AU633524B2 - Autonomous device for detection of faults on an electric network and process relating thereto - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Form: PATENTS ACT 195z COMPLE3TE SPECWFICATION6' 335

(ORIGINAL)

[0 2 FOR OFFICE USE Short Title.hIt, Cht Applicatton Number: Lodged: Complete Specification -Lodged, Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: Related Art: 0 4 4 TO BiE COMPLIEHI DY AIPLICANT Name of Applicant- Address of Appllcant Actual, Inventors: Address for Service: MANUFACTURE D'APPAREILLAGE ELECTRIQUE DE CAHORS ancELEIICUEWDEPRANCE& 116ourd, 46003 CAlHORS,. France an-.3ueadU 431M0-TOULOUSE, irtncc-.

PIERRE SAVARY and DANIEL TOUGNE CALLINAN LA WRIE!, 278 High Street, Kew, 3101, Vlctorlia'." Australia Complete Specificatlon for the Invention entitled:, "AUTONOMOUS DEVICE FOR DEECrION OF FAULTS ON AN ELECTRIC NETWORK AND PRO CESS RELATING THERETO" The following statement Is a full description of ths Invention, including the best method of performing It known to me:-.

ra-: i~'~l OBdG1NAL 4 44 i,* a4 444 4. 444 4 BI D 44br 4 4 444444r 4 4pr 4 4"4 4 40 The presont invention relates to an autonomous device for detdction of faults on an electric network.

It also relateO to the process for detection of thoso faultu, in particular by means of the above-mentioned device.

the power supply services are not always able to identify voltage discontinuities which occutr on their network and thus catot compensate for thoso faults.

There is discontinuity when the voltage drops boloW a critical value, thus prohibiting the functioning of pieces of apparatus which are connected to the network affected by the discontinuity.

It is therefore necessary for the operator of an olectrie network to have positioned in strategic places in his network devices for detection of faultes in order to be able to improve the operation of his network.

From the French patent specification 2 485 723, a system for taking recordings and collecting 20 Moasurements Is already known. This aystezm comprises, at sieveral monuremont points, a device consisting of at least one measurement sensor, an interface block, which provides for conversion and/or multiplexing, a local memory and a clock asociated with a sequencer to 25 excite the sensor and control the interface block and the memory. The measurement reaults, recorded in the local memories of the different devices, are gathered together pgeriodically in a collection memory which is capable of being connected to each local memory and of being led to centralized measurement processing means.

In this system, the measurement times are fixed by the clock and it is thus not possible to detoot a fault 1 which may of course occur at any moment. Moreover, at each predetermined measurement timae, one or more 35 physical values are converted, possibly multiplexed and then stored in the local memory. Such a system does not allow the exclusive storing of data regarding the faults detected on an electric network.

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-3- From tile American patent specification 4 558 275, a mains voltage monitoring system Is also known. This system takes the form of two independent functional blocks, a detectioa unit and a printing unit, which can be connected by a serial connection. The acquisition of the mains voltage and its comparison with breakdown and overvoltage thresholds is only carried out at predetermined times which are the start times of each half cycle of the electric network, Thus the fault durations measured are necessarily whole multiples of the electric alternation of the electric network analyzed. A circuit for detecting when the voltage passes through zero provides the necessary synchronization signal. The unit for detection 410 of faults on the network compxises a microprocessor, an EPROM read-only memory, a RAM memory and a clock circuit. It also comprises an analog/digital converter, pulse half-cycle and common mode detectors, and a counter.

The power necessary for the supply of the unit is taken directly from the electric network being analyzed and is converted into direct voltage. Only the 115 RAM memory and clock circuit are supplied by a cell in case of prolonged breakdown of the mains voltage.

The above-mentioned French and American patents both have the limiting characteristic that the value monitored is only tested at predetermined times, which are fixed, in the first case, by a clock which belongs to the device itself and, i the second,. by 4he voltage being observed passing through zero. It is thus impossible to detect the start time of a fault with such devices and thus to obtain piecise information with regard to its duration.

