Power outage verification

• US 9,037,305 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Landis+Gyr Inc. (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Landis+Gyr Inc. (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Inventors: McHann, Stanley E. Jr., Zeppetelle, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Gami, Tejal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karim, Ziaul
• Application Number:
  US12/715,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20110218686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,904 Days
• Field of Search: 700/90, 700/286, 700/291, 700/292, 700/323
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• 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: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• 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

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for detecting a power outage. In one aspect, a status request requesting a status of a portion of a power distribution network is received, where the request includes a reference to a power meter that is located within the portion of the network. In response to the status request, a block of communications channels is selected, where the block includes a target communications channel over which a signal corresponding to the referenced power meter is received. In turn, an amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel is obtained. A determination is made whether the amplitude of the signal is less than an outage threshold and a status notification is provided that specifies the status of the portion of the power distribution network for which the status has been requested.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a data processing apparatus, including a circuit, coupled to a memory device, a status request requesting a status of a first portion of a power distribution network, the status request including a reference to a referenced power meter that is located within the first portion of the power distribution network for which the status is requested;

selecting, by the data processing apparatus, a block of communications channels that includes a target communications channel, at a center channel frequency relative to other communication channels in the block and with communication channels of the block on either side of the center channel frequency, over which a signal corresponding to the referenced power meter is received;

obtaining, by the data processing apparatus, an amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel;

determining, by the data processing apparatus, whether the amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel is less than an outage threshold for the target communications channel; and

in response to determining whether the amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel is less than the outage threshold for the target communications channel, providing, by the data processing apparatus, a status notification that specifies the status of the first portion of the power distribution network for which the status has been requested.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a geographic location identifier corresponding to the referenced power meter;

determining that signals corresponding to additional power meters are received over other channels in the selected block of communications channels, the additional power meters having geographic identifiers specifying that the additional power meters are located within an expanded portion of the power distribution network;

determining, for each of the other channels, whether an amplitude of a signal being received over the other channel is less than an outage threshold for the other channel; and

providing, for the expanded portion of the power distribution network that is defined by the referenced power meter and the additional power meters, a second status notification that specifies a status of the expanded portion of the power distribution network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that signals corresponding to additional power meters are received over other channels in the selected block of communications channels comprises:

for each of the other channels;

obtaining a geographic location identifier for a candidate power meter communicating over the other channel;

determining whether the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network;

in response to determining that the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network, identifying the candidate power meter as an additional power meter with which the status of the expanded portion of the power distribution network is determined; and

in response to determining that the candidate power meter is not in the expanded portion of the power distribution network, identifying the candidate power meter as an omitted meter that is not used to determine the status of the expanded portion of the power distribution network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein obtaining a geographic location identifier for the candidate power meter comprises receiving the geographic location identifier from an indexed list of communications channels, power meters, and corresponding geographic location identifiers for the power meters.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network comprises determining whether the candidate power meter is within a threshold distance of the referenced power meter.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network comprises determining whether the candidate power meter receives power from a same power substation as the referenced power meter.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network comprises determining whether the candidate power meter is on a same street as the referenced power meter.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network comprises determining whether the candidate power meter is in a same specified geographic area as the referenced power meter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a status notification comprises providing a power outage notification in response to determining that the amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel is less than the outage threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a status notification comprises providing, in response to determining that the amplitude of the signal is not less than the outage threshold, a status notification specifying that a power outage has not been detected.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a geographic location identifier corresponding to the referenced power meter;

identifying additional power meters, each additional power meter having a corresponding geographic identifier specifying that the additional power meter is located within a threshold distance of the referenced power meter; and

for each additional power meter;

identifying a corresponding communications channel over which the additional power meter communicates;

obtaining an amplitude of a signal being received over the corresponding communications channel;

determining whether the amplitude of the signal being received over the corresponding communications channel is less than an outage threshold for the corresponding communications channel; and

providing, for an expanded portion of the power distribution network that is defined by the geographic location identifier corresponding to the referenced power meter and the additional power meters, a second status notification that specifies a status of the expanded portion of the power distribution network.

12. A system comprising:

a data store storing a plurality of outage thresholds, each outage threshold corresponding to a communications channel, at a center channel frequency relative to other communication channels in a block and with communication channels of the block on either side of the center channel frequency, over which a power meter in a power distribution network communicates; and

a status subsystem coupled to the data store, the status subsystem comprising at least one processor configured to obtain an amplitude of a signal being received over a target communications channel, determine a status of a first portion of the power distribution network based on the amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel relative to the outage threshold corresponding to the target communications channel, and provide a status notification specifying the status of the first portion based on the determination of the status of the first portion of the power distribution network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the status subsystem is further configured to obtain a geographic location identifier corresponding to a first power meter from which the signal is received over the target communications channel, determine that signals corresponding to additional power meters are received over other channels in the block of communications channels, determine, for each of the other channels, whether an amplitude of a signal being received over the other channel is less than an outage threshold for the other channel, and provide a second status notification that specifies a status of an expanded portion of the power distribution network, where the expanded portion of the power distribution network is defined by the first power meter and the additional power meters.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the status subsystem is further configured to obtain, for each of the other channels, a geographic location identifier for a candidate power meter communicating over the other channel, determine whether the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network, identify the candidate power meter as an additional power meter in response to determining that the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network, and identify the candidate power meter as an omitted meter in response to determining that the candidate power meter is not in the expanded portion of the power distribution network, where an additional power meter is a power meter with which the status of the expanded portion of the power distribution network is determined, and where an omitted power meter is a power meter that is not used to determine the status of the expanded portion of the power distribution network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the status subsystem is further configured to receive the geographic location identifier from an indexed list of communications channels, power meters, and corresponding geographic location identifiers for the power meters.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the status subsystem is further configured to determine that the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network based on the candidate power meter being within a threshold distance of the first power meter.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the status subsystem is further configured to determine that the candidate power meter is in the expanded portion of the power distribution network based on the candidate power meter receiving power from a same power substation as the first power meter.

18. A non-transient computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a status request requesting a status of a first portion of a power distribution network, the request including a reference to a referenced power meter that is located within the first portion of the power distribution network for which the status is requested;

selecting a block of communications channels that includes a target communications channel, at a center channel frequency relative to other communication channels in the block and with communication channels of the block on either side of the center channel frequency, over which a signal corresponding to the referenced power meter is received;

obtaining an amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel;

determining whether the amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel is less than an outage threshold for the target communications channel; and

in response to determining whether the amplitude of the signal being received over the target communications channel is less than the outage threshold for the target communications channel, providing a status notification that specifies the status of the first portion of the power distribution network for which the status has been requested.