US20040066310A1 - Electronic electric meter for networked meter reading - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic electric meter for use in a networked automatic meter reading environment. The electric meter retrofits into existing meter sockets and is available for new meter installations for both single phase and three phase electric power connections. The meter utilizes an all electronic design including a meter microcontroller, a measurement microcontroller, a communication microcontroller and spread spectrum processor, and a plurality of other communication interface modules for communicating commodity utilization and power quality data to a utility. The electric meter utilizes a modular design which allows the interface modules to be changed depending upon the desired communication network interface. The meter measures electricity usage and monitors power quality parameters for transmission to the utility over a two-way 900 MHz spread spectrum local area network (LAN) to a remotely located gateway node. The gateway node transmits this data to the utility over a commercially available fixed wide area network (WAN). The meter also provides direct communication to the utility over a commercially available network interface that plugs into the meter's backplane or bus system bypassing the local area network communication link and gateway node.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• This application is a continuation of prior filed co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/319,856, filed Dec. 13, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/242,792, filed Feb. 23, 1999, and now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,538,577.[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates to apparatus for measuring usage of a commodity. More particularly, the invention relates to an electronic electric meter for measuring consumption of electricity and communicating that usage data and other power information to a utility over a two-way wireless local area network (LAN) to a remotely located gateway node that transmits the data over a two-way fixed common carrier wide area network (WAN), or communicating that data directly to the utility, over a commercially available two-way data communication network.[0002]
• Commodity usage is conventionally determined by utility companies using meters that monitor subscriber consumption. The utility service provider typically determines the subscriber's consumption by sending a service person to each meter location to manually record the information displayed on the meter dial. The manual reading is then entered into a computer which processes the information and outputs a billing statement for the subscriber. However, it is often difficult for the service person to access the meter for reading, inspection and maintenance. When access to a meter is not possible, billings are made on the basis of estimated readings. These estimated billings often lead to customer complaints.[0003]
• Currently available electric meters such as watt-hour meters work well for their intended purpose, but they must be manually read. This makes it difficult to cost effectively measure electricity usage for each user to promote fair billing and encourage conservation. Manual reading of electric meter is highly labor intensive, inefficient and very expensive. Therefore, there has been a strong interest on the part of utility companies to take advantage of modern technology to reduce operating costs and increase efficiency by eliminating the necessity for manual readings.[0004]
• Many attempts have been made in recent years to develop an automatic meter reading system for electric meters which avoid the high costs of manual meter reading. However, most of these prior art systems have achieved little success. For automatic or remote meter reading, a transducer unit must be used with the meters to detect the output of such meters and transmit that information back to the utility.[0005]
• Various types of devices have been attached to utility meters in an effort to simplify meter reading. These devices were developed to transfer commodity usage data over a communication link to a centrally located service center or utility. These communication links included telephone lines, power lines, or a radio frequency (RF) link.[0006]
• The use of existing telephone lines and power lines to communicate commodity usage data to a utility have encountered significant technical difficulties. In a telephone line system, the meter data may interfere with the subscriber's normal phone line operation, and would require cooperation between the telephone company and the utility company for shared use of the telephone lines. A telephone line communication link would also require a hard wire connection between the meter and the main telephone line, increasing installation costs. The use of a power line carrier (PLC) communication link over existing power lines would again require a hard wire connection between the meter and the main power line. Another disadvantage of the PLC system is the possibility of losing data from interference on the power line.[0007]
• Meters have been developed which can be read remotely. Such meters are configured as transducers and include a radio transmitter for transmitting data to the utility. These prior art systems required the meter to be polled on a regular basis by a data interrogator. The data interrogator may be mounted to a mobile unit traveling around the neighborhood, incorporated within a portable hand-held unit carried by a service person, or mounted at a centrally located site. When the meter is interrogated by a RF signal from the data interrogator, the meter responds by transmitting a signal encoded with the meter reading and any other information requested. The meter does not initiate the communication.[0008]
• However, such prior art systems have disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that the device mounted to the meter generally has a small transceiver having a very low power output and thus a very short range. This would require that the interrogation unit be in close proximity to the meters. Another disadvantage is that the device attached to the meter must be polled on a regular basis by the data interrogator. The device attached to the meter is not able to initiate a communication. The mobile and hand-held data interrogators are of limited value since it is still necessary for utility service personnel to travel around neighborhoods and businesses to remotely read the meters. It only avoids the necessity of entering a residence or other building to read the meters. The systems utilizing a data interrogator at fixed locations still have the disadvantages of low power output from the devices attached to the meters, and requiring polling by the data interrogator to initiate communication.[0009]
• Therefore, although automatic meter reading systems are known in the prior art, the currently available automatic meter reading systems suffer from several disadvantages, such as low operating range and communication reliability. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an electronic electric meter to retrofit into existing meter sockets or for new installations that enables cost effective measurement of electricity usage by a consumer. It would also be desirable to have an electric meter that is capable of providing automatic networked meter reading.[0010]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• An object of the present invention is to provide an integrated fully electronic electric meter that retrofits into existing meter sockets and is compatible with current utility operations.[0011]
• Another object of the invention is to provide an electronic electric meter that communicates commodity utilization data and power quality information to a utility over a two-way wireless spread spectrum local area network to a gateway node that transmits the data over a two-way fixed common carrier wide area network, or communicates the data directly to the utility over a commercially available two-way data communication network.[0012]
• A further object of the invention is to provide a gateway node for receiving commodity utilization data and power quality information from the electric meter and transmitting that data to a utility service provider over a commercially available fixed common carrier wide area network.[0013]
