Real-Time Outlier Detection with Dynamic Process Limits

TL;DR

This paper introduces a real-time, online anomaly detection algorithm using inverse cumulative distribution to dynamically adapt process limits, enabling fast, low-latency detection of unpredictable data patterns in microgrid systems.

Contribution

It presents a novel online anomaly detection method that addresses offline detector limitations, providing dynamic process limits suitable for real-time infrastructure deployment.

Findings

Effective in real microgrid data scenarios

Provides low-latency, adaptive anomaly detection

Easy to deploy and computationally efficient

Abstract

Anomaly detection methods are part of the systems where rare events may endanger an operation's profitability, safety, and environmental aspects. Although many state-of-the-art anomaly detection methods were developed to date, their deployment is limited to the operation conditions present during the model training. Online anomaly detection brings the capability to adapt to data drifts and change points that may not be represented during model development resulting in prolonged service life. This paper proposes an online anomaly detection algorithm for existing real-time infrastructures where low-latency detection is required and novel patterns in data occur unpredictably. The online inverse cumulative distribution-based approach is introduced to eliminate common problems of offline anomaly detectors, meanwhile providing dynamic process limits to normal operation. The benefit of the proposed method is the ease of use, fast computation, and deployability as shown in two case studies of real microgrid operation data.