General Electric Company

Maurice J Ouellette

Warren R Germer

Gregory Paul Lavoie

Robert E Lee, Jr

Virginia H Zinkowski

David Dean Elmore

Donald F Bullock

Larry A Schmidt

Richard A Balch

Ansell W Palmer

Mark J Plis

Samuel G Hardy

Mehrdad Negahban-Hagh

Bertram White

William C Hughes

Robert E Lee

Patrick Joseph Horan

Curtis Whitmore Crittenden

Wayne Alfrede Therrien

Marjorie J Mancuso

David H Masury

Leslie J Rosenau

Susan D Dastous

Paul B Robinson

Peter F Losapio

Carol Ann Cummiskey

Thomas H Stevens

Rajaiah Karanam

Raymond E Fearnley

Sachin Kurkure

Mehrdad N Hagh

Kenneth P Lizotte

An electronic residential electricity meter includes a base assembly having a main body with a current transformer mounted thereto. A first conductor is mounted through a window of the current transformer. The current transformer being operable in the presence of a direct current. The meter also includes an electronic module that has only one printed circuit board and a microcomputer for executing meter data operations. The current transformer and the first conductor are in electrical communication with the electronic module.

Electronic electricity meter and method of assembly

The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for operating an electronic electric meter having current and voltage sensors configured to generate measurements of current and voltage, respectively; a microcomputer coupled to the current and voltage sensors and having on-chip masked read only memory (ROM); and a nonvolatile, alterable memory coupled to the microcomputer. The method includes steps of: storing vectors pointing to program portions of the ROM in the non-volatile memory; and using the stored vectors to operate the microcomputer to execute the program portions stored in the ROM to control operation of the meter.

Methods and apparatus for updating firmware in an electronic electricity meter

The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for input/output (I/O) board addressing and communications in an electronic electric meter having a microcomputer. The method includes steps of providing interchangeable I/O boards of an electronic electric meter with type identifiers; and determining, using a microcomputer of the meter and the type identifier of the I/O board, a type of interchangeable I/O board being utilized in the meter.

Methods and apparatus for meter I/O board addressing and communication

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

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

A base barrier for an electronic meter assembly including a base assembly having a plurality of wire leads extending therefrom and a revenue guard board for monitoring phases of a meter power supply. The base barrier includes a body configured for mounting to the base assembly and further configured for retaining the revenue guard board thereto. In her aspect, the base barrier includes at least one wire management member therein.

Modular meter with base barrier

The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for defining meter data calculations in an electronic electric meter. The method includes steps of: storing a set of predefined data calculation instructions in a non-volatile memory of the meter; storing a first set of vectors in a memory of the meter, the vectors pointing to data calculations of the set of predefined data calculation instructions; metering a plurality of electrical quantities of a power source; and controlling calculations performed on the metered electrical quantities in accordance with the data calculation instructions pointed to by the first stored set of vectors.

Methods and apparatus for defining meter data calculations in an electronic electricity meter

A method for measuring electricity usage that includes steps of: coupling a sensor to a power source; converting a signal from the sensor to a digital measurement signal; using a microcomputer to determine quantities indicative of electricity consumption from the digital measurement signal; and using a nonvolatile, reprogrammable memory coupled to the microcomputer to control the microcomputer in determining the quantities indicative of electricity consumption.

High function, user configurable electricity meter

The present invention, in one embodiment, is a method for controlling data flow in an electronic electric meter. The method includes steps of measuring current and voltage of a power source; determining a set of internal quantities using the measured current and voltage; using the set of internal quantities in conjunction with a set of functions to determine measurement profile quantities; and storing the determined measurement profile quantities in registers within the meter.

Methods and apparatus for controlling data flow in electricity meter

A method is described for measuring a plurality of line voltages using a measurement circuit, the method including the steps of reducing each line voltage over a first impedance; providing a second impedance between each of the reduced voltages and a measurement circuit common reference point; coupling the common reference point to a voltage line N using a third impedance; and determining line voltage values using measurements of the reduced voltages. The above-described method provides impedance between voltage line N and measurement electronics and thus prevents transient voltages from entering the measurement circuit.

Methods and apparatus for voltage measurement

A method and apparatus of the present invention includes a common node of a power line communications system for individually performing the register functions for a plurality of electrical metering devices operably connected to the node. The power line communications system includes at least one node having a plurality of registers, a respective one of which is associated with a respective electrical metering device. The electrical metering devices connected via the power lines to the node measure the power consumption of the electrical load associated therewith and transmit a signal indicative of the measured power consumption to the node and, in particular, to the respective register of the node associated with the electrical metering device. The node individually determines the power consumed by each electrical load operably connected to the node based upon the received signals. The results of such calculations are stored in the register associated with each respective electrical metering device. The stored results are also periodically transmitted to the system control center of the power line communications system. Thus, the register functions for a plurality of relatively simple electrical metering devices may be centralized at a common node.

Method and apparatus for performing the register functions for a

Methods and apparatus for controlling operation of a low frequency oscillator upon reset of a microcomputer to achieve faster start-up time are described. In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a microcomputer having an oscillator input port, an oscillator output port, and an oscillator control port, and an oscillator coupled to the microcomputer oscillator output, input, and control ports. The microcomputer is programmed to control the output on the oscillator control port so that upon reset, the output transitions from a low state to a high state in accordance with a preselected frequency for a preselected period of time. More particularly, and in one exemplary embodiment, the microcomputer controls the output on the oscillator control port upon reset so that for a preselected cycle, the output is high for approximately about one-half cycle, low for approximately about one-half cycle, and then high for approximately about one-half cycle. Upon completion of such cycling, the microcomputer transitions the output on the control port to a high impedance state. Such control of the low frequency oscillator decreases the oscillator start-up time. Specifically, by generating the control signal having the desired frequency as described above, and then providing such control signal to the oscillator, the oscillator is 'kick started' to begin its operations more quickly than such operations would begin without such control signal.

Crystal oscillator starting operation in an electricity meter

A method and apparatus for detecting signals transmitted via a power line to a node which have a source address portion equal to the predetermined address of an electrical metering device, but which were not transmitted by the metering device. Each electrical metering device of a power line communications system has a predetermined address and may monitor the source address portions of signals transmitted via the power lines. The electrical metering device thus detects or flags a power line signal if the source address portion of the transmitted signal matches the predetermined address of the electrical metering device. The electrical metering device may also count the signals having source address portions which match the predetermined address of the electrical metering device. Alternatively, the electrical metering device may transmit a predetermined message on the power lines if a signal is transmitted which has a source address portion which matches the predetermined address of the electrical metering device.

Method and apparatus for detecting fraudulent power line communications

A method and apparatus for transmitting signals according to the present invention between electrical metering devices and a system control center includes a mobile node. The mobile node communicates with the electrical metering devices operably connected to a distribution transformer and transmits the signals received from the electrical metering devices to the system control center while the mobile node is in the field and removed from the system control center. The mobile node may then be relocated in the field within the electrical power distribution system so as to communicate with the electrical metering devices operably connected to another distribution transformer. Thus, a single mobile node may communicate with the electrical metering devices connected to a number of distribution transformers so as to decrease the number of fixed nodes employed by a communications system of an electrical power distribution system.

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North Berwick, ME, United States of America

Maurice J Ouellette