METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR UTILITY NETWORK OUTAGE DETECTION

• US 20110077790A1
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Networked Solutions, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pace, James, Hughes, Sterling, Vaswani, Raj
• Granted Patent: US 9,658,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• 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 2209/86 Performing a diagnostic of the sensing device
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

The present invention provides a system including a utility network including a product distribution pathway for delivering a product, a plurality of electronic utility devices associated with the utility network to monitor at least one parameter associated with the product distribution pathway, and a management processor in communication with the devices and operable to poll at least a subset of the electronic utility devices in response to an input to evaluate performance of one of the utility network and the system in response to information relating to the at least one parameter. The evaluation can include a rule-based analysis of one of the parameter and the information relating to the parameter.

Claims

1. A product delivery monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of electronic devices configured to monitor delivery of a product; and

a management processor configured to

use a first polling mode to poll the plurality of electronic devices using a first message format,

receive an input indicating a potential outage,

enter an exception polling mode in response to the input, the exception polling mode polling a subset of the plurality of electronic devices using a second message format, the second message format being substantially shorter than the first message format.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first polling mode is suspended when the exception polling mode is implemented.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first polling mode operates at a reduced rate when the exception polling mode is implemented.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the exception polling mode includes polling a group of electronic devices suspected of not receiving the product.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the exception polling mode includes polling a group of electronic devices neighboring an electronic device suspected of not receiving the product.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the exception polling mode operates according to a predetermined set of rules and polls a plurality of pre-selected electronic devices.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the pre-selected electronic devices have been rated as highly reliable.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a gateway device linking the management processor to the plurality of electronic devices.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the gateway device enters an exception polling mode following a transition from AC power to DC power.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the management processor continues to execute the exception polling mode for a period of time following a determination that an outage is over.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the management processor periodically executes the exception polling mode to verify an outage has not occurred.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the input is a health exception unicast message sent by one of the plurality of electronic devices.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein an intermediate electronic devices proxies and coalesces a plurality of health exception messages and correlates the plurality of health exception messages into a single health exception message representing a neighborhood of electronic devices.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein an electronic device responds to the exception poll with a local health indication and a neighborhood health indication.

15. A method of polling a plurality of electronic devices associated with a product delivery system, the method comprising:

polling the plurality of electronic devices using a first polling mode having a first message size;

receiving an indication of a potential outage;

polling a subset of the plurality of electronic devices using a second polling mode having a second message size in response to the indication of the potential outage, the second message size substantially smaller than the first message size.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising suspending the first polling mode when the second polling mode is implemented.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising reducing a rate at which the first polling mode operates when the second polling mode is implemented.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising the second polling mode includes polling a group of electronic devices neighboring an electronic device suspected of not receiving the product.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising rating a subset of the plurality of electronic devices as highly reliable based on the first polling mode, and polling the subset of the plurality of electronic devices in the second polling mode.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising continuing to execute the second polling mode for a period of time following a determination that an outage is over.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the indication is a health exception unicast message sent by one of the plurality of electronic devices.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising proxying, coalescing, and correlating a plurality of health exception message by an intermediate electronic device into a single health exception message representing a neighborhood of electronic devices.