AL The object of the present invention is to eliminate these disadvantages N1iI ~1~

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S*.4by providing an autonomous device for detection of faults In an electric network comprising: means for detecting the presence of faults In the electric network, for delivering detection information and for detecting the times of appearance and disappearance of the faults, said means being connected to said electric network by connection terminals, control and processing means, connected to said detection means, to process said detection Information and to generate fault analysis data and to determine a respective duration of each of the said faults, permanent storage means, connected to said control and processing means, to store said fault analysis data, and autonomous means for storing and supplying power for said ".4 4, 4. 4 44 4 44 4 *4 4% 44

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44 4 *444*, 4 4 4*4 4* V 20 44% 4 44 4 44 *4 4 4 means, said device also comprising means for controlling said autonomous means In order it supplies power to said control and processing means upon detection of faults by said detection means.

According to the invention, this device is one wherein the means of detection also detect the times of appearance and of disappearance of the faults and wherein the means of control and of processing determine the respective duration of each of the said faults.

Thus, unlike devices of the prior art in which observation times of the reference variable to be analyzed, the voltage of the network for example, were predetermined, in the device according to the invention, the means of detection 7 4 0~ make it possible to obtain the duration of a fault by means of knowledge of the times of appearance and of disappearance of this fault. This duration Information is of great Importance in the study of the discontinuities In service on a network.

A statistical study can then be carried out in order to pinpoint and identify the causes of discontinuity.

These means of control make It possible to guarantee increased autonomy of the device according to the invention to the extent that the means of control and of processing are only supplied and thus activated In practice when a fault appears or when an operator external to the said device wishes to access the fault analysis data. Thus the source of power autonomy, which can be a cell or a battery, has an extended service life.

According to an advantageous version of the Invention, the said means for controlling the supply of power control a power supply of said control and of processing means by said power storing and supplying means at least during an 5 entire duration of each fault detected by said detection means and until operations of processing and of generation of the analysis data by said control and processing means and operation of storage In said permanent storage means have been completed.

This arrangement makes it possible to supply the means of control and .20 of processing beyond the duration of the fault and thus to analyze and store the data. The means of control and of processing are then turned off in order to limit the power consumption of the device.

In another advantageous version of the device according to the 4 -6invention, the means of control and of processing comprise means of counting in order to determine approximately the duration of a possible fault from information delivered by the means of detection, and means for assigning to each time slice belonging to a set of predetermined time slices a number equal to the number of faults detected of which the duration is approxmately comprised within the said time slice, these numbers of faults per time slice being updated by the means of control and of processing at the time of each detection and stored in the said means of permanent storage.

There is thus available a first analysis of the discontinuities in one place in the network. This analysis can supply valuable information with regard to the repetitiveness of a fault and to the possible cause of certain faults according to their duration.

In another advantageous version of the device according to the 4: sr Invention, the latter also comprises dock means connected to the means of control and of processing in order to provide the latter, at the time of each detection and processing of a fault, with information regarding the date and the time of the start of the fault, and these clock means are supplied with power permanently by the I means of storage and of supply of power.

It is thus possible to make recordings of faults which comprise the date, 20 the time and the duration of the faults. These recordings with historical information can then be made use of, in particular by comparison between recordings made on separate devices positioned at several places in the electric network.

S( 6a According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a process of detection and for analysis of faults in an electric network, conprising the following steps: j I- detecting the presence of a fault in an electric network by means for detecting a fault, followed by analyzing said fault by control and processing means, and storing in permanent storage means analysis results obtained in the analyzing step, wherein the analyzing step in initiated by appearance of a fault itself and wherein, in this step, a duration of a fault is determined by said control and processing means and providing autonomous means for storing and supplying power and i controlling said autonomous means in order they supply power to said control and processing means upon detection of faults.

I i* i Thus, by virtue of this process, it is not the means of control and of !i processing which fix the times of analysis of the reference variable to be monitored, but on the contrary the fault detected which determines the start of the analysis stage. This characteristic makes it possible to obtain the actual duration of the fault detected.

it r ~l~j -7 other characteristics and advantages of the invention are Indicatad in the description below.

