GB2454935A

GB2454935A - Utility meter firewall that is set up by remote control server to allow passage of broadcast meter control messages

Info

Publication number: GB2454935A
Application number: GB0723093A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hamish Mclaren
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-11-26
Filing date: 2007-11-26
Publication date: 2009-05-27
Also published as: GB0723093D0

Abstract

Utility (electric, gas, water) meters (34,35,36) can receive control messages from networks to send tariff readings or switch devices on/off depending upon network loading. This requires the sending of unicast messages to each meter to overcome firewall issues. The invention proposes a firewall that can be remotely controlled by a central management server (11) in the external network. This process may involve passwords for authentication. The firewall is then set up with a pinhole to allow the passage of broadcast control messages. The electricity meter can act as hub which forms a pico net with the gas and water meters and other devices.

Description

A system for remotely controlling a firewall to accept broadcast instructions and/or messaging for the management of Utility metering, demand management and other services.

Background to the invention

There is a requirement for the broadcasting of an instruction, command, change of setting or system update via a radio network to a large number of devices similtainously and this may be any type of control node connected to the network.

Utilities The Electricity Utilities presently offer reduced rate tariffs to customers if they consume electricity during off peak periods. This reduced rate tariff typically applies to large electrical loads such Immersion water heaters and Storage heaters installed in the customers' premises. Contactors are closed at times when the electrical generation costs are low and supply can exceed demand. During times of high demand or high generation costs the contactors are opened. The present method of achieving this control of demand is through the use of Radio Telemeters and Radio Tele Switches where a signal is broadcast as a frequency modulated radio signal imposed on the 198 kHz long-wave Radio 4 frequency. This signal typically contains a mass address, a time to turn on and duration of the on period. Due to the low frequency of the 198 kHz Radio 4 signal bandwidth is very limited and is only 50 bits per second. Word length is also restricted to 50 bits with only 37 bits available for instructions.

This invention relates to an alternative, more versatile and higher data rate method with vitlually unlimited word length of achieving the objective of demand side management of the electrical load which as well as giving the functionality of the existing Radio Tele Meters and Radio Tele Switches gives a much more flexible solution which could be extended to control domestic refrigeration and other types of domestic load. The high cost of peak load generation encourages the development of a flexible demand side load management at all times of the day, not just off-peak.

An extension of the ability of the Electrical Utilities to manage the customers demand would have significant impacts in reducing the cost of electricity generation and in reducing the overall cathon footprint of electricity consumption and generation.

A data hub embedded in the electricity meter could be TCP/ IP addressed and contain a firewall for security reasons. Without this invention any action sent in broadcast mode to control the demand side management would require individually addressed messages to each individual meter. Using current communication techniques if the load were to be switched in 1000 electncity meters then 1000 messages would have to be sent. Due to the design of servers and the network mass Broadcast messaging using individual addresses in the same time period cannot be processed.

This invention eliminates the need for multiple addressing in that the firewall is opened in a very restricted manner to allow a message to be used for the sole purpose of load control management or messaging. The integrity and security of the Hub in the meter is thus not compromised. This method can be used to broadcast to a large number of electricity meters simultaneously thus eliminating the need for one message per address per meter. The standani application of a Firewall is to prevent the intrusion of unwanted broadcast messages, which are transmitted through the Internet into End User Equipment that is connected to the Internet. In normal applications the control of access is by the End User Equipment. In this application the firewall management is remotely controlled by secure access by the authorised services provider

Description

The present invention relates generally to dedicated secwity for the management of controlled access to a network of related functions in a smart electricity meter, which are controlled by a micropocessor. In paiticular, the present invention relates to a management system for providing remote access to broadcast instructions and messaging and security for meter settings.

This specifically concerns a data hub to which access is controlled through a Firewall and may contain processing power, logic, memoiy and a broadband radio or other receiver embedded in an electricity meter, or elsewhere and a method of responding to or rejecting broadcast commands from an authorised service provider to a large number of electricity meters with embedded data hubs virtually simultaneously.

System Description.

Consider the schematic drawing in Figure 1. An electricity meter (36) has a broadband data hub complete with integrated firewall embedded within it. This data hub contains a unique TCP/IP address and only responds to messages containing this address. When meter readings (12) or meter management operations (13) are required messages can be sent to the Electricity meter or via the Electricity meter to the Gas (34) or Water (35) meters using the TCP/IP addres.sing system via a radio Pico net.

