Voltage regulator control in electric power systems with distributed generation

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Power Supply (H02J)

Published March 31st, 2026

Detected March 31st, 2026

Summary

USPTO granted patent US12592582B2 to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. for a voltage regulator control system in electric power systems with distributed generation. The patent covers systems and methods for determining regulation direction based on power flow direction, source stiffness values, and tap change monitoring. The patent contains 20 claims and was filed on June 3, 2024.

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What changed

USPTO granted patent US12592582B2 to Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. for a voltage regulator control system in electric power systems featuring distributed generation. The patent includes 20 claims covering a system with a communication interface, power flow direction subsystem, tap change monitoring subsystem, and voltage regulator control subsystem. The system evaluates voltage changes from tap changes and determines source stiffness values to establish appropriate regulation direction.

This is a routine patent grant notice with no compliance obligations. Patent holders and companies in the electric power equipment sector should review the patent claims to assess potential impacts on product development and freedom-to-operate considerations. No action is required for general compliance purposes.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

Voltage regulator control in electric power systems with distributed generation

Grant US12592582B2 Kind: B2 Mar 31, 2026

Assignee

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.

Inventors

Shawn R. Shields, Benjamin T. Rowland

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to control of a voltage regulator in an electric power system. In one embodiment, a system to control a voltage regulator includes a communication interface configured to communicate with the voltage regulator. A power flow direction subsystem may determine a direction of a current flow in the electric power system. A tap change monitoring subsystem may monitor tap changes implemented by the voltage regulator to evaluate a voltage change resulting from each of the plurality of tap changes and determine a source stiffness value for a first source and a second source. A voltage regulator control subsystem is configured to determine a regulation direction based on the direction of current flow determined by the power flow direction subsystem and based on the source stiffness value for the first source and the second source, and communicate the regulation direction to the voltage regulator through the communication interface.

CPC Classifications

H02J 13/00002 H02J 3/381 G05F 1/14 H02H 7/26

Filing Date

2024-06-03

Application No.

18732426

Claims

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Named provisions

Voltage regulator control system Power flow direction subsystem Tap change monitoring subsystem Source stiffness value determination Regulation direction communication