Meter to internet pathway

• US 6,885,309 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2000
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Landis+Gyr Innovations Incorporated (Landis+Gyr Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Cellnet Innovations, Inc.
• Inventors: Van Heteren, John Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jr., Timothy
• Application Number:
  US09/585,819
• Time in Patent Office: 1,790 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/870.03, 340/870.11, 340/540, 340/531, 340/539
• US Class Current: 340/870.11
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/06 successively, i.e. using time division
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• 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

Abstract

Method and system to collect measurements from multiple metering devices. The collector devices store and forward measurement information through a network connection to a remote processing center to generate an output based on the measurement information.

Claims

1. A data collection system comprising:

a) a plurality of telemetry devices, each telemetry device including;

i) a sensor configured to generate a series of successive measurements by measuring a parameter at a series of measurement times,

ii) a memory configured to store a plurality of measurements from said series of successive measurements, and

iii) a transmitter configured to transmit measurements stored in memory to a collection device at a series of transmission times; and

b) a plurality of collections devices, there being fewer collection devices than telemetry devices, each collection device including;

i) a hub to receive transmission as packets from selected of the plurality of telemetry devices, the transmissions containing both old measurements and new measurements;

ii) a network device to forward at least a subset of a series of said transmissions over an internet connection to a data processing center to generate an output function;

iii) at least one storage device for storing selected of the received transmissions; and

iv) a Hypertext Transmission Protocol (HTTP) server configured to host at least one web page that displays information corresponding to selected of the received and forwarded transmissions.

2. The data collection system of claim 1, further comprising an e-mail server.

3. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises:

a counter to store a value;

means for incrementing said counter upon receipt of a trigger signal; and

means for storing said value from said counter in said memory and resetting said counter at said measurement times.

4. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said telemetry device further comprises a first timer having a predetermined time interval, wherein the expiration of said predetermined time interval causes said sensor to generate a measurement.

5. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said hub comprises a radio-frequency local area network (LAN) transceiver.

6. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said hub a radio-frequency local area network (LAN) receiver.

7. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said hub comprises a power line carrier LAN transceiver.

8. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said network device is electronically connected to a hub.

9. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein the network device is serially connected to the hub using Recommended Standard-232 (RS232).

10. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said parameter is selected from the group consisting of electrical power, fluid flow, voltage, current, temperature, pressure and humidity.

11. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein the series of measurements are selected from the group consisting of pulse count, an analog voltage, a current level, and a multi-byte digital value.

12. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein said network device further comprises an internet interface.

13. The data collection system of claim 12, wherein said Internet interface further comprises an e-mail client a Hypertext Transmission Protocol (HTTP) server, and a telnet daemon.

14. The data collection system of claim 1, wherein the data processing center forwards one or more commands through the internet connection to the hub.

15. The data collection system of claim 14, wherein the one or more commands contain configuration information.

16. The data collection system of claim 14, wherein the hub passes the one or more commands to a subset of the plurality of telemetry devices.

17. A network device connected to a receiving device configured to collect data generated by a plurality of sensors, comprising:

a micro-processor to process data generated by the plurality of sensors and collected by the receiving device, including time-stamping and filtering;

at least one storage device to store at least a subset of processed data;

a transmitter to transmit data through an internet connection to a data processing center; and

an HTTP server to host at least one web page that displays the collected data.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the receiving device comprises a transceiver.

19. The network device of claim 17, wherein the receiving device comprises a receiver.

20. The network device of claim 17, wherein the network device is connected to the receiving device using a serial port.

21. The network device of claim 17 wherein the transmitter transmits data to the internet via an Ethernet connection.

22. The network device of claim 17, wherein the transmitter transmits data to the internet via a wireless Internet Protocol (IP).

23. The network device of claim 17, wherein the transmitter transmits data to the internet via a dial-up PPP connection.

24. The network device of claim 17, further comprising a multiplexer to route data between the micro-processor and the transmitter.

25. The network device of claim 17, wherein the network device is permanently connected to the internet.

26. The network device of claim 17, wherein the network device is connected to the internet by a dial-up PPP connection through a ISP.

27. The network device of claim 17, wherein the device hosts at least one web page to display data generated by the plurality of sensors.

28. The network device of claim 17, wherein the device is installed in a location behind a corporate firewall.

29. A network device configured to collect data generated by a plurality of sensors, comprising a computer program, residing on the device, the computer program comprising instructions for causing the device to:

interface with a LAN device, the LAN device receiving data from the plurality of sensors;

display data on at least one web page;

store and forward data received by the LAN device; and

interface an internet connection to transmit data to a remote center.