• Yet another object of the invention is to provide an electronic electric meter that communicates commodity utilization data and power quality information upon interrogation by a communication node, at preprogrammed scheduled reading times, and by spontaneous reporting of tamper or power outage conditions.[0014]
• Yet another object of the invention is to provide an electronic electric meter that is of a modular construction to easily allow an operator to change circuit boards or modules depending upon the desired data communication network.[0015]
• The present invention is a fully electronic electric meter for collecting, processing and transmitting commodity utilization and power quality data to a utility service provider.[0016]
• The electronic electric meter is of a modular design allowing for the removal and interchangeability of circuit boards and modules within the meter. All of the circuit boards and modules plug into a common backplane or busing system.[0017]
• The electric meter is able to communicate commodity utilization data and power quality information to a utility over a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). A radio frequency (RF) transceiver located within the meter creates a LAN link between the meter and a gateway node located remotely from the meter. This LAN utilizes a 900 MHz spread spectrum communication technique for transmitting commodity utilization data and power quality information from the meter to the gateway node, and for receiving interrogation signals from the gateway node.[0018]
• The electric meter is also able to communicate directly with the utility through the variety of commercially available communication network interface modules that plug into the meter's backplane or bus system. For example, these modules might include a narrowband personal communication services (PCS) module or a power line carrier (PLC) module. For these modules, a gateway node is not necessary to complete the communication link between the meter and the utility.[0019]
• The gateway node is located remotely from the meter to complete the local area network. The gateway node is also made up of four major components. These components include a wide area network interface module, an initialization microcontroller, a spread spectrum processor and a RF transceiver. The gateway node is responsible for providing interrogation signals to the meter and for receiving commodity utilization data from the interface management unit for the local area network. However, the gateway node also provides the link to the utility service provider over a commercially available fixed two-way common carrier wide area network.[0020]
• The RF transceiver of the gateway node transmits interrogation signals from the utility or preprogrammed signals for scheduled readings to the electric meter, and receives commodity utilization data in return from the meter for transmission to the utility over the wide area network. The spread spectrum processor is coupled to the RF transceiver and enables the gateway node to transmit and receive data utilizing the spread spectrum communication technique. The WAN interface module is coupled to the spread spectrum processor and transmits data to and from the utility service provider over any commercially available wide area network that is desired. A different WAN interface module can be used for each different commercially available wide area network desired. The initialization microcontroller is interposed between the interface module and the spread spectrum processor for controlling operation of the spread spectrum processor and for controlling communication within the gateway node.[0021]
• Meter reading, meter information management and network communications are all controlled by two-way system software that is preprogrammed into the electric meter's memory during manufacture and installation. The software enables an operator to program utility identification numbers, meter settings and readings, units of measure and alarm set points.[0022]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic electric meter in accordance with the present invention;[0023]
• FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the electric meter shown in FIG. 1;[0024]
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electric meter circuitry;[0025]
• FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a gateway node;[0026]
• FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the electric meter interfacing with a remote gateway node and a utility service provider, creating a networked automatic meter reading data communication system;[0027]
• FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the automatic meter reading data communication system shown in FIG. 5;[0028]
• FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the gateway node circuitry;[0029]
• FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the automatic meter reading data communication system of FIGS. 5 and 6;[0030]
• FIG. 9A is a flow diagram of the WAN handler portion of the data communication system of FIG. 8;[0031]
• FIG. 9B is a flow diagram of the message dispatcher portion of the data communication system of FIG. 8;[0032]
• FIG. 9C is a flow diagram of the RF handler portion of the data communication system of FIG. 8;[0033]
• FIG. 9D is a flow diagram of the scheduler portion of the data communication system of FIG. 8; and[0034]
• FIG. 9E is a flow diagram of the data stores portion of the data communication system of FIG. 8.[0035]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• Electronic Electric Meter[0036]
• FIGS. 1 and 2 show a fully integrated, self-contained electronic[0037]electric meter10 for measuring electricity usage and monitoring power quality. Themeter10 is operable for both single phase and three phase electric power installations. Themeter10 includes atop cover12 attached to a meter base14. Extending outwardly from the meter base14 is a mountingframe16 and a pair ofterminals18,20. Themeter10 easily retrofits into existing meter sockets by insertion ofterminals18,20 into the sockets and interlocking the mounting frame to secure the meter in place. Theterminals18,20 complete the connection between the electric power line and themeter10. Themeter10 further includes aliquid crystal display22 for displaying meter readings and settings, units of measure and status conditions. Thetop cover12 includes arectangular opening24 for theLCD22. A rectangularly shaped transparent piece of glass or plastic covers therectangular opening24 for viewingLCD22.
• As shown in FIG. 2, the fully electronic, self-contained, modular[0038]electric meter10 includes several electronic sub-assemblies. The sub-assemblies include apower transformer32, acurrent transformer34, a power/meter circuit board36, an interface managementunit circuit board38, aRF transceiver sub-assembly40, anLCD sub-assembly42, and a variety of commercially available plug in network modules, such as a narrowband personal communication services (PCS)module41 and a power line carrier (PLC)module43.
• All of the circuit boards and modules plug into a common backplane or busing system (not shown) providing a modular construction allowing for interchangeability of circuit boards and modules depending on the data communication network desired. While the[0039]meter10 is shown as an electric meter, themeter10 can also be configured to measure other physical characteristics such as water and gas.
• Circuitry of Electronic Electric Meter[0040]
• FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the electric meter's internal circuitry. The[0041]meter10 is powered directly from the electric power line coming throughterminals18,20 and intopower transformer32 to provide the DC power required of the meter circuitry. Back upbattery power44 is provided in case of electrical power outages.
• The electrical power flowing through[0042]terminals18 and20 is sensed byvoltage interface transducer46 andcurrent interface transducer48. The accumulated pulse totalization fromtransducers46 and48 is input intometer microcontroller50 which interprets the electrical signal data received fromtransducers46 and48. The processed electrical signal data is then sent through alevel translator52 to condition the signals for the required input intomeasurement microcontroller54.Measurement microcontroller54 performs additional calculations on the electrical signals received frommeter microcontroller50 and prepares them for output to theLCD22 or an appropriate communication network.Meter microcontroller50 may comprise the integrated circuit sold by SAMES of South Africa under the designation SA9603B. Themeasurement microcontroller54 is an SMOS chip available under the designation SMC AA316F03.
