GB2472109A

GB2472109A - Commodity monitoring system

Info

Publication number: GB2472109A
Application number: GB0916650A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alistair Louis Wright; Andrew Mckay
Original assignee: Remote Energy Monitoring Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: Remote Energy Monitoring Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2009-07-09
Filing date: 2009-09-22
Publication date: 2011-01-26
Anticipated expiration: 2029-09-22
Also published as: GB2472109B; GB0911902D0; GB0916650D0

Abstract

A commodity monitoring system, for monitoring water, gas and/or electricity consumption, comprises a commodity meter 104 adapted to provide consumption data of a commodity, a remote server 300 and a display device 200. The remote server 300 is adapted to communicate with the commodity meter 104 and receive said consumption data there from. The remote server 300 is furthermore adapted to communicate with a display device 200 adapted to display information regarding the consumption of said commodity and provide said display device with commodity information based upon said consumption data. The server 300 is configured to receive a request from the display device 200 and instruct the meter 104 to provide the consumption data. Upon receiving the consumption data, the server 300 sends consumption data to the display device 200. The display device may be a mobile device, dedicated display unit, PC, digital TV box or PDA. The server 300 can instruct the meter 104 to provide consumption data, either periodically or upon request.

Description

A System and Method for Accessing and Displaying Commodity Information This invention relates to a system and method for providing commodity information sourced from a commodity meter to a display device and, in particular, a system and method including processing consumption data obtained from the meter and communicating commodity information to the display using a remote server.

Concern over global warming, combined with the increasing scarcity of non-renewable energy sources and the corresponding rising cost of fuel, has led to a general desire amongst the public to reduce consumption of commodities, including, for example, electricity, gas and water.

One area of technology which has undergone a recent period of development to address this problem is the metering of commodity consumption. Historically, commodity meters have been analogue devices which simply counted the number of units of consumption of a particular commodity -typically electricity and gas, but more recently water -to calculate a cost to the consumer. Such analogue meters were commonplace in residential homes as well as commercial, state-owned and industrial premises.

A problem with such analogue meters, as well as newer digital electronic meters which monitor consumption in the same way, is that they only provide information about the total consumption of a commodity to date. Whilst sufficient for the purposes of calculating the cost of consumption once every few months, this information is not useful to inform a consumer about their consumption patterns. Furthermore, analogue meters are typically fixedly situated in locations which are difficult to access readily, thereby discouraging a consumer from becoming regularly informed of their consumption information.

To address the deficiencies in analogue meters, so-called smart meters have recently been developed. Typical smart meter systems comprise commodity meters which perform at least the same function as the analogue variety, but which are also typically capable of communicating consumption information electronically; and, crucially, a dedicated display capable of receiving the communicated information and providing a display of it at a location convenient for a consumer to access. In more recent smart meter systems, the meters and the display form part of, and communicate over, a Most of the development in this area of technology has concerned the functionality of the dedicated display. For example, in addition to providing information about the current level of commodity consumption, so that a consumer may identify and switch off devices consuming large amounts of energy, modem dedicated displays may record consumption history. This is particularly beneficial, as it permits a consumer to identify patterns of consumption; compare current consumption with an average consumption and the like. A typical dedicated display for use in a smart monitoring system is disclosed in WO 2006/052079.

One significant drawback in the development of smart meters is their relatively high cost and their requirement for compatibility with other components of a smart metering system. In particular, it is relatively expensive to replace outdated analogi.ie or digital electronic meters with smart meters. Additional costs are incurred in providing displays.

Furthermore, the local area networks described above must operate on the same platform as the meters and the display. Hence, an update in the technology of the dedicated display may not only require an upgrade or replacement of that unit, but also of the smart meter itself, and possibly even the local area network.

An additional drawback with dedicated displays concerns the convenience, or lack thereof, surrounding their use. Whilst undoubtedly an improvement over analogue and digital electronic meters, consumers often do not wish to develop a habit of accessing a display on a regular basis to investigate their consumption. They may find it inconvenient. Limitations in the software and hardware capabilities of such displays also place constraints upon the usefulness of the information provided.

