Devices and systems for distributed power-grid monitoring

• US 9,825,463 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitre Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitre Corporation
• Inventors: McDaniel, Sean, Weed, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Suryawanshi, Suresh
• Application Number:
  US14/621,136
• Publication Number:
  US 20160239010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 700291
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/12 Monitoring or controlling equipment for energy generation units, e.g. distributed energy generation [DER] or load-side generation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

A device for monitoring the properties of an electrical grid including an electrical connector for coupling to the electrical grid through a wall socket, a detector for detecting at least one property of electricity provided by the electrical grid, a receiver for receiving clock signals, and a sampler for sampling a respective detected property and recording sampled values in a memory, wherein the variation of the values with time represents a waveform of the respective property and the sampler samples at a rate sufficient to record variations of the property within a period of the waveform, wherein the device associates at least a portion of the sampled values with at least one clock signal.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring the properties of an electrical grid comprising:

an electrical connector for coupling to the electrical grid through a wall socket;

a detector for detecting at least one property of electricity provided by the electrical grid through the wall socket;

a receiver for receiving clock signals from a remote clock synchronization source through an antenna of the device; and

a sampler for sampling a respective detected property and recording sampled values in a memory, wherein the variation of the values with time represents a waveform of the respective property and the sampler samples at a rate of at least 50 kilo-samples-per-second to record variations of the property within a period of the waveform,

wherein the device associates at least a portion of the sampled values with at least one clock signal.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the electrical connector is a wall socket plug.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the detector detects voltage and current.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the rate is sufficient to capture at least one disturbance in the waveform of the respective property in the recorded sampled values.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the at least one disturbance is a transient disturbance with a duration less than the period of the waveform.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the at least one disturbance has a frequency.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the waveform has a nominal frequency and the frequency of the at least one disturbance is greater than the nominal frequency.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the frequency of the at least one disturbance is greater than 15 Hz.

9. The device of claim 4, wherein the at least one disturbance is a distortion of the waveform.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the distortion is a DC offset, a harmonic, an interharmonic, a noise, or a notching.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the sampler is a component of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a communication receiver for receiving instructions to program the rate of the sampler.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit data to a remote server, a client device, or a mobile device.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit wirelessly to the remote server, the client device, or the mobile device over a communication network.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the transmitter is a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) or a Bluetooth transmitter.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the transmitter transmits at least a portion of the sampled values associated with the at least one clock signal in real-time to the remote server.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the memory is removable from the device.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the memory is configured to store sampled data over a period of at least one hour.

19. The device of claim 1, comprising a rechargeable battery.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to be supported by the wall socket.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to operate without further action by a user after coupling to the electrical grid through the wall socket.

22. A system for monitoring an electrical grid comprising:

a plurality of portable devices configured to connect to a plurality of respective wall sockets connected to an electrical grid, wherein each of the plurality of portable devices comprises;

an electrical connector for coupling to the electrical grid through a wall socket;

a detector for detecting at least one property of electricity provided by the electrical grid through the wall socket;

a receiver for receiving clock signals from a remote clock synchronization source through an antenna of the portable device; and

a sampler for sampling a respective detected property and recording sampled values in a memory, wherein the variation of the values with time represents a waveform of the respective property and the sampler samples at a rate of at least 50 kilo-samples-per-second to record variations of the property within a period of the waveform,

wherein each of the plurality of portable devices associates at least a portion of the sampled values with at least one clock signal; and

a server that communicates over a network with each of the plurality of portable devices to receive at least a respective portion of the sampled values associated with the at least one clock signal.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the system aggregates received sampled values and associated clock signals by using the associated clock signals as markers to compare the sampled values received from one of the plurality of portable devices with the sampled values received from the others of the plurality of portable devices.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the system detects a feature of the electrical grid by analyzing the aggregated sampled values.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the system determines an area of the electrical grid affected by the feature.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the system determines a location affected by the feature within the area of the grid.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the system detects the feature within a low voltage portion of the electrical grid.

28. A method for monitoring the properties of an electrical grid comprising:

at a portable electronic device;

receiving electricity from the electrical grid through a wall socket to which the portable electronic device is connected;

detecting at least one property of electricity provided by the electrical grid through the wall socket;

receiving at least one clock signal from a remote clock synchronization source through an antenna of the portable electronic device;

sampling a respective detected property and recording sampled values in a memory, wherein the variation of the values with time represents a waveform of the respective property and the respective detected property is sampled at a rate of at least 50 kilo-samples-per-second to record variations of the respective detected property within a period of the waveform; and

associating at least a portion of the sampled values with at least one clock signal.