RU2575871C2 - Resource measuring system and method of using said system for intelligent power consumption - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technology.

SUBSTANCE: disclosed is a resource measuring system, comprising: a terminal device (25) which consumes a power consumption resource for use in a building (2) or in a street lighting system, wherein the device comprises a detection unit, which generates state information and a utility (efficiency) indicator; an intelligent meter (20), comprising a communication circuit with an interface, configured to receive from said device state information and said utility indicator; a measuring device connected to a medium (17), which delivers the resource to said device; and a control circuit connected to the measuring device for collecting resource consumption data, wherein the control circuit is connected to the communication circuit and is configured to generate monitoring data to be transmitted in a secure mode to a server (10), after processing state information and said indicator. The monitoring data are used when determining consumption tariffs to encourage the use of energy-saving devices.

EFFECT: designing an automatic energy-measuring system for collecting data from measuring devices located near a point of use or consumption, which effectively motivates the consumer to improve their behaviour when using energy, without overlooking user priorities.

15 cl, 3 dwg

Description

Technical field

The present invention, in General, relates to meters that measure resource consumption. In particular, it relates to resource measurement systems equipped with a data recording device and configured to transfer collected data to a central database. The invention also relates to a method of using an energy meter for intelligent power consumption.

State of the art

Efficiency and energy savings are becoming increasingly important as energy needs are constantly growing, while the main sources of energy - various types of fossil fuels - are steadily depleted. As a result, energy costs will only grow over time, making up an increasing percentage of budgets for servicing residential and commercial buildings. In addition, since energy is mainly generated from fossil fuels, the increasing use of this energy source has a negative impact on the environment, contributing to global warming due to the release of gaseous carbon monoxide. Improving energy efficiency is most often achieved through the use of more efficient technologies or processes, although changes in individual behavior can also lead to lower energy consumption.

For many years, sophisticated, costly systems have been used to reduce energy use and costs. However, these approaches have proven to be too costly and complex for small businesses and home consumers. As a result, consumers do not have a specific motivation to reduce energy consumption.

The problem faced by distribution networks and consumers in an attempt to reduce energy consumption (gas and / or electricity) is the lack of effective and efficient measures that encourage the actual consumer to behave sustainably. For example, it would be useful if the consumer knew that any action leading to a reduction or optimization of energy consumption is taken into account by the central station and the corresponding charging system. Some automatic meter reading systems can be used to manage quantitative data related to energy consumption. Automatic meter reading systems are usually equipped with a communication module, for example, a wireless module, and contain a self-powered encoder that collects the meter reading, and the collected data is periodically transmitted over the communication network to the central station.

Modern systems, in the end, return some pieces of information to the consumer, for example, at the command of the consumer or in real time through a special device for reading consumption data in real time. A back-office solution called “AMR hosting” allows the user to track their electricity, water or gas consumption over the Internet. All data is collected in near real-time mode, and the data is stored in a centralized database with high-performance data acquisition software. The user can view data using a secure web application and can analyze the data using various online analysis tools. The user can easily build load profiles, analyze tariff components and check the invoice issued by the network company. An example of such a tool on the basis of the World Wide Web is a Google ^TM PowerMeter.

However, it would be useful to provide consumers with greater freedom in various settings, including home and office (i.e. building environments / conditions), while encouraging optimized power consumption in household appliances and light sources.

Accordingly, there is a need for an automatic energy-measuring system for collecting data from measuring devices located near the point of use or consumption, which effectively motivates the consumer to improve their behavior when using energy, without neglecting the user's priorities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the object of the invention is to satisfy these needs of distribution networks and users.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method according to claim 1 for transmitting monitoring data to a server regarding the use of at least one end device. Monitoring data may provide utility information (quality information) of the consumed electrical power for said terminal device.

In particular, in accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for transmitting monitoring data to a server regarding a consumer using at least one end device consuming at least one resource, the method comprising the steps of:

- connecting said terminal device with a smart meter through the interaction of said end device with a smart meter communication circuit;

- collect using a smart meter resource consumption data representing the resource consumed by said end device;

- collect status information and at least one utility indicator from said end device using an intelligent counter, said utility indicator being different from resource consumption data;

- process status information together with said utility indicator to generate said monitoring data; and

- transmit, using the said smart meter, resource consumption data and monitoring data to the server.

