Design of Microcontroller based Multi-

Functional Relay for Automated Protective

System
G. Ramarao, Sateesh K Telagamsetti and V. S. Kale

of the rated current of equipment or the ampacity of a

Abstract-- This paper presents the design and implementation conductor. It may result from overload, short circuit, or
of a microcontroller based multi-functional relay that can protect ground fault. Over current protection devices are used to
the equipment against over-current, over-voltage & under protect conductors from excessive current flow. etc. If these
voltage. Provision for settings of over voltage, over current and over voltages are not mitigated, there are chances of insulation
under voltage limits is provided. Simulations are carried out failure, so it leads to a line to line fault or line to ground fault.
using proteus eight (SP4) platforms and hardware prototype with
The relay detects the over voltage & operates instantaneously.
ATMega328 as core controller is built to validate the operation of
the microcontroller as multifunctional numerical relay.
Overloading of distribution cables and transformers or of
cabling within the installation often results in long duration
Index Terms--Arduino Uno board, ATMega328, faults, micro under-voltage problems. Under-voltage can occur when a
controller, over current relay, proteus 8 professional). large load is switched on; over-voltage when the large load is
switched off. Under-voltages in power system leads to over
I. INTRODUCTION loading of system or instability of power grid. When there is a
system disturbance and the voltage drops to a pre-selected
T he reliability and security electrical supply is an important
factor in modern society. However increasing complexity
of power systems makes it difficult for protection
level for a pre-determined time, then selected loads are shed
by under voltage relay [3].
Proteus 8 is software for electronic circuit simulation,
operation to achieve these objectives. Nevertheless, numerical
microprocessor simulation, schematic capture, and printed
relays are able to improve the protection operation
circuit board (PCB) design. It is developed by Labcenter
significantly. The relays are capable of performing complex
Electronics. There are many system components in the
processing faster and with higher accuracy [1].
software. Whether your requirement is the rapid entry of
Protection relay is a device which by means of measuring
complex design for simulation & PCB layout, or the creation
power system quantities (currents and voltages) and
of attractive Schematic for publication, ISIS is the right tool
processing them through its internal logic, has the capacity to
for the job Product Features [4].
control the operation of a circuit breaker. The internal logic
The ATmega 328 microcontroller is a computer on a chip or a
allows the relay to initiate a tripping sequence when
single chip computer. High Performance, LowPowerAVR 8-
anomalous conditions arise within the power system. With
Bit Microcontroller, advanced RISC Architecture, High
regard to their construction three types of relays can be
distinguished: electromechanical, static and digital. In Endurance Non-volatile Memory Segments, Peripheral
electromechanical relays, the actuating force is created by Features, I/O and Packages, Operating Voltage, Low Power
electromagnetic interaction. Static relays are based on Consumption, Another term is Embedded Microcontroller,
analogue electronic components such as diodes, transistors, which tells that its support circuits are often built into or
capacitors, etc. whereas numerical relays have their logic embedded in the devices for control [5].
implemented in software and microprocessor technology.
Some relay designs combine the static and digital technology. II. PROPOSED DIGITAL RELAY
This paper concentrates on the analysis of digital relays. A The signals from the current sensors and voltage sensors
digital relay consists of the following main parts: cannot be sampled directly and converted to the digital form.
microcontroller, analogue input system, digital output system This is to make sure that the signal does not contain frequency
and independent power supply [2]. Figure 1 presents a components having a frequency greater than one half of the
simplified block diagram of a digital relay. The National sampling frequency. This limit is enforced by the Shannon's
Electrical Code defines over current as any current in excess sampling theorem. Therefore, the signals are first passed
through a low-pass filter, which has to be an analogue type of
filter, because digital processing can only take place after the
Gandi ramarao ,Sateesh K Telagamsetti, PG students, V S Kale, Associate frequency spectrum of the signal is properly shaped. Next, the
Professor are with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Visvesvaraya
National Institute of Technology ,Nagpur, India. (e-mail) grr231@gmail.com, analogue signal is sampled and held constant during the time
sateesh.240@gmail.com, tovijay_kale@rediffmail.com. the value is converted to digital form. The sample and hold
circuit is an absolute must. The range of frequencies that can
be handled by the analogue-to-digital converter without the
978-1-4799-4939-7/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE

