PH12017050128A1 - Wireless remote meter reading system - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a remote meter reading system which comprises a digital readers which measures the meter readings of electricity, water, 5 heat, hot water and gas consumption; a module configured to receive and transmit the meter readings generated the digital reader to other electronics; a master configured to collect and transmit the meter readings transmitted by the module; and a server containing a program configured to collect, monitor, and store the meter readings generated from the concentrator, wherein in said system the meter readings is transmitted through wireless mesh communication network in real time.

Description

As shown in Fig 2, it is a diagram of a wireless mesh network suitable for = loT applications which comprises a plurality of reading system (RS) 201, at least two DCUs/gateways 203, LTE modem 205, router 207, internet 209, terminal 211 - and monitoring server 213 embodied in the present invention. The reading ~ system 201 is adapted to receive and transmit data (e.g., water reading in a ol household, hospital etc.) from other reading system 201 near to it, and then i, transmit the data to the DCU/gateway 203 and then to LTE modem 205 or router 207. Generated meter reading data (e.g., water reading, electricity reading, gas a reading, etc.) by the LTE modem 205 or router 207 is transmitted to the terminal Fos 213 through internet (e.g., web-based, wifi, TCP/IP, LAN, Ethernet) and then the = same is stored to the server 213 for monitoring. =

The wireless reader device (e.g., wireless loT module) of the remote - meter reading system has component of with a range of 915 — 918 MHz LoRa

Module. Table below shows other classifications of the wireless loT module applied in the present invention, other classification may also be applied.

LoRa module

Classification 1 (210LS031)

SX1276 STM 32F031 915-918 MHz

TI Module (220CS071)

Classification 2 TI CC1120

STM32L072 915-918 MHz 915 — 918 MHz 300 kbps with FSE

Classification 3 modulation 37.5 kbps with

Lora Technology modulation

SGM- 2015:15 dBm

SGM 2020: 20 dBm

Wireless Reader

The wireless reader disclosed in the present invention has 915 — 918 MHz

LoRa module and is installed in the digital devices (e.g., digital water meter,

digital meter heater, digital gas meter, digital calories meter). It has the capability oy to measure the weighing meter readings of electricity, water, heat, hot water and ~ gas meter. The weighing meter reading is transmitted to the server 109 through a - wireless mesh communication network in real time (e.g., 6 hours a day, 12 hours a day). Table below shows other classifications of wireless lIoT module applied in c the present invention, other classification may also be applied. i. e RF Carrier Frequency 915 MHz (Ch26) ~ 918 MHz ro « RF Out Power <25mW -

Modulation LoRa (Proprietary Spread Spectrum) =

Classification 1 e Topology Star, Mesh (N:m), 2 layer Mesh ~

Air rate SF 7: 6Kbps, SF 10: 1Kbps, SF 12:300bps - « Bandwith 125kHz ¢ Dimension 100 mm X 88mm x 37 mm ¢ Operation temp. -10 °C ~ 50 °C » CPU: single core, MIPs 580 MHz

Classification 2 e LoRa or Ti Module X4 e Support 3G, 4G, GSM * Memory DRAM: DDR2 128MB (16Bit BUS), SPI

Splash 1~2MB, Micro SD memory 8GB (64GB optional) e Ethernet: WAN/LAN x 1 10 ~100, LAN x 1 10/100 ¢ Real ~Time clock o WIFI: 2T2R 2.4GHz b/g/n 300 Mbps, 2T2R 5GHz a/blg/n/ac 867 Mbps Quter Interface: WAN/LAN 2 ports (10/100 Mbps)/

RS-232 x 2, RS-485 x 1/ RESET button DC Jack X1 (24V 1A) ¢ Operating Temp: -25 °C ~ + 85 °C ¢ IP rate: IP54 * Power: Input: AC 100V ~ 240V 0.5A/ Output: DC 12V 1.5A

Central monitoring system

The present invention has a management system 109 which intends for oT monitoring, storing, searching, and disseminating the meter reading data in real ~ time (e.g., 6 hours a day, 12 hours a day). The management system 109 will o manage the meter reading to make an output of the monthly billing computation ~ easy, fast and accurate. = — ¢ Checking cumulative meter readings by household ok

Classification » Communication Error Display by household * Real-Time meter reading of various meters DBMS - storage of meter reading data = ¢ Automatic meter reading by various meter schedules = * Analyze meter reading data and generate various - reports ¢ Various Statistical work (daily/month/year usage by household) ¢ CS file of meter reading data or saving in excel

