Utility Network Communications Using Meter Identifiers

Abstract

An electronic electric meter for use in a networked automatic meter reading environment. The meter includes 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 meter measures electricity usage and monitors power quality parameters for transmission to the utility over a 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.

1 . A method of communicating with utility meters via a network, comprising the following steps:
 receiving, at a node on the network, a request to send a message to a meter;   in response to the received request, verifying whether an identifier for said meter is stored at said node; and   sending the message to said meter if an identifier for said meter is verified to be stored at said node.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said request is received from a utility, and further including the step of verifying whether the utility is registered with the node, based upon one or more utility identifiers stored at said node. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said node is a gateway node that communicates with meters via a first network, and communicates with a utility via a second network, and wherein said step of sending the message includes the step of converting a data stream from a format associated with the second network into a data stream associated with the first network. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said first network is a wireless network, and the message sent to the meter comprises a radio frequency data stream. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said request is generated within the node in response to a predetermined condition. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the node stores a schedule of times for sending messages to meters, and said predetermined condition comprises the occurrence of a scheduled time. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein, in response to the occurrence of a scheduled time, said node retrieves the stored identifier of each meter to which a message is to be sent according to said schedule, and sends the message to each meter whose stored identifier was retrieved. 
   
   
       8 . A method of obtaining data from utility meters via a network, comprising the following steps:
 storing, in a node on the network, a schedule for sending messages to meters and a respective identifier for each of a plurality of meters;   in response to a condition specified in said schedule, retrieving the stored identifier of each meter that is indicated in said schedule as being associated with said condition; and   sending a message to each meter whose stored identifier was retrieved.   
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , further including the steps of receiving data from one or more meters to which the message was sent, and forwarding said received data to a utility connected to the node. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein said condition comprises the occurrence of a scheduled reading time. 
   
   
       11 . A method of communicating with utility meters via a network, comprising the following steps:
 receiving, at a node on the network, a message from a meter that contains a unique identifier for the meter;   in response to the received message, verifying whether the meter identifier contained in said message is stored at said node; and   processing the received message at said node if the meter identifier is verified to be stored at said node.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the step of processing the message comprises forwarding data in the received message to a utility. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said node comprises a gateway that communicates with the meters via a first network, and communicates with a utility via a second network, and wherein said step of forwarding data in the received message includes the step of converting a data stream from a format associated with the first network into a data stream associated with the second network. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said first network is a wireless network, and the message received from the meter comprises a radio frequency data stream. 
   
   
       15 . A gateway node in a utility network, comprising:
 a memory; and   a processor that is responsive to a request to send a message to a meter, to verify whether an identifier for said meter is stored in said memory, and to send the message to said meter if an identifier for said meter is verified to be stored in said memory.   
   
   
       16 . The gateway node of  claim 15 , wherein said gateway node communicates with meters via a first network, and communicates with a utility via a second network, and wherein said processor converts a data stream from a format associated with the second network into a data stream associated with the first network to send the message to the meter. 
   
   
       17 . The gateway node of  claim 16  wherein said first network is a wireless network, and the message sent to the meter comprises a radio frequency data stream. 
   
   
       18 . A gateway in a utility network, comprising:
 memory storing a schedule for sending messages to meters and a respective identifier for each of a plurality of meters; and   a processor that is responsive to a condition specified in said schedule, to retrieve the stored identifier of meters that are indicated in said schedule as being associated with said condition, and to send a message to each meter whose stored identifier was retrieved.   
   
   
       19 . The gateway of  claim 18 , wherein data is received from one or more meters to which the message was sent, and said processor forwards said received data to a utility connected to said gateway. 
   
   
       20 . The gateway of  claim 19 , wherein said gateway communicates with meters via a first network, and communicates with the utility via a second network, and wherein said processor converts received data from a format associated with the first network into a data stream associated with the second network to send the message to the meter.