Reduced cost automatic meter reading system and method using locally communicating utility meters

• US 6,262,672 B1
• Filed: 08/14/1998
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Berkcan, Ertugrul, Harrison, Daniel David, Daum, Wolfgang, Hoctor, Ralph Thomas, Welles, Kenneth Brakeley II, Staver, Daniel Arthur, Brooksby, Glen William
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US09/134,112
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.01, 340/870.02, 340/870.05, 702/60, 702/62, 702/64, 318/716, 324/115, 324/141, 324/142
• US Class Current: 340/870.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/00 Arrangements for measuring time integral of electric power or current, e.g. electricity meters
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/30 using a wired architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• 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

A low cost and easy to assemble communicating utility meter provides selectable measurement, calibration, display, and communications means so as to be re-configurable based on several factors including; harmonic content of the power signal measured, LCD display alternatives, time of use measurements, bandpass filter settings, power quality measurements, PLC communications alternatives, radio frequency communications alternatives, optical communications alternatives, and hard wire communications alternatives.

Claims

1. A re-configurable utility meter, having a current signal and having a voltage signal, said utility meter comprising:

a current sensor;

a voltage sensor;

a DSP coupled to said current sensor and coupled to said voltage sensor, said DSP programmable by soft keys for selection of functions, said DSP comprising;

a high pass filter for filtering noise from the current sensor signal;

a phase corrector coupled to said high pass filter, wherein said phase corrector is adapted to correct phase error in the current sensor signal;

a gain corrector coupled to said phase corrector, wherein said gain corrector is adapted to correct for gain error in the current sensor signal; and

a re-configurable power measurement block for computing real power, reactive power, or apparent power, based on said soft key selection.

2. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 1, further comprising a Time of Use (TOU) function, wherein said TOU function may be selected to generate a plurality of signals indicative of energy usage over specified units of time.

3. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 1, further comprising a demand function, wherein said demand function may be selected to generate a plurality of signals indicative of the rate of energy usage over specified units of time.

4. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 1, further comprising an LCD display, wherein said LCD display may be selected to display power usage in two ways including the display of alpha-numeric data and binary enunciation of the rate of energy consumption.

5. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 1, further comprising a calibration function, wherein said calibration function may be selected to generate at least one calibration signal.

6. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 1, wherein said current sensor comprises a differentiating current sensor.

7. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 6, wherein said DSP further comprises an integrator coupled to said high pass filter, wherein said integrator is adapted to integrate the current sensor signal.

8. A re-configurable utility meter, having a voltage signal and having a current signal, said utility meter comprising:

a current sensor;

a voltage sensor;

a DSP coupled to said current sensor and coupled to said voltage sensor, said DSP programmable by soft keys for selection of functions, said DSP comprising;

a high pass filter for filtering noise from the voltage sensor signal;

a phase corrector coupled to said high pass filter, wherein said phase corrector is adapted to correct phase error in the voltage sensor signal;

a current gain corrector coupled to said phase corrector, wherein said gain corrector is adapted to correct for gain error in the voltage sensor signal; and

a re-configurable power measurement block for computing real power, reactive power, or apparent power, based on said soft key selection.

9. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 8, further comprising a Time of Use (TOU) function wherein said TOU function may be selected to generate a plurality of signals indicative of energy usage over specified units of time.

10. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 8, further comprising a demand function, wherein said demand function may be selected to generate a plurality of signals indicative of the rate of energy usage over specified units of time.

11. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 8, further comprising an LCD display, wherein said LCD display may be selected to display power usage in two ways including the display of alpha-numeric data and binary enunciation of the rate of energy consumption.

12. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 8, further comprising a calibration function, wherein said calibration function may be selected to generate at least one calibration signal.

13. A re-configurable utility meter, having a current signal and having a voltage signal, said utility meter comprising:

a current sensor;

a voltage sensor;

a DSP coupled to said current sensor and coupled to said voltage sensor, said DSP programmable by soft keys for selection of functions, said DSP comprising;

a current high pass filter for filtering noise from the current sensor signal;

a current phase corrector coupled to said current high pass filter, wherein said current phase corrector is adapted to correct phase error in the current sensor signal;

a current gain corrector coupled to said current phase corrector, wherein said current gain corrector is adapted to correct for gain error in the current sensor signal;

a voltage high pass filter for filtering noise from the voltage sensor signal;

a voltage phase corrector coupled to said voltage high pass filter, wherein said voltage phase corrector is adapted to correct phase error in the voltage sensor signal;

a voltage gain corrector coupled to said voltage phase corrector, wherein said voltage gain corrector is adapted to correct for gain error in the voltage sensor signal; and

a re-configurable power measurement block for computing real power, reactive power, or apparent power, based on said soft key selection.

14. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 13, further comprising a Time of Use (TOU) function, wherein said TOU function may be selected to generate a plurality of signals indicative of energy usage over specified units of time.

15. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 13, further comprising a demand function, wherein said demand function may be selected to generate a plurality of signals indicative of the rate of energy usage over specified units of time.

16. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 13, further comprising an LCD display, wherein said LCD display may be selected to display power usage in two ways including the display of alpha-numeric data and binary enunciation of the rate of energy consumption.

17. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 13, further comprising a calibration function, wherein said calibration function may be selected to generate at least one calibration signal.

18. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 13, wherein said current sensor comprises a differentiating current sensor.

19. The re-configurable utility meter as recited in claim 18, wherein said DSP further comprises an current integrator coupled to said current high pass filter, wherein said current integrator is adapted to integrate the current sensor signal.