Wireless remote meter reading

As shown in Fig. 3, it is a diagram of a wireless mesh communication network which comprises a plurality of reading system installed in different level in a building 301, repeaters 303 and at least one wireless concentrator 305. Each reading system (RS) installed in different levels of the buildings generates meter reading data and then transmit this data to the repeater 303 near to this building 301, then transmit the data to another repeater 301 nearer to it, and then to the concentrator 305 also known as the master collector. According to the present invention, a repeater 303 will be needed if the digital meter installed in the building or residential area is more than 50 numbers of digital meter readers. The present invention does not need a repeater 303 if the number of digital meter is less than 50. These digital meter readers have the capability to directly transmit the usage or consumption to the master collector 305. Digital meter reader for the water, gas, calorie and heat, always link to the module 103. The electricity meter reader 107 has its own system embedded therein that is capable to transmit the value of the usage or consumption in real time.

CT ——————————————————

Transmission of the data as disclosed in the present invention is done a through wireless mesh communication network. The data being received by the ~ master collector 305 will be transmitted to the monitoring server 307 through =”

TCP/IP, RS485, LTE, GSM communication network. Both the repeater 303 and - the master collector 305 have an electronic component that is capable to receive = and transmit data through wireless such as WIFI, TCP/IP, RS485, LTE, GSM, i” other means of link may also applied. The monitoring server 307 will monitor, . analyze, compute, store and search in real time the data transmitted to it a particularly the usage or consumption (e.g., water, gas, electricity, heater, calorie) ra? on a daily or monthly basis. In this regard, human intervention is totally = diminished on this technology. =

A meter reading system of the present invention has the capability to Fe receive and transmit meter reading data in shorter range in about 200 to 400 meters or more, and longer range in about 5 kilometer or more in 360 degrees area coverage.

With the foregoing description, it should be understood that these description are only by way of example and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalent, rather than by the example, components and classification given.

Ce - | “

WIRELESS REMOTE METER READING SYSTEM fe]

Specification =

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a wireless remote meter ol reading systems. More particularly, it relates to a meter reading of the digital = devices capable to transmit the weighing value to the server in real time via wireless mesh communication network. 8 Wy vf

Is JT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION i “iy gy

The collections of meter data from electrical energy, water, calorie and gas have traditionally been performed by human meter-readers. The meter- = reader travels to the meter location, which is frequently on the cyStomer's = premises, visually inspects the meter, and records the reading. The me¢ter-reader wl may be prevented from gaining access to the meter as a result of #ad weather condition, typhoon, floods, or where the meter is located within the customer's premises, due to an absentee customer. This methodology of meter data collection is laborious, prone to human error, and often results in stale and inflexible metering data.

Some meters have been enhanced to include a one-way radio transmitter for transmitting metering data to a receiving device. A person collecting meter data that is equipped with an appropriate radio receiver need only come into proximity with a meter to read the meter data and need not visually inspect the meter. Thus, a meter-reader may walk or drive by a meter location to take a meter reading. While this represents an improvement over visiting and visually inspecting each meter, it still requires human involvement in the process.

On the other hand, electrical power supplied for residential applications is ’ single phase alternating current power. To measure the consumption of electricity in residential applications, a utility company meter is provided at the electrical service entrance to the residence. Utility company meters of this kind are of three general types, namely, electromechanical based meters, purely electronic component based meters, and hybrid electromechanical/electronic meters. The electromechanical and hybrid type meters are essentially an induction motor in which the moving element is a rotating disk. The speed of rotation of the disk is directly proportional to the voltage applied and the amount of current flowing through the motor. The phase displacement of the current, as well as the oo magnitude of the current, is automatically taken into account by the meter, i.e, ” the power factor influences the speed of rotation of the disk. The result is that the iy disk rotates with a speed proportional to true power. In the electromechanical - type of meters, a register is used to register the number of revolutions, and the & gearing is arranged to be read directly in kilowatt-hours. o

The electric utility meters most commonly in use are of the a electromechanical type. The meters are generally highly reliable, but do not lend ht themselves to remote or automated reading. -

Hybrid meters typically utilize electronic circuitry in combination with the rotating disk to permit at least limited two-way communication to/from the meter. or

Typically, the two-way communication is limited to reading the meter via a proprietary communications link that frequently in a limited range of radio frequency.

It is common practice for utility companies to access meter information on only a monthly or 30 day period.

One example is U.S. Patent Application No. 8972524 issued on March 3, 2015, entitled “Internet protocol message routing over a wireless network of metering devices”. Methods and apparatus are provided for routing Internet

Protocol (IP) messages over a network of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system that employs a different communications protocol.

