Satellite-based low power resource meter reading systems and methods

• US 9,173,011 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Informational Data Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Informational Data Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Robinson, Les, Redlin, Rod, Polsinelli, Angelo A., Carlson, Keith W., Uban, Stephen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): HWANG, TIMOTHY
• Application Number:
  US13/340,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,398 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• 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

Systems and methods for monitoring a utility resource are disclosed. One system includes utility resource usage capture components connected to a utility resource management computing system via a satellite communications network. Each of the utility resource usage capture components includes a utility resource meter interface and a satellite communication module. The utility resource meter interface is configured to communicate with different types of utility resource meters from different manufacturers. Each of the utility resource usage capture components has a low power state and an operational state, and is configured to automatically enter the operational state, interrogate an associated utility resource meter, communicate the reading via the satellite communication module, and return to the low power state. The utility resource management computing system stores information regarding a location of each of the utility resource usage capture components and receives and stores readings from each of the utility resource usage capture components.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a utility resource, the system comprising:

a plurality of utility resource usage capture components, each utility resource usage capture component positioned at a predetermined location and including a utility resource meter interface and a satellite communication module, the utility resource meter interface configured to communicate with a single corresponding utility resource meter, the utility resource meter being of any of a plurality of different types of utility resource meters from a plurality of different manufacturers, each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components having a low power state and an operational state and configured to automatically enter the operational state, interrogate one associated utility resource meter to obtain a reading, format the reading into a common data format, and communicate the reading via the satellite communication module to a utility resource management computing system based on a persistent satellite connection preference, and return to the low power state, wherein the persistent satellite connection preference avoids requiring renegotiation of a direct satellite connection between the satellite communication module and a predetermined satellite of a satellite communications network prior to communicating the reading;

a utility resource management computing system communicatively connected to the satellite communications network, the utility resource management computing system storing information regarding a location of each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components and configured to receive and store readings from each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising the satellite communication network, wherein the satellite communication network includes one or more geostationary satellites and is communicatively coupled between each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components and the utility resource management computing system.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components is positioned at a different resource usage location of the utility resource distribution network, thereby allowing the utility resource management computing system to track information regarding utility resource usage across the entire system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the utility resource comprises water, and wherein the utility resource meter comprises a water meter, and wherein water flow passing by each utility resource meter and associated utility resource usage capture component is unobstructed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the utility resource meter interface comprises an interface selected from a group of types of interfaces consisting of:

a wired serial data interface;

a radio link interface;

an optical link interface;

a contact closure interface; and

a pulse interface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the utility resource management computing system includes a database storing associations between each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components and both a resource user and a resource provider.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components lack a connection to an external power source.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the utility resource is a resource selected from a group of utility resources consisting of:

a water utility;

an electrical utility;

a gas utility;

an oil well;

an irrigation management system;

a water rights management and monitoring system; and

a gas storage monitoring system.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the low power state comprises a sleep state.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components includes a battery power source, the battery power source comprising one or more lithium batteries and having a capacity to provide at least 10 years of life to the associated utility resource usage capture component.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the utility resource management computing system is configured to detect resource loss across a utility resource distribution network monitored by a plurality of utility resource meters associated with the plurality of utility resource usage capture components.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the utility resource meter interface comprises a wired interface.

9. A method of monitoring usage of a utility resource, the method comprising:

electrically connecting each of a plurality of utility resource usage capture components with one of a plurality of utility resource meters within a utility network, the plurality of utility resource meters including utility resource meters made by a plurality of different manufacturers, each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components having a low power state and an operational state;

capturing an identity of each utility resource usage capture component and associating the identity with a location of the utility resource meter, a resource user, and a utility; and

automatically receiving, via a direct satellite communication link to each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components via a persistent satellite connection preference associated with each of the plurality of utility resource usage capture components, periodic updates from each of the plurality of utility resource meters at the associated plurality of utility resource usage capture components converted by resource usage capture components to a common data format, wherein the persistent satellite connection preference avoids requiring renegotiation of a satellite connection prior to communicating the reading, wherein one or more of the periodic updates are received from each respective utility resource capture component of the plurality of utility resource capture components upon the respective utility resource capture component entering the operational state from the low power state.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein automatically receiving periodic updates comprises receiving daily updates from each of the plurality of utility resource meters.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein automatically receiving periodic updates occurs at a utility resource management computing system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, upon detecting an anomaly in utility resource usage based on the periodic updates, transmitting a command from the utility resource management computing system to one or more utility resource usage capture components, thereby altering a frequency at which periodic updates are received from those one or more utility resource usage capture components.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising storing each of the periodic updates in a resource usage database.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each periodic update includes a meter reading, a timestamp, and an identity of a utility resource usage capture component from which it is received.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein storing each of the periodic updates in a resource usage database includes associating each update with a corresponding resource consumer and resource provider.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising providing a web interface to the database accessible at least to a resource consumer and a resource provider.

17. A water monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of water usage capture components positioned at a plurality of different, known locations exposed to environmental conditions, each of the plurality of water usage capture components communicatively connected to a single, different installed water meter across a water district, and wherein one or more of the water usage capture components lacks a connection to an external power source and wherein water flow passing each water meter and associated water usage capture component is unobstructed, the water usage capture components each including;

a water meter interface including a wired interface communicatively connected to the single, installed water meter at the known location, the water meter interface configured to communicate with a plurality of different types of water meters from a plurality of different manufacturers;

a controller incorporated into the water meter interface and operable in a plurality of different states including a low power state and an operational state, the controller configured to automatically enter the operational state, interrogate the water meter via the water meter interface to obtain a reading, format the reading from a proprietary data format of the water meter into a common data format, and return to the low power state;

a satellite communication module configured to receive the formatted reading from the controller and directly communicate the reading to a remote system via a satellite communication network based on a persistent satellite connection preference without requiring renegotiation of a satellite connection prior to communicating the reading, the satellite communication module being preconfigured to communicate the reading at a predetermined time different from communications times of one or more other water usage capture components;

a battery power source comprising one or more batteries, the battery power source providing electrical power to the water meter interface, the controller, and the satellite communication module; and

an environmentally protective housing encapsulating the water meter interface, the controller, the satellite communication module, and the battery power source;

a water management computing system communicatively connected to a message relay device of the satellite communications network, the water management computing system including a water management database storing information regarding a location of each of the plurality of water usage capture components and configured to receive and store readings from each of the plurality of water usage capture components in the common data format;

wherein the water management computing system generates a user interface configured to display at least a portion of one or more water meter usage records from the water management database, each water meter usage record including a customer identifier, a meter identifier, a location, and one or more meter readings.

18. The water monitoring system of claim 17, further comprising a satellite communication network communicatively coupled between each of the plurality of water resource usage capture components and the water management computing system, wherein the satellite communication network includes a message relay device.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the water management computing system is configured to identify water loss within the water network based on meter readings from each of the water usage capture components.