In view of the aforementioned problems there is a need for an improved system and method for accessing and displaying commodity information which reduces the economic burden of installing the system, improves the ease with which the system is used and the usefulness of the information provided, and thereby encourages consumer interaction.

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a commodity monitoring system comprising a commodity meter adapted to provide consumption data of a commodity and a remote server. The remote server is adapted to communicate with the conimodity meter and receive said consumption data therefrom; and communicate with a display device adapted to display information regarding the consumption of said commodity and provide said display device with commodity information based upon said consumption data.

Preferably, the system further comprises a communication hub adapted to communicate with the commodity meter over a local area network (LAN), wherein the remote server is adapted to communicate with the communication hub.

Preferably, the remote server comprises a first communication channel adapted to communicate with the commodity meter; and a second communication channel adapted to communicate with the display device.

Optionally, the first and second communication channels are established over a wide area network (WAN).

Preferably, the remote server comprises means for processing and storing the consumption data obtained from the commodity meter.

Preferably, the remote server is adapted to periodically instruct the commodity meter to provide said consumption data.

Alternatively, or additionally, the remote server is adapted to instruct the commodity meter to provide said consumption data upon receipt of a request to provide commodity information.

Preferably, the remote server is adapted to receive a request to provide commodity information from the display device and send commodity information to the display device in response thereto.

Optionally, the commodity information comprises infonnation regarding the consumption of said commodity based upon the consumption data.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a remote server for use in the commodity monitoring system described above. The remote server comprises first communication means for communicating with said commodity meter; and second communication means for communication with said display device.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a method for handling commodity data.

The method comprises the steps of: producing consumption data of a commodity; receiving said consumption data at a remote server; and sending commodity information to a display device.

Preferably, the step of producing consumption data comprises: sensing consumption of the commodity and generating consumption data at a commodity meter; and communicating the consumption data over a local area network (LAN) to a communication hub.

Preferably, the step of receiving said consumption data at a remote server comprises: sending an instruction to the communication hub to provide consumption data generated by the commodity meter; and receiving, over a wide area network (WAN), said consumption data from the communication hub.

Preferably, the step of sending information regarding consumption to a display device comprises: sending, over a wide area network (WAN), consumption information to the display device.

Additionally, the method may further comprise the steps of: processing the received consumption data at the remote server; and generating commodity information based upon the consumption data.

Preferably, the method further comprises the step of: storing the received consumption data at the remote server.

Preferably, the commodity information is generated from the stored consumption data.

The display device may be one or more of: a dedicated display unit; a computing device; a digital television; a mobile telephone; and/or a personal digital assistant. Of course, the display device may be any suitable device with which a consumer may interact to obtain and/or send information concerning consumption of a commodity The commodity information may be one or more of: a commodity meter ID; a current commodity consumption level; a current total consumption level; previous consumption data; a profile of previous consumption; and/or a cost of commodity consumption.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a server adapted to communicate with a commodity meter and a display device. The server is configured to: receive a request from the display device for consumption information; instruct the commodity meter to provide consumption data; receive consumption data from the commodity meter; and send commodity information to the display device.

Preferably, the server further comprising first to fourth communication channels, and the first and second communication channels are adapted to permit communication between the server and the display device and the third and fourth communication channels are adapted to permit communication between the server and the smart meters.

Preferably, the first and second communication channels are the same communication channel and/or the third and fourth communication channels are the same communication channel.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic of a first embodiment of a system according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic of a second embodiment of a system according to the present invention; and Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a method of operating a system according to the present invention.

Preferred embodiments of the system and method of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the above-mentioned drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate commodity information systems in accordance with the present invention. Each system comprises three components: a local environment 100, comprising a plurality of smart meters 104; a multipurpose display device 200; and a remote server 300 adapted to communicate with both the smart meters 104 and the multipurpose display device 200.