Another one is U.S. Patent No. 7747534 issued on June 29, 2010 to

Elster Electricity, LLC, entitled “utility power meter, metering system and method”.

This provides electrical utility meter system which measures residential energy consumption and automatically communicates this information to a host computer via the internet. The host computer can then be accessed by the end utility customer or other authorized entities. This internet or web based system offers two-way communication capability to support meter reconfiguration. This system is comprised of two major elements, a hardware unit and database software. The hardware unit includes a printed circuit card that is retrofitted into a form 2S single-phase residential meters. The unit measures residential energy ro oo consumption in predefined intervals, stores the measurements, and oo communicates at predefined times to a host database server. The unit can - accommodate various wired or wireless communication technologies through a ~ simple communications port. -

Another one is U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050251403 A1 published on o

November 10, 2005 in the name of Elster Electricity, LLC, entitled “Mesh AMR oe network interconnecting to TCP/IP wireless mesh network”. This technology Ek provides a wireless system for collecting metering data that includes a plurality of I meters, a collector and a central communications server. The meters = communicate usage data to either the collector or the central server via a Wi-Fi c and/or WiMax wireless communications network. The Wi-Fi and/or WiMax ~ network can operate independently of, or in conjunction with, existing data hs gathering wireless networks.

The present invention provides a metering reader equip with electronic components capable to facilitate the reading, transmitting and receiving the meter readings of usage consumed by the consumers through a multi mesh communication network suitable for Internet of Thing and using ISM band having the radio frequency with the range of 915 - 918 MHz. A system which provides a wireless remote meter reading system that is automatically monitors the usage of various meters such as electricity, gas, water, hot water and calorie installed in a residential areas, houses or offices, etc. It provides the meter reading center (Management Office) that can easily search data and make an output through a wireless communication network in short or long range to the consumer.

SUMMARY AND OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is a remote meter reading system which comprises a digital readers which measures the meter readings of electricity, water, heat, hot water and gas consumption; a module configured to receive and transmit the meter readings generated the digital reader to other electronics; a master collector configured to collect and transmit the meter readings transmitted by the module; and a server containing a program configured to collect, monitor, and store the meter readings generated from the concentrator, wherein in said system the meter readings is transmitted through wireless mesh communication network in real time.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a & wireless remote metering system that can create a new residential culture - through introduction of cutting-edge system. i»

Another object of the present invention to provide a wireless remote metering system that can produce a quick and accurate meter reading. =

Still object of the present invention to provide a wireless remote metering co system that can resolve tariffs due to meter reading mistakes. poi

Still object of the present invention to provide a wireless remote metering A system that can prevent a criminal pretending to be a utility worker. "

Still object of the present invention to provide a wireless remote metering - system that can check data directly from each household through web service. iy

Still object of the present invention to provide a wireless remote metering - system which does not use cables, fiber optic, LAN in receiving, collecting and He transmitting data to the server.

This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a diagram of a wireless communication system of digital water meter, digital heater meter, digital gas meter, digital calories meter, a wireless module terminal, digital power meter, master and the monitoring center as embodied in the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram of a wireless mesh network use ISM band of 900MHz, self-configuring MESH for optical routing path and a multi mesh network suitable for loT applications as embodied in the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram of multi mesh network communication of digital devices installed in buildings, repeaters, and concentrator wirelessly communicated to server as embodied in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The wireless remote meter reading system is automatically monitors the usage or consumption of various meters such as electricity, gas, water, hot water and calorie. The present invention doesn’t require a utility worker to come to ce check digital meters installed in residential areas, houses, offices etc. The meter - reading center (Management Office) also known as a server 109 communicates the metering device through module 103 and then through DCU 105 through =o wireless communication network. The server 109 is containing a program = configured to collect, monitor, and store the meter readings generated in real el time. Said server 109 is also capable to disseminate the generated metering pi reading in daily, weekly, or monthly billing through wireless communication or web based application to the mobile devices (e.g., cellphones, PCs). The server 109 is provided a system application that can be accessed by the authorized _ representative to automatically check the usage. Said server 109 has a system = that can easily search data and make an output. ~

The wireless remote meter reading system has a range of 915 — 918 MHz communication method product (terminal, repeater, concentrator), so it can be applied to the best method according to the situation in the field. The central management system 109 can be searched and output the meter reading through web-based service, WAN, WIFI or LAN. The Internet of Thing (loT) is also available in the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, digital devices 101 such as digital water meter 101A, digital meter heater 101B, digital gas meter 101C and digital calories meter 101D, as disclosed in the present system is capable to generate data usage or consumption of the water, calories, gas and heater. Each digital readers 101A, 101B,101C, 101D is always in pair with module 103. The module103 includes an antenna mounted therein (not show) which will be used for longer range and without antenna for shorter range. The module 103 has a frequency range of 915 —- 918 MHz. Said module 103 is a water proof. The meter reading data generated by the digital devices 101 is linked to the module 103 and transmits the meter reading through wireless communication network to the master 105 and then to the monitoring center or server 109. Module 103 linked to digital meter reader is contained a program that is capable to store and transmit the meter reading data to other devices.

