SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUSES FOR DETERMINING POWER USAGE WITH A METER

• US 20120229297A1
• Filed: 03/09/2011
• Published: 09/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ree, Bradley Richard, Boot, John Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,847,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/14 Displaying of utility usage with respect to time, e.g. for monitoring evolution of usage or with respect to weather conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2827 Reporting to a device within the home network; wherein the reception of the information reported automatically triggers the execution of a home appliance functionality
• 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

Systems, methods, and apparatuses may be provided for determining power usage within a meter. The systems, methods, and apparatuses may include providing, for a utility meter, at least one communications interface for communicating with a home area network (HAN); receiving or transmitting, via the at least one communications interface of the utility meter, information having a source or destination associated with the home area network (HAN); determining, by the utility meter, that the information is attributable to activity chargeable to a customer associated with the home area network (HAN); and updating, by the utility meter, a customer usage amount based upon the determination that the information is attributable to the activity chargeable to the customer.

Claims

1. A utility meter, comprising:

at least one communications interface for communicating with a home area network (HAN); and

at least one processor in communication with the at least one communications interface, wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

receive or transmit, via the at least one communications interface, information having a source or destination associated with the home area network (HAN);

determine that the information is attributable to activity chargeable to a customer associated with the home area network (HAN); and

update a customer usage amount based upon the determination that the information is attributable to the activity chargeable to the customer.

2. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

record time information associated with the customer usage amount, wherein the time information enables allocating the customer usage amount to one or more time periods.

3. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the activity chargeable to the customer includes one or more of (i) one device in the home area network (HAN) communicating with another device in the home area network (HAN), or (ii) a device in the home area network (HAN) requesting information from the utility meter.

4. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the information is determined to be attributable to activity chargeable to the customer based at least in part upon a network address of the information, where the network address identifies one or more devices in the home area network (HAN).

5. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the customer usage amount is associated with an amount of power utilized by at least a radio or transceiver in transmitting or receiving the information via the at least one communications interface.

6. The utility meter of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to update a total usage amount to reflect any customer usage amount and any non-customer usage amount.

7. The utility meter of claim 6, wherein a monetary amount chargeable to the customer is based upon a comparison of the customer usage amount and the total usage amount.

8. The utility meter of claim 1, and wherein the information is first information, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive or transmit, via the at least one communications interface, second information having a source or destination associated with the home area network (HAN);

determine that the second information is attributable to activity not chargeable to the customer; and

update a non-customer usage amount based upon the determination that the second information is attributable to activity not chargeable to the customer.

9. The utility meter of claim 8, wherein the at least one communications interface further enables communications with a neighborhood area network (NAN), wherein the activity not chargeable to the customer includes messages sent from the neighborhood area network (NAN) to one or more devices in the home area network (HAN).

10. The utility meter of claim 9, wherein the neighborhood area network (NAN) enables communications with a utility provider, wherein the messages are sent by the utility provider.

11. The utility meter of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor for measuring power consumption of at least a transceiver or radio utilized by the at least one communications interface when communicating with the home area network (HAN).

12. A method for a utility meter, the method comprising:

providing, for a utility meter, at least one communications interface for communicating with a home area network (HAN);

receiving or transmitting, via the at least one communications interface of the utility meter, information having a source or destination associated with the home area network (HAN);

determining, by the utility meter, that the information is attributable to activity chargeable to a customer associated with the home area network (HAN); and

updating, by the utility meter, a customer usage amount based upon the determination that the information is attributable to the activity chargeable to the customer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the activity chargeable to the customer includes one or more of (i) one device in the home area network (HAN) communicating with another device in the home area network (HAN), or (ii) a device in the home area network (HAN) requesting information from the utility meter.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the information is determined to be attributable to activity chargeable to the customer based at least in part upon a network address of the information, the network address identifying one or more devices in the home area network (HAN).

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the customer usage amount is associated with an amount of power utilized by at least a radio or transceiver in transmitting or receiving the information via the at least one communications interface.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

updating, by the utility meter, a total usage amount to reflect any customer usage amount and any non-customer usage amount.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a monetary amount chargeable to the customer is based upon a comparison of the customer usage amount and the total usage amount.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the information is first information, and further comprising:

receiving or transmitting, via the at least one communications interface of the utility meter, second information having a source or destination associated with the home area network (HAN);

determining, by the utility meter, that the second information is attributable to activity not chargeable to the customer; and

updating, by the utility meter, a non-customer usage amount based upon the determination that the second information is attributable to activity not chargeable to the customer.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing, for the utility meter, a sensor for measuring power consumption of at least a transceiver or radio utilized by the at least one communications interface when communicating with the home area network (HAN).

20. A system, comprising:

a server computer; and

a plurality of utility meters in communication with the server computer, wherein each utility meter includes;

at least one respective communications interface for communicating with a respective home area network (HAN); and

at least one processor in communication with the at least one communications interface wherein, the at least one processor is configured to;

receive or transmit, via the at least one respective communications interface, respective information having a respective source or destination associated with the respective home area network (HAN);

determine that the respective information is attributable to respective activity chargeable to a respective customer associated with the respective home area network (HAN); and

update a respective customer usage amount based upon the determination that the respective information is attributable to the respective activity chargeable to the customer, wherein the customer usage amount is accessible by the server computer.