GB2605362A - Validating deployed utilities infrastructure - Google Patents
Validating deployed utilities infrastructure Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2605362A GB2605362A GB2103926.8A GB202103926A GB2605362A GB 2605362 A GB2605362 A GB 2605362A GB 202103926 A GB202103926 A GB 202103926A GB 2605362 A GB2605362 A GB 2605362A
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- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- component
- infrastructure
- sensor
- record
- infrastructure component
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
- H04L41/08—Configuration management of networks or network elements
- H04L41/0866—Checking the configuration
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L43/00—Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
- H04L43/08—Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
- H04L43/0805—Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters by checking availability
- H04L43/0817—Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters by checking availability by checking functioning
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/08—Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
- G06Q10/087—Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
- G06Q10/20—Administration of product repair or maintenance
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
- H04L41/16—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks using machine learning or artificial intelligence
Abstract
The invention is a system for automatically updating/correcting records relating to utility network (electricity, gas, water, sewage) equipment (duct, conduit, pipe, cable, pole, pylon). Equipment is scanned with sensors (image, LIDAR, (ground penetrating) RADAR, sound, temperature, electromagnetic, electro-optical) and the sensor data is processed to extract features which relate to characteristics (placement/location, orientation, activation state, capabilities, repair state, environment) of the equipment. The characteristics are compared with those in records to detect abnormalities between the record and sensor data. The records are modified in light of abnormalities and the equipment may be configured. The data processing may be done using machine learning systems.
Description
Validating Deployed Utilities Infrastructure The present invention relates to the validation of deployed utilities infrastructure.
Utility service providers have transmission networks for the transport, provision, communication or conveyance of a utility such as power (including electricity), gas (including natural gas), liquid (including water), sewage and communications facilities (including fixed-line and/or mobile telephony and network connections such as broadband services). Transmission networks are comprised of network infrastructure including means and mechanisms for the transmission of the utility. Such infrastructure includes infrastructure components that can be categorised into component types. One categorisation can include, for example, a nature of a location, installation or fitment of an infrastructure component such as: above-ground; under-ground; or affixed to another element such as a building or the like. Other or enhanced categorisations of infrastructure component types can include types according to a nature of a component such as a conduit, transmission wire, emitter or receiver or the like. Infrastructure components can include, for example, a duct, conduit, pipe, cable, pole, pylon, tower, and other transmission network infrastructure components as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Utility service providers are increasingly subject to infrastructure sharing obligations which require the provision of access to physical infrastructure such including infrastructure components to third parties. For example: ducts and poles can be shared; power can be shared; and infrastructure site access can be shared. These obligations on infrastructure owners introduces an additional requirement for effective infrastructure design, deployment and maintenance.
Accordingly, utility service providers require accurate and up-to-date records of the nature, state and arrangement of utility infrastructure components.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer implemented method of validating a record of characteristics of an infrastructure component as part of a transmission network for a utility service, the method comprising: receiving one or more data items from each of a plurality of sensors as a set of data items, the sensors being adapted to sense at least a subset of characteristics of the infrastructure component; identifying a subset of the set of data items including data items determined to relate to the infrastructure component; extracting one or more features of at least one characteristic of the infrastructure component from each data item in the subset; comparing the extracted features with the record of characteristics; and responsive to an identification of an anomaly between the extracted features and the record of characteristics, modifying the record of characteristics in accordance with the extracted features.
Preferably, the sensors include one or more of: a light detection and ranging (LI DAR) sensor; an image sensor for generating an image of at least part of the infrastructure component; a temperature sensor; a radar sensor; a ground-penetrating radar sensor; an electromagnetic sensor; and electro-optical sensor; and a sound sensor.
Preferably, the subset of data items is identified by a machine learning algorithm trained to recognise the infrastructure component in sensed data.
Preferably, the characteristics of the infrastructure component include one or more of: a 10 location of the component; a configuration of the component; a type of the component; a situation of the component; an environmental factor affecting the component; a state of operation of the component; and a performance of the component.
