Utility monitoring and control system
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring or controlling utility use at a plurality of use sites in a public utility network, such system comprisinginterface means for interfacing a central information bank with a communications link independent of power lines so as to enable the information bank to communicate with a plurality of separately addressable relay modules,at least one relay module, each relay module being located at a power line transformer and electrically interconnected to the secondary side thereof, and including(a) master communications means for receiving and sending information along the communications link to the central information bank,(b) information storage means for storing information,(c) relay communications means, distinct from the master communications means, for separately addressing and communicating with a plurality of local site units via power line carrier (PLC), and(d) control means for selectively interconnecting said storage means with said master communication means and with said relay communications means so as to relay information between the central information bank and the plurality of local site units, anda plurality of local site units each located at a local site and addressable by a particular relay module, each said local site unit including site PLC communicaitons means for communicating with its particular relay module via power line carrier, each said local site unit also including at least one of means for indicating utility use or means for controlling the flow of utility.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
A remote utility reading and control system includes a central utility use data bank which communicates by communications link with a plurality of relay modules located at power sub-distribution transformers. Each relay module separately addresses and communicates by PLC with a number of site units in its locality. The site units may include on/off controls for buildings, light systems or single pieces of equipment, or may include utility meters or real power meters. The PLC communication utilizes error checking and message verifying to acquire valid status or measurement signals, which are then transmitted to the central data bank. A CRC error code identifies faulty messages. After multiple interrogation, five responses are stored, and a message is confirmed only when three of five reponses are identical. Systems for electricity, water, and gas are described.
311 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring or controlling utility use at a plurality of use sites in a public utility network, such system comprising
interface means for interfacing a central information bank with a communications link independent of power lines so as to enable the information bank to communicate with a plurality of separately addressable relay modules, at least one relay module, each relay module being located at a power line transformer and electrically interconnected to the secondary side thereof, and including (a) master communications means for receiving and sending information along the communications link to the central information bank, (b) information storage means for storing information, (c) relay communications means, distinct from the master communications means, for separately addressing and communicating with a plurality of local site units via power line carrier (PLC), and (d) control means for selectively interconnecting said storage means with said master communication means and with said relay communications means so as to relay information between the central information bank and the plurality of local site units, and a plurality of local site units each located at a local site and addressable by a particular relay module, each said local site unit including site PLC communicaitons means for communicating with its particular relay module via power line carrier, each said local site unit also including at least one of means for indicating utility use or means for controlling the flow of utility.
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9. A system for the communication, between a central use information bank and plural end user sites within a utility distribution system, of utility use information indicative of utility use at the plural end user sites, such system comprising
interface menas for interfacing the use information bank with a communication ink independent of power lines of said utility distribution system, a least one relay module including means for communicating information along the communications link with the information bank, and means for communicating information via power line carrier with a plurality of site units at plural end user sites, and a plurality of site units, each located at a specific end user site and responsive at an address signal transmitted by power line carrier from a specific said relay module, for transmitting utility use information of the specific end user site by power line carrier to said specific relay module, wherein each said site unit communicates with a single said relay module, and each said relay module is located at a distribution transformer and connected to the secondary side thereof so as to communicate with a plurality of nearby site units, each located at a site receiving power through the said transformer.
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14. A control module for controllably communicating with a plurality of PLC-addressable utility usage units, such module comprising
interface means for receiving and sending communications over a first, external, communications link to a central information source polling means for polling over a second, PLC, communications link, a plurality of utility usage units in power line communication with the module so as to communicate usage information to said units and receive usage information from said units storage means for storing usage information, and relay control means for controlling the interface means, the storage means and the polling means so as to relay utility usage information between said central source and said plurality of utility usage units.
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18. A relay module for controllably communicating with a plurality of PLC-addressable utility usage units, such module comprising
interface means for receiving and sending data over a first communications link independent of power lines, to a central information source, polling means for polling over a power line communications link, a plurality of separately addressable utility usage units in power line communication with the relay module so as to communicate data to said units and receive data from said units, storage means for storing said data, and relay control means for controlling the interface means, the storage means and the polling means so as to relay utility usage information between said central source and said plurality of utility usage units by successively polling said plurality of usage units, storing data received therefrom, and subsequently communicating the stored data as a block of data via said interface means.
Specification