In exemplary embodiments, the resource may be water, hot water, cold water, or steam delivered to a final device through a medium, typically a pipe. The resource may also be gas or oil or hydrogen and the like carried through a pipe. Or, as explained in more detail in the embodiments depicted in the drawings, the resource may also be electricity delivered by wire to the terminal device.

Thus, due to the transparency of the transmission of monitoring data, the method does not create restrictions for consumers who are free to choose the use of end devices (for example, household electrical appliances, electric vehicles and lighting devices). The method allows to reduce energy consumption, since the distribution network charging system can mainly take into account user behavior. In this example, the user will be financially motivated to demonstrate sustainable behavior.

In one specific embodiment of the invention, the utility indicator is based on the measurement of the sensor of the end device. For example, a utility indicator may be retrieved by the end device processing module connected to said sensor. When the end device is an LED light source and the sensor is a presence sensor, the output of the presence sensor indicates the presence of one or more people near it and thus the usefulness or effectiveness of the light generated. In this case, there is no feedback loop between the monitored user behavior sensor and the device output, therefore, there are no technical restrictions on the user (no direct action with respect to the output of the end device).

Various embodiments of the method of the invention are described in paragraphs 3 to 17 of the claims and are included, respectively, in this description of the invention.

One object of the present invention is also to provide a resource measurement system suitable for the growing intellectual use of resource consuming end devices.

Accordingly, the invention further provides a resource measurement system according to claim 18.

A utility indicator retrieved using an intelligent electricity meter may be valuable and may not contain sensitive information that could be dangerous from the perspective of the user's personal life. Additionally or alternatively, reading with a smart meter protects the privacy of users, and the energy pattern recorded and transmitted to the server with a smart meter is processed in such a way that it is impossible to extract sensitive information about personal life.

One object of the present invention is also to provide a lamp suitable for collecting data related to indicating intelligent use of the lamp.

Accordingly, the invention further provides an electrically powered lamp according to claim 20.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates a house equipped with an energy metering system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the smart meter shown in FIG. one;

FIG. 3 illustrates a communication protocol used according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

In various figures, the same reference numerals are used to denote identical or similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a house 2 or similar building (e.g., a factory) in which embodiments of the invention described herein can be used. At least one electricity supplier server 10 is connected to the Internet 11 or a similar network. House 2 and other houses or factories (not shown) are connected by a power line to substation 12. Through it, house 2 receives its power from a nationwide power system 14. Substation 12 usually contains a hub that receives signals transmitted from houses by power lines and sends them in a suitable format on the Internet 11. Each substation 12 can usually serve from one hundred to two hundred households, although only one is shown here.

It should be understood that instead of the Internet 11 you can use any other suitable communication network. For example, you can use wireless communications using a wireless mesh network. In a more general case, you can use any method of communication (for example, WiMax, Ethernet, telephone modem, ASDL broadband or any other).

In the network shown in FIG. 1, devices in homes or businesses can establish secure communication channels with servers. At the same time, house 2 contains several end devices that communicate with the server. Electricity is supplied to the house 2 through the power transmission line 16, and the house electrical wiring 17 provides power to the devices in the house 2. The smart meter 20 monitors the energy consumption and communicates with the electricity supplier server 10 to provide usage details. The smart meter 20 includes a wireless communication interface for communicating with other devices in home 2.

End devices in the house, for example, a washing machine 21, a dishwasher 22, a refrigerator 23, a charger 24 for electromobile batteries (or batteries of another vehicle equipped with an electric motor), air conditioners, pumps, LED light sources 25, communicate with the smart meter 20. The solar battery 26 and transformer 27 provide additional power for the home, which, if necessary, can be output to the national energy system 14. Moreover, each of these devices There is a wireless connection to the smart meter 20, although communication through wiring 17 is also possible for those devices that are connected to it. One or more end devices may be part of a street lighting system connected to house 2 or a similar building. Alternatively, all end devices correspond to lighting devices of a street lighting system and communicate with smart meter 20.

One or more of these local devices communicate with the corresponding server 10 via the smart counter 20. Thus, the smart counter 20 is used to enable communication between many home devices and at least one corresponding server 10. Moreover, each of the end devices associated with a unique smart meter 20. Each communication channel is preferably separate and secure, which prevents the user from interfering with the smart meter 20, and does not allow a third party to access data generated, received or stored by any of the devices, including manufacturers of other devices in the house and owners of servers that are not associated with communicating end devices.

