SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AGENT-BASED CONTROL OF SEWER INFRASTRUCTURE
First Claim
1. A control system to control the flow through a sewer system, where the sewer system includes a plurality of connected sewer assets, said control system comprising:
- a first supplying agent associated with a first supplying asset of the plurality of sewer assets, where said first agent includes an electronic device that assigns a first virtual cost to any flow incoming to the first sewer asset, where said first virtual cost is based on a state of said first supplying agent;
a second supplying agent associated with a second supplying asset of the plurality of sewer assets, where said second agent includes an electronic device that assigns a second virtual cost to any flow incoming to the second supplying asset, where said second virtual cost is based on a state of said second supplying asset;
a control agent associated with a control asset, where said control asset includes an electronic device that is adapted to direct the flow from the control asset to said first supplying asset and/or said second supplying asset; and
a computer network to accept said first virtual cost from said first agent and said second virtual cost from said second agent and to provide said first virtual cost and said second virtual cost to said control agent,where said control agent directs flow from the control asset to said first supplying asset and said second supplying asset by minimizing a cost based on the first virtual cost and said second virtual cost.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a method and system for control of sewer systems. The invention may implement ABRTC (RTC) to dynamically control of sewer systems to accomplish a desired outcome, such as CSO or SSO reduction or reduce water pollution or reduce surface flooding. In one embodiment, an Agent-Based RTC System assigns an agent to each sewer asset. Each agent measures the current state of its corresponding asset and assigns a virtual cost to any incoming flow to the asset based on the asset hydraulic or water quality state. The virtual cost is communicated to other assets upstream or downstream that may change the hydraulic or water quality state of the asset communicating the virtual cost. The network of agents may thus control the sewer to achieve the desired objective, such as asset hydraulic or water quality state.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A control system to control the flow through a sewer system, where the sewer system includes a plurality of connected sewer assets, said control system comprising:
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a first supplying agent associated with a first supplying asset of the plurality of sewer assets, where said first agent includes an electronic device that assigns a first virtual cost to any flow incoming to the first sewer asset, where said first virtual cost is based on a state of said first supplying agent; a second supplying agent associated with a second supplying asset of the plurality of sewer assets, where said second agent includes an electronic device that assigns a second virtual cost to any flow incoming to the second supplying asset, where said second virtual cost is based on a state of said second supplying asset; a control agent associated with a control asset, where said control asset includes an electronic device that is adapted to direct the flow from the control asset to said first supplying asset and/or said second supplying asset; and a computer network to accept said first virtual cost from said first agent and said second virtual cost from said second agent and to provide said first virtual cost and said second virtual cost to said control agent, where said control agent directs flow from the control asset to said first supplying asset and said second supplying asset by minimizing a cost based on the first virtual cost and said second virtual cost. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for controlling the flow through a sewer system, where the sewer system includes a control asset that provides flow a first supplying asset and a second supplying asset, where the control asset has an associated control asset, where the first supplying asset has an associated first supplying agent, and where the second supplying asset has an associated second supplying agent, where the control agent, the first supplying agent, and the second supplying agent are electronic devices in communication over a network, said method comprising:
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in the first supplying agent, determining a first state the first supplying asset;
calculating a first virtual cost of the first supplying asset from the determined first state; and
providing the first virtual cost to the control agent over the network;in the second supplying agent, determining a second state the second supplying asset;
calculating a second virtual cost of the second supplying asset using the determined second state; and
providing the second virtual cost to the control agent over the network; andin the control agent, determining a control action of the control asset based on the first virtual cost and the second virtual cost received over the network; and
actuating the control asset to direct a flow to the first supplying asset and/or the second supplying asset. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification