Continuous flow management of utility amr/ami networks

The present patent application claims the priority of the previous US patent application no. 60/899328 registered on February 3, 2007, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to utility networks and more specifically, to a utility network management system and to a method of operating the utility network management system for automatically reading utility meters.

Utility services are currently using a customer information system ("CIS") to keep in touch and to monitor locations where utility service is provided, meter (s) deployed at each location, and customers billed for utility service. Among other things, a CIS system maintains the service provision status for customer accounts (for example, whether the utility is active or not currently, when the client will move to or from a location, if that account is customer billing is up to date, etc.).

The CIS system, usually, does not communicate directly with the meters because most of the meters implemented today are not connected to a communication network. In contrast, the CIS system for utilities is often integrated with a work order management system (WOMS ”), which identifies service vouchers that must be performed manually by personnel reading and maintaining the meter. For example, if a customer moves to another location and the services are stopped, a service ticket is created to communicate to a meter reader from that location to perform a physical reading of the meter so that the customer's final invoice is generated. In general, utility services have rules for providing services that are used to decide whether or not to remove a meter from the service or to physically disconnect the service. When a new customer moves to a location, the process is repeated to activate the service, so that customer is billed for the service provided only after the activation date.

For utilities that have implemented automatic meter reading systems ("AMR"), CIS utilities load data into an AMR system indicating which • • 2009-00605

5 -05- 2007 counters must be read. The AMR system can then generate data for WOMS, which instead generates routes that meter readers will travel to collect data through a mobile wireless collection system. Alternatively, the AMR system will communicate with a fixed wireless network, if implemented, to collect data. In both cases, the meter reading data is normally communicated in one direction from the meter to the collector. A data validation process can be used by the utility to verify that the correct type of data has been read from each counter.

Conventional utility systems typically leave utilities with a variety of manual processes and / or vulnerabilities. For example, last reads "must be done manually when a utility service is closed in a specific location. These systems are generally unable to identify a service thief for meters that are deactivated, or alternatively, it is necessary to stop the service ”to remove the meter to prevent theft. Alternatively or additionally, these systems do not perform an advance check to determine if the meter is configured in a manner that is appropriate to the customer's billing practices. Instead, any discrepancies are discovered only after the meter data is manually revised, at which time weeks or months may have passed, and the debts are lost. Alternatively or additionally, these systems do not provide any real-time indication that counters that are implemented in an AMR system are read practically until the missing data is discovered when invoices are generated. With a limited time for generating the invoice, a manual meter reading is often required or alternatively, the invoice is estimated, which can lead to a client being disabled due to an overestimation or underestimation of the invoice. Alternatively or additionally, these systems do not provide or provide only a limited ability to receive real-time alarms that indicate potential counterfeiting of utility equipment, which could indicate theft of utility services. Or, if these alarms are provided, they are often difficult to correlate with activities expected to occur on the ground by utility personnel (for example, the alarm may turn out to be false).

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In some embodiments, the utility network management system according to the present invention correlates or helps to correlate the knowledge retained in a CIS system regarding the status of the customer accounts and / or the status of the counters in the customer locations (ie, the Administrative status ") with the status of a counter in a specific location (ie, the Operational state). The utility network management system according to the present invention may, additionally or alternatively, include a flexible mechanism for conducting activities in accordance with the practices of providing utility services when conditions change.

The utility network management system according to the present invention may include a utility network management center ("NMC utilities") having a state transition mechanism. The state transition mechanism may receive a signal indicating that the status of an account has been changed when the service associated with the account was stopped within the CIS. The state transition mechanism can then note that the administrative status of the meter has been changed from active to inactive.

In some embodiments, the state transition mechanism then triggers a change of the operational state to inactive. The act of processing that status change can then, additionally or alternatively, trigger a request to read the counter via the network. A successful request reading can then allow the operational status of the meter to switch to the inactive state. Otherwise, the reading attempt may be withdrawn (either directly or through the neighboring counters).

When the status of a counter is changed to inactive, the service can be remotely disconnected (if the counter can support this feature), or alternatively, the counter can be automatically added to an automatically read target that reads the inactive counters on a regular basis and tracks usage paths that are not in conformity with the inactive service (for example, daily usage over a predetermined limit value). Reading tasks are performed less rarely for inactive meters than for active meters.

When the meters are initially discovered or positioned by the network and are confirmed to be operating on the basis of the administrative status, the meters can be immediately programmed or programmed relatively quickly for

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^ - 2 0 0 9 - 0 0 6 05-2 5 -05-2007 configuration verification. It is then extracted once through the network and compared to the billing schedule or other predetermined and / or expected configuration features. If there is a match between what was discovered and what was expected, the counter is successfully initialized, and then added to an automatic reading program. If there is a mismatch, the mismatch is noted and then it can be resolved through the system user interface, or alternatively, the mismatch can be resolved automatically using the automatic service delivery rules, which can be defined by the utility .

