Showing papers on "Electricity meter published in 2009"

Reliable, long-haul data communications over power lines for meter reading and other communications services

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product provides for power line communications (PLC) over electric power lines includes a device mountable near an electrical distribution transformer (DT) to provide a high speed interface and communicates with one or multiple access devices, which provide low speed interfaces for analog signals or digital signals over RS 232, RS 485, optical, wireless and Ethernet. The device transmits data to/from these access devices over the electric lines to other repeaters over one or more wires of an electrical line or over multiple lines, and serves to strengthen and improve signal quality. Upon detecting a wire or line is having problems carrying data, the data is sent over other wires, and upon power line failures, wireless backup to mobile/GSM and WiMax networks is utilized. The device permits utilities and others to read electric meters, monitor the power quality of the distribution grid and detect power losses/failures/outages, and permits telecom service providers and others to provide a communications link to cell phone towers, WiFi Access Points and enable broadband Internet and telephony in rural, remote or sparely populated areas.

Development of a smart power meter for AMI based on ZigBee communication

Abstract: Many governments deploy ubiquitous IT project, which aims to combine the latest wireless network and wide-band technologies etc to accomplish a ubiquitous wireless communication network The ubiquitous wireless communication network can be utilized for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Therefore, this paper tries to use the new wireless communication technologies to design and implement a ZigBee-based smart power meter An outage recording system is also designed and embedded into the smart meter The microcontroller of Microchip dsPIC30F series is used to develop the proposed smart power meter A ZigBee system is then deigned and integrated into the proposed power meter, and used to transmit the detailed power consumption data and outage event data to rear-end processing system The proposed smart power meter cannot only be used for power consumption data collection but also for outage event data recording The proposed system has great potential to be used to build the area-based AMI Experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed system Besides, the application of ZigBee communication in power area may, expectedly, lead to make a definite contribution to ubiquitous IT project

Utility managed virtual power plant utilizing aggregated thermal energy storage

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for providing power generation and distribution with on-site energy storage and power input controlled by a utility or a third party manager The system allows a utility manager to decide and direct how energy is delivered to a customer on both sides of the power meter, while the customer directs and controls when and how much energy is needed In the disclosed embodiments, the utility controls the supply (either transmitted or stored) and makes power decisions on a system that acts as a virtual power plant, while the end-user retains control of the on-site aggregated power consumption assets The disclosed systems act to broker the needs of the utility and end-user by creating, managing and controlling the interface between these two entities

Method and apparatus for home automation and energy conservation

Abstract: A system for reducing utility consumption of at least one subsystem of a facility is disclosed A utility meter is coupled to the subsystem for monitoring utility consumption of the subsystem and provides data corresponding to the measured energy consumption A controller in communication with the subsystem and the energy meter is configured to control the operation of the subsystem by employing an operating protocol with the protocol dependent on the data received from the utility meter The system measures the reduction in utility consumption and generates a credit based on the measured reduction

Handy feedback: connecting smart meters with mobile phones

Abstract: Reducing their energy consumption has become an important objective for many people. Consumption transparency and timely feedback are essential to support those who want to adjust their behavior in order to conserve energy. In this work, we propose an interactive system that provides instantaneous feedback concerning the energy usage on household and device level. For that, we used and extended the capabilities of a smart electricity meter, built a web-based API to enable interoperability with other applications, and developed a mobile phone interface that allows users to monitor, control, and measure the consumption of single appliances. Our system illustrates a way how usage barriers can be lowered and how high user involvement can be created. By providing users the electricity feedback needed -- in real-time and on device level -- the system allows for identifying the biggest energy guzzlers and helps users decrease their energy consumption.

Metering system and method of operation

Abstract: A metering system for measuring the electrical power used to charge a vehicle is provided. The metering system includes an electrical meter operably coupled to a conductor connected to the vehicle and an electrical outlet. A controller receives signals from the meter to record the measured electrical consumption. The controller includes a plurality of communications devices for communicating with different communications carriers. In one embodiment, the controller selects one of the communications devices based on availability and a desired criterion. The selected communications device then transmits the measured electrical power consumption to a utility provider. In one embodiment, the metering system is mobile.

