DISTRIBUTED 802.11S MESH NETWORK USING TRANSFORMER MODULE HARDWARE FOR THE CAPTURE AND TRANSMISSION OF DATA

• US 20170302511A1
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Published: 10/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Energy & Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: Delta Energy & Communications, LLC
• Inventors: FOSTER, Scott, BORRELLI, Angelo, TEICHMANN, Keith, RATLIFF, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 10,791,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00026 involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A power grid network is provided featuring a mesh network having a mesh node with a signal processor. The signal processor receives signaling containing information about collected data, which includes electrical signaling data related to electrical signaling being processed by a transformer to which the mesh node is coupled, metered data related to associated electrical signaling being provided from the transformer to a building or structure, and other mesh network data from one or more other mesh nodes deployed in the mesh network. The signal processor also determines corresponding signaling containing information about the collected data for transmitting back to a central location or one or more corresponding mesh nodes in the mesh network for further processing, based upon the signaling received.

Claims

1. A power grid network comprising:

a mesh network having a mesh node with a signal processor configured to;

receive signaling containing information about collected data, including electrical signaling data related to electrical signaling being processed by a transformer to which the mesh node is coupled, metered data related to associated electrical signaling being provided from the transformer to a building or structure, and other mesh network data from one or more other mesh nodes deployed in the mesh network; and

determine corresponding signaling containing information about the collected data for transmitting back to a central location or one or more corresponding mesh nodes in the mesh network for further processing, based upon the signaling received.

2. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the signal processor is configured to provide the corresponding signaling to the central location or the one or more other corresponding mesh nodes for further processing.

3. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the mesh node comprises

a collector chip set configured to receive the signaling containing information about the collected data, including the electrical signaling data related to the electrical signaling being processed by the transformer to which the mesh node is coupled, the metered data related to the associated electrical signaling being provided from the transformer to the building or structure, and the other mesh network data from the one or more other mesh nodes deployed in the mesh network;

and

a mesh/cellular chip set configured to provide the corresponding signaling, including to either a cellular head-end, inclusive of other back-haul methodologies, or the one or more other corresponding mesh nodes in the mesh network.

4. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the mesh network comprises another mesh node having a mesh/cellular chip set configured to

receive the corresponding signaling from the mesh node, and

provide the corresponding signaling to either a cellular head-end or another mesh node in the mesh network.

5. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the mesh network includes, or takes the form of, an 802.11s wireless mesh network.

6. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the mesh node comprises a transformer monitor, communication and data collection device having a combination of a transceiver, transmitter and an antenna/optical network configured to receive the signaling at the transformer located and arranged in the power grid network and provide the corresponding signaling back to the central location or the one or more other corresponding mesh nodes.

7. A power grid network according to claim 6, wherein the transformer monitor, communication and data collection device comprises a housing with a magnet or bolt attachment for attaching the housing to a corresponding housing of the transformer.

8. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the building or structure is a residential building or commercial structure.

9. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the metered data is received from an electric meter associated with the building or structure, including where the meter data is received from a gas meter, or a water meter, or some combination of meters.

10. A power grid network according to claim 9, wherein the metered data is received either from a single phase residential electric meter associated with a residential building, or either from a three-phase commercial electric meter associated with a commercial structure.

11. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the signaling contains associated information about the distribution of the electrical signaling in the power grid network.

12. A power grid network according to claim 11, wherein the associated information includes distribution information about a power outage, the voltage of the electrical signaling, and/or transformer monitoring, including voltage analysis, DRM or energy theft.

13. A power grid network according to claim 11, wherein the signaling and the corresponding signaling are wireless signaling for communicating in the mesh network.

14. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein

the signaling received contains information about digital content requested by one or more smart assets locally deployed in a smart asset infrastructure and communicatively coupled to the mesh network;

the corresponding signaling determined contains information about the digital content requested by the one or more smart assets for providing back to the central location in the mesh network for further processing, based upon the signaling received.

