Proactive Power Outage Alerts Using Smart Meter Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power outage notification systems fail to provide accurate and timely notifications to customers due to unreliable determination of power conditions at specific customer locations, leading to erroneous and over notifications, which affects customer satisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A proactive power outage alerts notification system that analyzes selective wireless messages from smart meters to determine power conditions across a power distribution network, using a smart decision algorithm and limited bandwidth communication network to minimize message bottlenecks, allowing for reliable determination of power ON/OFF conditions and timely notifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional power outage notification systems are used, then customers can receive notifications, but the notifications are erroneous and untimely due to unreliable determination of power conditions at specific customer locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces smart meters as intermediary devices between the power distribution network and the central monitoring station. These smart meters act as local sensors that directly measure power conditions at customer premises and relay this information to the central system, eliminating the reliance on indirect or unreliable determination methods used in conventional systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where smart meters continuously monitor power conditions and send real-time status updates to the central monitoring station. This feedback loop enables the system to dynamically track power ON/OFF conditions and generate accurate, timely notifications based on actual measured conditions rather than estimates.
2Productivity
If smart meters communicate via wireless network, then real-time monitoring is enabled, but the limited bandwidth causes communication failures and message bottlenecks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and prioritizes only the essential information (power ON/OFF status changes) for transmission over the wireless network. By filtering out non-critical data and focusing only on significant power condition changes, the system reduces communication load and minimizes message bottlenecks while maintaining real-time monitoring capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of continuous data transmission, the system uses periodic action by triggering communications only when power condition changes occur (e.g., when power transitions from ON to OFF or vice versa). This event-driven approach reduces network traffic while ensuring timely notification of actual power status changes.
3Loss of information
If the central monitoring station monitors all smart meters, then complete information is obtained, but the system complexity and bandwidth requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monitoring function by distributing intelligence to individual smart meters at customer premises. Each smart meter independently determines its local power condition status, eliminating the need for the central monitoring station to directly monitor and process data from every single meter. This segmentation reduces central system complexity while maintaining information completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
Smart meters are designed to autonomously determine their own power condition status without requiring direct central control or continuous querying. Each meter self-monitors its local conditions and self-determines when to communicate status changes, reducing the computational and communication burden on the central monitoring station while ensuring complete information is captured.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, an alternative system, and a computer readable storage medium, for a power outage notification system that proactively manages communication of power outage alerts messages to customers of a power distribution system. Wireless communications between smart meters at the edge of an electrical power distribution network and a proactive outage alerts processing engine at an outage alerts notification information processing system facilitate management of communications of power outage alerts messages to customer communication devices. Power outage alerts messages can be communicated to customers using email messaging, text messaging, and voice mail messaging.