POWERLINE CARRIER ZERO-CROSSING TRANSFORMER MAPPING WITH ASYMMETRIC RF RETURN PATH

• US 20110122798A1
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: HUGHES, Sterling, van Greunen, Jana, Pace, James, San Filippo, William E. III
• Granted Patent: US 8,755,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/47 Methods for determining the topology or arrangement of meters in a network
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/542 using zero crossing information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• 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: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed by which RF mesh networks can identify utility distribution topologies by using power line communication combined with wireless networking to identify the mapping of transformers and other distribution equipment at a back office system server. At a specified time, an item of distribution equipment signals a unique identifier by introducing a phase shift in the electric power being delivered by that equipment. A meter node detects and decodes these temporal shifts to obtain an identifier of equipment supplying the power to it. Upon ascertaining this identification, the meter node sends an acknowledgment to thereby register with that equipment. The association of the particular customer'"'"'s premises with the equipment is also sent to a back office system, to enable a map of the correspondence between meter and the equipment to be generated.

Claims

1. Apparatus for mapping the topology of a power distribution system, comprising:

an electric meter connected to a power distribution network, the electric meter being operative to detect an identifier encoded in electrical power delivered to the meter, which identifies equipment in the power distribution network; and

a first wireless network communications node associated with the electric meter, for communicating via a wireless data communications network, the first communications node being responsive to the detection of the encoded identifier to transmit (a) the identifier of the equipment, and (b) an identification of the first wireless communications node, via the wireless data communications network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identifier is encoded by means of phase shifts in the electric power delivered to the electric meter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the identifier is encoded using shifts in time of the zero crossing points of alternating electric power.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a second wireless communications node that is associated with said equipment and that communicates via said wireless data communications network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second wireless communication node is responsive to receipt of the identifier transmitted by the first wireless communication node to register the first communication node with the second communication node.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first communications node sends a data message comprising the identifier to the second wireless communications node.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first communications node sends the data message comprising the identifier to a server configured to communicate via the wireless communications network, and wherein the server forwards the data message to the second wireless communications node.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first communications node sends the data message to the second communications node via a route which is provided to the first communications node by an access point of the wireless communications network that communicates with the second wireless communications node.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first communications node sends the data message comprising the identifier to an access point of the wireless communications network, and wherein the access point forwards the data message to the second wireless communications node.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first communications node sends a request to neighboring nodes for route information to reach the second communications node, and in response to receipt of requested route information from a responding neighbor node, the first communication node sends the data message to the second communications node via a route through the responding neighbor node.

11. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the first communications node sends a data message comprising the identifier to a server configured to communicate via the wireless communications network.

12. The apparatus as in claim 11, wherein the server is responsive to receipt of the data message from the first communications node to generate a map associating the first data communication node with said equipment.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said equipment is a transformer in the power distribution network.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said equipment is a substation in the power distribution network.

15. A method for mapping associations between components of an electric power distribution network, comprising:

controlling equipment in the power distribution network to modulate electric power delivered via said equipment to encode the electric power with an identifier that is unique to said equipment;

detecting the equipment identifier encoded in the electric power at a component of the power distribution network that is downstream of said equipment; and

in response to the detection of the equipment identifier, transmitting a message containing the detected equipment identifier and an identifier of the downstream component via a wireless data communications network.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein the identifier is encoded using shifts in time of the zero crossing points of alternating electric power.

17. The method as in claim 15, further comprising the following steps, prior to the step of modulating the electric power to encode the unique identifier of the equipment:

encoding the electric power with a detectable indicator at said equipment;

upon detection of the indicator at the downstream component, wirelessly transmitting an acknowledgement of the indicator;

in response to receipt of the acknowledgement at said equipment, wirelessly transmitting a message to the downstream component containing the unique identifier of the equipment.

18. The method of claim 17, further including the step of:

comparing, at the downstream component, the unique identifier received in the wireless message received from the equipment with signals encoded in the electric power,

and wherein the step of transmitting the message containing the equipment identifier and the identifier of the downstream component is performed in response to a match of the compared identifier and an encoded signal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the message that is wirelessly transmitted by the equipment further includes a time at which the unique identifier is to be encoded in the electric power, and said comparing step is performed by the downstream component at the time indicated in the message.

20. The method of claim 15, further including the step of registering the downstream component with the equipment in response to receipt at the equipment of the message containing the equipment identifier and the identifier of the downstream component.

21. The method of claim 15 further including the step of generating a map associating the downstream component with said equipment in response to receipt of the data message from the downstream component at a server associated with the power distribution network.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein said equipment is a transformer in the power distribution network.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein said equipment is a substation in the power distribution network.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein said downstream component comprises an electric meter with an associated wireless communications node.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein said downstream component transmits the message to the equipment.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the downstream component transmits the message to a server configured to communicate via the wireless data communications network, and wherein the server forwards the data message to the equipment.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the downstream component transmits the message to the equipment via a route which is provided to the downstream component by an access point of the wireless data communications network that communicates with the equipment.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein downstream component transmits the message to an access point of the wireless communications network, and wherein the access point forwards the message to the equipment.

29. The method of claim 25, further including the steps of sending a request from the downstream component to neighboring components for route information to reach the equipment, and in response to receipt of requested route information from a responding component, transmitting the data message from the downstream component to the equipment via a route through the responding component.