ACOUSTIC MONITOR FOR POWER TRANSMISSION LINES

• US 20170115256A1
• Filed: 10/23/2015
• Published: 04/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chantz, Hyman D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,215,736 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/023 Solids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0289 Internal structure, e.g. defects, grain size, texture
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2626 Wires, bars, rods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/2697 Wafer or (micro)electronic parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/38 by time filtering, e.g. using time gates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4436 with a reference signal amplitude comparison G01N29/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4454 Signal recognition, e.g. specific values or portions, signal events, signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/46 by spectral analysis, e.g. Fourier analysis or wavelet analysis spectral signal processing per se G06F17/14
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/085 in power transmission or distribution lines, e.g. overhead
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/088 Aspects of digital computing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/1209 using acoustic measurements acoustic measurements G01H3/00

Abstract

An acoustic monitor detects and logs events based on the acoustic characteristics of the event. The acoustic monitor is placed on a power transmission tower, and a baseline acoustic signature is established. Events can be defined by variance from the baseline, or by matching one of a set of predefined acoustic signatures. When an event is detected, the acoustic monitor logs the event. A repair person queries the acoustic monitors to narrow down where the event occurred to be between two towers, and can then query the acoustic monitors on those two towers. Using the timestamps of the event in each of the towers, and using the known speed of sound in air, the repair person can quickly calculate the location of the event from both towers. By knowing the location of the event, the repair person knows exactly how to quickly access the location to make the needed repairs.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

an acoustic transducer coupled to the processor;

a time clock coupled to the processor;

an acoustic monitor mechanism residing in the memory and executed by the processor that monitors data from the acoustic transducer, detects when an event occurs based on the monitored data, and logs a timestamp from the time clock corresponding to the event; and

a communication interface that allows communicating the timestamp corresponding to the event to an electronic device external to the apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the acoustic monitor mechanism further logs acoustic data corresponding to the event.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the time clock is a coordinated universal time clock.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the communication interface comprises a wireless interface.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) converter that analyzes acoustic data from the acoustic transducer and produces therefrom corresponding frequency data.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the acoustic monitor mechanism detects when an event occurs using a FFT comparator that compares two outputs of the FFT converter.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the acoustic monitor mechanism detects when the event occurs by comparing current acoustic conditions against a baseline acoustic signature stored in the memory.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the acoustic monitor mechanism detects when an event occurs using at least one event threshold that specifies variance from the baseline acoustic signature.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the acoustic monitor mechanism generates the baseline acoustic signature from data from the acoustic transducer over a predetermined calibration period of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one atmospheric sensor that is used to determine speed of sound in air given atmospheric conditions when the event occurred.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the event comprises an event corresponding to a power transmission line.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the event comprises a break in the power transmission line.

13. A method for detecting an event in a power transmission line comprising:

acoustically detecting the event at first and second towers that support the power transmission line;

determining a first timestamp for the event at the first tower;

determining a second timestamp for the event at the second tower; and

determining from a difference between the first and second timestamps and a distance between the first and second towers a distance of the event from one of the first and second towers.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

defining a calibration period of time;

logging acoustic data for the calibration period of time; and

generating a baseline acoustic signature from the logged acoustic data for the calibration period of time;

wherein acoustically detecting the event comprises detecting acoustic data that vary from the baseline acoustic signature more than a predetermined threshold.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the event comprises a break in the power transmission line.

16. A system for detecting location of an event for a power transmission line comprising:

(A) on a first tower that supports the power transmission line, a first acoustic monitor comprising;

a first processor;

a first memory coupled to the first processor;

a first acoustic transducer coupled to the first processor;

a first time clock coupled to the first processor;

a first acoustic monitor mechanism residing in the first memory and executed by the first processor that monitors data from the first acoustic transducer, detects when an event occurs based on the monitored data, and logs first data corresponding to the event and a first timestamp from the first time clock corresponding to the event; and

a first communication interface;

(B) on a second tower that supports the power transmission line, a second acoustic monitor comprising;

a second processor;

a second memory coupled to the second processor;

a second acoustic transducer coupled to the second processor;

a second time clock coupled to the second processor;

a second acoustic monitor mechanism residing in the second memory and executed by the second processor that monitors data from the second acoustic transducer, detects when the event occurs based on the monitored data, and logs second data corresponding to the event and a second timestamp from the second time clock corresponding to the event; and

a second communication interface;

(C) a portable device comprising;

a third communication interface that communicates with the first communication interface in the first acoustic monitor and communicates with the second communication interface in the second acoustic monitor;

an event distance determination mechanism that determines distance from at least one of the first and second towers to the event by;

sending a request from the third communication interface to the first communication interface, and in response thereto, the first acoustic monitor sends the first data and the first timestamp corresponding to the event via the first communication interface to the third communication interface;

sending a request from the third communication interface to the second communication interface, and in response thereto, the second acoustic monitor sends the second data and the second timestamp corresponding to the event via the second communication interface to the third communication interface; and

determining distance from at least one of the first and second towers to the event from the first timestamp and the second timestamp.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the portable device comprises a cell phone running an app that provides the event distance determination mechanism.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the event comprises a break in the power transmission line.