Voting scheme for time alignment
View Patent ↗Systems and methods for time aligning time-stamped measurements using a voting scheme are disclosed. The system and method filter incoming measurements based on whether the time-stamped measurements fall within a defined time window. In response to determining that the time stamp falls within the defined time window, the time-stamped measurement is added to a time slice corresponding with the time stamp. In response to determining that the time-stamped measurement does not fall within the defined time window, the time window is re-established based on a voting scheme.
1. A method comprising:
receiving a time-stamped measurement at a phasor data concentrator;
determining that the time-stamped measurement does not fall within a defined time window; and
in response to determining that the time-stamped measurement does not fall within the defined time window:
re-establishing the defined time window based on a voting scheme;
determining that the time-stamped measurement falls within the re-established defined time window; and
adding the time-stamped measurement to a new time slice corresponding to a time stamp associated with the time-stamped measurement.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
establishing the defined time window based on user input.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the time-stamped measurement includes the next expected time stamp and advancing the re-established defined time window.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein re-establishing the defined time window comprises:
tallying votes to determine a valid current time from a plurality of time stamps, wherein each measurement source provides a respective time stamp of the plurality of time stamps; and
re-establishing the defined time window based on the valid current time and user input.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein each respective time stamp receives one vote for contributing a time stamp, one vote for a determination that the measurement source is an active source, and one vote for a determination that the measurement source provides a time stamp with good time quality.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a time slice is complete;
outputting the complete time slice; and
constraining the time window based on the outputted time slice.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that a time slice has expired;
outputting the expired time slice; and
constraining the time window based on the outputted time slice.
8. A method comprising:
receiving a time-stamped measurement at a phasor data concentrator;
determining that a time slice does not exist for the time-stamped measurement;
determining that the time-stamped measurement falls within a defined time window; and
in response to determining that the time-stamped measurement falls within the defined time window, adding the time-stamped measurement to a new time slice corresponding to a time stamp associated with the time-stamped measurement.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
establishing the defined time window based on user input.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining that the time-stamped measurement includes the next expected time stamp and advancing the defined time window.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
in response to determining that the time stamped measurement does not fall within the defined time window, re-establishing the defined time window based on a voting scheme.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein re-establishing the defined time window comprises:
tallying votes to determine a valid current time from a plurality of time stamps, wherein each measurement source provides a respective time stamp of the plurality of time stamps; and
re-establishing the time window based on the valid current time and user input.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein each respective time stamp receives one vote for contributing a time stamp, one vote for a determination that the measurement source is an active source, and one vote for a determination that the measurement source provides a time stamp with good time quality.
14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining that a time slice is complete;
outputting the complete time slice; and
constraining the time window based on the outputted time slice.
15. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
determining that a time slice has expired;
outputting the expired time slice; and
constraining the time window based on the outputted time slice.
16. A phasor data concentrator comprising:
an input configured to receive a time-stamped measurement;
a time alignment module configured to:
determine that a time slice does not exist for the time-stamped measurement;
determine that the time-stamped measurement falls within a defined time window and create a new time slice corresponding to a time stamp associated with the time-stamped measurement and add the time-stamped measurement to the new time slice;
finalize a time slice; and
an output configured to output the finalized time slice.
17. The phasor data concentrator of claim 16 , wherein the time alignment module, in response to determining that the time-stamped measurement does not fall within the defined time window, is further configured to re-establish the defined time window based on a voting scheme.
18. The phasor data concentrator of claim 16 , wherein the time alignment module is configured to establish the defined time window based on user input.
19. The phasor data concentrator of claim 16 , wherein the time alignment module is further configured to:
determine whether the time-stamped measurement includes the next expected time stamp; and
in response to determining that the time-stamped measurement includes the next expected time stamp, advance the defined time window.
20. The phasor data concentrator of claim 16 , wherein the time alignment module is configured to:
tally votes to determine a valid current time from a plurality of time stamps, wherein each measurement source provides a respective time stamp of the plurality of time stamps; and
re-establish the time window based on the valid current time and user input.
21. The phasor data concentrator of claim 20 , wherein each respective time stamp receives one vote for contributing a time stamp, one vote for a determination the measurement source is an active source, and one vote for a determination the measurement source provides a time stamp with good time quality.
22. The phasor data concentrator of claim 16 , wherein the time alignment module, to finalize a time slice, is configured to:
determine whether a time slice is complete; and
constrain the time window based on the complete time slice.
23. The phasor data concentrator of claim 16 , wherein the time alignment module, to finalize a time slice, is configured to:
determine whether a time slice is expired; and
constrain the time window based on the expired time slice.