In the aI~tachod drawings,1 given by way of nonlimitative example, SFigure 1 is the block diagram of a f irst version of the device according to the Invention, providing for the storage of the faults by time slice; Figure 2 is the block diagram of another vers ion of the device according to the invention, providing for historical storage of the faults; Figure 3 is a block diagram of the autonomous detection device according to the invention in its complete configuration; Figure 4 represents an actual embodiment of the device according to the invention in Its first version (storage by time slice); Figure 5 represents an embodiment of the device in its second version (historical storage); Figure 6 is a simplified f low diagram of the program of detection and of analysis stored in the microcontroller of the device according to the Invention; Figure 7 is a block diagram of an integrated system of analysis of service quality which implements a plurality of fault detection devices according to the invention.

In a first preferred version of the invention, the autonomious detection device carries out the storage of the faults on the electric network by time slice and can be represented in terms of its principle by the block diagram in rig-ure 1.

It thus comprises a sensor module 1, which Is to monitor a reference variable, for example the voltage or the current. This module functions in an all-ornothing manner and transmits its state by operating a relay.

The electronics which form it depend esuentially upon the type of reference variable to be monitored and the desired accuracy. The module 1 draws its power a- 4 p 4 44 4 from the rofer~noo variable to be monitored or directly from another part of the device. It also hars a system of adjuating theo tripping threshold by stages.

The sensor modulo I is connected to a proessing module 2 which preferably comprises a roicrocontrollor.

The processing module 2 has ini particular the functions of recording the power cut times and of discriminating between several power cut time slices. The different types of processing provided for by the processing module 2 ,4111 be described in the detailed explanation of the functioning of the device.

The processing module needs on the one hand to be supplied by a supply module 5 and on the other to be associated with a storage memory 3.

The components of the device according to the invention are all chosen with a view to minimizing tho overall power consumption of the device. Furthormore, as will be explained below, the chosen method of functioning itself also contributers to limiting the 20 power consumption.

The supply module 5 can comprise as power source a conventional cell which supplies a voltage regulator.

Given the low concumption of the processinq module., autonomous functioning for a year is conceivable, The storage memory 3, which is non-volatile, guarantees retention security for the processed data in the event of temporary malfunctioning of the device.

The result of the processing of the faults is displayed by means of a display and control module 4 30 which is connected to tho processing modulo 2.

The display modulo preferably consists of an 8digit liquid crystal display. The very low consumption of this type of display makes poss3ible its supply by the supply module S.

35 In a second preferred version of the invention, the device according to the invention providoos for a recording of the faults with historical information (date, time, duration). it is represented in the form of a blockc diagram. in Figure 2.

47,77 4 7, 4 44 4 '7 44 '7 p p 4 '74 '7 4*4*44 p 47 4 .44*44 44 4 '74 4 7~4 '74 4 44 4 ~~9 In addition to the sansor, supply, and prococuing modul 6.8 a~id 9 respectively, which are identical to the modules 1, 5 and 2 of the first version, the de-vice comprises a Clpck module 7 connectod to the processing module non-volatile location memories 10 and data memories 11, and an exchange converter module 12 connected to the processing~ module 9.

The clock modulo 5 in preferably constituted by a special integrated circuit with a quartz crystalo It provides the temporal references necessary for recording. it In controlled by the processing module 9. The modulo also has an alarm system which makes it possible to reactivate tho device in the event of incidents of long duration and is supplied by the supply module 8.

The exchange converter module 12 performs the conversion of electric levels of signals transmitted by the device in order to make them compatible with a portable acquisition terminal 13 which can be temporarily connected to the device in order to carry out the transfer of data recorded in the memory. The converter module 12 can be a simple connector followed by protection circuits. It can also be constituted by infra-red or ultrasonic transmitting-receiving circuits. If a high level of mechanical protection in required, the use of an electromagnetic coupling is judicious.

The portable acquisition terminal 13 preferably has a display system.. an Autonomous supply and an adequate storage memory.

The autonomoua device for detection of faulto on.

an electric network comprises, in one particular embodiment, with reference to 1rigure 3, a. fault detection and analysis part 33 and a clock part 32, these components interacting in order to provide for 35 the function of analysis of the quality of service of a network with historical recording of power cuts.

