System, method and integrated circuit chip for wireless multi-network meter reading

• US 8,988,249 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2010
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Connectif Solutions Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Connectif Solutions Incorporated
• Inventors: Chevrette, Guy, Desrochers, Jean-Cedric, Duchesne, Yanick
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US12/900,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20110193718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,629 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.07, 34087002-87003, 455/558
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• 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 wireless monitoring system comprises a remote asset about which data is to be collected and a wireless data-transfer device connected to the remote asset. The wireless device includes a radiofrequency transceiver and a chip having a memory for storing a plurality of subscriber identifiers corresponding to different wireless networks and for further storing logic that constitutes network selection rules for selecting one of the wireless networks to use for transmission of the data. In a GSM/UMTS implementation of this technology, the subscriber identifier is the IMSI and the chip is a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) chip or card. By using multiple IMSI'"'"'s, the wireless data-transfer device connected to the remote asset may switch seamlessly between wireless networks. A new IMSI (for a new network) may be provisioned over the air to enable the device to communicate over a new network for which it did not previously have an IMSI.

Claims

1. A wireless data-collection system comprising:

a remote asset; and

a wireless data-transfer device connected to the remote asset for collecting data from or about the remote asset, the wireless device including;

a radiofrequency transceiver for wirelessly transmitting the data; and

an integrated circuit chip having a memory for storing a plurality of subscriber identifiers corresponding to different wireless networks and for further storing network selection rules applied by a processor for selecting one subscriber identifier and for causing the radiofrequency transceiver to transmit the data using one of the wireless networks corresponding to the subscriber identifier selected by the processor, wherein the wireless data-transfer device is configured to wirelessly receive a new subscriber identifier for a new wireless network.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the chip comprises a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) and wherein each subscriber identifier is an IMSI.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the wireless device comprises both wired and wireless local area network interfaces for a plurality of remote assets.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the network selection rules select the wireless network to use based on an identity of the remote asset that has provided the data to transmit.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the network selection rules select the wireless network to use based on data transmission costs.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the network selection rules select the wireless network to use based on both an identity of the remote asset that has provided the data to transmit and data transmission costs.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a device management platform for receiving the data from the wireless data-transfer device connected to the remote asset and for communicating control commands to the remote asset via the wireless data-transfer device.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a subscriber management platform for subscriber provisioning, the subscriber management platform enabling creation, activation, deactivation and removal of subscriber accounts.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the remote asset is a utility meter.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the remote asset is a vehicle.

11. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the remote asset is a tele-health monitor.

12. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the remote asset is a household appliance.

13. A method of using a wireless data-transfer device to transmit data from a remote asset to a recipient, the method comprising:

receiving at the wireless data-transfer device one or more subscriber identifiers for different wireless networks;

collecting the data via an interface of the wireless data-transfer device that is connected to the remote asset;

determining, by applying network selection rules, which one of a plurality of wireless networks to utilize for transmitting the data to the recipient; and

establishing wireless communication with one of the wireless networks by selecting a subscriber identifier stored in a memory of the wireless data-transfer device.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the subscriber identifier is an IMSI.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the step of receiving the one or more subscriber identifiers is accomplished over the air by wireless communication with a subscriber management platform.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising receiving data from multiple remote assets connected to the same wireless data-transfer device.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the step of determining which one of the plurality of wireless networks to use comprises selecting the wireless network based on an identity of the remote asset providing the data to transmit.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein determining which one of the plurality of wireless networks to use comprises selecting the wireless network based also a consideration of data transmission costs.

19. An integrated circuit chip for use in a wireless data-collection system, the chip comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of different subscriber identifiers; and

logic implementing network selection rules for selecting one subscriber identifier from among the plurality of subscriber identifiers stored in the memory of the chip, each subscriber identifier corresponding to a different wireless network over which asset data from a remote asset may be communicated to a recipient wherein at least one of the different subscriber identifiers is received over the air.

20. The chip as claimed in claim 19 wherein the subscriber identifier is an IMSI.

21. The chip as claimed in claim 19 wherein the logic for selecting the subscriber identifier for the wireless network to use comprises determining which one of a plurality of remote assets has provided the data to transmit.

22. The chip as claimed in claim 21 wherein the logic for selecting the subscriber identifier for the wireless network to use is also based on data transmission costs.

23. A wireless data-collection device for collecting data about a remote asset, the device comprising:

a radiofrequency transceiver for wirelessly transmitting the data; and

an integrated circuit chip having a memory for storing a plurality of IMSI subscriber identifiers corresponding to different wireless networks and a processor for applying network selection rules to select one IMSI corresponding to one wireless network for transmission of the data, wherein the wireless data-transfer device is configured to wirelessly receive a new subscriber identifier for a new wireless network.