WO2017083901A1

WO2017083901A1 - Voltage detection device

Info

Publication number: WO2017083901A1
Application number: PCT/AU2016/000383
Authority: WO
Inventors: Benjamin WESTON
Original assignee: Weston Benjamin
Priority date: 2015-11-19
Filing date: 2016-11-18
Publication date: 2017-05-26
Also published as: DE202016008574U1; JP3218625U; AU2016355912A1; AU2018100719A4; CN208872800U

Abstract

A detection device that can either be worn by a user or attached to a tool carried by a user for detecting an energised state of an electrical circuit comprising: a body made from a flexibly resilient material; control electronics comprising: a sensor for sensing the presence of an electrical voltage in proximity to the body and generating a signal to indicate this presence and a processor for processing the signal and determining the state of the circuit; one or more indicator devices mounted with respect to the body and in communication with the control electronics to emit a visual and/or audible indication when activated by the control circuitry upon determination that the circuit is active.

Description

VOLTAGE DETECTION DEVICE

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2015904775 filed on 19 November 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to device for detecting the presence of a voltage within a structure, and in particular, to a voltage detection device that is able to be readily adapted for use in a variety of different types of applications in a convenient and simple manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For individuals such as electricians, technicians, DIY homeowners and other trained and untrained personnel, there is a requirement to work around and in close proximity to energised electrical systems and wires on a regular basis. Typically, where work is to be conducted that will require access to an energised electrical system or wires associated therewith, the electrical circuits are generally de-energised at a central switch panel or the like, prior to the individual seeking to work with the electrical system. This way, the individual is able to cut wires and/or divert or reconfigure wires of the existing electrical system to provide electrical energy to other components or areas of a building, depending upon the specific task being undertaken, without fear that the individual will be exposed to energised or "live" electrical energy, which can cause serious injury and in many instances, death.

However, in many instances, despite the individual believing that they may have de-energised the electrical system prior to performing work on the system, some circuits may remain in an active or energised state. Such circuits then pose a serious hazard to such workers, especially those seeking to cut or access wires associated with such systems while they are still in an active state. Further, should a fault become apparent elsewhere within the same electrical installation, dangerous currents may become present which would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

To address this problem, a variety of dedicated devices have been proposed that comprise tools shaped and configured to be used by individuals to test the state of electrical components. Such devices are directed towards detecting the presence of an electrical charge/current present in an electrical cable, conduit or other component of an electrical/plumbing /building system. Whilst these devices have proven effective in providing the user with a means for testing the presence, or otherwise, for an electric current/voltage, such devices are generally designed to require actual contact with the live wire to perform the testing function, or require a tip or dedicated area to contact the wire, which is not always easy to perform in a crowded and dark space.

Further to this, most existing voltage/current detecting devices are a separate tool that is often required to be carried by the individual for the sole purpose of checking wires and have little other useful purpose. As such, many individuals may not carry such devices as they crawl through roof or wall spaces in a constmction/demolition/maintenance situation, due to the need to cany other tools for a specific purpose. Hence, it is often when such individuals find themselves in a confined space that they identify a wire or circuit that requires testing, meaning that they generally have to retreat from the space to collect the testing device and then return to the wire for testing.

As such, there is a need to provide a voltage/current testing device that can be simply carried by the user, either attached to a pre-existing tool or on the user's body, which can be simply and effectively applied to test for the presence or otherwise of an electric current/voltage prior to accessing an electrical circuit.

Further, as all existing voltage/current testing devices available today are only useful when the user is performing such a test, should the user be performing another task such as running cables, performing maintenance work or other construction work, the existing testing devices will not provide any warning function as they are not in a testing mode. As such, there is a need to provide for a device that can be carried by a user that is able to act as a warning device to warn a user of a present electrical danger, even if the user is not physically seeking to detect such a danger.

The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

The invention according to one or more aspects is as defined in the independent claims. Some optional and/or preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a detection device for detecting an energisation state of an electrical circuit comprising:

a body made from a flexibly resilient material;

control electronics embedded within said body, said control electronics comprising a sensor for sensing the presence of an electrical voltage in the proximity thereof and generating a signal in response to the detected electrical voltage; and a processor for processing said generated signal received from the sensor to determine the state of energisation of the electrical circuit detected; and one or more indicator devices in electrical communication with the control electronics and embedded within the body such that upon the processor determining that the state of energisation of the electrical circuit indicates that the circuit is active, said indicator device is activated to provide a visual indication that the electrical circuit detected is active;

wherein, the body is configured to be mounted on a tool carried by a user or worn on the user's body.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the body has a central recess formed therein to facilitate mounting of said body to the tool or the user's body.

