WO2002009467A1

WO2002009467A1 - System for remotely inquiring about the amounts of energy consumed by consumers

Info

Publication number: WO2002009467A1
Application number: PCT/AT2001/000232
Authority: WO
Inventors: Friedrich Mikuska
Original assignee: Festo Gesellschaft M.B.H.
Priority date: 2000-07-25
Filing date: 2001-07-12
Publication date: 2002-01-31
Also published as: AU2001276141A1; ATA13042000A; AT409677B

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for remotely inquiring about the amounts of energy consumed by consumers (1). Said system comprises energy consumption meters (3) installed at each consumer (1), data transmission devices (4) connected to said meters, and at least one data processing device (2) by means of which the data transmission devices (4) can be connected via signal transmission links (5), whereby the data transmission devices (4) can be connected to the internet.

Description

System for remote inquiry of the amounts of energy consumed by consumers

The invention relates to a system for remote interrogation of the amounts of energy obtained from consumers, including energy consumption counters installed at each consumer and data transmission devices connected to them, and at least one data processing device with which the data transmission devices can be connected via signal transmission links.

For energy markets on which there is only one energy provider and many energy consumers who have concluded energy procurement contracts with this one energy provider, it is already known to use energy meters whose meter reading can be queried remotely to record the amount of energy consumed by each consumer. The meter readings are transmitted from each consumer to the electricity provider here, for example via the telephone or power lines, which means that personnel for reading the meter readings on site can be saved.

Furthermore, heat meters which are mountable on radiators are known, which are equipped with a radio transmitter module and which the one you have detected, i.e. from the radiator to which they are fixed, the amount of heat consumed is transmitted by radio to a meter reading device equipped with a radio receiver, which is brought near the heat meter to record the meter reading (for example, by having an employee of the district heating provider use the District heating supplied roads). A disadvantage of both of these known systems is that data exchange with the energy consumption meters is only possible over relatively short distances or the signal transmission links (power lines, radio) used for this are not standard transmission links and therefore are not technically simple and therefore inexpensive Devices exist with which different people from the energy providers, in particular the owner of the energy consumption meter, can access the meter reading data. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for remote interrogation of the energy quantities of the type mentioned at the outset, in which this disadvantage is avoided and in which particularly simple and inexpensive access to the meter reading data is possible.

This is achieved according to the invention in that the data transmission devices can be connected to the Internet. This makes it possible to access the data transmission devices using inexpensive standard devices

Access (computer) from anywhere in the world and exchange with this data.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the signal transmission paths are formed by Internet connections.

Since the Internet is already available at almost every location to which energy is transported, no separate data lines need be provided for this when using this medium for exchanging data.

In a further embodiment of the invention it can be provided that a

Data transmission device is connected to several energy consumption meters.

The total energy consumption of the energy-consuming devices assigned to a data transmission device can thus be recorded separately according to devices or device groups connected to the respective energy consumption meters.

In this context, it can be provided that each energy consumption meter is connected to a data acquisition device, which data acquisition device to the

Data transmission device is connected.

Each data acquisition device takes over some of the data transmission device

Functions so that this can be relieved by using data acquisition devices. Furthermore, the data acquisition devices are generally equipped with less functionality than the data transmission devices, so that they can accordingly be manufactured in a technically simpler and more cost-effective manner. The use of only one

Data transmission device in combination with several data acquisition devices can thus be more economical overall than the use of a large number of data transmission devices.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the data transmission device is designed as a control device and, in addition to the one or more inputs to which the energy consumption meter (s) are connected, further inputs and outputs for electrical / has electronic sensor and actuator devices.

In addition to their actual task, the data transmission devices can

Transmission of the amount of energy consumption very useful for the consumer

Additional functions, namely the control of some electrical devices. Each

This saves consumers from having to separate themselves from those that already exist

To purchase controllers to be added to data transmission devices. In this sense, in the event that not a separate data transmission device is installed for each consumer, but only a data acquisition device, it can be provided that the data acquisition device is designed as a control device and in addition to the one or more inputs to which the / the energy consumption meters are connected, has further inputs and outputs for electrical / electronic sensor and actuator devices.

This means that even consumers with only one data acquisition device on site have the above advantage of cost-effective control.

In this context it can further be provided that the data acquisition device can be connected to the Internet.

In this way, a data acquisition device designed as a control device becomes equivalent to a data transmission device designed as a control device, as well as data can be exchanged with it via the Internet.

In a system according to the type just discussed, in which the energy consumed by consumers is supplied by a plurality of energy providers, each energy provider being assigned predetermined energy delivery time intervals with respect to each consumer, it can be provided according to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention that the data transmission devices each have a timer and a memory, in which a separate storage space is allocated for each energy provider for each consumer assigned to this data transmission device, with each energy storage space being stored in each storage space and consumed by the respective consumer at time intervals were assigned to the energy provider to which the storage location in question is assigned.

