# US 2022/0037014 A1 · Prognostics and Diagnostics of Injection Units and Communications > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0037014 A1 - Document ID: US20220037014A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/949,604 - Filed: 2020-11-05 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Earliest claimed: 2020-07-28 - Assignees: Smart Wires Inc. - Applicants: Smart Wires Inc. - Inventors: Aaron Zhou; Anwar Naseem; Zeeshan Khan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220037014A1 ## CPC - G16H 40/67: for remote operation - H02J 3/007: Arrangements for selectively connecting one or more loads to one or more power sources or power lines - G16H 50/20: for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems - H02J 3/001: Arrangements for handling faults or abnormalities, e.g. emergencies or contingencies - H02J 3/0012: characterised by the contingency detection means in AC networks, e.g. using phasor measurement units [PMU], synchrophasors or contingency analysis - H02J 3/003: {Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand} - H02J 13/12: Monitoring network conditions, e.g. electrical magnitudes or operational status - H02J 2103/30: Simulating, planning, modelling, reliability check or computer assisted design [CAD] of electric power networks - Y02E 60/00: Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation - Y04S 10/16: Electric power substations - Y04S 10/30: State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge - Y04S 40/20: Information technology specific aspects, e.g. CAD, simulation, modelling, system security - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A hierarchical power flow control system includes power flow control devices, a communication coordinator and a gateway. The gateway provides diagnostics, prognostics, and health monitoring, and communicates with an external energy management system (EMS). Operation and actions are based on self-health monitoring, self-prognostics, and analysis and prediction processing in the gateway, in communication with the external energy management system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid, comprising: a plurality of power flow control devices, each configured to inject reactive power into a power transmission line and including a suite of sensors and actuators controlled by a controller for providing diagnostic log generation and storage, self-prognostics and self-health monitoring; a communication coordinator configured to communicate with each of the power flow control devices, and further configured to communicate with a gateway equipped to perform analysis and prediction processing, including diagnostics, prognostics and health monitoring (DPHM); wherein user input is directed to the gateway directly, or to an Energy Management System (EMS) residing in an external utility office, wherein the EMS will communicate the user input to the gateway in the form of queries or commands. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, further comprising: a mesh network coupling the plurality of power flow control devices and the communication coordinator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, wherein the communication coordinator coupled to each of the plurality of power flow control devices comprises a mesh network that conforms to an IP (Internet protocol) multimedia subsystem (IMS) standard. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, further comprising: each of the plurality of power flow control devices having one or more sensors and one or more actuators. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, wherein the analysis and prediction processing and the further analysis and prediction processing comprise a framework of rules including at least one diagnostic algorithm to identify a disorder or problem by analysis. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, wherein the analysis and prediction processing and the further analysis and prediction processing comprise a framework of rules including at least one prognostic algorithm for predicting health of one or more components or subsystems. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, wherein the analysis and prediction processing and the further analysis and prediction processing comprise a framework of rules including at least one health monitoring algorithm for monitoring health of one or more components or subsystems. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, wherein the plurality of power flow control devices comprises a plurality of impedance injection units. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, wherein a decision-making timescale for the energy management system to operate the plurality of power flow control devices varies from milliseconds to years. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, further comprising: a subsystem having a plurality of transmitters and receivers to communicate with a mesh network, wherein the communication coordinator coupled to each of the plurality of power flow control devices comprises the mesh network. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, further comprising: the gateway having connections to a plurality of computer workstations. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, wherein the analysis and prediction processing and the further analysis and prediction processing comprise a framework of rules including at least one trigger-based rule. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The hierarchical power flow control system for a power grid of claim 1, wherein the analysis and prediction processing and the further analysis and prediction processing comprise a framework of rules including at least one request-based rule. ### Claim 14 A method for diagnostics, prognostics, and health monitoring (DPHM) of a distributed power flow control network, comprising: communicating regarding self-health monitoring and self-prognostics from a plurality of power flow control devices to a gateway; performing analysis and prediction processing at the gateway, based on the self-health monitoring and self-prognostics from the plurality of power flow control devices; communicating from the gateway to an external energy management system regarding the self-health monitoring and self-prognostics, the analysis and the prediction processing; and operating the plurality of power flow control devices through the distributed power flow control network with diagnostics, prognostics, and health monitoring actions based on the self-health monitoring and self-prognostics of the plurality of power flow control devices, the analysis and prediction processing of the gateway, supported by communications with an external energy management system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: performing, in one or more of the plurality of power flow control devices, at least one diagnostic algorithm for identification of a disorder or a problem by analysis. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: performing, in one or more of the plurality of power flow control devices, at least one prognostic algorithm for predicting health of one or more components or systems. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, further comprising: performing, in one or more of the plurality of power flow control devices, at least one health monitoring algorithm for monitoring health of one or more components or systems. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14 wherein the diagnostics, prognostics, and health monitoring actions comprise continuous, periodic, trigger-based, or request-based DPHM actions. ### Claim 19 A method for diagnostics, prognostics, and health monitoring (DPHM) of a distributed power flow control network, comprising: providing a plurality of power flow control devices connected by a power flow control network in the form of a mesh network; providing in each of the plurality of power flow control devices a plurality of sensors, a plurality of actuators, and a controller coupled to the plurality of sensors and to the plurality of actuators; and operating the distributed power flow control network including continuous and periodic and trigger-based and request-based DPHM actions in the plurality of power flow control devices.