Data integrity in a mesh network

• US 7,251,570 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 07/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Hancock, Martin A., Lightbody, Simon H., Teachman, Michael E., Henneberry, Scott M., Wynans, Arthur B., Marr, Darrin G., Mansey, Bernard C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff; Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): O MALLEY, MARY CATHERINE
• Application Number:
  US11/122,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20060056370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 702 44- 45, 702/57, 702 60- 63, 700/286, 700/291, 709223-227, 709/230, 709/238
• US Class Current: 702/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0061 Error detection codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1829 Arrangements specially adapted for the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/203 Details of error rate determination, e.g. BER, FER or WER
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0092 Error control systems characterised by the topology of the transmission link
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/04 TPC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for ensuring data integrity in a mesh network. A mesh network can include multiple RF devices. Transmitting quality data in or on the mesh network is improved using communication validation functions. The communication validation functions ensure a reliable communication network, preserve data during a network outage, and validate data. The communication validation functions can measure or control data quality within a communication and analysis network. The communication validation function operates to control data quality, for example, by measuring the quality of wireless links, ensuring the presence of redundant links, testing the ability of the mesh network to establish a backup communication path, generating alarms based on communication thresholds, tracking the communication path followed by communication packets, and identifying placement locations for additional RF devices.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring energy data, the energy data representative of the energy from at least a point of an energy distribution system, the system comprising:

a wireless mesh network that provides multiple links including wireless links to an energy management station;

a first radio frequency (“

RF”

) device operative to monitor energy at least at one point of the energy distribution system, construct energy data representative of at least a portion of the monitored energy, construct a communication packet containing the energy data, and transmit the communication packet on the wireless mesh network;

a second RF device coupled to the first RF device over the wireless mesh network with a wireless link, the second RF device operative to receive the communication packet and retransmit the communication packet over the wireless mesh network wherein the wireless link between the first RF device and the second RF device comprises a data link; and

,

a data integrity function, including validation and estimation of the energy data, coupled with at least one of the first and second RF devices, and operative to monitor data integrity of the energy data, wherein the energy management station receives the energy data transmitted by the first RF device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RF device is further operative to monitor energy at a point within the energy distribution system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication packet comprises a first communication packet, the data integrity function further operative to alter at least one aspect of the communication network and alter the transmission of a second communication packet over the wireless mesh network.

4. A system of claim 1, wherein the second RF device is at least one of a repeater and a repeater converter.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data integrity function comprises a communication validation function and wherein the communication validation function is operative to determine an approximate distance of the data link between the first RF device and the second RF device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data integrity function comprises a communication validation function and wherein the communication validation function is operative to produce a report on the data link reliability within the wireless mesh network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the report on the data link reliability comprises a number of nines indication of historical success of wireless communication for the data link.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the report on the data link reliability comprises at least one of the following an alarm, an indication and a third communication packet.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RF device is further operative to receive the communication packet from the first RF device, at least partially alter the communication packet, and retransmit the altered communication packet.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data integrity function is a first data integrity function and the communication packet is a first communication packet;

the system further comprising;

an energy management station operative to transmit a second communication packet;

a receiver converter device coupled with the energy management station and the wireless mesh network, the receiver converter operative to receive and transmit the first and second communication packet from the wireless mesh network and the energy management station; and

a second data integrity function coupled to the energy management station.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein one of the first data integrity function and second data integrity function comprises a communication validation function.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the communication validation function is operative to detect if the first communication packet is gone past a preset threshold from one of the first RF device and second RF device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication validation function is further operative to initiate an alarm if an expected communication has not been received.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the first data integrity function and second data integrity function is operative to determine the data link used by the mesh network to transmit the communication packet from the first RF device to the data integrity function.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first data integrity function and second data integrity function is operative to determine a critical path used by at least one of the first and second communication packets transmitted by the first RF device.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first data integrity function and second data integrity function is operative to indicate possible communication paths from energy sensor to the at least one of the first data integrity function and second data integrity function.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the data link is a first data link, the system further comprising:

a third radio frequency (“

RF”

) device operative to receive the first communication packet from the wireless mesh network and retransmit the first communication packet on the wireless mesh network wherein a second data link is comprised between the second RF device and the third RF device and a third data link is comprised between the third RF device and the repeater converter;

wherein at least one of the first data integrity function and second data integrity function is operative to transmit a third communication packet to the third RF device to temporarily block communication links incorporating the third RF device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein first data integrity function is operative to initiate an alarm where communication is restricted between the first data integrity function and at least one of the energy management station.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein second data integrity function is operative to initiate an alarm where communication is restricted between the second data integrity function and at least one of the first RF device and second RF device.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the data link is a first data link and the system further comprising:

a third RF device operative to receive and retransmit the first communication packet from the wireless mesh network wherein at least a second data link is possible between the first and second RF device;

wherein the data integrity function is operative to identify a preferred data link from the first and second data link.