The flexibly resilient material may be rubber or silicone material or the like.

The processor may be housed within a housing and the housing may comprise a power source for operating the control electronics.

The processor may further comprise a speaker unit for providing an audible warning signal upon the processor determining that the state of energisation of the electrical circuit indicates that the circuit is active.

The sensor may be an antenna that extends from the housing to form one or more loops about the body to facilitate sensing of the electrical voltage from a variety of angles, preferably from 0 - 360 degrees.

The one or more indicator devices may be embedded within the body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which :

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a detection device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention ;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the detection device of Fig. 1 mounted on a conventional tool for use;

Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of a body worn detection device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention ; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the embedded components of the device of Fig. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention.

The present invention will be described below in relation to its application for use with a conventional tool, such as a pair of pliers, which are commonly carried by electricians and other individuals who typically work with energised electrical systems. However, it will be appreciated that the present invention could be used with a variety of other tools and devices that may be carried by an electrician or similar individual, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Referring to Fig. 1 , a detection device 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is depicted. The detection device 10 generally comprises a body 12 made from a flexibly resilient material, such as rubber, silicone or any other similar material that is capable of being formed into a predetermined shape and have components embedded therein.

In the embodiment depicted in Figs 1 and 2, the body 12 has a substantially cylindrical shape having a central recess 14 extending therethrough. The body 12 is formed so as to encapsulate the device's control electronics 15 and the lighting units 16 therein. In this regard, the thickness of the body 12 is sufficient to the control electronics 15 and the LED or similar lighting 16 therein, whilst enabling the control electronics the ability to sense voltage and current circuits external to the body 12 and to enable the LEDs to pass light therethrough, such that the light can be readily viewed by the user of the device.

Due to the resilient and flexible nature of the materials forming the body, the device 10 is able to be readily fitted over a variety of existing tools as depicted in Fig. 2. In this embodiment the device 10 is fitted onto a handle portion 22 of a conventional pair of pliers 20, as may be readily earned by a tradesperson/apprentice/handyman/maintenance personnel, such as an electrician/plumber/builder. The device 20 can be merely fitted over the end 23 of the handle 22 and pushed along the handle 22 such that it is snugly secured to the handle 22 as shown. The user can then cany use the pliers 20 as required and can carry the pliers 20 in their pocket or similar region of their clothing, for easy access when desired.

It will be appreciated that the control electronics 15 comprises a housing containing a circuit board with an integrated circuit for processing the sensed signals mounted thereon. An antenna 19, in the form of one or more wires, is attached to the circuit board of the control electronics 15 and configured to extend about the body 12 as depicted in Fig. 1. The antenna 19 is in direct contact with a sensor located on the integrated circuit of the control electronics 15 that is able to detect the presence of a localised voltage source as the device 10 is moved in the vicinity of the live circuit or wire that is to be detected.

The control electronics 15 may include one or more filters that function to remove any static electricity detected by the antenna 19 such that the control electronics 15 of the device 10 only detects alternating voltage, which is associated with a mains power source or similar. In this way, the system will not inadvertently detect general static electricity as a result of the device 10 being moved through the air, which may provide false readings to the user, who is typically only interested in detecting alternating voltage source in the wires, indicative of a live circuit.

The control electronics 15 may include a power source, such as a battery. The batteiy is configured to provide power to the components of the control electronics 15, and may be a rechargeable or a non-rechargeable batteiy. In situations where the batteiy is a rechargeable battery, the device 10 may be simply recharged by positioning the device within an electric field such that the device can be recharged over time, or the device may include a plug or socket for connection with a conventional battery charger connectable to a mains electricity supply.

Each of the lighting units 16 is hard wire connected to the control electronics 15 such that upon the circuitry detecting the presence of a voltage or current in a cable, pipe or related system, the lighting systems are activated to emit a warning light to the user. Due to the nature of the material forming the body 12 of the device, activation of the lighting devices 16 by the control electronics 15 will cause the body 12 to glow when in the vicinity of a voltage/current source. It will be appreciated that other lighting units are also envisaged, such as light pipes and the like, which can disperse light throughout the body 12. Further, the body 12 may comprise colouring or additives that cause the body 12 to glow upon activation of the lighting units 16 such that when the device is placed in proximity to a wire carrying voltage, the device 10 glows to indicate such an event.

