Method and apparatus for utilities management via guided wave communication

• US 10,359,749 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bogdan, Pamela A. M., Blandino, George, Liu, Ken, Lubranski, Leon, Myburgh, Eric, Van Brakle, Tracy
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US15/371,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20180157231A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/34 Plug-like or socket-like devices specially adapted for contactless inductive charging of electric vehicles positioning means for charging devices using inductive energy transfer B60L53/38
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2642 Domotique, domestic, home control, automation, smart house
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• 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: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/24 of photovoltaic origin
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/28 The renewable source being wind energy wind motors F03D
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 : Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 : Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 : using the power network as support for the transmission
• 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

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a utilities management system operable to receive via a guided wave transceiver a plurality of utility status signals from a plurality of utility sensors located at a plurality of supervised sites. Utility control data is generated based on the plurality of utility status signals. At least one control signal is generated for transmission via the guided wave transceiver to at least one of the plurality of supervised sites, and the at least one control signal includes at least one utility deployment instruction based on the utility control data. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A utilities management system, comprising:

a processing system that includes a processor;

a guided wave transceiver that transmits and receives communications by electromagnetic waves at a physical interface of a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium and propagate without utilizing an electrical return path; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving via the guided wave transceiver a plurality of utility status signals from a plurality of utility sensors located at a plurality of supervised sites;

generating utility control data based on the plurality of utility status signals;

generating at least one control signal for transmission via the guided wave transceiver to at least one of the plurality of supervised sites, wherein the at least one control signal includes at least one utility deployment instruction based on the utility control data;

predicting a power outage by;

determining a power outage likelihood value based on input from at least one sensor;

comparing the power outage likelihood value to a power outage likelihood threshold;

predicting the power outage in response to the power outage likelihood value comparing unfavorably to the power outage likelihood threshold; and

generating, in response to the predicting the power outage, power outage warning data that indicates a predicted power outage; and

transmitting the power outage warning data, via the guided wave transceiver, to the plurality of supervised sites.

2. The utilities management system of claim 1, wherein the utilities management system is implemented in conjunction with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.

3. The utilities management system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of supervised sites is a home, wherein at least one of the plurality of utility sensors located in the home is coupled with a home automation controller, and wherein the at least one utility deployment instruction is executed by the home automation controller.

4. The utilities management system of claim 3, wherein the at least one control signal is sent to the home and includes an instruction to turn off appliances of the home.

5. The utilities management system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving via the guided wave transceiver an emergency notification signal;

wherein the generating the utility control data is further based on the emergency notification signal.

6. The utilities management system of claim 1, wherein the at least one control signal includes an instruction for the at least one of the plurality of supervised sites to switch from a primary power source to a secondary power source.

7. The utilities management system of claim 6, wherein the secondary power source includes at least one of:

a battery or a solar panel.

8. The utilities management system of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a primary power consumption level based on the plurality of utility status signals; and

comparing the primary power consumption level to a primary power load threshold;

wherein the instruction to switch from the primary power source to the secondary power source is based on the primary power consumption level comparing unfavorably to the primary power load threshold.

9. The utilities management system of claim 1, wherein a subset of the plurality of utility sensors monitors a power line, and wherein the transmission medium that guides the electromagnetic waves includes the power line.

10. The utilities management system of claim 9, wherein one of the subset of the plurality of utility sensors is coupled to an intermediate guided wave transceiver, wherein the intermediate guided wave transceiver transmits at least one of the plurality of utility status signals corresponding to the one of the subset of the plurality of utility sensors to the utilities management system as a first plurality of the electromagnetic waves, wherein the at least one control signal is received by the intermediate guided wave transceiver as a second plurality of the electromagnetic waves, wherein the intermediate guided wave transceiver is a waypoint of a transmission path of the at least one control signal to the at least one of the plurality of supervised sites, and wherein the intermediate guided wave transceiver repeats second plurality of the electromagnetic waves for transmission along the transmission medium to a next guided wave transceiver of a remainder of the transmission path.

11. The utilities management system of claim 1, wherein the utility control data is generated by utilizing a supervisory control algorithm based on the plurality of utility status signals to optimize utility consumption across the plurality of supervised sites.

12. A method for use by a utilities management system that includes a processor and a guided wave transceiver, the method comprising:

receiving, via the guided wave transceiver, a first plurality of electromagnetic waves, guided by at least one transmission medium and propagating without utilizing an electrical return path, wherein the first plurality of electromagnetic waves includes a plurality of utility status signals sent from a plurality of utility sensors located at a plurality of supervised sites;

generating utility control data based on the plurality of utility status signals;

generating a second plurality of electromagnetic waves for transmission via the guided wave transceiver, wherein the second plurality of electromagnetic waves is guided by the at least one transmission medium and propagating without utilizing the electrical return path, and wherein the second plurality of electromagnetic waves includes at least one control signal that includes at least one utility deployment instruction for at least one of the plurality of supervised sites based on the utility control data;

predicting a power outage by;

determining a power outage likelihood value based on input from at least one sensor;

comparing the power outage likelihood value to a power outage likelihood threshold;

predicting the power outage in response to the power outage likelihood value comparing unfavorably to the power outage likelihood threshold; and

generating, in response to the predicting the power outage, power outage warning data that indicates a predicted power outage; and

transmitting the power outage warning data, via the guided wave transceiver, to the plurality of supervised sites.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the utilities management system is implemented in conjunction with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one of the plurality of supervised sites is a home, wherein at least one of the plurality of utility sensors located in the home is coupled with a home automation controller, and wherein the at least one utility deployment instruction is executed by the home automation controller.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one control signal is sent to the home and includes an instruction to turn off appliances of the home.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving via the guided wave transceiver an emergency notification signal;

wherein the generating the utility control data is further based on the emergency notification signal.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one control signal includes an instruction for the at least one of the plurality of supervised sites to switch from a primary power source to a secondary power source.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the secondary power source includes at least one of:

a battery or a solar panel.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining a primary power consumption level based on the plurality of utility status signals; and

comparing the primary power consumption level to a primary power load threshold;

wherein the instruction to switch from the primary power source to the secondary power source is based on the primary power consumption level comparing unfavorably to the primary power load threshold.

20. A utilities management system, comprising:

means for receiving a first plurality of electromagnetic waves at a physical interface of a transmission medium, wherein the first plurality of electromagnetic waves includes a plurality of utility status signals from a plurality of utility of sensors located at a plurality of supervised sites;

means for generating utility control data based on the plurality of utility status signals;

means for generating a second plurality of electromagnetic waves that includes at least one control signal for transmission to at least one of the plurality of supervised sites, wherein the at least one control signal includes at least one utility deployment instruction based on the utility control data;

means for predicting a power outage by;

determining a power outage likelihood value based on input from at least one sensor;

comparing the power outage likelihood value to a power outage likelihood threshold;

predicting the power outage in response to the power outage likelihood value comparing unfavorably to the power outage likelihood threshold; and

generating, in response to the predicting the power outage, power outage warning data that indicates a predicted power outage; and

means for transmitting the power outage warning data to the plurality of supervised sites via a third plurality of electromagnetic waves;

wherein the first plurality of electromagnetic waves, the third plurality of electromagnetic waves and the second plurality of electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium and propagate without utilizing an electrical return path.