Mesh AMR network interconnecting to TCP/IP wireless mesh network

• US 20050251403A1
• Filed: 09/09/2004
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Shuey, Kenneth C.
• Application Number:
  US10/937,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20050251403A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

A wireless system for collecting metering data that includes a plurality of meters, a collector and a central communications server. The meters communicate usage data to either the collector or the central server via a Wi-Fi and/or WiMax wireless communications network. The Wi-Fi and/or WiMax network can operate independently of, or in conjunction with, existing data gathering wireless networks.

Claims

1. A system for collecting metering data via a wireless network, comprising:

a plurality of meters, each of said plurality of meters gathering usage data related to a commodity and having an address;

a collector that gathers said usage data via said wireless network from predetermined ones of said plurality of meters, said collector having a collector address; and

a central communications server that receives said usage data from said collector,

wherein said wireless network comprises a wireless TCP/IP mesh network.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined ones of said plurality of meters are registered as part of a subnet.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said collector communicates instructions to said predetermined ones of said plurality of meters in said subnet.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said collector communicates said instructions in a broadcast message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein addresses in said wireless network comprise Internet Protocol addresses.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein communications between said plurality of meters, said collector and said central server are made via a TCP/IP connection.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least one TCP/IP connection is made over a public network.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said meters are remotely configurable using said addresses.

9. A TCP/IP wireless mesh network system for collecting metering data, comprising:

a plurality of meters, each of said plurality of meters gathering usage data related to a commodity and having an Internet Protocol address; and

a central communications server that receives said usage data from each of said plurality of meters via TCP/IP connections.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one TCP/IP connection is made over a public network.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said meters are remotely configurable using said Internet Protocol address for each meter.

12. A system for collecting metering data via a plurality of wireless networks, comprising:

a first wireless network comprising;

a first plurality of meters, each of said first plurality of meters gathering usage data related to a commodity and having an address;

a first collector that gathers said usage data via said first wireless network from predetermined ones of said first plurality of meters, said first collector having a collector address; and

a second wireless network comprising;

a second plurality of meters, each of said second plurality of meters gathering usage data related to a commodity and having an address;

a second collector that gathers said usage data via said second wireless network from predetermined ones of said second plurality of meters, said second collector having a collector address;

a central communications server that receives said usage data from said first collector and said second collector,

wherein said first wireless network is a spread spectrum wireless network or a TCP/IP wireless mesh network, and wherein said second wireless network comprises a TCP/IP wireless mesh network.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said predetermined ones of said first plurality of meters are registered as part of a subnet that communicate with said first collector, and wherein said predetermined ones of said second plurality of meters are registered as part of said subnet that communicate with said second collector.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein addresses in said second wireless network comprise Internet Protocol addresses.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein communications between said plurality of second meters, said second collector and said central server are made via a TCP/IP connection.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein at least one TCP/IP connection is made over a public network.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein said second meters are remotely configurable using said addresses.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein said first collector communicates to said central server via a dedicated communications link.