Method and system of providing network addresses to in-premise devices in a utility network

• US 8,489,716 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Networked Solutions, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vaswani, Raj, Ramasastry, Jay, Johnson, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Shirley
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Angela
• Application Number:
  US11/807,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: 709/221
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/17306 Intercommunication techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/659 Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/741 Routing in networks with a plurality of addressing schemes, e.g. with both IPv4 and IPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/251 between different IP versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 : Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 : using triggered events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 : Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 : Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/005 : Data network PoA devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 : Inter-networking arrangements
• 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: Y02D 30/50 : in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 : Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 : Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

One example embodiment provides a method and system where a node in a utility network receives a block of IPv6 network addresses from an access point in the utility network. The utility node allocates an IP network address from the block of IPv6 network addresses received from the access point to an in-premise device which communicates to the utility node over an in-premise network which is not IP based. The utility node proxies the allocated IP address to the utility network, allowing other nodes on the utility network to address and communicate with the in-premise device.

Claims

1. A wireless network system comprising:

a plurality of utility nodes capable of receiving commodity meter information, the utility nodes connected in a utility network, at least some of the utility nodes including an in-premise interface; and

at least one access point connected in the utility network, the access point providing to each of at least one of the plurality of utility nodes in the utility network, an indication of a block of network addresses allocated by the access point to be assigned by that utility node to in-premise devices registered with that utility node, wherein the block of network addresses allocated to any one utility node is unique with respect to the block of network addresses allocated to any other utility node by that access point;

wherein, for said each of the at least one of the plurality of utility nodes in the utility network, the in-premise interface of said at least one utility node is configured to;

interact with an in-premise device for the in-premise device to register with that utility node and for that utility node to select one of the network addresses of the block of network addresses allocated by the access point to that utility node, and

assign the selected network address to the in-premise device registered with that utility node and for that utility node to provide an indication of the address assignment of the registered in-premise device for communication with the an in-premise device via the utility network.

2. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the network addresses are IPv6 addresses.

3. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the network addresses are IPv4 addresses.

4. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the block of network addresses received from allocated by the access point is a block of IPv6 network addresses.

5. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the in-premise interface is configured to allocate assign the selected network address to the in-premise device in response to detection of the in-premise device.

6. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the in-premise network is WPAN network.

7. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the in-premise network also includes a PLC communications network.

8. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the in-premise interface is configured to assign unique network addresses to each of a plurality of in-premise devices.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the network address is assigned to the in-premise device based on one or more of the following:

a device type, a device attribute, a network topology, a usage type, and a commodity usage characteristic.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the in-premise interface is configured to:

select a plurality of network addresses from said block of network addresses; and

assign the selected plurality of network addresses to a plurality of in-premise devices.

11. The wireless network system of claim 5, wherein the network address assigned to the in-premise device is provided to at least one additional node in the utility network.

12. The wireless network system of claim 11, wherein the at least one additional node in the utility network is an access point.

13. The wireless network system of claim 12, wherein the network address assigned to the in-premise device is provided to at least one additional node in the utility network in response to the assigning utility node receiving an indication to provide the network address assigned to the in-premise device.

14. The wireless network system of claim 6, wherein the WPAN network uses a communication protocol chosen from:

UWB communications protocol, ZigBee communications protocol, UDP protocol, WAP protocol, OBEX protocol, L2CAP protocol, or Blue-tooth family of protocols.

15. The wireless network system of claim 14, wherein the utility node proxies the assigned network address to the utility network.

16. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein at least one back office system in communication with the utility network receives the assigned network address proxied by the utility node and sends at least one message to the in-premise device using the assigned network address.

17. The wireless network system of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of in-premise devices is physically located at a neighboring premise.