Patent Abstract:
This application discloses a solid state high output watt transducer which utilizes the pulse width-pulse height multiplication principle and comprises digital integrated circuits for obtaining a direct current output which is proportioned to watts.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Wattmeters utilizing an amplitude and width modulated pulse train are known to the art. One example of such a wattmeter is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,200 to P. Woodhead and which issued Mar. 10, 1970. The construction of the transducer of this application represents an improved structure which eliminates the necessity of providing a zero adjustment, and which may be calibrated by changing the amplitude of its generated triangular wave. Since the triangular wave generator is common to all of the watt sensing networks, the utilization of this type of calibration eliminates the need for independently calibrating each watt sensing network. Other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIGS. 1 and 2 when combined provide a block diagram of a watt transducer embodying the invention; and, 
     FIGS. 3-8 are curves useful in understanding the invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numeral 1 (FIG. 1) designates a rectifying network energized from a suitable alternating potential power supply (not shown) through a center tapped transformer 2. A first potential regulator 4 is energized from the positive, neutral and negative output conductors 5, 6 and 7 of the network 1 and by means of suitable transistors and zener diodes provides a regulated +16V, -16V and OV outputs on its output conductors 8, 9 and 10. A second potential regulator 12 provides +6.3 volts and -6.3 volts (with respect to conductor 10) on its output conductors 13 and 14. The low voltage output of the regulator 12 is precisely regulated by operational amplifiers 16 and 17 and referenced to a temperature compensated zener diode 18. 
     A triangular wave generator 20 comprises first and second operational amplifiers 22 and 24 and an inverter 26. The negative input terminal of amplifier 22 is connected to the neutral bus or conductor 10 by a pair of antiparallelly arranged diodes D6 and D7 to prevent an excessive differential voltage at the input terminals of the amplifier 22. The positive input terminal is referenced with respect to the bus 10 through a resistor R15. The output terminal of the amplifier 22 is connected to the input terminal of the inverter 26. The output terminal of the inverter 26 is connected through a resistor R16 to the negative input terminal of the amplifier 24 and connected through a resistor R14 to the negative input terminal of the amplifier 22. The output terminal of the amplifier 24 is connected through a capacitor C15 to its negative input terminal and is connected to the negative input terminal of the amplifier 22 through a fixed resistor R13 and an adjustable resistor R17. The positive potential and negative potential power input terminals of the amplifier 22 and of the inverter 26 are connected to the positive and negative conductors or busses 13 and 14 respectively. The positive and negative potential power input terminals of amplifier 24 are connected to busses 8 and 9 respectively. The generator 20 provides a precisely regulated triangular wave E T  (FIG. 4), the amplitude of which is calibrated by the adjustment of the resistor R17. As will be made clear below, this adjustment calibrates the magnitude of the direct current output of the transducer with respect to the power (watts) being measured thereby. 
     The potential of the power being measured by the transducer is supplied to a potential transformer 28 (FIG. 2). The output potential of this transformer 28 is referenced to the potential E 0  of the neutral or common bus 10 by having one terminal of its secondary winding directly connected thereto. A potential dividing network comprising the fixed resistors R1 and R4 and the potentiometer R9 is connected across the secondary of transformer 28. The desired proportion of this voltage E 1  is supplied from the movable contact of the potentiometer R9 to one input 29 of a summing network 30. The other input terminal 31 is connected to the output terminal of the triangular wave generator 20, which provides the voltage E T . 
     The output terminal 32 of the summing network 30 is connected to the input terminal of a first inverter 34 of a plurality of inverters 34, 35 and 36 of the comparator network 38 and supplies the voltage (E 1  + E T ). The inverter may be the three sections of a CMOS device CD4007AE. The output terminal 39 of the inverter 34 is connected to the input terminal of the inverter 35. The output terminal 40 of the inverter 35 is connected to the input terminal of the inverter 36. The voltage terminals of the inverters 35 and 36 are connected directly to the busses 13 and 14. 
     The current component of the watts (associated with the voltage component E 1  supplied to the potential transformer 28) is supplied to the current transformer 42. A plurality of zener diodes Z1, Z2 and Z5 protect against an overvoltage condition which for example might be caused by an open condition of the current circuit or by current or voltage surges on the current circuit. The current output I 1  of the transformer 42 is applied to the input terminals 43 and 44 of a switching circuit 45. The circuit 45 comprises 4 electrically operated switches 46, 47, 48 and 49 having their main circuits connected into a bridge circuit which provides the input terminals at two opposite corners. The other two opposite corners of the bridge circuit provide the output terminals 50 and 51. The actuated switches of the circuit 45 may be the four switches of a CMOS QUAD Bilateral Switch of the CD4016AE type. The control circuits of the switches 46 and 48 are connected to the output terminal of the inverter 35 while the control circuits of the switches 47 and 49 are connected to the output terminal of the inverter 36. With this arrangement the pairs of switches 46-48 and 47-49 alternately conduct under control of the comparator network 38 as determined by the sum of the potentials derived from the triangular wave generator 20 and the voltage component of the measured quantity derived from the potential transformer 28. 
     The voltage (E 1  + E T ) supplied to the comparator network 38 is compared with this reference voltage E 0  and provides the pulse width modulated voltage of FIG. 6 to the control circuits of one of the pairs of switches 46-48 connected to the output terminal of the inverter 35 and the inverted wave of FIG. 6 to the control circuits of the other of the pairs of switches 47-49 connected to the output terminal of the inverter 36. The resulting alternating conducting condition of the pairs of switches 46-48 and 47-49 provide the I 0  output current (FIG. 8) to a filter network 54 tuned to block all frequencies including the second harmonic and above of the output current I D . In this regard it should be noted that the product of any two displaced sine waves of the same frequency may be represented by the equation 
     
