Methods and apparatus for determining conditions of power lines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9647454-B2
Application number	US-201213546689-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2012
Priority date	Aug 31, 2011
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

Techniques for determining conditions of power lines in a power distribution system based on measurements collected by a plurality of sensor units deployed in the power distribution system. Techniques include obtaining first transformed data associated with a first set of one or more measurements collected by a first sensor unit in the plurality of sensor units and second transformed data associated with a second set of one or more measurements collected by a second sensor unit in the plurality of sensor units, and determining, by using at least one processor and based at least in part on one or more features calculated from the first transformed data and the second transformed data, at least one condition of at least one power line in the power distribution system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining conditions of power lines in a power distribution system based on measurements collected by a plurality of sensor units deployed in the power distribution system, the method comprising:
obtaining first transformed data associated with a first set of one or more measurements collected by a first sensor unit in the plurality of sensor units and second transformed data associated with a second set of one or more measurements collected by a second sensor unit in the plurality of sensor units, the first transformed data comprising a first plurality of transform coefficient values calculated by applying a multiresolution shift invariant transformation to the first set of measurements, the second transformed data comprising a second plurality of transform coefficient values calculated by applying the multiresolution shift-invariant transformation to the second set of measurements;
determining a first energy of a first subset of transform coefficient values in the first plurality of transform coefficient values, the first subset comprising transform coefficient values associated with a first resolution;
determining a second energy of a second subset of transform coefficient values in the second plurality of transform coefficient values, the second subset comprising transform coefficient values associated with the first resolution; and
determining, by using at least one processor and based at least in part on a result of comparing the first energy and the second energy, a condition affecting at least one power line in the power distribution system,
wherein the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit are coupled to different power line segments.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
obtaining the first transformed data comprises applying the multiresolution shift-invariant transformation to the first set of measurements to produce the first plurality of transform coefficient values, and
obtaining the second transformed data comprises applying the multiresolution shift-invariant transformation to the second set of measurements to produce the second plurality of transform coefficient values.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein applying the multiresolution shift-invariant transformation to the first data comprises applying a shift-invariant wavelet transformation to the first set of measurements.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
obtaining the first transformed data comprises receiving the first plurality of transform coefficient values; and
obtaining the second transformed data comprises receiving the second plurality of transform coefficient values.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying information indicative of a location of the condition along the at least one power line based on location order of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit along a power line with respect to a substation.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the condition comprises identifying a type of the condition as a type of condition associated with animal contact with the at least one power line, lightning strike, tree contact with the at least one power line, ice on the at least one power line, sag in the at least one power line, stretch in the at least one power line, or oscillation of the at least one power line.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one power lines comprises multiple power lines, and wherein determining the condition comprises determining whether the condition affecting the at least one power line is a weather condition affecting the multiple power lines.

8. At least one non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method for determining conditions of power lines in a power distribution system based on measurements collected by a plurality of sensor units deployed in the power distribution system, the method comprising:
obtaining first transformed data associated with a first set of one or more measurements collected by a first sensor unit in the plurality of sensor units and second transformed data associated with a second set of one or more measurements collected by a second sensor unit in the plurality of sensor units, the first transformed data comprising a first plurality of transform coefficient values calculated by applying a multiresolution shift invariant transformation to the first set of measurements, the second transformed data comprising a second plurality of transform coefficient values calculated by applying the multiresolution shift-invariant transformation to the second set of measurements;
determining a first energy of a first subset of transform coefficient values in the first plurality of transform coefficient values, the first subset comprising transform coefficient values associated with a first resolution;
determining a second energy of a second subset of transform coefficient values in the second plurality of transform coefficient values, the second subset comprising transform coefficient values associated with the first resolution; and
determining, by using at least one processor and based at least in part on a result of comparing the first energy and the second energy, a condition affecting at least one power line in the power distribution system,
wherein the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit are coupled to different power line segments.

9. The at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein:
obtaining the first transformed data comprises receiving the first plurality of transform coefficient values; and
obtaining the second transformed data comprises receiving the second plurality of transform coefficient values.

10. The at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein applying the multiresolution shift-invariant transformation to the first data comprises applying a shift-invariant wavelet transformation to the first set of measurements.

11. The at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein:
obtaining the first transformed data comprises applying the multiresolution shift-invariant transformation to the first set of measurements to produce the first plurality of transform coefficient values, and
obtaining the second transformed data comprises applying the multiresolution shift-invariant transformation to the second set of measurements to produce the second plurality of transform coefficient values.

12. The at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises identifying information indicative of a location of the condition along the at least one power line based on location order of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit along a power line with respect to a substation.

13. The at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein determining the condition comprises identifying a type of the condition as a type of condition associated with animal contact with the at least one power line, lightning strike, tree contact with the at least one power line, ice on the at least one power line, sag in the at least one power line, stretch in the at least one power line, or oscillation of the at least one power line.

14. The at least one non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the at least one power lines comprises multiple power lines, and wherein determining the condition comprises determini

Assignees

• Afzal Muhammad A
• Pothamsetty Venkat
• Smith Roger A
• Ross Rebecca W
• Aclara Tech Llc

Inventors

• Afzal Muhammad A
• Pothamsetty Venkat
• Smith Roger A
• Ross Rebecca W

Classifications

• H02J2103/30

  Simulating, planning, modelling, reliability check or computer assisted design [CAD] of electric power networks · CPC title

• H02J13/1323

  using optical fibres · CPC title

• H02J13/333

  the equipment forming part of substations · CPC title

• H02J13/12 Primary

  Monitoring network conditions, e.g. electrical magnitudes or operational status · CPC title

• G01R15/142

  Arrangements for simultaneous measurements of several parameters employing techniques covered by groups G01R15/14 - G01R15/26 · CPC title