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Low power, high resolution automated meter reading and analytics

  • US 9,929,772 B2
  • Filed: 02/02/2017
  • Issued: 03/27/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A computing device for communicating metrology data collected by one or more water sensors to a gateway device, the computing device comprising:

  • a housing;

    an internal antenna disposed on an interior of the housing;

    an external antenna port disposed exterior to the housing;

    one or more input ports to receive the metrology data from the one or more water sensors;

    an internal power supply module, disposed inside the housing, including one or more batteries coupled to a supercapacitor, wherein the one or more batteries and the supercapacitor provide power to components of the computing device;

    a microcontroller comprising one or more processors and encoded with logic for controlling operations of the computing device, wherein the one or more batteries power the microcontroller;

    a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, coupled to the internal antenna and the external antenna port, and configured to communicate signals using a low-power wide area network (LPWAN) standard, wherein the supercapacitor powers the RF transceiver to transmit the signals, and wherein the supercapacitor is configured to power the RF transceiver to transmit the signals at a power of one watt, the RF transceiver comprising;

    a first transmit path, associated with an external power supply, for transmitting communications using at least one of the internal antenna or the external antenna port;

    a second transmit path, associated with the internal power supply module, for transmitting communications using at least one of the internal antenna or the external antenna port; and

    a receive path for receiving communications using at least one of the internal antenna or the external antenna port; and

    computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors of the microcontroller to perform acts comprising;

    causing the computing device to enter a low-power mode for a first predefined period of time;

    based at least in part on detecting an end of the first predefined period of time, causing the computing device to switch from the low-power mode to a communication mode for a second period of time, wherein the second period of time is less than the first predefined period of time, and wherein the low-power mode consumes less power than the communication mode;

    while in the communication mode, causing the RF transceiver to transmit, via the second transmit path and by at least one of the external antenna port or the internal antenna, a signal representing a portion of the metrology data collected by the one or more water sensors to the gateway device, wherein the RF transceiver receives power from the supercapacitor to transmit the signal; and

    in response to transmitting the signal, causing the computing device to enter the low-power mode for the first predefined period of time.

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