Utility Network Fault Prioritization Using User Population Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fault monitoring systems in utility supply networks, particularly cellular telecommunications, struggle to accurately prioritize maintenance resources due to reliance on user status checks and revenue generation, which can be misleading and inaccurate, especially with low app penetration and varying user perceptions of service quality.
Innovation Solution
A method that combines user queries with population estimation and regional analysis to determine priority for fault investigation and remediation, using subjective and objective data from mobile devices to define suspect regions and calculate user populations, accounting for temporal variations and market penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fault prioritization is based on revenue generation or number of status checks, then maintenance resources can be allocated according to perceived user impact, but the accuracy of prioritization deteriorates due to misleading metrics and varying user perceptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces population data as an intermediary factor to bridge the gap between fault detection and actual user impact. By combining fault status with population estimates for each cell area, the system creates a more accurate prioritization metric that reflects real user impact rather than relying on misleading status check counts or revenue data alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters used for fault prioritization from traditional metrics (revenue, status check count) to a new parameter framework that incorporates population data, cell area, and fault severity. This parameter transformation enables more accurate prioritization by directly relating faults to the number of affected users rather than indirect proxies.
2Reliability
If the network monitors all faults and alarms, then complete fault detection is achieved, but the ability to respond effectively deteriorates due to resource constraints and overwhelming fault volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments faults into different priority levels based on their impact on user populations. By categorizing faults according to the number of affected users and severity, the system enables selective response strategies that match resource availability with fault importance, preventing operational paralysis from overwhelming fault volumes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by focusing maintenance resources on faults that affect the largest number of users rather than attempting to address all faults equally. This selective approach ensures that limited resources are concentrated on the most impactful issues, improving overall response efficiency while maintaining reliability for critical faults.
3Reliability
If maintenance resources are deployed to repair all failed sites, then complete service restoration is achieved, but the effectiveness of resource allocation deteriorates due to inability to inspect and diagnose all faults
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by using population data and fault analysis to pre-rank and prioritize faults before maintenance resources are deployed. This preliminary prioritization ensures that the most impactful faults are identified and prepared for immediate attention, streamlining the subsequent diagnosis and repair process rather than attempting to handle all faults equally.
Data Source
AI summary
A first aspect of the invention provides a method of fault monitoring in a utility supply network, the method comprising: receiving user queries, each user query about a performance of the network at a respective location; defining a region based on the locations specified in the received user queries; determining an estimate of a user population in the region; and according the region, based on the estimate, a priority for one or more of fault investigation and remediation.