demodulated messages must be known in order for the transceiver's digital demodulator to properly demodulate the incoming signals. A high frequency signal, such as 1 mHz, is used to increment a pulse counter and the values of this pulse counter are stored upon the occurrence of two successive negative edges of the carrier signal. The present invention also provides means for directing its carrier signal to an input port of its microprocessor during power-up sequence in order for the period of the carrier signal to be easily measured.

Transceiver with auto frequency sense

A field configuration terminal is provided that does not require physical or electrical connection to a remote device of a power line communication system. A toroid is provided that comprises a multiplicity of turns of a conductor that is connected in electrical communication with an amplifier and receiver circuitry within the field configuration terminal. A battery, with associated power supply components, provides a direct current source for the microprocessor and logic of the field configuration terminal and for the amplifier thereof. The toroid of the field configuration terminal is shaped to be disposed around a load management terminal of a power line communication system without physical or electrical contact therewith. Signals are transmitted to and received from the load management terminal by inductively coupling the toroid with the load management terminal in signal communication.

Wireless power line communication apparatus

A watt-hour meter tamper detector characterized by a fiber optic link that extends between a microprocessor of a load management terminal and mounting means for maintaining a watt-hour meter cover intact, and which fiber optic link signals an attempted opening of the mounting ring to the microprocessor when the fiber optic link is severed.

Watt-hour meter with fiber optics tamper detector

A load management terminal is utilized as an end device in a utility's distribution network communication system. The distribution network carries electrical power as well as communication signals. The load management terminal is comprised of a power line coupling unit for connecting the load management terminal to the power distribution network. A signal receiver and conditioning unit produces a command signal in response to a received communication signal. A solid state memory contains preprogrammed instructions and data. A microprocessor performs load control functions in response to the command signal. The microprocessor additionally produces a diagnostic signal being in a low state in response to one of the preprogrammed instructions and being in a high state in response to another of the preprogrammed instructions. A reset circuit monitors the diagnostic signal and resets the microprocessor in response to irregularities in the diagnostic signal thereby greatly increasing the reliability of the load management terminal.

Microprocessor-based load management terminal with reset

A load management terminal is utilized as an end device in a utility's distribution network communication system. The distribution network carries electrical power as well as communication signals. The load management terminal is comprised of a power line coupling unit for connecting the load management terminal to the power distribution network. A signal receiver and conditioning unit produces a command signal in response to a received communication signal. A solid state memory contains preprogrammed instructions and data. A control logic circuit performs load control functions in response to the preprogrammed instructions, data and the command signal. These load control functions include the opening and closing of load control switches for selectively disconnecting and connecting, respectively, customer loads. A cold load pick-up produces power outage information enabling the load management terminal to provide local, load control functions.

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Jerry M Kennon