Elster Electricity, LLC

Abb Automation Gmbh

International Business Machines Corporation

Abb Inc.

University De Sherbrooke

Drakar Toule Ltd.,

Sasan Ardalan

David E Van Den Bout

Raymond H Kelley

Sean Michael Scoggins

Richard Christopher Carpenter

Hua Ye

Jean-Pierre Adoul

Claude Laflamme

Ali Soheil Sadri

Arnold W Bragg

John Chalmers Sutton, Iii

Amir Khalessi

Redwan Salami

Donna L Bruce

To allow meter data users to have access to needed information and at the same time address the rapidly shifting requirements of the deregulated marketplace, a new business model employs a common metering device that measures raw data and a system composed of independent services or applications that collect and process raw metered data and then make that data available to interested parties. This new model removes the dependence upon an automatic meter reading (AMR) system provider, as the sole provider, by creating a system to enable a competitive environment where services (applications, information, networking, etc.) rather than systems are selected and paid for on a leased or pay-per-use basis.

Network-enabled, extensible metering system

An electronic meter incorporates a TCP/IP protocol suite and an HTTP server to provide two-way access to the meter data. Alternatively, the TCP/IP protocol suite may be incorporated into a gateway serving multiple meters connected through a power line or wireless two-way network. The gateway may incorporate an HTTP server for accessing data from multiple meters and for transmission of data to individual meters. Other aspects of the disclosed system include the use of a common gateway interface for remote access to meter data and to set meter parameters using HTML forms in HTTP browsers; remote reading and setting of multiple meter parameters using a TCP/IP protocol suite; a TCP/IP protocol suite implemented in designated nodes in a CEBus LAN with remote access through TCP/IP to routers and brouters and to individual meters on the LAN; and an SLIP-PPP enabled gateway for remote TCP/IP access through a serial interface to a single or multiple meter parameters.

Remote access to electronic meters using a TCP/IP protocol suite

To allow meter data users to have access to needed information and at the same time address the rapidly shifting requirements of the deregulated marketplace, a new business model, apparatus and system are provided. A common metering device measures raw data and a system composed of independent services or applications collect and process raw metered data and then make that data available to interested parties. This new model removes the dependence upon an automatic meter reading (AMR) system provider, as the sole provider, by creating a system to enable a competitive environment where services (applications, information, networking, etc.) rather than systems are selected and paid for on a leased or pay-per-use basis. One example of such a networked-based, extensible metering system comprises a network server, a wide area network coupled to the network server, and a plurality of network-enabled meters coupled to the network. The meters collect data and the network server provides at least one metering application to the meters. In addition, the meters may be programmed to communicate via a predefined protocol and to deliver a protocol interface to a storage medium on the network, which enables the network to provide the protocol interface to users or applications requiring information from the meters and the users/applications to communicate with the meters to access the required information.

An automatic meter reading (AMR) system collects readings from multiple or individual meters or sets parameters in individual or multiple meters using the Short Message Service (SMS) in digital cellular networks. The individual meters incorporate interfaces to the SMS network so that parameters within the meter can be read and written to/from external devices that also interface to the SMS network. Communications gateways incorporate a single interface to the SMS network, which a set of non-SMS-enabled meters can access via a local area network (LAN).

Remote access to electronic meters using the short message service

The invention is directed to a method and system for verifying an installation of an meter, for example, an electric power meter. The inventive method includes identifying the electric power meter to a central computer using a mobile computing device. The electric power meter receives computer-executable instructions from the central computer via the mobile computing device, and transmits meter information (e.g., power consumption readings, meter identification information, and meter location) to the central computer. The meter information received from the central computer is compared with meter information available at the electric power meter. The comparison may be accomplished visually by reading the meter and comparing the readings with the information received on the mobile computing device. Also, the comparison may be accomplished automatically by the mobile computing device based on the information it receives from the central computer and the information it receives from the electric power meter.

Automated on-site meter registration confirmation using a portable, wireless computing device

A system for multi-crew management comprises an enterprise computing system, a mobile field unit, and wireless communication network which supports terminal control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP). The enterprise computing network comprises application programs through which work orders may be assigned and managed, various server machines containing data related to the work orders, a local area network (LAN) connecting the server machines, and a gateway to the TCP/IP wireless network. A mobile field unit comprises a computing device and modem for communicating over the wireless network to the enterprise computing system. A mobile field unit and each machine in the enterprise computing system has a unique IP address assigned to it. Accordingly, commands and data can be communicated freely between all machines.

Mobile crew management system for distributing work order assignments to mobile field crew units

A method and device for analog simultaneous voice and data transmission over an analog channel encodes at a voice signal sampling rate a sampled voice signal including spectral and pitch information. During encoding, the spectral and pitch information is extracted from the sampled voice signal to produce a residual signal, and the residual signal is converted into a sequence of residual vectors at a Baud rate. Then, a bitstream including non voice data and the extracted spectral and pitch information is produced. A modem unit, operating at Baud rate and producing an output carrier wave supplied to the analog channel, produces a sequence of symbol vectors in response to the sequence of residual vectors and the bitstream, and modulates the output carrier wave in response to the sequence of symbol vectors. A fractional sampling-rate conversion is conducted on the residual signal by shifting the voice signal sampling rate by a factor M/N, where M and N are the smallest integers that verify, or closely verify, the equality M/N=2R/F, where R is the Baud rate and F is the voice signal sampling rate. This fractional sampling-rate conversion further involves anti-aliasing filtering of the residual signal. In this manner, encoding operates at a voice signal sampling rate independent of the modem's Baud rate.

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Sasan Ardalan