Cost Optimization of Wireless-Enabled Metering Infrastructures

• US 20130107761A1
• Filed: 05/20/2012
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arnab Das, Santanu Das
• Original Assignee: Arnab Das, Santanu Das
• Inventors: Das, Arnab, Das, Santanu
• Granted Patent: US 8,619,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/256
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a system for managing cost in a wireless enabled advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). The system includes a remote server, a wide area network, and an access point device. The system further includes wireless enabled meters coupled to each other and to the access point through a neighborhood area network (NAN). The system includes datasinks. Each datasink is a wireless enabled meter capable of being a data coordinator and capable of receiving metering information from the sensors, processing metering information, and transmitting metering information to the access point. Moreover, each wireless enabled meter is capable of being a routing node and an endpoint node. Also, a first set of wireless enabled meters are configured to be routing nodes and a second set of wireless enabled meters are configured to be endpoint nodes based on a graph theoretic algorithm to reduce the cost of the AMI.

Claims

1. A system for managing cost in a wireless enabled advanced metering infrastructure, the system comprising:

(a) a remote server

(b) a wide area network coupled to the remote server;

(c) at least one access point device coupled to the remote server through the wide area network,

(d) one or more wireless enabled meters coupled to each other and to the access point through a neighborhood area network;

(e) one or more datasinks wherein each datasink is a wireless enabled meter capable of being a data coordinator and capable of receiving metering information from the one or more sensors, processing metering information, and transmitting metering information to at least access point;

(f) wherein each wireless enabled meter is capable of being a routing node and an endpoint node;

(g) wherein a first set of wireless enabled meters are configured to be one or more routing nodes and a second set of wireless enabled meters are configured to be one or more end point nodes based on a graph theoretic algorithm to reduce the cost of the advanced metering infrastructure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the graph theoretic algorithm includes:

selecting a link wherein the link couples a node pair and a node can be selected from the group consisting of an access point, datasink, routing node, or endpoint node;

mapping the distance between the selected node pairs to a corresponding bridging power level wherein the bridging power level between a node pair is designated as a weight of the link;

ranking the weighted links for each corresponding node pair in nondecreasing order of weight;

selecting a next least weighted link and corresponding node pair as part of a subgraph;

repeating the selecting of the next least weighted link and corresponding node pair as part of the subgraph until every node is part of the subgraph and generates a spanning tree;

3. The system of claim 2, wherein graph theoretic algorithm results in increasing the ratio of wireless enabled meters to access points in a neighborhood area network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote server uses the graph theoretic algorithm to configure the first set of wireless enabled meters as routing nodes and the second of wireless enabled meters as end point nodes over the wide area network and through the access point.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the datasink:

(i) receives metering information corresponding to each of the one or more routing nodes and one or more end point nodes; and

(ii) processes the meter information to generate sub-network status information and transmits the sub-network status information to the access point.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the access point transmits the metering information and the sub-network status information to the remote server over the wide area network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the remote server:

processes the metering information for a subset of the one or more routing nodes and one or more end point nodes and the network and sub-network status information;

modifies the configuration of the one or more routing nodes and one or more end point nodes based on the metering information and network and sub-network status information to generate a reconfigured operational neighborhood area network.

8. The system of claim 1, the system further comprising a remote computing device coupled to the access point and the remote server over the wide area network, the remote computing device having a user interface capable of receiving user input and retrieving and displaying metering information and network and sub-network status information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device is capable modifying a configuration of a subset of neighborhood area networks based on user input and the metering information and network and sub-network status information.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the datasink (i) receives sensor information corresponding to each of the one or more routing sensors and one or end point sensors;

(ii) processes the sensor information to generate sub-network status information; and

(iii) transmits the sensor information and the sub-network status information to the access point;

wherein the access point transmits the sensor information and the sub-network status information to the remote computing device and the remote server over the wide area network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the graph theoretic algorithm is Kruskal'"'"'s algorithm which is used to generate spanning tree.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein placement of one or more dummy nodes in the wireless sensor network maximizes a ratio of sensors to access points.

13. A system for managing cost in a wireless enabled advanced metering infrastructure, the system comprising:

(a) a remote server

(b) a wide area network coupled to the remote server;

(c) at least one access point device coupled to the remote server through the wide area network,

(d) one or more wireless enabled meters coupled to each other and to the access point through a neighborhood area network;

(e) one or more datasinks wherein each datasink is a wireless enabled meter capable of being a data coordinator and capable of receiving metering information from the one or more sensors, processing metering information, and transmitting metering information to at least access point;

(f) wherein each wireless enabled meter is capable of being a routing node and an endpoint node;

(g) wherein a first set of wireless enabled meters are configured to be one or more routing nodes and a second set of wireless enabled meters are configured to be one or more end point nodes based on a graph theoretic algorithm to reduce the cost of the advanced metering infrastructure;

(h) wherein one more neighborhood area networks are bridged by one or more dummy nodes to increase ratio of meters to access points.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the access point device includes:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

one or more communication interfaces coupled to the processor;

wherein the device (i) stores the sensor information and the network information in the memory;

(ii) receives sensor information corresponding to each of the one or more routing sensors and one or end point sensors form the one or more communication interfaces;

(iii) processes the sensor information to generate network information using the processor implementing a graph theoretic algorithm; and

(iv) transmits the sensor information and the network information to the one or more communication interfaces.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein a remote server device includes:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

one or more communication interfaces coupled to the processor;

wherein the device;

(i) stores the sensor information and the network information in the memory;

(ii) processes the sensor information for a subset of the one or more routing sensors and one or more end point sensors and the network information using the processor implementing a graph theoretic algorithm;

(iii) transmits reconfiguration data of the one or more routing sensors and one or more end point sensors based on the sensor information and network information using the processor through the one or more communication interfaces.