Method and apparatus for performing the register functions for a plurality of metering devices at a common node

• US 5,696,501 A
• Filed: 09/09/1996
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hardy, Samuel G., Ouellette, Maurice Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Jr., Timothy
• Application Number:
  US08/709,643
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/870.03, 340/870.11, 340/505, 340/825.54, 364/464.04, 364/483
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00001 characterised by the display of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition systems [SCADA] or graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2213/10 using simultaneously two or more different transmission means
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/14 Calling by using pulses
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/40 Display of information, e.g. of data or controls
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A method and apparatus of the present invention includes a common node of a power line communications system for individually performing the register functions for a plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to the node. The power line communications system includes at least one node having a plurality of registers, a respective one of which is associated with a respective electrical metering device. The electrical metering devices connected via the power lines to the node measure the power consumption of the electrical load associated therewith and transmit a signal indicative of the measured power consumption to the node and, in particular, to the respective register of the node associated with the electrical metering device. The node individually determines the power consumed by each electrical load operably connected to the node based upon the received signals. The results of such calculations are stored in the register associated with each respective electrical metering device. The stored results are also periodically transmitted to the system control center of the power line communications system. Thus, the register functions for a plurality of relatively simple electrical metering devices may be centralized at a common node.

Claims

1. A node for communicating with a plurality of electrical metering devices coupled to a plurality of electrical loads and located remote from said node, said node comprising:

means for remotely communicating with a plurality of electrical metering devices; and

register means, coupled to said communicating means, including a plurality of registers, a respective one of which is associated with a respective electrical metering device for receiving signals from the respective electrical metering device, via said communicating means, which are indicative of the power consumption of the electrical load coupled to the respective electrical metering device, wherein said register means individually determines at least one measure of power consumption of the electrical loads, operatively connected thereto, from the received signals.

2. A node according to claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of register means comprises means for periodically receiving signals from the respective electrical metering devices which are indicative of the cumulative power consumption of the respective electrical load.

3. A node according to claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of registers comprises memory means for storing the signals received from the respective electrical metering device and the power consumption determined from the received signals.

4. A node according to claim 1 further comprising means for transmitting the signals received from the electrical metering devices and the determined power consumption of the electrical loads to a system control center.

5. A node according to claim 1 wherein the signals received from the electrical metering devices are formatted according to a consumer electronics bus protocol, and wherein the node further comprises means for receiving signals formatted according to the consumer electronics bus protocol.

6. A node according to claim 1 further comprising means for prompting the electrical metering devices connected to the node to transmit signals indicative of the power consumption of the associated electrical loads.

7. A node according to claim 2 wherein said register means further comprises means for individually determining the electrical power consumption of the electrical loads operably connected thereto.

8. A node according to claim 7 wherein said determining means further comprises:

means for individually determining the total kilowatt hours of power consumed by the electrical loads operably connected thereto;

means for individually determining the kilowatt hours of power consumed during a predetermined period of time by the electrical loads operably connected thereto; and

means for individually determining the kilowatt demand by the electrical loads operably connected thereto.

9. A communications system comprising:

a system control center for transmitting and receiving signals; and

a plurality of nodes configured to transmit signals between said system control center and a plurality of electrical metering devices located remote from said node, and wherein at least one node includes register means having a plurality of registers, a respective one of which is associated with at least one of the respective electrical metering devices for receiving signals from the respective electrical metering device which are indicative of the power consumption of an electrical load coupled to the respective electrical metering device, wherein said register means individually determines at least one measure of power consumption by the electrical load from the received signals.

10. A communications system according to claim 9 further comprising a plurality of electrical metering devices, each of said plurality of electrical metering devices comprising:

metering means for measuring the power consumption of the associated electrical load; and

means for transmitting a signal indicative of the measured power consumption to said at least one node.

11. A communications system according to claim 10 wherein each electrical metering device further comprises clocking means, operably connected to said transmitting means, for periodically producing a timing signal such that said transmitting means sends the signal, indicative of the measured power consumption, periodically in response to the timing signal, and wherein the signal indicative of the measured power consumption sent in response to the timing signal is the cumulative power consumption of the associated electrical load.