As shown in FIG. 2, the smart meter 20 comprises a communication circuit 31, a user interface 32, a measuring device 33, and a power supply unit 34. An antenna 38 for wireless communication is connected to a communication unit forming a communication circuit 31, which here comprises a wide area network (WAN) interface 35, a secure microcontroller 36, and a local area network (LAN) interface 37. A protected microcontroller 36 is connected to all other elements of the smart meter 20. Antenna 38 is an optional element, since local communication can be carried out in another way.

The meter 33 connects the power line 16 and the house wiring 17 and measures the energy consumption in the house 2. The smart meter 20 thus collects energy consumption data representing, in whole or in part, the energy consumed by the end devices. Collection can be done automatically. Information regarding energy consumption may optionally be displayed to the user on user interface 32. Preferably, not only consumption data is to be used to determine consumption prices. Qualitative data regarding the use of end devices and representing one way of using energy are also collected in the manner described below. The power supply unit 34 provides low voltage power for the electronic circuit in the smart meter 20 from the power line 16. In this embodiment, the WAN interface 35 facilitates communication on the power line 16. The 37 LAN interface facilitates wireless communications using a protocol such as ZigBee ™. Thus, any transmission between one of the local devices and one of the servers is routed through the microcontroller 36. A secure connection is provided between the LED light sources 25 or the other end device and the smart meter 20 to avoid errors and fraud (for example, to prevent permanent benefit from low prices regardless of the way energy is used).

As shown in FIG. 2, the communication circuit 31 is implemented as a module or subsystem in the smart meter 20. Each of the end devices is connected to the smart meter 20 by interacting with the communication circuit 31. The communication circuit 31 may also be implemented as a set of components soldered to the same circuit board as the other components of the counter 20. In a more general case, many other embodiments of the smart counter 20 are possible.

According to FIG. 1, a secure microcontroller 36 or a similar control unit of the smart meter 20 is configured to generate monitoring data related to the utility of one or more of the included end devices. A WAN interface 35 or a similar communication interface is provided for transmitting monitoring data to a server 10 (in this case, a remote server). Monitoring data contains locally generated information from a sensor or procedure provided on the end device. Such information represents the utility of the energy consumed by the end device.

As shown in FIG. 3, considering an example of LED light sources 25 or similar lamps, preferably modernized, each device 25 comprises:

- at least one lighting component 25a;

- a detection unit 25b that generates data including status information (eg, on / off) and a utility indicator (eg, occupancy of the place where the light source 25 is installed); and

a communication unit 25c for transmitting to the smart meter 20 data generated by the detection unit 25b.

In one exemplary embodiment, unemployment (for example, a person is in another room) is detected by the presence sensor of the detection unit 25b. It should be understood that the output of the presence sensor indicates the presence of one or more people near it and, thus, the usefulness or effectiveness of the generated light. Accordingly, a presence indicator can be generated that sets an indicator of utilization / utility and takes, for example, two values: 1 if at least one person is detected, and 0 if no one is detected. Such a utility indicator of the LED light source 25 and the corresponding information state that the power can represent are processed by the smart meter 20 to determine if the LED light source 25 is used according to the power saving mode or the power consuming mode. One or more informational states may be used. In the case of the LED light source 25, the information state can be selected from “off” and “on” or between different power levels. It should be noted that the utility indicator is external to the energy consumption data and represents the level of utilization in relation to energy consumption, i.e. energy quality level. This indicator can be obtained after measuring a physical parameter that expresses the use of a terminal device with electrical power. Thus, it can be deduced from the physical parameter whether the use is optimized or not (compared with the intended use of the device).

The detection unit 25b of the LED light source 25 in this case contains a processing unit for extracting relevant information, which is then transmitted through the communication unit 25c to the smart counter 20. Preferably, the LED light source 25 in a secure mode transmits control data to the circuit via the corresponding communication unit 25c 31 of the communication of the smart counter 20. Data may be enclosed in frames containing identification information, and signals carrying such identification information are transmitted between in module 25c and the communication interface 37 or the LAN analogous thereto communication circuit 31, to protect circuit 31 in the transmission link. In this example of unemployment, monitoring data may include data representing unemployment during operation of the LED light source 25 after a predetermined period of unemployment.