By providing a remote server 300 adapted to facilitate the exchange of information between a commodity meter 104 and a display device 200, a great deal of flexibility may be introduced into the commodity information system, resulting in a number of benefits.

For example, once a suitable meter 104 for monitoring consumption has been installed, and operates to provide a remote server 300 with at least consumption data, the commodity information provided to the display device 200 may easily be tailored depending on the device itself and the needs of the consumer or supplier. Updates to the display device 200 are rendered contingent only on the limitations of a single remote server, which may be upgraded or replaced at relatively little cost, without the need to replace the entire smart meter system 102.

In an optimal configuration, for example, all handling of data and information concerning a commodity would be done at the remote server 300. In this configuration, neither the meters 104 nor the display 200 need ever be updated, as such updates may be performed at the remote server 300, which may be backwards compatible with the other components of the system. However, as explained below, this optimal configuration is not essential.

1. The Local Environment 100 The local environment is the same for each commodity information system, and like numerals have accordingly been used to describe equivalent components.

Within the local environment 100, a smart meter system 102 is installed. The local environment 100 may be a residential home, such as a private house, flat or apartment; it may be a state-owned premises such as a school, hospital or government building; it may be a commercial premises such as a shop or an office building; or it may be an industrial site such as a factory or warehouse. Regardless of the type of local environment, the principle of the invention remains the same.

The smart meter system comprises a plurality of smart commodity meters 104, including a smart electricity meter 1 04a, a smart gas meter 1 04b and a smart water meter 1 04c.

Each smart meter 104 measures a single commodity. However, this is not essential, and a pluraJity of smart meters may be used to measure a single commodity, or a plurality of commodities may be measured by a single smart meter. Of course, a smart meter system may be implemented to measure only a single commodity, which may be measured by a single smart meter. Smart meters may also be used to measure commodities other than electricity, gas and water.

In specific examples, each ring main on an electrical network may be provided with a separate meter; a single meter may be used for each of water, gas and electricity; and/or a single meter may be used to monitor consumption of all available commodities. In cases where a plurality of meters are provided, it is preferable to connect such meters in a local area network having a single communication hub which controls the flow of consumption data between each meter, as described in more detail below.

The smart meters used in a smart meter system according to the present invention may be provided in a number of different ways. The meters may be newly installed smart meters, adapted to replace outdated analogue and digital electronic meters, and provide some or all of the new technologies typical of such meters (particular aspects of which are described in more detail below). Alternatively, the meters may be retrofit devices which are configured to attach to existing analogue systems and convert the analogue meter readings into digital consumption data.

In either case, each smart meter 104 is configured to measure the consumption of its respective commodity and generate consumption data, which provides an indication as to the amount of commodity consumed. Optionally, smart meters may also provide a time stamp, which gives an indication as to the time at which the consumption data was generated.

The consumption data may indicate the total amount of commodity consumed to date (similar to the operating principle of an analogue meter). Alternatively, it may indicate the amount of commodity consumed over a period of time (preferably one of 30 minutes or 24 hours, but alternatively any length of time). In doing so, the amount may be given in units of volume or mass (conventionally used for water and gas) or they may be units of energy (such as kWh, which is conventionally used for electricity). Alternatively, the consumption data may indicate the immediate amount of consumption in terms of any one of the aforementioned units per unit time (including power), or in terms of units of voltage, current or frequency.

Alternatively, smart meters may provide a consumption profile over a period of time (such as 30 minutes or 24 hours, but alternatively any length of time) which constitutes a record of changes in the amount of consumption within that period. For example, smart meters may generate a consumption profile over a 30 minute period, the profile being created according to a scheme wherein 180 measurements are taken, one measurement being taken every 10 seconds. Of course, any other scheme may be used to form the profile.

