Design and implementation of autonomous wireless sensors for electrical protection systems using ultra low power consumption microprocessors

Abstract

This article constitutes the design of an autonomous sensor for electrical protection systems using new technologies that includes energy harvesting and the low power consumption of the electronic elements used. The prototype is developed in four stages. The first stage focuses on acquiring information from an external electrical system using a current sensor, that data is processed in the second stage by the development card which detects when a disturbance occurs in the current signal of the external electrical system and prioritizes the low power consumption of the devices when it is not necessary to transmit information. The third stage covers radio frequency data communication, which is executed once the processing algorithm has detected that the current exceeds the limits of normal operation, otherwise the transmission of information is disabled, and the device is in a low consumption mode. The last stage makes energy harvesting and storage of it, using solar modules, the solar radiation is harvested and transformed into electrical energy, the same that feeds the prototype, the excess energy is stored in a lithium-polymer battery, which works in absence of solar radiation. Finally, the equipment is integrated in a printed circuit board that constitutes the final prototype. To verify the correct operation of the designed sensor, many operation tests are carried out and the results obtained are analyzed.