12. A communications system according to claim 10 wherein said transmitting means of each of said plurality of said electrical metering devices sends the signal according to a consumer electronics bus protocol, and wherein said transmitting means comprises means of each electrical metering device for formatting the signals according to the consumer electronics bus protocol, and wherein said register means of said at least one node comprises means for receiving signals according to consumer electronics bus protocol.

13. An electrical metering device comprising:

metering means configured to be coupled to a power line supplying power to an electrical load and for measuring the power consumption of an electrical load from the power line; and

register communicating means for transmitting a signal, indicative of the measured power consumption to an external register located remote from said metering device such that the electrical metering device is free of register means for performing computations with the measured power consumption of the associated electrical load.

14. An electrical metering device according to claim 13 further comprising clocking means, operably connected to said communicating means, for producing, during a predetermined period of time, a periodic timing signal which includes the length of time remaining in the predetermined period of time, such that said communicating means sends the signal, indicative of the power consumption of the associated load and the length of time remaining in the predetermined period of time, periodically in response to the timing signal.

15. An electrical metering device according to claim 13 wherein said communicating means sends signals according to a consumer electronics bus protocol, and wherein said communicating means comprises means for formatting the signals according to the consumer electronics bus protocol.

16. An electrical metering device according to claim 13 further comprising means for displaying the measured power consumption of the associated load.

17. An electrical metering device according to claim 13 further comprising memory means for storing a measure of the power consumption of the associated electrical load measured by said metering means.

18. An electrical metering device according to claim 17 further comprising clocking means, operably connected to said register communicating means, for periodically producing a timing signal such that said communicating means sends the signal, indicative of the measured power consumption, periodically in response to the timing signal, and wherein the signal indicative of the measured power consumption sent by said communicating means is indicative of the kilowatt-hours consumed by the load.

19. An electrical metering device according to claim 18 wherein said memory means stores cumulative power consumption of the associated electrical load, and wherein the signal indicative of the measured power sent by said communicating means is the stored cumulative power consumption.

20. A method of computing the power consumed by a plurality of electrical loads at a common node in a communications system, at least one electrical metering device associated with each load and located remote from the node, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring the power consumption of each electrical load with at least one of the electrical metering devices;

transmitting a plurality of signals from the electrical metering devices to the common node at a remote location wherein at least one of the respective signals is indicative of the measured power consumption of a respective electrical load; and

determining, at the common node, the individual power consumption of each of the plurality of electrical loads, based upon the transmitted signals.

21. A method of computing the power consumed by a plurality of electrical loads according to claim 20 wherein said transmitting step further comprises the step of periodically transmitting the plurality of signals to the common node wherein a respective one of the signals is indicative of cumulative power consumption of a respective electrical load.

22. A method of computing the power consumed by a plurality of electrical loads according to claim 20 wherein said measuring step comprises the step of measuring the power consumption of the plurality of electrical loads over a predetermined period of time and wherein the signals transmitted include the length of time remaining in said predetermined period of time.

23. A method of computing the power consumed by a plurality of electrical loads according to claim 20 wherein said transmitting step includes the step of formatting the signals according to a consumer electronics bus protocol.

24. A method of computing the power consumed by a plurality of electrical loads according to claim 20 wherein said determining step comprises the steps of:

individually determining the total kilowatt hours of power consumed by each of the plurality of electrical loads;

individually determining the kilowatt hours of power consumed by each of the plurality of electrical loads during a predetermined period of time; and

individually determining the kilowatt demand by the each of the plurality of electrical loads.

25. A method of computing the power consumed by a plurality of electrical loads according to claim 20 further comprising the step of transmitting the individual power consumption determined for each of the plurality of electrical loads from the common node to a system control center.

26. A method of computing the power consumed by a plurality of electrical loads according to claim 20 further comprising the step of prompting each of the plurality of electrical metering devices to transmit the signal indicative of the power consumed by the respective electrical load.