The detection And analysis part 33 comprises means 26 for detecting a power cut on the electric network applied to the connection torminals 25t which control a r i 10 relay 27, imeau of control and of proce, (j 1s5, for example a microcontroller, and Moeansoi 1- n-volatilo storage 1G connootod to the said mona of control. and of procouOaing It lalo coniprison a call 31 or any other device capable of storing powox' and restoring It in tho form Of direct voltage. This coll only oupplioo the microcont rollor when a fault has boon dotoototid by the moans of detection 26 or when an acquisition terminal 14 is connected to the detection and analytiaj device by; means of connection termindal 20 and a norial Connection 18. This connection causes the short.circuiting of the terminals 20 by a strap 19.

An OR logic gate 22 controls the supply of tho microcontroller 15 and its threo inputs are roopoctivoly connocted to one of the connection terminals 20b, to one of the contacts of the relay 27h and to oe of the contacts of a locking relay 20b. The other thrEe Contacts 204, 27d. and 28a are connoced together to the voltage source 31.

The OR logic function of the gate 22 enouros that it Ono at least of tho thre, points 20b, 27b 28b is subjected to the zeference voltgef the microcontrollor is than oupplied, The looking relay 28 is controlled by contuol moans 29 which are thomsaoves Controlled by an OR logic Sate 30 Iith two inputs connected respectively to an output line of the microprocessor 15 and to an output line of the clock 52 which is furthermore connected to 30 the mcrocontroller 15 by a special serial connection 24. A cEll toot circuit 21 is also connected to the microcontroller The power cut detection means 26 can comprise for oxampla a network of re ister and a diode bridge 35 connected to the relay 27, for example a rood relay closed at rest.

'By way of example, the coil/contact breakdown voltage is 4 M The relay 27 is virtually always supplied. rn order to reduce its heating, a very low 1 4 *r

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11 operating voltage, of the order of 5 V, has boon solooted. The supply resistors axe oversized in terms f power. The heat released by these resistors, provided the housing is relatively impervious, maintain S a constant temperature, thus making it possible to use standard components.

The moans of control and of processing preferably consist of a microcontrollor of the typo ZNTEL 8051 provided with an internal program memory 23.

The autonomous device for detection of faults is cat up in the immediate vicinity of the point to be studied on the electric network. A practical embodiment of the first preferred version of the device storage by time slice is illustrated by Figure 4.

The device according to the invention is contained in a housing, which can for examiple be made of plastic material and the front face of which is protected in normal use by a cover on a hinge 35, which is closed by means of a screw 36 which can be lead-sealed.

The front face comprisos a switch 37 for the adjustment of the tripping threshold of the sensor modulo 1 (Figure liquid crystal displays 38, a call 39, for example a 9V cell, connection terminals 42 to the electric network, a push-button 40 for resetting the memory 3 to zero and a push-button 41 for display control.

The second preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is represented in a practical configuration in Figuro The autonomous detection device is contained in a housing 43, the rear face of which has three recesses 44, 45, 46 for fixing the housing to a wall. The front face of the housing has an opening which allows access to the input/output components of the device and to the 35 supply cell 47. This opening is usually concealed by a load-sOaled inspection cover 51. The accessiblo components of the device are a switch 48 for adjustment of the referonce variable, connection terminals the supply cell 47 and a connector 50 which permits the 4 4 4 1* $4 .4 4 4 4 .4 4 4 4 94 .4 4 94 4 .4.4 44 4 4 4* I 4.4 12 transfer of stored data to displays or to a portable acquisition terminal.

A description will now be given of the functioning of the autonomous device for detection of faults on an electric network, in the first embodiment, that is to say storage by time slice. To this end, different types of processing assigned to the microcontroller will first be described, with reference to Figure 3 in which the detection and analysis part 33 is common to the two abovementioned versions.

The first type of processing carried out is the control of a timing counter inside the microcontroller The timing counter is activated upon the appearance of a fault on the network and is stopped when the reference variable is reestablished. It is calibrated in units which are compatible with the phenomena to be analyzed, for example, tenths of a second for a network fault analyzer. The fault and reestablishment conditions are derived from the state of a port on the microcontroller Another form of processing concerns the control of the supply. In order to minimize the consumption of the device according to the invention and thus to guarantee a much greater autonomy, the device controls its own supply. The application of voltage is caused by an external phenomenon such as a fault or a display request. The supply is then locked until the phenomenon which has occurred has been completely processed. The microcontroller 15 then controls the 30 disconnection of the supply via the relay 28, with reference to Figure 3.

