ALARM REPORTING THROUGH UTILITY METER READING INFRASTRUCTURE

• US 20110050455A1
• Filed: 08/31/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Addy, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,199 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: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• 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 system is provided that includes a utility meter of a utility company that measures consumption of a utility within a space occupied by a user, a wireless fault detector associated with the utility located within the space and a wireless transmitter of the utility meter that receives a fault message from the fault detector, confirms consumption of the utility within the space and transmits a fault message that identifies the space to the utility company.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a utility meter of a utility company that measures consumption of a utility within a space occupied by a user;

a wireless fault detector associated with the utility located within the space; and

a wireless transmitter of the utility meter that receives a fault message from the fault detector, confirms consumption of the utility within the space and transmits a fault message that identifies the space to the utility company.

2. The system as in claim 1 wherein the utility meter is a gas meter and the fault detector is a natural gas leak detector.

3. The system as in claim 1 wherein the utility meter is a water meter and the fault detector is a water leak detector.

4. The system as in claim 1 further comprising a communication network that interconnects the utility meter wireless transmitter with the utility company.

5. The system as in claim 4 wherein the communication network further comprises a mesh network coupled between the transmitter and the utility company through a public communication network.

6. The system as in claim 4 wherein the communication network further comprises a high reliability reporting system coupled between the transmitter and the utility company.

7. The system as in claim 6 further comprising a security system disposed within the space coupled to the high reliability reporting system.

8. The system as in claim 7 further comprising a wireless transceiver of the security system that exchanges messages with the utility meter wireless transceiver.

9. The system as in claim 1 further comprising a wireless control transceiver of a utility consuming device located within the space that exchanges wireless messages with the utility meter wireless transceiver.

10. The system as in claim 9 further comprising a control message from the utility company to the utility meter wireless transceiver, the control message is received by the utility wireless transceiver and transferred to the control transceiver to deactivate the utility consuming device.

11. The system as in claim 9 wherein the control message further comprises a load shedding message that changes a temperature set point.

13. The system as in claim 1 further comprising a security system coupled to a central monitoring station through the high reliability reporting system.

14. The system as in claim 13 wherein the security system, the transceiver and fault sensor further comprise a mesh network.

12. A system comprising:

a utility meter that measures consumption of a utility within a user space;

a transceiver of the utility meter;

a fault sensor that detects faults in the user space associated with the consumption of the utility within the space and that reports detected faults to the transceiver; and

a high reliability reporting system coupled to the transceiver that reports the detected faults to a utility company that supplies the utility.

15. The system as in claim 12 further comprising a fault processor that compares a consumption rate of the utility with a threshold value and upon detecting that the consumption rate exceeds the threshold reports the fault to the utility company.

16. The system as in claim 12 further comprising a fault processor that reports a consumption rate of the utility along with the fault to the utility company.

17. A system comprising:

a utility meter that measures consumption of a utility within a user space where said utility is provided by a utility company;

a transceiver of the utility meter;

a fault sensor that detects faults in the user space associated with the consumption of the utility within the space and that reports detected faults to the transceiver;

a security panel within a protected space coupled to the transceiver; and

a high reliability reporting system coupled to the transceiver that reports the detected faults to the utility company.

18. The system as in claim 17 wherein the utility further comprises natural gas.

19. The system as in claim 17 wherein the utility further comprises water.

20. The system as in claim 17 wherein the utility further comprises electricity.

21. The system as in claim 17 further comprising the utility company sending a load shedding message to an air conditioner over riding a temperature set point.