         [Esin(ωt)][Isin(ω t- θ)] 
    
     which reduces to 
     
         EI/2[ (Cos θ)- Cos (2ωt- θ)] 
    
     preferably, however, because of internal and external influences I have found that to obtain a peak to peak ripple of 1% or less the filter should block all frequencies above 2 or 3 hertz. 
     Therefore when the second harmonic component (2ωt- θ ) and the higher harmonics in the pulse train are filtered out, the output of the filter will be EI/2 Cos θ where Cos θ is the power factor of the volt amperes being measured and the output of the filter is directly proportional to watts. 
     The DC output current of the filter 54 is supplied to the positive and negative input terminals 56 and 57 of a current amplifier 58. The amplifier 58 comprises an operational amplifier 60 having its negative input terminal connected to the positive input terminal 56 and its positive input terminal connected to the negative input terminal 57. The output circuit of the amplifier 58 extends from the terminal 56 through the resistor R6, the current load terminals 62 and 63, the resistors R7 and R8 and the operational amplifier and one of its potential terminals connected to the +16 and -16 volt supply. 
     It will be appreciated that the relationship of the magnitude of the DC output current with respect to the magnitude of the watts being measured may be calibrated by controlling the magnitude of the triangular wave E T . The use of the current amplifier as distinguished from the conversion of the current to a voltage eliminates the necessity for a zero or null adjustment. 
     As described above, the wattmeter measures the watts represented by the current I 1  and voltage E 1 . In many instances, as for example in a three wire system, it may be desirable to add additional wattage determining units, as for example the potential transformer 28A, the summing network 30A, the comparator network 38A, the switching circuit 45A, and the current transformer 42A. Since the total watts are to be measured the output terminals 50A and 51A may be connected in parallel with the output terminals 50 and 51. With this arrangement the current output of the filter 54 will be the total of the output currents of the switching circuits 45 and 45A. 
     A single triangular wave voltage generator 20 is preferably used for all of the watt current circuits and enables all of the current outputs to be calibrated by the single calibrating control R17.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6