Alarming based on resource consumption data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9441987-B2
Application number	US-201113243975-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2011
Priority date	Jun 24, 2011
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

Consumption data of utility resources such as gas and water may be used to detect conditions that, left unchecked, may lead to a natural gas explosion, flood, or other event. A data collection device may be configured to monitor consumption of a resource through a utility meter at a location in substantially real time. The data collection device may detect abnormal consumption of the resource at the location, and transmit an alert indicating the abnormal consumption of the resource to a remote computing device. The data collection device may additionally initiate a mitigating action to prevent an event based on the abnormal resource consumption.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a data collection device, configure the one or more processors of the data collection device to perform acts comprising:
monitoring a flow rate of natural gas through a utility meter at a location in substantially real time;
detecting abnormal consumption of the natural gas at the location based on the flow rate through the utility meter by:
determining that the flow rate of the natural gas exceeds a predetermined threshold consumption rate for a predetermined threshold amount of time, the predetermined threshold consumption rate varying over time, the predetermined threshold consumption rate including a first threshold consumption rate at a first time during the predetermined threshold amount of time and including a second threshold consumption rate at a second time during the predetermined threshold amount of time, at least one of the first threshold consumption rate or the second threshold consumption rate being based on at least one of a time of year, a current temperature, or an occupancy status; and
comparing the flow of the natural gas with one or more predetermined normal consumption patterns, the one or more predetermined normal consumption patterns being based at least in part on:
average natural gas consumption for other locations similarly situated to the location; or
average natural gas consumption by other customers similarly situated to a customer currently associated with the utility meter;

determining that an amount of abnormal consumption of the natural gas is sufficient to cause an explosion or fire;
determining, based on the flow rate, that the abnormal consumption occurs on a customer side of the utility meter; and
transmitting an alert indicating the abnormal consumption of the natural gas to a remote computing device.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the one or more predetermined normal consumption patterns further being based at least in part on:
historical natural gas consumption through the utility meter; and/or
historical natural gas consumption by the customer currently associated with the utility meter.

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the alert is transmitted periodically or continuously.

4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the alert is transmitted more frequently and/or with a higher importance than consumption data is otherwise transmitted by the data collection device.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the alert indicates a time at which the abnormal consumption of the natural gas began.

6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the acts further comprise initiating a mitigating action to prevent an event based on the abnormal consumption of the natural gas.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6 , wherein the mitigating action comprises:
turning off flow of the natural gas to the location;
alerting occupants of the location and/or nearby locations; and/or
turning off power to the location.

8. A method comprising:
under control of a utility central office computing device located remotely to a utility meter, the central office computing device configured with computer-executable instructions:
receiving, at the utility central office computing device, data logging data comprising flow rate data of natural gas, the data logging data originating from the utility meter at a location, the utility meter having at least a utility company side that is upstream of the meter and a consumer side that is downstream of the meter;
based at least in part on the data logging data, determining that a current flow rate at the location corresponds to an abnormal consumption of the natural gas at the location by:
determining that the current flow rate exceeds a predetermined threshold consumption rate for a predetermined threshold amount of time, the predetermined threshold consumption rate including a first threshold consumption rate at a first time during the predetermined threshold amount of time and including a second threshold consumption rate at a second time during the predetermined threshold amount of time, at least one of the first threshold consumption rate or the second threshold consumption rate being based on at least one of a time of year, a current temperature, or an occupancy status; and
comparing the flow rate of the natural gas with one or more predetermined normal consumption patterns, the one or more predetermined normal consumption patterns being based at least in part on:
average natural gas consumption for other locations similarly situated to the location; or
average natural gas consumption by other customers similarly situated to a customer currently associated with the utility meter;

determining, based on the flow rate, that the abnormal consumption is occurring on a customer side of the utility meter; and
alerting a utility, a customer associated with the utility meter, emergency services, and/or a third party of the abnormal consumption of the natural gas.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the one or more predetermined normal consumption patterns further being based at least in part on:
historical natural gas consumption through the utility meter; and/or
historical natural gas consumption by the customer currently associated with the utility meter.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising initiating a mitigating action to prevent an event based on the abnormal consumption of the natural gas.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the mitigating action comprises:
turning off flow of the natural gas to the location;
alerting occupants of the location and/or nearby locations; and/or
turning off power to the location.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining that an amount of the abnormal consumption of the natural gas is sufficient to cause an explosion or fire.

13. A computing device comprising:
one or more processors;
memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
storing flow rate data of natural gas through a utility meter at a location, the utility meter having at least a utility company side that is upstream of the meter and a consumer side that is downstream of the meter;
determining that a current flow rate at the location is an abnormal consumption of natural gas at the location by:
determining that the current flow rate exceeds a predetermined threshold consumption rate for a predetermined threshold amount of time, the predetermined threshold consumption rate including a first threshold consumption rate at a first time during the predetermined threshold amount of time and including a second threshold consumption rate at a second time during the predetermined threshold amount of time; and
comparing the flow rate of the natural gas with one or more predetermined normal consumption patterns, the one or more predetermined normal consumption patterns being based at least in part on:
average natural gas consumption for other locations similarly situated to the location; or
average natural gas consumption by other customers similarly situated to a customer currently associated with the utility meter;

determining, based on the flow rate, that the abnormal consumption is occurring on a customer side of the utility meter; and
alerting a utility, a customer associated with the utility meter, emergency

Assignees

• Cornwall Mark K
• Itron Inc

Inventors

• Cornwall Mark K

Classifications

• Y04S20/32

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02B90/241

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G01D4/002 Primary

  Remote reading of utility meters · CPC title

• Y04S20/36

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• H04Q2209/60

  for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter · CPC title