| ELSTER ELECTRICITY, LLC Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
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| 20110181268 | System and Method for Detecting the Presence of an Unsafe Line Condition in a Disconnected Power Meter - A method of detecting the presence of an unsafe line condition at a power metering device is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of determining if a disconnect switch is in the open position, and measuring a first voltage at a first load contact. The method measures a second voltage at a second load contact and determines if the first voltage is greater than a first voltage threshold or less than a second voltage threshold. The method further determines if the second voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold or less than the second voltage threshold. The method indicates that an unsafe condition exists if either the first voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold, or first voltage is less than the second voltage threshold or the second voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold or the second voltage is less than the second voltage threshold, when the disconnect switch is in the open position. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110158160 | IP ENCAPSULATION AND ROUTING OVER WIRELESS RADIO NETWORKS - Various methods of operating a wireless mesh network are disclosed herein. According to various embodiments, an Internet Protocol (IP) router generates IP addresses for wireless sensor nodes that do not have native support for the IP protocol stack. The IP router then receives and translates an incoming IP request and routes the incoming IP request to the appropriate wireless sensor node. In some embodiments, an IP data packet can be encapsulated and routed using an IP router and an IP bridge device. In other embodiments, an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) session can be managed over a wireless mesh network. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110103299 | PACKET ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR POLLED MESH NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS - A method, wireless mesh network and processor-readable storage medium for promoting successful end-to-end communication in a polled mesh network while improving system throughput are disclosed herein. Successful communications are acknowledged at each hop level to reduce the need to duplicate packets for redundancy. In this way, if a first bidirectional node transmits a packet to a second bidirectional node, the second bidirectional node acknowledges the packet, and the first bidirectional node receives the acknowledgement, then the first bidirectional node does not need to send a duplicate packet. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110068947 | MOBILE METER READING FOR LOCATING STOLEN UTILITY METERS - A method, collection device, and automatic meter reading (AMR) system for locating stolen utility meters use a set of identifiers, such as transponder serial numbers, to build a route of utility meters that have been reported as having been stolen. When each mobile collection device's daily routes are prepared, the route of stolen utility meters is added to the other routes for which the mobile collection device is ordinarily tasked with collecting meter read data. As the mobile collection device traverses its daily routes, it collects meter read data for the stolen utility meters along with the meter read data for its other routes. The route of stolen utility meters is unloaded from the mobile collection device along with the other daily routes when the read process is finished. The route of stolen utility meters may contain information that may assist the utility company in locating the stolen utility meters. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20100329174 | SIMULTANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN CONTROLLED MESH NETWORK - A wireless mesh network, method of operating a wireless mesh network, and a central node device are disclosed herein. Communications are interleaved to maintain a spatial differential, for example, two “hops,” between any two nodes transmitting in proximity to the collector. In one embodiment, a wireless mesh network includes a central node and a plurality of bidirectional nodes in bidirectional wireless communication with the central node. Each bidirectional node has a respective wireless communication path to the central node that is either a direct path or an indirect path through one or more intermediate bidirectional nodes. Each bidirectional node is characterized by a number of intermediate bidirectional nodes forming a respective wireless communication path to the central node. The central node isolates a first data communication from a first node from second data communications from other nodes that are within a defined threshold of hop levels of the first node. | 12-30-2010 |
| 20100315263 | CONVERTING AC POWERED UTILITY METER TO SOLAR POWERED METER - A solar powered meter reading device (MRD) includes a metering circuit configured to measure consumption of a resource. A transceiver is operatively connected to the metering circuit and is configured and arranged to transmit and receive radio signals. A power arrangement is electrically connected to supply electrical power to at least one of the metering circuit and the transceiver. The power arrangement includes a photovoltaic array and a battery electrically connected to the photovoltaic array and to at least one of the metering circuit and the transceiver. | 12-16-2010 |
| 20100278187 | Multiple Communications Protocol Routing In Advanced Metering Infrastructure Context - Techniques for using an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system for Utility Automation (UA) purposes in a utility distribution system are disclosed herein. In an AMI system, a metering node often includes a communications option board for connecting to a wide area network (WAN), which can be shared between the AMI system and a UA system. The metering node may be near other devices that can be controlled by a utility company to monitor and control components of the utility distribution system. A data packet is received in a communication device. The communication device determines whether the received data packet is formatted according to a first protocol employed by the AMI system. If so, then the data packet is forwarded to a first device in communication with the AMI system. If not, then the data packet is forwarded to a second device in communication with the UA system. | 11-04-2010 |
