MESSAGE-BUS-BASED ADVANCED METER INFORMATION SYSTEM WITH APPLICATIONS FOR CLEANING, ESTIMATING AND VALIDATING METER DATA

• US 20080074284A1
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Industry Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Emeter (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: King, Christopher, Lofgren, Thomas, Wambaugh, John, Prasad, Narendra, Johnson, Larsh, Edwards, Cree
• Granted Patent: US 8,174,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• 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, said meter data management system comprising:

a data collection interface to the meter data collection system;

a message bus for transferring meter data or information derived from the meter data between the meter data collection system and the data collection interface; and

a plurality of software applications for cleaning, validating and estimating meter data or information derived from the meter data, said software applications communicating with one another and with said data collection interface through the message bus.

2. The meter data management computer system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of software applications comprises a software application for cleaning the meter data or information derived from the meter data, a software application for validating the cleaned meter data and a software application for estimating any missing meter data from the cleaned meter data.

3. The meter data management computer system of claim 2, said meter data management system further comprising an archiver and a meter data database, wherein said software application for validating the cleaned meter data publishes validated meter data on the message bus, and said archiver retrieves said validated meter data from the message bus, without involving the software application for estimating missing meter data from the cleaned meter data, and stores the validated meter data in the meter data database.

4. 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 meters recording utility usage, said meter data management computer system comprising:

a data collection interface to the meter data collection system;

a message bus for transferring messages related to the meter data between the meter data collection system and the data collection interface; and

a plurality of software applications for cleaning, validating and estimating meter data or information derived from the meter data, said software applications communicating with one another and with said data collection interface through the message bus, said method comprising;

a first software application of the plurality of software applications retrieving from the message bus meter data or information derived from the meter data from the meter data collection system; and

cleaning or validating the retrieved meter data or information derived from the meter data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising a second software application of the plurality of software applications retrieving from the message bus the cleaned meter data and validating the cleaned meter data.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

said second software application determining whether the cleaned meter data contains data gaps and needs data estimation; and

said second software application publishing on the message bus a message that the cleaned meter data requires data estimation.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising a third software application of the plurality of software applications retrieving from the message bus the cleaned meter data requiring data estimation, and providing estimated data.

8. The method of claim 7, said meter data management computer system further comprising an archiver, said method further comprising said second software application publishing validated meter data on the message bus, and said archiver retrieving said validated meter data from the message bus, without involving the third software application, and archives the validated meter data.