System and method for identifying anomalous behavior in electrical devices plugged into a smart socket

A method for identifying anomalous behavior in an operation of an appliance that is plugged into a socket receptacle of a smart socket, wherein the smart socket includes a measurement unit that is configured to sample one or more of voltage, current, power, and energy delivered by the smart socket to the appliance, the method comprising:

• during a learning time:
• monitoring one or more of voltage, current, power, and energy that is sampled by the measurement unit of the smart socket and delivered by the smart socket to the appliance that is plugged into the socket receptacle of the smart socket during at least part of the learning time, resulting in a monitored electrical behavior of the appliance;
• based on the monitored electrical behavior of the appliance, classifying the appliance into one of a plurality of predetermined appliance types, wherein each of the plurality of predetermined appliance types has a corresponding predefined baseline appliance profile;
• during an operation time:
• monitoring one or more of voltage, current, power, and energy that is sampled by the measurement unit of the smart socket and delivered by the smart socket to the appliance that is plugged into the socket receptacle of the smart socket during at least part of the operational time, resulting in a monitored operational behavior;
• comparing the monitored operational behavior of the appliance with the predefined baseline appliance profile that corresponds to the predetermined appliance type into which the appliance has been classified;
• detecting and/or predicting an anomalous behavior in the appliance based at least in part on the comparison of the monitored operational behavior of the appliance with the predefined baseline appliance profile that corresponds to the predetermined appliance type into which the appliance has been classified;
• and
• taking action in response to detecting and/or predicting the anomalous behavior in the operation of an appliance.

A system for identifying anomalous behavior in an operation of an appliance that is plugged into a socket receptacle of a smart socket, wherein the smart socket includes a measurement unit that is configured identify an energy use of the appliance delivered by the smart socket to the appliance, the system comprising:

• a memory for storing the identified energy use of the appliance delivered by the smart socket to the appliance;
• a controller operatively coupled to the memory, the controller configured to:
• detect an energy use pattern of the appliance based on the stored energy use identified by the measurement unit of the smart socket;
• compare the energy use pattern to an expected energy use pattern for the appliance;
• when the energy use pattern deviates from the expected energy use pattern for the appliance in accordance with one or more predetermined deviation criteria, detect and/or predict an anomalous behavior in an operation of an appliance;
• and
• take action in response to detecting and/or predicting the anomalous behavior in the operation of an appliance;
• further wherein the controller is also configured to:
• classify the appliance into a selected one of a plurality of appliance types based at least in part on the energy use pattern of the appliance, wherein each of the plurality of appliance types has a corresponding expected energy use pattern;
• and
• compare the energy use pattern of the appliance to the corresponding expected energy use pattern for the selected one of the plurality of appliance types and, when the energy use pattern deviates from the corresponding expected energy use pattern for the appliance in accordance with one or more predetermined deviation criteria, detect and/or predict an anomalous behavior in an operation of an appliance.