| 20100207784 | WAKEUP AND INTERROGATION OF METER-READING DEVICES USING LICENSED NARROWBAND AND UNLICENSED WIDEBAND RADIO COMMUNICATION - A meter data collection system in which a licensed narrowband frequency channel is used to wake up carrier-sensed, battery-powered meter reading devices (MRDs) is disclosed herein. In the meter data collection system disclosed herein, an unlicensed wideband channel is used to transmit data replies from the MRDs to a mobile data collection device. In another embodiment disclosed herein, a meshed network of MRDs communicating on the unlicensed channel is combined with a roaming interrogator that uses the licensed channel to send commands or to perform on-demand reads. | 08-19-2010 |
| 20090309756 | Techniques For Limiting Demand From An electricity Meter With An Installed Relay - An electricity meter capable of performing a method for limiting an electricity load in communication with the electricity meter is disclosed. The electricity meter includes at least one load control and the electricity meter has one or more predetermined time-of-use tiers. Each of the one or more predetermined time-of-use tiers has a corresponding time-of-use demand threshold. The method comprises determining a present time-of-use tier; determining a present time-of-use demand for the electricity load in the present time-of-use tier; comparing the present time-of-use demand to the time-of-use demand threshold corresponding to the present time-of-use tier; and setting the at least one load control to a de-energize mode when a de-energize condition is satisfied. The de-energize condition may include sub-conditions such as the present time-of-use demand exceeding the time-of-use demand threshold corresponding to the present time-of-use tier. | 12-17-2009 |
| 20090287428 | FRACTIONAL SAMPLES TO IMPROVE METERING AND INSTRUMENTATION - Methods and devices to determine values relating to metering a power line signal. A power line signal may be sampled by defining accumulation intervals associated with the power line signal. An accumulation interval may comprise sample periods. Samples are taken during sample periods. Values associated with the samples are determined for each sample period. A sample period may be associated with one or more accumulation intervals. When a sample period belongs to one accumulation interval, the sample period may be allocated to the one accumulation interval. When a sample period is associated with more than one accumulation interval, portions of the sample period may be allocated to the accumulation intervals to which the portions belong. Values determined for a sample period may be allocated to one or more accumulation intervals by allocating the values in relation to the allocation of the sample periods. | 11-19-2009 |
| 20090278708 | POWER OUTAGE MANAGEMENT AND POWER SUPPORT RESTORATION FOR DEVICES IN A WIRELESS NETWORK - Techniques for power outage management and power support restoration for devices in a wireless network are disclosed herein. Such a wireless network may include a number of bi-directional nodes in bi-directional wireless communication with one or more central nodes. Each bi-directional node may have a wireless communication path to one of the central nodes that is either a direct path or an indirect path through one or more intermediate bi-directional nodes serving as relays. Each bi-directional node may be configured to detect when it has become stranded such that it can no longer communicate with its assigned central node via its assigned communication path, to determine a reason for its stranding, and to transmit a stranding notification and the reason therefore. | 11-12-2009 |
| 20090167558 | OPTIMIZED DATA COLLECTION IN A WIRELESS FIXED NETWORK METERING SYSTEM - Methods and systems regarding an electricity meter in a wireless network are disclosed. The network may comprise a collector and a plurality of electricity meters that measure consumption of electricity and that bi-directionally communicate wirelessly with the collector. The electricity meter may have an established association with at least one battery-powered meter that measures consumption of a commodity other than electricity. The electricity meter may receive information about measured consumption of the other commodity from the battery-powered meter and store the received information. The electricity meter may transmit both information about consumption of electricity measured by the electricity meter and the information about consumption of the other commodity received from the associated battery-powered meter to the collector via the wireless network and also to a remotely located display associated with the electricity meter. | 07-02-2009 |
| 20080259844 | OVER THE AIR MICROCONTROLLER FLASH MEMORY UPDATES - Techniques for over the air (OTA) microcontroller flash memory updates using a wireless network are disclosed herein. A control node first transmits the microcontroller flash memory update to all devices that can receive the message. Each packet of the message is relayed through multiple communication levels until all devices receive the packet. This starts with communications from the control node to each device node that has a direct communication path to the control node, which are referred to herein as “first level” device nodes. The first level device nodes then relay each communication to each other device node that has a direct communication path to the first level device nodes, which are referred to herein as “second level” device nodes. This process is repeated at each level of the wireless network until each of the plurality of device nodes has received the microcontroller flash memory update. | 10-23-2008 |
| 20080219210 | RECONFIGURABLE MOBILE MODE AND FIXED NETWORK MODE ENDPOINT METERS - A meter data collection system in which endpoint meters are reconfigurable to operate in either a mobile mode or a fixed network mode is disclosed herein. While operating in the mobile mode, the endpoint meters transmit their meter data to a mobile device such as a “walk by” or “drive by” data collection device. While operating in the fixed network mode, the endpoint meters communicate with each other and with a central node to form a fixed wireless network. The endpoint meters may include a transceiver that enables the endpoint meters to transmit and receive data to and from the mobile device or other nodes in the fixed wireless network. The endpoint meters can be quickly and easily transitioned from operation in the mobile mode to operation in the fixed network mode (or vice versa) without changes to the endpoint meter hardware and without substantial re-configuration of the endpoint meters. | 09-11-2008 |
