SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISTRIBUTING DATA WITHIN A MESH NETWORK

• US 20140028468A1
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Grady, Robert Henry, Shoesmith, William Charles, Magley, Dale McLeod
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.03
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/00 Arrangements characterised by the use of multiplexing for the transmission of a plurality of signals over a common path
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• 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 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• 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
• 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 and methods for distributing a firmware upgrade within a mesh network are provided. In one implementation, a firmware upgrade distributing system comprises a utility provider, which is configured to provide utility services to a plurality of customers, a plurality of meters, and a plurality of nodes. Each meter is configured to measure utility usage data of a respective customer. The nodes are configured to transmit the utility usage data from the plurality of meters to the utility provider. When at least one of the meters is scheduled to receive a firmware upgrade, the utility provider is configured to forward the firmware upgrade to at least one of the plurality of nodes. The at least one node is configured to receive and store the firmware upgrade and, after storing the firmware upgrade, is further configured to forward the firmware upgrade to at least one of the plurality of meters.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

a) dividing a firmware upgrade into a plurality of data packets, the firmware upgrade configured to be distributed from a server associated with a utility provider via a plurality of intermediate nodes to a plurality of meters, the server, intermediate nodes, and meters being configured in a mesh network;

b) transmitting a first data packet of the firmware upgrade from the server to a first intermediate node in the mesh network;

c) storing the first data packet in memory of the first intermediate node;

d) transmitting a first acknowledgement signal from the first intermediate node back to the server;

e) repeating steps b), c), and d) for the remaining data packets of the firmware upgrade until the entire firmware upgrade is stored in the memory of the first intermediate node;

f) transmitting the first data packet from the first intermediate node to a second intermediate node;

g) storing the first data packet in memory of the second intermediate node;

h) transmitting a second acknowledgement signal from the second intermediate node back to the first intermediate node;

i) repeating steps f), g), and h) for the remaining data packets of the firmware upgrade until the entire firmware upgrade is stored in the memory of the second intermediate node;

j) repeating steps f), g), h), and i) for remaining intermediate nodes until the entire firmware upgrade is stored in the memory of a lowest-level intermediate node;

k) transmitting the first data packet from the lowest-level intermediate node to a first meter;

l) storing the first data packet in memory of the first meter;

m) transmitting a third acknowledgement signal from the first meter back to the lowest-level intermediate node;

n) repeating steps k), l), and m) until the entire firmware upgrade is stored in the memory of the first meter; and

o) repeating steps k), l), m), and n) for remaining meters configured in a child relationship with the lowest-level intermediate node in the mesh network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of transmitting include wireless transmission of radio frequency signals.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of burning the firmware upgrade into the memory of the meters.

4. A system comprising:

a utility provider configured to provide utility services to a plurality of customers;

a plurality of meters, each meter configured to measure utility usage data of a respective customer; and

a plurality of intermediate nodes configured to transmit the utility usage data from the plurality of meters to the utility provider;

wherein, when at least one of the plurality of meters is scheduled to receive a firmware upgrade, the utility provider is configured to forward the firmware upgrade to at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes; and

wherein the at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes is configured to receive and store the firmware upgrade and, after storing the firmware upgrade, is further configured to forward the firmware upgrade to at least one of the plurality of meters.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes is further configured to forward the firmware upgrade to at least one other of the plurality of intermediate nodes.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of intermediate nodes repeats the forwarding of the firmware upgrade until the firmware upgrade is forwarded to a lowest-level intermediate node in a hierarchy comprising the utility provider, intermediate nodes, and meters.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the utility provider is further configured to divide the firmware upgrade into a plurality of data packets before forwarding the firmware upgrade to the at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the utility provider is configured to forward one data packet at a time to the at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein, in response to receiving a data packet, the at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes transmits an acknowledgement signal back to the utility provider.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes is configured to store the firmware upgrade one data packet at a time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes is configured to forward the firmware upgrade to the at least one of the plurality of meters after storing the entire firmware upgrade comprising each of the data packets.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein each data packet comprises about 100 bytes of data and the firmware upgrade comprises about 128 kilobytes of data.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein each data packet comprises about 100 bytes of data and the firmware upgrade comprises about 256 kilobytes of data.

14. The system of claim 4, wherein each intermediate node comprises a radio frequency (RF) driver configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one of the utility provider, at least one other intermediate node, and at least one meter.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each intermediate node further comprises a network protocol stack, a download manager, a firmware upgrade manager, and a file system.

16. The system of claim 4, wherein the utility provider comprises a server configured to communicate with a hub via a communication network, the hub configured to forward the firmware upgrade to the at least one of the plurality of intermediate nodes.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a user device in communication with the server via the communication network, the user device configured to initiate a firmware upgrade process.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user device comprises a user interface enabling a user to select at least one of the meters to receive the firmware upgrade.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the user interface displays a status of the firmware upgrade process.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the user interface enables the user to select various parameters of the firmware upgrade process.

21. The system of claim 4, wherein each intermediate node comprises a voltage monitoring device configured to monitor a voltage level of a power supply providing power to the respective intermediate node, and wherein, if the voltage monitoring device determines the voltage level to be below a predetermined threshold level, the intermediate node pauses the forwarding process until the voltage level returns to above the predetermined threshold level.

22. A method for storing and forwarding data, comprising:

receiving from a first node a plurality of data packets comprising a data package;

storing each of the data packets in a memory;

sending an acknowledgement upon receiving each of the plurality of data packets; and

in response to receiving a final data packet of the data package and sending a final acknowledgement, sending to a second node the plurality of data packets stored in the memory.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving from the first node the plurality of data packets comprises receiving the data packets one at a time, and wherein sending to the second node the plurality of data packets comprises sending the data packets one at a time.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the data package is a firmware upgrade.

25. A system for storing and forwarding data, comprising:

a processing device configured to execute logic instructions; and

a memory device in communication with the processing device, the memory device configured to store a set of logic instructions enabling the processing device to;

receive from a first node a plurality of data packets comprising a data package;

store each of the plurality of the data packets;

send an acknowledgement upon receiving each of the plurality of data packets; and

in response to receiving a final data packet of the plurality of data packets and after sending a final acknowledgement, send to a second node the plurality of data packets stored in the storing means.