Identifying devices using power data and network data

• US 9,942,630 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2017
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sense Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sense Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Petri, Jonah Wyman, Micali, Christopher M., Phillips, Michael S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NWUGO, OJIAKO K
• Application Number:
  US15/599,466
• Time in Patent Office: 326 Days
• Field of Search: 3408702, 34087019
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/75 by polling or interrogating the sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Devices in a building may be identified using a combination of power monitoring and network monitoring. Power monitoring may be performed by obtaining a power monitoring signal and processing the power monitoring signal with models to determine information about one or more devices in the building. Network monitoring may be performed by receiving information about network packets transmitted by devices in the building and processing the information about the network packets to determine information about one or more devices in the building. For some devices and some implementations, information about a device may be determined by using both power monitoring and network monitoring. The information about a device may include, for example, a type (e.g., a dishwasher), make, or version of a device.

Claims

1. A system for identifying devices in a building, the system comprising:

at least one computer comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one computer configured to;

obtain a power monitoring signal by measuring an electrical property of a power line in the building, wherein the power line provides power to the devices in the building;

process a first power event in the power monitoring signal with a plurality of power models to generate a score for each power model of the plurality of power models, wherein the first power event corresponds to a state change of a first device;

determine first information about the first device using the scores;

cause the first device to be updated in a device list using the first information about the first device;

receive a first broadcast network packet, wherein the first broadcast network packet was sent by a second device;

determine, using information in the first broadcast network packet, second information about the second device;

cause the second device to be updated in the device list using the second information about the second device;

receive a request for information about devices in the building from a user device; and

transmit the first information about the first device and the second information about the second device to the user device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first information about the first device comprises a type of the first device, a make of the first device, or a version of the first device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer is configured to:

receive a second broadcast network packet, wherein the second broadcast network packet was sent by the first device; and

determine the first information about the first device using the plurality of scores and information in the second broadcast network packet.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein a type of the first device is determined using the plurality of scores and a make of the first device is determined using the information in the second broadcast network packet.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first power event in the power monitoring signal occurs before receiving the second broadcast network packet.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one computer is configured to select the second broadcast network packet by comparing a time of the first power event and a time of the second broadcast network packet.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer comprises a power monitor installed in the building and a server computer with a network connection to the power monitor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the information in the first broadcast network packet comprises an identifier of the second device and wherein the at least one computer is configured to obtain the second information about the second device from a data store using the identifier of the second device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer is configured to determine second information about the second device by processing the information in the first broadcast network packet with a plurality of rules, wherein each rule of the plurality of rules comprises comparing information in the network packet to at least one condition.

10. A computer-implemented method for identifying devices in a building, the method comprising:

obtaining a power monitoring signal by measuring an electrical property of a power line in the building, wherein the power line provides power to the devices in the building;

processing a first power event in the power monitoring signal with a plurality of power models to generate a score for each power model of the plurality of power models, wherein the first power event corresponds to a state change of a first device;

determining first information about the first device using the scores;

causing the first device to be updated in a device list using the first information about the first device;

receiving a first broadcast network packet, wherein the first broadcast network packet was sent by a second device;

determining, using information in the first broadcast network packet, second information about the second device; and

causing the second device to be updated in the device list using the second information about the second device.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the power monitoring signal indicates a current or voltage of the power line.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, comprising:

receiving a plurality of broadcast network packets, wherein each of the plurality of broadcast network packets was sent by the first device; and

determining the first information about the first device using the plurality of scores and information in the plurality of broadcast network packets.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein determining the second information about the second device comprises:

processing the information in the first broadcast network packet with a plurality of network models to generate a second score for each network model of the plurality of network models; and

determining the second information about the second device using the second scores for the plurality of network models.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein determining the second information about the second device comprises:

generating a second score for each identification model of a plurality of identification models, wherein each identification model processes a second power event in the power monitoring signal and the information in the first broadcast network packet; and

determining the second information about the second device using the second scores for the plurality of identification models.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, comprising:

receiving a plurality of broadcast network packets, wherein each broadcast network packet of the plurality of broadcast network packets was sent by the second device; and

determining the second information about the second device using the information in the plurality of broadcast network packets.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein determining the second information comprises using a first time corresponding to the first broadcast network packet and a second time corresponding to a second broadcast network packet.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform actions comprising:

obtaining a power monitoring signal by measuring an electrical property of a power line in the building, wherein the power line provides power to the devices in the building;

processing a first power event in the power monitoring signal with a plurality of power models to generate a score for each power model of the plurality of power models, wherein the first power event corresponds to a state change of a first device;

determining first information about the first device using the scores;

causing the first device to be updated in a device list using the first information about the first device;

receiving a first broadcast network packet, wherein the first broadcast network packet was sent by a second device;

determining, using information in the first broadcast network packet, second information about the second device; and

causing the second device to be updated in the device list using the second information about the second device.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein determining the first information about the first device comprises selecting a highest scoring power model and wherein the first information corresponds to the highest scoring power model.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the second information about the second device comprises a type of the second device, a make of the second device, or a version of the second device.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein determining second information about the second device comprises processing the information in the first broadcast network packet with a plurality of rules.