Because the utility network management system can be warned about the status of the meter and the date of the invoice, the utility network management system can generate reports of failed readings in advance of the billing deadline. Trends can be identified to help identify network-level problems that may require deployment (or re-deployment) of the network's operating infrastructure to resolve missing reads.

Alarms can be transmitted almost in real time through the communications network. Alarms that are generated for devices in a maintenance state can be automatically filtered, eliminating or reducing false alarms. The rest of the alarms can then be resolved promptly and with confidence by the utility.

Immediately after or shortly after the relevant information is received, the utility network management system can ensure proper management. In general, conventional systems typically have batch changes, resulting in delays that can negatively affect end customers and the utility end of the line.

In some embodiments, the utility network management system according to the present invention is designed to handle or adapt to exceptional situations to the greatest extent possible, minimizing the need for operator intervention. The rules of service provision or protocols can be defined and configured by the utility to implement the way in which the exceptional situations without operator intervention must be resolved in a programmed way, so that the solution is adapted to the practices of providing the utility services. existing.

The most important factors to increase the cost in any large AMI or AMR network are the costs associated with the management personnel ^ - 2 0 0 9 Ο 0 6 0 5 -2 5 “05-2007

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system. The utility network management system according to the present invention can provide a method of ensuring and managing devices that adapt not to the number of devices implemented but to the number of service provision operations that the utility service performs through the network of devices. .

The present invention provides a system associated with the utility network having product distribution routes. The system may include a device management module for automatically securing at least one subset of a plurality of utility electronic devices associated with the routes based on the configuration status information received from the subset of the plurality of utility electronic devices and performing a comparisons between the received information about the configuration status and the pre-defined information about the configuration status.

The present invention also provides a device management system including a program stored in a computer-readable environment, for receiving information about the configuration status from at least one of the utility electronic devices associated with a product distribution path. from a utility network, and determining how to configure the electronic device for utilities based on a comparison between the received information about the configuration status and the pre-defined information about the configuration status.

The present invention also provides a method of managing electronic devices for utilities associated with the product distribution routes of a utility network, including receiving information from an electronic utility device, identifying a configuration status for the electronic device for utilities from the information received by the electronic utility device, and determining how to configure the electronic device for utilities based on the identified configuration status.

The present invention provides a method for managing a plurality of electronic devices for utilities associated with the product distribution routes of a utility network. The method may include receiving configuration status information for an electronic utility device, comparing received configuration status information with predetermined configuration status information, calculating a security seal.

0-2009-00603-2 5 -05- 2007 program for the electronic utility device from the received information about the configuration status and checking the integrity of the electronic utility devices according to the calculated program seal.

Other aspects of the invention will become clearer taking into account the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of the utility network management system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of the utility network management system shown in fig. 1, showing the communication between a utility network management center, a customer information system and a utility network.

Fjg. 3-9 are schematic illustrations of the methods of meter management according to the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a table including operational and administrative status data for electronic utility devices and other network infrastructure devices of the utility network management system according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Prior to explaining in detail any embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the construction details and arrangement of the components disclosed in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and can be implemented or carried out in different ways. It should also be understood that the order of the phrases and the terminology used herein are merely desc riptive and should not be construed as limiting. In the present context, by using the terms "including", "including" or "having" and their variants, it is intended to cover the following elements and their equivalents, as well as the additional elements.

As will be obvious to an average person in the field, the systems and networks presented in the figures represent models regarding the appearance of real systems and networks. As mentioned, many of the modules and logical structures described are capable of being implemented in the program executed by a microprocessor or similar device or being implemented in electronic equipment using a variety of components including, for example, application specific circuits &lt;V2 0 0 9 - o 0 6 0 5 - 2 5 -05-2007 specific integrated ("ASIC"). Terms such as "processor" may include or refer to an electronic equipment and / or computer program. Moreover, throughout the documentation, capitalized terms are used. These terms are used to comply with common practices and to help correlate the description with coding examples, equations and / or drawings. However, no special significance is involved or should be deduced due to the use of capital letters. Thus, the invention is not limited to specific examples or terminology or to any specific electronic component or computer program or to the implementation or combination of a computer program or electronic equipment.

Figures 1-10 illustrate a utility network management system 10 used to provide cost-effective, automatic and cost-effective provision of a number of utility electronic devices 12 (ie utility meters attached to or operating on gas). , water or other utility grid infrastructure for recording and / or monitoring consumption) and network infrastructure devices 14 (for example, nodes, connection nodes, transmitters, receivers and / or other devices deployed on the ground and positioned along the product distribution paths of a utility grid or utility network 16 in order to establish a communication network between the utility provider's office and one or more many utility electronics devices 12 installed in a service area) from utility network 16. The utility network management system 10 includes an end-to-end system and / or components and the information flow architecture used to manage an electronic utility network network 12 from an AMR network.