The microcontroller 15 also provides for the determination of the slice number affected by the fault which has just been detected and of which the duration 35 has boon measured. The microcontroller 15 ensures that the duration of the fault is indeed within the minimum permitted slice. it then sweeps the predefined slice table in the mamory and assigns a slice number to the fault, In the case in which the duration of the fault 4 #4 4 4 44 4 4 4 4, 4 44 4j4 4 4 4 4.4444 4 4 44 4 4 44 4 44 44 4 4 4 4 4 4* is not within the minimum pertiitted slice, tho microcontrollor 15 dieconnecn itualf without any particular processing, A further procasing for which th microcontroller 15 is responsible i the managemant, of the data memory 16 an wall as t~he transcoding of tho data. Whe latter are in fact stored in hexadocimal form in order that they occupy less space. On the other hand, inordEr to facilitate the reading of data by an operator, the microcontroller 15 carrie; out their conversion into docimal form# The microcontroller 15 also providos for tlh control oe the supply in cooperation with the cell tut circuit 21. This latter camprizes a comparator with a referonce voltage provided by means of a Zener diode which informs the microcontroller 15 about the activity of the call.L1 The scl, of the call 39 is transmitted to the 04 displays 38t with refoernce to Figure 4, at the start of a display request cycle. In the case of a cell which is out of tolerances, its replacement Lt; requested and if this is not done, the program in locked in this statoe In the version with storage by tira alien described, there are two puinh-buttons, one 41 for the advance of the display on the displays 38, the other for clearing the memory. Other functions, obtained by a combination of 'the two push-buttons,, could be conceivod, for example modification of the table 30 definirg the time slices. in the actual embodiment of this version, the microcontroller analyzes the state of the puzh-buttono 40, 41 and, carries out the corresponding processing, It also cdrr ia o out .u 2,processing of the rebounds in order to enuure the validity of a command.

Thoe different stages of the, detection of a fault and its processing will now be describct with reference to Pigure 6 and in conjunction with Pigurs 3 and 4, r i 14 It is ascumod that a fault, chroacterivad by a drop in voltage, appears on the eloctric network to which a devico according to the invention is connected (ataga 60) and activates the means of detection 26.

The contacto 27a, 27b, which are normally open, are then closed by virtue of the deactivation of the relay 27 (stago 61).

The clouing of the contacts 27a, 27b then causes the aupply of the microcontroller 15 by the coal 31 via the OR logic gate 22 (stageo 62).

The supply of the microcontrollor leods to an initialization (RESTE) of the latter (stage 63) which then undertakes the porformance of a microprogram written into its internal memory 23.

1s A firsot operation for this consists in transmitting a locking command to the means of control 29 of the locking relay 28 via the OR logic gate (stage 64). The initialization of the internal timing counter is than carried out (stage 65), its initial counting value being set to zero (stage 66), and its start is orderecd (stage 67). The counter remains active (sequence 05) as long as no signal of detection of reo tablishment is received by the microcontroller Thu latter periodically tests its input port (stage 68). When the eoestablis2miont of voltage on the network in detcted, the counter is ctoppod (stage 69) and the discrimination by time slice is then undertaken. In the example described here, ton time slices are provided.

A firntt test 70 makes it poosible to identify a duration which is abhortor than the minimum duration.

If this identification takes place, the stage 83 of suppression of the looking of the supply is carried out directly, followed by the stage 84 of stopping the 35 procossing.

In the opposite dcae, the duration of the fault, materialized by the content of the counter, is successively compared with at most 9 increasing slice limit valuns, which are preferably uniformly I 14414 44 4 4 4 a 44 4r 4 '4 4 4 I'S a.

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aaaa a Qa4 aa,~ 4 4* a a.a a a a a distributed, at the time of toots 71 to 79, until one Of the toots determines tho slice to which the fault is to be Indexed.

The stage 00 corresponds to the upper slice which includes faults with a duration which is in excess of a predetermined duration. A stage 81 of incroinontation of tho slice counter is then carried out.

When the duration, of a fault has finally beon classified, an event counter inside the microcontroller provides for the updating of the slice affected by the fault by increnienting a running total variable of the number of faults associated with this slice (stage 02).

There is thus available at all times, in a non-volatile memory, the number of faults detected for each time slice.

