System and method for communicating and control of automated meter reading

• US 6,657,552 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sensus USA Incorporated (Xylem, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Invensys Metering Systems/North America Incorporated
• Inventors: Johnson, Rex A., Belski, Timothy J., Gray, Bruce E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US10/138,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20020193144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/870.03, 340/870.18, 343/713, 343/718, 307/106, 455/67.1
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• 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 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 meter for collecting and communicating flow data for a commodity including a liquid, a gas, or electricity transported via a metered system, using wireless data transfer, the meter including a housing, a sensor for sensing a resource flow rate, and a register for registering data input thereto, the register including a processor for processing data input thereto. A wireless transmitter is also provided for outputting the sensed data from the meter or receiving instruction information through an antenna. A TouchRead interface may also be provided for outputting the sensed data from the meter or receiving instruction information from a device external to the meter, which receives data output from the meter and/or outputs instruction information to the meter. The sensor, the processor, and the wireless transmitter are disposed within the housing.

Claims

1. A system, for collecting and communicating flow data for a commodity including a liquid, a gas, or electricity transported via a metered system, using wireless data transfer, the system comprising:

at least one meter positioned in the metered system for detecting the flow of the commodity, the meter having a first housing;

an enclosed second housing positioned on each of the meters;

a sensor contained within the second housing and configured to output a signal representative of a resource flow rate by measuring an output from said meter;

a register contained within the second housing, the register including a processor configured to receive said signal output by said sensor, process said signal in accord with a communication protocol instruction set to adapt said signal for transmission, and store the processed signal in a data storage device;

a programming port contained within the second housing and coupled to the processor, such that programming instructions and recorded information can be communicated to and from the processor from external to the second housing through the programming port;

a wireless transmitter integrated with the processor and contained within the second housing, the transmitter configured to output said processed signal from the meter independently of the programming port, wherein the processed signal can be received from the register through both the programming port and the wireless transmitter; and

an interface device disposed externally to the meter and the second housing and configured to perform at least one of receiving data output from the transmitter and outputting instruction information to the transmitter.

2. A system for collecting and communicating flow data for a commodity including a liquid, a gas, or electricity transported via a metered system, using wireless data transfer, in accord with claim 1,

wherein said wireless transmitter comprises an antenna and at least one of an RE transmitter and an RF transceiver, and

wherein said sensor comprises a magnetic rotation sensor utilizing the Barkhausen effect to detect commodity flow.

3. A system for collecting and communicating flow data for a commodity including a liquid, a gas, or electricity transported via a metered system, using wireless data transfer, in accord with claim 2,

wherein said interface device comprises an external antenna,

wherein said register is a programmable solid state device, and

wherein said meter is configured to output said processed signal from the meter using RE spread spectrum frequency hopping.

4. A system for collecting and communicating flow data for a commodity including a liquid, a gas, or electricity transported via a metered system, using wireless data transfer, in accord with claim 1,

wherein said register and processor adapt said signal for RF transmission by a RF transmitter,

wherein said wireless transmitter is a RE transmitter inductively coupled through the housing to an external antenna.

5. A system for collecting and communicating flow data for a commodity including a liquid, a gas, or electricity transported via a metered system, using wireless data transfer, in accord with claim 2, wherein the interface device, the wireless transmitter and the register include a software instruction set bearing instructions for performing at least one of transmitting and receiving data through the antenna and the wireless transmitter and uses at least one of a unidirectional or bi-directional communication protocol.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the programming port includes an inductive coil coupled to the processor for receiving programming instructions from a location external to the housing and adjacent the programming port.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein the interface device further comprises a programming port contained within the interface device housing and coupled to the processor such that programming instructions can be communicated to the processor from external to the housing.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising a programming port contained within each housing and coupled to the processor of each housing, wherein programming instructions and recorded information can be communicated to and from the processor of each housing from external to the housing independently from the wireless transmitter such that the processed signal can be received from each register through both the programming port and the wireless transmitter.

7. A system for collecting and communicating flow data for a commodity including a liquid, a gas, or electricity transported via a metered system, the system comprising:

a plurality of gas and water meters positioned in the metered system for detecting the flow of the commodities, each meter including a first housing and an enclosed second housing;

a sensor contained in the enclosed second housing of each meter and configured to output a signal representative of a commodity flow rate by measuring an output from said meter;

a register including a processor contained within each enclosed second housing, the processor configured to receive the signal output by the sensor, process the signal, adapt the signal for transmission and store the processed signal in a data storage device;

a wireless transmitter contained within each second housing and integrated with the processor such that the processor outputs the processed signal from the meter through the wireless transmitter;

a programming port contained within each second housing and coupled to the processor of each second housing, wherein programming instructions and recorded information can be communicated to and from the processor of each second housing from external to the second housing independently from the wireless transmitter such that the processed signal can be received from each register through both the programming port and the wireless transmitter; and

an electric meter including an interface device located remotely from each of the plurality of meters wherein the interface device is configured to receive the processed signal from the plurality of wireless transmitters and output instruction to the plurality of wireless transmitters, wherein the interface device is positioned in the metered system.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a programming port contained within each housing and coupled to the processor of each housing, wherein programming instructions and recorded information can be communicated to and from the processor of each housing from external to the housing independently from the wireless transmitter such that the processed signal can be received from each register through both the programming port and the wireless transmitter.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the interface device comprises:

an enclosed interface housing;

an interface sensor contained within the enclosed interface housing and configured to output a signal representative of electricity usage;

a processor contained within the interface housing and configured to receive the signal output by the interface sensor, process the signal, adapt the signal for transmission and store the processed signal in a data storage device; and

a wireless transmitter contained within the interface housing and integrated with the processor such that the processor outputs stored data from the interface device through the transmitter.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the interface device includes a data storage device for recording and storing processed signals received from the plurality of meters.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein the wireless transmitter includes an antenna and at least one of an RF transmitter and an RF transceiver.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of meters are gas and water meters.

15. A system for collecting and communicating flow data for a commodity including a liquid, a gas, or electricity transported by a metered system, the system comprising:

a plurality of meters positioned in the metered system for detecting the flow of the commodity, each meter having a first housing and an enclosed second housing;

a sensor contained in the enclosed second housing of each meter and configured to output a signal representative of a commodity flow rate through the meter by measuring an output of said meter;

a register contained within each enclosed second housing, the register including a processor configured to receive the signal output by the sensor, process the signal, adapt the signal for transmission from the second housing and store the processed signal in a data storage device;

a wireless transmitter including an RF transmitter and an RF transceiver contained with each second housing and integrated with the processor;

an antenna coupled to the processor such that the processor outputs the processed signal through the antenna;

a programming port contained within each second housing and coupled to the processor of each second housing, each programming port including an inductive coil coupled to the processor such that programming instructions and recorded information can be communicated to and from the processor of each second housing independently from the antenna such that a processed signal can be received from each register through both the programming port and the antenna; and

an interface device located remotely from each of the plurality of meters and enclosed second housings, the interface device being configured to receive the processed signal from the antennas and output instructions to the antennas, the interface device including a processor configured to receive the signals output by the plurality of antennas, process the received signals, adapt the signals for further transmission and store the processed signal in a data storage device.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the interface device further includes a wireless transmitter contained within an enclosed third housing and integrated with the processor of the interface device.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the interface device is positioned in the metered system and operates to detect the flow of electricity through the interface device such that the interface device functions as an electric meter.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the plurality of meters are gas meters and water meters.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the interface device can communicate over a wide area network (WAN).