General Electric Company

Other

Robert E Lee, Jr

Gregory Paul Lavoie

Maurice J Ouellette

Virginia H Zinkowski

Warren R Germer

David Dean Elmore

Larry A Schmidt

Mark J Plis

Curtis Whitmore Crittenden

Richard A Balch

Marjorie J Mancuso

John J Jamison

Donald F Bullock

Wayne Alfrede Therrien

Leslie J Rosenau

Susan D Dastous

Gregory G Parker

Kevin P Grogan

Mark E Hoffman

William O Rector

Carol Ann Cummiskey

Mark R Arsenault

Rajaiah Karanam

Jason Ignasi Subirana

Sachin Kurkure

Guy P Lafond

Melissa J Pazdon

Donald Naik

Kenneth P Lizotte

Jason Lee Perron

John J Pazdon, Jr

One embodiment describes a utility metering system. The utility metering system includes a utility meter that is communicatively coupled to a utility service provider, in which the utility meter includes firmware. The utility meter stores a firmware update downloaded from the utility service provider, and determines a particular time to update the firmware with the firmware update, in which the particular time is determined based at least in part on historical time of use data, time of use pricing rates, or a combination thereof. The historical time of use data include utility consumption by a consumer over time and the time of use pricing rates include the price per unit of utility charged to the consumer. Additionally, the utility meter updates the firmware at the particular time.

Utility meter intelligent firmware update system and method

Disclosed is an oyster shucking device, of which both manual and automated embodiments are envisioned. An exemplary embodiment is constructed of aluminum and/or stainless steel and may be mounted on a wooden, steel or plastic base. A double roller bearing arrangement housed in a bearing box above a spike and positioning cylinder generates an efficient transfer of an actuation force to an oyster hinge while providing a user with the ability to adjust the amount of force applied to the oyster. Additionally, the spike and positioning cylinder arrangement provides for consistent and stable alignment of the spike all the way through a stroke. Further, the vertical travel of the spike as guided by the positioning cylinder provides for a wide range of travel by the spike to accommodate various oyster sizes without having to reconfigure or adjust the setup of the device.

Oyster opening device

A method for detecting electricity theft in an electricity meter is provided. The method includes determining a first power outage at the meter and determining whether load energy is flowing through the meter after power has been restored to the meter after the first power outage. The method also includes determining a second power outage at the meter, wherein the second power outage occurs after the first power outage, and determining whether load energy is flowing through the meter after power has been restored to the meter after the second power outage. The method also includes outputting an indication of a potential electricity theft based on the determinations of whether no load energy was flowing through the meter after the first power outage and whether load energy was flowing through the meter after the second power outage.

Method and system for detecting electricity theft

Methods and systems for an electrical meter are provided. The meter includes a current sensor configured to be communicatively coupled to a conductor, and a processor communicatively coupled to the current sensor wherein the processor is configured to receive signals indicative of current flow through the conductor and wherein the processor is further configured to process the signals to determine an imbalance between the positive half cycle of the current flowing through the conductor and the negative half cycle of the current flowing through the conductor to detect a DC influence on the current sensor.

Methods and systems for detecting DC influence in a current sensor

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

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are disclosed for electricity meters to detect electricity theft. An indication of electricity theft may be generated if after an occurrence of a first power outage, the meter detects received energy and if after the occurrence of a subsequent power outage, the meter detects delivered energy. The utility company may then be alerted to the indication of the electricity theft.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for detecting residential electricity theft in firmware

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

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

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

An electricity meter which, in one embodiment, includes a detection circuit, or unit, coupled to the meter microcomputer and supplies a detection signal to the microcomputer indicative of the data source is described. Using the signal supplied by the detection unit, the microcomputer can determine whether to allow access to metering data and other data stored in the meter. In an exemplary embodiment, the detection unit has three different modes, or states, of operation. These states of operation are sometimes referred to as the steady state, the optical port data transmit state, and the option board connector transmit state. The steady state refers to the condition of the unit when no data is being transmitted to the meter microcomputer from either optical port or the option board. In the steady state, the detection signal supplied to the microcomputer is high. In the optical port data transmit state, the detection signal transitions, as least momentarily, from a high state to a low state. In the option board connector transmit state, the detection signal remains in the high state even though data is being communicated to the microcomputer. The microcomputer, by detecting the state of the detection signal as well as the presence of data on the data supply line, can determine the source of the data. The microcomputer can the respond as appropriate.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NH, United States of America

Robert E Lee, Jr