When this update has taken place, the microcontroller 15 orders the suppression of its own supply by sending a command for the deactivation of the locking relay 28, by the means of control 29, via the 20 OR logic gate 30 (stage 83). The disconnection of the supply of the microcontroller of course causes processing to stop (stage 84).

As far as the functioning of the second preferred version of the autonomous detection device, with historical fault information, is concerned, stages to 69, which have been described for the functioning of the device with time slices, remain applicable. On the other hand, the stages 70 to 82 of discrimination by slice are replaced with a stage of recording the historical information of the fault in progress (date, time, location), which Is carried out by virtue of the clock means 32 and the non-volatile storage memoty 16, with reference to Figure 3.

The data stored in the memory 16 are transferred 35 to the outside of the device for further processing in the following manner: an oporator equipped with a portable acquisition terminal 14 accesses the front face of the device by removing the panel 51 of the housing 43, with reference to Figure S.

,a a a aa a a9 4 a 44 4* 16 4 44 4 44 44 .4 4144 4 4 44~4 4 .~4 4444 4 4444 444.4 4 44 44 4 4 44 44 4 4 *4 4 4.44444 .4 The operator then connects the portable acquisition terminal 14 to the device via the connector This connection provides on the one hand for the serial connection 18 of the portable acquisition terminal 14 to the microcontroller 15 and on the other for the short-circuiting of the terminals 20a and by moans of the strap 19 (Figure 3).

This short-circuiting has the effect of applying voltage to the microcontroller 15 via the OR logic gate 22. The microcontroller 15 will remain supplied as long as the portable acquisition terminal 14 is connected to the detection and analysis part 33 of the device according to the invention.

The transfer of the data from the memory 16 to the internal memory of the terminal 14 is according to well known serial transmission techniques.

As far as the acquisition of the duration of a fault is concerned, the autonomous detection device with historical recording comprises a system of limitation of the duration of supply of the microcontroller 15. Thus, as soon as a certain duration has been exceeded, the supply of the microcontroller 15 is cut. At fixed intervals, which are short enough so as not to reduce tho accuracy of detection too much, the clock 52 sends an alarm signal which applies voltage to the microcontroller. The microcontroller 15 then verifies if there has been a reestablishment. If this is not the case, it cuts the supply and awaits another alarm cycle.

30 The microcontroller 15 is also responsible for the control of the exchanges with the portable acquisition terminal 14 and makes possible the adaptation to the specific protocol of this terminal (detection of handshake signals, recognition of keywords, transfer 35 speed). By way of example, the microcontroller recognizes the V24 series protocol.

The memory 16 is functionally divided into two apaces: the data memory, 44 4 4 44.

4 44.

44 4 4 44 4 44 41

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17 the location paraneter memory.

In the data memory, each rocordinq conaisto of the date and the time of the start of the incident followed by its duration. T.he recording is sequential and the recording of a memory compartment is only carried out once between two readings.

In the memory space for the location parameters, parameters specific to the location are recorded, such as, for examplo, the number of the piace of apparatus, the geographical location, the functional location.

These parameters are road by the portab16 acquisition terminal 14 in order that the processing system, for which the transferred data are ultimately destined, can identify the origin of these data. This memory space 1s can also contain the value of the tripping reference variable and can be updated, for example, from the portable acquisition terminal 14. For reasons of socur-ity, its access will preferably be conditional upon the use of a password, A description will now be given of an integrated system for the analysis of quality of service which inplements autonomous fault detection devices according to the invention, iand In particular devices with historical recording according to the invention and with the following characteristics: "observed physical value and tripping reference variable: the mains voltage, 2.0 adjustable thresholds, from 30% to 80% of the rated voltage, accuracy of the thresholds: 1 to 2, minimum duration: 0.3 second, memory capacity: recording of 1920 faults, -service life of cell greater than I. year, memory transfer time less than 30 seconds, 5 cell replacement time less than 1 minute, -clock drift: 10 seconds over 6 months.

The integrated system for the analysis of quality ot service follows the tree-like structure of the t 4 4 4 4 4 144 4 44 4 4 44 4 *4 44 4 4 44 4 44 18 electrical diatribution notwork repronontod In the block diagram In r'igura 7.

it conristo of threea fjItagO1l a Colloation utao a transfor stage 91 and an utilisation stago 92.