30. The network device of claim 29, wherein the instruction to interface with the LAN device further comprises instructions to:

detect arrival of data from the plurality of sensors;

process that data; and

send commands from the remote center to the LAN device.

31. The network device of claim 29, wherein the instructions to process the data further comprise instructions to trigger an e-mail containing the processed data.

32. The network device of claim 29, wherein the instructions to interface the network connection comprise instructions to send data through an e-mail client.

33. The network device of claim 29, wherein the instructions to interface the network connection comprise instructions to send data a HTTP server in response to a request.

34. The network device of claim 29, wherein the instructions to interface the network connection comprise instructions to send data through a telnet daemon in response to a request.

35. A data collection system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors residing in a plurality of meters, each of the plurality of sensors being configured to sample a parameter value at discrete measurement times and including a transmitter configured to transmit measured data;

a plurality of collectors, each collector having a receiver configured to receive data transmitted by the plurality of sensors, a processor configured to filter and store data received by the receiver from the plurality of sensors, and a transmitter configured to transmit the filtered data as packets to a monitoring station for processing by an internet connection; and

an HTTP server connected to host at least one web page displaying the received data.

36. The data collection system of claim 35, wherein the monitoring station processes the filtered data to compute electricity usage information.

37. A data collection system, comprising:

a plurality of sensor means residing in a plurality of meters, each of the plurality of sensor means located near a consumer of electricity for measuring data relating to consumer usage of electricity and for transmitting the measured electricity usage data; and

a collector means having a receiver for receiving electricity usage data transmitted by the plurality of sensor means, a processor for computing electricity usage information from electricity usage data received by the receiver, a transmitter for transmitting the electricity usage information to a remote center through an internet connection, and

an HTTP server for hosting at least one web page displaying the received data.

38. The data collection system of claim 37, wherein the plurality of measurement sensor means measures data relating to consumer usage of gas and for transmitting the measured gas data.

39. A network for collecting data generated by a plurality of sensors, comprising:

a) a plurality of data generating devices including;

i) a sensor to measure a parameter to generate measurements,

ii) a memory configured to store said measurements, and

iii) a transmitter to transmit said stored measurements to an intermediate device at a plurality of transmission times;

b) a plurality of intermediate devices, there being fewer intermediate devices than data generating devices, said intermediate devices including;

i) a receiver to receive transmission from a subset of said plurality of data generating devices,

ii) a processor to filter said measurements from said transmissions and analyze said measurements to generate a metered function of the parameter,

iii) a transmission module to transmit the metered function over an internet connection; and

iv) an HTTP server to host at least one web page displaying said measurements; and

c) a data station remote from the plurality of intermediate devices to receive transmitted meter functions from said plurality of intermediate devices.

40. A method of collecting data comprising the steps of:

a) generating measurements by measuring a parameter using a telemetry device;

b) storing a plurality of said measurements in a memory;

c) transmitting said stored measurements and an alignment time from said telemetry device to a collection device;

d) displaying said measurements on at least one web page hosted by the collection device;

e) processing said transmitted measurements at the collection device, including a step of determining from said alignment time the measurement time of the most recent measurement in the transmission; and

f) transmitting, under a plurality of trigger conditions, said processed measurements as packets to a monitoring station by an internet connection.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the processing step further comprises filtering said transmitted measurements and storing the filtered measurements.

42. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of computing a metered function representing consumption information at the monitoring station.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein said parameter is selected from the group consisting of electrical power, fluid flow, voltage, current, temperature, pressure, and humidity.

44. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of waiting an alignment time following a measurement to transmit said stored measurements.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising the step of:

transmitting said alignment time from said telemetry device to said collector in a transmission;

determining a receipt time representing the time said collector receives said transmission; and

subtracting said alignment time from said receipt time to generate a time representing the measurement time of the most recent measurement in the transmission.

46. The method of claim 40, further comprising the steps of:

storing an old number in said collection device;

generating a new number in said telemetry device for each generated measurement; and

comparing said old number to said new number to determine which measurements are new measurements not previously received by said collection device and whether there are missing measurements.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising the step of storing said old number in said telemetry device, wherein the step of generating said new number includes incrementing said old number.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising the step of determining the measurement times for new measurements received by said collection device.

49. A method of collecting data comprising the steps of:

receiving a series of successive measurements from a series of transmissions from a plurality of telemetry devices;

storing and filtering the series of successive measurements by a pathway device connected to a LAN transceiver capable of receiving the series of transmissions; and

transmitting the filtered data as packets through an internet connection to a remote center for generation of a metered output function at the remote center; and

displaying the transmitted data on at least one web page hosted by the pathway device.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the remote center comprises a data processing center.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein the remote center comprises a customer site.