A connection is a device or network node that performs the function of communicating with a utility network management center 20 (NMC utilities ") and a device management system 42 (" DSM ") over a wide area network. ( "WAN"). The connection can be connected to utility devices 12 on a local area network ("LAN"). In some cases, electronic utility devices 12 communicate with the connection via relays and repeaters. As used herein, the terms "access point" and "connection" are used interchangeably.

Utility electronic devices 12 may include a network interface card ("NIC") that allows electronic utility devices ^ -2009-00603-2 5 -05/2007

<img file="RO126259A2_D0004.tif" />

to maintain two-way communication with NMC 20 through relays and / or connections. The connections can execute programming, collect read data on a network, and / or forward the read data to a utility network management center 20 ("NMC utilities") (described in more detail below). The connections can also function as agents of the NMC utilities 20 and perform network management functions such as route calculation and impulses or ordering requests. Relays can be used to extend the scope of a network. In some embodiments, the relays are positioned at high heights for a better line of sight to electronic devices for utilities 12. Several electronic utility devices 12 may be associated with a single relay and several relays may be associated with one connection. In some embodiments, electronic utility devices 12, or alternatively, may perform some or all of the functions of a relay.

Routes can be discovered by the network, either statically or temporarily. A route discovered by the network is determined in accordance with a set of rules prescribed by the routing algorithm used by the LAN, when a new utility electronic device 12 is set or initialized, and the route sends a discovery message on network 28. A static route is a user defined route saved and used for subsequent communications. A static path defined by the user may overlap the other paths discovered by the network. When conducting a survey upon request, a user can specify a unique route to a destination that is not saved or reused.

As used herein, the term "management" refers, among other things, to a process of discovering or locating electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14, validation of these electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 so that they will work together with the rules for utility infrastructure and adding each electronic device for utilities 12 or another device for network infrastructure 14 to an appropriate set of tasks based on program so that the electronic utility device 12 or other network infrastructure device 14 can perform their role within a utility network 16 (for example, so that electronic utility devices 12 can be read and / or operated within a network). As used herein, the expression "continuous flow management" is

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^ -2009-00605-2 5 -05- 2007 refers to or includes, among other things, a process that allows utilities to manage a large number of electronic devices for utilities 12 or groups of electronic devices for utilities 12 in the utility network 16 . As used herein, the expression "continuous flow management" may also refer to or alternatively, a process that allows utilities to manage in a scheduled manner, without operator intervention, a large number of network infrastructure devices 14 or network infrastructure device groups 14 within the utility network 16.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the utility network management system 10 according to the present invention may include a utility network management center ("NMC utilities") 20 located at the interface with one or more devices for network infrastructure 14 and / or one or more electronic devices for utilities 12 in utility network 16. The NMC utilities 20 can perform an automatic remote meter reading, can purchase and analyze consumption data, shutdown and support for restart management, and / or other communication functions. NMC utilities 20 can also provide two-way communication between electronic devices for utilities 12 at remote locations (eg, customer locations) and a customer information system ("CIS") 22 and can perform continuous flow management for some or for all of the electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or the devices for network infrastructure 14 of the utility network 16. In some embodiments, utility electronic devices 12 may also be devices located in buildings connected to household appliances and utilities, which have two-way communications with NMC utilities 20 through either a direct connection or a number or devices. electronics for utilities 12 that are located outside the buildings. In some of these embodiments, the devices in the buildings are part of a separate utility network.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, NMC utilities 20 and electronic devices for utilities 12 can communicate through network infrastructure devices 14 (for example, relay stations 24 and connections 26) and through network 28 (for example, a network with wide area ("WAN")). In other embodiments, NMC utilities 20 may directly communicate with one or more electronic devices for utilities 12 using dispersed or private public telecommunications networks and / or local area networks ("LANs"). in other embodiments,

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(jL “2 009-00605-2 5 -05- 2007 electronic devices for utilities 12, NMC utilities 20 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 include broadband communication protocol functions with frequency hops, broadband communication functions , IPv4 communication functions and or IPv6 communication functions.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, NMC Utilities 20 includes an office device management module 29, which can be actuated to perform one or more control and monitoring functions for electronic utility devices 12, infrastructure devices. network 14 and / or utility network 16, and a support module 30, which may also simultaneously or alternatively perform one or more control and monitoring functions for electronic devices for utilities 12, devices for network infrastructure 14 and / or utility network 16. In some embodiments, the device management module from the desk 29 can be a pre-existing system, and the support module 30 can be added later to provide additional control and monitoring functions. In some of these embodiments, the support module 30 may perform some or all of the functions described below. In other embodiments, NMC 20 includes an office management system, which is operable to perform substantially all control and monitoring functions for electronic utility devices 12, network infrastructure devices 14, and / or utility network. 16. Also, while reference is made here to an office system, the NMC 20 and the individual elements of the NMC 20 (for example, the office device management module 29 and the support module 30) may have a number of locations. different, can be distributed between multiple locations, or can be stored in a single combined location.