• The[0043]measurement microcontroller54 also monitors inputs fromtamper switch56 anddisconnect relay57 for disconnecting the meter from the electrical line. Theprogram ROM59 contains customer specific and site specific variables that may be important for calculating electricity usage. Themeter10 has an accuracy of approximately 0.2% for a power input current range of 0-200 amps. Other features that themeasurement microcontroller54 is able to measure are kilowatt hour usage, voltage and frequency measurements, energy direction, time and date reporting, load profiling and failure reporting. The power/meter circuit board includesmeasurement microcontroller54,level translator52,meter microcontroller50,backup battery44, andprimary power supply32.
• [0044]Electric meter10 is able to communicate commodity utilization data and power quality information to a utility over a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). A radio frequency (RF) communication section within theelectric meter10 is comprised by a communication microcontroller and a spreadspectrum processor chip58 and aRF transceiver60. Anantenna62 is coupled to theRF transceiver60 for transmitting and receiving RF spread spectrum signals.
• The communication microcontroller portion of[0045]chip58 is responsible for all aspects of radio frequency (RF) communication management inelectric meter10 including determining the presence of a valid interrogating signal from a remotely located gateway node. The communication microcontroller portion ofchip58 provides control information to spread spectrum processor portion ofchip58 andRF transceiver60 to control spread spectrum protocol and RF channelization. Communication microcontroller and spreadspectrum processor chip58 may comprise the integrated circuit sold by Siliconians of California, under the designation SS105.
• The spread spectrum communication technique makes use of a sequential noise-like signal structure, for example, pseudo-noise (PN) codes to spread a normally narrowband information signal over a relatively wide band of frequencies. This spread spectrum communication technique may be further understood by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,952 and the numerous publications cited therein.[0046]
• The use of the spread spectrum communication technique, when used in conjunction with the direct sequence modulation technique, hereinafter described, gives the LAN data communication system a measure of security. This communication technique also avoids the need to obtain licensure from governmental authorities controlling radio communication.[0047]
• The spread spectrum processor portion of[0048]chip58 functions to perform spread spectrum encoding of the data from communication microcontroller provided toRF transceiver60 and decoding of the spread spectrum data from the RF transceiver. A better understanding of the spread spectrum communication technique can be obtained by reading the subject matter under the subheading entitled “Circuitry of Gateway Node”. TheRF transceiver60 and communication microcontroller and spreadspectrum processor chip58 are part of the circuitry on interfacemanagement unit board38 andRF module40 of FIG. 2.
• The[0049]meter10 also includes plugin interface modules which correspond to a variety of different commercially available LAN or WAN communication devices. These communication devices provide a communication link directly from theelectric meter10 to a utility service provider. For example, shown in FIG. 3, is a narrow band personal communication services (PCS)interface module64, and a power line carrier (PLC)interface module66 powered by a PLCinterface power supply68. These communication interface modules are easily interchangeable withinelectric meter10. These modules communicate with themeasurement microcontroller54 and aninterface microcontroller70 along a common backplane or busing system (not shown). Exemplary meter interface includes the PowerPoint electronic meter interface for the GE KVII meter equipped with an internal antenna, or the GE KVII meter equipped with external antenna. When themeter10 is configured to measure water or aqueous characteristics, a water interface management unit (“IMU”) interface such as the Silver Spring Network water IMU can be used. When themeter10 is configured to measure gaseous characteristics, the Silver Spring Network gas IMU is an exemplary interface. Other exemplary interfaces include MTC Raven communications package V2.2, Siemens S4 communication package V2.2, or Schlumberger Vectron communication package V2.2.
• Networked Automatic Meter Reading Data Communication System[0050]
• In a preferred embodiment of the invention, FIGS. 5 and 6, the[0051]electric meter10 communicates over a local area network (LAN)74 to agateway node72 which transmits the commodity data from theelectric meter10 to autility76 over a fixed common carrier wide area network (WAN)78. Thegateway node72 provides the end to end communication links from themeter10 to theutility76. A first link in the data communication system is a two-way 900 MHz spreadspectrum LAN74. The second link within the data communication system is designed to be any commercially available two-waycommon carrier WAN78. In this embodiment, agateway node72 must be within the communication range of theelectric meter10 which is approximately one mile.
• In an alternate embodiment, the[0052]electric meter10 provides direct local area and wide area network access through printed circuit board sub-assemblies installed inmeter10 described above.
• A more detailed representation of the preferred embodiment is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9A-[0053]9E. FIG. 8 shows a functional flow diagram of the networked automatic meter reading data communication system of the present invention in which the components are described as functional blocks. The flow diagram FIG. 8, includes the main functional components of thegateway note72 which include amessage dispatcher80, aRF handler82, aWAN handler84, adata stores component86 and ascheduler component88. The data stores and scheduler components comprise data that is preprogrammed into the gateway node's memory. Thegateway node72 interfaces with theelectric meter10 over the two-way wireless LAN74. Thegateway node72 also interfaces with theutility service provider76 over the fixedcommon carrier WAN78.
• FIG. 9A is a detailed functional diagram of the[0054]WAN handler84 of FIG. 8. In a typical communication episode, theutility76 may initiate a request for data from theelectric meter10 by sending a data stream over theWAN78. TheWAN handler84 of thegateway node72 receives the WAN data stream, creates a WAN message, verifies the utility ID of the sender from thedata stores86 and routes the WAN message to themessage dispatcher80 in the gateway node.
• Referring now to FIG. 9B, the[0055]message dispatcher80 receives the WAN message from theWAN handler84 and determines the request from theutility76. Themessage dispatcher80 determines that the end recipient or target is theelectronic meter10. Themessage dispatcher80 then verifies the meter ID from thedata stores86, creates a RF message and routes the RF message to theRF handler82.
• Referring now to FIG. 9C, the[0056]RF handler82 receives the RF message from themessage dispatcher80, selects a proper RF channel, converts the RF message to a RF data stream, sends the RF data stream to theelectric meter10 over theLAN74 and waits for a response. Theelectric meter10 then responds by sending a RF data stream over theLAN74 to theRF handler82 of thegateway node72. TheRF handler82 receives the RF data stream, creates a RF message from the RF data stream and routes the RF message to themessage dispatcher80. As shown in FIG. 9B, themessage dispatcher80 receives the RF message, determines the target utility for response from thedata stores86, creates a WAN message and routes the WAN message to theWAN handler84. TheWAN handler84 receives the WAN message from themessage dispatcher80, converts the WAN message to a WAN data stream and sends the WAN data stream to theutility76 over the fixedcommon carrier WAN78, as shown in FIG. 9A to complete the communication episode.
