# US 12,015,272 B2 · Distance-to-fault power outage notification > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,015,272 B2 - Document ID: US12015272B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/140,167 - Filed: 2023-04-27 - Published: 2023-08-17 - Granted: 2024-06-18 - Earliest claimed: 2021-06-15 - Assignees: Utilidata, Inc. - Applicants: Utilidata, Inc. - Inventors: Taylor Spalt; Ning Li; Marissa Hummon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015272B2 ## CPC - H02J 3/0012: characterised by the contingency detection means in AC networks, e.g. using phasor measurement units [PMU], synchrophasors or contingency analysis - G01R 19/2513: {Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging} - G01R 22/10: using digital techniques - G01R 31/085: {in power transmission or distribution lines, e.g. overhead} - G01R 31/086: {in power transmission or distribution networks, i.e. with interconnected conductors} - G01R 31/088: {Aspects of digital computing} - G08B 21/182: {Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold} - G08B 21/185: {Electrical failure alarms} - H02J 13/12: Monitoring network conditions, e.g. electrical magnitudes or operational status - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS ## Abstract Systems and methods comprising a metering device located on an electricity distribution grid, the metering device comprising one or more processors and memory. The metering device can detect a drop in characteristic of electricity below a threshold indicating a fault on the electricity distribution grid. The metering device can generate, responsive to the drop in the characteristic of electricity below the threshold, a time series of a rate of change of the characteristic of electricity for a predetermined number of cycles subsequent to the detection of the drop. The metering device can determine, based on a comparison of the time series of the rate of change with a predetermined pattern, a location of the metering device on the electricity distribution grid relative to a location of the fault on the electricity distribution grid. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a server comprising at least one processor coupled with memory to: receive, from a metering device located on a grid, data that indicates a time series rate of change of at least one of a voltage or a current of electricity distributed via the grid subsequent to detection of a fault on the grid; compare the time series rate of change with a predetermined pattern; and determine, based at least in part on the comparison of the time series rate of change with the predetermined pattern, a location of the metering device on the grid relative to a location of the fault on the grid. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises at least an incline slope and a decline slope, wherein a declination of the decline slope is greater than an inclination of the incline slope. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising: the server to determine that the location of the metering device is one of downstream from the fault or upstream from the fault based at least in part on the comparison of the time series rate of change with the predetermined pattern. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising the server to: receive, from a second metering device located at a different location from the metering device, second data that indicates a second time series of a second rate of change of the electricity for subsequent to detection by the second metering device of the fault on the grid; and determine, based on a second comparison of the second time series of the second rate of change with the predetermined pattern, a location of the second metering device on the grid relative to the location of the fault on the grid. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising: the server to provide an indication of the location of the metering device on the grid relative to the location of the fault on the grid for display via a display device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising the server to: identify a plurality of time series of rates of change generated by a plurality of metering devices located on the grid responsive to detection of the fault on the grid; and determine the location of the fault relative to the plurality of metering devices based on comparisons of the plurality of time series of rates of change with the predetermined pattern. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising the server to: identify a plurality of time series of rates of change generated by a plurality of metering devices located on the grid responsive to detection of the fault on the grid; normalize values of the plurality of time series of rates of change; and determine, based on the normalized values of the plurality of time series of rates of change, a likelihood of fault location at each of the plurality of metering devices. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising the server to: identify a plurality of time series of rates of change generated by a plurality of metering devices located on the grid responsive to detection of the fault on the grid; determine, based on the plurality of time series of rates of change, a likelihood of fault location at each of the plurality of metering devices; and determine, based on the likelihood, that the fault is upstream of a first metering device of the plurality of metering devices and downstream of a second metering device of the plurality of metering devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising the server to: receive, from the metering device, the data comprising values of the voltage or the current of the electricity measured by the metering device; and generating the time series rate of change based on the data. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, comprising: the server to receive a power outage notification from the metering device, the power outage notification comprising the time series rate of change of the at least one of the voltage or the current of the electricity. ### Claim 11 A method, comprising: receiving, by a server comprising at least one processor coupled with memory, from a metering device located on a grid, data that indicates a time series rate of change of at least one of a voltage or a current of electricity distributed via the grid subsequent to detection of a fault on the grid; comparing, by the server, the time series rate of change with a predetermined pattern; and determining, by the server based at least in part on the comparison of the time series rate of change with the predetermined pattern, a location of the metering device on the grid relative to a location of the fault on the grid. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises at least an incline slope and a decline slope, wherein a declination of the decline slope is greater than an inclination of the incline slope. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising: determining, by the server, that the location of the metering device is one of downstream from the fault or upstream from the fault based at least in part on the comparison of the time series rate of change with the predetermined pattern. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising: receiving, by the server from a second metering device located at a different location from the metering device, second data that indicates a second time series of a second rate of change of the electricity for subsequent to detection by the second metering device of the fault on the grid; and determining, by the server, based on a second comparison of the second time series of the second rate of change with the predetermined pattern, a location of the second metering device on the grid relative to the location of the fault on the grid. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising: providing, by the server, an indication of the location of the metering device on the grid relative to the location of the fault on the grid for display via a display device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising: identifying, by the server, a plurality of time series of rates of change generated by a plurality of metering devices located on the grid responsive to detection of the fault on the grid; and determining, by the server, the location of the fault relative to the plurality of metering devices based on comparisons of the plurality of time series of rates of change with the predetermined pattern. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising: identifying, by the server, a plurality of time series of rates of change generated by a plurality of metering devices located on the grid responsive to detection of the fault on the grid; normalizing, by the server, values of the plurality of time series of rates of change; and determining, by the server, based on the normalized values of the plurality of time series of rates of change, a likelihood of fault location at each of the plurality of metering devices. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, comprising: identifying, by the server, a plurality of time series of rates of change generated by a plurality of metering devices located on the grid responsive to detection of the fault on the grid; determining, by the server, based on the plurality of time series of rates of change, a likelihood of fault location at each of the plurality of metering devices; and determining, by the server based on the likelihood, that the fault is upstream of a first metering device of the plurality of metering devices and downstream of a second metering device of the plurality of metering devices. ### Claim 19 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive, from a metering device located on a grid, data that indicates a time series rate of change of at least one of a voltage or a current of electricity distributed via the grid subsequent to detection of a fault on the grid; compare the time series rate of change with a predetermined pattern; and determine, based at least in part on the comparison of the time series rate of change with the predetermined pattern, a location of the metering device on the grid relative to a location of the fault on the grid. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the predetermined pattern comprises at least an incline slope and a decline slope, wherein a declination of the decline slope is greater than an inclination of the incline slope.