Methods and apparatus for retrieving energy readings from an energy monitoring device

• US 20060271244A1
• Filed: 07/31/2006
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Power Measurement Ltd. (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Hancock, Martin A., Wynans, Arthur B., Forth, J. Bradford, Ransom, Douglas S., Haight, Eric K., Cumming, Daniel A.
• Application Number:
  US11/497,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271244A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/10 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• 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

Abstract

An energy monitoring device including procedures for secure communication of data from the device is disclosed. The energy monitoring device includes a public/private key pair used to encrypt and/or digitally sign communications by the device. This allows the receivers of these communications to authenticate the communications to ensure that the device and/or communications have not been compromised. The energy monitoring device is further capable of communications via an ad-hoc “mesh” network, thereby facilitating communications among devices which are substantially inaccessible due to either physical or economic limitations.

Claims

1. An energy monitoring device for securely reporting energy consumption, comprising:

current interface circuitry operative to sense current flow in at least one power line and generate a first analog signal indicative thereof;

at least one analog to digital converter coupled with said current interface circuitry and operative to convert said first analog signal to a digital representation of said sensed current flow;

a processor coupled with said at least one analog to digital converter, and operative to calculate at least one measure of energy consumption based on said digital representation and store said calculated at least one measure of energy consumption as at least one energy consumption message;

a memory register coupled with said processor and operative to store a private key, wherein said processor is further operative to generate a digital signature based on said at least one energy consumption message and said private key and sign said at least one energy consumption message utilizing said digital signature; and

a radio frequency interface coupled with said processor and operative to transmit said signed at least one energy consumption message, via at least a second and a third energy monitoring device, to a remote device.