• A communication episode can also be initiated by scheduled readings preprogrammed into the[0057]scheduler88 of the gateway node as shown in FIG. 9D. A list of scheduled reading times is preprogrammed into memory within thegateway node72. Thescheduler88 runs periodically when a scheduled reading is' due. When it is time for a scheduled reading, thescheduler88 retrievesmeter10 information from thedata stores86, creates a RF message and routes the RF message to theRF handler82, receives the RF message, selects a proper RF channel, converts the RF message to a RF data stream, sends the RF data stream to theelectric meter10 and waits for a response. The meter then responds with a RF data stream to theRF handler82. TheRF handler82 receives the RF data stream, creates a RF message from the RF data stream and routes the RF message to themessage dispatcher82. Themessage dispatcher80 receives the RF message, determines the target utility for response from thedata stores86, creates a WAN message and routes the WAN message to theWAN handler84. TheWAN handler84 receives the WAN message, converts the WAN message to a WAN data stream and sends the WAN data stream to theutility76.
• Occasionally, the[0058]utility76 may request data that is stored within the gateway node's memory. In this case, theutility76 initiates the communication episode by sending a WAN data stream to theWAN handler84. TheWAN handler84 receives the WAN data stream, creates a WAN message, verifies the utility ID of the sender in thedata stores86 and routes the WAN message to themessage dispatcher80. As shown in FIG. 15B, themessage dispatcher80 receives the WAN message and determines the request from theutility76. Themessage dispatcher80 then determines the target of the message. If the data requested is stored in the gateway node memory, then thegateway node72 performs the requested task, determines that the requesting utility is the target utility for a response, creates a WAN message and routes the WAN message to theWAN handler84. TheWAN handler84 receives the WAN message, converts the WAN message to a WAN data stream and sends the WAN data stream to theutility76.
• The last type of communication episode is one which is initiated by the[0059]electric meter10. In this case, the meter detects an alarm outage or tamper condition and sends a RF data stream to theRF handler82 of thegateway node72. TheRF handler82 receives the RF data stream, creates a RF message from the RF data stream and routes the RF message to themessage dispatcher80. Themessage dispatcher80 receives the RF message, determines the target utility for response from thedata stores86, creates a WAN message and routes the WAN message to theWAN handler84. TheWAN handler84 receives the WAN message, converts the WAN message to a WAN data stream and sends the WAN data stream to theutility76.
• There are thus three different types of communication episodes that can be accomplished within the automatic meter reading data communication system shown in FIGS. 8 and 9A-E. The automatic meter reading functions incorporated in[0060]electric meter10 include monthly usage readings, demand usage readings, outage detection and reporting, tamper detection and notification, load profiling, first and final meter readings, and virtual shutoff capability.
• FIG. 9D represents information or data that is preprogrammed into the gateway node's memory. Included within the memory is a list of scheduled reading times to be performed by the interface management unit. These reading times may correspond to monthly or weekly usage readings, etc.[0061]
• FIG. 9E represents data or information stored in the gateway node's memory dealing with registered utility information and registered interface management unit information. This data includes the utility identification numbers of registered utilities, interface management unit identification numbers of registered interface management units, and other information for specific utilities and specific interface management units, so that the gateway node may communicate directly with the desired utility or correct electric meter.[0062]
• Electronic Electric Meter Virtual Shut-Off Function[0063]
• The virtual shut-off function of the[0064]electric meter10 is used for situations such as a change of ownership where a utility service is to be temporarily inactive. When a residence is vacated there should not be any significant consumption of electricity at that location. If there is any meter movement, indicating unauthorized usage, the utility needs to be notified. Thetamper switch56 of theelectric meter10 provides a means of flagging and reporting meter movement beyond a preset threshold value.
• Activation of the virtual shut-off mode is accomplished through the “set virtual threshold” message, defined as a meter count which the electric meter is riot to exceed. In order to know where to set the threshold it is necessary to know the present meter count. The gateway node reads the meter count, adds whatever offset is deemed appropriate, sends the result to the electric meter as a “set virtual shut-off” message. The electric meter will then enable the virtual shut-off function. The electric meter then accumulates the meter counts. If the meter count is greater than the preset threshold value then the electric meter sends a “send alarm” message to the gateway node until a “clear error code” message is issued in response by the gateway node. However, if the meter count is less than the preset threshold value then the electric meter continues to monitor the meter count. The virtual shut-off function may be canceled at any time by a “clear error code” message from the gateway node.[0065]
• If the meter count in the meter does not exceed the preset threshold value at any given sampling time, then the meter continues to count until the preset threshold count is attained or until operation in the virtual shut-off mode is canceled.[0066]
• Gateway Node[0067]
• The[0068]gateway node72 is shown in FIG. 4. Thegateway node72 is typically located on top of a power pole or other elevated location so that it may act as a communication node betweenLAN74 andWAN78. Thegateway node72 includes anantenna90 for receiving and transmitting data over the RF communication links, and a powerline carrier connector92 for connecting a power line to power thegateway node72. Thegateway node72 may also be solar powered. The compact design allows for easy placement on any existing utility pole or similarly situated elevated location. Thegateway node72 provides end to end communications from themeter10 to theutility76. Thewireless gateway node72 interfaces with theelectric meter10 over a two-way wireless 900 MHz spreadspectrum LAN74. Also, thegateway node72 will interface and be compatible with any commerciallyavailable WAN78 for communicating commodity usage and power quality information with the utility. Thegateway node72 is field programmable to meet a variety of data reporting needs.
• The[0069]gateway node72 receives data requests from the utility, interrogates the meter and forwards commodity usage information, as well as power quality information, over theWAN78 to theutility76. Thegateway node72 exchanges data with certain, predetermined, meters for which it is responsible, and “listens” for signals from those meters. Thegateway node72 does not store data for extended periods, thus minimizing security risks. The gateway node's RF communication range is typically one mile.
• A wide variety of fixed wide area network (WAN) communication systems such as those employed with two-way pagers, cellular telephones, conventional telephones, narrowband personal communication services (PCS); cellular digital packet data (CDPD) systems, and satellites may be used to communicate data between the gateway nodes and the utility. The data communication system utilizes channelized direct sequence 900 MHz spread spectrum transmissions for communicating between the meters and gateway nodes. An exemplary gateway node includes the Silver Spring Network Gateway node that uses the AxisPortal V2.2 and common carrier wide area networks such as telephone, code-division multiple access (“CDMA”) cellular networks. Other exemplary gateway node includes the Silver Spring Network AxisGate Network Gateway.[0070]
• Circuitry of Gateway Node[0071]
• FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of the gateway node circuitry. The[0072]RF transceiver section94 ofgateway node72 is the same as theRF transceiver section60 ofelectric meter10 and certain portions thereof, such as the spread spectrum processor and frequency synthesizer, are shown in greater detail in FIG. 7. Thegateway node72 includes aWAN interface module96 which may incorporate electronic circuitry for a two-way pager, power line carrier (PLC), satellite, cellular telephone, fiber optics, cellular digital packet data (CDPD) system, personal communication services (PCS), or other commercially available fixed wide area network (WAN) system. The construction ofWAN interface module96 andinitialization microcontroller98 may change depending on the desired WAN interface. RF channel selection is accomplished through a RF channelselect bus100 which interfaces directly with theinitialization microcontroller98.
• [0073]Initialization microcontroller98 controls all node functions including programming spreadspectrum processor102, RF channel selection infrequency synthesizer104 ofRF transceiver94, transmit/receive switching, and detecting failures inWAN interface module96.
• Upon power up,[0074]initialization microcontroller98 will program the internal registers ofspread spectrum processor102, read the RF channel selection from theelectric meter10, and set the system for communication at the frequency corresponding to the channel selected by themeter10.
• Selection of the RF channel used for transmission and reception is accomplished via the RF channel[0075]select bus100 toinitialization microcontroller98. Valid channel numbers range from 0 to 23. In order to minimize a possibility of noise on the input toinitialization microcontroller98 causing false channel switching, the inputs have been debounced through software. Channel selection data must be present and stable on the inputs toinitialization microcontroller98 for approximately 250 μs before the initialization microcontroller will accept it and initiate a channel change. After the channel change has been initiated, it takes about 600 μs forfrequency synthesizer104 ofRF transceiver94 to receive the programming data and for the oscillators in the frequency synthesizer to settle to the changed frequency. Channel selection may only be completed whilegateway node72 is in the receive mode. If the RF channel select lines are changed during the transmit mode the change will not take effect until after the gateway node has been returned to the receive mode.
• Once initial parameters are established,[0076]initialization microcontroller98 begins its monitoring functions. Whengateway node72 is in the receive mode, theinitialization microcontroller98 continuously monitors RF channelselect bus100 to determine if a channel change is to be implemented.
• For receiving data,[0077]gateway node72 monitors theelectric meter10 to determine the presence of data. Some additional handshaking hardware may be required to sense the presence of a spread spectrum signal.
• An alarm message is sent automatically by[0078]electric meter10 in the event of a tamper or alarm condition, such as a power outage. The message is sent periodically until the error has cleared.Gateway node72 must know how many bytes of data it is expecting to see and count them as they come in. When the proper number of bytes is received, reception is deemed complete and the message is processed. Any deviation from the anticipated number of received bytes may be assumed to be an erroneous message.
• During the transmit mode of[0079]gateway node72,initialization microcontroller98 monitors the data line to detect idle conditions, start bits, and stop bits. This is done to preventgateway node24 from continuously transmitting meaningless information in the event a failure ofWAN interface module96 occurs and also to prevent erroneous trailing edge data from being sent which cannot terminate transmissions in a timely fashion. Theinitialization microcontroller98 will not enableRF transmitter106 ofRF transceiver94 unless the data line is in the invalid idle state when communication is initiated.
• A second watchdog function of[0080]initialization micro-controller98 whengateway node72 is in the transmit mode is to test for valid start and stop bits in the serial data stream being transmitted. This ensures that data is read correctly. The first start bit is defined as the first falling edge of serial data after it has entered the idle stage. All further timing during that communication episode is referenced from that start bit. Timing for the location of a stop bit is measured from the leading edge of a start bit for that particular byte of data.Initialization microcontroller98 measures an interval which is 9.5 bit times from that start bit edge and then looks for a stop bit. Similarly, a timer of 1 bit interval is started from the 9.5 bit point to look for the next start bit. If the following start bit does not assert itself within 1 bit time of a 9.5 bit time marker a failure is declared. The response to a failure condition is to disableRF transmitter106.
• Communication to and from[0081]electric meter10 may be carried out in one of a preselected number, for example 24 channels in a preselected frequency band, for example 902-928 MHz. Themeter10 receives data and transmits a response on a single RF channel which is the same for both transmit and receive operation. As hereinafter described, the specific RF channel used for communication is chosen during commissioning and installation of the unit and loaded into memory. The RF channel is chosen to be different from the operating channels of other, adjacent interface management units, thereby to prevent two or more interface management units from responding to the same interrogation signal.
• [0082]Frequency synthesizer104 performs the modulation and demodulation of the spread spectrum data provided byspread spectrum processor60 onto a carrier signal and demodulation of such data from the carrier signal. The RF transceiver hasseparate transmitter106 andreceiver108 sections fed fromfrequency synthesizer104.
• The output of the spread spectrum processor to frequency synthesizer comprises a 2.4576 MHz reference frequency signal in conductor and a PN encoded base band signal in conductor. Frequency synthesizer may comprise a National Semiconductor LMX2332A Dual Frequency Synthesizer.[0083]
• The direct sequence modulation technique employed by frequency synthesizer uses a high rate binary code (PN code) to modulate the base band signal. The resulting spread signal is used to modulate the transmitter's RF carrier signal. The spreading code is a fixed length PN sequence of bits, called chips, which is constantly being recycled. The pseudo-random nature of the sequence achieves the desired signal spreading, and the fixed sequence allows the code to be replicated in the receiver for recovery of the signal. Therefore, in direct sequence, the base band signal is modulated with the PN code spreading function, and the carrier is modulated to produce the wide band signal.[0084]
• Minimum shift keying (MSK) modulation is used in order to allow reliable communications, efficient use of the radio spectrum, and to keep the component count and power consumption low. The modulation performed by[0085]frequency synthesizer72 is minimum shift keying (MSK) at a chip rate of 819.2 Kchips per second, yielding a transmission with a 6 dB instantaneous bandwidth of 670.5 KHz.
• The receiver bandwidth of this spread spectrum communication technique is nominally 1 MHz, with a minimum bandwidth of 900 KHz. Frequency resolution of the frequency synthesizer is 0.2048 MHz, which will be used to channelize the band into 24 channels spaced a minimum of 1.024 MHz apart. This frequency channelization is used to minimize interference between interface management units within a common communication range as well as providing growth for future, advanced features associated with the data communication system.[0086]
• Frequency control of the RF related oscillators in the system is provided by dual phase locked loop (PLL) circuitry within frequency synthesizer. The phase locked loops are controlled and programmed by initialization microcontroller via a serial programming control bus, FIG. 7. The frequency synthesizer produces two RF signals which are mixed together in various combinations to produce a transmission carrier and to demodulate incoming RF signals. The transmission carrier is based on frequencies in the 782-807 MHz range and the demodulation signal is based on frequencies in the 792-817 MHz range. These signals may be referred to as RF transmit and RF receive local oscillation signals.[0087]
• Table 1 below is a summary of the transmission channel frequencies and associated frequency synthesizer transmit/receive outputs. The signals in the table are provided by the two PLL sections in the dual frequency synthesizer.[0088]

