Patents by Inventor Normann Fischer

Normann Fischer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20090091867
    Abstract: A device is provided for monitoring through-fault current in an electric transformer on an electrical power system. The device generally includes a magnitude calculator for calculating the magnitude of current (e.g., a root means square value of current or magnitude of a fundamental of current) based on the current through the electric transformer. A through-fault energy calculator is further provided which is coupled to the magnitude calculator for calculating a through-fault energy value based on the magnitude of current or the calculated current through the transformer. An accumulator is coupled to the through-fault energy calculator for accumulating a plurality of through-fault energy values, and an alarm coupled to the accumulator for indicating that the accumulated through-fault energy values exceed a selected threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2008
    Publication date: April 9, 2009
    Inventors: Armando Guzman-Casillas, Normann Fischer
  • Patent number: 7425778
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for providing to a differential relay an operational vector-group compensation setting pair that automatically provides correction for a phase shift occurring between currents of at least two windings of a power transformer. The method includes calculating a first and second plurality of phasors using secondary currents derived from respective first and second winding of the at least two windings. The method also includes selecting one pair of vector-group compensation settings based on operate current values calculated using different pair combinations of the vector-group compensation settings applied to the first and second plurality of phasors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Casper Labuschagne, Normann Fischer
  • Publication number: 20080088466
    Abstract: A ground return path is determined to be impaired when no zero-sequence current is measured in the neutral return path, but zero-sequence current is detected in other suitable measuring points that include the windings of an autotransformer, or in a magnetically coupled delta-configured tertiary winding, or potential transformer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2006
    Publication date: April 17, 2008
    Inventors: Casper A. Labuschagne, Normann Fischer
  • Patent number: 7345488
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for determining a faulted phase resulting from a fault in a three-phase ungrounded power system. The method includes comparing a phase angle of an operating phasor to a phase angle of a fixed reference phasor. The operating phasor is derived from a digitized signal sample of a plurality of measured signals of the power system. The method also includes comparing a phase angle difference between the operating phasor and the fixed reference phasor to at least one threshold to determine the faulted phase. The fixed reference phasor may be a phase-to-phase voltage or a positive sequence voltage of the plurality of measured signals of the power system. The operating phasor may be a zero sequence current, a zero sequence voltage or a combination of a zero sequence current and a zero sequence voltage of the plurality of measured signals of the power system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Normann Fischer
  • Patent number: 7345863
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for identifying a specific lost current transformer (CT) signal of number of CT signals provided by a corresponding number of CTs coupling a protective device to at least one protection zone. The method includes selectively providing pairs of first and second binary control signals corresponding to each of the CT signals in response to comparisons of RMS current changes of respective CT signals. A third binary control signal associated with a protection zone is provided in response to receipt of the pairs of first and second binary control signals. A first value for only one of the first binary control signals, a second value for all of the second binary control signals and the first value for the third binary control signal for a predetermined time indicates the loss of the CT signal corresponding to the first binary control signal having the first value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Normann Fischer
  • Publication number: 20070085549
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for determining a faulted phase resulting from a fault in a three-phase ungrounded power system. The method includes comparing a phase angle of an operating phasor to a phase angle of a fixed reference phasor. The operating phasor is derived from a digitized signal sample of a plurality of measured signals of the power system. The method also includes comparing a phase angle difference between the operating phasor and the fixed reference phasor to at least one threshold to determine the faulted phase. The fixed reference phasor may be a phase-to-phase voltage or a positive sequence voltage of the plurality of measured signals of the power system. The operating phasor may be a zero sequence current, a zero sequence voltage or a combination of a zero sequence current and a zero sequence voltage of the plurality of measured signals of the power system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Publication date: April 19, 2007
    Inventor: Normann Fischer
  • Patent number: 7196884
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for detecting a loss of a current transformer connection coupling a protective relay to a power system element of a three-phase power system and providing a plurality of secondary current waveforms of the three-phase power system to the protective relay. The apparatus includes a first logic circuit and a second logic configured to provide corresponding first and second binary signals in response to respective comparisons of calculated current value(s) of a plurality of like-phase digitized current sample streams to respective threshold values. The apparatus also includes a set reset flip-flop having a set input adapted to receive the first and second binary signals to provide a third binary signal. The third binary signal indicates loss of a current transformer connection when the set input is asserted and indicates no loss of a current transformer connection when the reset input is asserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Armando Guzman-Casillas, Normann Fischer
  • Publication number: 20070021937
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for providing to a differential relay an operational vector-group compensation setting pair that automatically provides correction for a phase shift occurring between currents of at least two windings of a power transformer. The method includes calculating a first and second plurality of phasors using secondary currents derived from respective first and second winding of the at least two windings. The method also includes selecting one pair of vector-group compensation settings based on operate current values calculated using different pair combinations of the vector-group compensation settings applied to the first and second plurality of phasors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Inventors: Casper Labuschagne, Normann Fischer
  • Publication number: 20070014062
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus and method for identifying a specific lost current transformer (CT) signal of number of CT signals provided by a corresponding number of CTs coupling a protective device to at least one protection zone. The method includes selectively providing pairs of first and second binary control signals corresponding to each of the CT signals in response to comparisons of RMS current changes of respective CT signals. A third binary control signal associated with a protection zone is provided in response to receipt of the pairs of first and second binary control signals. A first value for only one of the first binary control signals, a second value for all of the second binary control signals and the first value for the third binary control signal for a predetermined time indicates the loss of the CT signal corresponding to the first binary control signal having the first value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Publication date: January 18, 2007
    Inventor: Normann Fischer
  • Publication number: 20060198065
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for detecting a loss of a current transformer connection coupling a protective relay to a power system element of a three-phase power system and providing a plurality of secondary current waveforms of the three-phase power system to the protective relay. The apparatus includes a first logic circuit and a second logic configured to provide corresponding first and second binary signals in response to respective comparisons of calculated current value(s) of a plurality of like-phase digitized current sample streams to respective threshold values. The apparatus also includes a set reset flip-flop having a set input adapted to receive the first and second binary signals to provide a third binary signal. The third binary signal indicates loss of a current transformer connection when the set input is asserted and indicates no loss of a current transformer connection when the reset input is asserted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2005
    Publication date: September 7, 2006
    Inventors: Armando Guzman-Casillas, Normann Fischer