This allows the amount of energy consumed by each consumer to be recorded in a technically simple manner according to the different energy providers. In a further development of this embodiment, it can be provided that each energy provider is assigned a specific access code, which is to be announced by a data processing device when energy consumption quantities are requested, and that each data transmission device transmits only those energy consumption quantities that are assigned to the energy provider to which the Access code included in the request is assigned. Billing errors such that an energy provider charges amounts of energy that were not supplied by it are effectively avoided.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that each owner of a data transmission device is assigned a specific access code, which is to be disclosed when data is requested from the data transmission device assigned to the respective owner or when data is transmitted to this data transmission device, with which The access code of the owner has further data exchange powers than are associated with the access codes assigned to the energy providers and that each data transmission device exchanges data that go beyond the information relating to the energy consumption quantities available to the energy providers only with the sender of the owner of the respective data transmission device assigned access codes. This gives the owner the opportunity to exchange data with his data transmission device and thus operate it remotely, but unauthorized access to the data transmission device is excluded. In a system of the type just discussed, in which the signal transmission paths between the data processing devices and the data transmission devices are formed by Internet connections, it can be provided that at least one Internet server is provided, to which a group of data transmission devices can be connected, which Internet server is connected to Requests or transmissions of data from or to data transmission devices check the access code contained in these requests / transmissions and the relevant data transmission device prompts the transmission / acceptance of the data corresponding to this access code. The access codes therefore do not have to be checked by each data transmission device itself, which relieves the data transmission devices accordingly and can better use their capacities for the fulfillment of the other functions assigned to them.

In a further embodiment of the invention it can be provided that a configuration computer connected to the Internet is provided, on which a communication software for processing and forwarding the data transmitted from or to the data transmission devices is installed.

Such configuration computers can be executed with significantly greater storage capacity and computing speed than the data transmission devices, so that Configuration software installed communication software significantly larger

Ease of use can offer as software installed on the data transmission devices.

It has proven to be advantageous that the access codes are stored on hardware

Code data are formed.

This access code system is more secure than an alternative system based on manually entered character combinations.

In this context it can be provided that the access codes are formed by code data stored on smart cards.

This is a standard technology, which has the advantage that the necessary for it

Components (the smart cards themselves, the devices for writing and reading data from the smart cards, the interfaces used in such devices, etc.) are standard components available on the market. These standard components can be used unchanged in a system according to the invention, so no special components need to be developed and built, which is the total manufacturing cost of the invention

System would increase.

The invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which particularly preferred exemplary embodiments are shown. It shows:

Fig.l is a block diagram of a first embodiment of the system according to the invention;

2 shows a block diagram of a data transmission device 4 of the system according to the invention, to which a plurality of energy consumption meters 3 and sensor and actuator devices 8-13 are connected;

3 shows a block diagram of a data transmission device 4 to which several

Energy consumption meters 3 are each connected via data acquisition devices 6;

4 shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of the system according to the invention;

5 shows the modules 15 and 15 contained in a data transmission device 4

Memory 16 in a schematic, block diagram-like representation and

6 shows the memory 16 contained in a data transmission device 4 in a schematic, block diagram-like representation.

In Fig.l several consumers 1 are shown connected to a power supply network. These consumers 1 can, for example, private households - as symbolized by the stylized houses - but also industrial consumers (factories), public ones

Buildings, etc. Any type of energy offered by one or more energy producers, such as in particular electricity or district heating, can be directed to the consumers via the energy supply network, not shown.

The present invention resides in a system with which the amounts of energy that are consumed by the individual consumers 1 are recorded and queried remotely, i.e. can be forwarded to a central data processing device 2, represented symbolically by a computer.

This central data processing device 2 is available from the provider of the energy consumed by consumers 1 or from a clearing company commissioned by the consumer 1 and is used primarily to bill the amounts of energy consumed by individual consumers 1.

In the accompanying drawings, two configurations of the system according to the invention are shown that are in accordance with the basic principle but differ in terms of the number of energy providers.

1 shows a system according to the invention, in which there is only one energy provider and consequently only one data processing device 2, but a large number of consumers 1.

The system initially includes installed energy consumption meters 3 for each consumer 1, for example electricity meters or heat meters. Data transmission devices 4 are connected to each of these. The energy consumption meters 3 are designed in such a way that the energy consumption registered by them is not merely displayed optically on a mechanical or electronic counter, as is the case with conventional meters, but is made available in the form of a data signal. This data signal is forwarded to the data transmission device 4 connected to the energy consumption meter 3.

The data transmission devices 4 are designed such that they can further process the data signals relating to the energy consumption detected by the energy consumption meters 3, in particular can forward them to the data processing device 2. For this purpose, the data transmission devices 4 are designed by appropriately programmed microcomputer circuits.

Each data transmission device 4 can be connected to the data processing device 2 via signal transmission links 5, which are shown symbolically in the drawing figures with rectangles. These signal transmission paths 5 can be designed in any way. One possibility is to form this using the telephone line, which is usually present anyway or is routed to each consumer 1. Another, technically somewhat more complex option is to form the signal transmission links 5 by dedicated lines. Furthermore, it is conceivable to transmit the meter reading data from the data transmission devices 4 to the data processing device 2 by radio.

