Electronic operations counter for a voltage regulator controller
US5568398A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 10, 1993 |
| Grant date | Oct 22, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 10, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05F1/147
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A voltage regulator controller of a step-type voltage regulator monitors its own power supply and saves the regulators operations count to a non-volatile memory, only when it is determined that a power failure is imminent. The controller counts the number of tap changes in the voltage regulator transformer by monitoring an "operations counter" signal from the regulator's tap changer mechanism. When a tap change is detected, the controller increments an electronically stored count value. The electronically stored count value is maintained exactly, even when the power to the device is lost. In order to determine whether a power failure is imminent, the controller monitors the AC supply voltage using a zero-crossing detector circuit. The zero crossing detector circuit produces transitions corresponding to transition in the AC power waveform. The zero crossing circuit stops producing transition when the AC voltage falls below a predetermined threshold. A monitoring program determines when the zero-crossing detector has stopped producing transitions and causes the control program to initial a power down sequence. The power down sequence provides an orderly shut down of the microprocesso…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.