Elster Electricity, LLC

Abb Power Td & Company

Abb Automation Gmbh

Elster Solutions, LLC

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Abb Powre T&d Company, Inc.

Rodney C Hemminger

Mark L Munday

Kenneth C Shuey

Robert T Mason

Scott T Holdsclaw

Fred F Schleifer

Garry M Loy

Vick Allen Hubbard

Eugene Wilson Hodges, Iv

Brent Brian

Andrew J Borleske

Robert S Fuller

Keith D Richeson

Albert H Maxwell, Jr

Charles Cunningham, Jr

Michael A Murphy

Peter Meyer

Richard L Tenor

Kuor Hsin Chang

Todd Kelsey

Thomas J Van Heuklon

David F Dunn

Brent R Brian

Raymond H Kelley

Scott J Weikel

Russell C Broome

Kathryn J Smith

Richard W Blasco

Russell G Christopher

Edward John Beroset

Arnold W Bragg

David V Uy

Peter W Heuell

John Richard Holt

Charlie E Minton, Iii

Stig Leira

Konstantin Zh Lobastov

Valentin Suta

Peter Richard Rogers

Eugene W Hodges, Iv

Gary M Loy

Charlie E Minton

Synchronous FHSS networks operating within mesh networks typically require a certain amount of network traffic to maintain time as well as for executing other functions, such as registration and neighbor discovery. The concepts presented in this disclosure provide a mesh network with enhanced communication capabilities without adding significant hardware or firmware costs to nodes within the network. The disclosed concept of using acquisition channels (frequencies) integrated within FHSS pseudo-random sequences speeds network responses to conditions like outage and restoration. Assignment of unique hop sequences by hop level or at time of manufacture can guarantee minimal network contention while minimizing system network traffic.

Synchronous frequency hopping spread spectrum communications

Synchronous frequency hopping spread spectrum method for mesh networks

A digital Radio Frequency (RF) receiver may exhibit image frequencies and these image frequencies may be mathematically related to the intermediate frequency (IF) that is utilized for transmission and reception. In accordance with an embodiment, channel switching may be performed to identify an appropriate receive frequency in the presence of image frequencies on other channels. In accordance with another embodiment, data on a receive channel is evaluated to determine whether the data is inverted, and then appropriate correction may be performed on subsequently received data.

Digital receiver performance in the presence of image frequencies

A bistable relay may include a pair of contact arms. Each contact arm is configured to have a first end and a second end, such that, when the relay is in the closed position, current flows from the first end to the second ends of each of the contact arms, and when the relay is in an open position, current does not flow from the first ends to the second ends of the contact arms. The relay further includes a motor, a pair of springs, a pair of cams driven by the motor, and a linearly actuating member configured to move the contact arms from the first configuration to the second configuration, the member including a cam follower surface.

Motorized electrical switch mechanism

A wireless mesh network, method, and processor-readable storage medium for operating a network are disclosed. In particular, methods are disclosed for operating a wireless mesh network to increase the number of frequency channels used by the system without needing to increase the preamble length. According to various embodiments, a wireless mesh network divides the ISM spectrum into two types of channels: acquisition channels and data channels. An acquisition channel is used to transmit a preamble of a communication packet. One or more data channels are used to transmit a data portion of the communication packet.

Scalable packets in a frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) system

Preferred embodiments of housings for an automatic meter reading device permit the automatic meter reading device to be mounted on a meter such as a water meter, or on a wall remote from the meter. A removable portion of the housing can be separated from a body of the housing when the housing is used to mount the automatic meter reading device on the meter.

Housings for automatic meter reading devices

Techniques for over the air (OTA) microcontroller flash memory updates using a wireless network are disclosed herein. A control node first transmits the microcontroller flash memory update to all devices that can receive the message. Each packet of the message is relayed through multiple communication levels until all devices receive the packet. This starts with communications from the control node to each device node that has a direct communication path to the control node, which are referred to herein as 'first level' device nodes. The first level device nodes then relay each communication to each other device node that has a direct communication path to the first level device nodes, which are referred to herein as 'second level' device nodes. This process is repeated at each level of the wireless network until each of the plurality of device nodes has received the microcontroller flash memory update.

Over the air microcontroller flash memory updates

Methods and systems are provided for monitoring input voltages to meters that are in a wireless metering network. A plurality of entries can be created that include voltage-related information, such as a maximum input voltage or a minimum input voltage. Each meter can further determine whether the input voltage is beyond a predetermined threshold voltage for a duration that might indicate a voltage irregularity in the network. Each meter in the network can be monitored by a collector, which can communicate information to a data collection server.

Method and apparatus for monitoring voltage in a meter network

An electrical meter is provided that includes a cover configured for securement onto a base. The meter includes features that resist meter tampering, and features that provide evidence of meter tampering.

Tamper resistant meter assembly

An electric meter comprises an electronics housing and a meter base. The electronics housing defines a front panel and includes a first plurality of option board guides. A main meter board is disposed substantially parallel to the front panel. The meter base defines a rear panel of the electric meter. The meter base includes a plurality of housing guides for receiving the electronics housing and a second plurality of option board guides disposed substantially perpendicularly to the rear panel. The second plurality of option board guides are adapted to receive an option board and to position the option board substantially perpendicularly to the main meter board of the electronics housing during assembly of the electronics housing to the meter base. The housing guides in combination with the first and second pluralities of option board guides enable blind assembly of the electronics housing to the meter base.

Mechanical packaging apparatus and methods for an electrical energy meter

A power supply comprises a rectifier, a transformer, a switching member, a controller and a voltage blocking clamp. A power supply can receive an alternating current (AC) input voltage having any magnitude within a wide range of AC input voltage magnitudes and can produce from any such AC input voltage magnitude a direct current (DC) output voltage. The voltage blocking clamp comprises at least one transistor connected between the rectifier and the transformer and switching member that limits the amount of rectified AC input voltage applied to the transformer and switching member to a predetermined amount when the rectified input voltage exceeds that predetermined amount. When the rectified input voltage exceeds the predetermined amount, the amount of the rectified input voltage above the predetermined amount is applied to the at least one transistor instead of the transformer and switching member.

Power supply having voltage blocking clamp

A dynamic self-configuring system for collecting metering data comprises a collector meter. The collector meter scans for meters that are operable to directly communicate with the collector and registers such meters as level one meters. The collector transmits instructions to the level one meters to scan for meters that are operable to directly communicate with the level one meters. The collector registers meters that respond as level two meters.

Dynamic self-configuring metering network

An electronic energy meter senses input voltage and current signals and processes the input voltage and current signals to generate measurements of multiple types of power. The meter comprises a processing system for selecting one of the multiple types of power and defining the same as the selected type of power. The processing system also generates a pulsed test signal representative of a magnitude of a measurement of the selected type of power for testing the operation of the meter. The meter further comprises a communications interface coupled to the processing system for transmitting the pulsed test signal from the meter and for receiving signals from sources external to the meter. Selection of one of the multiple types of power can be achieved by the meter receiving, via the communications interface and from a source external to the meter, a communications command identifying a selected one of the various types of power. The communications interface may comprise an optical communications port.

Method and apparatus for electronic meter testing

A fixed-frequency switching regulator having a noise injection circuit. Noise is injected into the feedback loop of the switching regulator to modify the switching waveform to reduce individual frequency harmonics of the resultant Fourier Series. The reduced frequency harmonics allow the switching regulator to achieve reduced conducted emissions.

Switching regulator with reduced conducted emissions

Growing community of inventors

Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Rodney C Hemminger