System and method for power outage and restoration notification in an advanced metering infrastructure network

• US 8,171,364 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trilliant Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Trilliant Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Veillette, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Rizk, Sam
• Application Number:
  US12/275,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 714/748, 370/338, 709223-227, 709238-244
• US Class Current: 714/748
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/45 Utility meters networked together within a single building
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A method and system are provided to transmit a meter power status. The method includes recognizing a power status change at a meter. The method includes, if the meter is scheduled to transmit first, transmitting a notification message to at least one neighboring meter towards a mesh gate, wherein the notification message includes a power status indicator and a meter identifier. The method includes, if the meter is not scheduled to transmit first, waiting a predetermined time period to receive a notification message from at least one neighboring meter. The method includes, responsive to receiving a notification message, adding a meter identifier to the received notification message before retransmitting the modified notification message to at least one neighboring meter. The method includes retransmitting the notification message.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a meter power status, comprising:

recognizing a power status change at a meter;

if the meter is scheduled to transmit first, transmitting a notification message to at least one neighboring meter towards a mesh gate, wherein the notification message includes a power status indicator and a meter identifier;

if the meter is not scheduled to transmit first, waiting a predetermined time period to receive a notification message from at least one neighboring meter;

responsive to receiving a notification message, adding a meter identifier to the received notification message before retransmitting the modified notification message to at least one neighboring meter;

retransmitting the notification message; and

responsive to a first failure to receive an acknowledgement from the at least one neighboring meter, retransmitting the notification message over an alternative mesh network path;

responsive to a second failure to receive an acknowledgement from the at least one neighboring meter, retransmitting the notification message through a newly discovered mesh network path; and

responsive to a third failure to receive an acknowledgement from the at least one neighboring meter, associating with a new mesh network and retransmitting the notification message over the new mesh network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the power status change is at least one of:

a power outage and a power restoration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

waiting a random time period before retransmitting the notification message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the meter is scheduled to transmit first if it has a high number of hops from the mesh gate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the meter is scheduled to transmit first if it is a leaf node in a mesh network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the meter communicates with neighboring meters via a mesh network.

7. A system for transmitting a network power status, comprising:

(A) a mesh network;

(B) a wide area network separate from the mesh network;

(C) at least one meter in communication with the mesh network, the meter configured to;

recognize a power status change at a meter,

if the meter is scheduled to transmit first, transmit a notification message to at least one neighboring meter towards a mesh gate, wherein the notification message includes a power status indicator and a meter identifier,

if the meter is not scheduled to transmit first, wait a predetermined time period to receive a notification message from at least one neighboring meter,

responsive to receiving a notification message, adding a meter identifier to the received notification message before retransmitting the modified notification message to at least one neighboring meter, and

retransmitting the notification message;

(D) a mesh gate in communication with the meter over the mesh network and in communication with the wide area network, the mesh gate configured to;

receive at least one notification message from a meter, wherein the notification messages include a power status indicator and at least one meter identifier,

aggregate the received meter identifiers into a composite notification message, the composite notification message include a power status indicator and at least one meter identifier,

transmit the composite notification message to a server over a wide area network, and

retransmitting the composite notification message; and

(E) a server in communication with the mesh gate over the wide area network, the server configured to receive the composite notification message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the power status change is at least one of:

a power outage and a power restoration.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the meter is scheduled to transmit first if it has a high number of hops from the mesh gate.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the meter is scheduled to transmit first if it is a leaf node in a mesh network.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the mesh gate is further configured to select an isolated outage reporting configuration or a major outage reporting configuration, wherein the major outage reporting configuration includes a longer aggregation window.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the mesh gate does not retransmit the composite notification message during an exclusion period.

13. A method of transmitting a meter power status, comprising:

recognizing a power status change at a meter;

if the meter is scheduled to transmit first, transmitting a notification message from the meter to at least one neighboring meter towards a mesh gate, wherein the notification message includes a power status indicator and a meter identifier;

if the meter is not scheduled to transmit first, waiting a predetermined time period to receive a notification message from at least one neighboring meter;

responsive to receiving a notification message, adding a meter identifier to the received notification message before retransmitting the modified notification message to at least one neighboring meter, wherein the notification message include a power status indicator and at least one meter identifier;

aggregating the received meter identifiers into a composite notification message, the composite notification message including a power status indicator and at least one meter identifier;

transmitting the composite notification message to a server over a wide area network; and

retransmitting the composite notification message.

14. A computer program stored in a computer readable form for execution in a processor and a processor coupled memory to implement a method of transmitting a meter power status, the method comprising:

recognizing a power status change at a meter;

if the meter is scheduled to transmit first, transmitting a notification message from the meter to at least one neighboring meter towards a mesh gate, wherein the notification message includes a power status indicator and a meter identifier;

if the meter is not scheduled to transmit first, waiting a predetermined time period to receive a notification message from at least one neighboring meter;

responsive to receiving a notification message, adding a meter identifier to the received notification message before retransmitting the modified notification message to at least one neighboring meter, wherein the notification message include a power status indicator and at least one meter identifier;

aggregating the received meter identifiers into a composite notification message, the composite notification message including a power status indicator and at least one meter identifier;

transmitting the composite notification message to a server over a wide area network; and

retransmitting the composite notification message.