Meter device

• US 10,284,925 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freestyle Technology Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Freestyle Technology Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Donaghey, Andrew Paul, McDonald, Ian Kenneth Francis, Beard, David Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Application Number:
  US15/631,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20170311054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/091 Traffic information broadcasting broadcasting communication H04H
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/092 Coding or decoding of the information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A utility meter device (1002) including a communications receiver (110) for receiving file fragments for the device, a processing means (150), eg microprocessor, microcontroller, and programmable non-volatile memory means (120), eg flash, EEPROM, for building and storing application and data files from the fragments, and executing a meter application of the device by processing at least one application file and associated data identified by configuration instructions in at least one of the fragments to provide data for reconfiguring a meter through a control interface (1016).

Claims

1. A meter device including:

a wireless communications receiver for receiving file fragments of files for the meter device and using a wireless communications protocol of an existing communications network infrastructure to receive the file fragments of the files, the file fragments for being included in payloads of packets of a meter communications protocol of the meter device;

a microcontroller system for processing and identifying the file fragments for the meter device using the meter communications protocol of the meter device, storing the files composed of the file fragments, and performing an application defined by the stored files to reconfigure a meter of the meter device installed at a dwelling, wherein the application is performed automatically by the meter device without any user intervention or interaction with the meter device, wherein the wireless communications receiver is configured to receive the file fragments of the files prior to sending the file fragments of the files to the microcontroller system of the meter device.

2. The meter device of claim 1, wherein the meter device is remotely configured by a user accessing a server, such as a web server, and further comprising defining at least one of the application, a configuration, and data files to be sent to the meter device in the file fragments.

3. The meter device of claim 1, wherein the files include metering rate data for the meter.

4. The meter device of claim 3, wherein the meter of the meter device continues metering whilst a metering rate is adjusted based on the rate data.

5. The meter device of claim 3, wherein the meter device communicates with another device, such as a thermostat, and adjusts a metering rate of the meter of the meter device based on data obtained from the another device.

6. The meter device of claim 1, wherein the file fragments of the files are sent by a remote device to a plurality of meter devices including the meter device.

7. The meter device of claim 1, wherein the received file fragments for the meter device include an initial file defining remaining files of the received file fragments as being of a type of application, configuration or data, and defining reading of the files composed of the file fragments.

8. The meter device of claim 7, wherein the microcontroller system includes an operating system that includes a number of tasks to control basic processes performed by the microcontroller system and the number of tasks includes at least one of:

(i) a clock task for implementing a real time clock and calendar;

(ii) a virtual machine task for initiating a virtual machine, and causing reading of the initial file; and

executing of a file;

(iii) a command task for establishing device commands for production testing and initial configuration;

(iv) a file system task for processing the file fragments of the files and removing unwanted and redundant files;

(v) a communications interface task for controlling the receiver and processing data received by the receiver;

(vi) an I/O task for processing of input and output signals for I/O peripherals, such as input buttons or display elements of the meter device;

(vii) a GPS receiver task to control a GPS receiver of the meter device to generate location data;

(viii) a voice task to control a voice processor of the meter device to generate audio announcements; and

(ix) an I/O task for processing signals from other devices, such as a thermostat or dishwasher.

9. The meter device of claim 8, wherein the operating system includes a scheduler to allocate each task to be processed by the microcontroller system, and allocates semaphores to resources of the meter device to allow the microcontroller system to identify resources allocated to a running task.

10. The meter device of claim 9, wherein the file fragments are sent by a remote device to a plurality of the meter devices including the meter device.

11. The meter device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications receiver is configured to receive the file fragments from a server transmission system configured for generating and transmitting the file fragments, the server transmission system further configured to provide a user interface allowing a user to submit instructions used to determine the application, a configuration of the meter device, and data files, to be sent to the meter device in the file fragments.

12. The meter device of claim 11, wherein the user interface of the server transmission system is further configured to allow the user to submit a meter identifier, wherein the server transmission system selects selecting the meter device based on the meter identifier.

13. The meter device of claim 12, wherein the file fragments are sent from the server transmission system to the meter device via a communications device, wherein the communications device receives the file fragments from the server transmission system prior to transmission of the file fragments from the communications device to the meter device.