Method for detecting a fault or also the direction of a fault in electric lines and means for executing this method

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, comprising: selecting the depth of said boundary zone in said one quadrant preceding said next adjacent quadrant as being, at least in sections, between 5% and 50% of the distance from any point of the triggering boundary of said one quadrant to the origin.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1, comprising; selecting the depth of the boundary zone of said one quadrant preceding said next quadrant as being constant, said constant depth being measured in each case at right angles to the triggering boundary of said one quadrant.

Claim 5

A method according to claim 1, wherein the displacing step comprises: displacing the triggering boundary of said next adjacent quadrant passed through in the direction of the line of motion such that the line of motion extends below the displaced triggering boundary.

Claim 6

A method according to claim 4, further comprising: displacing the triggering boundary, measured with respect to the origin of the coordinate system, away from the origin by 5% to 100% of the distance of the triggering boundary from the origin.

Claim 7

A method acording to claim 1, wherein the displacing step is performed immediately after entry of the point into the boundary zone of said one quadrant.

Claim 8

A method according to claim 1, wherein the displacing step is performed after the expiry of a predetermined period of time after the point has entered the boundary zone of said one quadrant.

Claim 9

A method according to claim 1, wherein the displacing step is performed immediately after emergence of the point from the boundary zone of said one quadrant.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 1, wherein the displacing step comprises: displacing the triggering boundary of the quadrant diagonally opposite the next adjacent quadrant at least in sections, to a greater distance from the origin of the coordinate system.

Claim 13

An apparatus according to claim 10, comprising; a signal logic circuit to which the step signals (Su, Si) are applied and which is connected to the second function generator means of the monitoring means, said sign logic circuit enabling the production of said displace control signal as a function of the signs of the step signals (Su, Si).

Claim 14

A process computer system apparatus for detecting a fault and a fault direction in electric lines, wherein both the voltage and the current of the electric lines are successively sampled and respective voltage and current step signals (Su, Si) generated at each sampling, each pair of said step signals (Su, Si) defining a point in a Cartesian coordinate system, said Cartesian coordinate system including four quadrants and an origin, and successive pairs of said step signals (Su, Si) defining a line of motion progressing from one quadrant to a next adjacent quadrant, comprising; a process peripheral consisting of a first input unit (EI) to which the voltage signals (Su) are applied and a second input unit (EII) to which the current step signals (Si) are applied; an output unit (AG); a memory (AS); a central processing unit (CPU); and at least one data link (DV) which connects the components (EI), (EII), (AG), (AS), (CPU); said process computer system capable of monitoring in each of said quadrants the progression of the points defined by said step signals (Su, Si) from said one quadrant to said next adjacent quadrant by performing the following steps, establishing in each of said quadrants a triggering boundary, producing a fault signal when a point defined by said step signals (Su, Si) trangresses the triggering boundary of any quadrant, establishing in each quadrant a boundary zone extending a predetermined depth from the triggering boundary of the respective quadrant to the origin, detecting whenever a point defined by said step signals (Su, Si) enters into a boundary zone established in said establishing step; displacing at least a section of a triggering boundary of said next adjacent quadrant whenever a point defined by said step signals is detected as entering into a boundary zone as detected in said detecting step, and determining that a fault has occurred based upon making a detection in said detecting step and determining a fault direction based on the quadrants in which a fault detection is made.

Claim 15

A process computer system apparatus for detecting a fault and a fault direction in electric lines, wherein both the voltage and the current of the electric lines are successively sampled and respective voltage and current step signals (Su, Si) generated at each sampling, each pair of said step signals (Su, Si) defining a point in a Cartesian coordinate system, said Cartesian coordinate system including four quadrants and an origin, and successive pairs of said step signals (Su, Si) defining a line of motion progressing from one quadrant to a next adjacent quadrant, comprising; a process peripheral consisting of a first input unit (EI) to which the voltage signals (Su) are applied and a second input unit (EII) to which the current step signals (Si) are applied; an output unit (AG); a memory (AS); a central processing unit (CPU); and at least one data link (DV) which connects the components (EI), (EII), (AG), (AS), (CPU); said process computer system capable of monitoring in each of said quadrants the progression of the points defined by said step signals (Su, Si) from said one quadrant to said next adjacent quadrant by performing the following steps, establishing in each of said quadrants a triggering boundary, producing a fault signal when a point defined by said step signals (Su, Si) trangresses the triggering boundary of any quadrant, establishing in each quadrant a boundary zone extending a predetermined depth from the triggering boundary of the respective quadrant to the origin, detecting whenever a point defined by said step signals (Su, Si) enters into a boundary zone established in said establishing step; displacing at least a section of a triggering boundary of said next adjacent quadrant whenever a point defined by said step signals is detected as entering into a boundary zone as detected in said detecting step, and determining that a fault has occurred based upon making a detection in said detecting step and determining a fault direction based on the quadrants in which a fault detection is made.