During the operation of the utility network management system 10, the administrative status, counter location and / or other data are uploaded to NMC 20 of CIS 22 using a single object access protocol ("SOAP"), which sends the requests made in the language of extensible markup ("XML-formatted") to a server using hypertext transfer protocol ("HTTP") and receive back the response in XML format. Since http is a standard and accepted protocol for Internet communication and most web servers recognize and respond to http requests, one or more elements of the utility network management system 10 can be integrated relatively easily. In addition, XML is a set of software ¢ ^ - 2 0 0 9 - 0 0 6 0 5 -2 5 -05-2007 that allows a user to mark or structure an electronic file so that it can be easily exchanged between different systems. For this reason, the use of XML format for sending and / or receiving messages allows any system on any platform to read and process messages, other than private formats. In other embodiments, the utility network management system 10 or elements of the utility network management system 10 may simultaneously or alternatively send or receive messages in other formats, which may or may not be private.

During the operation of the utility network management system 10, each electronic utility device 12 in the utility network 16 is assigned an administrative status, which specifies the operating status of the electronic utility device 12 (for example, if the services are provided). utilities in the location associated with the electronic utility 12, the status of the account associated with the electronic utility 12, etc.) and an operational status, specifying the current mode of operation of the electronic utility device 12 (for example, if the electronic utility device 12 is functional). In some embodiments, one or more devices for network infrastructure 14 is, simultaneously or alternatively, associated with an administrative state, which specifies the operating status of the device (s) for network infrastructure 14 and an operational state, which specifies the current mode of operation of the device (s) for network infrastructure 14. In some embodiments, the utility network management system 10 may have two separate administrative states with one administrative state for the network and the other administrative state for the account status.

As shown in FIG. 2, NMC 20 may include a device with the role of a device status manager 30, which manages, maintains and manages the functional status of an electronic utility device 12 and / or a device for the network infrastructure 14 through changes in administrative status and / or other values exterior entrance. The device with the device status manager role 30 may include a device data module 32 ("DDM"), a finite state machine 34 ("FSM"), a device status checker 38 ("DSQ"), and a device status monitor 42 ("DSM").

The equipment with the role of manager of the device status 30 and the functions performed by the equipment with the role of manager of the condition of the device 30 can be included in

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the office device management module 29 and / or the support module 30. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the office device management module 29 and the support module 30 may each include one or more of the DDM 32, FSM 34, DSQ 38 and DSM 42.

Device DDM 32 is a database schema that maintains the attributes of some or all of the electronic devices for utilities 12 on the utility network 16, such as, for example, administrative and operational states, if the electronic devices for utilities 12 were initialized, in the form an element of the communication network 28, the physical location and other functional attributes. DDM 32 may simultaneously or alternatively maintain the characteristics of some or all of the network infrastructure devices 14.

FSM 34 is a business logic program that manages the transition between functional states for a single electronic utility device 12 or a single network infrastructure device 14 in a manner that is associated with a specified administrative state. DSQ 38 is a persistent sequence of records with each record defining a state transition for a single electronic utility device 12 or a single network infrastructure device 14.

In some embodiments, the utility network management system 10 may include an integrated network-centric system and a finite-state machine FSM 34 that can handle the transition of any device into the utility network 16 between the functional states that are associated with the administrative state as well as providing instant or near-instant visibility in both states of each device.

DSM 42 is a computer program module that processes DSQ records 38 and implements the required functionality status when an electronic utility device 12 undergoes a change in operational status and / or when a device for network infrastructure 14 is subject to any modification. operational status. together, DDM 32, FSM 34, DSQ 38 and DSM 42 perform a device status management function for some or all of the utilities electronic devices 12 of the utility network 16 and / or some or all of the devices for the network infrastructure 14 of the network of utilities 16.

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Device features, stored in DDM 32, are updated via SOAP ("API") application program interfaces (for example, routines, protocols, and / or tools for developing or maintaining computer software applications) or directly through a user interface. As shown in FIG. 3 The administrative status of an electronic utility device 12 or a group of electronic utility devices 12 can be updated using an API interface and / or a user interface. Historical information and exceptions are also maintained in DDM 32 and are made available to operators and other elements of the utility network management system 10 through API and user interfaces.

In some embodiments, an operator and other components or elements of the utility management system 10 (for example, a stop management system) can access the internal workings of the DSM set of components through the API and the user interface. The operator can directly or alternatively access current states and / or past transitions that have expired. Events are also generated by DSM 42 when exceptions occur during the state transition process, so that an operator can understand what happened within the utility network 16.

