Intelligent network

• US 9,876,856 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2013
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Dorn, John, Taft, Jeffrey D.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, HUAN HUU
• Application Number:
  US13/936,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20140012954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/12 Determination or prediction of behaviour, e.g. likely power consumption or unusual usage patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

A network intelligence system may include a plurality of sensors located throughout and industry system. The sensors may obtain data related to various aspects of the industry network. The network intelligence system may include system endpoint intelligence and system infrastructure intelligence. The system endpoint and system infrastructure intelligence may provide distributed intelligence allowing localized decision-making to be made within the industry system based in response to system operation and occurrences. The network intelligence may include a centralized intelligence portion to communicate with endpoint and infrastructure intelligence. The centralized intelligence portion may provide responses on a localized level of the system or on a system-wide level.

Claims

1. An integration framework for facilitating communication with a central authority that manages an industry network, the integration framework comprising:

a plurality of sensors and industry network components configured to generate operational data and event data within the industry network;

an operational bus in communication with the plurality of sensors and industry network components, the operational bus configured to receive the operational data and to communicate the operational data to the central authority, the operational data comprising a real-time measurement for at least one sensor or industry network component; and

an event bus in communication with the plurality of sensors and industry network components, the event bus configured to receive the event data and to communicate the event data to the central authority, the event bus being separate from the operational bus, the event data being distinct from and derived from the real-time measurement and comprising at least one analytical determination based on the at least one real time measurement,

wherein the operational data is communicated via the operational bus and not communicated via the event bus, and

wherein the event data is communicated via the event bus and not communicated via the operational bus.

2. The integration framework of claim 1, wherein the industry network comprises a vehicle travel network.

3. The integration framework of claim 2, wherein the vehicle travel network comprises a rail travel network.

4. The integration framework of claim 2, wherein the vehicle travel network comprises a trucking system network.

5. The integration framework of claim 1, further comprising a router for analyzing at least a part of data received and for routing the data to one of the operational bus and the event bus.

6. The integration framework of claim 5, wherein the router analyzes at least one header in the data to determine whether to route the data to the operational bus or to the event bus.

7. The integration framework of claim 5, wherein the router is located at the central authority.

8. The integration framework of claim 1, wherein the operational bus further communicates non-operational data, the non-operational data comprising at least one of:

performance, asset health, and stress data.

9. The integration framework of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors include:

mobile sensors attached to mobile units of the industry network and configured to generate endpoint data; and

stationary sensors configured to detect at least one aspect regarding infrastructure of the industry network, and to generate infrastructure data indicative of the at least one aspect.

10. The integration framework of claim 9, wherein the stationary sensors comprise memory and rules stored in the memory, wherein the stationary sensors are further configured to receive the endpoint data and execute the rules to determine event data based on the infrastructure and endpoint data.

11. The integration framework of claim 1, wherein the operational bus is configured to:

filter a plurality of event streams to interpret the plurality of event streams according to at least one event pattern; and

send the interpretation of the plurality of event streams to at least the central authority.

12. The integration framework of claim 1, further comprising:

a server coupled with the operational bus and the event bus and configured to receive and store the operational data, the server further configured to;

analyze the operational data with respect to at least one rule;

generate at least one event based on the analysis; and

send the at least one event to at least one of the sensors and network industry components to trigger self-healing within at least a section of the industry network.

13. The integration framework of claim 12, wherein the server resides in a central control center, wherein the at least one event triggers a modification to operation of the central control center.

14. The integration framework of claim 12, wherein the server is further configured to generate a work-order for transmission to the central authority.