  TABLE 1
  Channel	Channel	Transmit Local	Receive Local
  Number	Frequency (MHz)	Oscillation (MHz)	Oscillation (MHz)

  0	902.7584	782.3360	792.1664
  1	903.7824	783.3600	793.1904
  2	904.8064	784.3840	794.2144
  3	905.8304	785.4080	795.2384
  4	906.8544	786.4320	796.2624
  5	907.8784	787.4560	797.2864
  6	908.9024	788.4800	798.3104
  7	910.1312	789.7088	799.5392
  8	911.1552	790.7328	800.5632
  9	912.1792	791.7568	801.5872
  10	913.2032	792.7808	802.6112
  11	914.2272	793.8048	803.6352
  12	915.2512	794.8288	804.6592
  13	916.2752	795.8528	805.6832
  14	917.2992	796.8768	806.7072
  15	918.3232	797.9008	807.7312
  16	919.9616	799.5392	809.3696
  17	920.9856	800.5632	810.3936
  18	922.0096	801.5872	811.4176
  19	923.2384	802.8160	812.6464
  20	924.2624	803.8400	813.6704
  21	925.2864	804.8640	814.6944
  22	926.3104	805.8880	815.7184
  23	927.3344	806.9120	816.7424

• A third signal, which is fixed at 120.4224 MHz, is also supplied by the dual frequency synthesizer. This signal is referred to as the intermediate frequency (IF) local oscillation signal.[0089]
• In transmission mode,[0090]frequency synthesizer104 provides a signal having a frequency in the 782-807 MHz range, modulated with the data to be transmitted.RF transmitter section106 mixes the signal with the fixed frequency IF local oscillator signal. This results in a RF signal which ranges between 902 MHz and 928 MHz. The signal is filtered to reduce harmonics and out of band signals, amplified and supplied toantenna switch110 andantenna112.
• It is recognized that other equivalents, alternatives, and modifications aside from those expressly stated, are possible and within the scope of the appended claims.[0091]

