ELECTRIC METER NETWORK SYSTEM, ELECTRIC METER NODE AND BROADCASTING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20140139351A1
• Filed: 02/27/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: HSIEH, Chih-Chiang, JOU, EMERY, HSIEH, Hsiang-Chin, SUN, Tien-Yi
• Granted Patent: US 9,098,994 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/06 successively, i.e. using time division
• 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

An electric meter (EM) network system, an EM node and a broadcasting method thereof are provided. The EM node, which is electrically connected to a power supply loop, stores a layer number and a total layer number. When the power supply loop recovers from a power disconnect condition to a power supplying condition, the EM node obtains a waiting time according to a difference value between the layer number and the total layer number, and broadcasts a route message after the waiting time.

Claims

1. An electric meter (EM) network system, comprising:

a back-end server;

a concentrator communicatively connected to the back-end server;

a first EM node electrically connected to a power supply loop, being configured to store a first layer number and a total layer number, wherein when the power supply loop recovers from a power disconnect condition to a power supplying condition, the first EM node obtains a first waiting time according to a first difference value between the first layer number and the total layer number and broadcasts a first route message after the first waiting time; and

a second EM node electrically connected to the power supply loop, being configured to store a second layer number and the total layer number, wherein when the power supply loop recovers from the power disconnect condition to the power supplying condition, the second EM node obtains a second waiting time according to a second difference value between the second layer number and the total layer number and broadcasts a second route message after the second waiting time;

wherein the first waiting time is longer than the second waiting time, the first EM node receives the second route message from the second EM node and broadcasts the second route message after the first waiting time, and the concentrator receives the first route message and the second route message from the first EM node.

2. The EM network system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first waiting time is equal to the first difference value multiplied by a time interval, and the second waiting time is equal to the second difference value multiplied by the time interval.

3. The EM network system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third EM node electrically connected to the power supply loop and configured to store a third layer number and the total layer number, wherein:

when the power supply loop recovers from the power disconnect condition to the power supplying condition, the third EM node obtains a third waiting time according to a third difference value between the third layer number and the total layer number and broadcasts a third route message after the third waiting time;

the second waiting time is longer than the third waiting time;

the second EM node further receives the third route message from the third EM node and broadcasts the third route message after the second waiting time;

the first EM node further receives the third route message from the second EM node and broadcasts the third route message after the first waiting time; and

the concentrator further receives the third route message from the first EM node.

4. The EM network system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the third EM node further determines that the third difference value is equal to zero so as to only broadcast the third route message.

5. The EM network system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a third EM node electrically connected to the power supply loop and configured to store a third layer number and the total layer number; and

a middle EM node electrically connected to the power supply loop, wherein;

when the power supply loop recovers from the power disconnect condition to the power supplying condition, the third EM node obtains a third waiting time according to a third difference value between the third layer number and the total layer number and broadcasts a third route message after the third waiting time;

the second EM node further receives the third route message from the middle EM node and broadcasts the third route message after the second waiting time;

the first EM node further receives the third route message from the second EM node and broadcasts the third route message after the first waiting time; and

the concentrator further receives the third route message from the first EM node.

6. The EM network system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the third waiting time is equal to the first waiting time, the first waiting time is equal to the first difference value mod a modular divisor and then multiplied by a time interval, the second waiting time is equal to the second difference value mod the modular divisor and then multiplied by the time interval, and the third waiting time is equal to the third difference value mod the modular divisor and then multiplied by the time interval.

7. The EM network system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the third waiting time is equal to the second waiting time, the first waiting time is equal to the first difference value mod a modular divisor and then multiplied by a time interval, the second waiting time is equal to the second difference value mod the modular divisor and then multiplied by the time interval, and the third waiting time is equal to the third difference value mod the modular divisor and then multiplied by the time interval.

8. The EM network system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the third EM node further determines that the third difference value is equal to zero so as to only broadcast the third route message.

9. The EM network system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first EM node further stores a piece of sub-EM node information, and according to the sub-EM node information, determines that the second route message and a route message of at least one sub-EM node have been received so as to immediately broadcast the first route message, the second route message and the route message of the at least one sub-EM node.

10. The EM network system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second EM node further stores a piece of sub-EM node information, and according to the sub-EM node information, determines that a route message of at least one sub-EM node has been received so as to immediately broadcast the second route message and the route message of the at least one sub-EM node.

11. An EM node electrically connected to a power supply loop, comprising:

a storage, being configured to store a layer number and a total layer number;

a transceiver, being configured to broadcast a route message; and

a processor electrically connected to the transceiver and the storage, being configured to obtain a waiting time according to a difference value between the layer number and the total layer number when the power supply loop recovers from a power disconnect condition to a power supplying condition, and enable the transceiver to broadcast the route message after the waiting time.

12. The EM node as claimed in claim 11, wherein the waiting time is equal to the difference value multiplied by a time interval.

13. The EM node as claimed in claim 11, wherein the waiting time is equal to the difference value mod a modular divisor and then multiplied by a time interval.

14. The EM node as claimed in claim 11, wherein the processor further determines that the difference value is equal to zero so as to enable the transceiver to only broadcast the route message.

15. The EM node as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transceiver further receives at least one sub-route message from a sub-EM node, and broadcasts the at least one sub-route message after the waiting time.

16. The EM node as claimed in claim 11, wherein the storage further stores a piece of sub-EM node information, and according to the sub-EM node information, the processor further determines that a sub-route message of at least one sub-EM node has been received so as to immediately broadcast the route message and the sub-route message of the at least one sub-EM node.

17. A broadcasting method for an EM node, the EM node being electrically connected to a power supply loop and comprising a storage, a transceiver and a processor, the processor being electrically connected to the storage and the transceiver, the storage being configured to store a layer number and a total layer number, and the broadcasting method being executed by the processor and comprising the following steps of:

obtaining a waiting time according to a difference value between the layer number and the total layer number when the power supply loop recovers from a power disconnect condition to a power supplying condition; and

enabling the transceiver to broadcast a route message after the waiting time.

18. The broadcasting method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the waiting time is equal to the difference value multiplied by a time interval.

19. The broadcasting method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the waiting time is equal to the difference value mod a modular divisor and then multiplied by a time interval.

20. The broadcasting method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the following step of:

determining that the difference value is zero so as to enable the transceiver to only broadcast the route message.

21. The broadcasting method as claimed in claim 17, comprising the following steps of:

receiving at least one sub-route message from a sub-EM node via the transceiver; and

broadcasting the at least one sub-route message after the waiting time.

22. The broadcasting method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the storage further stores a piece of sub-EM node information, the broadcasting method further comprising the following steps of:

determining that a sub-route message of at least one sub-EM node has been received according to the sub-EM node information; and

broadcasting the route message and the sub-route message of the at least one sub-EM node immediately.