INTELLIGENT CORE ENGINE

• US 20120029710A1
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Dodderi, Ruchali, Ingle, Pankaj Ghanshyam, Dok, Hrishikesh Ravindra, Lalwani, Manish, Mahajan, Vijaykumar Marotirao
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• 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
• 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

A central management authority for a system, such as a power utility system, is disclosed. The central management authority communicates with a plurality of meter data management systems and with a plurality of headend systems, the meter data management systems generating commands and the headend systems communicating with one or more meters (such as one or more smart meters). The central management authority includes a gateway layer and a core layer. The gateway layer includes a plurality of input connector routines to communicate with each of the plurality of source systems and a plurality of output connector routines to communicate with each of the plurality of target systems. The core layer includes a plurality of core adapters, with the core adapters performing a one-to-one translation of communications from the plurality of meter data management systems generating commands to the plurality of the head end systems.

Claims

1. A central power grid authority for managing at least a part of a power grid and for communicating with a plurality of meter data management systems and with a plurality of headend systems, the meter data management systems generating commands and the headend systems communicating with one or more meters, the central power grid authority comprising:

a gateway layer comprising a plurality of input connector routines and a plurality of output connector routines, the plurality of input connector routines comprising at least one separate input connector routine for communicating with each of a plurality of source systems that send data to the central power grid authority, the source systems comprising the plurality of meter data management systems or the plurality of headend systems that send data to the central power grid authority, the plurality of output connector routines comprising at least one separate output connector routine for communicating with each of a plurality of target systems, the target systems comprising the plurality of meter data management systems or the plurality of headend systems that receive data from the central power grid authority; and

a core layer in communication with the gateway layer, the core layer comprising a plurality of core adapters, the core adapters for performing a one-to-one translation of communications from the plurality of source systems to the plurality of target systems.

2. The central power grid authority of claim 1, wherein the source systems comprise the plurality of meter data management systems;

and

wherein the target systems comprise the plurality of headend systems.

3. The central power grid authority of claim 2, wherein the data sent to the central power grid authority comprises a connect/disconnect command sent by the plurality of meter data management systems.

4. The central power grid authority of claim 2, wherein the data sent to the central power grid authority comprises an on-demand meter read command sent by the plurality of meter data management systems.

5. The central power grid authority of claim 2, wherein the plurality of input connector routines comprises a plurality of separate input connector routines for communicating with the plurality of meter data management systems;

and

wherein the plurality of output connector routines comprises a plurality of separate output connector routines for communicating with the plurality of headend systems.

6. The central power grid authority of claim 5, wherein each of the meter data management systems are associated with a plurality of separate input connector routines;

and

wherein each of the headend systems are associated with a plurality of separate output connector routines.

7. The central power grid authority of claim 6, wherein the plurality of separate input connector routines associated with each of the meter data management systems comprise different network protocols.

8. The central power grid authority of claim 7, wherein the different network protocols are selected from the group consisting of file transfer protocol (FTP), java message service (JMS), and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

9. The central power grid authority of claim 5, wherein the plurality of input connector routines further comprise at least one separate input connector routine for communicating with each of the plurality of headend systems;

and

wherein the plurality of output connector routines further comprise at least one output connector routine for communicating with each of the plurality of meter data management systems.

10. The central power grid authority of claim 9, wherein each of the headend systems are associated with a plurality of separate input connector routines;

and

wherein each of the meter data management systems are associated with a plurality of separate output connector routines.

11. The central power grid authority of claim 1, wherein the source systems comprise the plurality of headend systems;

and

wherein the target systems comprise the plurality of meter data management systems.

12. The central power grid authority of claim 11, wherein the data sent to the central power grid authority comprises a periodic meter read sent by the plurality of headend systems.

13. The central power grid authority of claim 11, wherein the plurality of input connector routines comprises a plurality of separate input connector routines for communicating with the plurality of headend systems;

and

wherein the plurality of output connector routines comprises a plurality of separate output connector routines for communicating with the plurality of meter data management systems.

14. The central power grid authority of claim 1, further comprising a connector services interface layer for interfacing between the gateway layer and the core layer, the connector services interface layer invoking the core layer in response to receipt of a communication by the gateway layer.

15. The central power grid authority of claim 1, wherein the core adapters are further configured to perform a one-to-one translation of communications from each of the plurality of the source systems to each of the plurality of target systems.

16. The central power grid authority of claim 15, wherein the source systems comprise the plurality of meter data management systems;

wherein the target systems comprise the plurality of headend systems; and

wherein the core adapters are configured to perform a one-to-one translation of communications from each of the plurality of the meter data management systems to each of the plurality of headend systems.

17. The central power grid authority of claim 16, wherein the core adapters are further configured to perform a one-to-one translation of communications from each of the plurality of the head end systems to each of the plurality of meter data management systems.

18. A system and method substantially as described and illustrated with respect to the accompanying drawings.