Autonomiousa detection dovicon, 97f 90, according to the invention# also JknoWn as elootronic voltage continuity indicatots, are positioned at each network nodo at high voltage/medium voltage and mudium voltage/low voltago transformer rtations 94 and $8 respoctivoly and possibly at certain and points of the networkf such as subscriber counters.

Who autonomous detection devices 97f 98 rvtore the duration and the date of ach incident and are each 1s coded according to their location.

The operator of the dUi:*ibution network c011octO the information stored in tho, autonomous detection devices 97, 98 by moans of portablo acquisition terminals 100 which can also be uned for othor applications, The entirety of the information collected by the portable acquisition terminals 100 is processed by an informatiou processing atation 103 with which a data acquisition modulo 106, a reference table 102, a data processing modulo 10?, preferably a personal microcomputer, an editing module 108 and a modem 104, which allows ex'hhangeo of information between the information procssing station 103 and central computers via a telephone line 105i are associated, Software means are of course associated wIth this material structure, Each portablo acquisition terminal 100 is thus equipped with communication software which permits dialogue on the one hand with the autonomous detection devices 97, 98 and on the other with the 35 information processing station 103.

Humwan means also contribute to tho good functioning 6F the integrated system for the analysis of quality of service. The Operator 96 thus roada the information from each autonomous detection device and ,3 Q 4I44, 4 4rr 4u 4.

c 44 44 4 44 I 4 44 Indiedawou tho incidents racordod by night: by mcana of an Incident form 99, Ie thorn carrief out the tranrferir of thE infoviiiwtion oentoed on thone forrms to the infoXnAtiOn PrOeCOssing uta tiOn 103 by means of the keyboavd 101.

Furhormore, tho e1ectrtcal tochnical services prepare reports of controln carried out in the field and those raportts are also supplied to the information processing[ station 103.

The invention is of course not limited to the exemplary Ombodimanta which have beon described and numerous modifications can be applind to the latter without going beyond tho scope of the Invention.

Other types of fault can thus be detected suoh as Overvoltages and oxcoss currents. To this end it is sufficiont to modify the detection moans to adapt them to the now trippIng reference Variable without changing the general structure of the autonomous detection device according to tho Invention.

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Claims (15)

1. An autonomous device for detection of faults in an electric network comprising: means for detecting the presence of faults in the electric network, for lelivering detection information and for detecting the times of appearance and disappearance of the faults, said means being connected to said electric network by connection terminals, control and processing means, connected to said detection means, to process said detection information and to generate fault analysis data and to determine a respective duration of each of the said faults, permanent storage means, connected to said control and processing means, to store said fault analysis data, and autonomous means for storing and supplying power for said means, said device also comprising means for controlling said autonumous means in order it supplies power to said control and processing means upon detection of faults by said detection means.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said means for Scontrolling the supply of power control a power supply of said control and of processing means by said power storing and supplying means at least during an I I I '20 entire duration of each fault detected by said detection means and until operations of processing and of generation of the analysis data by said control and processing means and operation of storage in said permanent storage means have been S completed. -21

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control and processing means comprise counting means to determine approximately the duration of a fault from information delivered by said detection means, and means for assigning to each time slice belonging to a set of predetermined time slices a number equal to the number of faults detected of which the duration is approximately comprised within the said time slice, the said numbers of faults per time slice being updated by said control and processing means at the time of each detection and stored in said permanent storage means.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, which also comprises clock means connected to the said control and processing means in order to provide said control and processing means, at the time of each detection and processing of a fault, with information regarding the date and the time of the start of said fault, and wherein said clock means are supplied with power permanently by said autonomous power So*. storing and supply means. 15 5. The device as claimed in claim 2, which further comprises portable acquisition means which can be temporarily connected to said device to make possible the transfer of data contained in said permanent storage means to the S outside of said device for further processing said data, said transfer being controlled by said control and processing means. o6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said means for controlling the supply of power are adapted to control the supply of power of said control and processing means by said autonomous means for storing and supplying power during the duration of the transfer by said portable acquisition means. ii N 22

