General Electric Company

Other

Paul B Robinson

Richard G Farnsworth

Maurice J Ouellette

Larry A Schmidt

Samuel G Hardy

Anthony P Bogacki

Charles A Stutt

A remote automatic utility reading system includes a reading control center for transmitting commands to and receiving measurement data from remote terminal units via a command responsive control unit. The control unit is characterized by a computer having a stored program of subroutines, one of which is an interrupt subroutine. The interrupt subroutine is periodically entered as commands are received by the control unit from the reading control center and directs entry into other ones of the subroutines for execution thereof to effect the simultaneous interlacing of the commands and measurement data being transferred between the reading control center and the remote terminal units.

Automatic meter reading and control system

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.

An automatic gain control system and method, utilizing a digital logic attenuator and control in a communication receiver, operates linearly over a wide dynamic range in the amplitude of input signals applied to the receiver to eliminate distortion and frequency intermodulation products inherent in single channel and multi-channel frequency multiplex communication systems.

Communication system and method having wide dynamic range digital gain

An automatic meter reading and control system for communicating with remote terminal points includes a central station which selectively communicates with a transponder controller unit at each terminal point via a plurality of distribution units, each serving several transponder controller units. The distribution controller units are responsive to various commands issued by the central station to selectively route the commands to specified transponder controller units to direct the transponder controller units to selectively carry out a load control operation, a meter reading operation or transfer of previously stored meter data from the transponder units to the central station in accordance with functions specified by the various commands.

Automatic remote meter reading and control system

A data communication system includes apparatus for use in each of a plurality of simultaneously addressable terminal units. Means are provided for recognizing a large number of addresses to allow the selective addressing of any single terminal unit, simultaneous addressing of all terminal units, or the selective simultaneous addressing of various groups and sets of terminal units.

Growing community of inventors

Durham, NH, United States of America

Paul B Robinson