Methods for assessing potentially compromising situations of a utility company

• US 20090030758A1
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Hackett, Michael, Castelli, Gennaro, Jones, Lawrence Edmund, Brand, Heath Daniel, Howard, Michael Quinn, Shung, HuiChu Su
• Application Number:
  US12/139,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030758A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/0012 Contingency detection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/008 involving trading of energy or energy transmission rights
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 : Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

Methods are provided for assessing potentially compromising situations of a utility company. One or more source displays of a site are accessed. A fly-out or data lensing is used to bring forward a portion of the source displays. The fly-out or data lensing is used to draw attention to a potentially compromising situation and direct the operator'"'"'s attention without loosing perspective of a whole power system of the utility company.

Claims

1. A method to assess potentially compromising situations of a utility company, comprising:

accessing one or more source displays of a site;

using a fly-out or data lensing to bring forward a portion of the source displays; and

using the fly-out or data lensing to draw attention to a potentially compromising situation, to direct the operator'"'"'s attention without loosing perspective of a whole power system of the utility company.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source displays are selected from overviews and other displays.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating the fly-out by cutting and pasting a selected area of interest from the source displays.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

moving the fly-out.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

resizing the fly-out.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

dragging and resizing a fly-out.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

resizing the fly-out to enhance a usability of the fly-out.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

drawing one or more projection lines from the source display to the fly-out to maintain reference to the source.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

using one or more projection lines to provide the operator with information about a reference source of the fly-out.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

using the projection lines with multiple fly-outs.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

using the projection lines to track multiple situations at the same time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the projection lines provide the operator with an awareness of a context of situations.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the fly-out is a pod that is un-pinned from the source display.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using pods organized as windows to monitor specific information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the specific information is selected from at least one of, overload condition on a power system element or system condition

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying situational awareness with the fly-out.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

allowing the operator to generate informational displays without leaving a main source display.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one source display is a geographical overview with a background layer representing an aerial view of the area.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one source display has a background selected from at least one of, jpegs and bitmaps.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one source display background is from a geographic satellite.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one source display has a zoom level, wherein a corresponding tile for matching background is obtained from the site.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the tiles are cached for performance improvement and displayed as a background layer.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying new tiles as the operator uses the zoom level.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein only required tiles are loaded into memory and visible in the background.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adjusting an opacity of a background image.

26. The method of claim 26, wherein the opacity is adjusted using a sliderbar within a control that is available for invocation from an icon on a toolbar.