Electronic data recorder for electric energy metering

• US 5,079,715 A
• Filed: 09/28/1990
• Issued: 01/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Krishnan Venkataraman, Richard A. Balch
• Original Assignee: Krishnan Venkataraman, Richard A. Balch
• Inventors: Balch, Richard A., Venkataraman, Krishnan
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Application Number:
  US07/590,569
• Time in Patent Office: 466 Days
• Field of Search: 377/16, 377/22, 346/33 R, 346/33 MC, 364/480-483, 364/505, 364/506, 364/400, 364/705.06, 364/709.09, 364/550, 369/14-16, 369/29, 369/47, 379/106, 379/107, 340/870.02, 340/310 R
• US Class Current: 702/62
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/00 Arrangements for measuring time integral of electric power or current, e.g. electricity meters
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• 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 electronic remote data recorder records pulses representing usage of a commodity such as, for example, water, gas or electricity from a plurality of consumers. The data from each consumer is stored in a respective data storage device. Each data storage device is associated with an interval data directory which stores the times at which significant events, affecting the data in the data storage device occurred. Thus, the data in the data storage device is compact, without requiring a contemporaneous time code for each data item. Data integrity is retained over a period of power outage in a non-volatile storage device. Initial, post-installation programming is enabled by comparing the data pattern in the non-volatile storage device with a predefined data pattern that is expected to exist once the apparatus has been programmed. A write-protect switch prevents programming during an incoming call after the initial programming. Programming from an external source may be permitted during a telephone call initiated by the data recorder itself. A telephone line-sharing device permits a plurality of remote data recorders to share a single telephone line without interfering with each other.

Claims

1. An electronic remote data recorder for recording data in a using facility, said using facility including at least one function controlled by at least one programmable switch responsive to signals from said electronic remote data recorder, comprising:

means for controlling said at least one programmable switch in response to a clock;

a programmable switch library including a relationship of a condition of said at least one programmable switch and at least one time; and

means responsive to power restoration following a power outage for controlling said at least one programmable switch in response to a content of said programmable switch library.

2. A data recording channel comprising:

(a) a data memory having addressable storage locations;

(b) means for periodically storing pulse data in addressable storage locations of said data memory to form a profile of data accumulated over time;

(c) a data directory having addressable storage locations; and

(d) means for storing in addressable storage locations of said data directory, at the time of occurrence of an event, event-type data specifying a type of event occurring in said data recording channel and time data specifying the time of occurrence of the specified type of event, the type of event and time data being related to the pulse data in said data memory and being useable in a prescribed manner to permit an after-the-fact reconstruction of a profile of that data accumulated in the addressable storage locations of said data memory up to the time of occurrence of the stored specified type of event.

3. A data recording channel according to claim 2, further comprising:

(a) a first-in-first-out register for receiving said pulse data and passing said pulse data therethrough for storage in said data memory by said means for periodically storing pules data; and

(b) means, responsive to the occurrence of a specified type of event representative of data communication in progress, for storing incoming pulse data in said first-in-first-out register during said data communication to enable a frozen snapshot of the data accumulated in said data memory to be transmitted.

4. A data recording channel comprising:

(a) a data memory having addressable storage locations;

(b) means for periodically storing pule data in addressable storage locations of said data memory to form a profile of data accumulated over time;

(c) a data directory having addressable storage locations; and

(d) means for storing in addressable storage locations of said data directory, at the times of occurrence of each one of a plurality of different types of events, event-type data specifying a type of event occurring in said data recording channel, time data specifying the time of occurrence of each specified type of event and a data pointer associated with each specified type of event, the associated data pointer for each specified type of event identifying a specified addressable storage location in said data memory containing pules data and being related to the pulse data in said data memory and being useable in a prescribed manner to permit an after-the-fact reconstruction of a profile of that data accumulated in the addressable storage locations of said data memory between the occurrence of different specified types of events.

