Modular wireless fixed network for wide-area metering data collection and meter module apparatus

• US 7,782,225 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensus Spectrum, LLC (Xylem, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: M&FC Holding, LLC
• Inventors: Zigdon, Shimon, Heth, Carmel
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Albert K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dang; Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US11/313,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20060097892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,706 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/870.03, 340/870.4, 340/825.69
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/662 using a time/frequency relationship, e.g. time compression or expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/707 using direct sequence modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/68 Payment of value-added services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0196 Payment of value-added services, mainly when their charges are added on the telephone bill, e.g. payment of non-telecom services, e-commerce, on-line banking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• 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
• 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

Abstract

A scalable and modular fixed-base wireless network system for wide-area metering data collection, composed of at least one of each of the following components: meter modules, which monitor, store, encode and periodically transmit metering data via radio signals (air messages). The network may contain both one-way (transmit only) and two-way (transmit and receive) meter modules; Receiver Base Stations, which receive, decode, store and forward metering data to a central database and metering data gateway, referred to here as the Data Operation Center (DOC). Base Stations do not perform any meter data processing, but simply transfer decoded air messages to the DOC; and a Data Operations Center, which communicates with all of the network'"'"'s Base Stations and receives decoded air messages from the Base Stations. The DOC processes, validates and stores metering data in a meter database that it maintains for the entire meter population operating in the network. The DOC has the capability to export or forward metering data to other systems via standard data protocols, which may be scaled up in its air message handling capacity and in its application features, by integrating it with a wireless data-forwarding (downlink) channel, such as a paging network, which is required in order to provide service to two-way meter modules that may be operating in the network. This channel enables the sending of time synchronization and other commands to two-way meter modules, thus providing the operator with considerable flexibility in their choice of network capacity, features and system cost.

Claims

1. A wireless network system for wide-area metering data collection, the network system comprising:

two or more meter modules configured to monitor, store, encode and periodically transmit, via radio signals, metering data collected at a predetermined consumption interval;

at least one receiver base station configured to receive, decode, store and forward the metering data to a data operations center (DOC) acting as a central database and a metering data gateway;

the DOC configured to process, validate, and store metering data in a meter database maintained for every meter module in the network, wherein

each of the meter modules collects the metering data for a consumption period comprised of a plurality of consumption intervals and encodes the metering data by using a logarithmic table to compress the metering data and reduce the number of bits needed for transmission, and the DOC maintains sets of logarithmic encoding tables, each set of the encoding tables corresponding to a different consumption interval pattern, and maintains a registry specifying a subset of encoding tables assigned to each of the meter modules.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein each meter module selects an encoding table from the assigned set of encoding tables based on a comparison of a consumption profile associated with each of the set of encoding tables and an actual consumption profile.

3. The network system according to claim 1, wherein a number of base stations, a number of reception frequency channels, and meter module message bit rate are adjusted based on required message delivery probability and metering data latency, and available meter module battery life.

4. The network system according to claim 1, further comprising a network transceiver/repeater (NTR) device configured to repeat a message received from a meter module based on a module identification number of the meter module or on a flag in the message received from the meter module.

5. The network system according to claim 1, wherein each of the meter modules is further configured to interleave lower resolution overlapping subsets of the encoded metering data collected for the consumption period to generate a plurality of transmitted messages for each consumption period.

6. A meter module configured to operate in the network system of claim 1, the meter module comprising:

a rotation detector to detect rotation of a meter dial as an indication of usage;

a data storage;

a data processor; and

a direct sequence spread spectrum transmitter and an antenna, wherein

the rotation detector, the data storage, the data processor, and the transmitter and the antenna are all within the same physical enclosure.

7. The meter module according to claim 6, wherein the enclosure is comprised inside the enclosure of an electric meter.

8. The meter module according to claim 6, wherein the enclosure is disposed between a gas meter and a gas meter index.

9. The meter module according to claim 6, wherein the transmitter transmits radio signals at an output power between 0.5 and 1 Watt.

10. The meter module according to claim 6, further comprising a power supply to the transmitter including a capacitive element and a limited current source, in combination, which supply power to the transmitter to transmit radio signals with output power above a predetermined threshold during a short transmission burst initiated at a start of a power outage to notify of the power outage.

11. The meter module according to claim 6, the rotation detector comprising two sensors, each sensor including a switch that opens and closes to indicate rotation of the meter dial to a predetermined position, and a controller, wherein

based on the physical arrangement of the two sensors and on the controller controlling the switch of each sensor, the two sensors of the rotation detector draw near zero current.

12. The meter module according to claim 6, further comprising an outage recovery system configured to perform notification of a power outage, notification of power restoration, storage of metering data, and transmission, after power restoration, of any stored metering data collected prior to a power outage and not previously transmitted.