Utility meter with external signal-powered transceiver

• US 20060145890A1
• Filed: 09/13/2002
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Landis+Gyr AG (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Landisinc
• Inventors: Junker, John P., Burns, Gordon R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,126,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.110
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/02 in which the signal transmitted is magnitude of current or voltage G08C19/36, G08C19/38 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• 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: H04Q 9/04 Arrangements for synchronous operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• 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

An arrangement for use in a utility meter includes a non-volatile memory and an RF transceiver. The non-volatile memory has a first and a second port, the first port configured to obtain commodity consumption data. The radio frequency (RF) transceiver is configured to receive and RF signal from an external source and obtain energy from the RF signal and provide the energy to a bias voltage input of the non-volatile memory. The RF transceiver is further operable to perform a data transfer operation responsive to the received RF signal, the data transfer operation including a transfer of meter-related data between the non-volatile memory and the RF transceiver using the second port of the non-volatile memory.

Claims

1. An arrangement for use in a utility meter, comprising:

a non-volatile memory having a first and a second port, the first port configured to obtain commodity consumption data;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver configured to

receive an RF signal from an external source,

obtain energy from the RF signal and provide the energy to a bias voltage input of the non-volatile memory,

perform a data transfer operation responsive to the received RF signal, the data transfer operation including a transfer of meter-related data between the non-volatile memory and the RF transceiver using the second port of the non-volatile memory.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the RF transceiver is further configured to perform the data transfer operation to retrieve at least some commodity consumption data from the non-volatile memory.

3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the RF transceiver is further configured to transmit the at least some commodity consumption data via a second RF signal.

4. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the meter-related data includes meter control data and the RF transceiver is further configured to:

obtain the meter control data from the RF signal; and

perform the data transfer operation to transfer the meter control data to the non-volatile memory.

5. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the non-volatile memory comprises an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

6. The arrangement of claim 1 further comprising an arbitration circuit coupled to the non-volatile circuit, the arbitration circuit operable to control access to the non-volatile memory by the RF transceiver.

7. The arrangement of claim 1 wherein the first port is configured to obtain commodity consumption data representative of electrical energy consumption.

8. An arrangement for use in a utility meter, comprising:

a transceiver operable to

receive external signals from an external source,

obtain bias power and first meter data from the external signals, and

transmit outgoing signals to the external source, the outgoing signals containing second meter data; and

a non-volatile memory having a first and a second port, the first port configured to provide first meter data to a measurement circuit of the utility meter and to receive second meter data from the measurement circuit, the second port operable to receive first meter data from the transceiver and provide second meter data to the transceiver, the non-volatile memory having a bias voltage input operably coupled to receive the bias power from the transceiver.

9. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the transceiver comprises an RF transceiver.

10. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the non-volatile memory comprises an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

11. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the first meter data includes meter control data.

12. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the second meter data includes commodity consumption data.

13. The arrangement of claim 8 further comprising an arbitration circuit coupled to the non-volatile circuit, the arbitration circuit operable to control access to the non-volatile memory by the transceiver and the measurement circuit.

14. A utility meter comprising:

a measurement circuit operable to generate commodity consumption data;

a non-volatile memory having a first and a second port, the first port configured to receive commodity consumption data from the measurement circuit,

a power supply operable to provide first bias power to the non-volatile memory;

a radio frequency (RF) transceiver configured to

receive an RF signal from an external source,

obtain energy from the RF signal and provide second bias power to the non-volatile memory,

perform a data transfer operation responsive to the RF signal, the data transfer operation including a transfer of first data between the non-volatile memory and the RF transceiver using the second port of the non-volatile memory.

15. The arrangement of claim 14, wherein the RF transceiver is further configured to perform the data transfer operation to retrieve at least some commodity consumption data from the non-volatile memory.

16. The arrangement of claim 15, wherein the RF transceiver is further configured to transmit the at least some commodity consumption data via a second RF signal.

17. The arrangement of claim 14 wherein the first data includes meter control data and the RF transceiver is further configured to:

obtain the meter control data from the RF signal; and

perform the data transfer operation to transfer the meter control data to the non-volatile memory.

18. The arrangement of claim 17 wherein the measurement circuit is operable to obtain the meter control data and adjust an operation of the measurement circuit responsive to the meter control data.

19. The arrangement of claim 18 wherein the meter control data includes meter calibration data.

20. The arrangement of claim 18 wherein the meter control data includes meter program data.

21. The arrangement of claim 15 wherein the measurement circuit is further operable to generate commodity consumption data representative of electrical energy consumption.

22. A utility meter comprising:

a measurement circuit operable to perform one or more commodity consumption measurements based in part on first meter data, the measurement circuit generating second meter data representative of the commodity consumption measurements;

a transceiver operable to

receive external signals from an external source,

obtain bias power and the first meter data from the external signals, and

transmit outgoing signals to the external source, the outgoing signals containing the second meter data; and

a non-volatile memory having a first and a second port, the first port configured to provide first meter data to the measurement circuit of the utility meter and to receive second meter data from the measurement circuit, the second port operable to receive first meter data from the transceiver and provide second meter data to the transceiver, the non-volatile memory having a bias voltage input operably coupled to receive the bias power from the transceiver.

23. The arrangement of claim 22 wherein the transceiver comprises an RF transceiver.

24. The arrangement of claim 22 wherein the non-volatile memory comprises an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

25. The arrangement of claim 22 wherein the first meter data includes meter calibration data.

26. The arrangement of claim 22 wherein the first meter data includes meter program data.

27. A method comprising:

a) receiving an external signal into a transceiver of a utility meter;

b) obtaining first bias power from the external signal;

c) obtaining first meter data from the external signal;

d) providing the first bias power to a non-volatile memory;

e) storing the first meter data into the non-volatile memory; and

f) performing commodity consumption measurements within the utility meter based at least in part on the first meter data.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising, prior to step f):

providing second bias power to the non-volatile memory; and

retrieving the first meter data from the non-volatile memory.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

g) storing second meter data into the non-volatile memory.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

h) receiving a second external signal into the transceiver;

i) obtaining first bias power from the second external signal;

j) providing the first bias power to the non-volatile memory;

k) retrieving the second meter data from the non-volatile memory;

l) transmitting an outgoing signal to a device external to the utility meter, said outgoing signal including the second meter data.

31. The method of claim 27 wherein step a) further comprises receiving the external signal into the transceiver of the utility meter, the external signal comprising an RF signal.

32. The method of claim 27 wherein step c) further comprises obtaining the first meter data from the external signal, the first meter data including meter calibration data.

33. The method of claim 27 wherein step c) further comprises obtaining the first meter data from the external signal, the first meter data including meter program data.

34. A method comprising:

a) receiving an external RF signal into a transceiver within a utility meter;

b) obtaining first bias power and meter control data from the external RF signal;

c) providing the first bias power and the meter control data to a non-volatile memory;

d) retrieving meter-related data from the non-volatile memory;

e) transmitting an outgoing signal to a device external to the utility meter, said outgoing signal including the meter-related data.

35. The method of claim 34 wherein step e) further comprises employing an RF transmitter to transmit the outgoing signal.

36. The method of claim 34 further comprising, prior to step a), receiving into the nonvolatile memory meter-related data from a measurement circuit of the utility meter.

37. The method of claim 34 further comprising, prior to step a), receiving into the nonvolatile memory meter-related data comprising commodity consumption data from a measurement circuit of the utility meter.