Powerline carrier zero-crossing transformer mapping with asymmetric RF return path

• US 8,755,303 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hughes, Sterling, Pace, James, van Greunen, Jana, San Filippo, William E. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAYA, TEJIS A
• Application Number:
  US12/954,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122798A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,301 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/47 Methods for determining the topology or arrangement of meters in a network
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/542 using zero crossing information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• 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 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed by which RF mesh networks can identify utility distribution topologies by using power line communication combined with wireless networking to identify the mapping of transformers and other distribution equipment at a back office system server. At a specified time, an item of distribution equipment signals a unique identifier by introducing a phase shift in the electric power being delivered by that equipment. A meter node detects and decodes these temporal shifts to obtain an identifier of equipment supplying the power to it. Upon ascertaining this identification, the meter node sends an acknowledgment to thereby register with that equipment. The association of the particular customer'"'"'s premises with the equipment is also sent to a back office system, to enable a map of the correspondence between meter and the equipment to be generated.

Claims

1. Apparatus for mapping correspondence between the topology of a power distribution system for a utility and a wireless communications network associated with the utility, comprising:

a plurality of electric meters connected to a power distribution network, each electric meter being operative to detect an identifier encoded in electrical power delivered to the meter, which identifies equipment in the power distribution network;

a plurality of wireless network communications nodes respectively associated with the electric meters, for communicating via a wireless data communications network, each wireless communications node being responsive to the detection of an encoded identifier by its associated meter to transmit a data message containing (a) the identifier of the equipment, and (b) an identification of that wireless communications node, via the wireless data communications network, to thereby provide an indication of the association of that wireless communications node with the identified equipment; and

a server that receives the indications provided by the wireless communications nodes and generates a map associating the wireless communications nodes with corresponding items of equipment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identifier is encoded by means of phase shifts in the electric power delivered to the electric meter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the identifier is encoded using shifts in time of the zero crossing points of alternating electric power.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a second plurality of wireless communications nodes that are respectively associated with different items of equipment and that communicate via said wireless data communications network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each second wireless communication node is responsive to receipt of a data message transmitted by a wireless communication node associated with an electric meter, and containing an identifier of equipment with which that second node is associated, to register the communication node associated with the electric meter at the second communication node.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein a communications node associated with an electric meter sends a data message comprising the equipment identifier to the second wireless communications node associated with the identified equipment.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least some of the communications nodes associated with respective electric meters send data messages containing equipment identifiers to a server configured to communicate via the wireless communications network, and wherein the server forwards the data messages to the second wireless communications nodes respectively associated with the identified items of equipment.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least some of the communications nodes associated with respective electric meters send data messages to second communications nodes associated with detected equipment, via respective routes which are provided to the communications nodes associated with electric meters by an access point of the wireless communications network that communicates with the second wireless communications nodes.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least some of the communications nodes associated with respective electric meters send the data messages containing equipment identifiers to an access point of the wireless communications network, and wherein the access point forwards the data messages to second wireless communications nodes respectively associated with the identified items of equipment.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one communications node associated with an electric meter send a request to neighboring nodes associated with respective electric meters for route information to reach a second communications node, and in response to receipt of requested route information from a responding neighbor node, the one communication node sends the data message to the second communications node via a route through the responding neighbor node.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said equipment is a transformer in the power distribution network.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said equipment is a substation in the power distribution network.

13. A method for mapping associations between components of an electric power distribution network and nodes in a wireless data communications network, comprising:

controlling items of equipment in the power distribution network to modulate electric power delivered via said equipment to encode the electric power with respective identifiers that are unique to the items of equipment;

detecting equipment identifiers encoded in electric power received at components of the power distribution network that are downstream of the items of equipment that modulated the electric power, each component being associated with a respective node of the wireless communications network;

in response to the detection of an equipment identifier at a downstream component, transmitting a message containing the detected equipment identifier and an identifier of that downstream component via the wireless data communications network; and

at a server associated with the wireless communications network, generating a map that identifies the relationship between each node of the communications network that is associated with a downstream component that detected an equipment identifier, and the corresponding identified item of equipment.