Preferably, the features of the at least one characteristic of the infrastructure component are extracted by a machine learning algorithm trained to classify sensed data to one or more 15 characteristics of the infrastructure component.
Preferably, the step responsive to an identification of an anomaly between the extracted features and the record of characteristics claim further comprises adjusting a configuration of the infrastructure component.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is a provided a computer system including a processor and memory storing computer program code for performing the steps of the method set out above.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is a provided a computer system including a processor and memory storing computer program code for performing the steps of the method set out above.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a block diagram a computer system suitable for the operation of embodiments of the present invention; Figure 2 is a component diagram of an arrangement to validate a record of characteristics of an infrastructure component as part of a transmission network for a utility service in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 3 is a flowchart of a method to validate a record of characteristics of an infrastructure component as part of a transmission network for a utility service in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 1 is a block diagram of a computer system suitable for the operation of embodiments of the present invention. A central processor unit (CPU) 102 is communicatively connected to a storage 104 and an input/output (I/O) interface 106 via a data bus 108. The storage 104 can be any read/write storage device such as a random-access memory (RAM) or a non-volatile storage device. An example of a non-volatile storage device includes a disk or tape storage device. The I/O interface 106 is an interface to devices for the input or output of data, or for both input and output of data. Examples of I/O devices connectable to I/O interface 106 include a keyboard, a mouse, a display (such as a monitor) and a network connection.
Figure 2 is a component diagram of an arrangement to validate a record of characteristics 218 of an infrastructure component 200 as part of a transmission network for a utility service in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The record of component characteristics 218 can be constituted as a data store, data record or records, one or more computer readable documents or files or similar as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The record of component characteristics 218 includes indications of characteristics of the infrastructure component 200 such as, inter alia: a type of component including one or more of a duct, a conduit, a pipe, a cable, a pole, a pylon, and a tower; one or more materials of manufacture of the component; one or more configurations of the component such as an operational configuration, a placement, orientation, state or extent of activation; a deployment feature of the component such as being laid or hung; a specification of the component such as a quantity, volume, number or extent of one or more resources provided by, in or for the component; capacity information for the component such as a used, available or total capacity of the component according to a measure of capacity dependent on the type of component; a state of repair of the component; a location of the component; a situation of the component; an environmental factor affecting the component; a state of operation of the component; a performance of the component; and other characteristics as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The infrastructure component 200 is susceptible to sensing by sensors 202 such as, inter alia: a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor; an image sensor for generating an image of at least part of the infrastructure component; a temperature sensor; a radar sensor; a ground-penetrating radar sensor; an electromagnetic sensor; and electro-optical sensor; and a sound sensor. Any or all of the sensors 202 can be collocated with the infrastructure component 200, whether immediately adjacent the component, mounted on, with or adjacent the component or located some distance from the component such that the component is still sensed by the sensor. Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the sensors 202 can be moveable sensors provided in a vicinity of the component 200 only once moved into such vicinity, such as sensors associated with vehicles, engineers, passing craft or the like, or sensors specifically adapted to traverse parts of the transmission network to come into a vicinity of the infrastructure component 200 such as pipe-traversing sensors, sensors associated with autonomous, robotic or other mobile devices. Thus, the sensors 202 are adapted to sense at least a subset of the characteristics of the infrastructure component 200, 10 at least when suitably located.
The sensors 202 thus generate sensor data items 204 as sensor output such as images from an image sensor, audio records from a sound sensor, LIDAR data from a LIDAR sensor and so on. Some portion of the sensor data items 204 thus constitute data items relating to the infrastructure component 200, such as data items 204 arising from sensors 202 located within a sensing range of the infrastructure component 200.
An infrastructure validator component 206 is provided as a hardware, software, firmware or combination component arranged to validate the record of component characteristics 218 based on the sensor data items 204 generated by the sensors 202. The validator 206 includes a subset identifier component 208 as a hardware, software, firmware or combination component operable to identify a subset 210 of the sensor data items 204 determined to relate to the infrastructure component 200. I.e. the subset 210 includes sensor data exhibiting characteristics of the infrastructure component 210. In one embodiment, the subset of data items 210 is identified by a machine learning algorithm trained to recognise the infrastructure component 200 in sensed data. For example, an image recognition, LIDAR recognition or location recognition classifier can be employed. In some embodiments, the sensor data items 204 are associated with location information such as global positioning system (GPS) coordinates or the like and the subset identifier 208 uses such location information in conjunction with a record of a location of the infrastructure component 200 to identify sensor data items relating not the component 200.