In one exemplary embodiment, the time control section of the smart meter 20 may control a communication circuit 31 for transmitting monitoring data at a frequency different from the frequency of the control data received from the LED light source 25 or a similar end device. The time control section may re-decide whether the first communication circuit 31 has received / registered control data. When the waiting period exceeds a threshold, the time control section controls the communication circuit 31 for transmitting transmission information.

To encourage people to turn off lights when lighting is not required (for example, a person is in another room), you can set the price for unreasonably spent energy higher than the price of useful energy. For example, the server 10 is equipped with a charging system connected to a central database and taking into account information about inappropriate waste of energy. The utility indicator allows you to determine the consumption of excess energy for the corresponding end device. In this context, a warning function that informs users of the inappropriate use of energy is implemented, for example, in the user interface 32 of the smart meter 20 or in a warning device located in the same room as the LED light source 25 or a similar lamp, optionally , in the housing of the lighting device. The consumer can receive a notification of the amount of excess energy consumption, tied to the date and time.

In one preferred embodiment, information regarding wasteful energy is appropriately communicated to the user, for example, through the display of user interface 32. Of course, smart meter 20 may also contain consumption data associated with obsolete lamps and / or lighting fixtures (upgraded), which do not have components for registration, processing and communication. Only one tariff is associated with electricity consumed by an incandescent lamp or similar lamp.

In an intelligent home or in buildings equipped with end devices, as shown in FIG. 1, an intelligent measurement carried out using the smart meter 20 may be associated with a specific charging system of the server 10, for setting tariffs taking into account the inappropriate waste of electricity. The energy metering system shown in FIG. 1 comprises connections between the smart meter 20 and several end devices for retrieving status information and utility indicators. The protected microcontroller 36 or a similar control circuit of the smart meter 20 is connected (a) to the measuring device 33 and configured (a) to collect power consumption data in said wiring 17. The protected microcontroller 36 is configured to distinguish between consumption data of different end devices, for example, using available switching data and / or status information delivered from the end devices. The protected microcontroller 36 generates monitoring data about the end device turned on after processing the status information and said utility indicator. Monitoring data, including data representing the level of quality of energy consumption for a given end device, is then transmitted to server 10.

According to FIG. 3, the communication steps between the LED light source 25 or any other end device are carried out in such a way as to collect information about the home, taking into account the right to privacy. Safety is also guaranteed in order to avoid unintentional leakage, for example, of information on energy consumption or the transfer of electrical devices in the control house 2 to third party control. It also manages privacy rights to manage the sharing of sensitive personal information with service providers and network companies.

As shown in FIG. 1, the smart meter 20 and the LED light source 25 form a pair at the initial step S0. The smart meter 20 and the LED light source 25 exchange basic information containing mutual identification, privacy settings, and agreement on future key material. In one embodiment, the house wiring 17 is used to form a pair, and information is exchanged via PCL (Power Line Communication) or a similar data transmission system. Home electrical wiring is used in conjunction with the first privacy function to securely link the LED light source 25 and the smart meter 20 and to guarantee privacy and user safety.

The first privacy function is implemented to ensure that control signals are limited to house 2, and to implement an authentication protocol that safely and uniquely connects end devices in the house (with the formation of pairs between smart meter 20 and devices) with an applicable smart meter 20. This can be realized by turning on an inductive filter, for example, a low-pass filter, in the smart meter 20. An inductive filter prevents any modulation of the signal from leaking in the house electrical wiring (examples of technologies where it is used are X10 and Ethernet over power) outside of house 2. Using this filter allows you to safely pair smart end devices 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 with smart meter 20. After this pairing , you can also use other means of communication protocols, for example, wireless ZigBee ™.

ZigBee ™ smart energy profile technology or similar technology can be used to communicate between the end device and smart meter 20 on the one hand and between smart meter 20 and the network on the other. Features of this technology include: core measurement, management of response to requirements and workload, pricing, text messaging, and management system support. ZigBee ™ technology provides security and authentication, allowing only the consumer, only the network company or shared network to manage information flow. Using this technology may provide the following features:

- authenticity, which guarantees the authenticity of data and transactions,

- integrity: data cannot be changed without authorization,

- no denial: the homeowner cannot deny the receipt of energy,

- communication channel confidentiality: the amount of energy consumed was not disclosed.