5. In an electricity metering system, the combination comprising:

(a) an electricity meter for generating pulse signals, each representative of a quantum of electrical energy consumption;

(b) a metering data center; and

(c) an electronic data recorder in communication with said electricity meter and said metering data center, said electronic data recorder including,

(i) an interval data memory, having a plurality of addressable storage locations, for accumulating the pulse signals from said electricity meter as interval data representative of a load profile of the amount of electrical energy consumed in each of a plurality of contiguous intervals, said interval data memory generating, at an output thereof, data pointer signals representative of a data pointer continuously identifying the current interval data memory storage location in which interval data is being stored;

(ii) means for generating a plurality of event-type data signals, each specifying a different type of event occurring in said electronic data recorder, and time data signals specifying the time of occurrence of each specified type of event;

(iii) an interval data directory, in communication with said means for generating and with said interval data memory, responsive to an even type data signal of a first type for storing information identifying a first type of event, the time of occurrence of the first type of event and a first data pointer identifying a first interval data memory storage location for the storage of interval data, and responsive to an event-type data signal of a second type for storing information identifying a second type of event, the time of occurrence of the second type of event, and a second data pointer identifying the last storage location in said interval data memory in which interval data was stored at the time of occurrence of the event type data signal of the second type, and

(iv) means for transmitting, to said metering data center, the interval data accumulated in said interval data memory, and the first and second type event information, the time information of each of the first and second types of events and the first and second data pointers stored in said interval data directory for use in said metering data center in reconstructing a load profile of the interval data accumulated in said interval data memory between the occurrence of the first and second types of events.

6. In an electricity metering system of the type including a metering data center, an electricity meter for generating pulse signals, each representative of a quantum of electrical energy consumption, and an electronic data recorder, in communication with said metering data center and said electricity meter, for communicating with said metering data center and for accumulating the pulse signals as interval data representative of the amount of electrical energy consumed in each of a plurality of contiguous intervals, each interval having a predetermined time period during which the pulse signals are accumulated, said electronic data recorder comprising:

(a) an interval data memory, having a plurality of addressable storage locations, for accumulating interval data to form a load profile of the amount of electrical energy consumed in each of a plurality of contiguous intervals, said interval data memory generating, at all output thereof, data pointer signals representative of a data pointer continuously identifying the current storage location in which interval data is being stored;

(b) means, in communication with said electricity meter, for periodically storing the pulse signals as interval data in addressable storage locations of said interval data memory;

(c) means for generating event type data signals specifying a type of event occurring in said electronic data recorder, and time data signals specifying the time of occurrence of the event; and

(d) an interval data directory, having addressable storage locations and being responsive to an event type data signal for storing the event type and time data signals from said means for generating, and the data pointer signals from said interval data memory s information related to the accumulated interval data in said interval data memory and usuable, by said metering data center, to reconstruct the load profile of the electrical energy consumed in all contiguous intervals up to the time of occurrence of an event by, identifying the type of event, the time of occurrence of the event, and an address pointing to the last storage location in said interval data memory in which interval data was stored at the time of occurrence of the event.

7. A data recording channel comprising:

(a) a data memory having addressable storage locations;

(b) means for periodically storing pulse data in addressable storage locations of said data memory to form a profile of data accumulated over time;

(c) a data directory having addressable storage locations;

(d) means for storing in addressable storage locations of said data directory, at the time of occurrence of an event, event-type data specifying a type of event occurring in said data recording channel and time data specifying the time of occurrence of the specified type of event, the type of event and time data being related to the pulse data in said data memory and being useable in a prescribed manner to permit an after-the-fact reconstruction of a profile of that data accumulated in the addressable storage locations of said data directory up to the time of occurrence of the stored specified type of event;

(e) a first-in-first-out register for receiving said pulse data and passing said pulse data therethrough to said means for periodically storing before being stored in said data memory; and

(f) means responsive to a type of event representative of a data communication in progress for storing incoming pulse data in said first-in-first-out register, whereby a frozen snapshot of data in said data memory is transmitted during the time that said data communication is in progress.