Ronald K Carter

US Patent:

7272518, Sep 18, 2007

Filed:

Jul 1, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/174100

Inventors:

Jon A. Bickel - Murfreesboro TN, US
Ronald W. Carter - Murfreesboro TN, US

Assignee:

Square D Company - Palatine IL

International Classification:

G06F 17/00

US Classification:

702 61, 702 57, 702196, 702 60, 340657

Abstract:

An auto-learned hierarchy algorithm that learns the hierarchical layout of a power monitoring system. Historical power data from each meter is received and placed into a data table. The main is assumed to be at the top of the hierarchy and is designated as the reference. A check matrix is developed indicating whether a possible connection exists between each meter pair combination. A correlation coefficient matrix (CCM) is calculated based on the data table, and entries in which no connection is possible are zeroed. The column for the reference meter from the CCM is copied to a correlation reference array (CRA), and the meter having the highest correlation with the reference meter in the CRA is marked as connected to the reference meter in a connection table. That meter's power is subtracted from the data table and the procedure is repeated until all meters have been analyzed.

US Patent:

7349815, Mar 25, 2008

Filed:

Jul 1, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/173743

Inventors:

Jon A. Bickel - Murfreesboro TN, US
Ronald W. Carter - Murfreesboro TN, US
Larry E. Curtis - Murfreesboro TN, US

Assignee:

Square D Company - Palatine IL

International Classification:

G06F 19/00

US Classification:

702 60, 702 57

Abstract:

An automated integrated monitoring (IM) algorithm that automatically puts data from a utility monitoring system into context by temporally aligning the data to a common reference point and by identifying the location of each monitoring device in a hierarchy relative to other devices. Frequency variation data is received from all meters. The data is automatically aligned to a common reference point, such as a precise zero crossing, using a cross-correlation algorithm to determine the time delay at which the data is most correlated. Once the data is aligned, power data is received from all meters in a hierarchy, and the monitoring system layout is auto-learned using a correlation algorithm to determine which two meters are most likely correlated with one another based upon their historical power readings. Once the layout is complete, additional decisions regarding hardware and software configuration can automatically be made by the IM algorithm.

US Patent:

7444249, Oct 28, 2008

Filed:

Apr 15, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/106889

Inventors:

Ronald W. Carter - Murfreesboro TN, US

Assignee:

Square D Company - Palatine IL

International Classification:

G01R 23/00

US Classification:

702 75, 702 60, 702 76, 702 77

Abstract:

A digital power metering system reduces spectral leakage when determining the frequencies present in a power signal by a technique that includes sampling the signal and performing a transformation from the time domain to the frequency domain. The system initially measures the fundamental frequency of the power signal, and samples the power signal at a known sampling rate to produce digital sample values representing the power signal. The system then determines whether the known sampling rate is within a preselected range of a rate that is coherent with the measured fundamental frequency. If the answer is negative, then the system resamples the signal at a rate that is coherent with the measured fundamental frequency to produce resample values representing the signal, so that the frequencies present in the power signal can be determined from the resample values.

US Patent:

7639129, Dec 29, 2009

Filed:

Sep 11, 2007

Appl. No.:

11/900262

Inventors:

Jon Andrew Bickel - Murfreesboro TN, US
Ronald W. Carter - Murfreesboro TN, US
Larry E. Curtis - Murfreesboro TN, US

International Classification:

G08B 29/00
G08B 23/00
G05D 3/12

US Classification:

340506, 340508, 340511, 340521, 340522, 340538, 340525, 340657, 700 22, 700291

Abstract:

Methods of automatically configuring a power monitoring system based upon the locations of the monitoring devices in a hierarchy representing the spatial interrelationships of the monitoring devices. The power monitoring system includes a host computer communicatively coupled to a plurality of monitoring devices arranged in a hierarchy in an electrical system. Software on the host computer may execute any or all of an alarm aggregation algorithm for aggregating multiple alarms based on device location; a feature distribution algorithm for enabling/disabling selected device features; an evaluation algorithm for evaluating device applications; a device check algorithm for detecting flawed data; a custom configuration algorithm for customized configuration of thresholds on device-by-device basis; a host computer configuration algorithm for configuring the host computer; a redundancy algorithm for verifying an electrical event; an alarm configuration algorithm for configuring device thresholds; and a configuration error checking algorithm for detecting nomenclature issues.

