System and method for determination and remediation of energy diversion in a smart grid network

• US 10,055,966 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Energy & Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: Delta Energy & Communications, LLC
• Inventors: Foster, Scott, Borrelli, Angelo, Teichmann, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LEON VIET Q
• Application Number:
  US15/257,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20170132902A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/1333 adapted for special tariff measuring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method are provided for detecting purposeful energy diversion in a smart grid network. A transformer monitoring device is configured to measure the amount of electricity supplied by a transformer to a plurality of structures and electric meters are configured to measure electricity usage at each of the plurality of structures. The electric meters transmit signaling containing information regarding measured electricity usage to the transformer monitoring device and the transformer monitoring device transmits signaling to a cloud-based server containing information regarding the amount of electricity supplied by the transformer to the plurality of structures and the measured electricity usage. The cloud-based server is configured to determine based on the received signaling if energy diversion is occurring in the smart grid network.

Claims

1. A smart grid network comprising:

a transformer configured to supply electric power to a plurality of structures;

a transformer monitoring device comprising a signal processor and configured to receive signaling containing information about the amount of electricity supplied by the transformer to the plurality of structures;

a plurality of electric meters, each configured to measure electricity usage at one of the plurality of structures and comprising a signal processor configured to transmit signaling containing information regarding measured electricity usage to the transformer monitoring device; and

a cloud-based server comprising a signal processor and memory;

wherein the transformer monitoring device is configured to receive the signaling containing information regarding measured electricity usage from each of the plurality of electric meters and is configured to determine and transmit signaling to the cloud-based server containing information regarding the amount of electricity supplied by the transformer to the plurality of structures and the measured electricity usage; and

wherein the cloud-based server is configured to receive the signaling from the transformer monitoring device and to determine based on the received signaling if energy diversion is occurring in the smart grid network;

wherein if the cloud-based server determines that energy diversion is occurring, the cloud-based server is configured to determine the location of the energy diversion, and

wherein the cloud-based server is further configured to transmit signaling containing information relating to the location of the energy diversion to the transformer monitoring device, and wherein the transformer monitoring device is configured to transmit signaling containing an alert message to a user device in the smart grid network for display on the user device.

2. The smart grid network according to claim 1, wherein the cloud-based server is configured to determine if energy diversion is occurring in the smart grid network by determining if the difference between the amount of electricity supplied by the transformer, the measured electricity usage and a predetermined line loss value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The smart grid network according to claim 2, wherein cloud-based server is further configured to transmit signaling containing an alert message to the transformer monitoring device, if the cloud-based server determines energy diversion is occurring.

4. The smart grid network according to claim 1, wherein the signaling transmitted to the user device includes the information relating to the location of the energy diversion.

5. The smart grid network according to claim 1, wherein the cloud-based server comprises a database of historical usage data measured by the plurality of electric meters, and is configured to determine the location of energy diversion by comparing the received measured usage data with the historical usage data.

6. The smart grid network according to claim 4, wherein the user device comprises eyewear to be worn by a user configured to receive the signaling and provide on a real-time visual display on the eyewear information about the energy diversion.

7. The smart grid network according to claim 1, further comprising a mesh network including the transformer monitoring device, the plurality of electric meters and the cloud-based server.

8. A method for use in a smart grid network comprising:

measuring, by a transformer monitoring device, the amount of electricity supplied by a transformer to a plurality of structures in the smart grid network;

measuring, by a plurality of electric meters, each associated with one of the plurality of structures, electricity usage at each of the plurality of structures;

transmitting, by the plurality of electric meters, signaling containing information regarding measured electricity usage to the transformer monitoring device;

receiving, by the transformer monitoring device, the signaling containing information regarding measured electricity usage;

transmitting, by the transformer monitoring device, signaling containing information regarding the amount of electricity supplied by the transformer to the plurality of structures and the measured electricity usage to a cloud-based server;

determining, by the cloud-based server based on the signaling received from the transformer monitoring device, if energy diversion is occurring in the smart grid network;

determining, by the cloud-based server, if energy diversion is occurring and the location of the energy diversion,

transmitting, by the cloud-based server signaling containing information relating to the location of the energy diversion to the transformer monitoring device, and

transmitting, by the transformer monitoring device, signaling containing an alert message to a user device in the smart grid network for display on the user device.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said determining if energy diversion is occurring comprises determining if the difference between the amount of electricity supplied by the transformer, the measured electricity usage and a predetermined line loss value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the signaling transmitted to the user device includes the information relating to the location of the energy diversion.