Broadcast technology for an automatic meter reading system

• US 20040210544A1
• Filed: 10/01/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Arnold W. Bragg, David C. Lawrence, Kathryn J. Smith, Kenneth C. Shuey
• Original Assignee: Arnold W. Bragg, David C. Lawrence, Kathryn J. Smith, Kenneth C. Shuey
• Inventors: Shuey, Kenneth C., Lawrence, David C., Smith, Kathryn J., Bragg, Arnold W.
• Application Number:
  US10/676,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20040210544A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

An automated meter reading system is provided. The system includes a host server interfaced to a plurality of nodes where each node communicates with a number of utility meters. The system selects a group of noninterfering nodes and uses an RF broadcast from the host server to initiate the reading of meters and the uploading of meter data provided by those meters to the nodes and, ultimately, to the host server. The system also has a number of gateways that communicate with a plurality of nodes, grouped to form sets of noninterfering gateways. In this embodiment, the system selects a set of noninterfering gateways and uses an RF broadcast from the host server to initiate the reading of meters and the uploading of meter data provided by those meters to the nodes and, ultimately, through the gateways to the host server. A method for using an outbound RF channel to automatically read meters is also provided.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. An automated meter reading system having a plurality of utility meters for measuring and recording metered data, a plurality of nodes, each node communicating with a number of designated meters to read the meter data, a plurality of gateways, each gateway communicating with a number of the nodes to receive the meter data, a data network interfaced to communicate with the plurality of gateways, and a host server interfaced with the data network to receive the meter data read from the gateways, said host server maintaining a topology database comprising:

first electronic data representative of meter assignments to at least one node;

second electronic data electronically keyed to said first electronic data and representative of node assignments to at least one gateway;

third electronic data electronically keyed to the second electronic data for grouping together a plurality of nodes to define groups of noninterfering nodes based at least in part on the node assignments; and

fourth electronic data electronically keyed to the second electronic data for grouping together a plurality of gateways to define sets of noninterfering gateways.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said host server stores information related to the topology of gateways, nodes, meters, and their respective interconnections and/or interfaces.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said topology database is initially populated based on a geographic location of every meter, node, and gateway in the system.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein cells are defined, each of said cells defining a plurality of meters that each communicate with a particular node.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said host server determines which nodes communicate with which gateways in accordance with said cells.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein nonintefereing meters, nodes and gateways are defined in said topology database by like identifiers, and wherein said host server addresses noninterfering ones of said meters, nodes and gateways by sending a command containing said like identifiers.