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sample and hold (S/H) circuit is extremely low. The sample excess current flows in the line current sensor sense that
and hold circuit and the ADC work under the control of the current from the line, this sensed current is further modified by
microprocessor and communicate with it with the help of sending through the AAF, S/H circuit and ADC. But arduino
control signals such as the end-of conversion signal issued by knows the value equalant to binary that will be given by the
the ADC. The ADC passes on the digital representation of the ADC. In arduino, program should be written before
instantaneous value of the signal to the microprocessor via an performing the operation. Then arduino uno board can
input port. The output of the ADC is 8 bits. The wider the compare the actual value to set value which is already
output of the ADC, the greater its resolution. The incoming mentioned in the program. If there is exceed the current, then
digital values from the ADC are stored in the RAM of the aruduino will give the trip signal to the relay through
microcontroller and processed by the relay software in optocoupler, relay driver circuit and electromagnetic switch.
accordance with an underlying relaying algorithm. The Same procedure will be applicable for the voltage also. In this
microprocessor issues the trip signal on one of the bits of its paper, under voltages and over voltages are taken into account.
output port which is then suitably processed so as to make it Voltage should in the limits, “Vmin<V<Vmax”, if V<Vmin or
compatible with the trip coil of the CB, whenever the V>Vmax, arduino will give the trip signal. Operation of the
abnormal conditions occur then buzzer makes sound [6]. equipments in proposed digital relay is described below

A. Anti-Aliasing Filter
An anti-aliasing filter is a filter used before a signal
sampler, to restrict the bandwidth of a signal to approximately
satisfy the sampling theorem. Anti-aliasing filters are
commonly used at the input of digital signal processing
systems, for example in sound digitization systems. Similar
filters are used as reconstruction filters at the output of such
systems. For a single pole low-pass filter, fc = 1/(2 × π × RC)
the filter roll-off is 6dB per octave or 20dB/decade [7].
The filter was built around the amplifier LMP8601. It’s a
linear monolithic precision amplifier, with a gain of 20. It has
an internal pre-amplifier of gain 10 & a buffer amplifier of
gain 2.
The filter to minimize noise in the input signal is second
order Sallen-Key low pass filter.
Filter Parameters

INBUILT ADC R1 = 10K (internal, at the output of A1), R2 = 20K Ohm

C1 = C2 = 150nF
Cut -off frequency
1
f0 =
2Π R 1 R 2 C 1C 2
R1 R 2 C 1C 2
Q =
R 1 C 1 + R 1 C 2 + (1 − k 2 ) R 2 C 1
So f0 = 75Hz, Quality factor Q = 0.71

Fig. 1. Block Diagram of the Proposed Digital Relay.

With the help of all the equipments connected in the above

circuit diagram performs in order to know the weather fault is
occurred or not in the equipment to protected. If there is Fig. 2. Second order Sallen-Key low pass filter with LMP8601.

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B. Voltage and Current Signal Sampling EFSR
For sampling the voltage for over voltage or under voltage Q=
protection, one should measure the magnitude of the voltage. 2M −1
So there is no need of knowing the polarity. So instead of
level-shifting the voltage waveform by introducing a DC
offset, one can just rectify it and sample it. So the steps
involved in voltage sampling are step-down, rectification,
attenuation & sampling.

Fig. 5. Analog to Digital conversion.

Where M is the ADC's resolution in bits and EFSR is

the full scale voltage range (also called 'span'). EFSR is given
by
EFSR = VRefHi - VRefLow
Where VRefHi and VRefLow are the upper and lower extremes,
respectively, of the voltages that can be coded.
Fig. 3. Circuit for sampling the voltage signal.
Normally, the number of voltage intervals is given by
N = 2M-1.
Current is sensed through a Hall-effect current sensor. It
will give the voltage signal proportional to its current signal. D. Regulated Power Supply
That signal is amplified then sampled with IC LF398 and it
provides isolation. As the amplifier LMP8601 can level-shift All digital circuits require regulated dc power supply
the output, there is no external level shifting required[8].

Fig. 4. Circuit for sampling the current signal. Fig. 6. Regulated Power Supply for voltages.

(+15V, +12V, +9V; -15V,-12V,-9V (DC)

