Ensuring automatic season change demand resets in a mesh type network of telemetry devices

• US 7,308,369 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Issued: 12/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Elster Electricity LLC (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Rudran, Dileep, Scoggins, Sean M, Christopher, Russell G
• Primary Examiner(s): WACHSMAN, HAL D
• Application Number:
  US11/238,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 702/62, 702/61
• US Class Current: 702/62
• 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

Abstract

Methods and systems of enforcing a season change demand reset in a meter that communicates via a wireless network. When billing data is received by a server, it is accompanied by a season change demand reset counter. The counter is compared to a counter stored on the server. If the received counter is different that an expected value based on the server counter, it is determined that the meter missed a season change demand reset. The server then instructs the meter to perform a billing read and to perform a season change demand reset to ensure that accurate demand data is received by the server.

Claims

1. A system for enforcing a season change in a meter operating within a wireless metering network, comprising:

a network configuration server that maintains a wireless metering network state;

a first collector in communication with said meter via a first communication path;

a second collector; and

a data collection server, wherein when it is determined that said meter has migrated from said first communication path to a second communication path in which it communicates with the second collector instead of the first collector, the data collection server instructs said second collector to contact said meter and to instruct said meter to download a season change snapshot and perform a season change demand reset.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said meter is configured as an auto-read meter and is instructed to perform said season change demand reset at a time in advance of reading said season change snapshot.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said meter increments a counter and said system increments an expected value for each season change demand reset by said meter.

4. A method for enforcing a season change demand reset in a meter operating within a wireless metering network, comprising:

receiving a counter from said meter at a data collection server;

comparing said counter to a second counter;

requesting said meter to download a season change snapshot and perform a season change demand reset as a result of said comparing;

determining that said meter has migrated from a first communication path between said meter and a first collector to a second communication path between said meter and a second collector; and

after determining that said meter has migrated from the first communication path to the second communication path, instructing said second collector to contact said meter to perform said season change demand reset.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

configuring said meter as an auto-read meter; and

instructing said meter to perform said season change demand reset at a time in advance of reading said season change snapshot.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said instructing said meter is performed in accordance with a Time of Use (TOU) schedule.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising incrementing said counter and said second counter for each season change demand reset performed by said meter.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for instructing a computing device to perform the steps of enforcing a season change demand reset in a meter operating within a wireless metering network, said steps comprising:

receiving a counter from said meter at a data collection server,

comparing said counter to a second counter;

requesting said meter to download a season change snapshot and perform a season change demand reset as a result of said comparing;

determining that said meter has migrated from a first communication path between said meter and a first collector to a second communication path between said meter and a second collector; and

after determining that said meter has migrated from the first communication path to the second communication path, instructing said second collector to contact said meter to perform said season change demand reset.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions for performing the steps of:

configuring said meter as an auto-read meter; and

instructing said meter to perform said season change demand reset at a time in advance of reading said season change snapshot.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein said instructing said meter is performed in accordance with a Time of Use (TOU) schedule.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions for performing the step of incrementing said counter and said second counter for each season change demand reset by said meter.