SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ENABLING EFFECTIVE WORK FORCE MANAGEMENT OF A SMART GRID

• US 20130066481A1
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BHAGERIA, Gopal K., MAK, Don T., MONAGLE, Kevin M., RAMANATHAN, Sri, REBOUL, Jean-Gael F., TERRY, Matthew A., TREVATHAN, Matthew B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,672,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/297
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• 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: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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 20/221 General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/20 Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security

Abstract

A system and a method are provided for enabling effective work force management of a smart grid. The method includes receiving a first Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message comprising a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid; and notifying a third party of the state of the electrical component by sending a second SIP message.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message comprising a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid; and

notifying a third party of the state of the electrical component by sending a second SIP message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a control command comprising at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component; and

sending the control command to the electrical component, in a third SIP message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electrical component configures itself based on the control command by performing the at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a fourth SIP message requesting to subscribe to updates of the state of the electrical component, from the third party.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of building and updating a presence document comprising the state of the electrical component and information regarding the third party; and

storing the presence document.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of the electrical component comprises at least one of:

a voltage transmitted by the electrical component;

a current transmitted by the electrical component;

a power transmitted by the electrical component;

a spike in voltage transmitted by the electrical component;

an indication whether the electrical component is on or off;

an indication that electrical component comprises a blown fuse;

an indication that the electrical component comprises a maintenance signal;

an indication that the electrical component is overheating; and

a humidity in or around the electrical component.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first SIP message is received when an electrical event is recorded at the electrical component.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a fifth SIP message to the third party, the fifth SIP message comprising at least one of:

an action to perform on the electrical component in response to the state of the electrical component;

a safety alert associated with the electrical component;

a location of the electrical component; and

a schematic of the electrical component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the third party comprises at least one client device of a field crew and located in a network domain of at least one of a utility provider, a network service provider, and a third-party location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports a computer infrastructure operable to perform the steps of claim 1.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 1 are provided by the service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

12. A system implemented in hardware, comprising:

a domain server operable to;

receive a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) notify message comprising a monitored state of at least one electrical component on an electrical grid, from the at least one electrical component;

send a SIP publish message comprising the monitored state of the at least one electrical component, to at least one client device of a field crew for management of the at least one electrical component;

determine a control command comprising at least one action to take in response to the monitored state of the at least one electrical component; and

send the control command to the at least one electrical component,

wherein the at least one electrical component configures itself based on the control command by performing the at least one action to take in response to the monitored state.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the domain server is further operable to receive a SIP subscribe message requesting to subscribe to updates of the monitored state of the at least one electrical component, from the at least one client device of the field crew.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising an Extensible Markup Language (XML) Data Management Server (XDMS) operable to:

at least one of build and update a presence document comprising the monitored state of the at least one electrical component and information regarding the at least one client device of the field crew; and

store the presence document.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the monitored state of the at least one electrical component comprises at least one of:

an indication whether the at least one electrical component is on or off;

an indication that the at least one electrical component is malfunctioning or is inoperable;

an indication that the at least one electrical component requires maintenance; and

an indication that the at least one electrical component is performing within specified operational limits.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the SIP notify message is received when an electrical event is recorded at the at least one electrical component.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one client device of the field crew is operable to send the control command comprising the at least one action to take in response to the monitored state, to the at least one electrical component.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the domain server is operable to send a SIP message to the at least one client device of the field crew, the SIP message comprising at least one of:

an action to perform on the at least one electrical component in response to the state of the at least one electrical component;

a safety alert associated with the at least one electrical component;

a location of the at least one electrical component; and

a schematic of the at least one electrical component.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the domain server is located in a network domain of at least one of a utility provider and a network service provider.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one client device of the field crew is located in a network domain of at least one of a utility provider, a network service provider, and a third-party location.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the storage medium, the computer program product comprises at least one component operable to:

receive a first Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message comprising a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid; and

notify a third party of the state of the electrical component by sending a second SIP message.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the at least one component is further operable to:

determine a control command comprising at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component; and

send the control command to the electrical component,

wherein the electrical component configures itself based on the control command by performing the at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component.

23. A method for work force management of an electrical grid, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure, being operable to;

send a register message to register in a network;

record an electrical event at a location on the electrical grid specified by a field crew;

send a notify message comprising presence information of the electrical event at the location specified by the field crew, to a presence server;

receive a control command comprising at least one action to take in response to the electrical event; and

perform the at least one action to take in response to the electrical event.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the register and the notify messages are Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages, and the network is a SIP network.

25. A computer system for work force management on an electrical grid, the system comprising:

a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to receive a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) notify message comprising a monitored state of at least one electrical component on the electrical grid, from the at least one electrical component;

second program instructions to send a SIP publish message comprising the monitored state of the at least one electrical component, to at least one client device of a field crew for management of the at least one electrical component;

third program instructions to determine a control command comprising at least one action to take in response to the monitored state of the at least one electrical component;

fourth program instructions to send the control command to the at least one electrical component; and

fifth program instructions to receive a SIP subscribe message requesting to subscribe to updates of the monitored state of the at least one electrical component, from the at least one client device of the field crew,

wherein the monitored state of the at least one electrical component comprises;

an indication whether the at least one electrical component is on or off;

an indication that the at least one electrical component is malfunctioning or is inoperable;

an indication that the at least one electrical component requires maintenance; and

an indication that the at least one electrical component is performing within specified operational limits, and

wherein the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.