Method and apparatus for communicating with a plurality of electrical metering devices and a system control center with a mobile node
First Claim
1. A communications system of an electrical power distribution system wherein a plurality of electrical metering devices are operably connected to respective ones of a plurality of distribution transformers, the communications system comprising:
- a system control center for transmitting and receiving signals; and
at least one mobile node which relocates in the field within said communications system such that said mobile node can communicate with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers, wherein each mobile node comprises;
means for communicating with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to the selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers near said mobile node via radio frequency signals; and
means for transmitting the signals received from the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to the selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers to the system control center via radio frequency signals while said mobile node is in the field and removed from the system control center and prior to communication of said mobile node with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to remaining ones of the plurality of distribution transformers such that said system control center can process the transmitted signals while said mobile node remains in the field, wherein said transmitting means comprises means for retransmitting the signals received from the plurality of electrical metering devices connected to the selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers to the system control center such that the signals are not stored by the mobile node.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for transmitting signals according to the present invention between electrical metering devices and a system control center includes a mobile node. The mobile node communicates with the electrical metering devices operably connected to a distribution transformer and transmits the signals received from the electrical metering devices to the system control center while the mobile node is in the field and removed from the system control center. The mobile node may then be relocated in the field within the electrical power distribution system so as to communicate with the electrical metering devices operably connected to another distribution transformer. Thus, a single mobile node may communicate with the electrical metering devices connected to a number of distribution transformers so as to decrease the number of fixed nodes employed by a communications system of an electrical power distribution system.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A communications system of an electrical power distribution system wherein a plurality of electrical metering devices are operably connected to respective ones of a plurality of distribution transformers, the communications system comprising:
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a system control center for transmitting and receiving signals; and at least one mobile node which relocates in the field within said communications system such that said mobile node can communicate with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers, wherein each mobile node comprises; means for communicating with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to the selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers near said mobile node via radio frequency signals; and means for transmitting the signals received from the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to the selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers to the system control center via radio frequency signals while said mobile node is in the field and removed from the system control center and prior to communication of said mobile node with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to remaining ones of the plurality of distribution transformers such that said system control center can process the transmitted signals while said mobile node remains in the field, wherein said transmitting means comprises means for retransmitting the signals received from the plurality of electrical metering devices connected to the selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers to the system control center such that the signals are not stored by the mobile node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A mobile node of an electrical power distribution system which allows a plurality of electrical metering devices, operably connected to respective ones of a plurality of distribution transformers, to communicate with a system control center, the mobile node comprising:
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means for communicating with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to a selected one of the distribution transformers near said mobile node via radio frequency signals; means for transmitting the signals received from the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to a selected one of the distribution transformers to the system control center via radio frequency signals while said mobile node is in the field and removed from the system control center and prior to communication of said mobile node with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to a remaining one of the plurality of distribution transformers such that the system control center can process the transmitted signals while said mobile node remains in the field, wherein said transmitting means comprises means for retransmitting the signals received from the plurality of electrical metering devices connected to the selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers to the system control center such that the signals are not stored by the mobile node; and means for relocating said mobile node in the field within the electrical power distribution system so as to communicate with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to a remaining one of the distribution transformers. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of transmitting signals between a plurality of electrical metering devices and a system control center via a mobile node in a electrical power distribution system, wherein the electrical metering devices are operably connected to respective ones of a plurality of distribution transformers, the method comprising the steps of:
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positioning the mobile node in the field within the electrical power distribution system and near the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers; communicating with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to selected ones of the plurality of distribution transformers near the mobile node via radio frequency signals; and transmitting the signals received from the plurality of electrical metering devices by the mobile node to the system control center via radio frequency signals while said mobile node is in the field and removed from the system control center and prior to communication of the mobile node with the plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to remaining ones of the plurality of distribution transformers such that the system control center can process the transmitted signals while the mobile node remains in the field, wherein said transmitting step comprises passing the signals received from the plurality of electrical metering devices by the mobile node to the system control center such that the signals are not stored by the mobile node. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification