TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND REMOTE CONFIGURATION IN A GATEWAY-BASED NETWORK

• US 20130094396A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 10,200,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• 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

Disclosed are apparatus and methodology for remotely configuring gateway devices in a gateway-based Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) network. Remotely configurable gateway devices are provided for Internet Protocol (IP) communications between consumption measuring devices and a utility central facility. Communications between the gateway device and central facility may be by way of wired or wireless communications and may include configuration information multicast from the central facility to selected gateway devices.

Claims

1. An Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), comprising:

at least one remotely configurable gateway;

at least one device coupled for communications with said at least one remotely configurable gateway;

an Internet Protocol (IP) based communications network; and

at least one central facility server coupled for communications over said network,

wherein said at least one remotely configurable gateway is coupled for IP-based communications with said network whereby configuration data may be multicast from said at least one central facility server to said at least one remotely configurable gateway.

2. An AMI as in claim 1, wherein said at least one remotely configurable gateway is coupled for wireless communications with said network.

3. An AMI as in claim 1, wherein said at least one remotely configurable gateway is coupled for wired communications with said network.

4. An AMI as in claim 1, wherein said at least one remotely configurable gateway is configured for communications with a plurality of consumption measuring devices.

5. An AMI as in claim 4, wherein said at least one remotely configurable gateway is configured for wireless communications with said plurality of consumption measuring devices.

6. An AMI as in claim 4, wherein said at least one remotely configurable gateway is configured for wired communications with said plurality of consumption measuring devices.

7. An AMI as in claim 1, wherein said at least one remotely configurable gateway is coupled for two-way IP-based communications with said network.

8. A method of configuring a gateway coupled between one or more utility consumption measuring devices and a utility provider, comprising:

coupling at least one utility consumption measuring device to a remotely configurable gateway for Internet Protocol (IP) based communications with an Internet Service Provide (ISP);

coupling a utility provider central facility server to the ISP via an Internet Protocol (IP) based communications network; and

multicasting configuration information from the utility provider central facility server to the gateway.

9. A method as in claim 8, wherein coupling between the utility consumption measuring device and gateway is conducted wirelessly.

10. A method as in claim 8, wherein coupling between the utility consumption measuring device and gateway is conducted by wired communication.

11. A method as in claim 8, further including coupling a plurality of utility consumption measuring devices to a gateway.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein coupling a plurality of utility consumption measuring devices comprises coupling a plurality of like type utility consumption measuring devices.

13. A method as in claim 11, wherein coupling a plurality of utility consumption measuring devices comprises coupling a plurality of diverse type utility consumption measuring devices.

14. A method of configuring a gateway coupled between one or more utility consumption measuring devices and a utility provider by way of an Internet Protocol (IP) based communications network with an Internet Service Provide (ISP), comprising, multicasting configuration information from the utility provider central facility server to the gateway.

15. A method as in claim 14, wherein the utility consumption measuring device and gateway are coupled wirelessly.

16. A method as in claim 14, wherein the utility consumption measuring device and gateway are coupled by wired communication.

17. A method as in claim 14, wherein the one or more utility consumption measuring devices comprises a plurality of like type utility consumption measuring devices.

18. A method as in claim 14, wherein the one or more utility consumption measuring devices comprises a plurality of diverse type utility consumption measuring devices.