The meter reading data can also be transmitted via the power lines leading to each consumer 1 and each data processing device 2 anyway. This can be done regardless of the type of energy, the consumption of which is queried remotely by means of the system according to the invention.

The data processing device 2 and the data transmission devices 4 are used to implement the type of signal transmission links 5 with the corresponding, known transmission / reception modules, such as Modems, circuits for coupling and decoupling data signals in or out of the power lines or the like. The meter reading data transmitted to the data processing device 2 are primarily used to offset the amount of energy supplied to each consumer 1. As a rule, this calculation takes place at certain, predetermined time intervals, for example monthly. It is therefore not necessary that the data transmission devices 4 are constantly connected to the data processing device 2, but it is sufficient that the data processing device 2 is set up when the consumer 1 requires meter reading data to establish a connection to the relevant data transmission device 4, this by sending a corresponding request to send the current meter reading data and then receive it, store it and process it accordingly.

According to the invention, the data transmission devices 4 can be connected to the Internet. In principle, this can be implemented in any suitable manner. For this purpose, the data transmission device 4 is generally equipped with a modem or an ISDN terminal adapter, via which a telephone or an ISDN connection to a central Internet server can be established. As an alternative to this, each data transmission device 4 could be assigned its own server, which is directly connected to the Internet, but this is incomparably more complex and is therefore rarely used in practice. Furthermore, it is possible to connect the data transmission device 4 to a dedicated line leading to an Internet server, which provides a permanent connection to the Internet. For this purpose, the data transmission device 4 has a corresponding adapter circuit, which converts the signals generated internally in the data transmission device 4 into signals which can be transmitted via the dedicated line, and conversely the signals received via the dedicated line into signals which can be processed further for the data transmission device 4. This makes it possible to transmit the meter reading data via the Internet, that is to say to form the signal transmission paths 5 by means of Internet connections. Since there is a risk of data transfers carried out over the Internet that third parties read, manipulate or intercept them without authorization, i.e. prevent them from reaching the recipient, all data streams relating to the transmission of meter reading data (the request to send them on the one hand and the meter reading data itself, on the other hand) is preferably transmitted in encrypted form.

Furthermore, it must be ensured that not everyone - as theoretically possible due to the Internet connection of the data transmission device 4 - can access the meter reading data, but only the energy provider with whom the owner of the data transmission device 4 has concluded an energy supply contract. This is achieved by assigning an access code to the energy provider, which is transmitted before and together with the command sent to the relevant data transmission device 4 to transmit meter reading data and checked by the latter. The software installed on the data processing device 2 and on the data transmission devices 4 has algorithms known per se for carrying out encryption or decryption of the data and for sending or checking the access code.

These access codes are preferably formed, as will be explained in greater detail below, by code data stored on hardware. This technology offers particularly high security, so that the use of this technology alone can be sufficient to secure the transmission of the meter reading data. An encrypted transmission of this data can be omitted.

As will be explained further below in connection with the explanation of FIG. 4, it is possible to have this check of the access code contained in a request carried out by an Internet server 14. If the signal transmission lines 5 are formed by Internet connections, this can also be the case here, ie if only one Energy provider is provided to be provided in an analogous manner. The provision of such an Internet server 14 that performs the access code check is only one possibility, so the Internet server 14 does not have to be provided. If - which will be the case with most applications - the Internet server 14 is missing at all or does not carry out this access code check, the access code check is carried out by the requesting data processing device 2 and the relevant data transmission device 4.

The Internet has the advantage that data can be transferred very simply and inexpensively between any two places in the world which have an Internet connection. Large spatial distances between the data processing device 2 of the energy provider and the individual consumers 1 do not stand in the way of reliable data transmission between them when using the Internet.

The data transmission devices 4 can be designed such that they are connected not only to one but to a plurality of energy consumption meters 3, as shown in FIG. Each of these several energy consumption meters 3 can be assigned to its own electrical appliance 7 (for example, an electric cooker, a radiator and a motor are provided in FIG. 2). It is thus possible to differentiate the amount of energy obtained from a consumer 1 according to the individual electrical devices 7. Instead of individual electrical devices 7, 3 groups of energy consumers can be assigned to each energy consumption meter. In this sense, for example, in the case of an industrial consumer, a separate energy consumption meter 3 can be assigned to the office building, the warehouse, the manufacturing building, the electroplating department, etc.

These multiple energy consumption meters 3, as provided in accordance with FIG. 2, can each be connected directly to the data transmission device 4.

Alternatively, it is possible to interpose the energy consumption meters 3 and the data transmission device 4 with data acquisition devices 6, as shown in FIG. 3.

In this Figure 3, the consumer 1 is formed by a residential house comprising a plurality of individual apartments. In such an area of application, it is not primarily the total energy consumption of the entire house that is of interest, but the energy consumption of each individual apartment, since the energy used is billed separately for each apartment. Each energy consumption meter 3 is here connected to a data acquisition device 6 and the data acquisition devices 6 are connected to the data transmission device 4. Energy consumption meter 3 and associated data acquisition device 6 are in the apartments assigned to them, the data transmission device 4 common to all meters 3 / acquisition devices 6 is spaced apart from these, for example in the house connection box or the transformer station assigned to the apartment building.