As shown in FIG. 3, changes in the characteristics of an electronic utility device 12 or a network infrastructure device 14 will trigger FSM 34 and determine FSM 34 to determine if a status change is warranted. If a status change is warranted, a record is added to DSQ 38 for asynchronous processing by DSM 42. DSM 42 extracts each record from DSQ 38 and processes it according to the operating rules that are either hard coded in NMC utilities 20, run by the functions of the electronic utility device 12 or the network infrastructure device 14, being highlighted or specified by the service utility.

The asynchronous nature of DSM 42 allows NMC utilities 20 to evaluate, because at any given time, there may be an avalanche of changes in device features that will cause FSM 34 to make changes. If the processing were performed in an asynchronous manner, the entire utility network 16 or a significant portion of the utility network 16 may be stopped during the work required for each state transition, of which ^ - 2 0 0 9 - 0 0 6 0 5-2 5 -05- 2007 many require changing a circular message between two or more utilities network elements 16. Instead, DSM 42 works in the background, processing changes as quickly as possible, but higher priority work can flow through the system in parallel. In addition, in some embodiments, the process may be interrupted and shortened by serial labels relating to completion of the task or time.

In some embodiments, the utility network management system 10 may include two or more DSMs 42 to ensure that the utility network management system 10 will continue to operate if one of the DSMs 42 fails. This deployment topology is facilitated by the real nature of DSQ 38, which persists in the database. records can be extracted from DSQ 38 on batches and processed by a single DSM 42. As the recordings are extracted from DSQ 38, the record may be updated with a time tag to reflect that the work is in progress. Further processing of DSM 42 can extract records from DSQ 38 and process these records in parallel or at the same time.

In the embodiments of the utility network management system 10 having more than one DSM 42, DSQ 38 may include an interruption mechanism that will again provide recordings to an alternative DSM 42 if the records are not marked as complete in within a configurable time frame (that is, if DSM 42 assigned to a project fails). In this way, all items within DSQ 38 are available for processing as long as a single DSM 42 remains functional.

Examples of realizing the utility network management system 10 having multiple DSMs 42 may be extremely available (ie, these systems may continue to operate when one or more components fail).

During operation and as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the finite state machine (FSM) 34 of NMC utilities 20 may use updated data to identify a new operational status of an electronic utility device 12 or an infrastructure device. network 14, if any, based on a new administrative status. Alternatively or additionally, FSM 34 may add a record to DSQ 38 for asynchronous processing, to act on the basis of the new operational status.

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As shown in FIG. 4, if an electronic utility device 12 is added to the utility network management system 10 or if the NMC 10 receives data indicating a previously unrecognized electronic utility device 12 (for example, if the utility network 16 is expanded to include a new electronic utility device 12), a signal is sent to DSQ 38 indicating that the electronic utility device 12 is ready to be activated. alternatively or additionally, if a device for network infrastructure 14 is added to the utility network management system 10 or the utility management system 10 receives data indicating a device for the previously unrecognized network infrastructure 14, a signal is sent to DSQ 38 which indicates that the device for the network infrastructure 14 is ready to be activated.

The device status monitoring equipment ("DSM") 42 of the NMC utilities 20 can then extract data from the DSQ 38 and activate the electronic utility device 12 or the network infrastructure device 14. During activation, DSM 42 may perform a network interface card ("NIC") configuration incorporated in the electronic utility device 12 to update the appropriate settings for or specific to the network 28 (for example, communication channel and / or channel settings timing). In some embodiments, NICs may be secured (via public or private keys) or connected to one or more electronic devices for utilities 12 and may provide two means of communication between the electronic device (s) for utilities 12 and devices for the interface network 14. DSM 42 can then send a request to a connection 26 to read the program data of the electronic utility device 12.

As shown in FIG. 4, NMC utilities 20 may compare new updated program data with expected program data for the electronic utility for device 12. In some embodiments, expected program data may be driven by or may be a function of the maintenance plan that a customer has selected. for a specific location. alternatively or additionally, the expected program data may be acted upon as a function of the predicted consumption values ​​based on, at least in part, previously used values ​​for a specific location and / or on the basis, at least in part, of the expected values. expected consumption for a particular period of the year. If the updated program data corresponds to ^ -2009-006052 5 -05- 2007 or matches the expected program data for the electronic utility for device 12, the electronic device for utility 12 is marked as successfully initialized. FSM 34 can then assign a new operational (ie active) status to the electronic utility device 12. In this manner, the following meter readings will identify the new electronic utility device 12, transmit data to the electronic utility device 12, receive data from the electronic utility device 12, and / or perform recurring activities for maintaining the electronic utility device 12 inside the utility network 16.

After initialization, or at the same time, counter program data can be uploaded asynchronously from NMC utilities 20. In some embodiments, NMC utilities 20 may configure each device during initial device discovery and / or provide mechanisms for updating data about configuration over time.