The smart meters 104 of the illustrated system are connected via a local area network 106 (LAN) to a communication hub 108. Although optional, the provision of a LAN and a communication hub 108 enables the remote server, in a straightforward manner, to communicate with only the communication hub to receive consumption data sourced from each of the meters in the local area network. Any form of connection may be used to construct the LAN 106. The connection may be wired, but is preferably wireless. In a preferred wireless LAN, each smart meter includes a low power digital radio which operates using the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for wireless personal area networks (WPANS). The preferred LAN is implemented using the ZigBee specification, the protocols of which are appropriate for use in secure low data-rate networks in which a long battery life is required. The,Zigbee specification is simpler and less expensive to implement than alternative technologies (such as Bluetooth or Z-wave), but such alternatives may be used instead.

Regardless of the particular method by which the smart meters communicate over the LAN, the consumption data is gathered at the communication hub 108, ready for transmission to the remote server (described in more detail below).

2. The Multipurpose Display Device By changing the device responsible for communicating with the display device from the smart meters (which typically form part of and communicate over a local area network) to a remote server (which may form part of a wide area network), various and multiple display devices may easily be used depending on the needs of the consumer. For example, a server may easily be adapted to communicate with one or more of a dedicated display unit; a personal computer; a digital television; a mobile telephone; a personal digital assistant; or any other such device available now or in the future.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate two different types of display device, both of which are multipurpose. By the term multipurpose', it is meant a device which may perform a variety of functions, only one of which concerns the processing and display, of commodity information. A multipurpose display device contrasts with a dedicated display device, the sole function of which concerns the processing and display of such information. Whilst the use of multipurpose display devices is highly preferred, the present invention may be used with a dedicated display device, if so desired.

The multipurpose display device of Figure 1 is a computing device 202. The computer 202 may be a desktop computer, a laptop, a netbook, a console or equivalent. In any case, the computer 202 is connected to a wide area network 206 (WAN), either directly or through a communication hub in a local area network (LAN). Alternatively, the display device may be a digital TV or a digital set-top box. As with the computer 202, the digital TV or set-top box is connected to a WAN 206. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the display device may be a smart fridge, which advantageously provides a variety of additional electronic domestic services (such as controlling heating and lighting, shopping for groceries, and/or monitoring supplies of food inside the fridge, preferably using RFID devices) for the benefit of the technologically minded homeowner.

In the case of the computer 202, the WAN 206 may be implemented over the internet using the internet protocol TCP/IP. In the case of the digital TV or set-top box, the WAN may be implemented using a digital video broadcasting (DVB) standard, again using the internet protocol TCP/IP (i.e. IP over DVB) or using a Moving Picture Experts Group' (MPEG) data stream, again using the internet protocol TCP/IP (i.e. TCP over MPEG).

Whilst the internet protocol is preferred, because it provides a reliable delivery of data streams and is well supported in the communications industry, other transport layer protocols, such as UDP or SCTP could be used instead.

The computer 202 and the digital TV or set-top box both have in common their situation within the local environment 100. Accordingly, if desired, these multipurpose display devices could be connected to the LAN 106 used by the smart meters 104 to provide a secondary or backup means of communication between the smart meters 104 and the display device. The secondary communication could be used to corroborate commodity information received from the remote server 200 over the WAN, for example, or relied upon in the event of a communication failure in the WAN. However, communication between the smart meters and the display device over the LAN is merely an optional addition to the system and does not form the crux of the present invention, which is to provide such communication via a remote server.

The multipurpose display device of Figure 2 is a mobile, or cellular, telephone 204.

Alternatively, the display device may be a personal digital assistant (PDA), or the like.

As with the multipurpose display device illustrated in Figure 1, the mobile phone (or PDA) is connected to a WAN 206, which is preferably implemented over the internet using a suitable protocol such as TCP/IP.

The multipurpose display device illustrated in Figure 2 may operate within the local environment 100, but advantageously need not remain therein. As illustrated, by communicating with the remote server 200, the multipurpose display device may receive commodity information wherever it is able to access the WAN 206. The same is true, for example, in the case of a laptop computer or suchlike which is taken away from the local environment.