The validator 206 further includes an extractor component 212 as a hardware, software, firmware or combination component arranged to extract features 214 from the data items in the subset 210. The extracted features 214 relate to characteristics of the infrastructure component 200 such that characteristics of the component 200 are determinable based thereon. For example, sensed image data of the component 200 can be used to determine a colour, model, type, orientation, configuration or other features of the component 200. In some embodiments, the extracted features 214 of the characteristics of the infrastructure component 200 are extracted by a machine learning algorithm trained to classify sensed data to one or more characteristics of the infrastructure component 200.
The validator 206 further includes a comparer component 216 as a hardware, software, 5 firmware or combination component operable to compare the extracted features 214 of characteristics of the infrastructure component 200 with the record of component characteristics 218 to identify anomalies between the extracted features and the record of characteristics 218. Where such an anomaly is detected, the sensed data in the subset 210 indicates that the record of component characteristics 218 is inaccurate and warrants 10 updating. Accordingly, a modifier component 220 is provided as a hardware, software, firmware or combination component arranged to modify the record of component characteristics 218 responsive to the comparer 216 so as to update the record of characteristics 218 reflective of the sensed data in the subset 210.
In some embodiments, on detection of an anomaly between the extracted features 214 15 and the record of characteristics 218, the modifier 220 is further operable to adjusting a configuration of the infrastructure component 200 such as to place the configuration of the component 200 into consistency with the records of component characteristics 218.
Figure 3 is a flowchart of a method to validate a record of characteristics of an infrastructure component as part of a transmission network for a utility service in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Initially, at step 302, the method receives data items 204 from the sensors 202. At step 304 the method identifies the subset 210 of data items including data items determined to relate to the infrastructure component 200. At step 306 the method extracts features of one or more characteristics of the infrastructure component 200 from each data item in the subset 210. At step 308 the method compares the extracted features 214 with the record of characteristics 218. At step 310 the method determines if there is an anomaly between the extracted features 214 and the record of characteristics 218, and where there is an anomaly the method modifies the record of characteristics in accordance with the extracted features at step 312.
Insofar as embodiments of the invention described are implementable, at least in part, using a software-controlled programmable processing device, such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor or other processing device, data processing apparatus or system, it will be appreciated that a computer program for configuring a programmable device, apparatus or system to implement the foregoing described methods is envisaged as an aspect of the present invention. The computer program may be embodied as source code or undergo compilation for implementation on a processing device, apparatus or system or may be embodied as object code, for example.
Suitably, the computer program is stored on a carrier medium in machine or device readable form, for example in solid-state memory, magnetic memory such as disk or tape, optically or magneto-optically readable memory such as compact disk or digital versatile disk etc., and the processing device utilises the program or a part thereof to configure it for operation. The computer program may be supplied from a remote source embodied in a communications medium such as an electronic signal, radio frequency carrier wave or optical carrier wave. Such carrier media are also envisaged as aspects of the present invention.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, although the present invention has been described in relation to the above described example embodiments, the invention is not limited thereto and that there are many possible variations and modifications which fall within the scope of the invention.
The scope of the present invention includes any novel features or combination of features disclosed herein. The applicant hereby gives notice that new claims may be formulated to such features or combination of features during prosecution of this application or of any such further applications derived therefrom. In particular, with reference to the appended claims, features from dependent claims may be combined with those of the independent claims and features from respective independent claims may be combined in any appropriate manner and not merely in the specific combinations enumerated in the claims.
