US 11,817,702 B2
Sectionalizing using coded pulses and pulse testing
Martin T Bishop, Oak Creek, WI (US); Stephen E Williams, Caledonia, WI (US); and Michael John Meisinger, Sr., Chicago, IL (US)
Assigned to S&C Electric Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by S&C Electric Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Feb. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/185,378.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/983,799, filed on Mar. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0273451 A1, Sep. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. H02J 3/00 (2006.01); H02H 7/26 (2006.01); H02J 3/14 (2006.01)
CPC H02J 3/0012 (2020.01) [H02H 7/262 (2013.01); H02H 7/263 (2013.01); H02J 3/14 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A power restoration system for an electrical power distribution network, the system comprising:
a feeder;
a power source providing power to the feeder;
a reclosing device electrically coupled to the feeder and including an interrupter switch and one or more sensors for measuring current and/or voltage on the feeder, where the reclosing device detects fault current and is operable to use the interrupter switch to open to clear the fault and is further operable to perform a fault testing process to detect the continued presence of the fault; and
a plurality of switching devices electrically coupled along the feeder, wherein the reclosing device is operable to provide commands to selectively and independently change the state of the switching devices between an open state and a closed state and back to an open state as required to isolate the fault between adjacent switching devices;
wherein the fault testing process is a pulse testing process and the reclosing device is operable to use the fault testing process to generate and selectively transmit defined messages as embedded pulse codes having a sequence of pulses on the feeder as the commands and each switching device is operable to recognize predetermined messages embedded in the timing of the pulse codes.