The main task of the data acquisition devices 6 is to receive the data signals supplied by the energy consumption meters 3 regarding their meter readings and to forward them to the data transmission devices 4. For this purpose, the data acquisition devices 6 are designed as appropriately programmed microcomputer circuits.

The type of connection between the energy consumption meters 3 and the data acquisition devices 6 and between them and the data transmission devices 4 or between the energy consumption meters 3 and the data transmission devices 4 (see FIG. 2) is not essential to the invention and can therefore be chosen as desired. In the simplest case, separate electrical lines are used for this, which are connected directly to the two devices concerned. Point-to-point connections or data buses can be set up between the individual devices 3, 4, 6. The protocol according to which the data are transmitted via these connections can also be chosen arbitrarily, preferably (especially since appropriate interface modules suitable for processing these protocols are already available on the market) are standard protocols, such as RS-232, Ethernet, LON or the like are used. It is also possible to route the data between the individual devices 3, 4, 6 via the power lines that are present between them.

The devices 3, 4, 6 have interfaces corresponding to the selected type of the connections between them or the data transmission protocols used on these connections, that is to say connection plugs and associated encoder / decoder modules. The data transmission device 4 transmits the meter reading data received from the individual data acquisition devices 6 independently of one another to the data processing device 2, so that the amount of energy recorded by each energy consumption meter 3 can be offset independently of the respective other amounts of energy. As already explained above, data transmission between the data transmission device 4 and the data processing device 2 only has to be carried out on a case-by-case basis. The data transmission device 4 is not in the times between such data transmissions or is only very little used due to its high computing capacity even during the implementation of data transmissions. In addition, the time periods of data transfers are very short compared to the times when no data transfers take place. Overall, the transmission of meter reading data therefore requires very little from the data transmission device 4. The data transmission device 4 could therefore practically constantly perform other tasks due to its design as a microcomputer circuit. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, this idea is taken up and the data transmission device 4 is designed as a control device with which various electrical devices can be controlled.

For this purpose, the data transmission device 4 has, in addition to the one or more inputs to which the energy consumption meter (s) 3 are connected, further inputs and outputs for electrical / electronic sensor devices (a switch is shown in FIG. 2 as an example) 8, a temperature sensor 9 and an ammeter 10) and actuator devices (a motor 11, a lamp 12 and a heating element 13 are shown as an example in FIG. 2). The software running on the data transmission device 4, like that of microcomputer controls known per se, is designed in such a way that it can perform control functions, i.e. can control the outputs depending on input signals or at pre-programmed times.

A preferably implemented control functionality of the data transmission device 4 is to switch off individual electrical consumers connected to their outputs as soon as the total amount of energy consumption 3 detected by the energy transmission meter 4 connected to the data transmission device 4 exceeds predeterminable dimensions or if the energy provider is currently unable to to meet the entire energy needs of all its consumers 1.

The control functionalities can be predefined, that is, they cannot be modified by the user. However, since as a rule every user wants to implement other control functions, it is more favorable to provide possibilities for the desired control functionalities to be selected individually by each user, that is to say the data transmission device 4 can be parameterized accordingly by the user. For this purpose, the data transmission device 4 has interfaces via which suitable input devices can communicate with the data transmission device 4. The input device which is generally used to determine the control functions of the data transmission device 4 is a computer 18 which can be used by the owner of the data transmission device 4 and which is spaced apart from the data transmission device 4.

A special configuration computer 19 accessible via the Internet is provided, with which both the data transmission device 4 and the computer 18, via which the owner wishes to configure his data transmission device 4, can communicate.

If a data transmission device 4 is installed for the first time and connected to the Internet, this data transmission device 4 logs on to this special configuration computer 19 by means of an automatically started routine (bootstrap) and transmits its hardware configuration, ie the number of its inputs and outputs, to the type each input and output (analog, digital, connection for energy consumption meter) etc. This hardware configuration is transmitted to the computer 18, which displays this configuration to the owner and enables him to carry out parameterizations. These parameterizations are based on the fact that the owner announces which control functions his data transmission device 4 should have (e.g. the room temperature is connected to analog input 2, this should regulate the room temperature via outputs A3 / A4; the water pump of the fountain is connected to output A5 and should be between 19 ⁰⁰ and 20 ^midnight run daily, etc.). Insofar as - as will be shown below in connection with the explanation of FIG. 4 - the owner of the data transmission device 4 has concluded energy procurement contracts with one or more energy providers, this parameterization also specifies which energy provider delivers energy in which time period.

This parameterization data is transmitted from the computer 18 to the configuration computer 19. This creates a control program according to this data and transmits this control program to the data transmission device 4.

The parameterization data are additionally stored on the computer 18, so that the parameterization data transmitted to the data transmission device 4 can be displayed on this computer 18 at any time. The configuration computer 19 is not assigned to a special data transmission device 4, but is used to parameterize several, as a rule even all, data transmission devices 4 provided in the entire system.

