Multichannel Power Grid Sensor Fingerprinting for Installation Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Technicians face difficulties in correctly identifying and servicing electrical cables in multi-phase power lines due to confusion about which cables belong to which phase, leading to potential incorrect sensor installation and increased time and cost in detecting and correcting faults.
Innovation Solution
A multichannel electrical power grid monitoring system that uses sensors to capture data and determine the correct installation and orientation of sensors on power cables, generating a 'fingerprint' for each cable and power line to accurately identify them and implement self-healing techniques to automatically correct installation errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If technicians manually identify and service electrical cables in multi-phase power lines, then they can perform maintenance tasks, but they face difficulty correctly identifying which cables belong to which phase leading to potential incorrect sensor installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automated monitoring system with sensors and computing devices that act as intermediaries between the electrical cables and technicians. The system automatically identifies cables, determines their phase assignments, and verifies sensor installations, eliminating the need for technicians to manually identify cables and reducing installation errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical identification methods with automated electronic sensing and computational analysis. Sensors automatically detect electrical characteristics, and computing devices analyze data to identify cables and verify installations, substituting human visual inspection and manual testing with automated electronic systems.
2Productivity
If technicians service electrical cables manually, then maintenance can be performed, but it increases the time and cost to identify and correct faults
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system operates continuously, constantly monitoring electrical characteristics and analyzing data to detect faults as they occur. This continuous operation eliminates the need for periodic manual inspections and enables immediate fault detection, reducing both response time and overall maintenance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements closed-loop feedback by continuously monitoring electrical characteristics, comparing measurements against expected values, and automatically alerting to anomalies. This real-time feedback mechanism enables rapid fault detection and notification, reducing the time required to identify and respond to issues compared to manual inspection methods.
3Reliability
If sensors are installed on electrical cables, then monitoring capability is provided, but incorrect installation makes it more difficult to detect faults
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of sensor installations by automatically checking electrical characteristics immediately after installation. The computing device analyzes sensor data to confirm correct placement and orientation before the system begins full monitoring operations, preventing faulty installations from compromising reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system performs self-verification of sensor installations by automatically analyzing electrical characteristics and comparing them against expected patterns. The system independently determines whether sensors are correctly installed without requiring manual verification, reducing installation complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques, methods, systems and articles are described for monitoring electrical equipment of a power grid, identifying installation and/or configuration errors of such electrical equipment, and automatically correcting the errors. In one example, a system includes at least one processor and a plurality of sensors coupled to a multi-phase power line comprising a plurality of electrical cables that are each associated with a respective phase. The plurality of sensors are configured to generate sensor data that is indicative of one or more conditions of the electrical cables. The at least one processor is configured to receive the sensor data and determine, based at least in part on the sensor data, whether a sensor of the plurality of sensors is installed correctly. The at least one processor is also configured to perform an action in response to determining that the sensor is not installed correctly.