Systems and methods for routing home area network (HAN) messages

• US 9,232,411 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2012
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aclara Meters LLC (Hubbell, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Jhang, Hyoung, Sampson, David, McKeown, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Latorre, Ivan O
• Application Number:
  US13/670,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20140126560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 709/224, 370/245, 370/252, 370/328, 370/338, 370/400
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2836 Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network controlling appliance services of a home automation network from a device located outside the home and the home network H04L12/2818; protocol conversion H04L69/08; adaptation of digital video signals for transport over a specific home network H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• 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: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure can provide systems and methods for routing home area network (HAN) messages. In one embodiment, a system can be provided. The system can include at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions; at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions. The computer-executable instructions can receive, by the at least one processor, an instruction for a HAN gateway; send the instruction to a transmission agent for routing to the HAN gateway; and transmit, by the transmission agent, the instruction to the HAN gateway.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a metering device coupled to a home area network (HAN) in communication with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network, the metering device comprising;

an AMI network interface card (NIC) configured to provide a data link between the AMI network and one or more HAN devices;

at least one memory that stores computer-executable instructions;

at least one processor configured to access the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

receive, by the at least one processor, an instruction for a home area network (HAN) gateway;

send the instruction to a transmission agent for routing to the HAN gateway;

transmit, by the transmission agent, the instruction to the HAN gateway; and

transmit the instruction, by the HAN gateway, to the one or more HAN devices using one or more manufacturer procedures of the one or more HAN devices,

wherein the instruction comprises at least one HAN message having a smart energy profile format, and

wherein the HAN gateway, the transmission agent, and the AMI NIC are integrated within the metering device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to receive, from the HAN gateway, HAN device data.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to send the HAN device data to a receiving agent for routing to the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network interface card (NIC).

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to transmit, by the receiving agent, the HAN device data to the AMI NIC.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein at least one of the transmission agent or the receiving agent comprises a buffer.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the receiving agent is integrated within the metering device.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the instruction for the HAN gateway is received from the AMI NIC.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the instruction for the HAN gateway comprises a procedure instruction.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the procedure instruction comprises at least one of a sequence field, an index field, a count field, a size field, and at least one HAN message field.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one HAN message field indicates an index of the instruction for the HAN gateway.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the transmission agent transmits the instruction to the HAN gateway via a serial peripheral interface (SPI) connection.

12. A method, comprising:

coupling a metering device to a home area network (HAN) in communication with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network;

configuring an AMI network interface card (NIC) to provide a data link between the AMI network and one or more HAN devices;

receiving, by at least one processor configured to access at least one memory, an instruction for a home area network (HAN) gateway;

sending the instruction to a transmission agent for routing to the HAN gateway;

transmitting, by the transmission agent, the instruction to the HAN gateway; and

transmitting the instruction, by the HAN gateway, to the one or more HAN devices using one or more manufacturer procedures of the one or more HAN devices,

wherein the instruction comprises at least one HAN message having a smart energy profile format, and

wherein the HAN gateway, the transmission agent, and the AMI NIC are integrated within the metering device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, from the HAN gateway, HAN device data.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending the HAN device data to a receiving agent for routing to the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network interface card (NIC) and transmitting, by the receiving agent, the HAN device data to the AMI NIC.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving agent is integrated within the metering device.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the instruction for the HAN gateway is received from the AMI NIC.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the instruction for the HAN gateway comprises a standard procedure instruction, and the standard procedure instruction comprises at least one of a sequence field, an index field, a count field, a size field, or at least one HAN message field.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one HAN message field indicates an index of the instruction for the HAN gateway.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmission agent transmits the instruction to the HAN gateway via a serial peripheral interface (SPI) connection.

20. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network interface card (NIC) an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) C12.19 standard procedure instruction for a home area network (HAN) gateway;

sending the standard procedure instruction to a transmission agent for routing to the HAN gateway;

transmitting, by the transmission agent, the standard procedure instruction to the HAN gateway;

receiving, from the HAN gateway, HAN device data;

sending the HAN device data to a receiving agent for routing to an AMI NIC; and

transmitting, by the receiving agent, the HAN device data to the AMI NIC using one or more manufacturer procedures of the one or more HAN devices, wherein the instruction comprises at least one HAN message having a smart energy profile format, and wherein the HAN gateway, the transmission agent, the receiving agent, and the AMI NIC are integrated within a metering device comprising the at least one processor.