Intelligent power management of an intermediate network device switching circuitry and poe delivery

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a management agent which has access to power output control circuitry of a digital electronic communication switch, a power meter, a load sharing means, and the ability to manage the power of switching circuits in the switch. The power meter enables the management agent to identify the power consumed by the switching circuits that are enabled and operational. This information, coupled with (1) knowledge of the power allocated to each port via PoE, and (2) policy information (which specifies power allocation preferences) is used in a two-pass power management method.

Design of an intelligent SMS based remote metering system

Abstract: Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) is a state-of-the-art technology for reading electric, gas or water meter readings automatically from a remote place without any human intervention. Remote metering promises fast and accurate billing system. In this paper, a technique for remotely reading electricity meter readings using Short Message Service (SMS) has been illustrated. Existing Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) networks have been used for sending and receiving SMS. A prototype of the system has been designed and developed for system exploration and experiment.

Wireless Communication System for Energy Meter Reading

Abstract: Energy meter reading is a tedious and an expensive affair. The meter reader has to go and take the reading manually to issue the bill, which will later be entered in the software to automate the billing and payment system. It would have reduced the laborious task and financial wastage if can automate the manual meter reading process and bill data entry process. This paper proposes a new network communication system for energy meter reading by integrating communication technology and software system along with the existing meters. A wireless or wired communication system will be integrated with electronic energy meter to have remote access over the usage of electricity. Even though they are two different modules, energy meter deliver the reading details as on when it demands by the communication system. The communication system is further connected with electricity regional/sub-regional office, which will rather act as a base station. Instead of creating a separate communication system and backbone, any of the secure existing communication service infrastructures may also be utilized to avoid any initial investments. The communication channel is identified by the consumer’s number and it is secured by any cryptographic standards. Base office can verify the energy meters performance by checking the day to day consumption of energy. This will also help to avoid any tampering or break down of energy meter.

Investigating the impact of a minimalist in-home energy consumption display

Abstract: We investigated the impact of a minimal in-home Energy Consumption Display (ECD), both stationary and portable versions, on household energy awareness and consumption. We deployed the ECD in eight homes for three weeks each, providing half of the participants with a portable version and the others with a stationary one. This work presents an account of each user's experience through pre- and post-surveys, power meter data, and post-deployment interviews and results of the study, which show that users reduced energy consumption by identifying high-power devices in their home and by playfully setting conservation goals.

Using circuit-level power measurements in household energy management systems

Abstract: The first requirement for any intelligent household energy management system is to be able to accurately measure energy usage in the home. Measuring energy usage is not difficult, however we must decide what to measure. Whole-home energy measurement is cheap and easy to setup because only one sensor is placed where the home connects to the power grid. The collected data can provide useful information for large appliances. However, the only way to monitor the energy usage of smaller devices is to install an energy meter on every device of interest. This creates a very detailed picture of household energy consumption, but requires a lot of additional hardware---one meter per device in the home. This paper explores an alternative, more practical, approach to monitor household energy usage including small devices. Our approach uses circuit-level power measurements and a new method to separate aggregate data into device-level estimates. Our initial evaluation resulted in an average error less than 5:35% for three devices with good response to changing device state. We therefore believe that this approach, coupled with a device-level control system, would create an ideal architecture for the next generation of household energy management systems.