Whatever the form of the multipurpose display device 200, the functions it is preferably configured to achieve are as follows. Preferably, the display device is configured to receive and display information concerning the consumption of commodities measured by the one or more meters, including consumption data generated thereby. Optionally, the display device may display time stamp, which gives an indication as to the time at which the consumption data was generated.

The commodity information which is received and displayed by the display device may include consumption data substantially as described above in connection with the consumption data generated by the meters. For brevity, this information shall not be repeated here.

In addition, or alternatively, the commodity information received and displayed by the display device may concern the cost of consumption, the unit price of commodity, or tariff information; historical consumption information, such as information which was never or is no longer stored in the smart meter, or is lost upon transmission from the smart meter; and/or information concerning the weather, including current and historical weather data.

The display device may thereby provide access to time-of-use and/or total consumption information (in kWh); time-of-use and/or total cost incurred for that day, week, month or year; and/or time-of-use and/or total CO2 emissions (in Kg). It may provide access to graphical and textual historical data concerning the amount of energy consumed, cost incurred or CO2 emitted within those periods (or other periods, as may be set by the user). It may provide comparative information between current consumption and a period such as yesterday, last week, last month or last year. It may enable a user to set energy targets and monitor the progress towards such targets. Targets may be based on those set by the user, based on similar households or other benchmark comparisons.

The commodity information received and displayed by the display device might also include information specific to particular commodities, such as whether there is a national or local commodity supply problem such as a water shortage or periodic electricity blackouts.

The display device may enable access to billing and payment information such as a daily balance for the consumer, including available credit or outstanding debt; the current tariff rates, tariff steps and switching times between tariffs (should they differ depending the on amount of consumption or the time of day, for example); and other facilities such as emergency credit, the status of a friendly credit period, a top-up payment facility and top-up history.

Finally, commodity information received and displayed by the display device might include messages such as warnings generated by the remote server concerning abnormal or excessive consumption, for example. Such information may be of assistance in detecting leaks, indicating whether appliances have been left on, or alerting carers if appliances have been unused by vulnerable or elderly people for a period of time.

Alternatively, such messages could be sent from the commodity supplier for the purposes of informing the consumer how best to reduce consumption or advertising to the consumer alternative tariffs or products offered by the supplier or a third party which may be of interest.

Other features of the display device may include the date and time; configurable consumption alarm which is triggered after a certain amount of consumption or at a certain rate of consumption; It will be appreciated that the above-mentioned list of functions may be implemented by a skilled person in the processor of the display device or of the remote server.

It will furthermore be appreciated that the above-mentioned list of functions of the display device is not exhaustive, and each function may be provided independently from or in combination with any other.

3. The Remote Server The remote server 300 is the same for each commodity information system, and like numerals have accordingly been used to describe equivalent components.

It will be appreciated that the remote server need not be a single server, but could be a cluster of servers, a blade server, or any other appropriate arrangement.

The remote server 300 is in communication with both the smart meters 104 and the multipurpose display devices 202, 204 using one or more communication channels. A communication channel, in this context, extends to any form of direct or indirect communication between the remote server and the respective device.

As explained above, the remote server communicates with the display device, be it a computer, digital TV, set-top box, mobile phone, smart fudge or some other device, over a WAN 206 using the internet protocol TCP/IP, for example. Likewise, the remote server communicates with the smart meters (optionally via a communication hub, should the meters form part of a LAN) over a WAN 302 using the same internet protocol.

Preferably, however, the communication with the smart meters is performed within a virtual private network (VPN) to maintain data integrity and data assurance between the smart meters and the remote server.

The remote server 300 is configured to receive and send data between the display device and the smart meters. Communication between the remote server and the meter may be one-way or two-way. This is also the case for communication between the remote server and the display device. In the event that communication is two-way, it may be either via one and the same communication channel or via separate communication channels.

