Itron Gmbh

James Patrick Ogle

Christopher Lloyd Osterloh

Bret Gregory Holmdahl

Mark K Cornwall

Barry Cahill-O'Brien

Matthew Johnson

Holger Hildebrandt

Charles Alan Wartinger

Charles Wartinger

An advanced metering infrastructure may be configured for automated meter reading, such as of utility (electric, natural gas, etc.) meters. Within a network, a data collector communicates with, and receives meter data from, a plurality of endpoints. Firmware on the endpoints may be updated by transmission, from the data collector, of a new firmware image. In one example, the data collector sends an announcement of a firmware update to the plurality of endpoints. At a time indicated by the announcement, the data collector multicasts the firmware update a plurality of times. The data collector then receives indications from a plurality of endpoints that did not successfully receive all blocks of the multicast firmware update. In response, the data collector sends missing blocks to the plurality of endpoints according to the indications.

Efficient firmware update in a narrow bandwidth system

Disclosed are apparatus and related methodologies for transmitting data related to utility conditions between monitoring locations and a central and/or data collection facility using a meter reading system. Collection of both corrected and uncorrected data from meters is achieved to thereby provide backup data in case of corrector failure. The presently disclosed subject matter also provides for the collection of telemetry data and alarms from correctors and recorders over a meter reading system. Two-way communications over a meter reading system is also provided to permit data transmission to selected endpoint devices.

Collection of telemetry data through a meter reading system

To determine network coverage of a device within a network a user may send an instruction to the device using a mobile configuration tool of a mobile device. Upon receiving the instruction, the device of which the network coverage is to be determined may broadcast a message using a standard protocol, and listen to one or more responses from other devices in the network. In response to receiving the one or more responses, the device at issue may relay the one or more responses, or a processing result of the network coverage (determined based on the one or more responses) to the mobile configuration tool for display to the user. The user may determine whether the network coverage of that device meets one or more network coverage criteria and, if not, may take some corrective action.

Verification of connection of meters to network

Collection of resource consumption data may be coordinated by designating, for each endpoint in a utility communication network, a single data collector to be responsible for reporting resource consumption data of the respective endpoints to a head-end computing device. If the head-end computing device does not receive resource consumption data from one or more endpoints, the head-end computing device may request the missing resource consumption data from one or more secondary or tertiary data collectors that receive resource consumption data from the one or more endpoints. Additionally, if a data collector is missing resource consumption data from an endpoint during a reporting period, upon receiving resource consumption data from the endpoint during a subsequent reporting period, the data collector may request the missing resource consumption data.

Coordinated collection of metering data

A utility company may schedule when and how endpoints report resource consumption data based on relative priorities of endpoints or the customers associated therewith. By associating endpoints with one of multiple different quality of service (QoS) levels, and sending each endpoint a reporting schedule based on its respective QoS level, the utility company may configure prioritized reporting of resource consumption data by endpoints of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) with automatic meter reading (AMR).

Prioritized reporting of metering data

Techniques for limited data messaging with standards compliance are described herein. A network may be configured as an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) for automatic meter reading (AMR). A plurality of endpoints (EP) may each be associated with a meter configured to measure consumption of a resource, such as electricity or natural gas. The plurality of EPs may communicate consumption data to a data collector (DC), which transfers the data to a central office. In one example, network traffic and battery power consumption of the EPs may be reduced if each endpoint packages data as a compact array, having minimal data formatting and tagging. A class object associated with each EP and stored at the DC allows the DC to interpret the compact array. Based on this interpretation, the DC is able to reformulate the data as a COSEM (or other standards-based object) for transmission to the central office.

Limited data messaging with standards compliance

Disclosed are apparatus and related methodologies for transmitting data in a gas AMI network. Data may be transmitted bi-directionally between selected endpoint devices and data collection devices to central or head end equipment. Transmitted data may include parameter updating data for selected endpoint devices, and collected data from selected endpoint devices. Endpoint physical area conditions may be monitored for selected of the endpoint devices including monitoring for and reporting of physical changes in the area surrounding cathodic protection systems. The present concepts may be extended to implementation in conjunction with water and electricity metering environments.

Telemetry system

Disclosed are methodology and apparatus for providing communications with an Automatic Meter Reading/Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMR/AMI) collector device. The collector is provided with a WiFi radio that is enabled for operation from an AMR/AMI head end and turned on in response to a transmission coming from a physical device via the AMR/AMI RF LAN. A user device is granted access to the collector data only upon validation by the collector of multiple credentials that are separately presented to the collector. The credentials come from the physical device in the form of device type and device identification, and from the user device in the form of a valid security certificate and username/password combination.

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Spokane, WA, United States of America

James Patrick Ogle