General Electric Company

General Electric Corporation Gmbh

Larry A Schmidt

Gregory Paul Lavoie

Robert E Lee, Jr

Maurice J Ouellette

David Dean Elmore

Marjorie J Mancuso

Virginia H Zinkowski

Warren R Germer

William O Rector

John Erik Hershey

Richard A Balch

Donald F Bullock

Robert E Lee

Mark J Plis

Leslie J Rosenau

Paul B Robinson

Mark E Hoffman

Mark R Arsenault

Carol Ann Cummiskey

Kenneth P Lizotte

John J Pazdon, Jr

Melissa J Pazdon

Donald Naik

Ginger Zinkowski

An apparatus and method for creating a secure program history log for a programmable device including a microprocessor, at least one communications port for communicating with the microprocessor and at least one memory device electrically connected to the microprocessor. The memory device includes a program history log, and the method includes communicating program parameters to the microprocessor, creating a log entry utilizing the microprocessor and the program parameters, and writing the log entry into the program history log utilizing the microprocessor.

Methods and apparatus for secure programming of an electricity meter

An electronic electricity meter which, in one embodiment, includes a modem board, or unit, coupled to the meter microcomputer and exchanges information between the meter and a central computer is described. Using signals supplied by the meter microcomputer and the central computer, the modem unit microcomputer can determine whether to exchange information between the meter and the central computer and the proper time at which the information should be exchanged. In an exemplary embodiment, the modem unit detects various conditions within the meter and responds by exchanging information with the central computer at a proper, or pre-defined, time. The modem unit has two different basic modes, or states, of operation. These states of operation are sometimes referred to as the call originate mode and the call answer mode. Call originate refers to the mode of the unit when a condition occurs in meter and information is being transmitted to the central computer from the modem unit utilizing a telephone line. The call is originated upon occurrence, for example of a power outage to the meter. In the call answer mode, the central computer originates a call to the meter. The central computer can then transfer information to the meter, for example a new program can be stored in the modem unit memory.

Electronic electricity meter

The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for metering energy consumption with an electric meter. The method includes steps of: generating metering quantities for a plurality of phase voltages from a multiphase voltage source, including generating revenue-related data; monitoring voltage changes on at least one of the phase voltages; and performing a predetermined task in response to a voltage change on at least one of the phase voltages while continuing to generate revenue-related data.

Methods and apparatus for metering energy consumption

An electronic electricity meter includes voltage sensors configured to generate measurements of voltage at voltage elements, current sensors configured to generate measurements of current through current elements, a microcomputer coupled to the current and voltage sensors and configured to control operation of the meter, and a memory coupled to the microcomputer including calibration constants to compensate for instrument transformer ratio and phase angle errors. The microcomputer is configured to use the calibration constants, when so instructed, to correct for measurement errors that occur based upon instrument transformer ratios and phase angles and to correct metering quantities calculated by the microcomputer.

Electronic electricity meter configured to correct for transformer inaccuracies

An electricity meter which, in one embodiment, includes a digital signal processor configurable for generating energy measurements for a plurality of meter form types and connections is described. In the one embodiment, the meter includes voltage and current sensor for generating signals representative of current and voltage at a load, and the digital signal processor (DSP) is coupled to the voltage and current sensors. The DSP includes a memory, and a plurality of selectable instruction sets corresponding to respective meter form types are stored in the DSP memory. The form types includes meter ANSI form and meter ANSI form type forms, and the instruction sets include processing steps to be executed to determine line voltages and line currents for respective meter form types. The meter also includes a microcomputer coupled to the DSP for receiving data generated by the DSP. The microcomputer is operable transmit a selection command to the DSP to control selection of one of the instruction sets stored in the DSP memory. An optical port may be electrically coupled to the microcomputer, and the microcomputer is configured to receive a control command from the optical port. The microcomputer uses the control command to generate the selection command.

Electronic electricity meter configurable to operate in a plurality of meter forms and ratings

An electronic energy meter register which, in one aspect, is configured to perform load profile recording in a manner which eliminates a need for a back-up battery is described. In other aspects, the present invention is a routine of operating a meter register for providing a cost savings and/or productivity gain when a utility customer relocates and for ensuring that load control commands are effectively executed. The register, in one embodiment, is configured to be coupled to a meter including an eddy current disk and shaft which rotate in response to the rate of energy consumption by a load being metered. The register, in the one embodiment, includes a microprocessor, a non-volatile memory, and a disk sensing optics assembly.

Methods and apparatus for performing load profile and load control

In one embodiment, the present invention is an encryption/decryption and authentication algorithm. The algorithm has three major steps. The first step is generating cipher text. The second step is generating the authentication field. The third step is encrypting or deciphering the appropriate data in the message. One byte of cipher text is generated for every byte of plain text contained in the message. After all the cipher text is generated, a four byte authentication field is generated using the last four bytes of cipher text. The message is then scanned for data fields which have been encrypted or are to be encrypted and the corresponding byte of cipher text replaces the message bytes. The encryption is accomplished by sending the cipher text instead of message text. To decipher the message, the algorithm operates in a reverse mode to replace the cipher text with the message text, i.e., the algorithm is a self-reversing process.

Method and apparatus for encryption/authentication of data in energy

An automatic meter reading and control system for communicating with remote terminal points includes a reading control center which selectively communicates with a meter terminal unit at each terminal point by way of a section control unit, each section control unit serving several meter terminal units. The section control unit is responsive to various commands issued by the reading control center to selectively route the commands to specified meter terminal units or groups of meter terminal units to direct the meter terminal units to selectively carry out a meter reading operation, a load control operation, a user alert operation or transfer of previously stored meter data or switch status data from the meter terminal units to the reading control center in accordance with functions specified by the various commands. Each meter terminal unit will effect the immediate execution of the function specified by a function code portion of a received command upon recognition of a first address type contained in an action field portion of the received command, and its assigned address which forms a portion of the contents of the first address type. In addition, the meter terminal unit will, again upon recognition of its assigned address, effect the execution of a specified function at a specified future time when it recognizes a second address type, the time of execution being specified in a time field portion of the second address type.

Automatic meter reading and control system

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NH, United States of America

Larry A Schmidt