Dynamically distributing processing among nodes in a wireless mesh network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10511657-B2
Application number	US-201916279144-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2019
Priority date	Apr 27, 2018
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

A service node performs computational tasks or other operations on behalf of a meter or other network device. A meter may collect data regarding electric parameters associated with an electric distribution network. When analysis of the collected data is required, the meter may determine that it requires the resources of a service node. The meter may send a request to a directory node to identify a service node or it may send a request seeking a service node. The service node performs the analysis and sends the results of the analysis back to the meter. The service nodes supports the dynamic distributed processing of analytic services.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first node capable of collecting data related to an operation of an electrical grid at a premises; and
a second node connected to the first node via a wireless mesh network and capable of providing analytic services to a plurality of nodes connected via the wireless mesh network, the second node being topologically located in a layer below a root node of the wireless mesh network,
wherein the first node is configured for:
determining that it requires services of another node to perform an analysis using the collected data; and
in response to determining that it requires services of another node to analyze the collected data, sending a service request to the second node to request analytic services, the service request further comprising the collected data; and
wherein the second node is configured for in response to receiving the service request, providing the analytic services by performing an analysis using the collected data; and
returning, via the wireless mesh network, a response message to the first node, the response message comprising a result of the analysis that indicates a status of a component of the electrical grid that is associated with the first node.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the collected data comprise one or more of power data, phase data, electric current data, frequency data, voltage data, consumption data, or load data of the electrical grid measured over a plurality of time intervals at the premises.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first node is further configured for using the result of the analysis to perform one or more of updating a value of the first node, modifying a configuration of the first node, controlling an internal or external component of the first node, or reporting the result to another node in the wireless mesh network.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first node determines that it requires services of another node by analyzing the collected data.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second node is further configured to perform the analysis using data communicated with one or more other nodes of the wireless mesh network.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second node is capable of providing directory services to the first node and other nodes on the wireless mesh network, wherein the second node stores information about a plurality of service nodes and a service associated with each service node, including information about the second node and the analytic services provided by the second node.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the second node is configured for performing a portion of the analysis and sending a second service request to a third node to perform a remaining portion of the analysis.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a third node connected to the first node via a wireless mesh network and capable of providing analytic services to the first node, wherein the first node is configured to send a second service request to the third node to have the analysis performed by the second node and the third node in parallel.

9. A method, comprising:
collecting, by a first node, data related to an operation of an electrical grid at a premises;
determining, by the first node, that it requires services of another node to perform an analysis using the collected data;
in response to determining that it requires services of another node to analyze the collected data, sending, by the first node, a service request to a second node to request analytic services, the service request comprising the collected data, wherein the second node is connected to the first node via a wireless mesh network, is topologically located in a layer below a root node of the wireless mesh network and is capable of providing analytic services to a plurality of nodes connected via the wireless mesh network; and
receiving, by the first node via the wireless mesh network, a response message from the second node, the response message comprising a result generated by the analytic services that indicates a status of a component of the electrical grid that is associated with the first node.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the collected data comprise one or more of power data, phase data, electric current data, frequency data, voltage data, consumption data, or load data of the electrical grid measured over a plurality of time intervals at the premises.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the service request further comprises one or more of an address of the first node or a type of service requested.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first node is further configured for using the result of the analysis to perform one or more of updating a value of the first node, modifying a configuration of the first node, controlling an internal or external component of the first node, or reporting the result to another node in the wireless mesh network.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first node is associated with a first meter located at the premises and the second node is associated with a second meter located at another premises.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising sending a second service request to a third node to cause analysis performed by the second node and the third node in parallel, wherein the third node is connected to the first node via a wireless mesh network and capable of providing analytic services to the first node.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first node stores information about services provided by the second node, and the first node uses the stored information to select the second node to receive the service request.

16. A method, comprising:
collecting, by a first node located at a point on an electric distribution network, data related to an operation of the electric distribution network;
determining, by the first node, that an analysis of the collected data is needed and that the first node requires services of another node to perform an analysis using the collected data;
transmitting, by the first node via a wireless mesh network, a service request to a second node that is capable of performing the analysis of the collected data, wherein the second node is connected to the first node via the wireless mesh network and is topologically located in a layer below a root node of the wireless mesh network, and wherein the service request identifies a service for performing the analysis and includes the collected data; and
receiving, by the first node, a response from the second node via the wireless mesh network, the response comprising at least one result of the analysis of the collected data.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the data related to an operation of the electric distribution network comprises phase data or voltage data measured over a plurality of time intervals at the point of the electric distribution network.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first node is further configured for using the result of the analysis to perform one or more of updating a value of the first node, modifying a configuration of the first node, controlling an internal or external component of the first node, or reporting the result to another node in the wireless mesh network.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first node is associated with a first meter located at the point of the electric distribution network and the second node is associated with a second meter located at another point of the electric distribution network.

Assignees

• Landis & Gyr Innovations Inc

Inventors

• Torpy Keith
• Salazar Ruben
• Decker David
• Turner James Randall

Classifications

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• H04W40/246

  Connectivity information discovery · CPC title

• H04L45/02

  Topology update or discovery · CPC title

• H04L67/10 Primary

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04Q9/00

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title