ZigBee ™ provides both security and authentication when implemented with AES-CCM with a block length of 32, 64 or 128. Other security features provided by ZigBee security include: protection against response attacks and access control lists (node lists for communication) with which this node is prepared).

According to FIG. 3, after the initial pairing step S0, optionally, session S1 initiation can be performed. Session parameters are negotiated. LED light source 25 can only function in conjunction with a specific subscription or subsidized models. Thus, the initiation of S1 session begins after pairing, but before use. According to this protocol, the LED light source 25 and the smart meter 20 in this case exchange capabilities and requirements, for example, the LED light source 25 can communicate its capabilities for notification of beneficial use, and whether it is subsidized.

Typically, sessions are valid only as long as the LED light source 25 or similar end device remains connected to the same wiring 17 (i.e., the same power path or home electrical wiring). The latter can be supported by the optional Heartbeat protocol with a continuous exchange of time-limited authorization credentials.

During the session, the LED light source 25 informs the smart meter 20 of the use, utility, state of the lighting function and associated sensors, etc. Optionally, certain end devices can also report the amounts of energy that they intend to use in a future period. Submission of S2 reports may be regularly updated during the session. As shown in FIG. 3, the smart meter 20 can send control signals to the LED light source 25 and to smart appliances or other end devices, for example, to indicate that the network is under heavy load and that, according to the subscription plan, one or more end devices should reduce its power consumption for low priority tasks. In this last example, a higher priority is assigned to at least one end device, and a lower priority is assigned to another end device. Accordingly, when the electricity demand is high compared to the generating capabilities of the network, the server 10 can immediately transmit a control signal to the smart meter 20, which, in turn, sends a power reduction command to the lower priority device in the control step S3. Such a reduction in energy consumption associated with a lower priority end device does not affect a user who uses other higher priority end devices. Alternatively or additionally, smart meter 20 may convert the control signal into a power reduction recommendation for one or more lower-end devices. Such a recommendation is displayed and / or a warning function may interfere with the user, who may choose to turn off this appliance, light source, etc. The user interface 32 of the smart counter 20 can be used to parameterize the respective priorities according to the personal needs of the user. Additionally or alternatively, utility indicators can be used to dynamically update the priority hierarchy. In other words, priority administration can be performed using smart counter 20.

According to FIG. 3, the network report S5 and the network notification S5 comprise two communication steps between the server 10 and the smart meter 20. Having received status information and one or more utility indicators associated with the end device, in this case, the LED light source 25 using the communication circuit , smart counter 20 reports to server 10:

- current use,

- utility, and

- optionally, the intended use and / or other agreed parameters of the network company.

The service provider associated with the server 10 reports, in step S5 of the network notification, the network status and may offer updated tariff plans in connection with the requested future power consumption in response to the intended use reported in step S4. In other words, billing for electricity consumption depends on monitoring data and can be dynamically updated. Prior to transmission to the server 10, the secure microcontroller 36 of the smart meter 20 processes status information and a utility indicator to generate monitoring data. The monitoring data, in combination with the consumption data, is then transmitted to the server 10. As mentioned above, the data transmitted by the smart meter 20 reflects the current use, utility and, optionally, the intended use and / or similar parameter. The smart counter 20 is further configured to implement a privacy policy and can apply traditional technologies to improve the protection of privacy rights.

Information collected at home is sent securely to server 10 of a network company or similar service provider. The second privacy function, implemented in the smart meter 20, in this case, determines what information is transmitted to the server 10. This can be determined by the user's preferences and, possibly, by a contract (subscription). Inputs on user interface 32 may be accounted for to administer this second privacy function. The technologies used to improve the protection of privacy rights include the frequency of reporting, averaging, masking, etc. It should be noted that this can be applied to the provision of a report on energy consumption, as well as to estimates of the energy to be used up (for example, to charge an electric vehicle at night, etc.). The power characteristics and time information regarding the end device can be used with the smart meter 20 to estimate energy consumption, i.e. Intended use associated with one or more end devices. The second privacy function also preferably has a limited security function, which is designed to authenticate signals coming from the network as coming from a network company.

