Host-client utility meter systems and methods for communicating with the same
First Claim
1. A host automated meter reading (AMR) device, comprising:
- a communication module, in communication with a plurality of client AMR devices,wherein said communication module is operable to receive meter data associated with said plurality of client AMR devices, and is operable to transmit said meter data to a utility remote from said plurality of client AMR devices; and
a universal communications interface, local to the host meter, functionally coupled to a processor and configurable for communicating with a plurality of different types of communication devices, each different type of communication device operative to communicate with a client AMR device via one of a plurality of different communication mediums;
a slot functionally coupled to the universal communications interface and configured to interchangeably connect one of the plurality of different types of communication devices;
wherein the processor communicates with the universal communications interface to determine which one of the plurality of different types of communication devices is connected to the slot; and
wherein the processor formats the meter data into a format compatible with the connected communication device and transmits the formatted meter data to the universal communications interface for transmission to the connected communications device.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A host automated meter reading (AMR) device may communicate with one or more client AMR devices in proximity to the host meter. The host and client AMR devices operate as master and slave devices, respectively, in a host-client AMR device system. The host AMR device may transmit command and control functions to the client AMR devices, and may receive AMR device information from each client AMR device. The host AMR device may also transmit AMR device information from both itself and the client AMR devices over a communications network to a utility. Furthermore, the host AMR device may receive command and control functions from the utility via the same communications network, and may relay those functions to the AMR devices associated with that particular host AMR device.
-
Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A host automated meter reading (AMR) device, comprising:
-
a communication module, in communication with a plurality of client AMR devices, wherein said communication module is operable to receive meter data associated with said plurality of client AMR devices, and is operable to transmit said meter data to a utility remote from said plurality of client AMR devices; and a universal communications interface, local to the host meter, functionally coupled to a processor and configurable for communicating with a plurality of different types of communication devices, each different type of communication device operative to communicate with a client AMR device via one of a plurality of different communication mediums; a slot functionally coupled to the universal communications interface and configured to interchangeably connect one of the plurality of different types of communication devices; wherein the processor communicates with the universal communications interface to determine which one of the plurality of different types of communication devices is connected to the slot; and wherein the processor formats the meter data into a format compatible with the connected communication device and transmits the formatted meter data to the universal communications interface for transmission to the connected communications device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A host-client automated meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:
-
at least one host AMR device, said at least one host AMR device comprising a communications module, wherein said at least one host AMR device is in communication with a utility via said communications module; a plurality of client AMR devices, each of said plurality of client AMR devices in communication with said at least one host AMR device via said at least one host AMR device communications module; and wherein said at least one host AMR device includes a universal communications interface, functionally coupled to a processor and configurable for communicating with a plurality of different types of communication devices, each different type of communication device operative to communicate with a client AMR device via one of a plurality of different communication mediums; a slot functionally coupled to the universal communications interface and configured to interchangeably connect one of the plurality of different types of communication devices; wherein the processor communicates with the universal communications interface to determine which one of the plurality of different types of communication devices is connected to the slot; and wherein the processor formats meter data into a format compatible with the connected communication device and transmits the formatted meter data to the universal communications interface for transmission to the connected communications device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
-
-
13. A method of communicating between local meters and a utility, comprising:
-
providing a host meter; transmitting command data from the host meter to a plurality of client meters using a short range communication capability of said host meter; receiving, at said host meter, meter data from said client meters using a short range communication capability of said host meter; identifying a communication device, of a plurality of different types of communication devices each operative to communicate via a respective one of a variety of different communications mediums, wherein the communication device is connected to a universal communications interface configurable for communicating with each of the plurality of different types of communication devices; formatting the meter data into a format compatible with the identified communication device; and sending the formatted meter data to the identified communication device for subsequent transmission by the identified communication device; and relaying the received meter data back to a utility using a long range communication capability of said host meter. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method of communicating between host and client meters comprising the steps of:
-
identifying a communication device, of a plurality of different types of communication devices each operative to communicate via a respective one of a variety of different communications mediums, wherein the communication device is connected to a communication module configurable for communicating with each of the plurality of different types of communication devices; formatting command data into a format compatible with the identified communication device; sending the formatted command data to the identified communication device for subsequent transmission by the identified communication device; transmitting from the identified communication device command data from said host meter to a plurality of client meters using a short range communication capability of said host meter; and receiving at each of said plurality of client meters data from said host meter using another short range communication capability provided by each of said plurality of client meters. - View Dependent Claims (19)
-
Specification