Abb Power Td & Company

Elster Electricity, LLC

Abb Automation Gmbh

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Abb Powre T&d Company, Inc.

Mark L Munday

Rodney C Hemminger

Fred F Schleifer

Scott T Holdsclaw

Vick Allen Hubbard

Garry M Loy

William P Doby

Kenneth C Shuey

Robert Arthur Loose

Russell C Broome

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

An electronic energy meter senses input voltage and current signals and processes the input voltage and current signals to generate measurements of multiple types of power. The meter comprises a processing system for selecting one of the multiple types of power and defining the same as the selected type of power. The processing system also generates a pulsed test signal representative of a magnitude of a measurement of the selected type of power for testing the operation of the meter. The meter further comprises a communications interface coupled to the processing system for transmitting the pulsed test signal from the meter and for receiving signals from sources external to the meter. Selection of one of the multiple types of power can be achieved by the meter receiving, via the communications interface and from a source external to the meter, a communications command identifying a selected one of the various types of power. The communications interface may comprise an optical communications port.

Method and apparatus for electronic meter testing

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

Methods and apparatus for electronically displaying metered electrical energy are disclosed. A first processor receives voltage and current signals, determines electrical energy and generates an energy signal representative of the electrical energy determination. A second processor receives the energy signal and generates a display signal representative of electrical energy information. A display receives the display signal and displays the electrical energy information. In a first embodiment, it is preferred for the first processor to determine units of electrical energy and the rate at which the units are determined. The second processor generates a display signal representative of the units and the rate. The second processor may also generate a disk signal representative of an equivalent rate of disk rotation in relation to the rate at which the units are determined and energy flow direction information for display. A converter may also be provided for converting an electrical output signal to light. The second processor, connected to the converter, generates the electrical output signal in response to the energy signals, wherein the output signal includes a multiplexed arrangement of the energy signals.

Method for providing optical test signals for electronic meter testing

Methods and apparatus for electronically displaying metered electrical energy are disclosed. A first processor receives voltage and current signals and determines electrical energy. The first processor generates an energy signal representative of the electrical energy determination. A second processor, connected to said first processor, receives the energy signal and generates a display signal representative of electrical energy information. A display is connected to receive the display signal and displays the electrical energy information. In a first embodiment it is preferred for the first processor to determine units of electrical energy from the voltage and current signals and to generate an energy signal representative of the determination of such units and the rate at which the units are determined. In another embodiment the first processor meters multiple types of electrical energy and generates energy signals. A first converter is provided for converting an electrical output signal to light. The second processor, connected to said first converter, generates an output signal in response to the energy signals, wherein the generation of the output signal includes the multiplexing of the energy signals into the output signal. In a still further embodiment, the display provides energy flow direction information.

An electronic energy meter which receives a measurement request, and responsive to the measurement request and data stored in data tables in a memory, performs a function and generates output information. The output information is outputted in accordance with a predetermined priority scheme. Each different type of measurement request has a different output priority. An electronic energy meter that permits the addition of new measurements or testing capabilities without requiring factory modifications to effect such functionality changes is also disclosed.

Energy meter having programmable functions

A system for monitoring power quality events of electrical energy provided to an energy meter via a service type comprises a memory for storing reference information reflective of different service types, a digital signal processor for measuring characteristics of the electrical energy, and a microcontroller for retrieving the reference information from the memory and comparing the measured characteristics to the reference information for the service type to determine the occurrence of power quality events. For each power quality event, at least one of a start time, a stop time, a duration, a measured phase, a magnitude of a measured quantity, and a predisturbance value, and a cumulative total of the power quality events is recorded.

Energy meter with power quality monitoring systems and methods

An apparatus for electronically communicating metered electrical power is disclosed. A first processor receives voltage and current signals and determines electrical power. The first processor generates an power signal representative of the electrical power determination. A second processor, connected to said first processor, receives the power signal and generates an output signal representative of electrical power information. A output device is connected to receive the output signal to output the electrical power information. The first processor determines units of electrical power from the voltage and current signals and to generates an power signal representative of the determination of such units and the rate at which the units are determined. The output devices may be one of a display, optical port and an option connector. When the output device is a display, the second processor may generate a disk signal representative of a rate of disk rotation in relation to the rate at which the units are determined, wherein the output signal to the display is representative of the units, the rate at which said units are determined, and the rate of disk rotation. The first processor, while concurrently determining units of electrical power, further may determine watt units, apparent reactive power units and the rate at which such units are determined, wherein the watt units, the apparent reactive power units and the rate at which such units are determined are displayed. The first processor may also meter multiple types of electrical power and generates power signals. The second processor, when connected to the optical port, generates an output signal in response to the power signals, wherein the generation of the output signal includes the multiplexing of the power signals into the output signal.

Apparatus for metering electrical power and electronically communicating electrical power information

An apparatus for metering electrical power includes a first processor which receives analog voltage and current signals and converts the analog voltage and current signals to respective digital voltage and current signals, a second processor which receives the energy signal and converts an energy signal into energy usage data, and a non-volatile memory coupled to the second processor for storing calibration constants and energy formula associated with a plurality of meter forms, such that some of the energy formula and calibration constants are downloaded from the non-volatile memory to the second processor. The first and second processors cooperate to determine the energy usage data based on the energy formula and calibration constants downloaded to the second processor, and the apparatus measures at least one of real power, reactive power, and apparent power based on energy formula and calibration constants associated with the plurality of meter forms. In addition, the first processor processes the digital voltage and current signals to generate the energy signal representative of a quantity of power and the second processor provides control functions within the apparatus. Further, the analog voltage signals are received by a resistive divider network and the current signals are received by a current transformer.

Apparatus for metering electrical power that determines energy usage data based on downloaded information

A system for monitoring near-instantaneous system parameters of electrical energy having at least one phase provided to an energy meter via a service type comprises a memory for storing reference information reflective of different service types, a digital signal processor for measuring characteristics of the electrical energy, and a microcontroller for retrieving the reference information from the memory and determining the near-instantaneous system parameters responsive to the reference information for the service type and the measured characteristics. The characteristics are derived from phase voltage and phase current, and are measured for a predetermined amount of time, such as a number of line cycles.

Energy meter with instrumentation systems and methods

A system and method for detecting a flicker of electrical energy provided via a service type to an energy meter. The system comprises a memory for storing a respective voltage threshold for each different service type; a digital signal processor for measuring a respective phase voltage for each meter element of the energy meter; and a microcontroller for retrieving the voltage threshold for the service type from the memory and comparing the measured phase voltage to the voltage threshold to determine an occurrence of flicker.

System and method for detecting flicker in an electrical energy supply

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 system for determining the service type to which an energy meter having meter elements is connected. The system includes a memory for storing reference information relating to different service types. The system determines which meter elements of the energy meter are active, and then determines relative phase angles and phase voltages of the meter elements. The relative phase angles are determined in to be in an ABC or a CBA rotation. Power quality monitoring is used in determining the phase voltages. The relative phase angles and phase voltages are compared to the reference information to determine the service type. The reference information includes services and scaling information, a nominal service voltage, a programmable potential indicator threshold, and a maximum and a minimum tolerance with respect to the nominal service voltage.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Mark L Munday