Upon receiving the network notification in step S5, the smart meter 20 can use the network status and updated tariff plans to send via the appropriate control signals of the LAN interface 37 to the end devices. To control this process, smart meter 20 includes memory devices for storing updated data from a network company and an algorithm processed by microcontroller 36, and using stored updated data to account for energy costs and energy consumption priorities.

According to FIG. 1, the end devices 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 can also be equipped with a privacy function, which is responsible for some of the basic functionalities for protecting privacy in individual electrical appliances 21-24 and the LED light source 25. In one exemplary embodiment, the connection of the end devices with the smart counter 20 is carried out using the management of data communicated to the smart counter 20. The privacy policy for each device individually is carried out in such a way that this control is carried out, for example, similarly to the second privacy function used on the smart meter 20.

The information transmitted to the smart meter during the S2 session (Fig. 3) usually contains information on the status of the appliance (on / off, etc.), power consumption and energy consumption patterns, and sensor information (presence, temperature, level of ambient light and etc.) which may provide an indication of utility. Additionally, you can use one or more keys for authentication. Agreement on key material is reached at the initial stage S0 of pairing. Thus, the limited security function can be used to authenticate the signals sent to the smart counter 20 as coming from the end device. Pairing between the smart meter 20 and this end device allows you to associate the utility indicator and status information with energy consumption data (for this given end device). Smart meter 20 may operate according to one or more modes, at least one of which allows automatic adjustment of power consumption. Alternatively, smart meter 20 can only collect quantitative and qualitative data for each device individually, without making any changes to the power consumption of the end devices.

Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 shows an LED light source 25 provided with a detection unit capable of detecting unemployment in a room, it should be understood that the end devices can be equipped with a wide variety of sensors and collecting elements for determining a utility indicator. In fact, as an alternative to lamps, various electrical appliances can be considered that can be used in the energy-saving mode (useful energy consumption) or inappropriate energy wasting (useless energy consumption). Considering an example of a washing machine 21 or a dishwasher 22, utility can be determined by measuring the amount of dirt and the degree of loading of the machine. Thus, for making measurements, a load sensor and / or a water transparency sensor can be provided.

Considering an example of a charger 24 for charging batteries of an electric vehicle, such a device 24 may optionally be associated with a data recording device for collecting driving style information over a longer period of time. The charging operation is carried out at night at a lower rate. A summary of time data and optional vehicle driving data is communicated to the smart meter 10.

In this case, the end device is selected from the group of devices with electrical power. For example, this group essentially consists of household electrical appliances 21, 22, 23, a device for charging batteries 24, an air conditioner, a pump, a light source (and, preferably, an LED light source 25) or any other similar device.

According to one embodiment, the end device is flexible with respect to the time when it will consume (for the most part) its energy and inform the smart meter 20. For example, the washing machine 21 can do night-time washing, i.e. in a period of time with a lower rate. The smart meter 20 sends a request to the server 10 of the network company and in response receives a signal when the request is assigned (for example, in the form of a length of time when energy can be consumed). Such control usually allows you to get energy on economically favorable conditions, i.e. with discount.

Consumption control can be carried out through several end devices. This control example covers the assignment of time periods for the claimed energy consumption, for example, when an electric vehicle can be charged. The charger 24 shown in FIG. 1 can be equipped with a communication module that allows charging in a predetermined period of time. Charging is activated, for example, in response to a command signal from smart meter 20. In a more general case, such an end device will turn on after receiving a response from server 10 on the smart meter in response to a request. Such a request can be automatically transmitted using the smart counter 20 when a user command is entered via the end device interface. One advantage of this energy management is the ability to report on estimated energy consumption. Of course, such a report should not reveal too much sensitive information about the personal life of the network company or otherwise, and the above-described second function of protecting personal privacy should limit the amount of information transmitted to the server 10.

One additional application of the energy measuring system shown in FIG. 1, consists in using accurate information about the amount of energy consumed by the devices 25 of the LED light source, for example, to stimulate the consumer to replace traditional lighting devices with lamps made by LED technology. The return on investment in LED technology is to significantly reduce power consumption and increase the life of LEDs. As a result, they will pay off in a few years. Since such a replacement is associated with significant investments, the use of monitoring data to adapt the corresponding electricity tariffs may encourage the use of LED technology, although the time required to cover costs is a business model of the “light license” type.