Claims (69)

1. A metering system for measuring a commodity characteristic and reporting the commodity characteristic to a commodity receiver, the system comprising:

a first meter having a first transducer operable to sense the commodity characteristic and generate data representative of the commodity characteristic, and a communication section operable to transmit the data from the first meter; and

a second meter having a second communication section configured to relay the data from the first meter to the commodity receiver or a subsequent meter.

2. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein the data further comprises a data target identification, a target request, and a target reply.

3. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a meter identification, and wherein the commodity receiver comprises a commodity receiver identification.

4. The system ofclaim 3, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a data target identification, wherein a meter becomes a data target when the data target identification matches the meter identification, and wherein the commodity receiver becomes a data target when the data target identification matches the commodity receiver identification.

5. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a level translator operatively to condition the data.

6. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein the second meter further comprises a second transducer, and wherein the transducer further comprises a voltage interface transducer.

7. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein the second meter further comprises a second transducer, and wherein the further comprises a current interface transducer.

8. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a controller, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a display operable to be coupled to each of the controller to display the data.

9. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein each of the meters further comprises an antenna operatively coupled to the communication section to transmit and receive.

10. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein each of the communication sections further comprises a spread spectrum processor to spectrally spread a radio frequency signal.

11. The system ofclaim 10, and wherein each of the communication sections further comprises a transceiver to transmit and receive a spectrally spread signal over a local area network.

12. The system ofclaim 11, and wherein the transceiver further comprises a frequency synthesizer operable to generate a carrier signal, the carrier signal to be modulated by the spectrally spread signal.

13. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a plug-in interface module operatively coupled to the communication section to communicate with a network device.

14. The system ofclaim 13, and wherein the network device comprises a local area network device.

15. The system ofclaim 13, and wherein the network device comprises a common carrier wide area network device.

16. The system ofclaim 1, and the commodity receiver comprises a gateway node.

17. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein the commodity receiver comprises a utility provider.

18. The system ofclaim 1, and wherein each of the meters is an electric meter.

19. A metering system for measuring a commodity characteristic and reporting the commodity characteristic to a commodity receiver, the system comprising:

a first meter having a first transducer means for sensing the commodity characteristic and generating data representative of the commodity characteristic, and a communication means for transmitting the data from the first meter; and

a second meter having a second communication section configured to relay the data from the first meter to the commodity receiver or a subsequent meter.

20. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein the data further comprises a data target identification, a target request, and a target reply.

21. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a meter identification, and wherein the commodity receiver comprises a commodity receiver identification.

