UTILITY METER REPORTING NETWORK

• US 20140266778A1
• Filed: 03/13/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trimble Inc.
• Original Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Cameron, John F., Kuhl, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,729,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• 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 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

Abstract

A utility meter reporting network is disclosed. In one embodiment, an end-point reporting device is configured to collect utility usage data and to convey the utility usage data to a gateway device via a first Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio communication link using a first ISM transceiver operable in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range. The network further comprises a gateway device comprising a second ISM transceiver for receiving the utility usage data from the end point and a wireless transceiver which is configured to send the utility usage data via an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 compliant wireless communication link. The network further comprises a utility office which receives the utility usage data from said gateway device via said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link.

Claims

1. A utility meter reporting network comprising:

an end-point reporting device configured to collect utility usage data and to convey said utility usage data to a gateway device via a first Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio communication link using a first ISM transceiver operable in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range;

said gateway device comprising a second ISM transceiver for receiving said utility usage data from said end point and further comprising a wireless transceiver which is configured to send said utility usage data via a Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 compliant wireless communication link; and

a utility office which receives said utility usage data from said gateway device via said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link.

2. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 further comprising:

a second gateway device configured to wirelessly receive a second set of utility usage data from a second end-point reporting device via a second ISM radio communication link and to convey said second set of utility usage data to said gateway device via said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link.

3. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 further comprising:

a wireless repeater configured to receive said utility usage data from said end-point reporting device and to forward said utility usage data to said gateway device using a second ISM radio communication link.

4. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 further comprising a handheld communication device configured to access said gateway device via the Internet and to retrieve said utility usage data from said gateway device via the Internet.

5. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 wherein said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link is compliant with the IEEE 802.11.g communication standard.

6. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 wherein said gateway device is configured to receive a first message from said end-point reporting device on a first channel in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range and a second message from said end-point reporting device on a second channel in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range and to select which of said first channel and said second channel will be used to convey said utility usage data.

7. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 wherein said gateway device is configured to receive a first message from said end-point reporting device which is transmitted using a vertically polarized antenna and a second message from said end-point reporting device which is transmitted using a horizontally polarized antenna and to select whether said end-point reporting device is to use said vertically polarized antenna or said horizontally polarized antenna to convey said utility usage data.

8. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 wherein said gateway device is configured to control the gain of an antenna coupled with said second ISM transceiver when receiving a message from said end-point reporting device.

9. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 further comprising a handheld communication device configured to communicate with said gateway device via a second IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link and retrieve said utility usage data from said gateway device.

10. The utility meter reporting network of claim 1 wherein said end-point reporting device further comprises a Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoder/decoder coupled with said first ISM transceiver and wherein said gateway device further comprises a second FEC encoder/decoder coupled with said second ISM transceiver.

11. A communication device comprising:

a processor coupled with a bus;

an Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio communication transceiver coupled with said bus and configured to receive utility usage data from an end-point reporting device;

a non-transitory data storage device coupled with said bus and configured to store said utility usage data; and

an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 compliant wireless communication transceiver coupled with said bus and configured to convey said utility usage data via a wireless communication link.

12. The communication device of claim 11 further comprising:

a Forward Error Correction (FEC) encoder/decoder coupled with said ISM radio communication transceiver.

13. The communication device of claim 11 wherein said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication transceiver is configured to implement the IEEE 802.11.g communication standard.

14. The communication device of claim 11 wherein said non-transitory data storage device is configured to store a set of utility usage data received via said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication transceiver and wherein said processor is configured to forward said set of utility usage data to another device using said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication transceiver when communications are established.

15. The communication device of claim 11 wherein said utility usage data is received from said end-point reporting device via a wireless repeater.

16. The communication device of claim 11 wherein said processor is configured to select between a first message received from said end-point reporting device on a first channel in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range and a second message received from said end-point reporting device on a second channel in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range and to select which of said first channel and said second channel will be used to convey said utility usage data.

17. The communication device of claim 11 wherein said processor is configured to select between a first message received from said end-point reporting device which is transmitted using a vertically polarized antenna and a second message received from said end-point reporting device which is transmitted using a horizontally polarized antenna and to select whether said end-point reporting device is to use said vertically polarized antenna or said horizontally polarized antenna to convey said utility usage data.

18. The communication device of claim 11 wherein said processor is configured to control the gain of an antenna coupled with said ISM radio communication transceiver when receiving a message from said end-point reporting device.

19. A method for collecting utility usage data, said method comprising:

sending utility usage data from an end-point reporting device to a gateway device via a first Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio communication link using a first ISM transceiver operable in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range;

receiving said utility usage data by said gateway device using a second ISM transceiver; and

sending said utility usage data by said gateway device via an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 compliant wireless communication link using an IEEE 802.11 compliant radio transceiver.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

implementing a wireless communication link which is compliant with the IEEE 802.11.g communication standard to send said utility usage data from said gateway device.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving at a second gateway device a second set of utility usage data from a second end-point reporting device via a second ISM radio communication link; and

conveying said second set of utility usage data to said gateway device via said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving said utility usage data from said end-point reporting device at a wireless repeater; and

forwarding said utility usage data from said wireless repeater to said gateway device using a second ISM radio communication link.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving at said gateway device a first message from said end-point reporting device on a first channel in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range;

receiving at said gateway device a second message from said end-point reporting device on a second channel in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range;

selecting by said gateway device which of said first channel and said second channel will be used to convey said utility usage data; and

generating a message by said gateway device which indicates to said end-point reporting device which of said first channel and said second channel to use to convey said utility usage data.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising;

receiving at said gateway device a first message from said end-point reporting device which is transmitted using a vertically polarized antenna;

receiving at said gateway device a second message from said end-point reporting device which is transmitted using a horizontally polarized antenna;

selecting by said gateway device whether said end-point reporting device is to use said vertically polarized antenna or said horizontally polarized antenna to convey said utility usage data; and

generating a message by said gateway device which indicates to said end-point reporting device which of said vertically polarized antenna and said horizontally polarized antenna to use to convey said utility usage data.

25. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

controlling the gain of an antenna coupled with said second ISM transceiver by said gateway device when receiving a message from said end-point reporting device.

26. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

communicating with said gateway device via a second IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link using a handheld communication device; and

retrieving said utility usage data from said gateway device by said handheld communication device via said IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link.

27. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

wirelessly accessing said gateway device via the Internet using a handheld communication device; and

retrieving said utility usage data from said gateway device via the Internet using said handheld communication device.

28. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

implementing Forward Error Correction (FEC) using a first FEC encoder/decoder coupled with said first ISM transceiver of said end-point reporting device and a second FEC encoder/decoder coupled with said second ISM transceiver of said gateway device.

29. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

accessing said gateway device using a second IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless communication link using an emergency services transceiver.

30. A method for collecting utility usage data, said method comprising:

sending utility usage data from an end-point reporting device to a gateway device via a first Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) radio communication link using a first ISM transceiver operable in the 902 MHz to 928 MHz range;

receiving said utility usage data by said gateway device using a second ISM transceiver; and

using a cellular telephone to retrieve said utility usage data from said gateway device via an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 radio link implemented by said cellular telephone.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

wirelessly accessing said gateway device via the Internet using said cellular telephone; and

retrieving said utility usage data from said gateway device via the Internet using said cellular telephone.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising:

accessing said gateway device using a second IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless radio link implemented by an emergency services transceiver.