Automatic meter reading system employing common broadcast command channel

• US 6,684,245 B1
• Filed: 03/13/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Shuey, Kenneth C., Bragg, Arnold W., Lawrence, David C., Smith, Kathyrn J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Qureshi, Shabana
• Application Number:
  US09/524,200
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 707/101-103, 707/100
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An automated meter reading system is provided. The system includes a host server interfaced to a plurality of nodes where each node communicates with a number of utility meters. The system selects a group of noninterfering nodes and uses an RF broadcast from the host server to initiate the reading of meters and the uploading of meter data provided by those meters to the nodes and, ultimately, to the host server. The system also has a number of gateways that communicate with a plurality of nodes, grouped to form sets of noninterfering gateways. In this embodiment, the system selects a set of noninterfering gateways and uses an RF broadcast from the host server to initiate the reading of meters and the uploading of meter data provided by those meters to the nodes and, ultimately, through the gateways to the host server. A method for using an outbound RF channel to automatically read meters is also provided.

Claims

1. An automated meter reading system comprising:

a plurality of utility meters for measuring and recording meter data;

a plurality of nodes, each node communicating with a number of predefined meters to read the meter data so recorded;

a plurality of gateways, each gateway communicating with a number of the nodes to receive the meter data;

a wide area network interfaced to communicate with the plurality of gateways; and

a host server interfaced to communicate over the wide area network with the plurality of gateways to receive the meter data read by the nodes, the host server maintaining a topology database in which each meter is assigned to at least one node, each node is assigned to at least one gateway, and wherein nodes are grouped together to define groups of noninterfering nodes and wherein gateways are grouped together to define sets of noninterfering gateways.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of nodes is adapted to receive RF broadcasts and wherein the host server sequentially broadcasts a communication over a first RF channel to each group of noninterfering nodes to initiate meter reading.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of gateways is adapted to receive RF broadcasts and wherein the host server sequentially broadcasts an upload message over a second RF channel to each set of noninterfering gateways, the gateways uploading the meter data to the host server via a wide area network in response to the upload message.

4. A method of automatically reading a plurality of meters in an AMR system comprising meters, nodes, and gateways, wherein a number of meters are designated for communicating with one node and a number of nodes are designated to communicate with one gateway and each gateway communicates with a host server, comprising the steps of:

selecting one of the nodes designated to communicate with each gateway;

grouping the selected nodes to form groups of noninterfering nodes;

forming sets of gateways such that each gateway within one set has an individual gateway designator;

maintaining a topology database that uniquely identifies for each meter the set, gateway and node designators associated with said meter; and

reading the meters based on the set, gateway and node designators.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

initiating meter reading by sequentially broadcasting a communication over an RF channel to each group of noninterfering nodes to initiate meter reading.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of:

initiating the uploading of meter data by sequentially broadcasting an upload message over the RF channel to each group of noninterfering nodes.