Method and system for remote updates of meters for metering the consumption of electricity, water or gas

• US 7,554,459 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2003
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gridspertise Srl
• Original Assignee: ENEL Distribuzione SPA (ENEL SPA)
• Inventors: Giubbini, Paolo
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US10/564,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20060164257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/870.03, 340/870.31
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5433 Remote metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• 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

In a method and system of remote metering the consumption of utilities like electricity, water or gas, each of a plurality of remote meters RM measures a consumption and reports the measured consumption to a concentrator C. The concentrator C communicates with a plurality of remote meters in order to collect consumption data and perform tasks related to the administration of its associated remote meters. Each remote meter has a host controller MCM and a program memory storing programs for execution by the host controller. In order to update some or all of the application programs running on the host controller of the remote meters, the concentrator C transmits program data to the remote meters, and the remote meters receive the program data and update at least a portion of the program stored in the program memory in accordance with the received program data.

Claims

1. A method of remote metering the consumption of utilities distributed through a public distribution network to a plurality of consumers, each consumer being associated with at least one remote meter, wherein:

each remote meter measures a consumption and reports the measured consumption over a power line of an electricity distribution network to a concentrator associated with a plurality of remote meters;

said concentrator communicates over one or more power lines of the electricity distribution network with said plurality of remote meters in order to collect consumption data and perform tasks related to the administration of its associated remote meters;

each of said remote meters has a host controller and a program memory, said host controller executing programs stored in said program memory;

said concentrator transmits program data including information defining a sequence of program instructions to at least one of said plurality of remote meters over the one or more power lines of the electricity distribution network;

each of plural ones of said remote meters;

receives said program data, and

updates at least a portion of said programs stored in said program memory in accordance with the received program data;

said transmitting said program data comprises successively transmitting program data messages each comprising a portion of said program data; and

said concentrator;

successively queries over the one or more power lines of the electricity distribution network each of said plural meters whether it has received the successively transmitted program data messages comprising different portions of said program data; and

if a queried meter reports one or more missing or incorrectly received program data messages, retransmits in a broadcast mode the one or more program data messages reported by the queried meter to be incorrect or missing; and

each of said plural meters receives those one or more program data messages during said retransmission which the respective meter has missed or incorrectly received.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting program data comprises:

selecting at least one individual meter or group of meters among said plurality of remote meters by transmitting at least one selection message addressed to said at least one individual meter or group of meters;

wherein each of said remote meters performs said receiving said program data and updating said program memory subject to the condition that it has been selected by said concentrator.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said transmitting program data comprises transmitting a program update control message;

and

said updating said program stored in said program memory in accordance with the received program data is performed in accordance with said received program update control message.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said program update control message comprises control information relating to the update time and/or a program digest and/or a download start command.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein each transmitted program data message contains a message identifier which distinguishes the message from other program data messages.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

the concentrator transmits to said at least one remote meter a message indicating a number N of program data messages;

wherein the receiving said program data comprises;

checking whether all the N program data messages have been received successfully; and

if all the N program data messages have been received successfully, arranging the program data content of said N messages in accordance with the respective identifiers n of each message and/or calculating a program digest from the received program data messages.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

said concentrator repeating said successive querying of each of said plural meters until all of said plural meters have reported successful reception of all program data messages into which the program data are divided, or until an abort condition is satisfied.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising

if a meter has successfully received all of said program data messages, reporting a download complete message to said concentrator;

said concentrator excluding from said successive queries such meters from which a download complete message has been received.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said download complete message is reported in response to a said query by said concentrator.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said receiving program data comprises storing said program data in a buffer memory.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said buffer memory is a non volatile memory.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the updating said program stored in said program memory comprises:

checking whether the program data stored in said buffer memory are correct;

if the program data in said buffer memory are correct, copying the program data stored in said buffer memory into said program memory;

checking whether the copied data in said program memory are correct; and

if the copied data are found to be not correct, again copying the program data stored in said buffer memory into said program memory.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein said updating at least a portion of said programs stored in said program memory is performed by said host controller executing a program data swap routine stored in a non volatile memory area protected against any program data change.

14. The method according to claim 12, comprising:

setting a flag prior to copying data from said buffer memory into said program memory; and

clearing said flag if the copied data in said program memory are found to be correct.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein said host controller:

checks said flag after a power failure; and

if said flag is found to be set, restarts the copying of data from said buffer memory into said program memory and checking the correctness of the copied data.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein said utilities are electricity, water or gas.

17. A system for remote metering the consumption of utilities distributed through a public distribution network to a plurality of consumers, the system comprising:

at least one concentrator and a plurality of remote meters located inside or outside of customer premises,

said at least one concentrator being adapted to communicate with said remote meters in order to collect consumption data and perform tasks related to the administration of its associated remote meters;

each of said remote meters having a host controller and a program memory for executing programs stored in said program memory; and

said concentrator and said remote meters being adapted to perform a method of remote metering in accordance with claim 1.

18. A concentrator for collecting data regarding the consumption of utilities from a plurality of associated remote meters each having a host controller and a program memory for storing a program to be executed by said host controller of the remote meter, said concentrator comprising:

a communication interface for communicating with said plurality of remote meters over one or more power lines of an electricity distribution network;

a micro controller for processing data received from said remote meters through said communication interface;

said micro controller being programmed to transmit program data including information defining a sequence of program instructions to at least one of said associated remote meters for updating at least a portion of said programs stored in the program memory of said remote meter over one or more power lines of the electricity distribution network;

wherein said concentrator is arranged to;

transmit said program data by successively transmitting program data messages each comprising a portion of said program data over one or more power lines of the electricity distribution network,

successively query over the one or more power lines of the electricity distribution network each of said plurality of meters whether it has received the successively transmitted program data messages comprising different portions of said program data; and

if a queried meter reports one or more missing or incorrectly received program data messages, retransmit in a broadcast mode the one or more program data messages reported by the queried meter to be incorrect or missing so that each of said plurality of meters receives those one or more program data messages during said retransmission which the respective meter has missed or incorrectly received.

20. The concentrator according to claim 18 further arranged to repeat said successive querying of each of said plural meters until all of said plural meters have reported successful reception of all program data messages into which the program data are divided, or until an abort condition is satisfied.

21. The concentrator according to claim 20, further arranged to exclude from said successive queries a meter from which a download complete message has been received.

19. A remote meter for measuring the consumption of utilities, comprising:

a communication interface for transmitting data concerning the measured consumption of utilities to a concentrator over one or more power lines of an electricity distribution network;

a host controller and a program memory, said host controller being arranged to execute programs stored in said program memory relating to the measuring of the consumption of said utilities and the administration of the remote meter;

wherein said remote meter is arranged to;

receive program data including information defining a sequence of program instructions transmitted in the form of program data messages each comprising a portion of the program data from said concentrator over one or more power lines of the electricity distribution network through said communication interface,

update at least a portion of said programs stored in said program memory in accordance with said received program data;

receive a query over the one or more power lines of the electricity distribution network from the concentrator whether the remote meter has received the successively transmitted program data messages comprising different portions of said program data;

send a report to the concentrator when one or more of the program data messages is missing or incorrectly received; and

receive a broadcast from the concentrator one or more program data messages reported by the remote meter or at least one other report meter to be incorrect or missing.

22. The remote meter according to claim 19, further arranged to report a download complete message to the concentrator if the remote meter has successfully received all of said program data messages.