Broadcast technology for an automatic meter reading system
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Abstract
An automated meter reading system is provided. The system includes a host server interfaced to a plurality of nodes where each node communicates with a number of utility meters. The system selects a group of noninterfering nodes and uses an RF broadcast from the host server to initiate the reading of meters and the uploading of meter data provided by those meters to the nodes and, ultimately, to the host server. The system also has a number of gateways that communicate with a plurality of nodes, grouped to form sets of noninterfering gateways. In this embodiment, the system selects a set of noninterfering gateways and uses an RF broadcast from the host server to initiate the reading of meters and the uploading of meter data provided by those meters to the nodes and, ultimately, through the gateways to the host server. A method for using an outbound RF channel to automatically read meters is also provided.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1-16. -16. (canceled)
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17. An automated meter reading system having a plurality of utility meters for measuring and recording metered data, a plurality of nodes, each node communicating with a number of designated meters to read the meter data, a plurality of gateways, each gateway communicating with a number of the nodes to receive the meter data, a data network interfaced to communicate with the plurality of gateways, and a host server interfaced with the data network to receive the meter data read from the gateways, said host server maintaining a topology database comprising:
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first electronic data representative of meter assignments to at least one node;
second electronic data electronically keyed to said first electronic data and representative of node assignments to at least one gateway;
third electronic data electronically keyed to the second electronic data for grouping together a plurality of nodes to define groups of noninterfering nodes based at least in part on the node assignments; and
fourth electronic data electronically keyed to the second electronic data for grouping together a plurality of gateways to define sets of noninterfering gateways. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification