ON-LINE WEB ACCESSED ENERGY METER

• US 20110299418A1
• Filed: 08/15/2011
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electro Industries/Gaugetech
• Original Assignee: Electro Industries/Gaugetech
• Inventors: Wang, Wei, Kagan, Erran
• Granted Patent: US 8,599,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• 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

An electrical metering system capable of performing multiple metering functions, collecting data, and wirelessly provides the collected metering data to a utility operator. In the electrical metering system, at least one computing device for initiating a request for data. A first modem connects the computing device to an infrastructure. A wireless embedded modem for wirelessly connects an electric meter to an infrastructure, and the wireless electric modem receives a request from the computing device and wirelessly transmits the metering data to the computing device, thereby initiating the request.

Claims

1. A system for collecting data and wirelessly providing the collected data to a remote operator, the system comprising:

at least one computing device for initiating a request for data;

a first communications device for connecting the computing device to an infrastructure;

at least one device comprising;

a digital sampler configured for sampling at least one parameter;

at least one processor configured to collect the at least one parameter and generate data from the sampled at least one parameter, wherein the at least one processor is configured to act as a server for the at least one device and is further configured for presenting the collected and generated data in the form of web pages; and

a wireless communications device coupled to the at least one device and for wirelessly connecting the at least one device to the infrastructure,

wherein the wireless communications device receives a request from the computing device and wirelessly transmits the collected and generated metering data to the computing device initiating the request, wherein the computing device accesses the collected and generated data via a software program.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure comprises a telephone infrastructure including telephone landlines coupled to the at least one computing device and a cell phone infrastructure including cell phone relay stations coupling the telephone infrastructure to the wireless embedded modem.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure comprises a wide area network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the infrastructure further comprises a carrier network infrastructure including a broadcasting means operated by at least one carrier network provider.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the wide area network is the Internet.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is selected from one of a desktop personal computer, a laptop computer, a cell phone, a hand held computing device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the computing device uses a web browsing program to initiate the request for data.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a communication means for connecting the wireless communications device to the at least one processor, the communication means being selected from hard wired or wireless means.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the hard wired means is selected from one of a serial connection, the Ethernet, and a universal serial bus (USB).

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the wireless means utilizes 802.11 protocol.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor utilizes metering protocols selected from Modbus remote terminal unit (RTU) and DNP to communicate to the wireless communications device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications device operates on a protocol selected from the group consisting of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) to communicate.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications device utilizes a 802.11 protocol to communicate.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications device operates on a cellular network protocol.

15. The system of claim 3, wherein the wide area network is Ethernet-based.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the wide area network uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to assign an IP address to the modem.

17. The system of claim 3, wherein the wide area network includes at least one wireless access point and the communications device connects to the infrastructure via the at least one wireless access point.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the infrastructure is a wide area network operating on TCP/IP.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the server provides data to the wide area network in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

20. A device for measuring and monitoring at least one parameter, the device comprising:

a digital sampler configured for sampling at least one parameter;

at least one processor configured to collect the sampled at least one parameter and generate data from the sampled at least one parameter;

a wireless embedded communications device configured for transmitting the data to a computing device residing on an infrastructure; and

wherein the at least one processor acts as a server for the device in managing the data and the connection between the computing device, wherein the server provides data to the computing device via a network protocol,

wherein the wireless embedded communications device is coupled to the at least one processor via a serial protocol.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the wireless embedded communications device operates on a 802.11 protocol.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the wireless embedded communications device operates on a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) protocol.

23. The device of claim 20, wherein the wireless embedded communications device operates on a cellular network protocol.

24. The device of claim 20, wherein the infrastructure is a wide area network.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the wide area network is Ethernet-based.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the wide area network uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to assign an IP address to the wireless embedded communications device.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein the wide area network includes at least one wireless access point and the wireless embedded communications device connects to the infrastructure via the at least one wireless access point.

28. The device of claim 24, wherein the infrastructure is a wide area network operating on TCP/IP.

29. The device of claim 20, wherein the wireless embedded communications device operates on a protocol selected from the group consisting of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).

30. The device of claim 20, wherein the infrastructure is a wide area network operating on TCP/IP.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the server provides data to the wide area network in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or Extensible Markup Language (XML).

32. The device of claim 20, further comprising an external device interface for receiving data from at least one external device.

33. The device of claim 20, wherein the server provides data to the computing device in the form of web pages.

34. The device of claim 20, where in the network protocol is an e-mail protocol.

35. The device of claim 20, wherein the network protocol is FTP.

36. The device of claim 20, wherein the network protocol is Modbus TCP.

37. A meter for measuring and monitoring electrical energy, the device comprising:

a digital sampler configured for sampling voltage and current waveforms;

at least one processor configured to collect the sampled voltage and current waveforms and generate power consumption data from the sampled voltage and current waveforms;

a wireless embedded communications device configured for transmitting the data to a computing device residing on an infrastructure; and

wherein the at least one processor acts as a server for the meter in managing the metering data and the connection between the computing device, wherein the server provides data to the computing device via a network protocol,

wherein the wireless embedded communications device is coupled to the at least one processor via a serial protocol.

38. The meter of claim 37, where in the network protocol is an e-mail protocol.

39. The meter of claim 37, wherein the network protocol is FTP.

40. The meter of claim 37, wherein the network protocol is Modbus TCP.

41. The meter of claim 37, wherein the meter is a socket-type energy meter.

42. The meter of claim 37, wherein the meter is a switchboard panel meter.

43. The meter of claim 37, wherein the meter is a commercial sub-meter.

44. The meter of claim 37, wherein the wireless embedded communications device operates on a 802.11 protocol.

45. The meter of claim 37, wherein the wireless embedded communications device operates on a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) protocol.

46. The meter of claim 37, wherein the wireless embedded communications device operates on a cellular network protocol.