METER AND COMMUNICATION RELAY METHOD

• US 20120056753A1
• Filed: 01/18/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ambit Microsystems Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ambit Microsystems Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: CHEN, WEN-ZHONG, HU, SHU-SHU
• Application Number:
  US13/008,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20120056753A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5433 Remote metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• 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

Abstract

A meter receives a new communication frame from a power line, and determines whether the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter. If the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter, the meter generates a response frame of the new communication frame, and broadcasts the response frame to the concentrator via the power line to report the power consumption of the meter. If the new communication frame is not used to read power consumption of the meter, the meter broadcasts the new communication frame to the at least one other meter and the concentrator via the power line.

Claims

1. A meter connected to a concentrator and at least one other meter via a power line, the concentrator broadcasting a plurality of request frames to the meter and the at least one other meter via the power line, the meter and the at least one other meter broadcasting a plurality of response frames of the request frames to the concentrator via the power line to read power consumption of the meter and the at least one other meter, the meter comprising:

at least one processor;

a storage system;

one or more programs that are stored in the storage system and are executed by the at least one processor, the one or more programs comprising;

a communication module operable to receive a new communication frame from the power line, wherein the new communication frame is one of the request frames originally broadcasted by the concentrator and the response frames originally broadcasted by the meter and the at least one other meter; and

a frame determination module operable to determine whether the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter;

wherein the communication module further generates a response frame of the new communication frame and broadcasts the response frame of the new communication frame to the concentrator via the power line to report the power consumption of the meter upon the condition that the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter;

wherein the communication module further broadcasts the new communication frame to the concentrator and the at least one other meter via the power line when the new communication frame is not used to read power consumption of the meter.

2. The meter of claim 1, wherein the storage system stores a receiving queue and a sending queue, the receiving queue is operable to record communication frames received by the meter, and the sending queue is operable to record communication frames sent by the meter.

3. The meter of claim 2, wherein the frame determination module further determines whether a frame the same as the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue, adds the new communication frame to the receiving queue when no frame the same as the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue, and ignores the new communication frame when a frame the same as the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue.

4. The meter of claim 2, wherein each of the communication frames comprises a frame identifier, a frame type, a frame source address, and a frame destination address, the frame identifier identifies each communication frame, the frame type indicates a type of each communication frame is a request frame or a response frame, the frame source address indicates an address of a device generating each communication frame, and the frame destination address indicates an address of a destination device of each communication frame.

5. The meter of claim 4, wherein each communication frame and a response frame of each communication frame have the same frame identifier, wherein frame types of each communication frame and the response frame of each communication frame are respectively a request frame and a response frame, wherein the frame source address and the frame destination address of each communication frame are respectively the same as the frame destination address and the frame source address of the response frame of each communication frame.

6. The meter of claim 5, wherein the frame determination module determines whether a frame destination address of the new communication frame is an address of the meter so as to check whether the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter, determines that the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter upon the condition that the frame destination address of the new communication frame is the address of the meter, and determines that the new communication frame is not used to read power consumption of the meter upon the condition that the frame destination address of the new communication frame is not the address of the meter.

7. The meter of claim 1, wherein the communication module further waits a first back-off time according to a collision back-off algorithm until a channel of the power line is idle, and broadcasts the response frame of the new communication frame to the concentrator by the channel of the power line.

8. The meter of claim 5, wherein the frame determination module further determines whether a type of the new communication frame is a request frame.

9. The meter of claim 8, wherein the communication module further waits a second back-off time according to the collision back-off algorithm until the channel of the power line is idle upon the condition that the type of the new communication frame is not a request frame, and broadcasts the new communication frame to the concentrator by the channel of the power line.

10. The meter of claim 8, wherein the communication module further determines whether a response frame of the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue upon the condition that the type of the new communication frame is a request frame, waits a third back-off time according to the collision back-off algorithm until the channel of the power line is idle, and broadcasts the new communication frame to the at least one other meter by the channel of the power line.

11. A communication relay method of a meter, the meter connected to a concentrator and at least one other meter via a power line, the concentrator broadcasting a plurality of request frame to the meter and the at least one other meter via the power line, the meter and the at least one other meter broadcasting a plurality of response frames of the request frames to the concentrator via the power line to read power consumption of the meter and the at least one other meter, the communication relay method comprising:

receiving a new communication frame from the power line, wherein the new communication frame is one of the request frames and the response frames;

determining whether the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter;

generating a response frame of the new communication frame and broadcasting the response frame of the new communication frame to the concentrator via the power line to report the power consumption of the meter if the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter; and

broadcasting the new communication frame to the concentrator and the at least one other meter via the power line if the new communication frame is not used to read power consumption of the meter.

12. The communication relay method of claim 11, wherein the meter stores a receiving queue and a sending queue, the receiving queue is operable to record communication frames received by the meter, and the sending queue is operable to record communication frames sent by the meter.

13. The communication relay method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining whether a frame the same as the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue;

adding the new communication to the receiving queue if no frame the same as the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue; and

ignoring the new communication frame if a frame the same as the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue.

14. The communication relay method of claim 12, wherein each of the communication frames comprises a frame identifier, a frame type, a frame source address, and a frame destination address, the frame identifier identifies each communication frame, the frame type indicates a type of each communication frame is a request frame or a response frame, the frame source address indicates an address of a device generating each communication frame, and the frame destination address indicates an address of a destination device of each communication frame.

15. The communication relay method of claim 14, wherein each communication frame and a response frame of each communication frame have the same frame identifier, wherein frame types of each communication frame and the response frame of each communication frame are respectively a request frame and a response frame, wherein the frame source address and the frame destination address of each communication frame are respectively the same as the frame destination address and the frame source address of the response frame of the communication frame.

16. The communication relay method of claim 15, wherein the step of determining whether the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter comprises:

determining whether a frame destination address of the new communication frame is an address of the meter so as to check whether the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter;

determining that the new communication frame is used to read power consumption of the meter if the frame destination address of the new communication frame is the address of the meter; and

determining that the new communication frame is not used to read power consumption of the meter if the frame destination address of the new communication frame is not the address of the meter.

17. The communication relay method of claim 15, wherein the step of broadcasting the response frame of the new communication frame to the concentrator via the power line to report the power consumption of the meter comprises:

waiting a first back-off time according to a collision back-off algorithm;

determining whether a channel of the power line is idle; and

adding the response frame of the new communication frame to the sending queue; and

broadcasting the response frame of the new communication frame to the concentrator by the channel of the power line if the channel of the power line is idle.

18. The communication relay method of claim 15, wherein the step of broadcasting the new communication frame to the at least one other meter and the concentrator via the power line comprises:

determining whether a type of the new communication frame is a request frame;

waiting a second back-off time according to the collision back-off algorithm if the type of the new communication frame is not a request frame;

determining whether the channel of the power line is idle; and

adding the new communication frame to the sending queue; and

broadcasting the new communication frame to the concentrator via the channel of the power line if the channel of the power line is idle.

19. The communication relay method of claim 18, wherein the step of broadcasting the new communication frame to the at least one other meter and the concentrator via the power line further comprises:

determining whether a response frame of the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue if the type of the new communication frame is a request frame;

calculating a third back-off time according to the collision back-off algorithm;

determining whether the third back-off time arrives if the response frame of the new communication frame is not found in the receiving queue;

continuing to determine whether the response frame of the new communication frame is found in the receiving queue if the third back-off time has not arrived;

determining whether the channel of the power line is idle if the third back-off time has arrived; and

adding the response frame of the new communication frame to the sending queue; and

broadcasting the new communication frame to the at least one other meter by the channel of the power line if the channel of the power line is idle.