SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MESSAGE-BUS-BASED ADVANCED METER INFORMATION SYSTEM

• US 20080052253A1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: eMeter Corp (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Lofgren, Thomas, Wambaugh, John, Prasad, Narendra, Johnson, Larsh, Edwards, Cree, King, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,794,729 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/30 characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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

Different adapters and applications may publish information on the messaging bus and retrieve information from the bus simultaneously in a manner that does not cause interference or problems in the publication or retrieval. Meter data is cleaned, validated and estimated by separate applications using the above-described application and retrieval processes via the message bus for flexible and efficient processing.

Claims

1. A meter data management computer system for managing meter data, said system in communication with a meter data collection system that collects meter data from a plurality of meters recording utility usage, and with an application software system, said meter data management computer system comprising:

a plurality of interfaces, said interfaces including a first interface to the meter data collection system and a second interface to the application software system;

a database storing the meter data or information derived from the meter data;

a first application to insert the meter data or information derived from the meter data into the database; and

a message bus for transferring the meter data or information derived from the meter data and messages related to the meter data between the meter data collection system, the first application, the database, the plurality of interfaces and the application software system.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein one of said interfaces publishes one of the messages on the message bus and said first application or another one of said interfaces retrieves the one message from the message bus.

3. The computer system of claim 2, each of at least some of said messages published by said first interface including a corresponding identifier indicating a characteristic of such message, and said first application or another one of said interfaces retrieves from the message bus at least one message of interest based on the characteristic indicated by the identifier.

4. The computer system of claim 3, said characteristic of said at least one message including one or more of the following:

account, rate cycle, route premise, service delivery point, a change in one or more of said meters, rate, route, cycle, premise status, service agreement, customer.

5. The computer system of claim 3, said first application or said another one of said interfaces retrieving from the message bus only messages of interest as indicated by the identifier in the messages.

6. The computer system of claim 5, said first application or said another one of said interfaces retrieving from the message bus only messages with a predetermined identifier or flags.

7. The computer system of claim 3, wherein publication and retrieval of said messages by each of the interfaces and first application does not affect the publication and retrieval of said messages by any other one of the interfaces or the first application.

8. The computer system of claim 1, further including an additional management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and said meters.

9. The computer system of claim 8, said additional management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and one or more of the following:

meter sockets, power disconnect switches, data communication devices, electrical distribution transformers, electrical distribution feeders, or relationship data concerning customers, rates, routes, cycles, premises, and service agreements.

10. The computer system of claim 8, said first interface comprising a software application module that manages the synchronization of data stored in the meter data collection system or the application software system with data stored in the management database.

11. The computer system of claim 1, said first interface comprising a software application module that modifies the meter data from the meter data collection system and publishes the modified meter data on the message bus, wherein said first application retrieves the modified meter data from the message bus and stores the modified meter data in the database.

12. The computer system of claim 1, said interfaces comprising at least one software application that manages the updating of data stored in the application software system with data stored in the meter data collection system.

13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein messages retrieved by the meter data collection system include a message related to a change of one or more of said meters, meter configuration or meter location.

14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein messages retrieved by the application software system include a message related to billing, or customer.

15. A method for managing meter data performed by means of a meter data management computer system in communication with a meter data collection system that collects meter data from a plurality of meters recording utility usage, and an application software system, said meter data management computer system comprising:

a plurality of interfaces, said interfaces including an interface to the meter data collection system and an interface to the application software system; and

a message bus for transferring information related to the meter data between the meter data collection system, the plurality of interfaces and the application software system;

said method comprising;

at least a first interface of said plurality of interfaces publishing on the message bus a message related to the meter data; and

at least a second interface of said plurality of interfaces different from the at least first interface retrieving said message from the message bus, to pass information between the meter data collection system, the meter data management computer system and the application software system.

16. The method of claim 15, each of at least some of said messages published by said interfaces including an indicator indicating a characteristic of said message, said at least second interface retrieving from the message bus at least one message of interest based on a characteristic indicated by the indicator of the at least one message.

17. The method of claim 16, said at least second interface retrieving from the message bus only messages of interest as indicated by the indicator or indicators in the messages.

18. The method of claim 16, said at least second retrieving from the message bus only messages with a predetermined indicator or indicators.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein publishing and retrieving of said messages by each of the interfaces do not affect the publishing and retrieving of said messages by any other one of the interfaces.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein said meter data management computer system further comprises a database, an application, the interface to the meter data collection system publishes on the message bus meter data, or information derived from the meter data, from the meter data collection system, and said application retrieves the meter data or said information from the message bus and stores the meter data or said information in the database.

21. The method of claim 15, said meter data management computer system further comprising a management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and said meters, and a software application module;

said software application module synchronizing data stored in the meter data collection system or said application software system with data stored in the management database.

22. The method of claim 15, said meter data management computer system further comprises a database storing meter data or information derived from the meter data, said interface to the application software system comprising a software application, said software application updating data stored in the application software system with data stored in the database.

23. The method of claim 15, one of said interfaces comprising a software application, said software application updating data stored in the application software system with data stored in the meter data collection system.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface to the application software system publishes on the message bus a message related to a change of one or more of said meters, meter configuration or meter location, and said interface to the meter data collection system retrieves such message and updates data in the meter data collection system with the change.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface to the application software system publishes on the message bus a message for disconnecting an individual meter at a service delivery point, and the interface to the meter data collection system retrieves such message and disconnects utility service at said service delivery point.