On the other hand, a digital electricity meter 107 disclosed in the present system has an electronic component that is capable to generate electricity usage

Co | - o or consumption. The generated electricity usage or consumption is directly = transmitted to the master 105 through wireless communication system. Digital - meter reader 107 comprises an IP (Internet Protocol) address. In similar manner, = said digital meter reader 107 is a water proof. This electricity digital reader 107 has an electronic component consists of DCPLS, PULSE, RS485 102 and having i” a capability to transmit electricity usage or consumption. This digital electricity o 107 is also includes a RF module with a range of 915 - 918MHz.

Module 103 contains a program capable to receive data and transmit the v same through wireless communication network to the master 105. The data = generated by the module 103 is transmitted to the DCU also known as a master = collector 105 through a wireless communication network. Data received from the - module 103 may be evaluated before it goes through to the master collector 105 CE to check if the data is coming from the real digital device through certain parameters (e.g., serial number of digital device, code included in the program, etc.). After the evaluation of the data received by the DCU or master collector 105, it is then transmitted to the server 109 for monitoring, analysis and computation the usage or consumption of the water, gas, calories and electricity etc.. Data received by the server 109 is stored in the storage device for billing purposes in a day, week or month. Transmission of the data of the present invention is made in 6 hours or 12 hours a day.

DCU or master collector 105 contains a program capable to receive and transmit data from the module 103 or digital electricity meter 107. The DCU or master collector 105 has a receiver electronic component consist of LoRa, WiI-

Sun, Zigbee and transmitter electronic component consist of TCP/IP, GSM, LTE.

The system of the present invention is applicable from small to large areas. Examples are office telephone, residential complex, apartment complex, store and apartment-type factory and etc.

The system of the present invention has key features of a wireless device which uses ISM band with a range of 915 — 918 MHz, self-configuring MESH for optimal routing path and has a multi mesh network that suitable for loT applications.

Claims (17)

EEE er ——————————————————— eee ere What is claimed is: =

1. A remote meter reading system comprising: a digital readers which measures the meter readings of electricity, water, heat, hot water and gas consumption; ro a module configured to receive and transmit the meter readings generated — by the digital reader to other electronics; 8 ~ a master configured to collect and transmit the meter readings transmitted Js by the module; and » 50 a server containing a program configured to collect, monitor, and store the 2 meter readings generated from the master, ba wherein in said system the meter readings is transmitted through wireless = mesh communication network in real time. -

2. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein said server is capable to disseminate the meter readings to a consume in daily, weekly or monthly usage.

3. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the digital reader is a power meter, a calorimeter, a water meter and a hot water meter.

4. A remote meter reading system according to claim 3, wherein said digital reader has a range of 915 to 918 MHz LoRa Modulation.

5. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein said digital reader has a radio carrier frequency of 5 kilo meter.

6. A remote meter reading system according to claim 3, wherein the digital reader contained a program capable to store and transmit the meter readings generated through multi mesh wireless communication network.

7. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein said system is capable to transmit the meter readings in Voor ad piv)

8. A remote meter reading system according to claim 7, wherein the range is 2 kilometer.

9. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the meter reader and the module is always in pair.

10. A remote meter reading system according to claim 9, wherein the meter reader and the module are connected through a cable.

11. A remote meter reading system according to claim 9, wherein the module includes an antenna for long range and without antenna for short range.

12. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the = digital meter reader and the module are both a battery operated or has a power — supply source. y

13. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the - metering reading is transmitted to the master within 6 or 12 hours a day. =

14. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the digital meter reading includes a repeater to manage 50 to 100 digital meters.

15. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the on module directly communicates the server for short range in 200 to 400 meters. pot

16. A remote meter reading system according to claim 3, wherein the = digital electricity reader has an IP address which directly transmits the electricity = usage to the master. -

17. A remote meter reading system according to claim 1, wherein the > module and the master are both water proof.