An advantage of providing two-way communication via separate channels is that the system may be configured with greater flexibility (allowing data to be retrieved on demand, for example), and the bandwidth provided for data communication may be maximised. An advantage of providing fewer channels is that the overall cost and complexity of the system may be reduced.

In the case of one-way communication, the smart meters may periodically send consumption data to the remote server. Upon receipt of the data, the remote server may optionally process the data before sending commodity information to the display device for displaying to the consumer.

In the case of two-way communication, the display device may be configured to send requests for commodity information and the smart meters may be configured to receive instructions to provide consumption data. In response to such instructions, smart meters may send requested information to the remote server (in which it is optionally processed) and the display device may thereafter receive corresponding commodity information.

The requests may be ad-hoc, and initiated by the consumer at the display device, for example. Upon receipt of such a request, the remote server may optionally process the request before instructing the smart meters to provide consumption data. Alternatively, the remote server may instruct the smart meters to provide consumption data according to a schedule, or may send instructions according to such a schedule, and thereafter send commodity information to the display device either upon receipt of a request, as explained above, or according to the same or a different schedule. Requests and instructions may be dealt with by a data processing application within the remote server.

Optionally, the remote server may be configured to provide processing of data. In particular, the remote server may calculate total or average consumption, and/or generate consumption profiles from the consumption data received from the smart meters. The remote server may also detect abnormal consumption.

The processing application is preferably adapted to encode a user command into a particular protocol format, depending on how the command is to be sent. The application may automatically, or upon instruction, generate a message or instructions to be sent to one or both of the smart meters or the display device. The application may store, encrypt and send the message or instructions, as required.

Likewise, the processing application is preferably adapted to decode a message from a particular protocol format, depending on how it was received. The application may decrypt and parse the message, store it, and/or authenticate the sender based upon an ID associated with the message. The ID may be that of the smart meter or the display

device, for example.

The processing application may further be adapted to validate and verifi information obtained from the message content. Validation and verification may be of the source or destination of the message (which may include the smart meter or display device, for example) or of the accuracy of the information. In a particular example of such processing, the application may compare the consumption data to the previous data received to detect erroneous or anomalous meter readings. Upon identification of an anomaly, the remote server may request that the smart meter send the consumption data again.

A particularly preferred function of the processing application is to communicate with a storage device to enable storage of previous consumption data. Storage of previous consumption data enables a user to access historical commodity information or generate a consumption profile, for example. Furthermore, by providing a storage function in the remote server, neither the smart meters nor the display device need to store such data themselves.

The processing application may present the commodity information to the user in a convenient form. This form may be pre-selected by the user, or may follow a template.

As explained above, a particular benefit of the present invention is that handling of consumption data may be carried out remotely. By providing the remote server with means for processing and storing consumption data, the capability of handling such data is greatly improved. For example, the remote server may be adapted to store historical consumption data; calculate consumption trends; identify anomalous levels of consumption and alert a consumer; calculate cost of commodity consumption; associate commodity consumption with other factors (such as the weather, time of day, day of week and/or time of year); and/or make recommendations as to how consumption may be reduced based on a consumer's consumption pattern.

A further functionality of the remote server is to receive an alert from a smart meter which takes the form of data generated about the consumption of a commodity which the meter is adapted to monitor. For example, a pre-pay smart meter may be adapted to monitor the remaining balance and send an alert to the remote server when the balance drops below a certain threshold. Once the processing application on the remote server has received this alert, it may send a warning to the display device to alert the consumer.

Depending on the form of the display device, the consumer may receive a text message, an email or a pop-up warning on a television or computer, for example.

Of course, the above-described alert monitoring could be performed instead by the remote server, depending on particular circumstances.

Figure 3 illustrates a preferred method of operating the commodity information system described above.