21. The system of claim 20, where the preferred data link is identified based on at least one of a signal to noise ratio, signal strength, data link reliability, latency, number of data links and physical location.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the data integrity function is operative to transmit a third communication packet to the first RF device instructing the first RF device to use the second RF device as an intermediate step to transmit the second communication packet to the data integrity function.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RF device further comprising a log memory wherein the data integrity function is further operative to store the first and second communication packets from the wireless mesh network within the log memory.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the first RF device further comprising a log memory used to store the energy data wherein the data integrity function further operative to remove intermediate data from the log memory as the log memory reaches a predetermined threshold and the energy data stored in the log is waiting for acknowledgment of successful transmission.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the second RF device further comprises a log memory wherein the data integrity function further operative to remove and store the energy data from the first and second communication packets from the wireless mesh network within the log memory.

26. The system of claim 25, where the data integrity function is further operative to transmit a third communication packet containing the stored energy data.

27. The system of claim 25, where the data integrity function within the RF device operative to transmit acknowledgment to the energy sensor that at least one of the first communication packet and second communication packet is received and stored within the memory of the RF device.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the data integrity function further operative to remove intermediate data from the log memory as the log memory reaches a predetermined threshold and the energy data stored in the log is waiting for acknowledgment of successful transmission.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the log memory comprises digital bits operative to store information data;

and wherein the data integrity function operative to reduce the number of digital bits used to store the energy data within the log memory as the log memory reaches capacity and the energy data stored in the log is waiting for acknowledgment of successful transmission.

30. The system of claim 1, where the data integrity function comprises at least one validation rule and is further operative to validate energy data using the at least one validation rule.

31. The system of claim 30, where the energy data analyzed by the data validation function is stored within the log memory.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the data integrity function is coupled with the first RF device and the data integrity function is operative to use the energy data from the second RF device when applying the data validation rule.

33. The system of claim 30, where the data integrity function further comprising at least one data estimation rule and is further operative to calculate an estimation of the energy data using the data estimation rule.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the data integrity function is coupled with the first RF device and the data integrity function is operative to use the energy data from the second RF device when applying the estimation rule.

35. The system of claim 30, wherein at least one of the first RF device and second RF device further comprises a user interface, wherein the user interface operative display the log memory and allow the log memory to operate an edit process, further the data integrity function operative to indicate in the log memory where the energy data has been edited.

36. A system for controlling data quality within an energy distribution system, the system comprising:

a mesh network including a plurality of wireless links, the mesh network having a first RF device and a second RF device, wherein the first RF device and the second RF device are able to communicate over the mesh network using some of the plurality of wireless links;

a communication validation function coupled to the first RF device and the second RF device, the communication validation function providing a measurement of robustness or redundancy of the plurality of wireless links and operative to monitor the plurality of wireless links in order to facilitate the transmission of energy data on the mesh network by adjusting at least one of the first RF device, the second RF device, and the plurality of wireless links based on the measurement.

37. A system as defined in claim 36, wherein the communication validation function identifies a probability of success for the plurality of wireless links.

38. A system as defined in claim 37, wherein the communication validation function identifies at least one location for a repeater to improve the probability of success.

39. A system as defined in claim 36, wherein the communication validation function identifies specific wireless links having a link quality that is below a preset threshold.

40. A system as defined in claim 36, wherein the communication validation function tracks a path of at least one communication packet transmitted between the first RF device and the second RF device in the mesh network using route information bits.

41. A system as defined in claim 36, wherein the communication validation function verifies specific wireless links that enable energy data to be transmitted from the first RF device to an energy management station.

42. A system as defined in claim 36, wherein the communication validation function temporarily disables one or more wireless links to determine if the mesh network generates a backup path from the plurality of wireless links.

43. A system as defined in claim 42, wherein the communication validation function includes a command sent to at least the first RF device to stop retransmitting communication packets on the one or more wireless links.

44. A system as defined in claim 36, wherein the communication validation function identifies a particular number of distinct communication paths from the first RF device to an energy management station from the plurality of wireless links.

45. A method for monitoring energy data, the energy data representative of the energy from at least a point of an energy distribution system, the method comprising:

monitoring energy at least at one point of the energy distribution system with a first radio frequency (“

RF”

) device;

constructing energy data representative of at least a portion of the monitored energy;

transmitting the energy data in a communication packet on a wireless mesh network that includes a plurality of wireless links;

receiving the communication packet from the wireless mesh network with the second RF device;

retransmitting the communication packet from the second RF device; and

,

monitoring the data integrity of at least one of the wireless communication network and the energy data with a data integrity function coupled with at least one of the first and second RF devices, the data integrity function including validation and estimation of the energy data; and

displaying the energy data on a display.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein constructing energy data representative of at least a portion of the monitored energy further comprises analyzing the energy data with a data integrity function.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein analyzing further comprises marking the energy data at least one of the following:

passed and failed.

48. The method of claim 46 wherein analyzing further comprises:

marking the energy data as failed; and

estimating new energy data.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein transmitting the energy data in a communication packet on the wireless mesh network further comprises waiting on a transmission acknowledgement from the second RF device.