15. An integration framework for facilitating communication with a central authority that manages an industry network, the intelligent network integration framework comprising:

a system infrastructure comprising;

a plurality of stationary sensors configured to detect at least one aspect regarding infrastructure of the industry network and generate infrastructure data indicative of the at least one aspect; and

at least one infrastructure analysis module configured to receive the infrastructure data and to receive endpoint data from one or more mobile sensors attached to mobile units of the industry network, the infrastructure analysis module configured to generate event data based on the infrastructure and

an operational bus in communication with the plurality of stationary sensors and the infrastructure analysis module, the operational bus configured to receive the infrastructure and endpoint data and to communicate the infrastructure and endpoint data to the central authority, the infrastructure and endpoint data comprising at least one real-time measurement for at least a part of the industry network; and

an event bus in communication with the infrastructure analysis module, the event bus configured to receive the event data and to communicate the event data to the central authority, the event bus being separate from the operational bus, the event data being distinct from and derived from the real-time measurement and comprising at least one analytical determination as to operation of the industry network based on the at least one real time measurement;

a network core configured to receive the endpoint event data exclusively through the event bus and to generate a command based on the event data, wherein events within the event data comprise undesired or abnormal conditions occurring within the industry system;

wherein the command is sent to an endpoint that includes at least one of the mobile sensors that generated the endpoint data, for execution of the command to control a mobile unit of the industry network in response to the undesired or abnormal conditions.

16. The integration framework of claim 15, wherein an event comprises an alert that is also sent to an organization that owns the one or more mobile units.

17. The integration framework of claim 16, wherein the alert comprises a security message indicative of attempted theft or vandalism.

18. The integration framework of claim 15, wherein the stationary sensors include memory and rules stored in the memory, wherein the stationary sensors are configured to execute the rules to determine an event based on the infrastructure and endpoint data.

19. The integration framework of claim 18, wherein the event bus is in further communication with the stationary sensors to receive event data from the stationary sensors.

20. The integration framework of claim 15, wherein the industry system is a railway system and the mobile units comprise individual railcars.

21. The integration framework of claim 20, wherein the stationary sensors are further configured to control one or more switches in a section of the railway system.

22. The integration framework of claim 20, wherein the stationary sensors are configured to modify one or more parameters of one or more other sensors in a section of the railway system.

23. The integration framework of claim 20, wherein at least one of the stationary or mobile sensors is configured to control one or more railcars traveling within the railway system.

24. The integration framework of claim 20, wherein at least some of the stationary sensors include defect detectors that are configured to detect a potential unsafe condition of a railcar.

25. The integration framework of claim 15, wherein the industry system is a trucking system and the mobile sensors are attached to cargo containers to track the cargo containers.

26. The integration framework of claim 25, wherein the stationary sensors are distributed at customer facilities and are configured to receive endpoint data from the mobile sensors of the cargo containers.

27. A method for communicating data to a central authority that manages an industry network, the method comprising:

communicating, at least partly wirelessly, operational data to the central authority on an operational bus, the operational data received from a plurality of sensors and industry network components and comprising at least one real-time measurement of at least one sensor or network component; and

communicating, at least partly wirelessly, event data to the central authority on an event bus, the event bus being separate from the operational bus, the event data received from at least some of the plurality of sensors and industry network components and being distinct from and derived from the real-time measurement, the event data further comprising at least one analytical determination as to operation of the industry network based on the at least one real-time measurement,

wherein the operational data is communicated via the operational bus and not communicated via the event bus, and

wherein the event data is communicated via the event bus and not communicated via the operational bus.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

analyzing, by a router, at least a part of data received; and

routing, by the router, the data to one of the operational bus and the event bus based on the analysis of the at least a part of the data received.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the operational bus further communicates non-operational data, the non-operational data comprising at least one of performance, asset health, and stress data.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

filtering, by the event bus, a plurality of event streams to interpret the plurality of event streams according to at least one event pattern; and

sending, by the event bus, the interpretation of the plurality of event streams to at least one of the plurality of sensor and industry network components.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving and storing the operational data by a server coupled with the operational bus and the event bus;

analyzing, by the server, the operational data with respect to at least one rule;

generating, by the server, at least one event based on the analysis; and

sending, by the server, the at least one event to at least one of the sensors and industry network components to trigger self-healing within at least a section of the industry network.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the server resides in a central control center of the industry network, further comprising:

triggering, by the server, a modification to operation of the central control center based on the at least one event.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

generating a work order by the server for transmission to the central authority.