For example, according to a business model of the “license for light” type, devices 25 of the LED light source are provided free of charge, and the price of electricity is slightly reduced. Money paid in excess of the normal price is used to pay for LED lighting. As a result, the consumer saves money due to the fact that the device 25 of the LED light source consumes much less energy. To implement such a model, an energy company or a third party (optionally, an LED manufacturer) may apply specific tariffs. An indicator and / or information state may be associated with each newly installed device 25 of the LED light source, so that the smart meter 20 takes into account the specific volume of electricity consumed by these devices 25 of the LED light source. The amount of electricity consumed by the LED light source devices 25 must be correctly collected using the smart meter 20. This amount of consumed electricity can be determined in various ways, for example, by measuring the light generation time multiplied by the known power of the LED light source device 25.

Since the connection between the new lamp and smart meter 20 is secure and reliable, this prevents errors and fraud. The consumer should not be able to install and use the free device 25 of the LED light source without installing an intelligent meter. For example, according to this “license for light” business model, LED lighting cannot function until the LED light source device 25 is connected to and recognized by the smart meter 20. The LED light source device 25 used in this model may be similar to the device described with reference to FIG. 3, and may further comprise an activation procedure in the communication unit 25c that allows LED illumination to be performed only after receiving an acknowledgment message from the smart meter 20.

Although the energy measuring system shown in FIG. 1, used in house 2, it should be understood that such a system can be installed in an office building or similar structures. To increase motivation for responsible behavior regarding energy consumption, improved employment detection can be provided not only to distinguish between useful and wasted resources, but also to determine who is benefiting from electricity resources. In this configuration, the end devices in the office building are connected to different consumers and, accordingly, are connected to the communication circuit of the smart meter 20. Various identification information is preferably used for different consumers to communicate with the smart meter 20, so that the server 10 only connects one of said consumers with monitoring data associated with one given end device from said end devices. The charging system associated with the server 10 will consider many accounts, thereby avoiding a centralized payment for the use of resources in an office building, etc.

Monitoring data can be collected with accuracy to identify wasteful behavior using measurement data and status information. Wasteful behavior, in particular, can be defined in terms of utility indicators, and consumer behavior can be charged at a more detailed level. As a result, an energy-measuring system enhances each individual's sense of responsibility.

The energy measuring system is also configured to be used for monitoring an outdoor lighting system. The cost of energy for street lighting is the main cost item for municipalities, including due to the large waste of energy. By collecting long-term utility statistics, municipalities can optimize lighting schedules. For smaller streets, savings on infrastructure are possible due to the connection of street lighting devices to residential buildings (many of which, in one way or another, have some kind of external lighting) and reimbursement of the corresponding energy costs from the municipality. In this case, the energy consumption from the end devices that belong to the apartment buildings is monitored by the smart meter 20. Steps S1-S5 shown in FIG. 3 may be implemented in such a way that the service provider collects all relevant data necessary for estimating cost recovery.

Many applications of the energy metering system can be aimed at preventing over-expenditure of natural resources. In fact, this system can provide a powerful means of bringing consumer behavior to patterns that are more environmentally friendly. An energy metering system can mainly focus on user priorities and simply uses measurement data and external information to provide financial (or other) motivation for sustainable behavior.

The present invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments. However, these embodiments are provided by way of example only, and the invention is not limited to them. For example, although the above examples are based on an energy-measuring system, they can also be applied to systems that measure the consumption of other resources, such as gas, water, heat, to ensure the intellectual consumption of this resource. Specialists in the art can offer various variations and modifications within the scope of the invention defined by the following claims, so it should be understood that the present invention is limited by the following claims. Although the information state is presented above as information other than the utility indicator, it should be understood that such an information state can be inferred from the indicator or vice versa. Thus, the information state should not be interpreted in terms of limitations.

No reference position in the following claims should not be construed in order to limit its scope. Obviously, the use of the verb “contain” and its derivatives does not exclude the presence of any other elements besides those mentioned in any claim. The use of the name of an element in the singular does not exclude the presence of several such elements.

