System and method for reading and transmitting water meter data utilizing RF signals

• US 6,351,223 B1
• Filed: 02/01/1999
• Issued: 02/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Midway Services, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Midway Services, Inc.
• Inventors: May, Christopher J., DeWeerd, Andrew W., Tilka, Steven C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US09/241,042
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/870.03, 340/10.31, 340/825.52, 340/637, 340/539, 324/157, 324/110, 375/130, 375/138
• US Class Current: 340/870.03
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00022 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• 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: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A network of fixed RF transmitter modules, an RF repeater module and an RF collector module are located within a multi-unit facility for collecting water usage data from a plurality of water meters associated with the units within the facility and for uploading to a central billing center. Each water meter is coupled to a single RF transmitter module. Each RF transmitter module reads the water meter multiple times per day and transmits the data over a 418 MHZ carrier. One of a plurality of transceivers coupled to the RF repeater module receives the data and directs it to a storage medium in the RF repeater module. The RF repeater module temporarily holds the data and then repeats it on the RF carrier. The RF collector module receives the data through a transceiver coupled thereto. The data is stored in a storage medium of the RF collector module for retrieval by the central billing center.

Claims

1. An automatic system for collecting water usage data from a plurality of water meters and uploading the data to a central location, each of the plurality of water meters determining the water usage of a single water consuming unit, each meter having a unique meter ID, the automatic system comprising:

a) at least one RF transmitter electrically coupled to at least one water meter, the at least one RF transmitter comprising a power source, a first microcontroller, means for generating an RF carrier and means for transmitting the RF carrier, the first microcontroller addressing the at least one water meter, collecting the water usage data stored in the at least one water meter and encoding the water usage data for transmission over the RF carrier; and

b) an RF collector proximally located to the at least one RF transmitter, the RF collector comprising a power source, a second microcontroller, means for receiving the RF carrier and means for communicating with the central location, the second microcontroller decoding the water usage data transmitted over the RF carrier, confirming that the collector is configured to receive the water usage data associated with a particular meter and storing the data in memory for retrieval by the central location.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one RF repeater proximally located to the at least one RF transmitter comprising a power source, a third microcontroller and means for receiving and transmitting the RF carrier, the third microcontroller temporarily storing the water usage data from each meter in memory, the at least one RF repeater transmitting the RF carrier once within a predetermined period of time.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the predetermined period of time is thirty seconds.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein a single RF repeater is employed.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the means for receiving and transmitting the RF carrier of the RF repeater is a transceiver module comprising an electrical connection to the RF repeater power source, a data interface connecting to the third microcontroller, a first antenna receiving the RF carrier, a first transceiver IC coupled to the first antenna extracting the water usage data from the RF carrier and directing the extracted data to the third microcontroller through the data interface, a second antenna transmitting the RF carrier and a second transceiver IC coupled to the second antenna directing the water usage data to the second antenna from the third microcontroller through the data interface.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a plurality of transceiver modules are employed.

7. The system of claim 1, the at least one RF transmitter further comprising a real time clock and a manual initiation circuit, the real time clock coupled directly to the first microcontroller, the manual initiation circuit coupled to the first microcontroller through the real time clock, the real time clock controlling the power to the first microcontroller.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the manual initiation circuit comprises a magnetic switch, a P-channel MOSFET, an RC network, a pull-up resistor and a connection to the power source, the manual initiation circuit coupled to an interrupt line of the real time clock, the manual initiation circuit providing power to the first microcontroller through the real time clock upon the closing of the magnetic switch.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the real time clock includes a real time clock alarm for randomly providing power to the first microcontroller every six to seven hours.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for generating the RF carrier of the at least one RF transmitter is a transmitter IC coupled to the first microcontroller, the transmitter IC modulating the water usage data on the RF carrier.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for transmitting the RF carrier of the at least one RF transmitter is an antenna coupled to the transmitter IC of the at least one RF transmitter.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the frequency of the RF carrier is 418 MHZ.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the water usage data for each particular meter is configured by the first microcontroller as a fifteen byte data string.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the second microcontroller decodes the one-hundred and thirteen byte data string into a fifteen byte data string for storing in memory.