In use, the user will attach the device 10 to the tools they typically cany with them as they perform their duties. This may be a set of pliers as shown in Fig. 2, but could also include a screwdriver or the like. The user is then able to enter the wall or roof space, or any other work space to perform their tasks and when they encounter a wire they can simply position the tool such that the device 10 is located adjacent the wire to be tested, to determine whether the wire carries a voltage or current. If no voltage or current is detected by the device 10, the user can then access the wires to perform the task as desired. Alternatively, if the wire is detected as being "live", the user can cease work and seek to de-energise the circuit supplying current to the wire, before proceeding further.

An alternative embodiment of the detection device of the present invention is depicted as reference numeral 30 in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the control electronics and power source are packaged within a housing 35 that is embedded within the body 32 of the device 30. The device 30 is made from a flexibly resilient material, such as rubber, silicone or any other similar material that is capable of being formed into a predetermined shape. In this embodiment, the shape is in the form of a wrist band or bracelet that is to be worn around the wrist of the user. In this regard, the user can wear the device 30 such that it is constantly accessible for testing wires and the like, as they perform their regular duties and no additional tools are required.

The components of the device 30 are depicted in isolation in Fig. 4. As is shown, the lighting devices 34 are connected to the control electronics within the housing 35 by way of wires such that the lighting devices 34 can be positioned around the body 32 for activation. In the embodiment as shown, two lighting devices 34 are provided and are positioned on opposing sides of the housing 35. However, it will be appreciated that any number of lighting devices may be employed and may be positioned such that they extend around the perimeter of the body 32 when embedded therein. The housing 35 may also contain an alarm and speaker unit for emitting an audible alarm in addition to activating the lighting devices 35 when a voltage is detected within a cable or the like.

An antenna 36 extends from the housing 35 and extends in one or more loops around the body 32 as shown. As the antenna 36 is embedded within the body 32, it retains its shape and is protected by the resilient nature of the material used to form the body 32. As mentioned previously, the antenna functions to detect the presence of an electrical current/voltage in a cable or wire being tested, which can then be processed by the control electronics in the housing 35 to determine whether a warning signal should be activated by the control electi onics to warn the user of a "live" wire. Due to the nature of the antenna, it may also be used to aid in recharging the power source, where possible.

It will be appreciated that in each of the embodiments depicted in Figs. 1 and 3, the device may be simply formed by placing the components within a mould and moulding the resilient material about the components to encapsulate the components therein. Such a simple means for forming the device ensures that the device is simple and cost effective to manufacture and can be readily replaced where necessary.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Throughout the specification and claims the word "comprise" and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contraiy is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word "comprise" and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A detection device for detecting an energised state of an electrical circuit comprising:

a body made from a flexibly resilient material;

control electronics embedded within said body comprising: a sensor for sensing a presence of an electrical voltage in proximity to the body and generating a signal in response to the detected electrical voltage; and a processor for processing said generated signal received from the sensor to determine the energised state of the electrical circuit detected; and

one or more indicator devices in electrical communication with the control electronics and mounted with respect to the body, each indicator device being configured such that upon the processor determining that the energised state of the electrical circuit indicates that the circuit is active, the indicator device is activated to emit a visual indication to a user that the electrical circuit detected is active;

wherein, the body is configured such that it is detachably mounted on a tool carried by a user or worn on the user's body.

2. A detection device according to claim 1, wherein the body has a central recess formed therein to facilitate mounting of said body to the tool or the user's body.

3. A detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the flexibly resilient material is rubber or silicone.

4. A detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is housed within a housing and comprises a power source for operating the control electronics.

5. A detection device according to claim 4, wherein the processor further comprises a speaker unit for providing an audible warning signal upon the processor determining that the energised state of the electrical circuit indicates that the circuit is active.

6. A detection device according to claim 4, wherein the sensor is an antenna/voltage sensing wire or circuit that extends from the housing to form one or more loops about the body to facilitate sensing of the electrical voltage.

7. A detection device according to claim 4, wherein the sensor has a range of approximately 360 degrees. A detection device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more indicator devices are embedded within the body.