Centralized control type monitoring system of electricity meter based on BACnet (a data communication protocol for building automation and control networks)

Abstract: The invention relates to a remote monitoring and acquisition system of an electricity meter, in particular to a fieldbus type network monitoring system of an electricity meter based on BACnet (a data communication protocol for building automation and control networks). Aiming at overcoming the defects of the prior art that a large amount of labor and materials are needed for manual meter-reading monitoring, the invention provides the fieldbus type network monitoring system of the electricity meter based on the BACnet. The monitoring system of the electricity meter adopts three-stage control, a plurality of field controllers are adopted for lowest-stage control, area control stations are adopted for second-stage control, and a central control station is adopted for third-stage control; and the three-stage control nodes adopt a BACnet connection for communication, and the field controllers are BACnet dispersible programmable microprocessors. The fieldbus type network monitoring system of the electricity meter based on the BACnet is characterized in that each BACnet dispersible programmable microprocessor has a random-access memory (RAM) data memory unit which stores a dynamic private key corresponding to an address, and the private key can be updated when in restarting each time.

Web based monitoring, management and contest based on collected power consumption data

Abstract: A web based monitoring and management system for collection and distribution of power consumption information. The power consumption information is collected by an intelligent power meter in one embodiment, and by a collector device in another. The power consumption information is communicated to a remote server for analysis, reporting and managing a power savings/green energy contest. The collector device or the intelligent power meter receives monitoring data from a number of electrical appliances with which it is communicatively coupled. Communication between the collector device that receives monitoring data from a number of electrical appliances and the monitoring devices occurs over a power line.

Advanced Instrument For Field Calibration of Electrical Energy Meters

Abstract: Calibration of electrical energy meters is coming up as a metrological concern. The latest European Union (EU) directives about measuring instruments adopted for commercial transactions state that their accuracy has to be verified in actual operating conditions. This requirement is leaving all laboratories involved in energy meter calibration in serious difficulty because this kind of metrological verification is, at the moment, still not fully developed or even clarified in all involved aspects. In this paper, a measurement equipment for the calibration of energy meters is presented. Its structure and metrological characterization are discussed. To improve its performances without increasing its costs, two online digital compensation procedures have been realized and are shown: one increases the spectral purity of test signals and one corrects the transducer frequency response. Experimental results relating metrological characterization have shown that the so-realized calibrator is suitable for the onsite calibration of energy meters.

Intelligent power management device with middleware based living pattern learning for power reduction

Abstract: This paper presents design and implementation of intelligent power management devices using user location, user motion detection and user living patterns in home networks. Our design integrates the device to be controlled, the intelligent power management device (iPMD), and the adaptive light-weight middleware so that it can be used with minimal power consumption for a wide range of applications. iPMD which will be installed in every power outlet in a home, is made up of five blocks: the pyroelectric infrared (PIR) sensor circuit, the light sensor circuit, the microprocessor, the power meter with a LED display and the PLC module. iPMD detects if a human body enters the detection area or not. If there is no human body present, all controlled appliances are turned off and iPMDs help reduce standby power consumption. If there is, the iPMD detects the light intensity under the environment and maintains sufficient light by controlling the nearby lights. An iPMD transmits and receives the sensor data from nearby iPMDs so the IPG can control different lights and appliances in different regions. iPMDs also communicate with the lightweight middleware at an intelligent power gateway (IPG) that adaptively reason the optimal power control by analyzing user living pattern from the sensing data from devices. The experimental results obtained from the real apartments show that the total power consumption can be reduced up to 7.5 %.

Design of an ARM-based power meter having WIFI wireless communication module

Abstract: AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) and PQ (power quality) management based on kinds of network technologies has become a trend. However, because of the high construction and maintenance costs with the existing meter reading technology, the applicability to different residential buildings and different network infrastructure should be improved, it is greatly significant to research new kind of power meter and the meter reading technology, which can accelerate the evolution of the Next Generation Network and facilitate people's lives. Now wireless broadband network develops rapidly. Generally WiFi is considered the consummate scheme to resolve “the last 100 meters access problem”, and WiMAX is regarded as the perfect scheme to resolve “the last 1000 meters access problem”. At present, many cities in many countries are building or will build Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks by WiFi and WiMAX, it provides the new connection ways to the AMR system. This paper presents an AMR system scheme using WiFi technology and an ARM-Based PMWCM (Power Meter with WiFi Communication Module) scheme. On the bases of the schemes, this paper designs the PMWCM hardware system and software system. The ARM-based hardware system is consisted of processor core board and peripheral board, and the software program is basing on embedded Linux. This paper also proposes the functions of wireless communication module and design detail and discusses the security of the communications.