15. A power grid network according to claim 14, wherein the signal processor is configured to

receive associated signaling containing information about the digital content requested back from the central location;

and

determine digital content signaling containing information about the digital content requested for providing to the one or more smart assets, based upon the associated signaling received.

16. A power grid network according to claim 15, wherein the signal processor is configured to provide the digital content signaling to the one or more smart assets.

17. A power grid network according to claim 14, wherein

the smart asset infrastructure includes a residential home or commercial structure;

and

the one or more smart assets include a smart asset mesh node, including where the smart asset mesh node takes the form of a residential home or commercial structure automation device, a smart communications device, and/or a digital set-top box arranged in relation to the residential home or commercial structure.

18. A power grid network according to claim 14, wherein the digital content includes movies, songs, photographs, advertising media, social media exchanges, internet searching requests, internet searching downloads, digital imagery, web page renderings, streaming media, on-line gaming, voice over internet, video over internet, email communications, business analytics, consumer analytics, industrial automation including SCADA activities, home automation, governmental and emergency related broadcasts, digital business model facilitation, including on-line commerce.

19. A power grid network according to claim 14, wherein the digital content contains information about applications and/or processes related to industry, energy, transportation, healthcare, consumer products, social media, entertainment, transportation, banking, on-line commerce, industrial automation, or gaming.

20. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the mesh node includes, or forms part of, an unmanned aerial vehicle or drone.

21. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the mesh node is configured to communicate with a cloud network by exchanging cloud node signaling.

22. A power grid network according to claim 21, wherein the cloud network comprises the central location.

23. A power grid network according to claim 22, wherein the central location includes a server that forms part of an Internet service provider network or location.

24. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the mesh network comprises a network topology in which each mesh node is configured to transmit the collected data and serve as a relay to transmit corresponding collect data received from corresponding mesh nodes in the mesh network.

25. A power grid network according to claim 1, wherein the mesh network comprises transformer monitor, communication and data collection devices, smart meters and other sensors or IoT devices that are connected wirelessly to each other and to a central point in a mesh cell or collector node to transmit data to a cloud network using the IEEE 802.11s standard.

26. A power grid network according to claim 25, wherein the mesh node comprises a circuitry-board based technology that passes or exchanges data between the transformer monitor, communication and data collection devices, the smart meters and the other sensors or IoT devices and the mesh cell or collector node.

27. A power grid network according to claim 26, wherein the mesh cell or collector node is configured as a router for exchanging messages between a software collection engine and the smart meters using a radio-frequency wireless wide area network (WWAN), deployed in a mesh network topology.

28. A power grid network according to claim 26, wherein communications between the mesh cell or collector node and the software collection engine is done using a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) that includes back-haul technologies.

29. A power grid network according to claim 27, wherein the mesh node is configured to register through the mesh cell or collector node that provides a connectivity signal and path to the software collection engine.

30. A power grid network according to claim 27, wherein each mesh cell or collector node is configured to support multiple mesh nodes over a self-healing mesh network.

31. A power grid network according to claim 30, wherein the mesh node is configured to locate another path through the mesh network to the mesh cell or collector node if a path between the mesh node and the mesh cell or collector node is broken or blocked.

32. A power grid network according to claim 30, wherein each mesh node in the mesh network is configured to receive a utility ID in order to provide the mesh network with security.

33. A power grid network according to claim 32, wherein each mesh node is configured to communicate across a part of the mesh network having the same utility ID to ensure that a mesh node with one utility ID is isolated from a network part of the mesh network assigned a different utility ID.

34. A power grid network according to claim 29, wherein each mesh node is configured to explore other paths to the same or a different mesh cell or collector node if a communication path between a given mesh cell or collector node and a given mesh node deteriorates.

35. A power grid network according to claim 34, wherein each mesh node is configured to deregister from an original mesh cell or collector node and register with a new mesh cell or collector node that provides a best communication path.

36. A power grid network according to claim 35, wherein each mesh node is configured to implement built-in capabilities functionality for connectivity testing, registering, deregistering/re-registering that are done automatically.