Some or all of the electronic utility devices 12 or the network infrastructure devices 14 added to the utility network 16 require initial verification and authentication to ensure that they are indeed part of the utility network 16 and are configured in a manner. corresponds to the operating instructions of the utility network 16. If variations are found, it is necessary to reconfigure the electronic device for utilities 12 or the device for the network infrastructure 14, and NMC utilities 20 will be warned of the changes, and the corrective actions are specified and implemented. "A measurement program" is a collection of configuration options that specify which data to record an electronic device for utilities 12, the frequency with which it records the data, and the restriction rules that the electronic device for utilities 12 is required to follow. . The system described herein provides for the management of both the required network configurations of some or all of the utility electronic devices 12 and / or the network infrastructure devices 14 added to the utility network 16 and the set of measurement programs configured on at least some of electronic utilities devices 12.

Automatic management of the configuration of the electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or the devices for the infrastructure of the network 14 within the network of utilities 16 is important to carry out the entire process of managing the process -2009-00605-2 5--2007. indeed, the key aspects of management consist of configuring electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 during initial discovery of electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 and providing mechanisms for updating that configurations over time.

In some embodiments, NMC utilities 20 may maintain three or more completely different types of configuration data for each of the electronic devices for utilities 12. For example, NMC utilities 20 may maintain the network configurations associated with NICs incorporated in each electronic device for utilities 12. NMC utilities 20 may additionally or alternatively maintain device-specific configurations (measurement programs ") associated with the electronic utility device 12 in which the NIC is incorporated. Device-specific configuration data may be stored in an internal electronic component of the electronic utility device 12. Alternatively, the device-specific configuration data may be stored in the NIC of the electronic utility device 12. In some embodiments, NMC utilities 20 may additionally or alternatively maintain network configurations for on-site devices connected to or operable with electronic utility devices

12. These devices, including smart thermostats, smart basin pumps and smart HVAC systems, allow utilities to overcome peak demand situations by relaying information to the device so it can act to adjust the load.

As shown in FIG. 5, for the network configuration portion according to the method, the characteristics are downloaded in the electronic devices for utilities 12 based on a type of meter. If the type of meter is not known at the time of initialization or shortly after initialization, NMC 20 questions the utility electronic device 12 about its type and characteristics. After determining the type and characteristics of the electronic utility device 12, NMC 20 loads the appropriate configuration data into the electronic utility device 12. The process is considered complete when the configuration data is verified either by extracting the features that have been configured or by performing one or more testing on the electronic utility device 12.

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If the configuration data is not verified, NMC utilities 20 sends a status message to the electronic utility for utility 12. In some embodiments, a computer program for updating or changing the configuration may be included in the status message. If the integrity of the electronic utility device 12 is not verified in response to the status message, the NMC utility 20 may trigger an alarm.

In some embodiments, the type of meter and the characteristics of the meter (for example, the measurement program) will determine or will be used by the NMC utilities 20 to determine what data from the customer are recorded and how often the data from the customer is recorded. For example, if a customer has subscribed to a usage time billing program (TOU) in which the customer pays less for utility during off-peak hours but more for use during peak hours, the electronic utility device 12 can be configured to record data in the correct TOU ranges, or alternatively, the electronic utility device 12 can be configured to record usage data with a frequency that meets or exceeds the requirements for TOU intervals.

The features of the measurement program can be relatively wide (several kilobytes), so that it is efficient not to carry those characteristics along network 28 each time an electronic utility device 12 or network infrastructure device 14 is added to the network. utilities 16, but instead to create an identifier that is communicated through network 28. The network management program stored in the NIC can include a data dispersion algorithm for efficient citation of the reading program, and this dispersion key can be returned to the NMC utilities 20 when the measurement program is implemented. In some embodiments, the electronic utility devices 12 may include two dispersion keys with one of the keys being used to associate the data that is recorded by the electronic utility device 12 (for example, channels or units of measure, scale factors, etc.) and with the other dispersion key being used for the association of the calendar that involves the data collection by the electronic utility device 12. If the dispersion key is known to or recognized by NMC Utilities 20, NMC Utilities 20 will check whether the measurement program matches what has been configured.

Q) i ^ -2 0 0 9 - 0 0 6 05-2 5 -05- 2007 on the electronic device for utilities 12, and if the data matches, the process of checking the measurement program is completed.

After an electronic utility device 12 is classified as active "and / or after an electronic utility device 12 is initialized, NMC 20 calculates a program seal and assigns the program seal to the electronic utility device 12. After that, the seal the program is checked when the subsequent read requests are received by the electronic utility device 12. In some embodiments, the program seal may be a series of hexadecimal integers smaller in size than the data of the measurement program itself and will not change unless the electronic utility device 12 is reprogrammed. In these embodiments, the program seal is guaranteed to change if any aspect of the measurement program that interacts with the integrity or content of the data is modified. This program seal is checked every time the electronic utility device 12 is accessed. If the program seal for a specific utility electronic device 12 is changed, any data read by the utility electronic device 12 starting with the modification is removed, and the electronic utility device 12 resumes the initialization process.

