Patent ID: 8497781

Claim:
A method for monitoring a power line conductor comprising: storing in an energy storage device a portion of power induced from an electric field of the power line conductor resulting from current flowing in the power line conductor; using a first instrument platform to sense at least one data parameter associated with the power line conductor; and communicating the at least one data parameter to a second instrument platform, using the second instrument platform to sense a data parameter associated with the power line conductor; analyzing, at the second instrument platform, the at least one data parameter of the first instrument platform and the data parameter of the second instrument platform, communicating, from the second instrument platform, the analyzed at least one data parameter of the first instrument platform and the data parameter analyzed at the second instrument platform to a third instrument platform, wherein the third instrument platform communicates the analyzed at least one data parameter of the first instrument platform and the data parameter analyzed at the second instrument platform with a ground-based processor; wherein when current flowing through the power line conductor is below a first predetermined threshold value, the energy storage device provides power for the instrument platform, wherein when current flowing through the power line conductor is above the first threshold value and below a second threshold value, the electric field of the power line conductor provides power for the instrument platform and does not provide power to charge the energy storage device, and wherein when current flowing through the power line conductor is above a second predetermined threshold value greater than the first predetermined threshold value, the electric field of the power line conductor provides charging current to the energy storage device.