A problem anses when the supplying Electricity Utility wishes to broadcast simultaneous messages to large numbers of Electricity meters. Prior to this invention separate TCP/IP addressed messages had to be sent to each meter. As Messages often need to be sent to very large numbers of meters to achieve load management (39), tariff changes (37), or switching of other devices in the home (39) individually addressed messages become completely impracticable.

This invention overcomes this problem through remote management and control of the integrated firewall (11). The remote authorised service provider can pre-set and enable access for specific identified messages. Only the remote authorised service provider through a password and unique meter code controlled short TCP/IP addressed set-up instruction message can change these enabled accesses. When an enabled instniction messages is broadcast (14), all the Electricity meters so enabled respond virtually simultaneously to the message. if broadcast messaging is required these can also similarly be enabled with the messages displayed on a suitable display device (33), which could be a suitable phone.

The integrated firewall does not impede or restrict the flow of data for Internet access, media downloads, normal telephony (15) or other service providers (16).

Implementation of Invention During initialisation of the electricity meter the firewall which is dedicated only to the utilities function of the meter will be preset to block all control messages to the meter and will have an iniiiahsation password and unique meter code, the information will be securely held by the remote administrator.

This firewall will not impede data flow to and from Personnel Computers, Television sets or telephony or other connected equipment.

To enable the meter to accept control instructions or messages the system administrator will access the meter u.sing the initialisation password and unique meter code to set the firewall to accept specific rnstnictions or messages, which are specifically address free and are broadcast throughout the network The network operator will lock the firewall program setting using an operating password; the new password and the unique meter code will be securely held in the operator's server. Further changes to the meter controlled access cannot be made The range of instructions that can be made is very limited and can never change the register values within the meter, which are protected by their "read only" implementation.

The top-level password when used in conjunction with the full and unique address enables one to one secure communications to a specific customer.

The instructions used dining one to one communication might typically be: Transmit register values of Electncity or gas meter, or change of tenancy data, or change of supplier data, or data relevant to pre payment configurations.

The Instructions used by the one too many transmissions might typically be to close or open contactors or change the state of switches to enable mass load management to occur, or to change the tariff values so that the in house display can show actual monetary costs rather than consumption in kilowatt hours. aa

Claims

1. A network arrangement comprising external network to a group of meter nodes defining internal control and management to a second group of nodes defining a command intruction groups, said external network being connected in communication with said internal network by an intermediate node including a firewall for protecting the nodes of the internal control network from unauthorized communication, is that the firewall can be remotely set-up and controlled by an authorised service provider and opened to allow authorised messages to pass through with control instructions or messages to be executed in the electricity meter or gas meter or other device, thus enabling the Broadcast of set-up control and messaging to a large number of devices simultaneously with out individual addressing and in the meter nodes that have not been remotely preset the firewall will reject these messages by determining whether the request for network access to said meter node is authorized.

2. That pursuant to claim 1 the Firewall will have its own unique password for controlled access by only the remote authorised service provider to enable, or disable the settings for authonsed control instnaclions to be changed thus managing the request for network access to said meter node to authorized messages only.

3. The network arrangement of claims 1 and 2, wherein said step of deteimming whether the message is allowed for meter access is only authorized after filtering the data packet based on addresses and other information contained in a header of the data packet.

4. The network arrangement of claim 3. wherein said step of determining whether the request for meter node network access is authorized comprises determining whether information in the header of a received data packet containing the request for external network access is complete, the information relating to the network source, destination, and route of the data packet. If all the above criteiial are satisfied the meter has the authority to perform said instruction.

5. That pursuant to claims 1,2,3 and 4 the firewall will let through correctly formatted and authorised broadcast messages, which are related to load management or tariff changes or other authorised uses.

6. That pursuant to claims 1 and 2 the remote authorised service provider can randomly change the unique passwoni for security purpose and br change of service provider.

7. Pursuant to claim 4 the control logic for the firewall embedded in the electricity meter will log all attempts of unauthonsed access to the meter and br password control, this log will be automatically sent to the authonsed service provider.

8. Persuant to claim 1. a group of meter nodes defining internal control and management to a second group of nodes where as the said node may be a; a. Reading of all meter registers on demand.

b. Changes of prepay to/from credit.

c. Prepayment ftinctionality.

d. Ability to remotely switch contactor and gas valve.

e. Ability to download and change tariff information.

f. Information to the customer on the WiFi phone of consumptions, costs, and energy patterns, supplier data, prepayment information.

g. Security between adjacent meters and WiFi phones.

h. Downloading of time and date information