Method and apparatus for executing a command in a plurality of electrical metering devices
First Claim
1. An electricity metering system comprising:
- a plurality of electricity metering devices, each of said metering devices configured to be coupled to a respective load;
means for remotely initiating communication with, and for providing a set of instructions to, said metering devices, said set of instructions comprising a designation of a predetermined execution time for a command, said means providing said set of instructions to said metering devices at arbitrary times which are independent of said predetermined execution time; and
each said metering device comprising;
metering means for measuring energy consumption of the corresponding load;
means for storing said set of instructions, including said predetermined execution time, provided by said means for providing said set of instructions at an arbitrary time which is independent of said predetermined execution time;
clock means for providing a present time value; and
means responsive to said clock means for executing said set of instructions if said present time value is at least as large as said predetermined execution time such that said set of instructions is executed substantially simultaneously in said plurality of metering devices at said predetermined execution time, notwithstanding that said set of instructions was provided to said metering devices at arbitrary times which are independent of said predetermined execution time.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for executing a command in a number of electrical metering devices of a power distribution system provides each metering device with a command having a predetermined execution time and subsequently executes the command in each of the metering devices once the present time value equals or exceeds the predetermined execution time. Each electrical metering device includes a clock for providing the present time value as well as a memory device for receiving and storing the command. Each electrical metering device also includes at least one controller or microprocessor for monitoring or comparing the present time value with the predetermined execution time of the stored command and for executing the stored command once the present time value is at least as large as the predetermined execution time. A command may thus be provided to each electrical metering device of a power distribution system at various prior arbitrary times. The command may subsequentially be executed simultaneously in each of the electrical metering devices at the predetermined execution time.
58 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An electricity metering system comprising:
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a plurality of electricity metering devices, each of said metering devices configured to be coupled to a respective load; means for remotely initiating communication with, and for providing a set of instructions to, said metering devices, said set of instructions comprising a designation of a predetermined execution time for a command, said means providing said set of instructions to said metering devices at arbitrary times which are independent of said predetermined execution time; and each said metering device comprising; metering means for measuring energy consumption of the corresponding load; means for storing said set of instructions, including said predetermined execution time, provided by said means for providing said set of instructions at an arbitrary time which is independent of said predetermined execution time; clock means for providing a present time value; and means responsive to said clock means for executing said set of instructions if said present time value is at least as large as said predetermined execution time such that said set of instructions is executed substantially simultaneously in said plurality of metering devices at said predetermined execution time, notwithstanding that said set of instructions was provided to said metering devices at arbitrary times which are independent of said predetermined execution time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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6. An electricity metering device configured to be coupled to a load and communicatively coupled within a system comprising a plurality of metering devices, said metering device comprising:
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clock means for providing a present time value; means for receiving, without prompting, and storing a set of instructions, including a predetermined execution time, at an arbitrary time which is independent of said predetermined execution time; and means responsive to said clock means for executing said stored set of instructions if said present time value is at least as large as said predetermined execution time such that said stored set of instructions may be executed at said predetermined execution time and substantially simultaneously with execution of said set of instructions by other metering devices in the system, notwithstanding that said set of instructions was received and stored at said arbitrary time which is independent of said predetermined execution time. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method for executing a set of instructions in a plurality of electricity metering devices wherein each metering device includes an associated clock for determining a present time value and is coupled to a load, said method comprising the steps of:
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remotely initiating communication with the plurality of metering devices and providing the metering devices with a set of instructions including a predetermined execution time; storing the set of instructions in each of the plurality of metering devices said step of storing occurring at an arbitrary time which is independent of the predetermined execution time; and individually executing, in each metering device, the previously stored set of instructions once the present time value determined by the clock associated with the respective metering device is at least as large as the predetermined execution time stored in the metering device such that the previously stored set of instructions may be substantially simultaneously executed at the predetermined execution time in the plurality of metering devices, notwithstanding that the previously stored set of instructions was stored at the arbitrary time which is independent of the predetermined execution time. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for simultaneously executing a common set of instructions, the set of instructions including a predetermined execution time, in a plurality of electricity metering devices wherein each metering device is coupled to a load and includes a real time clock for providing a present time value and memory means for storing a set of instructions, said method comprising the steps of:
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remotely initiating communication with the plurality of metering devices and providing the metering devices with a set of instructions including a predetermined execution time; storing the common set of instructions in the memory means of each of the plurality of metering devices, said step of storing occurring at arbitrary times which are independent of the predetermined execution time; comparing the present time value provided by the real time clock of each metering device with the predetermined execution time of the set of instructions stored in the memory means of each metering device; and individually executing the set of instructions in each respective metering device once the present time value provided by the real time clock of the respective metering device equals the corresponding predetermined execution time stored in the memory means of the respective metering device such that a previously stored common set of instructions may be substantially simultaneously executed at a predetermined execution time in a plurality of metering devices at a predetermined real time, notwithstanding that the set of instructions was stored in the plurality of electrical metering devices at arbitrary times which are independent of the predetermined execution time. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. Apparatus for communicating with a plurality of electricity metering devices, said apparatus comprising a command unit configured to remotely initiate communication with, and for providing a set of instructions to, said metering devices, said set of instructions comprising a designation of a predetermined execution time for a command, said unit configured to provide said set of instructions to the metering devices at arbitrary times which are independent of said predetermined execution time, so that the metering devices substantially simultaneously execute said set of instructions.
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21. An electricity metering system comprising:
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a plurality of electricity metering nodes; and a command unit configured to remotely initiate communication with, and for providing a set of instructions to, said nodes, said set of instructions comprising a designation of a predetermined execution time for a command, said unit providing said set of instructions to said metering nodes at arbitrary times which are independent of said predetermined execution time, so that said nodes substantially simultaneously execute said set of instructions.
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Specification