Detecting power outages using smartphone sensors
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsYounghun Kim, Jayant K. Taneja, Kevin W. Warren
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Detecting an outage in an alternating current (AC) electrical network. One or more time-stamped and location-stamped data packets, each data packet including magnetic sensor data collected by one or more non-contact magnetic sensors in a mobile device in proximity to the AC electrical network are received. Based on the magnetic sensor data, it is determined that an outage exists in the AC electrical network.
Claims20
A computer implemented method for detecting an outage in an alternating current (AC) electrical network, the method comprising:
- receiving, by one or more processors, one or more time-stamped and location-stamped data packets, each data packet including magnetic sensor data collected by one or more non-contact magnetic sensors in a mobile device in proximity to an AC electrical network, wherein the magnetic sensor data comprises a time series of magnetic field strength readings of an ambient magnetic field from one or more axes of the mobile device, sampled at a constant frequency;
- determining, by the one or more processors, based on a frequency analysis and a phase analysis of the magnetic sensor data, that the outage exists in the AC electrical network, wherein determining that the outage exists in the AC electrical network further comprises generating an outage report for a time-stamped and location-stamped data packet;
- determining, by the one or more processors, an extent of the outage;
- and
- initiating, by the one or more processors, remedial action to restore power, wherein the remedial action includes dispatching a crew to the outage location and verifying that power has been restored.
A computer program product for detecting an outage in an alternating current (AC) electrical network, the computer program product comprising:
- one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media, the program instructions comprising:
- program instructions to receive one or more time-stamped and location-stamped data packets, each data packet including magnetic sensor data collected by one or more non-contact magnetic sensors in a mobile device in proximity to an AC electrical network, wherein the magnetic sensor data comprises a time series of magnetic field strength readings of an ambient magnetic field from one or more axes of the mobile device, sampled at a constant frequency;
- program instructions to determine, based on a frequency analysis and a phase analysis of the magnetic sensor data, that the outage exists in the AC electrical network, wherein the program instructions to determine that the outage exists in the AC electrical network further comprise program instructions to generate an outage report for the time-stamped and location-stamped data packet;
- program instructions to determine an extent of the outage;
- and
- program instructions to initiate remedial action to restore power, wherein the remedial action includes program instructions to dispatch a crew to the outage location and verifying that power has been restored.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.