IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,021,383
Granted Patent B2
US 12,021,383 · App. 18/137,948 · Granted Jun 25, 2024

Distance-to-fault power outage notification

Inventors: Taylor Spalt (Providence, RI); Ning Li (Mansfield, MA); Marissa Hummon (Golden, CO)
H02J3/0012G08B21/182G08B21/185H02J13/00002
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,021,383
App. No.
18/137,948
Granted
Jun 25, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods comprising a metering device located on an electricity distribution grid, the metering device comprising one or more processors and memory. The metering device can detect a drop in characteristic of electricity below a threshold indicating a fault on the electricity distribution grid. The metering device can generate, responsive to the drop in the characteristic of electricity below the threshold, a time series of a rate of change of the characteristic of electricity for a predetermined number of cycles subsequent to the detection of the drop. The metering device can determine, based on a comparison of the time series of the rate of change with a predetermined pattern, a location of the metering device on the electricity distribution grid relative to a location of the fault on the electricity distribution grid.

Claims (45)

1. A metering device, comprising:

one or more processors, coupled with memory, to:

detect a fault on a grid;

generate, responsive to detection of the fault, a time series of a rate of change of at least one of a voltage or a current of electricity distributed via the grid; and

determine a location of the fault with respect to the metering device based on a comparison of the time series of the rate of change with a predetermined pattern.

2. The metering device of claim 1 , comprising:

a measurement circuit to measure the at least one of the voltage or the current of the electricity.

3. The metering device of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to detect the fault based on a comparison of the at least one of the voltage or the current of the electricity with a threshold.

4. The metering device of claim 1 , comprising the one or more processors to:

identify a drop in the at least one of the voltage or the current below a threshold that indicates the fault on the grid.

5. The metering device of claim 1 , wherein the fault corresponds to a power outage on the grid.

6. The metering device of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to determine the rate of change of the at least one of the voltage or the current based on a derivative in time of a root mean square of the at least one of the voltage or the current.

7. The metering device of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to determine the time series of the rate of change of the at least one of the voltage or the current for a predetermined time period subsequent to detection of the fault.

8. The metering device of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to determine the time series of the rate of change of the at least one of the voltage or the current for a predetermined number of cycles subsequent to detection of the fault.

9. The metering device of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to provide, via a network to a server, an indication of the location of the fault to a data processing system remote from the metering device, wherein the indication of the location indicates that the fault is one of downstream from the metering device or upstream from the metering device.

10. The metering device of claim 1 , comprising:

the one or more processors to provide, via a network to a server, a power outage notification subsequent to detection of the fault, wherein the power outage notification comprises at least one of the time series of the rate of change or an indication of the location of the fault.

11. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a metering device comprising one or more processors coupled with memory, a fault on a grid;

generating, by the metering device, responsive to detection of the fault, a time series of a rate of change of at least one of a voltage or a current of electricity distributed via the grid; and

determining, by the metering device, a location of the fault with respect to the metering device based on a comparison of the time series of the rate of change with a predetermined pattern.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

measuring, by a measurement circuit of the metering device, the at least one of the voltage or the current of the electricity.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

identifying, by the metering device, a drop in the at least one of the voltage or the current below a threshold that indicates the fault on the grid.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fault corresponds to a power outage on the grid.

15. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

determining, by the metering device, the rate of change of the at least one of the voltage or the current based on a derivative in time of a root mean square of the at least one of the voltage or the current.

16. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

determining, by the metering device, the time series of the rate of change of the at least one of the voltage or the current for a predetermined time period subsequent to detection of the fault.

17. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

determining, by the metering device, the time series of the rate of change of the at least one of the voltage or the current for a predetermined number of cycles subsequent to detection of the fault.

18. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

providing, by the metering device via a network to a server, an indication of the location of the fault to a data processing system remote from the metering device, wherein the indication of the location indicates that the fault is one of downstream from the metering device or upstream from the metering device.

19. The method of claim 11 , comprising:

providing, by the metering device via a network to a server, a power outage notification subsequent to detection of the fault, wherein the power outage notification comprises at least one of the time series of the rate of change or an indication of the location of the fault.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect a fault on a grid;

generate, responsive to detection of the fault, a time series of a rate of change of at least one of a voltage or a current of electricity distributed via the grid; and

determine a location of the fault relative to a metering device that measured the at least one of the voltage or the current based on a comparison of the time series of the rate of change with a predetermined pattern.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2024
From: SPALT, TAYLOR; LI, NING; HUMMON, MARISSA
To: UTILIDATA, INC.
Reel/Frame 069068/0822 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 17840290 · Jun 14, 2022
Provisional Application 63210625 · Jun 15, 2021
Related Publication 20230299578A1 · Sep 21, 2023