Meter Collar System for Powerline Communication

• US 20180188072A1
• Filed: 12/26/2017
• Published: 07/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Granted Patent: US 10,571,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/063 related to remote communication
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/065 related to mechanical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 33/90 adapted for co-operation with two or more dissimilar counterparts
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques for a meter collar system for powerline communications are provided. The system includes a meter socket coupled to a utility power cable and a supply cable of the customer premises, and a meter collar device coupled to the meter socket. The meter collar device may include a powerline interface coupled to one or more load lines of the subscriber cable, and a line transceiver, coupled to the powerline interface. A physical layer transceiver may be coupled to a subscriber line. The meter collar device may be configured to receive, from the physical layer transceiver, a first data signal from the subscriber line, and convert the first data signal into a powerline data signal for transmission over the one or more load lines, and transmit the powerline data signal, via the line transceiver, over the one or more load lines.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a meter socket coupled to a utility power cable and a supply cable of the customer premises, the utility power cable including one or more utility powerlines and the supply cable including one or more load lines;

a meter collar device coupled to the meter socket, the meter collar device configured to receive a subscriber line, the meter collar device comprising;

a powerline interface coupled to the one or more load lines;

a line transceiver, coupled to the powerline interface, the line transceiver configured to transmit and receive a data signal via the one or more load lines;

a physical layer transceiver coupled to the subscriber line, the physical layer transceiver configured to transmit and receive the data signal via the subscriber line;

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable medium communicatively coupled to the processor, the non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions executable by the processor to;

receive, from the physical layer transceiver, a first data signal from the subscriber line;

convert the first data signal into a powerline data signal for transmission over the one or more load lines; and

transmit the powerline data signal, via the line transceiver, over the one or more load lines.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

receive, via the line transceiver, a second data signal from the one or more load lines;

convert the second data signal into a subscriber line signal for transmission over the subscriber line; and

transmit the subscriber line signal, via the physical layer transceiver, over the subscriber line.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the instructions to convert the second data signal into a subscriber line signal further comprises converting an analog signal into a digital signal.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the meter collar device further includes at least one of a low pass filter, bandpass filter, or high pass filter, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

extract the second data signal, from the one or more load lines, wherein extracting the second data signal includes blocking a power signal via the low pass filter or bandpass filter.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to convert the first data signal into a powerline signal further comprises converting a digital signal to an analog signal.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the meter collar device further comprises a subscriber line interface for receiving the subscriber line, wherein the subscriber line is one of a twisted pair cable or a fiber optic cable.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the physical layer interface includes at least one of an Ethernet physical layer interface or an optical physical layer interface.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising an electric meter, wherein the meter collar device is further configured to receive the electric meter such that the electric meter couples an at least one of the one or more utility powerlines to a respective load line of the one or more load lines.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the meter collar device further includes a wireless transceiver coupled to the physical layer transceiver, the wireless transceiver configured transmit data received over the one or more load lines wirelessly.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

manage channel access on the one or more load lines, wherein channel access is managed utilizing one of a time division multiple access or frequency-division multiple access.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a powerline interface coupled to one or more load lines;

a line transceiver, coupled to the powerline interface, the line transceiver configured to transmit and receive a data signal via the one or more load lines;

a physical layer transceiver coupled to a subscriber line, the physical layer transceiver configured to transmit and receive the data signal via the subscriber line;

a processor;

a non-transitory computer readable medium communicatively coupled to the processor, the non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer software comprising a set of instructions executable by the processor to;

receive, from the physical layer transceiver, a first data signal from the subscriber line;

convert the first data signal into a powerline data signal for transmission over the one or more load lines; and

transmit the powerline data signal, via the line transceiver, over the one or more load lines.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

receive, via the line transceiver, a second data signal from the one or more load lines;

convert the second data signal into a subscriber line signal for transmission over the subscriber line; and

transmit the subscriber line signal, via the physical layer transceiver, over the subscriber line.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the instructions to convert the second data signal into a subscriber line signal further comprises converting an analog signal into a digital signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus further includes at least one of a low pass filter, bandpass filter, or high pass filter, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

extract the second data signal, from the one or more load lines, wherein extracting the second data signal includes blocking a power signal via the low pass filter or bandpass filter.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a subscriber line interface for receiving the subscriber line, wherein the subscriber line is one of a twisted pair cable or a fiber optic cable.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a wireless transceiver coupled to the physical layer transceiver, the wireless transceiver configured transmit data received over the one or more load lines wirelessly.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

manage channel access on the one or more load lines, wherein channel access is managed utilizing one of a time division multiple access or frequency-division multiple access.

18. A method comprising:

receiving, via a meter collar device, a first data signal from a subscriber line;

converting, via the meter collar device, the first data signal to a powerline data signal for transmission over one or more load powerlines;

transmitting, via the meter collar device, the powerline data signal over one or more load powerlines;

receiving, via the meter collar device, a second data signal from the one or more load powerlines;

converting via the meter collar device, the second data signal to a subscriber line data signal; and

transmitting, via the meter collar device, the subscriber line data signal over the subscriber line.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein converting the first data signal to a powerline data signal includes converting a first analog signal into a first digital signal;

and wherein converting the second data signal to a subscriber line data signal includes converting a second digital signal into a second analog signal.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

providing a meter socket;

coupling the meter socket to one or more utility powerlines;

coupling the meter socket to one or more load powerlines; and

coupling, via the meter collar device, at least one of the one or more utility powerlines to the one or more load powerlines.