Method and system for remote updates of meters for metering the consumption of electricity, water or gas

• US 8,102,277 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gridspertise Srl
• Original Assignee: ENEL Distribuzione SPA (ENEL SPA)
• Inventors: Giubbini, Paolo
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US12/453,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20090278706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 34087002-87003, 340/870.31
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5433 Remote metering
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/546 Combination of signalling, telemetering, protection circuits for remote indication of supply or distribution network condition H02J13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

In a method and system of remote metering the consumption of utilities like electricity, water or gas, each of a plurality of remote meters (RM) measures a consumption and reports the measured-consumption to a concentrator (C). The concentrator (C) communicates with a plurality of remote meters (RM) in order to collect consumption data and perform tasks related to the administration of its associated remote meters (RM). Each remote meter (RM) has a host controller (MCM) and a program memory storing programs for execution by the host controller (MCM). In order to update some or all of the application programs running on the host controller (MCM) of the remote meters (RM), the concentrator (C) transmits program data to the remote meters (RM), and the remote meters (RM) receive the program data and update at least a portion of the program stored in the program memory in accordance with the received program data.

Claims

1. A method of remote metering consumption of utilities distributed to a plurality of consumers, each consumer being associated with at least one remote meter, wherein:

each remote meter measures a consumption and reports the measured consumption to a concentrator associated with a plurality of remote meters;

the concentrator communicates with the plurality of remote meters associated with the concentrator in order to collect consumption data and to perform tasks related to the administration of the associated remote meters;

each remote meter includes a host controller and a program memory, the host controller executing programs stored in the program memory;

the concentrator transmits program data including information defining a sequence of program instructions to at least one of the plurality of remote meters associated with the concentrator, the concentrator successively transmitting program data messages, each program data message including a portion of the program data;

each remote meter receives the program data;

the concentrator queries each associated meter whether the queried meter has received the successively-transmitted program data messages including different portions of the program data; and

if a queried meter reports one or more missing or incorrectly received program data messages, then the concentrator retransmits in a broadcast mode the one or more program data messages reported by the queried meter to be incorrect or missing;

each associated meter receives those one or more program data messages during the retransmission which the respective meter has missed or incorrectly received; and

each associated meter updates at least a portion of the programs stored in the program memory in accordance with the received program data.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the concentrator selects at least one individual meter or group of meters among the plurality of associated remote meters by transmitting at least one selection message addressed to the at least one individual meter or group of meters,

wherein each associated remote meter receives the program data and updates the program memory subject to the condition that the associated remote meter has been selected by the concentrator.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the concentrator transmits a program update control message;

and

wherein each associated remote meter updates the program stored in the program memory in accordance with the received program update control message.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the program update control message comprises control information relating to an update time and/or a program digest and/or a download start command.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein each transmitted program data message contains a message identifier which distinguishes the message from other program data messages.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

the concentrator transmits to the at least one remote associated meter a message indicating a number N of program data messages;

wherein receiving the program data includes;

checking whether all the N program data messages have been received successfully; and

if all the N program data messages have been received successfully, arranging the program data content of the N messages in accordance with the respective identifiers n of each message and/or calculating a program digest from the received program data messages.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

the concentrator repeating the successive querying of each of the associated meters until all of the associated meters have reported successful reception of all program data messages into which the program data are divided, or until an abort condition is satisfied.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

if a meter successfully receives all of the program data messages, the associated meter reporting a download complete message to the concentrator; and

the concentrator excluding from the successive queries meters from which a download complete message has been received.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the download complete message is reported in response to a query by the concentrator.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving program data comprises storing the program data in a buffer memory.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the updating the program stored in the program memory comprises:

checking whether the program data stored in the buffer memory are correct;

if the program data in the buffer memory are correct, copying the program data stored in the buffer memory into the program memory;

checking whether the copied data in the program memory are correct; and

if the copied data are found to be not correct, again copying the program data stored in the buffer memory into the program memory.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the updating at least a portion of the programs stored in the program memory is performed by the host controller executing a program data swap routine stored in a non volatile memory area protected against any program data change.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising:

setting a flag prior to copying data from the buffer memory into the program memory; and

clearing the flag if the copied data in the program memory are found to be correct.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the host controller:

checks the flag after a power failure; and

if the flag is set, restarts the copying of data from the buffer memory into the program memory and checking the correctness of the copied data.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the utilities are electricity, water, or gas.

16. A system for remote metering consumption of utilities distributed to a plurality of consumers, the system comprising:

at least one concentrator and a plurality of remote meters located inside or outside of consumer premises,

the at least one concentrator being arranged to communicate with remote meters associated with the at least one concentrator in order to collect consumption data and perform tasks related to administration of the associated remote meters;

each remote meter having a host controller and a program memory for executing programs stored in the program memory; and

the concentrator and the associated remote meters being arranged to perform a method of remote metering in accordance with claim 1.

17. A concentrator for collecting data regarding the consumption of utilities from a plurality of associated remote meters, each associated remote meter having a host controller and a program memory for storing a program to be executed by the host controller of the remote meter, the concentrator comprising:

a communication interface for communicating with the plurality of associated remote meters;

a microcontroller for processing data received from the associated remote meters through the communication interface;

the microcontroller being programmed to transmit program data including information defining a sequence of program instructions to at least one of the associated remote meters for updating at least a portion of the programs stored in the program memory of the at least one associated remote meter;

wherein the concentrator is arranged to;

transmit the program data by successively transmitting program data messages, each successive program data message including a portion of the program data,

successively query whether each associated remote meter has received the successively-transmitted program data messages including different portions of the program data; and

if a queried remote meter reports one or more missing or incorrectly received program data messages, retransmit in a broadcast mode to the associated remote meters the one or more program data messages reported by the queried remote meter to be incorrect or missing.

18. The concentrator according to claim 17, further arranged to repeat the successive querying of each of the associated remote meters until all of the queried remote meters have reported successful reception of all program data messages into which the program data are divided, or until an abort condition is satisfied.

19. The concentrator according to claim 18, further arranged to exclude from the successive queries a remote meter from which a download complete message has been received.

20. A remote meter for measuring the consumption of utilities, comprising:

a communication interface for transmitting data concerning the measured consumption of utilities to a concentrator;

a host controller and a program memory, the host controller being arranged to execute programs stored in the program memory relating to measuring of the consumption of the utilities and administration of the remote meter;

wherein the remote meter is arranged to;

receive program data including information defining a sequence of program instructions transmitted in the form of program data messages, each program data message including a portion of the program data from the concentrator through the communication interface,

receive a query from the concentrator whether the remote meter has received the successively-transmitted program data messages including different portions of the program data;

send a report to the concentrator when one or more of the program data messages is missing or incorrectly received;

receive a broadcast from the concentrator with one or more program data messages reported by the remote meter or at least one other report meter to be incorrect or missing; and

update at least a portion of the programs stored in the program memory in accordance with the received program data.

21. The remote meter according to claim 20, further arranged to report a download complete message to the concentrator if the remote meter has successfully received all of the program data messages.