If, during read requests, a recognized program seal is received, the electronic utility device 12 returns the requested data. If a recognized program seal is not received, the electronic utility device 12 is considered to be reprogrammed and FSM 34 may activate the reset process and / or add an appropriate record to DSQ 38. If an electronic utility device 12 is reprogrammed by the utilities, either through NMC 20 or out of band in relation to NMC utilities 20 and the AMR network, the utility network management system 10 will detect the change. Alternatively or additionally, if a program seal is not received, NMC 20 may trigger an alarm and / or modify any billing rules associated with the electronic utility device 12.

NMC utilities 20 can provide an administrative interface to allow an operator to review the program, verify that it is valid, configure how data read by electronic devices for utilities 12 using the program must be displayed to the operator, and provide a visible name.

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5 -05 * 2007 for the operator and a description of the program before marking the measurement program as approved. Further, the electronic devices for utilities 12 discovered with this program can go through the normal initialization process without any manual intervention unless there is an inconsistency or another error.

If there is a mismatch between the software seal found on the electronic utility device 12 and the configuration expected by the NMC 20, another administrative filter is provided to allow these mismatches to be reviewed and resolved by an operator. Resolving can be as simple as updating the expected value in NMC utilities 20 to reflect the actual value of the electronic utility device 12, or it may involve reprogramming the electronic utility device 12 either through the network 28 or through an out-of-band process. . In some embodiments, NMC 20 may be operable to provide a software update of the electronic utility device 12 having an unexpected or incorrect program seal. In these embodiments, the program update may include a real computer program. In addition, NMC utilities 20 may be operable to record and / or store data associated with the verification and / or integrity of program seals and readings of program seals.

Utility management system 10 may ensure that a utility will not improperly display electronic devices for utilities 12 that are improperly configured and / or will not continue to present counters 12 that are not properly configured. With these, as well as other features and / or functions of the program seal described below, the utility management system 10 can ensure that the expected data to be recorded by each electronic utility device 12 is actually the data that is recorded, eliminating the potential for fraud or errors that reduce revenue and create administrative damage.

A program sealing method can be used to create a unique hexadecimal seal that clearly identifies and guarantees the type of operational functions (programs) loaded on the electronic utility devices 12. The program seal can be checked every time the electronic utility device 12 is accessed for reading. In some of these embodiments, the program seal can be changed whenever the program ^ 2009-00605-2 5 -05- 2007 is modified by NMC 20. This method ensures the integrity of the data that the utilities receive from each electronic utility device 12.

In addition to handling the initial configuration of electronic devices for utilities 12, there is a challenge in making configuration changes along all or a group of counters 12 managed by the utility. This capability is supported in the NMC utilities 20 by the function described above combined with the ability to modify the desired configuration for one or a set of electronic devices for utilities 12 (as defined by one or more groups of devices, described below. ). When a new configuration is identified, the configuration process is re-run for all affected utility electronics devices 12, and the exception-based status is provided for utility devices 12 that are still under reconfiguration or where the reconfiguration failed.

As shown in Figures 2 and 6, the utility network management system 10 may also include a NMC group management device 50, which periodically (for example, at regular or irregular predetermined intervals) may recalculate and / or check the status of components. to one or more dynamic groups and / or one or more static groups within the utility network 16 and, if differences are found, the NMC 50 group manager device may update some or all of the work entries that refer to a specific dynamic group or a specific static group for determining the components on that work entry. As used herein, the phrase "dynamic group" refers to a group of electronic devices for utilities 12 whose configuration and / or administrative or operational status can be changed at random. As used herein, the term "static group" refers to a group of electronic devices for utilities 12 whose configuration and / or administrative or operational status remains constant over time. The work inputs are used to determine the meter reading programs (ie, a list of the electronic devices for utilities 12 to be read, where the electronic devices for the utilities 12 are located, an optional start time and / or closing time, or a final date when the program should be run), the ability to use automatic, selective, export of data and scheduling of other recurring activities for utilities ^ -2 009-00603-2 5 -05- 2007 for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 of utility network 16.

Device groups are used to identify in an opaque manner a set of electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14. "opaque" means that the entity accessing a group is not pre-programmed to includes a specific set of group items and not even the number of items. Device groups are unlimited in size and can also be bundled. A static group of electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 is a predetermined group or set of two or more electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 specifically listed and pre-selected. These static groups can be established based on the device type, geographical device groups and / or other common functions, and these static groups are pre-set and pre-programmed in the NMC 50 group manager device.

As mentioned above, the NMC 50 group manager device is additionally or alternatively operable to recalculate and / or check the status of components of one or more dynamic groups. Dynamic groups of electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for infrastructure of network 14 of utility network 16 (for example, type of device, expected service life of device 14, etc.). As electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 are added to utility network 16, or features of electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14 are modified, the NMC group manager device 50 may update automatically or periodically the components of each dynamic group and all functions associated with the dynamic groups can be updated or alternatively.