Intelligent telemetering electric meter based on wireless sensor network

Abstract: The invention discloses an intelligent telemetering ammeter based on a wireless sensor network. The hardware of the intelligent ammeter equipment comprises an exclusive radio frequency unit, a microcontroller unit, a power supply management unit, an electrical power information collecting unit, an external storage unit, a liquid crystal display unit and a fault detection unit. The intelligent ammeter has the functions of information collection, calculation, forwarding, routing, and the like. The intelligent ammeter automatically forms an ammeter network with other intelligent ammeters by the radio frequency unit, and is connected with a computer system of a power supply enterprise by a gateway. When used, the invention is connected with a wireless public utility product based on ZigBee technology to be used as a base station of other ammeter networks. The invention realizes the reliable connection between a remote power supply enterprise and electrical power users based on the wireless network, realizes the bidirectional transmission of data, and meets the electricity management requirements of residents by power supply enterprises.

Electrical power consumption measuring system

Abstract: An electrical power consumption measuring system that is capable of determining and presenting the power consumed by individual appliances at a home or premises. The system collects operational state information about a plurality of appliances, each connected to a power line to which is also attached a power meter, and it can determine which applies are on or off, and how much power each of the appliances consume.

Plug-In Amp/Watt Power Meter

Abstract: A power meter has a measuring circuit composed entirely of analog components that measures the instantaneous current draw of one or more electrical devices, such as home appliances. The power meter may be in the form of a hand-held device that includes elongated connections that allow a homeowner to measure the current draw of an electrical device without significant displacement of the electrical device. In addition to measuring current draw, the power meter may provide an estimated wattage consumed by the measured electrical devices.

Estimation of Standby Power Consumption for Typical Appliances

Abstract: In the past days, many consumers could simply unplug their appliances and go on holidays, assuming that their electricity meter would just stop. Standby power is a power consumed by an appliance when switched off or not performing its primary functions. Standby power consumption provides good oppourtunity for reducing both energy consumption and green house gas emissions. Through co-operation among governments, industry and consumers and the co-ordination of international policies, standby modes can be made more efficient, thereby reducing the overall demand for power . In this paper, standby power consumption of various domestic appliances was determined using an energy cost meter. The experimental results shows that the standby power of various house hold electrical appliances is consuming more electricity during standby mode.

Vehicle operated on electric highway

Abstract: The vehicle operated in an electric highway system has an electric motor, at least one energy storage device, an on-board power pick up device, at least one coupler, at least one power meter, at least one on-board computer, an on-board part of a lateral location sensor, an on-board lateral position control mechanism, a longitudinal distance/speed sensor, and a longitudinal position control mechanism, and at least one communication device. The vehicle is able to operate and couple together with other vehicles automatically in the electrified lane of the electric highway system.

Radio frequency test system for mobile communication terminal

Abstract: The invention relates to a mobile communication terminal radio frequency testing system, which belongs to the field of mobile communication terminal radio frequency test. The system comprises a comprehensive tester, a frequency spectrum analyzer, a vector signal source, a wideband signal source, a power meter, a direct current source, a temperature control box, a switch control unit and a controller thereof , and a system control platform, wherein the system control platform is connected with the controller of the switch control unit, the temperature control box, the comprehensive tester, the frequency spectrum analyzer, the vector signal source, the wideband signal source, the power meter and the direct current source respectively; and the comprehensive tester, the frequency spectrum analyzer, the vector signal source and the wideband signal source are connected with the switch control unit and a terminal to be tested respectively. The system has the advantages of simple operating flow, clear testing process, quick testing, serious processing on testing result, and good reliability and stability; in addition, the system can quickly and accurately develop a test case meeting self requirement, realize diverse and standard test, also can flexibly extend to the control on other instruments and meters, and realize flexible configuration of the system.