The energy providers named in the parameterization receive the information about the possibility of querying or reading out the customer's energy consumption and the required access code, which authorizes them to read out the respective consumption value.

It could also be provided that the computer 18, in which the owner enters the parameterization data of his data transmission device 4, is located in the immediate vicinity of the data transmission device 4 concerned. In this case, the path just described does not need to be taken via a configuration computer 19 and the Internet, but this computer 18 can be used directly via standard interfaces, such as e.g. RS 232- be connected to the data transmission device 4. In addition to the software for entering the parameterization data, the software running on the configuration computer 19 in the above variant for creating and transmitting a control program for the data transmission device 4 must then run on this computer 18.

Such a parameterization of the data transmission device 4 is not only possible when it is installed for the first time. The control functionality of the data transmission device 4 can subsequently be changed at any time, just like energy providers and the periods in which this energy is supplied can be updated at any time.

The data transmission device 4 can furthermore have interfaces via which data, in particular the meter reading of the connected energy consumption meter 3 or data detected by other sensors 8, 9, 10 can be read out from the data transmission device 4. The data transmission device 4 can also be equipped with a display for particularly simple and without additional devices to display this data. In summary, the data transmission device 4 can therefore be designed in accordance with control devices known per se, such as PLCs or microcomputer circuits. If, as shown in FIG. 3, a separate data transmission device 4 is not provided for each user, but only a data acquisition device 6 in connection with a central data transmission device 4 common to a plurality of data acquisition devices 6, this data acquisition device 6 can be used as a control device in the sense of that just made Be configured (cf. the sensor and actuator devices 8-13 connected to the data acquisition device 6 at the bottom in FIG. 3). Because the data transmission device 4 can be connected to the Internet or is connected to the Internet, anyone - or if, as explained above, access is restricted by the assignment of access codes - anyone who has an access code can exchange data with the data transmission device 4. However, this data exchange is not restricted to the meter reading data that is of interest only to the energy provider, but can also refer to data relating to the sensor and actuator devices 8-13 and the control functionality of the data transmission device 4. This means that the owner of a data transmission device 4 (or the person to whom the owner has given an access code) can read out values from sensor devices 8,9,10 connected to the data transmission device 4 or actuator devices 11,12 , 13 can switch on and off or change the control functionality of the data transmission device 4, that is to say its program part relating to the activation of the sensor and actuator devices 8-13.

So that data acquisition devices 6, such as those used in a structure of the system according to the invention shown in FIG. 3, can also be communicated via the Internet, these can also each be designed so that they can be connected to the Internet. As an alternative, however, it can also be provided that only the data transmission device 4 common to a plurality of data acquisition devices 6 can be connected to the Internet and forwards the data arriving via the Internet to the data acquisition device 6, for which the data is intended in each case, or that coming from the data acquisition devices 6 Data that is to be sent via the Internet is passed on accordingly. Both functionalities can be implemented in a manner known to the person skilled in the art by appropriate parameterization of the data transmission device 4. Programming the data transmission device 4 in the sense of influencing its basic mode of operation is not permitted in order to prevent functions used for billing purposes (namely the recording of energy consumption values) or values used for billing purposes (the recorded energy consumption values themselves) from being changed.

Deviating from the previous explanations, it can also be provided that only data relating to the sensor and actuator devices 8-13 and the control functionality of the data transmission devices 4 or the data acquisition devices 6 are transmitted via the Internet, but that the data acquisition device 2 and the data transmission devices 4 are transmitted via other signal transmission paths, for example via a telephone point-to-point connection or communicate with each other over the power lines. Data streams relating to the transmission of meter reading data (the command to send the meter reading on the one hand and the meter reading data itself on the other hand) are not transmitted via the Internet. FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the system according to the invention for remotely querying the amounts of energy obtained from consumers 1, which can be used when there are several energy providers who sell one and the same form of energy via one and the same energy supply network.

The most common example of such a structured energy market in practice is the deregulated electricity market, which has already been partially implemented in the European countries and is currently being developed.

In a deregulated electricity market, it is not just individual companies that have the power supply monopoly in a state or federal state of a state, but - as in other areas of the free market economy - everyone can offer electricity. Every electricity consumer can thus freely choose from which provider he obtains electricity. Since electrical energy always has the same properties regardless of their provider - or even has to have the corresponding standards - it can never be clearly assigned to a particular provider based on these properties. The assignment of the energy supplied to the individual providers and the related billing of the energy by the individual providers can therefore only be carried out on the basis of time criteria:

If, for example, electricity supply contracts are concluded with three providers A, B and C, these oblige the providers to supply electricity at different time intervals (e.g. provider A for the period from Monday to Thursday, provider B on Friday and provider C and in time from Saturday to Sunday or provider A daily from 6 ^a.m. to 10 ^a.m. , provider B daily from 10 ^a.m. to 6 ^p.m. and provider C daily from 6 ^p.m. to 6 ^a.m. ). In accordance with these delivery obligations, the providers bill the amount of energy actually consumed by the consumer concerned in the energy delivery time intervals assigned to them. However, this system poses difficulties in recording the amount of electricity supplied by each electricity provider to each electricity consumer, because electricity meters generally used only record the total quantity delivered to a consumer, but cannot allocate this total quantity to the individual electricity providers with which the consumer concerned connects Has a power purchase contract. This problem can be avoided with a system for the remote interrogation of the amounts of energy obtained from consumers 1 shown in FIG. The system provided here corresponds in terms of its hardware components to the system discussed above. Again, several consumers 1 are provided, in each of which an energy consumption meter 3 is installed. These energy consumption meters 3 are connected to data transmission devices 4. Since there are several energy providers here, there are accordingly several data processing devices 2.

