US 12,474,379 B2
Arc-fault detection apparatus and method and electrical installation
Antonio Di Stefano, Palermo (IT); Aurelio Zinno, Palermo (IT); Giovanni Artale, Palermo (IT); and Nicola Panzavecchia, Palermo (IT)
Assigned to Prysmian S.p.A., Milan (IT)
Filed by Prysmian S.p.A., Milan (IT)
Filed on Sep. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/471,848.
Claims priority of application No. 102022000019407 (IT), filed on Sep. 22, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0110955 A1, Apr. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. G01R 19/165 (2006.01); G01R 31/58 (2020.01)
CPC G01R 19/16528 (2013.01) [G01R 31/58 (2020.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An arc-fault detection apparatus comprising:
an electrical current measuring device connectable to an electrical circuit and configured to provide a measured signal representing an electrical current flowing in the electrical circuit;
a computing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the computing device to:
acquire a first plurality of samples from the measured signal included in a first time interval;
acquire a second plurality of samples from the measured signal included in a second time interval, subsequent to the first time interval;
perform a discrete derivative of the first plurality of samples obtaining past derivative samples;
perform a discrete derivative of the second plurality of samples obtaining present derivative samples;
compute a derivative similarity index by processing the past derivative samples and the present derivative samples according to an auto-correlation type function; the derivative similarity index quantifying a similarity of the past derivative samples with the present derivative samples;
compare the derivative similarity index with a threshold value to obtain a comparison result; and
detect an arc-fault condition in the electrical circuit based on the comparison result.