Power distribution network performance data presentation system and method

• US 7,627,453 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Current Communications Services LLC (Widewall Investments SL)
• Original Assignee: Current Communications Services LLC (Widewall Investments SL)
• Inventors: Keefe, R. Anthony, Mulder, David Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Feliciano; Eliseo Ramos
• Assistant Examiner(s): O MALLEY, MARY CATHERINE
• Application Number:
  US11/114,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20060238364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,680 Days
• Field of Search: 702 57- 62, 702/64, 702182-183, 702/185, 700288-298, 345/589, 703/5
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/02 Electric testing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location

Abstract

A visualization system for monitoring performance data of an electrical power distribution network is provided. In one embodiment, a user may select a network circuit and view a network circuit diagram that includes indicia representing transformers and other electrical power distribution network elements positioned on a map. The relative positions of the indicia on the network circuit diagram may correspond to the relative physical locations of the transformers in the geographical area represented by the map. The indicia may be color coded to convey performance data to the user.

Claims

1. A method of presenting electric power distribution network (EPDN) performance data, wherein the EPDN includes a network circuit including a plurality of transformers, the method comprising:

acquiring data derived from measurements of a performance parameter of a plurality of transformers;

wherein the measurements comprise measurements of a parameter taken at each of the plurality of transformers;

determining whether the data associated with each of the plurality of transformers satisfies any of three or more conditions for the performance parameter;

displaying a network circuit diagram wherein the plurality of transformers are represented by a first indicia,

wherein the relative positions of the first indicia substantially correspond to the positions of the transformers in the network circuit;

displaying an indication of the performance parameter for each of the plurality of transformers; and

wherein the indication of the performance parameter for each of the plurality of transformers indicates whether the data associated with each of the plurality of transformers satisfies any of three or more conditions for the performance parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying an indication of the performance parameter comprises displaying the first indicia as color coded indicia to indicate whether the data associated with each of the plurality of transformers satisfies any of the three or more conditions for the performance parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance parameter is the voltage on at least one low voltage conductor connected to the transformer.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indicia is coded to indicate that the voltage is above a first threshold voltage, below a second threshold voltage, or between the first and second threshold voltages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the network circuit diagram further includes representation of thoroughfares and wherein the relative positions of the indicia in the display correspond to the positions of the transformers relative to the thoroughfares.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network circuit diagram illustrates at least a portion of one medium voltage network circuit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the EPDN includes at least one substation and substations are represented by a second indicia in the network circuit diagram, and the relative positions of the second indicia substantially correspond to the positions of the substations in the network circuit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the EPDN includes at least one switch bank and switch banks are represented by a second indicia in the network circuit diagram, and the relative positions of the second indicia substantially correspond to the positions of the switch banks in the network circuit.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the EPDN includes at least one capacitor bank and capacitor banks are represented by a third indicia in the network circuit diagram, and the relative positions of the third indicia substantially correspond to the positions of the capacitor banks in the network circuit.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of a transformer; and

in response to the user input, displaying voltage data of the selected transformer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying voltage data comprises:

formatting time-varying voltage data acquired over a predetermined period of time into a voltage plot; and

displaying the voltage plot.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of one of the plurality of transformers; and

displaying an indication of an out of limit voltage of the selected transformer in response to receiving the user input.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of a transformer; and

displaying information of the addresses serviced by the selected transformer in response to the user input.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of a transformer; and

displaying information of the customers serviced by the selected transformer in response to the user input.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of a transformer in the network circuit diagram;

receiving a user input indicating a distance; and

displaying that portion of the network circuit diagram within the distance of the selected transformer indicated by the user in response to the user input.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein backhaul media is represented in the network circuit diagram.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein medium voltage power lines are represented in the network circuit diagram.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indicia changes dynamically during display in accordance with changes in a value of the performance parameter.

19. A method of presenting EPDN data, wherein the EPDN includes a network circuit including a plurality of EPDN elements, the method comprising

acquiring EPDN data of a performance parameter for a plurality of EPDN elements;

wherein the acquired EPDN data is derived from measurement of the performance parameter at each of the plurality of EPDN elements;

determining whether the EPDN data associated with each of the plurality of EPDN elements satisfies any of three or more conditions for the performance parameter;

displaying indicia representing each of the plurality of EPDN elements on a diagram; and

wherein at least some of the indicia are coded to indicate whether the EPDN data of the EPDN element represented by the indicia satisfies any of the three or more conditions of the performance parameter.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the EPDN elements include transformers;

the EPDN data includes voltage data of the transformers;

a first condition of the three or more conditions comprises the voltage data is above a first threshold voltage,

a second condition of the three or more conditions comprises the voltage data is below a second threshold voltage; and

a third condition of the three or more conditions the voltage data is between the first and second threshold voltages.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of a transformer; and

in response to said user input, displaying voltage data of the selected transformer.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein displaying voltage data comprises:

formatting time-varying voltage data acquired over a predetermined period of time into a voltage plot; and

displaying the voltage plot.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the EPDN elements include switches, the method further comprising:

receiving configuration data of the switches that indicates an open or closed state; and

displaying an indication the configuration data on the diagram.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the EPDN elements include capacitor banks, the method further comprising:

receiving configuration data of the capacitor banks that indicates an engaged or not engaged state; and

displaying an indication the configuration data on the diagram.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the relative positions of the indicia substantially correspond to the positions of the EPDN elements in the portion of the EPDN depicted in the diagram.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of an EPDN element that comprises a transformer; and

displaying information of the addresses serviced by the selected transformer in response to the user input.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of an EPDN element that comprises a transformer; and

displaying information of the customers serviced by the selected transformer in response to the user input.

28. The method of claim 19, wherein at least some of the indicia changes dynamically during display in accordance with changes in the value of the performance parameter.

29. A method of presenting EPDN data, wherein the EPDN includes a network circuit including a plurality of EPDN elements, the method comprising:

acquiring EPDN data of a performance parameter for a plurality of EPDN elements;

wherein the acquired EPDN data is derived from measurement of the performance parameter at each of the plurality of EPDN elements;

determining whether the EPDN data associated with each of the plurality of EPDN elements satisfies any of three or more conditions for the performance parameter;

displaying a representation of a network circuit comprising;

representations of thoroughfares; and

indicia representing the plurality of EPDN elements;

wherein at least some of the indicia is coded to indicate whether the data of the EPDN element represented by the indicia satisfies any of three or more conditions of the performance parameter; and

wherein the positions of the indicia substantially correspond to the positions of the EPDN elements relative to the thoroughfares.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein:

the EPDN elements include transformers;

the EPDN data includes voltage data of the transformers;

a first condition of the three or more conditions comprises the voltage data is above a first threshold voltage,

a second condition of the three or more conditions comprises the voltage data is below a second threshold voltage; and

a third condition of the three or more conditions the voltage data is between the first and second threshold voltages.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of an EPDN element that comprises a transformer; and

displaying information of the addresses serviced by the selected transformer in response to the user input.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

receiving a user input indicating a selection of an EPDN element that comprises a transformer; and

displaying information of the customers serviced by the selected transformer in response to the user input.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein at least some of the indicia changes dynamically during display in accordance with changes in the value of the performance parameter.