C. Analog to Digital Converter Power supply circuit is designed by using stepdown
transformer, bridge circuit, filter and regulator. 5v supply is
This device transforms an input analog signal from current
required for the arduino, lcd crystal, current sensor,
sensors and voltage sensors in binary code transmitted through
optocoupler, keyboard, relay driver. “+/- 12V supply is
special filters to processing in the microcontroller [9]. The
designed for amplifier LMP8601”. A single 5v dc power
resolution of the converter indicates the number of discrete
source is necessary to run the electronics on the board [10].
values it can produce over the range of analog values. The
values are usually stored electronically in binary form, so the E. Optocoupler
resolution is usually expressed in bits. Resolution can also be
In electronics, an optocoupler, also called an opto-
defined electrically, and expressed in volts. The minimum
isolator, photo-coupler, or optical isolator, is a component that
change in voltage required to guarantee a change in the output
transfers electrical signals between two isolated circuits by
code level is called the least significant bit (LSB) voltage. The
using light. Optoisolators prevent high voltages from affecting
resolution Q of the ADC is equal to the LSB voltage. The
the system receiving the signal. A common type of opto-
voltage resolution of an ADC is equal to its overall voltage
isolator consists of an LED and a phototransistor in the same
measurement range divided by the number of discrete values.
package. Opto-isolators are usually used for transmission of

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digital (on/off) signals, but some techniques allow use with
analog (proportional) signals.
An opto-isolator contains a source (emitter) of light, almost
always a near infrared light-emitting diode (LED), that
converts electrical input signal into light, a closed optical
channel (also called dielectrical channel), and a photo-sensor,
which detects incoming light and either generates electric
energy directly, or modulates electric current flowing from an
external power supply. The sensor can be a photo-resistor, a
photodiode, a phototransistor, a silicon-controlled rectifier
(SCR) or a triac.

Fig. 8. Relay driver circuit operation.

G. Lcd Interface with ATmega328

A 16x2 LCD means it can display 16 characters per line
and there are 2 such lines. In this LCD each character is
displayed in 5x7 pixel matrix. This LCD has two registers,
namely, Command and Data. The command register stores the
command instructions given to the LCD. A command is an
instruction given to LCD to do a predefined task like
initializing it, clearing its screen, setting the cursor position,
controlling display etc. The data register stores the data to be
displayed on the LCD. The data is the ASCII value of the
Fig. 7. Circuit diagram of opto-coupler
character to be displayed on the LCD. It is capable to display
any character with ASCII values ranging from 0 to 255.When
F. Relay Driver Circuit the LCD board is turned on, data can only be sent to it after
30ms, this is the time taken for the LCD to initialize [as it
Relay here doesn’t mean protective relay. It is a
clears all the RAM and sets up the Entry Mode].
switching device that works on the principle of
electromagnetism or simply an Electromagnetic Switch. These
relays are components which allow a low-power circuit to
switch a relatively high current on and off, or to control
signals that must be electrically isolated from the controlling
circuit itself.
To make a relay operate, one has to pass a suitable ‘pull-in’
and ‘holding current (DC) through its energizing coil. And
generally relay coils are designed to operate from a particular
supply voltage — often 12V or 5V, in the case of many of the
small relays used for electronics work. In each case the coil
has a resistance which will draw the right pull-in and holding
currents when it is connected to that supply voltage.
The maximum sourcing current or sinking current through Fig. 9. Circuit diagram of Lcd interfacing.
a pin of Arduino is 40mA. So in order to turn ON or turn OFF
the relay, the relay shouldn’t be connected to the Arduino pin.
H. Keyboard Interfacing
So it is always switched with the help of a transistor.
The voltage impressed on the relay is always full rated The Keys and mode selection knob (a 10K potentiometer)
voltage, and in the OFF time, the voltage is complete zero for are connected to digital pins 8, 9& analog pin A2 respectively.
avoidance of trouble in use. If the coil current is suddenly Pin 8 & 9 are to be initialized as input pins whereas A0 is
interrupted, a sudden high voltage pulse is developed in the input pin by default.
coil. If this voltage exceeds the voltage resistance of the 5V
1

transistor, the transistor will be degraded, and this will lead to INC DEC

KEYS
2

damage. It is absolutely necessary to connect a diode in the

1
2
3

SIL-100-03

circuit as a means of preventing damage from the counter emf.

ODE

1k5 1k5
M

R1
As suitable ratings for this diode, the current should be
10K
10k 10k
A
A

LED

equivalent to the average rectified current to the coil, and the

K

LED
K

inverse blocking voltage should be about 3 times the value of

the power source voltage. Fig. 10. Circuit diagram of keyboard interfacing.

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 Whenever a button is pressed logic HIGH is present at the In Fig.3, TP2 indicated rectified voltage passed through the
pin & the micro controller recognizes that the key is pressed, LF398 amplifier, it generates the voltage samples [TP3]
after executing debouncing logic. Using mechanical switches corresponding to the hold commands [TP4].
for a user interface is a ubiquitous practice. However, when
these switches are actuated, the contacts often rebound, or
bounce, off one another before settling into a stable state.
Several methods exist to deal with this temporary ambiguity,
using either hardware or software. The usual solution is a
debouncing device or software that ensures that only one
digital signal can be registered within the space of a given
time (usually milliseconds).

