Detection of energy-consumption fraud in an electrical distribution service
US11402417B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 3, 2020 |
| Grant date | Aug 2, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 3, 2040 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY04S20/30
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A centralising meter is connected to a data concentrator via a first powerline communication network and to remote basic meters via a second powerline communication network. The centralising meter emulates a smart electricity meter application with respect to the data concentrator for each remote basic meter, in order in particular to construct a corresponding load curve. When the ratio of an energy consumption declared by all the remote basic meters to an energy consumption measured by the centralising meter is below a predefined threshold and when furthermore a plurality of load curves show a drop to zero, a fraud is detected. The centralising meter compares total energy consumptions estimated from extrapolations of certain load curves with the measured energy consumption, to identify which remote basic meter is subject to the fraud.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.