In some embodiments, each member of a static group is specifically listed and pre-loaded into the NMC 50 group manager device. This approach is useful for manually selecting the devices to be operated together as a group. As mentioned above, the NMC 50 group manager device may, additionally or alternatively, update some or all of the work entries associated with a specific dynamic group. This is particularly advantageous because this approach is measurable as well

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^ -2009-00605-2 5 -05- 2007 operable without data entered by the operator or only with the help of minimum input data from the operator. For example, in some embodiments, the NMC group manager device 50 may update lists with electronic devices for utilities 12 to be read or exported. This is particularly advantageous for utility networks 16 having hundreds or thousands of electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or other devices for network infrastructure 14 that are updated daily. For example, a utility network with 1 million counters deployed that has 10% of its customer base moving annually will be subjected to 100,000 disconnections and reconnections to services annually, which corresponds to changing 800 counters in each working day.

Specifically, reading programs can be updated and re-deployed to reflect new or removed members, and deleted works will use the last component member when they are executed again. The range of this update frequency can be large or small depending on the business and operational requirements of the utility company. The benefit of the utility service can be enormous. The utility can simply define the work operations that they want to perform on each logical group, define the characteristics of each group, and then let the system work. As new work requirements are identified, new dynamic groups can be created or the updated ones can be eliminated, all with minimal operator effort.

Utility network management system 10 may include a fast network based system for remotely configuring and reconfiguring electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14, along with features for dynamic loading and modifying programs that determine the type, frequency, etc. of the data collected, stored and / or transmitted by electronic devices for utilities 12 and / or devices for network infrastructure 14.

The utility network management system 10 may include a dynamic method for grouping a large family of devices into dynamic groups "based on their functionality, the types of programs resident in the electronic devices for utilities 12 at any time and other characteristics defined by utilities, and methods for constantly updating groups to reflect the latest status of each device in the utility network 16.

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5 -05- 2007

Dynamic groups can also be set up to provide the utility with the ability to perform an action on the family set up by groups without having to maintain knowledge of the family of actions of all distinct groups. For example, the following is a model for grouping devices according to the present invention:

1. Active network devices

a. Active connections

b. Active relays

c. Electronic devices for active utilities

i. Active commercial and industrial counters ii. Active residential meters

1. Electronic devices for active utilities for the flow of an apartment

2. Active electronic devices for active utilities for use time

A utility service may require one or more of the following discrete actions on one or more of these groups: weekly safety reporting analyzing events generated by all active network devices (1), daily data transmission for data collected from active counters (1.b), during working hours, hourly data transmission at active commercial and industrial meters (lci) and reconfiguration of active meters for the use time (1.ai2) to reflect the new structure of the effective flow at a specific date (for example, June 1).

As shown in Fig. 7, when a customer's account is closed (for example, because the client has moved or changed utility providers), CIS 22 sends a signal to NMC utilities 20 indicating that account was closed and the change of the administrative status of the electronic device for utilities 12 inactive. In addition or alternatively, CIS 22 may transmit a signal to FSM 34 by changing the operational status of the electronic utility device 12 to inactive. In some embodiments, CIS 22 also adds a record to DSQ 38 to indicate that appropriate action must be taken as a result of this status change. Alternatively or additionally, FSM 34 may add a record to ¢ ^ 2 0 0 9 - 0 0 605-2 5 -05-2007

DSQ 38 to indicate that appropriate action must be taken as a result of this state change.

DSM 42 can extract the data associated with the electronic utility device 12 from the DSQ 38 and can perform one or more actions associated with the newly changed state of the electronic utility device 12. For example, DSM 42 can make an on-demand turn for the counter that has has been changed from active to inactive, indicating that the service has been stopped. Additionally or alternatively, DSM 42 may send a signal for remote disconnection of one or more of the electronic utility devices 12.

In some embodiments, the NMC utilities 20 may be operable to perform automatic updating of the components for some or all of the electronic utilities devices 12 in the utility network 16. In these embodiments, when the administrative status of an electronic utility device 12 is changed from active to inactive, the NMC utility 20 can remove that electronic utility device 12 from a "active meter reading" program and can add the device electronic for utilities 12 in a program "reading of inactive meters", which can be run much less often in order to reduce the request on the network 28. In some embodiments, when the administrative status of an electronic utility device 12 is changed from active to inactive, the electronic utility device 12 is also added to a periodic safety report (for example, daily, weekly, two weeks , monthly, etc.) which is established for locating the models of abnormal use that indicate thieves or system failures.

The embodiments presented herein combine sub-systems and different functions to illustrate currently preferred embodiments. Alternative embodiments may include fewer sub-systems, processes or functional aspects or may be used with other functional sub-systems, processes or aspects depending on the desired implementation. The numerous features and advantages of the invention are disclosed in the following claims.