7. The device as claimed In, claim 2, which also comprises display means connected to said control and processing means, to make possible a display by an operator of analysis data stored in said permanent storage means, display control means being provided to transmit a display request to said control and processing means and to control the data displayed on the display means,,

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said means for controlling the supply of power control the power supply of said control aind processing means by said autonomous power storing and supplying means for a predetermined duration upon transmission of a display request by said display control means,

9. The device as claimed In claim 1, wherein said detection means are adapted to detect any voltage cut or reduction below a predetermined threshold in the electric network and wherein adjustment means are provided to predetermine said predetermined threshold. 1,510. The device as claimed in claim 9, which 13 contained in a housing, having a front face, said front face comprising said adjustment means, said connectior terminals, and a recess containing said autonomous power storing and supplying means.

11. The device as claimed In claim 10, wherein said front face also 20 comprises said display means, said display control means and means for ordering erasure of analysis data stored in said permanent storage means.

12. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein, said front face also comprises connection means to connect, said device to portable acquisition means, 00 404 00 0 4 I 441* .4 4,44 IN 4 00 0 4 0 0'4 4 4 4 0 00 I, *0 0 40 4 4 r S I I I *1*4 *1 S S :15 1I55 *5s1 5. I, 5* a a 5. 5* S 5* #5 S CaSje, S S 5. 5*45,0 S 5. 5. II 5.5. I -23-

13. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said front face is concealed by lead-sealable covering means.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection means draw power necessary for their functioning from an electric network being analyzed. The device as claimed in claim 10, wherein said front face also comprises connection means for a remote display which make it possible to connect display means external to said device to said control and processing means and wherein said connection means for a remote display are arranged in such a manner that, when the latter are used, said power supply control means make possible supply of said control and processing means by said autonomous power storing and supplying means.

16. A p,,rocess of detection and for analysis of faults in an electric network, comprising the following steps: detecting the presence of a fault ia an electric network by means for detecting a fault, followed by analyzing said fault by control and processing means, and. storing In permanent storage means analysis results obtained in the analyzing step, wherein the analyzing step in initiated by appearance of a fault itself and wherein, in this step, a duration of a fault is determined by said control and processing means and providing autonomous means for storing and supplying power and controlling said autonomous means In order they supply power to said control and processing means upon detection of faults, 1.7. The process as claimed In claim 16, further comprising the steps ofh activating said control and processing means, as soon as appearance of, a fault Is detected, initializing and starting counting means which belong to said control and processing means, temporal counting which is interrupted as soon as disappearance of a fault is detected by said detection means and then supplies a duration of said fault,

18. The process as claimed In claim 17, wherein said analyzing step also comprises a succession of discrimination steps during which a duration of a fault previously determined, is successively compared 'with a series of predetermined duration thresholds, which define predetermined time slices, until said duration of a fault can be classified in one of said predetermined slices.

1519. The process as claimed in claim 18, wherein soid analyzing step also comprises, after said discrimination steps, a step of updating of cumulative numbers of faults detected for each of said predetermined time slices, and wherein said storing comprises transfer of said cumulative numbers of faults per time slice, after updating, into said permanent storage means.

2020. The process as claimed in claimr 17, wherein said analyzing step also to comprises a recording step, during which a duration of a fault previously determined, is associated with a date and with a time of starting of said, fault, which are delivered by clock means which are connected to said control and 2!5 processing means, and wherein said storing step comprises transfer of a recording, which consists of a Juxtaposition of sald date and time of starting of a fault and of the duration of this latter, from the said control and processing means into said permanent storage means. 21, The process as claimed In claim 17, which also comprises, after the storing step, a step of deactivating said control and processing means, until a next detection of a fault. 22. The process as claimed in claim 17, which also comprises a step of activating said control and processing means, which can be Initiated by external commands, for a transfer or a display of the results stored in said permanent storage means. 23. An autonomous device for detection of faults In an electric network as claimed In any one of Claims 1 to 15, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings. 24. A process of detection and for analysis of faults In an electric netw, as claimed In any one of Claims 16 to 22, substantially as hereinbefore described. D A T E D this 26th day of November, 1992. MANUFACTURE D'A PARELLAG1 ELECTIQUE DE CAHORS By their Patent Attorneys: CALLINAN LAWRIE r