US Patent:

7684441, Mar 23, 2010

Filed:

Jul 1, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/174099

Inventors:

Jon A. Bickel - Murfreesboro TN, US
Ronald W. Carter - Murfreesboro TN, US
Larry E. Curtis - Murfreesboro TN, US

International Classification:

H04J 3/06

US Classification:

370503, 702 62, 702 64, 702 71

Abstract:

A data alignment algorithm that automatically aligns data from multiple monitoring devices to the same zero-crossings at the same point in time. Cycle-by-cycle frequency data is received from each monitoring device and a cross-correlation algorithm is performed to determine a correlation coefficient between a reference monitoring device and another monitoring device. The data of the other monitoring device is shifted by one cycle and another correlation coefficient is calculated by the cross-correlation algorithm. The data of the two monitoring devices is aligned at the point at which the maximum correlation coefficient is calculated or the point at which the correlation coefficient exceeds a threshold value. The clocks of the monitoring devices can also be synchronized at the same point of alignment.

US Patent:

7865320, Jan 4, 2011

Filed:

Jun 25, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/145856

Inventors:

Avery Long - Madison AL, US
Ronald W. Carter - Murfreesboro TN, US

Assignee:

Square D Company - Palatine IL

International Classification:

G06F 19/00

US Classification:

702 61

Abstract:

A method of monitoring the electrical power in multiple branch circuits of an AC electrical power distribution system comprises monitoring at least one voltage common to said multiple branch circuits using a main meter unit, monitoring currents of the multiple branch circuits using multiple current cards that receive a plurality of current inputs from current transducers in the multiple branch circuits, sampling the monitored voltage in the main meter unit and the monitored currents in the current cards multiple times in each cycle of the AC power signal, determining the magnitudes and angles of spectral components of the sampled current in the current cards, sending data representing the magnitudes and angles of at least selected spectral components from the current cards to the main meter unit, and storing the voltage samples and the magnitudes and angles of at least the selected spectral components in the main meter unit.

US Patent:

7937247, May 3, 2011

Filed:

Aug 12, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/228394

Inventors:

Ronald W. Carter - Murfreesboro TN, US
Jon A. Bickel - Murfreesboro TN, US
Amjad Hasan - Murfreesboro TN, US

Assignee:

Square D Company - Palatine IL

International Classification:

G06F 19/00

US Classification:

702189, 714 25

Abstract:

Methods for improving the accuracy of characterizing unmonitored paths or virtual meters in a utility system. The hierarchical arrangement of IEDs in the utility system is determined. Measured quantities of a characteristic of the utility being monitored are received and error-adjusted using statistical or absolute methods. The statistical method accounts for the mean and standard deviation associated with error measurements of the subject IED, and the absolute method uses the absolute value of the error measurement, expressed as a percentage, to produce ranges of measured quantities within an error tolerance. The differences between the error-adjusted quantities are analyzed to determine whether an unmonitored path exists, and if so, whether the virtual meter is consuming or supplying the utility. The order in which IEDs are read is determined so that a parent and its children are read in sequence to increase synchronicity of the received data and the virtual meter evaluation.

US Patent:

8000911, Aug 16, 2011

Filed:

May 6, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/151309

Inventors:

Ronald W. Carter - Murfreesboro TN, US
Amjad Hasan - Murfreesboro TN, US
Jon A. Bickel - Murfreesboro TN, US

Assignee:

Schneider Electric USA, Inc. - Palatine IL

International Classification:

G06F 17/00

US Classification:

702 60, 702 57, 702 61, 370503

Abstract:

A method for automatically determining how monitoring devices in an electrical system having a main source of energy and at least one alternative source of energy (e. g. , another utility source, a generator, or UPS system) are connected together to form a hierarchy. The end-user inputs identification information about the monitoring device(s) monitoring the alternative source of energy. The method receives time-series data from the monitoring devices and determines a model type of the electrical system by analyzing the monitoring device's time-series data. Once the model type is known, the method builds the complete monitoring system hierarchy in which the monitoring devices that are monitoring the main and alternative sources are placed properly. The method can also validate polarity nomenclature of the time-series data to account for end-user's varying polarity configurations.