15. The system of claim 1, the RF collector further comprising non-volatile flash memory, a data select IC and a level translator IC.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the flash memory stores water usage data for a plurality of water meters for a plurality of days.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the data select IC determines a mode of communication with the RF collector, the mode of communication comprising a personal computer connection, a modem connection or an RF carrier connection.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for receiving the RF carrier of the RF collector is a transceiver module comprising an electrical connection to the RF collector power source, a data interface connecting to the second microcontroller, an antenna receiving the RF carrier and a transceiver IC coupled to the antenna extracting the water usage data from the RF carrier and directing the extracted data to the second microcontroller through the data interface.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for communicating with the central location of the RF collector is a modem.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the second microcontroller confirms that the RF collector is configured to receive the water usage data associated with a particular meter by addressing a look-up table in memory and matching a meter ID encoded in the water usage data against a series of meter IDs listed in the look-up table.

21. An automatic RF carrier transmission system for collecting, storing and uploading water usage data from a plurality of water meters to a central location, each of the plurality of water meters determining the water usage of a single water consuming unit, each meter having a unique meter ID, the automatic RF carrier transmission system comprising:

a) a plurality of RF transmitter modules electrically coupled to the plurality of water meters such that each water meter is coupled to a single RF transmitter module, each RF transmitter module comprising;

(i) a power source,

(ii) a first microcontroller addressing the water meter, collecting the water usage data stored in the water meter and encoding the data for transmission over an RF carrier,

(iii) a transmitter IC coupled to the first microcontroller modulating the water usage data on the RF carrier, and

(iv) an antenna coupled to the transmitter IC for transmitting the RF carrier;

b) a collector network proximally located to the plurality of RF transmitter modules comprising a RF collector module and a transceiver module;

(i) the transceiver module comprising a first interface electrically connecting to the RF collector module, an antenna receiving the RF carrier and a transceiver IC coupled to the antenna extracting the water usage data from the RF carrier and directing the extracted data to the RF collector module through the first interface, and

(ii) the RF collector module comprising a power source, a second microcontroller decoding the water usage data transmitted over the RF carrier, confirming that the collector network is configured to receive the data associated with a particular meter and storing the data in memory for retrieval by the central location, a second interface electrically connecting to the transceiver module and means for communicating with the central location, the RF collector module power source electrically coupled to the second interface supplying a power source connection to the transceiver module, the second microcontroller electrically coupled to the second interface supplying a data communication link between the second microcontroller and the transceiver module transceiver IC; and

c) a repeater network proximally located to the plurality of RF transmitters comprising an RF repeater module and a plurality of transceiver modules, the repeater network transmitting the RF carrier once within a predetermined period of time;

(i) each of the repeater network plurality of transceiver modules comprising a first interface electrically connecting to the RF repeater module, a first antenna receiving the RF carrier, a first transceiver IC coupled to the first antenna extracting the water usage data from the RF carrier and directing the extracted data to the RF repeater module through the repeater network transceiver module first interface, a second antenna transmitting the RF carrier and a second transceiver IC coupled to the second antenna directing the water usage data to the second antenna from the RF repeater module through the repeater network transceiver module first interface, and

(ii) the RF repeater module comprising a power source, a third microcontroller temporarily storing the water usage data from each meter in memory and a second interface electrically connecting to the repeater network plurality of transceiver modules, the RF repeater module power source electrically coupled to the RF repeater module second interface supplying a power source connection to the plurality of transceiver modules and the third microcontroller electrically coupled to the RF repeater module second interface supplying a data communication link between the third microcontroller and the first and second transceiver ICs of each of the repeater network plurality of transceiver modules.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the predetermined period of time is thirty seconds.

23. The system of claim 21, each RF transmitter module further comprising a real time clock and a manual initiation circuit, the real time clock coupled directly to the first microcontroller, the manual initiation circuit coupled to the first microcontroller through the real time clock, the real time clock controlling the power to the first microcontroller.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the manual initiation circuit comprises a magnetic switch, a P-channel MOSFET, an network, a pull-up resistor and a connection to the power source, the manual initiation circuit coupled to an interrupt line of the real time clock, the manual initiation circuit providing power to the first microcontroller through the real time clock upon the closing of the magnetic switch.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the real time clock includes a real time clock alarm for randomly providing power to the first microcontroller every six to seven hours.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the water usage data for each particular meter is configured by the first microcontroller as a fifteen byte data string and then encoded into a one-hundred and thirteen byte data string for modulating over the RF carrier, the third microcontroller decoding the data back into a fifteen byte data string after the repeater network has received the RF carrier and re-encoding the data back into a one-hundred and thirteen byte data string for re-modulating over the RF carrier before the repeater network transmits the RF carrier, and the second microcontroller decoding the one-hundred and thirteen byte data string back into a fifteen byte data string for storing in memory after the RF collector module has received the RF carrier.