In the method illustrated in Figure 3, a request for commodity information is sent 400 from the multipurpose display device 200 to the remote server 300. The request may be initiated manually by the user, or it may be sent automatically upon initiation of the display device (or a program loaded thereupon), or it may be sent periodically. The request is sent via a first channel established over a WAN. The request comprises a request to stream commodity information associated with a specified set of commodity meters across that same first channel or, optionally, a different second channel established over a WAN. The request may be in connection with a particular one commodity meter, or it may be in connection with a set of meters in a local environment.

The request comprises one or more device IDs, which may be specific to the display device. The display device ID may be indicated by the smart meters, or may be associated with consumption data received from the smart meters at the remote server, such that the correct commodity information is sent to the display device.

A data processing application within the remote server receives the request from the multipurpose display device and generates one or more instructions for sending 402 to the smart meters which are the subject of the request. The instruction(s) are sent via a third channel established over a WAN, preferably within a VPN. The instruction comprises a request to stream consumption data from a specified set of smart meters across that same third channel or, optionally, a different fourth channel established over a WAN, preferably within a VPN. The instruction comprises one or more device IDs, which indicate the IDs of the commodity meters which are the subject of the request. If the smart meters form part of a LAN, the instruction(s) may be sent to a communication hub, at which point each instruction is sent to its associated meter according to the commodity ID.

Upon receipt of the instruction, each of the commodity meters in the specified set returns its consumption data via the specified communication channel. The consumption data may be in accordance with that described above, but is also accompanied by the device ID of the meter from which it is returned. The third communication channel may be closed either by the remote server (upon transmission of the instruction) or by the smart meters (upon receipt of the instruction). Likewise, the fourth communication channel may be closed either by the remote server (upon receipt of the consumption data) or by the smart meters (transmission of the consumption data).

Following optional processing of the received consumption data, the remote server sends the requested commodity information to the remote device via the specified communication channel. The commodity information may be the same as that described above, but may also be accompanied by the device ID of the display device. The first and second communication channels may be closed either by the remote server (upon transmission of the commodity information, for example) or by the display device (upon receipt of the commodity information, for example).

The benefit of obtaining consumption data in the manner set forth above (i.e. on demand) is that the commodity information is based upon data which is as up-to-date as possible. However, the on-demand method is not the only way of operating the system in accordance with the invention.

Instead of (or as well as) instructing a specified set of smart meters based upon a request received from the display device, the remote server may send such instructions according to a particular schedule. The schedule may be every 15 seconds, every 30 minutes or every 24 hours, for example, but any schedule could be used depending on the circumstances. Alternatively, the remote server may send a single instruction, containing the schedule, to the smart meters, which may thereafter send consumption data to the remote server according to that schedule. Such schedules may be set according to user preferences and may be periodic or otherwise.

In such cases where instructions which are sent to the meters periodically, the period may depend upon the circumstance and could be every IS seconds, every minute, every hour, every day, every month or any other length. The smaller the period, the more accurately the remote server is able to resolve a consumer's consumption pattern. For example, to resolve a pattern over the course of a week, the remote server should obtain consumption data at least every day. To resolve a pattern over the course of a day, the remote server should obtain consumption data at least every hour. Of course, multiple periods could be used for different purposes. For example, periods of 15 seconds could be used to build a consumption profile over the course of an hour, and periods of a month could be used to generate a bill.

In alternative methods, smart meters need not only wait for an instruction to be received from the remote server, but instead may send consumption data to the remote server periodically, and/or according to a schedule.

In such circumstances, consumption information sent to the display device may be based not upon data received in connection with an instruction prompted by a request, but based upon the most recent data received by the remote server.

This method may be faster than the method described above because the remote server need only receive a request from the display device and provide commodity information in response thereto, without interrogating the commodity meter. In this case, the information sent to the display device may based upon the most recent data received from the meter.

Likewise, commodity information need not be sent to the display device only upon receipt of a request therefrom. Alternatively, the remote server may send such information to the display device periodically and/or according to a schedule.

