Systems and Methods for Classifying Power Network Failures

• US 20110119517A1
• Filed: 11/16/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Beeco, Bruce Dexter, Tabb, Ian Derrick
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/22 Arrangements for detecting or reporting faults, outages or leaks
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

Systems and methods for classifying a possible failure in a power network are provided. In one embodiment, a method may include receiving network device status information for multiple network devices in communication with a communications network and capable of receiving primary power from a power network; and determining that a possible power network failure exists based on a first portion of the network devices associated with an inactive status and a second portion of the network devices associated with an active status, wherein the first portion comprises network devices without battery back-up capabilities and the second portion comprises network devices with battery back-up capabilities.

Claims

1. A method for classifying a possible failure in a power network, comprising:

receiving, at a network health analysis system comprising one or more computers, status information for a plurality of network devices in communications with a communications network, wherein a first subset of the plurality of network devices are powered by a power network and do not have battery back-up capabilities, and wherein a second subset of the plurality of network devices are powered by the power network and do have battery back-up capabilities;

analyzing, by the network health analysis system, the status information by comparing the statuses for at least a portion of the first subset without battery back-up capabilities to the statuses for at least a portion of the second subset with battery back-up capabilities; and

determining, by the network health analysis system, that a possible power network failure exists based on at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status and at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of network devices are associated with one or more customer endpoints, and wherein the at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status and the at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status are associated with a same one of the customer endpoints.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status comprises a plurality of network devices having an inactive status.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status comprises a plurality of network devices having an active status.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the possible power network failure exists is based on a plurality of network devices in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities above a predefined threshold having an inactive status.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the possible power network failure exists is based on all network devices in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that the possible power network failure exists is further based on a plurality of network devices in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities above a predefined threshold having an active status.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining that the possible power network failure exists is based on all network devices in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status comprises all network devices in the first subset located downstream from a first location on the communications network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status comprises all network devices in the second subset located downstream from the first location on the communications network.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising identifying the first location on the communications network as a location where all of the network devices in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities that are located downstream have an inactive status and the at least one of the network devices in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities that is located downstream has an active status.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of network devices without battery back-up capabilities comprises data modems.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subset of network devices with battery back-up capabilities comprises voice over Internet Protocol devices.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status comprises a plurality of network devices that are either:

(a) located downstream from a first location on the communications network;

or (b) geographically proximate each other; and

wherein the at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status is located downstream on the communications network from at least one of the plurality of network devices in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status and the at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status are in communication with a same segment of the communications network.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status and the at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status are in communication with a same segment of the power network.

17. A system for classifying a possible failure in a power network, comprising:

memory storing computer-executable instructions; and

at least one processor in communication with the memory and operable to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive status information for a plurality of network devices in communications with a communications network, wherein a first subset of the plurality of network devices are powered by a power network and do not have battery back-up capabilities, and wherein a second subset of the plurality of network devices are powered by the power network and do have battery back-up capabilities;

analyze the status information by comparing the statuses for at least a portion of the first subset without battery back-up capabilities to the statuses for at least a portion of the second subset with battery back-up capabilities; and

determine that a possible power network failure exists based on at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status and at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status comprises a plurality of network devices that are either:

(a) located downstream from a first location on the communications network;

or (b) geographically proximate each other; and

wherein the at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status is located downstream on the communications network from at least one of the plurality of network devices in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one network device in the first subset without battery back-up capabilities having an inactive status and the at least one network device in the second subset with battery back-up capabilities having an active status are in communication with at least one of:

(a) a same segment of the communications network;

or (b) a same segment of the power network.

20. A method for classifying a possible failure in a power network, comprising:

receiving, at a network health analysis system comprising one or more computers, network device status information for a plurality of network devices in communication with a communications network and capable of receiving primary power from a power network; and

determining, by the network health analysis system, that a possible power network failure exists based on a first portion of the plurality of network devices associated with an inactive status and a second portion of the plurality of network devices associated with an active status, wherein the first portion comprises network devices without battery back-up capabilities and the second portion comprises network devices with battery back-up capabilities.