14. The method as in claim 13, wherein the identifier is encoded using shifts in time of the zero crossing points of alternating electric power.

15. The method as in claim 13, further comprising the following steps, prior to the step of modulating the electric power to encode the unique identifier of the equipment:

encoding the electric power with a detectable indicator at least at some of said items of equipment;

upon detection of the indicator at a downstream component, wirelessly transmitting an acknowledgement of the indicator;

in response to receipt of the acknowledgement at the corresponding items of equipment, wirelessly transmitting a message to the downstream component containing the unique identifier of the equipment.

16. The method of claim 15, further including the step of:

comparing, at the downstream component, the unique identifier received in the wireless message received from the equipment with signals encoded in the electric power,

and wherein the step of transmitting the message containing the equipment identifier and the identifier of the downstream component is performed in response to a match of the compared identifier and an encoded signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the message that is wirelessly transmitted by the equipment further includes a time at which the unique identifier is to be encoded in the electric power, and said comparing step is performed by the downstream component at the time indicated in the message.

18. The method of claim 13, further including the step of registering the downstream component with the item of equipment in response to receipt at the equipment of a message containing the identifier of that item of equipment and the identifier of the downstream component.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein said equipment is a transformer in the power distribution network.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein said equipment is a substation in the power distribution network.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein said downstream component comprises an electric meter with an associated wireless communications node.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein said downstream component transmits the message to the equipment.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the downstream component transmits the message to a server configured to communicate via the wireless data communications network, and wherein the server forwards the data message to the equipment.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the downstream component transmits the message to the equipment via a route which is provided to the downstream component by an access point of the wireless data communications network that communicates with the equipment.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein downstream component transmits the message to an access point of the wireless communications network, and wherein the access point forwards the message to the equipment.

26. The method of claim 22, further including the steps of sending a request from the downstream component to neighboring components for route information to reach the equipment, and in response to receipt of requested route information from a responding component, transmitting the data message from the downstream component to the equipment via a route through the responding component.

27. A server for an electric power distribution system having a plurality of items of equipment for delivering power to customers, at least some of which are capable of modulating delivered power with a signal that uniquely identifies the respective item of equipment, said server being in communication with a wireless communications network that includes nodes respectively associated with electric meters that measure power consumed by corresponding customers and that detect unique identifiers in delivered power, said server being configured to perform the following operations:

receive messages from nodes in the wireless communications network, which messages indicate that a meter associated with a given node has detected the unique identifier of a particular item of equipment, the messages including the unique identifier of the particular item of equipment and an identification of the given node; and

in response to receipt of the messages, construct a map that associates each node sending such a message with the item of equipment identified in the message received from that node.

28. The server of claim 27, wherein the server is further configured to receive an indication of a critical condition occurring at an item of equipment, and in response send messages to the nodes which are mapped to that item of equipment, said messages instructing the nodes to reduce the electrical load being consumed by the corresponding customers.

29. A method for mapping the association of items of equipment for delivering power to customers of an electric utility, at least some of said items of equipment being capable of modulating delivered power with a signal that uniquely identifies the respective item of equipment, and wireless communications network nodes that are respectively associated with electric meters that measure power consumed by corresponding customers, the method comprising:

receiving messages from nodes in the wireless communications network, which messages indicate that a meter associated with a given node has detected the unique identifier of a particular item of equipment, the messages including the unique identifier of the particular item of equipment and an identification of the given node; and

in response to receipt of the messages, constructing a map that associates each node sending such a message with the item of equipment identified in the message received from that node.

30. The method of claim 29, further including

receiving an indication of a critical condition occurring at an item of equipment, and

sending messages to the nodes which are mapped to that item of equipment, said messages instructing the nodes to reduce the electrical load being consumed by the corresponding customers.