Distribution automation system
First Claim
1. A communications terminal comprising:
- communication interface means for receiving and transmitting communications of a type including command communications which convey commands, individual power usage communications which convey usage data from each of a plurality of remote usage meters and cumulative usage communications for conveying usage data accumulated from at least part of the plurality of remote power usage meters;
identifying means for identifying a specific one of the remote usage meters associated with each of the individual usage communications, said identifying means being operatively connected with said communication interface means;
storing means for storing the usage data associated with each of the remote meters, said storing means being operatively connected with said communication interface means and said identifying means to obtain individual power usage data and identifications of remote meters;
command responding means for responding to a command conveyed in a command communication, said command responding means being operatively connected with said communication interface means, said comand responding means comprising means for retrieving cumulative usage data from said storing means in response to a cumulative usage retrieval command;
communication forming means for forming communications, said communication forming means being operatively connected with said usage retrieving means to receive cumulative usage data and being operatively connected with said communication interface means to supply formed communications to be transmitted, whereby the communication forming means forms and the communication means transmits cumulative power usage communications; and
cost zone indicating means for indicating time of day cost zones, said cost zone indicating means being operatively connected with said storing means to provide an indication of the cost zone in which individual usage data is received, whereby the cumulative power usage communications indicate the amount of power measured by each remote meter in each cost zone.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A data communications system for conveying load control commands, power usage data, and other data on electric power lines. A remote module for reading the power usage meters and controlling loads is disposed at each power usage location. A group of remote modules convey their power usage data to an associated communications terminal to be accumulated, organized and stored. The group also receives load control commands from the communications terminal to cause them to initiate specific load control functions. There are a plurality of communications terminals disposed at various intervals along the primary distribution feeders. A central control unit collects the usage data from the remote modules, generates load control commands, and the like. Communications between the control unit and a destination communications terminal are relayed by the intermediate communications terminals. If an intermediate communications terminal should fail to relay communications properly, the central control unit and the other communications terminals isolate and by-pass the malfunctioning unit. If a communications terminal should fail to communicate properly with its associated group of remote modules, another communications terminal can be programmed to assume its function.
133 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A communications terminal comprising:
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communication interface means for receiving and transmitting communications of a type including command communications which convey commands, individual power usage communications which convey usage data from each of a plurality of remote usage meters and cumulative usage communications for conveying usage data accumulated from at least part of the plurality of remote power usage meters; identifying means for identifying a specific one of the remote usage meters associated with each of the individual usage communications, said identifying means being operatively connected with said communication interface means; storing means for storing the usage data associated with each of the remote meters, said storing means being operatively connected with said communication interface means and said identifying means to obtain individual power usage data and identifications of remote meters; command responding means for responding to a command conveyed in a command communication, said command responding means being operatively connected with said communication interface means, said comand responding means comprising means for retrieving cumulative usage data from said storing means in response to a cumulative usage retrieval command; communication forming means for forming communications, said communication forming means being operatively connected with said usage retrieving means to receive cumulative usage data and being operatively connected with said communication interface means to supply formed communications to be transmitted, whereby the communication forming means forms and the communication means transmits cumulative power usage communications; and cost zone indicating means for indicating time of day cost zones, said cost zone indicating means being operatively connected with said storing means to provide an indication of the cost zone in which individual usage data is received, whereby the cumulative power usage communications indicate the amount of power measured by each remote meter in each cost zone. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A communications terminal comprising:
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communication interface means for receiving and transmitting communications of a type including command communications which convey commands, individual power usage communications which convey usage data from each of a plurality of remote usage meters and cumulative usage communications for conveying usage data accumulated from at least part of the plurality of remote power usage meters; identifying means for identifying a specific one of the remote usage meters associated with each of the individual usage communications, said identifying means being operatively connected with said communication interface means; storing means for storing the usage data associated with each of the remote meters, said storing means being operatively connected with said communication interface means and said identifying means to obtain individual power usage data and identifications of remote meters; command responding means for responding to a command conveyed in a command communication, said command responding means being operatively connected with said communication interface means, said command responding means comprising means for retrieving cumulative usage data from said storing means in response to a cumulative usage retrieval command; communication forming means for forming communications, said communication forming means being operatively connected with said usage retrieving means to receive cumulative usage data and being operatively connected with said communication interface means to supply formed communications to be transmitted, whereby the communication forming means forms and the communication means transmits cumulative power usage communications; and surge means for determining surges in usage, said surge means operatively connected with said communications interface means and said storing means to receive incoming individual usage data for determining usage surges and their magnitude, said surge means producing an indication of the magnitude of usage surges for storage in said storing means, whereby the usage communications indicate the amount of usage and the magnitude of at least one usage surge measured by each remote meter.