Here, the data transmission devices 4 do not add up all the energy consumption data supplied by the energy consumption counters 3 assigned to them, but instead separately store the energy consumption that occurred in them for each energy delivery time interval. To this end, the data transmission device 4 is programmed with the number of providers with whom the consumer 1 has concluded electricity procurement contracts, and the energy delivery time intervals which have been agreed with the individual providers. This is carried out by the owner of the data transmission device 4 as part of the parameterization of the data transmission device 4 already explained above. The data transmission device 4 has a timer 15, by means of which the current time can be determined. Furthermore, there is a memory 16 in which a separate storage space 17a, 17b, 17c assigned to the respective energy provider is created for each energy provider (cf. the schematic illustration in FIG. 5). The energy consumed by the consumer 1 in each delivery time interval Amount of consumption is detected by the energy consumption counter 3 and forwarded to the data transmission device 4. Each amount of energy consumption is stored in that memory location 17a, 17b, 17c that is assigned to the energy provider to which the time interval in which the relevant amount of energy consumption was consumed is assigned. The energy consumption quantities newly stored in each storage location 17a, 17b, 17c are added to the consumption values that may already be present there, so that in each storage location 17a, 17b, 17c the total time interval allocated in the storage location 17a, 17b, 17c in question is consumed. Amount of consumption is stored. Via the timer 15, the data transmission device 4 has information about the current date and the current time, so that the data transmission device 4 can determine at any time which delivery time interval is currently running and subsequently the allocation of the energy consumption quantities to the individual storage locations 17a just discussed, 17b, 17c can make. The timer 15 is calibrated via a time signal which is applied to the power lines or is made available on the Internet, ie is set to the actual date and the actual time.

Although not shown in FIG. 4, when using the system according to the invention in energy supply networks in which there are several energy providers, it is possible to connect a plurality of energy consumption meters 3 to a data transmission device 4 (either directly (analogously to FIG. 2) or via data acquisition devices 6 (Analog Fig. 3)), which are assigned to separate consumers 1, which can independently conclude electricity procurement contracts with different energy providers and whose energy consumption quantities must therefore be recorded separately.

In this case, memory locations 17a-c, 17a '-17c' and 17a "-17c" assigned separately to the individual energy providers are created in the memory 16 of the data transmission device 4 common to these consumers 1 for each consumer 1 (cf. FIG. 6). The result is a matrix-like organization of the storage spaces provided for storing the individual energy consumption quantities.

With regard to the reading out of the energy consumption data from the data transmission device 4, a distinction is made between the individual energy providers with which power purchase contracts have been concluded: each energy provider is only made able to access those consumption data which relate to time intervals with regard to which the energy provider in question is obliged to supply electricity.

This differentiation is technically solved in such a way that every energy provider is assigned a specific access code. If one of the data processing devices 2 requests the energy provider to transmit energy consumption quantities, the access code assigned to the energy provider must be made known.

In response to such a request, each data transmission device 4 only transmits those energy consumption quantities that are assigned to the energy provider to which the access code contained in the request is assigned. Organizationally, this access code check is generally implemented in such a way that the data transmission device 4 itself checks the access code and the data corresponding to the result of this check is passed on to the requesting data processing device 2. This data is formed by the content of the storage space 17a-17c, 17a '-17c', 17a "-17c", which is assigned to the requesting energy provider. This type of access code check is to be used above all if the signal transmission links 5 between the data processing devices 2 and the data transmission devices 4 are not through Internet connections, that is to say for example through telephone point-to-point connections, dedicated lines, power lines or the like. Are formed.

However, the signal transmission links 5 are preferably formed by Internet connections. At least one internet server 14 is provided, to which a group of data transmission devices 4 can be connected. If there are so many data transmission devices 4 in the entire system that they can no longer be served by a single Internet server 14, the data transmission devices 4 are combined into groups and each such group is assigned its own Internet server 14, via which these data transmission devices 4 each connect to the Internet are connectable. These Internet servers 14 represent the conventional Internet servers operated by Internet providers and made available to their customers for accessing the Internet. As a rule, the previously described checking of the access code is maintained by each data transmission device 4 even when an Internet server 14 is present , However, it would be possible for each of these Internet servers 14 to check the access codes contained in requests relating to the transmission of energy consumption data for the data transmission devices 4 assigned to them. So that an Internet server 14 can carry out the access code check, the access parameters of all data transmission devices 4 assigned to it must be stored on this Internet server 14. These access parameters are to be understood as the time intervals for which the individual energy providers have concluded 4 power supply contracts with the owner of the data transmission device concerned, as well as information on the basis of which the access codes of the providers concerned can be checked.

