Situational Awareness for an Electrical Distribution System

• US 20120326864A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Kelsey, William David, Blair, Richard N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,791,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• 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 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing events in an electrical distribution system. A number of events in the electrical distribution system are identified for an operator based on a profile for the operator. A wireless mobile device is assigned to the operator and the profile includes a role of the operator. The number of events is sent to the wireless mobile device assigned to the operator.

Claims

1. A method for managing events in an electrical distribution system, the method comprising:

identifying a number of events in the electrical distribution system for an operator based on a profile for the operator, wherein a wireless mobile device is assigned to the operator and the profile includes a role of the operator; and

sending the number of events to the wireless mobile device assigned to the operator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile identifies at least one of the role of the operator, a work schedule for the operator, an area of responsibility for the operator, an area of operation for the operator, an area of interest for the operator, a user identifier, identity information, and display preferences of the operator.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of events is used by the operator to perform a number of operations for the electrical distribution system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of identifying the number of events comprises:

identifying the number of events in the electrical distribution system for the operator based on the profile for the operator and at least one of a current position of the wireless mobile device with respect to the electrical distribution system and a current time, wherein the wireless mobile device is assigned to the operator and the profile includes the role of the operator.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request for the information about the electrical distribution system from the wireless mobile device, wherein the request includes at least one of the profile for the operator, a current position of the wireless mobile device, a date, a time, and a work order.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving the events from nodes in the electrical distribution system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of events comprises at least one of a trouble ticket, a service request, an undesired state for a piece of equipment, a generation of a work order to perform a maintenance operation, a detection of a parameter being greater than a selected threshold, a completed task, an in-progress task, a stopped task, and an uncompleted task.

8. A method for managing events in an electrical distribution system, the method comprising:

receiving the information about the electrical distribution system at a wireless mobile device assigned to an operator, wherein the information received is based on a profile for the operator and a current position of the wireless mobile device with respect to the electrical distribution system and wherein the profile includes a role of the operator; and

displaying the information on the wireless mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information comprises at least one of a number of events, position data, and a work order modification.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of displaying the information on the wireless mobile device comprises:

displaying a map of the electrical distribution system on a display device in the wireless mobile device; and

displaying the number of events on the map displayed on the display device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of displaying the information on the wireless mobile device further comprises:

displaying an icon on the map in a location on the map, wherein the icon represents the wireless mobile device and the location on the map corresponds to the current position of the wireless mobile device.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless mobile device includes a camera and a display device and wherein the step of displaying the information on the wireless mobile device comprises:

identifying a view of the camera in the current position of the wireless mobile device;

identifying a set of events from the number of events that have locations in the view of the camera in the current position of the wireless mobile device; and

displaying a number of images from the view of the camera on the display device with a number of graphical indicators representing the set of events in locations in the number of images that correspond to the locations in the view of the camera for the set of events.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

sending a request for the information about the electrical distribution system to a situational awareness module, wherein the request includes a profile for the operator and the current position of the wireless mobile device.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the information comprises a number of events and wherein the step of displaying the information on the wireless mobile device comprises:

displaying a first number of graphical indicators for the number of events on a primary time scale for a timeline in a graphical user interface; and

displaying a second number of graphical indicators for the number of events on a secondary time scale for the timeline in the graphical user interface, wherein the secondary time scale is a vernier time scale and wherein each of the second number of graphical indicators corresponds to one of the first number of graphical indicators.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of displaying the information on the wireless mobile device further comprises:

displaying a third number of graphical indicators for the number of events in a number of locations on a map displayed in the graphical user interface, wherein each of the third number of graphical indicators corresponds to at least one of the first number of graphical indicators and one of the second number of graphical indicators.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the second number of graphical indicators is for a first portion of the number of events and further comprising:

receiving user input changing a display of the secondary time scale, wherein changing the display of the secondary time scale causes a third number of graphical indicators for a second portion of the number of events to be displayed on the secondary time scale in the graphical user interface.

17. An apparatus for managing events in an electrical distribution system comprising:

a computer system configured to identify a number of events in the electrical distribution system for an operator based on a profile for the operator and a current position of a wireless mobile device with respect to the electrical distribution system, wherein the wireless mobile device is assigned to the operator and the profile includes a role of

the operator; and

send the number of events to the wireless mobile device assigned to the operator.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the profile identifies at least one of the role for the operator, a work schedule for the operator, an area of responsibility for the operator, an area of operation for the operator, an area of interest for the operator, a user identifier, identity information, and display preferences of the operator.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the number of events is used by the operator to perform a number of operations for the electrical distribution system.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the number of events comprises at least one of a trouble ticket, a service request, an undesired state for a piece of equipment, a generation of a work order to perform a maintenance operation, a detection of a parameter being greater than a selected threshold, a completed task, an in-progress task, a stopped task, and an uncompleted task.

21. A wireless mobile device comprising:

a display device;

a wireless communications unit;

a processor unit connected to the display device and the wireless communications unit, wherein the processor unit is configured to receive information about an electrical distribution system for an operator to whom the wireless mobile device is assigned, wherein the information is based on a profile for the operator; and

display the information on the wireless mobile device.

22. The wireless mobile device of claim 21 further comprising:

a position identification system configured to identify a current position of the wireless mobile device with respect to the electrical distribution system, wherein the information is based on the profile for the operator and the current position of the wireless mobile device.