ELECTRICAL WIRE JOINT FAULT DETECTION

摘要

A method and apparatus for detecting a fault in a joint connecting sections of an electrical transmission line together are disclosed. Previously known methods for detecting joint faults require a visual inspection of the joint or testing the transmission line using sophisticated, expensive equipment. This manual testing is expensive and inefficient. In the proposed method, a fault in a joint (301) connecting sections of an electrical transmission line (107) together is detected by measuring the resistance to current flowing through the joint (301) in one and the other directions along said electrical transmission line (107) and detecting a fault in the joint (301) if the measured resistance differs substantially in said one and the other directions. The method has particular utility in relation to low power transmission lines such as telephone lines.