Utility usage measurement

• US 8,441,373 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2012
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grenwave Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Greenwave Reality, Pte Ltd. (Greenwave Reality, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jonsson, Karl, Vandendorpe, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US13/539,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20120280832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 318 Days
• Field of Search: 34087002-87003, 34087004-87005, 324/601, 324/76.11, 324/76.39, 324/103.R, 324/130, 702/189, 702/127, 702 57- 62, 705/412
• US Class Current: 340/870.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/00 Tariff metering apparatus in taximeters G07B13/00; apparatus actuated by coins, cards or the like with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas, or electricity G07F15/00
• 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

Pulses, including electrical waveforms, emitted light, and light reflected by a moving mechanical device, that are emitted by a standard utility meter may be received. A device may be controlled to vary its usage of the utility and that may be used to determine a usage per pulse. The usage per pulse information may be used to convert a pulse rate from a meter to emulate the pulse rate from another meter. Information about the other meter and/or services offered by the other meter may be provided to allow for emulation of the other meter.

Claims

1. A method of measuring utility usage, the method comprising:

receiving pulses from a utility meter, wherein the pulses are emitted dependent on usage of a utility measured by the utility meter;

counting a first number of the pulses emitted during a first period of time;

determining a first usage of the utility by a device during the first period of time by communicating with the device;

counting a second number of the pulses emitted during a second period of time;

determining a second usage of the utility by the device during the second period of time by communicating with the device; and

calculating a usage per pulse based on a difference in the first usage and the second usage, and a difference in the first number of the pulses and the second number of the pulses;

wherein the device is in a different state during the first period of time than during the second period of time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the device comprises:

controlling the device to change said state of the device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the controlling of the device comprises sending a command to turn off the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating with the device comprises:

receiving the first usage and the second usage from the device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

rounding the calculated usage per pulse to one of a set of supported values.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling a usage controller, wherein the usage controller is configured to control an availability of the utility to the device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the utility is electrical power.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the pulses comprise light.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

counting a third number of the pulses emitted during a third period of time;

calculating a metered usage of the utility during the third period of time based on the third number of the pulses and the usage per pulse; and

sending information based on the metered usage over a network.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining an emulated usage per pulse; and

calculating an emulated pulse rate based on the metered usage and the emulated usage per pulse;

wherein the sent information is emulated pulse information based on the emulated pulse rate.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data from a remote server;

storing the received data; and

responding to a request configured to communicate with a networked utility meter by providing a response over a network based on the received data.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

counting a third number of the pulses emitted during a third period of time; and

calculating a metered usage of the utility during the third period of time based on the third number of the pulses and the usage per pulse;

wherein the received data comprises pricing of the utility, and the response represents a cost of the utility used that is based on the metered usage and the pricing of the utility.

13. A computer program product for measuring utility usage, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive information about pulses emitted from a utility meter, wherein the pulses are emitted dependent on usage of a utility measured by the utility meter;

computer readable program code configured to communicate with a device to determine a first usage of the utility by the device in a first state during a first period of time;

computer readable program code configured to communicate with the device to determine a second usage of the utility by the device in a second state during a second period of time; and

computer readable program code configured to calculate a usage per pulse based on a difference in the first usage and the second usage, and a difference in a first number of the pulses that are received during the first period of time and a second number of the pulses that are received during the second period of time.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to control the device, through the communication with the device, to change said state of the device.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the controlling of the device comprises sending a command to turn off the device.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive the first usage and the second usage from the device through the communication with the device.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to round the calculated usage per pulse to one of a set of supported values.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to control a usage controller, wherein the usage controller is configured to control an availability of the utility to the device.

19. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to count a third number of the pulses emitted during a third period of time;

computer readable program code configured to calculate a metered usage of the utility during the third period of time based on the third number of the pulses and the usage per pulse; and

computer readable program code configured to send information based on the metered usage over a network.

20. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to determine an emulated usage per pulse; and

computer readable program code configured to calculate an emulated pulse rate based on the metered usage and the emulated usage per pulse;

wherein the sent information is emulated pulse information based on the emulated pulse rate.

21. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to receive data from a remote server;

computer readable program code configured to store the received data; and

computer readable program code configured to respond to a request configured to communicate with a networked utility meter by providing a response over a network based on the received data.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to count a third number of the pulses emitted during a third period of time; and

computer readable program code configured to calculate a metered usage of the utility during the third period of time based on the third number of the pulses and the usage per pulse;

wherein the received data comprises pricing of the utility, and the response represents a cost of the utility used that is based on the metered usage and the pricing of the utility.

23. An apparatus for measuring utility usage, the apparatus comprising:

the computer program product of claim 13;

a network interface; and

a processor communicatively coupled with the computer readable storage medium, and the network interface, wherein the processor is capable of executing the computer readable program code.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising:

a pulse receiver configured to have at least a portion of the pulse receiver mechanically attached to the utility meter and receive the pulses from the utility meter;

wherein the utility is electrical power;

the pulses comprise light; and

the pulse receiver is configured to communicate with the processor using radio frequency communication.

25. A system for measuring utility usage, the system comprising:

a pulse receiver configured to receive pulses from a utility meter, wherein the pulses are emitted dependent on usage of a utility measured by the utility meter;

means for determining a usage of the utility by a device;

circuitry configured to communicate with the pulse receiver and the means for determining the usage of the utility by the device, and to calculate a usage of the utility per pulse based on a difference in a first usage of the utility by the device in a first state during a first period of time and a second usage of the utility by the device in a second state during a second period of time, and a difference in a first number of the pulses that are received during the first period of time and a second number of the pulses that are received during the second period of time.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

means for controlling the device to create a difference between the first usage and the second usage of the utility by the device.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

at least one usage controller, wherein the at least one usage controller is configured to receive commands from the circuitry and control an availability of the utility to the device.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the circuitry and the at least one usage controller communicate over a home area network.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein:

the utility is electrical power;

the pulses comprise light; and

at least a portion of the pulse receiver is configured to be mechanically attached to the utility meter.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein:

the circuitry and the pulse receiver communicate using radio frequency communication.

31. The system of claim 25, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

calculate a metered usage of the utility during a third period of time based on a third number of the pulses emitted during the third period of time and the usage per pulse; and

send information based on the metered usage over a network.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

determine an emulated usage per pulse; and

calculate an emulated pulse rate based on the metered usage and the emulated usage per pulse;

wherein the sent information is emulated pulse information based on the emulated pulse rate.

33. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

an information display configured to communicate over the network;

wherein the information display is configured to receive and display the information based on the metered usage sent over the network.

34. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a network interface in communication with the circuitry and configured to communicate over a network; and

at least one storage element communicatively coupled to the circuitry;

wherein the circuitry is further configured to;

receive data from a remote server over the network;

store the received data in the at least one storage element; and

respond to a request configured to communicate with a networked utility meter by providing a response over the network based on the received data.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the circuitry is further configured to calculate a metered usage of the utility during a third period of time based on a third number of the pulses emitted during the third period of time and the usage per pulse;

wherein the received data comprises pricing of the utility, and the response represents a cost of the utility used that is based on the metered usage and the pricing of the utility.