If the Internet server 14 receives a request for energy consumption quantities, the Internet server 14 checks the access code contained in the request and initiates the data transmission device 4 in which the requested energy consumption quantities are stored, the energy provider to which the access code contained in the request corresponds to transmit.

If a request contains an access code that is unknown to the Internet server 14 and thus originates from an unauthorized requestor, the Internet server 14 initiates no data transmission but discards the request or sends a message indicating the lack of authorization back to the requester.

Also in a system according to FIG. 4 with several energy providers, provision can be made for the data transmission devices 4 to be designed as control devices, so that various sensor and actuator devices 8-13 can be controlled with them. The statements made above in connection with the design of the data transmission devices 4 therefore apply here in an analogous manner.

In addition to the energy providers, the owner of a data transmission device 4 can also exchange data with it via the Internet, i.e. request the transmission of data stored in its data transmission device 4 or transmit data to be stored in it to the data transmission device 4. Such data exchange between the owner and the data transmission device 4 takes place above all in the parameterization of the data transmission device 4 already explained above.

To carry out this data exchange, the owner of a data transmission device 4 is also assigned a specific access code which is to be disclosed when data is requested or when data is transmitted to this data transmission device. The assignment of a user access code or the reading of data from a data transmission device 4 or the transmission of data to a data transmission device 4 by an Internet subscriber who transmits the user access code to the relevant data transmission device 4 can also be done in the first embodiment of the system according to the invention , accordingly only one energy provider is available.

This owner access code is associated with further data exchange powers than with the access codes assigned to the energy providers: the owner can see all the energy consumption quantities stored in the data transmission device 4, furthermore query data relating to the state of sensor and actuator devices or as well change the control functionality of the data transmission device 4.

Furthermore, the data transmission device 4 can be given information regarding the energy providers with which energy supply contracts exist (in particular the delivery time intervals agreed with the individual energy providers) via the Internet (cf. the explanations above regarding the parameterization of the data transmission device 4). The owner access code is checked analogously to the check of the energy provider access codes as a rule by the data transmission devices 4 themselves. If an internet server 14 is present, this owner access code check can be carried out by the latter. Information for recognizing the access codes assigned to the owners of the data transmission devices 4 is stored on the Internet server 14 for the purpose of checking the owner access codes. If the Internet server 14 recognizes in a request or transmission of data a valid, the owner of a data transmission device 4 assigned to it, it causes the relevant data transmission device 4 to transmit / accept the corresponding data. In both cases (verification of the access code by the data transmission device 4 itself or by the Internet server 14), each data transmission device 4 carries out data exchanges that go beyond the information relating to the energy consumption quantities available to the energy providers, exclusively with the sender of the owner of the respective data transmission device 4 assigned access codes.

All access codes used in the system can be designed in any way. They can consist, for example, of a letter or number combination known only to the energy provider or the owner, which are entered manually into the device by means of which the data transmission devices 4 are to be accessed. Since such access code systems offer only low security against forgery, the access codes are particularly preferably formed by code data stored on hardware. Examples of such code systems are, for example, dongles which are to be plugged into an interface of the device used to access a data transmission device 4. The access codes are preferably formed by code data stored on smart cards (= identification cards with an integrated processor chip). In order for the code data stored on them to be read and transmitted, these smart cards must be inserted into a corresponding reading device which is connected to the device which is used for requesting / transmitting data from or to a data transmission device 4.

Any type of communication with the data transmission devices 4 (i.e. both the requests sent by energy providers and the data subsequently sent by the data transmission devices 4 as well as the data exchanged between the owners and the data transmission devices 4 can be carried out directly between the two parties concerned (data transmission device 4 on the one hand and data processing device 2 or owner on the other hand). The communication programs required for this must be installed on the data transmission device 4 itself or on the devices via which communication is carried out with the data transmission devices 4.

In particular in the case of the parameterization of the data transmission device 4 by means of a computer 18 and a configuration computer 19, which has already been described above, it is, however, more favorable to install corresponding communication software on this configuration computer 19, via which the data exchange is carried out. This makes it unnecessary to install special software on each of the two devices participating in the data exchange, because it is sufficient if standard software (e.g. a standard Internet browser) is running on these devices, by means of which data can be transmitted and received in a standardized format ,

The processing of the data transmitted in standardized format is carried out by the communication software running on the configuration computer 19. In the course of this processing, in particular energy consumption data, data relating to the state of sensor and actuator devices and relating to the control functionality of the data transmission device can be graphically represented or graphically changed by the user. For example, the control functionality can be represented in the form of a circuit diagram, in which the user can insert or remove switching symbols, electrical connections, logical links, etc. using the mouse. After the changes to the circuit diagram have been completed, the communication software converts them into control commands understandable by the data transmission device 4 and transmits them to the data transmission device 4.

Furthermore, the energy consumption data can be represented, for example, in the form of a bar chart.