As a skilled person will appreciate, it is preferable that the time taken to display changes in consumption data (the response time) on a display device using a system according to the present invention is similar to, but preferably equal to or less than, the equivalent response time of existing smart meter systems which communicate over a LAN. The response time may simply be calculated based on the time taken for consumption data generated by a smart meter to reach the display device. A preferred such response time is for the display device to update with consumption data received from the smart meter at least every 30 seconds, but preferably every five seconds. Alternatively it the response time may include the time taken for a request for such data sent from the display device to reach the smart meter and for the meter to respond. A preferred such response time is for the display device to update with consumption data received from the smart meter followed by a request initiated at the display device within ten seconds.

Of course, the response time of the present invention will be limited by the speed of the WAN.

In view of the aforementioned description of the device and method according to the present invention, a skilled person will readily appreciate and be able to put into practice alternative devices and method which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

Claims 1. A commodity monitoring system comprising: a commodity meter adapted to provide consumption data of a commodity; and a remote server adapted to: communicate with the commodity meter and receive said consumption data therefrom; and communicate with a display device adapted to display information regarding the consumption of said commodity and provide said display device with commodity information based upon said consumption data.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a communication hub adapted to communicate with the commodity meter over a local area network (LAN), wherein the remote server is adapted to communicate with the communication hub.
3. The system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the remote server comprises: a first communication channel adapted to communicate with the commodity meter; and a second communication channel adapted to communicate with the display device.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first and second communication channels are established over a wide area network (WAN).
5. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the remote server comprises means for processing and storing the consumption data obtained from the commodity meter.
6. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the remote server is adapted to periodically instruct the commodity meter to provide said consumption data.
7. The system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the remote server is adapted to instruct the commodity meter to provide said consumption data upon receipt of a request to provide commodity information.
8. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the remote server is adapted to receive a request to provide commodity information from the display device and send commodity information to the display device in response thereto.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the commodity information comprises information regarding the consumption of said commodity based upon the consumption data.
10. A remote server for use in the commodity monitoring system of any preceding claim, said remote server comprising: first communication means for communicating with said commodity meter; and second communication means for communication with said display device.
11. A method for handling commodity data, the method comprising the steps of: producing consumption data of a commodity; receiving said consumption data at a remote server; and sending commodity information to a display device.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of producing consumption data comprises: sensing consumption of the commodity and generating consumption data at a commodity meter; and communicating the consumption data over a local area network (LAN) to a communication hub.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of receiving said consumption data at a remote server comprises: sending an instruction to the communication hub to provide consumption data generated by the commodity meter; and receiving, over a wide area network (WAN), said consumption data from the communication hub.
14. The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the step of sending information regarding consumption to a display device comprises: sending, over a wide area network (WAN), consumption information to the display device.
15. The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising the steps of: processing the received consumption data at the remote server; and generating commodity information based upon the consumption data.
16. The method of any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising the step of: storing the received consumption data at the remote server.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the commodity information is generated from the stored consumption data.
18. The system of any one of claims ito 10 or the method of any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the display device is one or more of: a dedicated display unit; a personal computer; a digital television or digital set-top box; a mobile telephone; and a personal digital assistant.
19. The system of any one of claims 1 to 10 or the method of any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the commodity information is one or more of: a commodity meter ID; a current commodity consumption level; a current total consumption level; previous consumption data; a profile of previous consumption; and a cost of commodity consumption.
20. A server adapted to communicate with a commodity meter and a display device, wherein the server is configured to: receive a request from the display device for consumption information; instruct the commodity meter to provide consumption data; receive consumption data from the commodity meter; and send commodity information to the display device.
21. The server of claim 20, further comprising first to fourth communication channels, the first and second communication channels adapted to permit communication between the server and the display device and third and fourth communication channels adapted to permit communication between the server and the smart meters.
22. The server of claim 21, wherein the first and second communication channels are the same communication channel and I or the third and fourth communication channels are die same communication channel.
23. A commodity monitoring system, server or method for handling commodity data substantially as described herein and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.