Claims (8)
- CLAIMS1. A computer implemented method of validating a record of characteristics of an infrastructure component as part of a transmission network for a utility service, the method comprising: receiving one or more data items from each of a plurality of sensors as a set of data items, the sensors being adapted to sense at least a subset of characteristics of the infrastructure component; identifying a subset of the set of data items including data items determined to relate to the infrastructure component; extracting one or more features of at least one characteristic of the infrastructure component from each data item in the subset; comparing the extracted features with the record of characteristics; and responsive to an identification of an anomaly between the extracted features and the record of characteristics, modifying the record of characteristics in accordance with the 15 extracted features.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sensors include one or more of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor; an image sensor for generating an image of at least part of the infrastructure component; a temperature sensor; a radar sensor; a ground-penetrating radar 20 sensor; an electromagnetic sensor; and electro-optical sensor; and a sound sensor.
- 3. The method of any preceding claim wherein the subset of data items is identified by a machine learning algorithm trained to recognise the infrastructure component in sensed data.
- 4. The method of any preceding claim wherein the characteristics of the infrastructure component include one or more of: a location of the component; a configuration of the component; a type of the component; a situation of the component; an environmental factor affecting the component; a state of operation of the component; and a performance of the component.
- 5. The method of any preceding claim wherein the features of the at least one characteristic of the infrastructure component are extracted by a machine learning algorithm trained to classify sensed data to one or more characteristics of the infrastructure component.
- 6. The method of any preceding wherein the step responsive to an identification of an anomaly between the extracted features and the record of characteristics claim further comprises adjusting a configuration of the infrastructure component.
- 7. A computer system including a processor and memory storing computer program code for performing the steps of the method of any preceding claim.
- 8. A computer program element comprising computer program code to, when loaded into a computer system and executed thereon, cause the computer to perform the steps of a 10 method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB2103926.8A GB2605362A (en) | 2021-03-22 | 2021-03-22 | Validating deployed utilities infrastructure |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB2103926.8A GB2605362A (en) | 2021-03-22 | 2021-03-22 | Validating deployed utilities infrastructure |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB202103926D0 GB202103926D0 (en) | 2021-05-05 |
| GB2605362A true GB2605362A (en) | 2022-10-05 |
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| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB2103926.8A Pending GB2605362A (en) | 2021-03-22 | 2021-03-22 | Validating deployed utilities infrastructure |
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| Country | Link |
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| GB (1) | GB2605362A (en) |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20010036293A1 (en) * | 1998-10-23 | 2001-11-01 | Facet Technology Corporation | System for automatically generating database of objects of interest by analysis of images recorded by moving vehicle |
| US20180276241A1 (en) * | 2017-03-24 | 2018-09-27 | Tata Consultancy Services Limited | System and method for telecom inventory management |
| US20200133298A1 (en) * | 2018-10-31 | 2020-04-30 | Xerox Corporation | Infrastructure evaluation and monitoring using ground penetrating radar data |
| CN112257678A (en) * | 2020-11-19 | 2021-01-22 | 国网上海市电力公司 | Power grid equipment accurate positioning method based on real object ID and real scene graph |
| GB2586198A (en) * | 2019-03-08 | 2021-02-17 | Tescap Ltd | A monitoring and recording system |
-
2021
- 2021-03-22 GB GB2103926.8A patent/GB2605362A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20010036293A1 (en) * | 1998-10-23 | 2001-11-01 | Facet Technology Corporation | System for automatically generating database of objects of interest by analysis of images recorded by moving vehicle |
| US20180276241A1 (en) * | 2017-03-24 | 2018-09-27 | Tata Consultancy Services Limited | System and method for telecom inventory management |
| US20200133298A1 (en) * | 2018-10-31 | 2020-04-30 | Xerox Corporation | Infrastructure evaluation and monitoring using ground penetrating radar data |
| GB2586198A (en) * | 2019-03-08 | 2021-02-17 | Tescap Ltd | A monitoring and recording system |
| CN112257678A (en) * | 2020-11-19 | 2021-01-22 | 国网上海市电力公司 | Power grid equipment accurate positioning method based on real object ID and real scene graph |
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| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB202103926D0 (en) | 2021-05-05 |
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