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4. A communications terminal comprising:
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communication interface means for receiving and transmitting communications of a type including command communications which convey commands, individual power usage communications which convey usage data from each of a plurality of remote usage meters, and cumulative usage communications which conveying usage data accumulated from at least part of the plurality of remote power usage meters, each communication including a communications terminal address; identifying means for identifying a specific one of the remote usage meters associated with each of the individual usage communications, said identifying means being operatively connected with said communication interface means; storing means for storing the usage data associated with each of the remote meters, said storing means being operatively connected with said communication interface means and said identifying means to obtain individual power usage data and identifications of remote meters; command responding means for responding to a command conveyed in a command communication, said command responding means being operatively connected with said communication interface means, said command responding means comprising means for retrieving cumulative usage data from said storing means in response to a cumulative usage retrieval command; communication forming means for forming communications, said communication forming means being operatively connected with said usage retrieving means to receive cumulative usage data and being operatively connected with said communication interface means to supply formed communications to be transmitted, whereby the communication forming means forms and the communication means transmits cumulative power usage communications; communication destination determining means for determining whether each communication is directed to said communications terminal, said communication destination determining means being operatively connected with said communication interface means to receive communications therefrom and with said command responding means for enabling the command responding means in response to command signals directed to said communications terminal; and address altering means for altering the communications terminal address in a communication to address a specific, different communications terminal, said communication destination determining means being operatively connected with said address altering means for enabling the address altering means in response to command signals not directed to said communications terminal, said address altering means operatively connected with said communication interface means and said communication forming means, whereby said communications terminal receives, readdresses and retransmits communications directed to another communications terminal. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A communications terminal comprising:
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communication interface means for receiving and transmitting communications of a type including command communications which convey commands, individual power usage communications which convey usage data from each of a plurality of remote usage meters and cumulative usage communications for conveying usage data accumulated from at least part of the plurality of remote power usage meters, said communication interface means comprising communication circuitry means for converting communications between phase modulated communications and digital communications, said phase modulated communications having a selectable carrier frequency and a selectable data transmission rate; identifying means for identifying a specific one of the remote usage meters associated with each of the individual usage communications, said identifying means being operatively connected with said communication interface means; storing means for storing the usage data associated with each of the remote meters, said storing means being operatively connected with said communication interface means and said identifying means to obtain individual power usage data and identifications of remote meters; command respond means for responding to a command conveyed in a command communication, said command responding means being operatively connected with said communication interface means, said command responding means comprising means for retrieving cumulative usage data from said storing means in response to a cumulative usage retrieval command; communication forming means for forming communications, said communication forming means being operatively connected with said usage retrieving means to receive cumulative usage data and being operatively connected with said communication interface means to supply formed communications to be transmitted, whereby the communication forming means forms and the communication means transmits cumulative power usage communications; - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A data communication system for transmitting data communications on electric distribution lines comprising:
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a central control unit; a plurality of communications terminals including at least a first communications terminal operatively connected to said central unit with a data communication link, said plurality of communications terminals being operatively connected with said electric power distribution lines for transmitting and receiving communications on the electric power distribution lines; a plurality of remote modules, said plurality of remote modules being operatively connected with said electric power distribution lines for transmitting and receiving communications to and from said communications terminals; said central control unit comprising communication forming means for forming a communication;
the communication comprising the address of a destination communications terminal, the address of intermediate communications terminals, and a command, said destination communications terminal being at least one of the plurality of communications terminals to which the command is directed and said intermediate communications terminals being communications terminals disposed along the electric power distribution lines along a route between the central control unit and the destination communications terminal;
communications terminal addressing means for generating the addresses of said destination communications terminal and said intermediate communications terminals, said communications terminal address generating means being operatively connected with said communication forming means;
command generating means for generating the command, said command generating means being operatively connected with said communication forming means;
interface means for transmitting and receiving communications with said first communications terminal, said interface means operatively connected with said communications forming means;
timing means for timing the duration between transmitting a communication containing a command and receiving a communication containing an indication that the command was received by the destination communications terminal, said timing means operatively connected with said interface means;
rerouting means for altering the intermediate communications terminals addressed along the route between the central control unit and said destination communications terminal, said rerouting means being operatively connected with said timing means, said timing means permitting said rerouting means to alter the intermediate communications terminals addressed in response to the duration since transmitting the communication exceeding a selected duration, whereby the central unit reroutes a communication through different intermediate communications terminals when an indication is not timely received from the destination communications terminal;each of said communications terminal means comprising communications interface means for receiving and transmitting communications;
communications terminal address determining means for determining whether a communication received from the electric power distribution lines is addressed to the receiving communications terminal, said communications terminal address determining means being operatively connected with said communications interface means;
communication destination determining means for determining whether the communication received from the electric power distribution lines is directed to the receiving communications terminal;
command reponding means for responding to a command conveyed in a received command communication, said command responding means being controlled by said communication destination determining means to respond to the command directed to the receiving communications terminal, said command responding means comprising producing an indication that the command was received, said command responding means being operatively connected with said communication interface and said communication destination determining means;address altering means for readdressing the received communication to another of the intermediate communications terminals, said address altering means controlled by said communication destination determining means to readdress communications not directed to the receiving communications terminal, said address altering means operatively connected with said communication interface means, and said communication destination determining means; and communications forming means for forming communications for transmission by said communications interface means, said communications forming means being operatively connected with said communications interface means, with said address altering means, and with said command responding means;
whereby said receiving communications terminal readdresses and retransmits communications directed to another communications terminal and transmits an indication that a communication directed to itself was received. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification