Node communication with unknown network ID

• US 10,768,016 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2018
• Issued: 09/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Magley, Dale McLeod, Meaney, Jr., Edward J., Splitz, David Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgdorf, Stephen R
• Application Number:
  US16/149,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20190226873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 34087002
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/43 Identification of a specific meter
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/008 Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/026 Details of "hello" or keep-alive messages
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/04 Arrangements for synchronous operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method includes listening, at a mobile collector, for beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each beacon comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information; receiving, by the mobile collector, the beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes; and determining, by the mobile collector, that the beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the beacon.

Claims

1. A method comprising steps of:

listening, at a mobile collector, for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair;

receiving, by the mobile collector, an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes;

determining, by the mobile collector, that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;

sending a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon;

receiving, by the mobile collector, a response to the hail message from the targeted node; and

sending, by the mobile collector, a command message to the targeted node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the command message comprises a request for additional data from the targeted node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the command message comprises a command for the targeted node to perform an action.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the utility device ID includes a water meter register ID, wherein the AMR beacons include advanced meter reading IDs, and wherein a list of water meter register IDs is stored in the mobile collector for comparison to water meter register IDs received from the plurality of nodes in the advanced meter reading beacons.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair comprises two predefined alternating hailing channels.

6. A mobile collector, comprising:

a processor, and

logic processed by the processor to

listen for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair,

receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and

determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon,

send a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,

receive a response to the hail message from the targeted node, and

send a command message to the targeted node.

7. The mobile collector of claim 6, wherein the command message comprises a request for additional data from the targeted node.

8. The mobile collector of claim 6, wherein the command message comprises a command for the targeted node to perform an action.

9. The mobile collector of claim 6, wherein the utility device ID includes a water meter register ID, wherein the AMR beacons include AMR IDs, and wherein a list of water meter register IDs is stored in the mobile collector for comparison to water meter register IDs received from the plurality of nodes in the AMR beacons.

10. The mobile collector of claim 6, wherein the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair comprises two predefined alternating hailing channels.

11. A modified advanced meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:

a mobile collector comprising

a mobile collector processor, and

logic processed by the mobile collector processor to

listen for a plurality of AMR beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair,

receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and

determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon; and

the targeted node, wherein the targeted node comprises

a node processor, and

logic processed by the node processor to

send the AMR beacon,

receive a hail message from the mobile collector on a communication channel in the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair beginning within a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,

determine whether the hail message comprises the utility device ID, and

responsive to a determination that the hail message comprises the utility device ID, initiate temporary two-way communication by sending a response to the mobile collector.

12. A method comprising steps of:

listening, at a mobile collector, for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information;

receiving, by the mobile collector, an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes;

determining, by the mobile collector, that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;

sending a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the communication channel information, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon;

receiving, by the mobile collector, a response to the hail message from the targeted node; and

sending, by the mobile collector, a command message to the targeted node.

13. A mobile collector, comprising:

a processor, and

logic processed by the processor to

listen for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information,

receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and

determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon,

send a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the communication channel information, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,

receive a response to the hail message from the targeted node, and

send a command message to the targeted node.

14. A modified advanced meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:

a mobile collector comprising

a mobile collector processor, and

logic processed by the mobile collector processor to

listen for a plurality of AMR beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information,

receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and

determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon; and

the targeted node, wherein the targeted node comprises

a node processor, and

logic processed by the node processor to

send the AMR beacon,

receive a hail message from the mobile collector on a communication channel in the communication channel information beginning within a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,

determine whether the hail message comprises the utility device ID, and

responsive to a determination that the hail message comprises the utility device ID, initiate temporary two-way communication by sending a response to the mobile collector.

15. A method comprising steps of:

listening, at a mobile collector, for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair;

receiving, by the mobile collector, an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes;

determining, by the mobile collector, that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;

sending a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the predefined delay lasting 750 milliseconds and beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon;

receiving, by the mobile collector, a response to the hail message from the targeted node; and

sending, by the mobile collector, a command message to the targeted node.

16. A mobile collector, comprising:

a processor, and

logic processed by the processor to

listen for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair,

receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and

determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon,

send a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the predefined delay lasting 750 milliseconds and beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,

receive a response to the hail message from the targeted node, and

send a command message to the targeted node.

17. A modified advanced meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:

a mobile collector comprising

a mobile collector processor, and

logic processed by the mobile collector processor to

listen for a plurality of AMR beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair,

receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and

determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon; and

the targeted node, wherein the targeted node comprises

a node processor, and

logic processed by the node processor to

send the AMR beacon,

receive a hail message from the mobile collector on a communication channel in the targeted node'"'"'s hailing channel pair beginning within a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the predefined delay lasting 750 milliseconds and beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,

determine whether the hail message comprises the utility device ID, and

responsive to a determination that the hail message comprises the utility device ID, initiate temporary two-way communication by sending a response to the mobile collector.