초록 ▼

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

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.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A commodity monitoring network comprising: a commodity provider operable to provide a commodity; at least one measuring device being operable to measure a utilization characteristic of the commodity provided by the commodity provider, and to generate utilization data ba

The invention claimed is: 1. A commodity monitoring network comprising: a commodity provider operable to provide a commodity; at least one measuring device being operable to measure a utilization characteristic of the commodity provided by the commodity provider, and to generate utilization data based on the characteristic; and a gateway node including a transceiver section, a network interface module and a programmable controller, the transceiver section having a plurality of communication channels and wirelessly receiving data including the utilization data and a channel selection from the device, the network interface module being operable to be coupled to the transceiver section, and the programmable controller operable to be coupled to the transceiver section, to process the channel selection from the transceiver section, and to set the transceiver section at a transceiver frequency corresponding to the channel selection. 2. The commodity monitoring network of claim 1, and wherein the network interface receives data from the provider, generates network data, and routes the network data, and wherein the controller further comprises a scheduler operable to receive the network data, to retrieve a reading list based on the network data, and to route scheduled data based on the list. 3. The commodity monitoring network of claim 2, and wherein the network interface module generates communication data based on the scheduled data. 4. The commodity monitoring network of claim 2, and wherein the gateway node receives the data from the provider over a network. 5. The commodity monitoring network of claim 4, and wherein the network comprises a common carrier wide area network. 6. The commodity monitoring network of claim 1, the gateway node further comprises a wide area network handler operable to receive wide area network data from the commodity provider, to process the wide area network data, and to route the processed wide area network data to the device. 7. The commodity monitoring network of claim 1, and wherein the transceiver section comprises a radio-frequency handler, operable to transmit a radio-frequency message, and to receive radio-frequency data from the measuring device. 8. The commodity monitoring network of claim 1, and wherein the gateway node further comprises a message dispatcher operable to receive a request message from the network handler, to route to communicate with the measuring device when the request message targets the measuring device, and to route to process the request data on the gateway node when the request message targets the gateway node. 9. The commodity monitoring network of claim 1, and wherein the gateway node further comprises a data store operable to verify the data, to receive a meter identification, to retrieve a provider identification based on the meter identification, and to process the meter and commodity identifications based on the data. 10. The commodity monitoring network of claim 1, wherein the at least one measuring device is an electric meter. 11. A commodity monitoring network comprising: a commodity provider operable to provide a commodity; at least one measuring device being operable to measure a utilization characteristic of the commodity provided by the commodity provider, and to generate utilization data based on the characteristic; and gateway node means for receiving data including the utilization data and a channel selection over a network, for processing the received channel selection, for receiving the processed channel selection, and for setting a transceiver frequency corresponding to the channel selection. 12. The commodity monitoring network of claim 11, wherein the gateway node means includes a network interface means for processing the received channel selection, and wherein the a network interface means receives data from the provider, generating network data, and routing the network data, and a scheduling means for receiving network data, for retrieving a reading list based on the network data, and for routing scheduled data based on the list. 13. The commodity monitoring network of claim 12, and wherein the network interface means generates communication data based on the scheduled data. 14. The commodity monitoring network of claim 12, wherein the gateway node means includes transceiver means for selectively receiving routing data from the provider over a network. 15. The commodity monitoring network of claim 14, and wherein the network comprises a common carrier wide area network. 16. The commodity monitoring network of claim 11, the gateway node further comprises a wide area network handling means for receiving wide area network data from the commodity provider, for processing the wide area network data, and for routing the processed wide area network data to the device. 17. The commodity monitoring network of claim 11, wherein the gateway node means includes transceiver means for wireless receiving the utilization data. 18. The commodity monitoring network of claim 11, wherein the gateway node means includes transceiver means for wireless receiving the utilization data, and wherein the transceiver means comprises a radio-frequency handling means for transmitting a radio-frequency message, and for receiving radio-frequency data from the measuring device. 19. The commodity monitoring network of claim 11, wherein the gateway node means includes transceiver means for wireless receiving the utilization data, and wherein the gateway node further comprises a message dispatching means for receiving a request message from the network interface means, for routing to communicate with the measuring device when the request message targets the measuring device, and for routing to process the request message on the gateway node when the request data targets the gateway node. 20. The commodity monitoring network of claim 11, and wherein the gateway node further comprises a data storing means for verifying the data, for receiving a meter identification, for retrieving a provider identification based on the meter identification, and for processing the meter and commodity identifications based on the data. 21. The commodity monitoring network of claim 11, wherein the at least one measuring device is an electric meter.