Configurable secure mobile tool for AMI and AMR metering systems

• US 9,955,239 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2016
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Colonna, Donato, Hopper, William L., Cezar, Fabio, Udin, Sergei V., Zhelezov, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Murillo Garcia, Fabricio R
• Application Number:
  US15/211,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 726 22, 705 719
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/24 using dedicated network management hardware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed herein are apparatuses, methods and systems for a configurable and secure mobile tool for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) metering systems, wherein the tool comprises a suite of mobile apps that run on a mobile device (e.g., tablet, smartphone) and have functionality to support the installation, maintenance, service, diagnostics and configuration of meters in AMI and AMR systems. The mobile app may remotely synchronize through a secure communication channel with a server in communication with a database that contains configuration settings and related data created by an administrator utilizing an administrator station. During synchronization, the mobile app functionality is configured and customized based on user group authorization profiles defined by an administrator, and data collected and generated by the mobile app that is stored on the mobile device is transferred to the database where it may be accessed by an administrator station.

Claims

1. A mobile tool for performing at least one of installation, maintenance, service, diagnostics and configuration of meters, comprising:

a display;

at least one communication module;

memory; and

a processor, which when executing computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, causes the mobile tool to;

establish communications with a server;

receive, from the server, configuration settings and related data for configuring the mobile tool, based on one of a plurality of different user group authorization profiles, each of the user group authorization profiles being associated with a different set of configuration settings and related data for the mobile tool that determine how the mobile tool functions and interacts with meters when operated by users having that user group authorization profile;

automatically configure the mobile tool based on the received configuration settings and related data, wherein the configuration determines how the mobile tool functions and interacts with a meter, by authorizing the mobile tool to perform at least a subset of operations with respect to the meter; and

establish a connection with the meter to perform one or more of the authorized operations.

2. The mobile tool of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions executed by the processor further cause the mobile tool to transmit data stored in the mobile tool memory to the server.

3. The mobile tool of claim 2, wherein the data stored in the mobile tool memory further comprises at least one of meter data, operational log data, Global Positioning System (GPS) information for the meter, a photograph of the meter.

4. The mobile tool of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions executed by the processor further cause the mobile tool to establish a connection with the meter via the at least one communication module.

5. The mobile tool of claim 4, wherein the at least one communication module further comprises a Bluetooth communication module.

6. The mobile tool claim 5, wherein the Bluetooth communication module communicates with one of a Bluetooth optical probe that communicates with an optical interface of the meter or a Bluetooth radio that communicates with the meter via a network communication protocol.

7. The mobile tool of claim 4, wherein the at least one communication module further comprises a cellular wireless communication module that communicates with the meter via Transmission Secure Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol.

8. The mobile tool of claim 1, further comprising an Input/Output (I/O) interface, wherein the computer executable instructions executed by the processor further cause the mobile tool to establish a connection with the meter via one of a I/O interface optical probe connected to the mobile tool that communicates with an optical interface of the meter or a I/O interface radio that communicates with the meter via a network communication protocol.

9. The mobile tool of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions executed by the processor further cause the mobile tool to obtain Global Positioning System (GPS) information for the meter and to store the GPS information for the meter in memory.

10. The mobile tool of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions executed by the processor further cause the mobile tool to take a photograph of the meter and to store the photograph of the meter in memory.

11. The mobile tool of claim 1, wherein the one or more authorized operations is one or more of an installation operation, a maintenance operation, a service operation, a diagnostics operation, or a configuration operation.

12. A server for securely and remotely configuring a mobile tool, the server comprising:

a communication network interface;

a database; and

a processor and memory, the memory storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the server to;

receive a request from the mobile tool;

establish a secure communication channel with the mobile tool;

determine, from user login information received from the mobile tool, a user group authorization profile associated with a user of the mobile tool, the determined user group authorization profile being one of a plurality of different user group authorization profiles, each of the user group authorization profiles being associated with a different set of configuration settings and related data for the mobile tool that determine how the mobile tool functions and interacts with meters when operated by users having that user group authorization profile;

retrieve configuration settings and related data from the database based on the determined user group authorization profile; and

transmit to the mobile tool, via the communication network interface, the configuration settings and related data, wherein the mobile tool functionality and interactivity with a meter is automatically configured, by authorizing the mobile tool to perform at least a subset of operations with respect to the meter with which the mobile tool interacts.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the database further comp rises a Structured Query Language (SQL) database.

14. The server of claim 12, wherein the secure communication channel further comprises a secure web-server operating Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol.

15. The server of claim 12, wherein the computer executable instructions executed by the processor further cause the server to receive data from the mobile tool and to store the data from the mobile tool in the database.