Claims (15)

1. The method of transmitting to the server (10) monitoring data regarding the use by the consumer of at least one end device (21, 22, 23, 24, 25), consuming at least one resource, which is the energy resource of the end device, the method comprising the steps , where
- connecting said terminal device with a smart meter through the interaction of said end device (21, 22, 23, 24, 25) with a smart meter (20) communication circuit (31),
- collect using a smart meter resource consumption data representing the resource consumed by said end device,
- collect status information and at least one indicator of utilization efficiency from said end device using an intelligent counter, said utilization efficiency indicator being different from resource consumption data,
- process status information in conjunction with said performance indicator to generate said monitoring data, and
- transmit the resource consumption data and monitoring data to the server using the said smart counter. 2. The method according to claim 1, in which the monitoring data at the stage of transmitting monitoring data to the server using the said smart meter, presents data on the efficiency of use of the consumed resource for the said end device. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said usage indicator for said end device and corresponding information state are processed using an intelligent counter to determine if said end device is being used in a resource-saving mode. 4. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-2, in which the characteristics of the resource consumption rate and time information for said end device are used to estimate resource consumption associated with said end device. 5. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-2, in which a higher priority is associated with at least one end device, and a lower priority is associated with another end device, the control signal from the server (10) is transmitted to the smart counter (20) and converted to at least one of
- recommendations for reducing resource consumption, and
- teams to reduce resource consumption,
to reduce resource consumption of an end device having a lower priority. 6. The method according to claim 5, in which the hierarchy of priorities depends on the monitoring data. 7. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-2, in which the state information and said performance indicator are transmitted to the communication circuit (31) of the smart meter (20) by the communication unit (25c) of the end device, the signals transmitted between the communication module and the communication circuit contain identification information to ensure that charging to the right user. 8. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-2, additionally providing for the use of said performance indicator to determine excess resource consumption for said end device. 9. The method according to claim 8, which includes notifying the consumer, using the interface of one of the smart meter (20) and the said end device (21, 22, 23, 24, 25), about the amount of excess resource consumption. 10. The method according to p. 9, in which the consumer is notified of the said volume of excess resource consumption with reference to the date and time. 11. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-2, in which the session (S2) of the report begins between the said end device and the smart counter (20) after the said end device transfers to the smart counter data reflecting the ability to report on the efficiency of use. 12. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-2, in which the said end device is turned on when the smart meter (20) receives a response from the server (10) in response to a request from the smart meter, said request being automatically transmitted after entering a user command on the interface of the said end device. 13. The method according to any one of paragraphs. 1-2, in which the end devices associated with different consumers respectively interact with the mentioned smart meter communication circuit (20), while different identification information is used to communicate between different consumers with the smart meter, which allows the server (10) to connect only one from said consumers with monitoring data associated with one given end device from said end devices. 14. A resource measurement system configured to communicate with a server (10), comprising
- smart meter (20),
- at least the end device (25) consuming a resource, which is the energy resource of the end device,
wherein said terminal device (25) comprises
- a detection unit (25a), configured to generate data about the end device, said data including status information and an indicator of usage efficiency, and
- a communication module (25c) for transmitting to said intelligent counter (20) the data generated by the detection unit,
moreover, the smart counter (20) contains
- a communication circuit (31) comprising a first interface (35) for interacting with a server and a second interface (37) for interacting with said end device, the second interface being configured to receive state information and at least one performance indicator from said end device use for said end device, the first interface being configured to transmit data to a server,
- a measuring device (33) connected to a medium (17) that delivers a resource to said end device, and
- a control circuit (36) connected to the measuring device (33) for collecting resource consumption data representing the amount of resource consumed by said end device, the control circuit being connected to a communication circuit and configured to generate monitoring data to be transmitted to the server, after processing the status information and said usage efficiency indicator. 15. A lamp with electric power, configured to communicate with a smart meter (20), moreover, the lamp (25) contains
at least one light source (25a) for outputting light,
a detection unit (25b), which comprises a sensor for measuring physical data representing the efficiency of use of the light output by the lamp, and a module for generating lamp status information and a usage efficiency indicator based on the measured physical data,
- a communication module (25c) configured to transmit said state information and said indicator to said smart counter (20) so that the smart counter (20) sends monitoring data obtained after processing the state information and said usage efficiency indicator together with data on resource consumption to the server for the purpose of charging.

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