27. The system of claim 21, the RF collector module further comprising non-volatile flash memory, a data select IC and a level translator IC, the flash memory storing water usage data for a plurality of water meters for a plurality of days, the data select IC determining a mode of communication with the RF collector comprising a personal computer connection, a modem connection or an RF carrier connection, and the level translator IC providing an RS-232 protocol interface for the personal computer connection.

28. A method for collecting individual water usage data from a plurality of water meters employed within a multi-unit facility and for uploading to a central location, each of the plurality of water meters determining the water usage of a single unit within the multi-unit facility, each meter having a unique meter ID, the steps comprising:

a) coupling a separate RF transmitter to each meter within the multi-unit facility such that each RF transmitter is associated with a unique meter ID, each RF transmitter comprising a power source, a first microcontroller, a real time clock, an RF antenna and means for generating an RF carrier, the real time clock of each RF transmitter comprising a real time clock alarm and a real time clock alarm interrupt line,

b) providing an RF collector comprising a power source, a second microcontroller, an RF antenna and means for communicating with the central location,

c) powering the first microcontroller of each RF transmitter through each respective real time clock,

d) obtaining the water usage data from each meter through the first microcontroller,

e) configuring the water usage data of each meter into a fifteen byte data string,

f) encoding each fifteen byte data string into a one-hundred and thirteen byte data string,

g) generating an RF carrier in each RF transmitter,

h) modulating each one-hundred and thirteen byte data string on each RF carrier generated by each RF transmitter,

I) transmitting each RF carrier through the antenna of each RF transmitter,

j) receiving each transmitted RF carrier by the RF collector through the RF collector antenna,

k) extracting each one-hundred and thirteen byte data string from each transmitted RF carrier,

l) decoding each one-hundred and thirteen byte string into separate fifteen byte data strings,

m) storing a portion of each fifteen byte data string in flash memory of the RF collector along with a time the data was received by the RF collector,

n) negotiating a communication with the central location, and

o) uploading the water usage data stored in the RF collector flash memory to the central location.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of, immediately after transmitting each RF carrier through the antenna of each RF transmitter but before receiving each transmitted RF carrier by the RF collector through the RF collector antenna, the first microcontroller of each RF transmitter,

a) generating a random number between zero and fifty-nine, the random number representing minutes,

b) adding the random number to the hour of 5: 00 am to provide a created time,

c) setting the real time clock to the created time,

d) setting the real time clock alarm to 12 noon, and

e) setting the real time clock alarm interrupt line to an inactive state.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein each RF transmitter further comprises a manual initiation circuit coupled to the real time clock alarm interrupt line, the manual initiation circuit comprising a magnetic switch, a P-channel MOSFET, an network, a pull-up resistor and a connection to the RF transmitter power source, the manual initiation circuit capable of performing a manual interrupt routine on an RF transmitter for powering up the microcontroller, for obtaining the water usage data, for configuring the data, for encoding the data, for generating an RF carrier, for modulating the data on the carrier and for transmitting the carrier, the steps of the manual interrupt routine comprising:

a) placing and holding a magnet directly over the magnetic switch of an RF transmitter,

b) writing the meter ID to memory,

c) setting the real time clock alarm to 12 noon,

d) enabling the real time clock,

e) powering the first microcontroller, and

f) removing the magnet from the magnetic switch.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of, immediately after the RF collector decoding each one-hundred and thirteen byte string into separate fifteen byte strings but before the RF collector storing a portion of each fifteen byte data string in flash memory:

a) calculating a checksum of the fifteen byte data string,

b) matching the calculated checksum against a transmitted checksum confirming that the received water usage data is the same as the transmitted data, and

c) confirming that the RF collector is configured to receive the water usage data associated with a particular meter ID.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the fifteen byte data string is configured such that byte 1 is a start of text, byte 2 is a status code of the meter, bytes 3 through 6 are a meter value, bytes 7 through 14 are the meter ID and byte 15 is a checksum.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the portion of each fifteen byte data string stored in the RF collector flash memory includes the single status code of meter byte and the four meter value bytes.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of negotiating a communication with the central location comprises the steps of:

a) recognizing that a communication with the RF collector is being attempted by sensing a ring at a modem coupled to the collector,

b) counting a total number of rings read by the modem,

c) setting a ring count based on the total number of rings read by the modem,

d) determining that the ring count exceeds a first threshold number of rings,

e) determining that a threshold number of seconds have elapsed since a last ring,

f) determining that the ring count exceeds a second threshold number of rings, and

g) establishing a data communication link.

35. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of negotiating a communication with the central location comprises the steps of:

a) recognizing that a communication with the RF collector is being attempted by sensing a ring at a modem coupled to the collector,

b) counting a total number of rings read by the modem,

c) setting a ring count based on the total number of rings read by the modem,

d) determining that the ring count exceeds a first threshold number of rings,

e) determining that a threshold number of seconds have not elapsed since a last ring,

f) determining that the ring count exceeds a third threshold number of rings, and

g) establishing a data communication link.

36. A method for collecting individual water usage data from a plurality of water meters employed within a multi-unit facility and for uploading to a central location, each of the plurality of water meters determining the water usage of a single unit within the multi-unit facility, each meter having a unique meter ID, the steps comprising:

a) coupling a separate RF transmitter to each meter within the multi-unit facility such that each RF transmitter is associated with a unique meter ID, each RF transmitter comprising a power source, a first microcontroller, a real time clock, an RF antenna and means for generating an RF carrier, the real time clock of each RF transmitter comprising a real time clock alarm and a real time clock alarm interrupt line,

b) providing an RF collector comprising a power source, a second microcontroller, an RF antenna and means for communicating with the central location,

c) providing an RF repeater comprising a power source, a third microcontroller and at least one RF antenna,

d) powering the first microcontroller of each RF transmitter through each respective real time clock,

e) obtaining the water usage data from each meter through the first microcontroller,

f) configuring the water usage data of each meter into a fifteen byte data string,

g) encoding each fifteen byte data string into a one-hundred and thirteen byte data string,

h) generating an RF carrier in each RF transmitter,

I) modulating each one-hundred and thirteen byte data string on each RF carrier generated by each RF transmitter,

j) transmitting each RF carrier through the antenna of each RF transmitter,

k) receiving each transmitted RF carrier by the RF repeater through the at least one antenna,

l) extracting each one-hundred and thirteen byte data string from each transmitted RF carrier,

m) decoding each one-hundred and thirteen byte string into separate fifteen byte data strings,

n) storing a portion of each fifteen byte data string in flash memory of the RF repeater, along with the time the data was received by the RF repeater,

o) generating a repeat time value between one and sixty, the repeat time value representing a number in seconds,

p) associating each data string with its own repeat time value,

q) setting a flag to each data string indicating that the data string needs to be transmitted,

r) determining a current time,

s) directing the flagged data string for transmission by the repeater whose repeat time value matches the current time and where at least thirty seconds have elapsed since the last data string was transmitted,

t) clearing the flag from the data string directed for transmission,

u) configuring the data string to be transmitted into a fifteen byte data string,

v) encoding the fifteen byte data string into a one-hundred and thirteen byte data string,

w) generating an RF carrier in the RF repeater,

x) modulating the one-hundred and thirteen byte data string on the RF carrier generated by the RF repeater,

y) transmitting the RF carrier through the at least one antenna of the RF repeater,

z) receiving the RF carrier by the RF collector through the RF collector antenna,

aa) extracting the one-hundred and thirteen byte data string from the transmitted RF carrier,

bb) decoding each one-hundred and thirteen byte string into separate fifteen byte data strings,

cc) storing a portion of each fifteen byte data string in flash memory of the RF collector,

dd) negotiating a communication with the central location, and

ee) uploading the water usage data stored in the RF collector flash memory to the central location.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising the steps of, immediately after transmitting each RF carrier through the antenna of each RF transmitter but before receiving each transmitted RF carrier by the RF repeater through the at least one antenna, the first microcontroller of each RF transmitter,

a) generating a random number between zero and fifty-nine, the random number representing minutes,

b) adding the random number to the hour of 5: 00 am to provide a created time,

c) setting the real time clock to the created time,

d) setting the real time clock alarm to 12 noon, and

e) setting the real time clock alarm interrupt line to an inactive state.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the step of negotiating a communication with the central location comprises the steps of:

a) recognizing that a communication with the RF collector is being attempted by sensing a ring at a modem coupled to the RF collector,

b) counting a total number of rings read by the modem,

c) setting a ring count based on the total number of rings read by the modem,

d) determining that the ring count exceeds zero rings,

e) determining that ten seconds have elapsed since a last ring,

f) determining that the ring count exceeds eight rings, and

g) establishing a data transferring link.