These graphic representations, which are likewise created by the communication software running on the configuration computer 19, are transmitted in a standard format, preferably as HTML pages, which can be represented by standard Internet browsers. The system configuration of each data transmission device 4 (this includes information about the energy delivery intervals that have been agreed with the individual energy providers, the type and number of sensor and actuator devices 8-13 connected to the data transmission device 4 and its control functions that have just been set) can be carried out on the configuration computer 19 be stored. So that information can be immediately and can be made available by the configuration computer 19 without querying the relevant data transmission device 4.

Furthermore, there is the possibility already mentioned above of storing the system configuration of the data transmission device 4 on the computer 18 used by the user for entering and reading out parameterization data, so that the respectively current parameterization data on this computer 18 offline, i.e. can be displayed without this having to establish a connection with the configuration computer 19. A transfer of the current system configurations to the configuration computer 19 can be automated, i.e. without having to send a corresponding command by the owner, each time a connection is established between the configuration server 19 and the relevant data transmission device 4 or at predetermined time intervals.

As a rule, however, the configuration data of the data transmission devices 4 are not temporarily stored on the configuration computer 19. This data is transferred to the configuration computer 19 as required, or the meter reading data is transferred directly to the requesting data processing device 2 without intermediate storage on the configuration computer 19 or on the internet server 14.

If, in the above description and in particular when explaining the system in the presence of several energy providers according to FIG. 4, it was assumed that the type of energy whose reference is to be queried remotely by the respective consumer 1 is electrical energy, this is not the invention to be limited to this type of energy. The system according to the invention is equally suitable for detecting any type of energy, e.g. District heating, which can also be fed into one and the same pipeline network by several energy providers.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. System for remote interrogation of the energy quantities obtained from consumers (1) comprising energy consumption counters (3) installed at each consumer (1) and data transmission devices (4) connected to them as well as at least one data processing device (2) with which the data transmission devices ( 4) can be connected via signal transmission links (5), characterized in that the data transmission devices (4) can be connected to the Internet.

2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the signal transmission links (5) are formed by Internet connections.

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a data transmission device (4) with a plurality of energy consumption meters (3) is connected.

4. System according to claim 3, characterized in that each energy consumption meter (3) is connected to a data acquisition device (6), which data acquisition device (6) is connected to the data transmission device (4).

5. System according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the data transmission device (4) is designed as a control device and in addition to the one or more inputs to which (s) the / the energy consumption meter (3) are connected , further inputs and outputs for electrical / electronic sensor and actuator devices (8-13).

6. System according to claim 4, characterized in that the data acquisition device (6) is designed as a control device and in addition to the one or more inputs to which (s) the / the energy consumption meter (3) are connected, has further inputs and outputs for electrical / electronic sensor and actuator devices (8-13).

7. System according to claim 6, characterized in that the data acquisition device (6) can be connected to the Internet.

8. System according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the energy obtained from the consumers (1) is supplied by a plurality of energy providers, each energy provider being assigned predetermined energy delivery time intervals with respect to each consumer (1), characterized in that the Data transmission devices (4) each have a timer (15) and a memory (16) in which for each consumer (1) assigned to this data transmission device (4) there is a separate storage space (17a, 17b, 17c; 17a) assigned to the respective energy provider for each energy provider ', 17b', 17c '; 17a ", 17b", 17c ") is created, with each memory location (17a, 17b, 17c; 17a', 17b ', 17c'; 17a", 17b ", 17c") in each case those energy consumption quantities are stored which were consumed by the respective consumer (1) at time intervals which are assigned to the energy provider to whom the storage location (17a, 17b, 17c; 17a ', 17b', 17c '; 17a ", 17b" , 17c ") is assigned.

9. System according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that each energy provider is assigned a specific access code, which is to be announced by a data processing device (2) when requesting energy consumption quantities and that each data transmission device (4) only that energy - Consumption quantities transmitted, which are assigned to the energy provider to which the access code contained in the request is assigned.

10. System according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that each owner of a data transmission device (4) is assigned a certain access code, the data transmission device assigned to the respective owner (4) when requesting data or when data is transmitted this data transmission device (4) is to be announced, with the access code of the owner more extensive data exchange powers than with the Access codes assigned to energy providers are connected and that each data transmission device (4) only exchanges data with the sender of the access code assigned to the owner of the respective data transmission device (4), which goes beyond the information relating to the energy consumption quantities available to the energy provider.

11. System according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the signal transmission paths (5) between the data processing devices (2) and the data transfer devices (4) are formed by internet connections, characterized in that at least one internet server (14) is provided with to which a group of data transmission devices (4) can be connected, which Internet server (14) checks the access code contained in these requests / transmissions when requesting or transmitting data from or to data transmission devices (4) and the relevant data transmission device (4) for transmission / Acceptance of the data corresponding to this access code is prompted.

12. System according to claim 11, characterized in that a configuration computer (19) connected to the Internet is provided, on which a communication software for the preparation and forwarding of the data transmitted from or to the data training devices (4) is installed.

13. System according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the access codes are formed by code data stored on hardware.

14. System according spoke 13, characterized in that the access codes are formed by code data stored on smart cards.