System for monitoring energy consumption of an electrical appliance

Abstract: A system for monitoring energy consumption of an electrical appliance. The present invention provides an elegant means of monitoring energy consumption by legacy appliances such as a HVAC system. The energy consumption is monitored by the use of new and innovative wireless sensing device that is placed adjacent to or in contact with the appliance while it is operational. Appliance usage pattern information and power consumption information is communicated by the wireless sensing device and is collected by a gateway (and in some embodiments, an energy pump device, an intelligent power meter or a collector device). User behavior is modified by recommending approaches to cut energy consumption by the appliances thereby providing savings and reducing the cost of operation.

Design of Electric Energy Meter for Long-distance Data Information Transfers which based upon GPRS Technology

Abstract: With the popularization of Internet in China, as GPRS service improved increasingly, electric energy meter transmits the data information and controlling command remotely and wirelessly. Based on the current electric energy meter, with the well-functioned ARM kernel microprocessor, it not only finishes the power data's measuring and processing, but also realizes the TCP/IP by cutting. By ARM kernel microprocessor controlling GPRS module, electric energy meter could be linked to the Internet by use of GPRS service. The overall system is stable and reliable because it is managed by mu C/OS-II operating system. This is especially for some outlying areas where the Cable Network hasn't been popularized. It not only raises the efficiency of electric energy meter data information's acquisition and transition, but also the national measure management of electric energy improved greatly.

High efficiency control of IPMSM for electric motorcycles

Abstract: It is known from the relation between motor torque and armature current phase that there is an optimum current phase at which the maximum motor torque is reached for a given armature current. This means it is a condition of generating torque most effectively for a given armature current. In this paper, a maximum torque per armature current control strategy is proposed. In the proposed control strategy, the armature current phase is assigned upon a Look-up Table (LUT) in accordance with load conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed control is verified through experiments. Because the LUT can be developed with experiments offline, a high efficiency driving can be achieved in a wide load range without complicated online identification of motor parameters. Furthermore, neither torque meter nor power meter is needed in the proposed strategy.

Monitoring of power charging in vehicle

Abstract: A energy meter unit for an electric vehicle contains energy measuring circuitry, a GPS unit, a CPU, and memory. The energy meter unit is capable of detecting the amount of energy charged at a specific location and storing that information for later uses, such as with a governmental incentive program.

Meter with integrated high current switch

Abstract: Disclosed are apparatus and methodology for integrating directly within an electricity meter components corresponding to a high current switch. Line and load terminals forming a portion of the high current switch also correspond to line and load terminals configured for insertion into an electricity meter socket. Plural pairs of spring elements are connected at one end thereof to the meter load terminal while the opposite ends of the spring elements carry contacts configured to cooperate with matching contacts on a conductive support. The conductive support is coupled to the line terminal by a further conductive bar that is configured to support a flux-concentrating core for measurement of current flow through the high current switch. The present subject matter has to do with integrating a service disconnect switch directly into the base of a meter so as to provide a dual functionality component. The integrated switch is configured so as to cooperate with, for example, current sensing components to provide a fixture to secure the current sensing core which can then focus a flux field onto a Hall cell mounted on the metrology printed circuit board.

Techniques for limiting demand from an electricity meter with an installed relay

Abstract: 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.

Temperature Profiling in an Electricity Meter

Abstract: An arrangement for use in a utility meter includes a temperature sensor, a memory device, a communication circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is operably coupled to receive information representative of temperature measurements from the temperature sensor. The processing circuit is configured to store first temperature information associated with a first time period in a first data record in the memory device, the first temperature information derived from one or more of the temperature measurements. The processing circuit is further configured to store subsequent temperature information associated with corresponding subsequent time periods in corresponding other data records in the memory device. The processing circuit is also configure to periodically cause the communication circuit to communicate information representative of the first temperature information and the subsequent temperature information to an external device.