Power meter arrangement
First Claim
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1. An electric power meter arrangement, comprising:
- a metrology unit that is configured to be coupled to a power line, to determine a power consumption, and to provide measurement data representing the power consumption;
a programmable control unit including a memory that stores software configured to run on the control unit;
a security unit coupled to the control unit by a communications link, the security unit configured to store at least one key and to determine whether the software stored in the memory of the programmable control unit has been altered without authorization; and
a switching circuit comprising at least one switching element configured to be connected to the power line and configured to be switched on or off dependent on a drive signal received by the switching circuit, wherein the security unit is configuredto receive drive information for the switching circuit from the control unit,to check a validity of the drive information, andto generate the drive signal dependent on the drive information only if the drive information has been determined to be valid.
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Abstract
An electric power meter arrangement, includes a metrology unit configured to be coupled to a power line and to determine power consumption and provide measurement data representing the power consumption. A programmable control unit including a memory is configured to store software configured to run on the control unit. A security unit is configured to store at least one key and to validate that software stored in the memory of the programmable control unit is authorized.
16 Citations
17 Claims
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1. An electric power meter arrangement, comprising:
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a metrology unit that is configured to be coupled to a power line, to determine a power consumption, and to provide measurement data representing the power consumption; a programmable control unit including a memory that stores software configured to run on the control unit; a security unit coupled to the control unit by a communications link, the security unit configured to store at least one key and to determine whether the software stored in the memory of the programmable control unit has been altered without authorization; and a switching circuit comprising at least one switching element configured to be connected to the power line and configured to be switched on or off dependent on a drive signal received by the switching circuit, wherein the security unit is configured to receive drive information for the switching circuit from the control unit, to check a validity of the drive information, and to generate the drive signal dependent on the drive information only if the drive information has been determined to be valid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of monitoring power, the method comprising:
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determining a power consumption of a power line by a metrology unit; operating a control unit using software stored in memory of the control unit; receiving data from the metrology unit by the control unit; transmitting a key stored in a security unit to the control unit; determining whether the software stored in the memory of the control unit has been tampered with using the key; transmitting drive information for a switching circuit from the control unit to the security unit; checking a validity of the drive information; and generating a drive signal based on the drive information when the drive information is valid. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for monitoring a power line, the system comprising:
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a metrology unit configured to be coupled to the power line, the metrology unit comprising a sensing device configured to be coupled to the power line, and an evaluation unit configured to calculate a power consumption based on an output of the sensing device and determine measurement data based on the power consumption; a control unit configured to receive measurement data from the metrology unit and to transmit data to the metrology unit, the control unit comprising memory, the memory configured to store a software program, and a first interface circuit configured to connect the control unit to a network; a security unit coupled to the control unit, the security unit configured to detect whether the software stored in the memory of the control unit has been tampered with, and transmit a key stored in a security unit to the control unit; and a switching circuit configured to be connected between two terminals of the power line, wherein the switching circuit coupled to the security unit, the switching circuit comprises at least one switching element configured to be connected to the power line and configured to be switched on or off dependent on a drive signal received by the switching circuit, and the security unit is configured to receive drive information for the switching circuit from the control unit, to check a validity of the drive information, and to generate the drive signal dependent on the drive information only if the drive information has been determined to be valid.
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Specification