Automatic network topology detection and fraud detection

• US 10,327,048 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2018
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Global Sarl (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itron Global Sarl (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Wyk, Hartman
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Murphy, Jerold B
• Application Number:
  US15/925,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20180213304A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Given a node of a utility service distribution network, a topology of a subset of the distribution network having the given node as a root node and one or more child nodes branching from the given node is determined. The topology may be determined based on relationships or correlations of utility usage information between the given node and a plurality of potential nodes that are considered in the topology determination. Upon determining the topology associated with the given node, the determined topology may be used to detect fraud and leakage that may occur in the distribution network on a regular basis or upon request. If fraud or leakage is detected in the distribution network, the system may schedule a follow-up and/or field investigation to investigate and fix the fraud or the leakage in the distribution network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at an electricity meter of a utility network, a trigger to determine a physical power distribution topology of at least a portion of the utility network associated with a given node;

identifying, at the electricity meter, one or more other utility metering nodes potentially connected to the given utility metering node based, at least in part, on location information or communication network information of the given utility metering node and the one or more other utility metering nodes;

correlating, by the electricity meter, value changes indicating a change in amount of utility consumption associated with the given utility metering node and value changes indicating a change in amount of utility consumption associated with the one or more other utility metering nodes with respect to a physical quantity; and

determining, at the electricity meter, the physical power distribution topology of at least the portion of the utility network comprising the given utility metering node and at least one node of the one or more other utility metering nodes based at least in part on the correlating of value changes that indicate the change in amount of utility consumption associated with the given utility metering node and the value changes indicating the change in amount of utility consumption associated with the one or more other utility metering nodes.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the electricity meter is part of the physical power distribution topology of at least the portion of the utility network.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the given utility metering node comprises a root node, a junction node, or a substation node.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein prior to the determining of the physical power distribution topology of at least the portion of the utility network, the portion of the physical topology was undetermined.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the given utility metering node comprises an electricity meter, and the physical quantity comprises a usage of an electrical current, an electrical voltage or an electrical power.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising receiving records of respective value changes from the one or more other utility metering nodes.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining whether a discrepancy exists in value information among one or more other utility metering nodes in the utility network based on the determined topology, the discrepancy comprising a discrepancy due to a fraud and/or a leakage in the physical power distribution network.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the determining whether a discrepancy exists comprises at least one of:

determining whether a value change associated with the given utility metering node is attributable to a combination of one or more value changes associated with at least one of the one or more other utility metering nodes, or

determining whether a difference exists between a value associated with the given utility metering node and a sum of values associated with the one or more other utility metering nodes with respect to the physical quantity at a particular time.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the determining whether a discrepancy exists comprises detecting that a discrepancy exists in the value information among the one or more other utility metering nodes in the utility network based on the determined topology.

10. An electricity meter comprising:

a processing unit configured to perform acts comprising;

receiving, at the electricity meter, a trigger to determine a physical power distribution topology of at least a portion of the utility network associated with a given utility metering node;

identifying, at the electricity meter, one or more other utility metering nodes potentially connected to the given utility metering node based, at least in part, on location information or communication network information of the given utility metering node and the one or more other utility metering nodes;

correlating, by the electricity meter, value changes indicating a change in amount of utility consumption associated with the given utility metering node and value changes indicating a change in amount of utility consumption associated with the one or more other utility metering nodes with respect to a physical quantity; and

determining, at the electricity meter, the physical power distribution topology of at least the portion of the utility network comprising the given utility metering node and at least one node of the one or more other utility metering nodes based at least in part on the correlating of value changes that indicate the change in amount of utility consumption associated with the given utility metering node and the value changes indicating the change in amount of utility consumption associated with the one or more other utility metering nodes.

11. The electricity meter of claim 10, further comprising a metrology module configured measure utility consumption with respect to the physical quantity at a site of the electricity meter.

12. The electricity meter of claim 10, wherein the electricity meter is part of the physical power distribution topology of at least the portion of the utility network.

13. The electricity meter of claim 10, wherein the given utility metering node comprises a root node, a junction node, or a substation node.

14. The electricity meter of claim 10, wherein prior to the determining of the physical power distribution topology of at least the portion of the utility network, the portion of the physical topology was undetermined.

15. The electricity meter of claim 10, wherein the given utility metering node comprises an electricity meter, and the physical quantity comprises a usage of an electrical current, an electrical voltage or an electrical power.

16. The electricity meter of claim 10, further comprising a network interface communicatively coupled to the processing unit, the network interface configured to receiving data of respective value changes from the one or more other utility metering nodes.

17. The electricity meter of claim 10, the acts further comprising determining whether a discrepancy exists in value information among one or more other utility metering nodes in the utility network based on the determined topology, the discrepancy comprising a discrepancy due to a fraud and/or a leakage in the physical power distribution network.

18. The electricity meter of claim 17, wherein the determining whether a discrepancy exists comprises at least one of:

determining whether a value change associated with the given utility metering node is attributable to a combination of one or more value changes associated with at least one of the one or more other utility metering nodes, or

determining whether a difference exists between a value associated with the given utility metering node and a sum of values associated with the one or more other utility metering nodes with respect to the physical quantity at a particular time.

19. The electricity meter of claim 17, wherein the determining whether a discrepancy exists comprises detecting that a discrepancy exists in the value information among the one or more other utility metering nodes in the utility network based.

20. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed by a processing unit of an electricity meter, configure the electricity meter to perform acts comprising:

receiving, at the electricity meter, a trigger to determine a physical power distribution topology of at least a portion of a utility network associated with a given utility metering node;

identifying, at the electricity meter, one or more other utility metering nodes potentially connected to the given utility metering node based, at least in part, on location information or communication network information of the given utility metering node and the one or more other utility metering nodes;

correlating, by the electricity meter, value changes indicating a change in amount of utility consumption associated with the given utility metering node and value changes indicating a change in amount of utility consumption associated with the one or more other utility metering nodes with respect to a physical quantity; and

determining, at the electricity meter, the physical power distribution topology of at least the portion of the utility network comprising the given utility metering node and at least one node of the one or more other utility metering nodes based at least in part on the correlating of value changes that indicate the change in amount of utility consumption associated with the given utility metering node and the value changes indicating the change in amount of utility consumption associated with the one or more other utility metering nodes.