Network Interface Device Power Outage Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current power outage notification systems, such as those used in smart grids and home healthcare monitoring, lack the granularity to detect localized power outages at specific addresses or street levels, often resulting in undetected issues until customer complaints are made, and can generate false alarms due to broadband router shutdowns during outages.
Innovation Solution
A network device system that receives loss-of-power alarms from network interface devices, associates them with specific customer premises addresses, and identifies power outages within defined regions by querying a database and filtering alarms to provide location-specific notifications to service entities based on configured criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If transformer-level monitoring is used in SCADA systems, then system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision and detection capability deteriorate because outages cannot be localized to specific addresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monitoring system into multiple hierarchical levels: transformer-level monitoring (via SCADA) and premises-level monitoring (via NIDs). This segmentation allows the system to maintain simplicity at the transformer level while adding granular monitoring capability at individual premises without requiring complete system replacement. The NID acts as an independent monitoring unit that can detect outages at the specific address level.
Solution Approach 2:
The network interface device (NID) serves as an intermediary between the power distribution system and the monitoring system. It receives power from the utility, provides customer service, and simultaneously monitors for power loss conditions. The NID translates physical power loss into detectable electrical signals (loss of voltage, current, or communication) that can be reported to the monitoring system, enabling precise localization without complicating the overall architecture.
2Reliability
If premises-level monitoring via NID is implemented, then measurement precision and reliability are improved by detecting localized outages, but device complexity and loss of time increase due to additional alarm processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the NID with monitoring parameters and thresholds before power loss occurs. The NID continuously monitors electrical parameters and is ready to immediately detect and report outages. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for complex real-time analysis when an outage occurs, as the detection logic is already in place and can quickly identify the loss condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the NID reports power loss conditions to the monitoring system, which then provides confirmation or additional information back to the NID. This feedback loop allows for verification of outage conditions and reduces false alarms. The monitoring system can send queries back to the NID to confirm the outage status before triggering service entity notifications, ensuring reliable detection without unnecessary delays.
3Measurement precision
If multiple loss-of-power alarms are received from different NIDs, then measurement precision is improved by identifying regional outages, but device complexity increases due to the need for alarm normalization and duplicate elimination
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple alarm data streams from different NIDs into a unified alarm log. When outages occur in a region, multiple NIDs generate alarms that are consolidated into a single regional outage record. This merging process automatically groups related alarms by geographic location and time, eliminating duplicates and providing a comprehensive view of the outage scope without requiring complex manual processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system performs multiple functions through a single integrated platform: it receives alarms from numerous NIDs, stores them in a unified log, analyzes patterns to identify regional outages, eliminates duplicates, and generates notifications to service entities. This multi-functional approach consolidates what could be separate complex processes into one system, reducing overall complexity while maintaining high measurement precision for outage region identification.
Data Source
AI summary
A network device receives notification configuration information that includes a time interval criteria and a selected geographical area for providing power outage notifications. The network device receives, during a particular time interval, a loss-of-power alarm from a network interface device (NID) associated with a customer premises. The loss-of-power alarm includes a particular NID identifier. The network device retrieves, from a database, customer configuration information that associates the particular NID identifier with a particular address and identifies a power outage in a particular region associated with the particular address. The identifying is based on receiving the loss-of-power alarm and determining if other loss-of-power alarms have been received from other NIDs in the same region and within the particular time interval.