22. The system ofclaim 21, wherein each of the meters further comprises a data target identification, wherein a meter becomes a data target when the data target identification matches the meter identification, and wherein the commodity receiver becomes a data target when the data target identification matches the commodity receiver identification.

23. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a level translator for conditioning the data.

24. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein the second meter further comprises a second transducer, and wherein the transducer further comprises a voltage interface transducer.

25. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein the second meter further comprises a second transducer, and wherein the further comprises a current interface transducer.

26. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a controller, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a display operable to be coupled to each of the controller for displaying the data.

27. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein each of the meters further comprises an antenna operatively coupled to the communication section for transmitting and receiving.

28. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein each of the communication sections further comprises a spread spectrum processor for spectrally spreading a radio frequency signal.

29. The system ofclaim 28, and wherein each of the communication sections further comprises a transceiver for transmitting and receiving a spectrally spread signal over a local area network.

30. The system ofclaim 29, and wherein the radio frequency transceiver further comprises a frequency synthesizer for generating a carrier signal, the carrier signal to be modulated by the spectrally spread signal.

31. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a plug-in interface module operatively coupled to the communication section for communicating with a network device.

32. The system ofclaim 31, and wherein the network device comprises a local area network device.

33. The system ofclaim 31, and wherein the network device comprises a common carrier wide area network device.

34. The system ofclaim 19, and the commodity receiver comprises a gateway node.

35. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein the commodity receiver comprises a utility provider.

36. The system ofclaim 19, and wherein each of the meters is an electric meter.

37. A method of relaying data representative of a commodity characteristic, the method comprising the acts of:

generating data using the commodity characteristic at a first meter;

transmitting the data with a first transceiver from the first meter;

receiving the data from the first meter at a second meter; and

transmitting the data using the second meter to a remote commodity receiver or a third meter.

38. The method ofclaim 37, further comprising the acts of transmitting and receiving the data over a network.

39. The method ofclaim 37, further comprising the act of conditioning the commodity characteristic.

40. The method ofclaim 37, and wherein the commodity characteristics comprises a voltage level, the method further comprising the acts of sensing the voltage level with a voltage transducer.

41. The method ofclaim 37, and wherein the commodity characteristics comprises a current level, the method further comprising the acts of sensing the current level with a current transducer.

42. The method ofclaim 37, further comprising the act of displaying the processed commodity characteristic.

43. The method ofclaim 37, further comprising the acts of transmitting and receiving the data with an antenna.

44. The method ofclaim 37, further comprising the act of spectrally spreading a radio frequency signal based on the commodity characteristic.

45. The method ofclaim 44, further comprising the acts of transmitting and receiving a spectrally spread signal.

46. The method ofclaim 45, further comprising the acts of transmitting and receiving the spectrally spread signal over a local area network.

47. The method ofclaim 46, further comprising the act of generating a carrier signal to be modulated by the spectrally spread signal.

48. The method ofclaim 37, further comprising the acts of:

providing the meter a plug-in interface; and

transmitting and receiving with a network device via the plug-in interface.

49. The method ofclaim 48, further comprising the acts of transmitting and receiving with a local area network device.

50. The method ofclaim 48, further comprising the acts of transmitting and receiving with a common carrier wide area network device.

51. The method ofclaim 37, and wherein each of the meters is an electric meter.

52. A meter relay system comprising:

a commodity transceiver; and

a plurality of meters including at least one meter being a target meter, each meter having a transducer operable to sense a commodity characteristic and generate data representative of the commodity characteristic, and each meter having a communication section operable to receive a request from the commodity transceiver and from an adjacent meter, to transmit the request to an adjacent meter until the request reaches the target meter, to receive the data from an adjacent meter, and to transmit the data to an adjacent meter and to the commodity transceiver.

53. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein the data further comprises a target meter identification.

54. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a meter identification, and wherein the commodity transceiver comprises a commodity identification.

55. The system ofclaim 54, and wherein the data further comprises a target identification, wherein a meter becomes a target meter when the target identification matches the meter identification, and wherein a commodity transceiver becomes a target meter when the target identification matches the commodity identification.

56. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a level translator operatively to condition the data.

57. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein the transducer further comprises a voltage interface transducer.

58. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein the transducer further comprises a current interface transducer.

59. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a controller, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a display operable to be coupled to each of the controller to display the data.

60. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein each of the meters further comprises an antenna operatively coupled to the communication section to transmit and receive.

61. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein each communication section further comprises a spread spectrum processor to spectrally spread a radio frequency signal.

62. The system ofclaim 61, and wherein each communication section further comprises a radio frequency transceiver to transmit and receive a spectrally spread signal over a local area network.

63. The system ofclaim 62, and wherein the radio frequency transceiver further comprises a frequency synthesizer operable to generate a carrier signal to be modulated by the spectrally spread signal.

64. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein each of the meters further comprises a plug-in interface module operatively coupled to the communication section to communicate with a network device.

65. The system ofclaim 64, and wherein the network device comprises a local area network device.

66. The system ofclaim 64, and wherein the network device comprises a common carrier wide area network device.

67. The system ofclaim 52, and the commodity transceiver comprises a gateway node.

68. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein the commodity transceiver comprises a utility provider.

69. The system ofclaim 52, and wherein at least one of meters is an electric meter.

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