III. SIMULATION RESULTS

Fig. 14. Current sensor voltage & amplified & level shifted voltage.

In Fig.4, Current sensor generates voltage signal

proportional to its current signal, that is indicated by TP1 and
TP2 indicates the amplified and level shifted voltage given by
LMP8601 amplifier.

Fig. 11. Second order Sallen-Key low pass filter input & output.

In Fig. 2, test point 1 is the input including harmonics, that

signal is properly shaped by passed through anti aliasing filter,
output signal indicated by test point 2.

Fig. 15. Current samples & hold signal.

In Fig.4, amplified and level shifted voltage[TP2] is

sampled and held constant by LF398 amplifier corresponding
to the hold commands from microcontroller, here TP3
Fig. 12. Input voltage & Rectified voltage of voltage sampling circuit
indicates sample and hold signal corresponding to hold
In Fig.3, TP1 indicates output voltage of the step-down command[TP4].
transformer and TP2 indicates rectified voltage(dc offset).

Fig. 16. Input voltage & rectified voltage.

Fig. 13. Rectified voltage & samples.

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 In Fig.6, TP1 indicates 15-0-15v transformer output and The arduno code of the proposed relay is divided into
TP2 indicates filtered rectifier output voltage blocks that depict the action of each code. Each block
describes the major tasks to be performed during the
execution. This helps in understanding the bulky program in
easy manner [11].

IV. CONCLUSION
In this paper a microcontroller based protective relay was
designed & developed that can function as – over current
relaying, over voltage relaying & under voltage relaying. The
programming capability of the microcontroller & the proper
sampling of the signals reduce the operating time of relay.
Integration of three conventional relays into one digital relay
makes this device economical. It’s a fit & forget device to
Fig. 17. Simulation of opto-coupler. protect electrical equipment. Also it has a man-machine
interface. The proposed relay is verified by simulation &
In Fig.7, test point 1 indicates the signal from the validated from the experimental results. Further this relay can
microcontroller and test point 2 indicates the output signal be used as a stand-alone relay, or in co-ordination with other
from the optocoupler. relays.

V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to thank the authorities of Department
of Electrical Engineering, Visvesvaraya National Institute of
Technology, Nagpur for providing facilities to carry out the
research work.

VI. REFERENCES
[1] G. R. Gunasekari, DR. D. Mary, and DR. Kishoreraja, “ Performance
evalation of a modern NPR for over current protection with the
application of microcontroller technology in power system,”
International journal of eng. Research and development, vol. 10, no. 3,
2014.
[2] I. Zamora, A.J.Mazon, V. Valverde, E. Torres, and A. Dysko “power
quality and digital protection relay”,. IEEE Proc., pp. 1-7, 2005.
[3] Sandro Gianny Aquiles Perez, “ Modeling Relays For Power System
Fig. 18. Proposed Multi-functional Protective relay with ATmega328 - Protection Studies”. IEEE Proc., pp. 566 – 569, 2005.
Hardware Implementation [4] Proteus VSM Instruction Manual, Issue 6. 2002
[5] R. Nicole, “T W. Durfee “ Arduino Microcontroller Guide,” University
Voltage sampling circuit and current sampling circuits each of Minnesota, 2011.
consists of 8-bit ADCs itself and output of ADCs is connected [6] Y. Yorozu, Paithankar, and S.R.Bhide, Fundamentals of Power System
to microcontroller. Whenever unbalanced conditions occur, Protection. ISBN-81-203-2194-4. 2010.
buzzer makes sound and displays the data in lcd panel. [7] M. Young, and Maxim, “ A Beginner’s Guide to Filter Topologies-
Application Note,” 2003.
[8] A. Rafa, S. Mahmod, N. Mariun, W. Z. Wan Hassan, and N.F. Malilah,”
protection of power transformer using Microcontroller_ based relay,”
IEEE Proc. Student Conference on Research and Development, 2002.
[9] Vladimir Gurevich “Reliability of microprocessor- based relay
protection devices: myths and reality” Serbian journal of electrical
engineering, vol. 6, pp. 167-186, 2009.
[10] Amitabha Gangopadhyay “ A low cost microprocessor based ground
fault relay using walsh functions”., vol. 2, pp. 1770 – 1775, 1991.
[11] Mazidi, “ The 8051 Microcontroller and embedded systems assembly
and C”. 2007.

Fig. 19. Blocks of coding for digital relay.

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