Dynamic file management method applied to electric meter group reading and electric meter group reading system

Abstract

This invention provides a dynamic record management method and system for centralized meter reading. The concentrator independently maintains a list of device changes in gateway mode, and combined with a delayed timer-triggered event reporting mechanism, it achieves accurate recording and continuous reporting of meter network access / departure changes. The HES master station adopts a hierarchical data acquisition strategy of initial full reading and subsequent incremental reading to reduce communication overhead and improve record synchronization efficiency. Simultaneously, through mechanisms such as unified offline recording across the entire domain, proactive reporting of periodic non-recall events, manual full-reading as a fallback, and NTP time calibration, it improves the record update logic under abnormal and special scenarios, ensuring real-time accuracy of device association relationships. This invention enables smooth switching between concentrator modes and automatic release of record relationships, ensuring accurate synchronization between device association records and actual device status, and reasonable distribution of meter reading tasks, effectively improving the real-time performance, reliability, and overall operational stability of the centralized meter reading system's record maintenance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of power information acquisition technology, and in particular to a dynamic file management method and a meter collection system applied to centralized meter reading. Background Technology

[0002] In a centralized power meter reading system, the concentrator is the core device connecting the HES master station and the terminal meters. It is responsible for key tasks such as receiving meter records and collecting data. Its performance directly affects the operational quality of the centralized meter reading system. Especially in scenarios with frequent power outages and changing network topologies, record management capabilities are crucial.

[0003] The existing meter record management and data collection mode of the concentrator has obvious defects: First, the concentrator can only passively receive fixed records issued by the HES master station and perform data collection tasks, without the ability to actively sense the on-grid / off-grid status of the meter, resulting in a disconnect between the record and the actual status of the meter.

[0004] Secondly, electricity meters frequently enter and leave the network among multiple concentrators, and the concentrators are slow to report when electricity meters leave the network. This causes the HES master station to send / delete files frequently, which reduces management efficiency and increases network traffic consumption.

[0005] Third, there is a delay in file changes and system adjustments, and the data collection tasks of the concentrator do not match the actual status of the electricity meters, resulting in the failure of daily bill collection, reducing the reliability of data collection, and affecting the power department's subsequent meter reading and accounting work.

[0006] In summary, existing concentrators suffer from passive and lagging file management, leading to pain points such as low efficiency, high traffic, and unreliable data collection. Especially in complex data collection scenarios, there is an urgent need for an efficient and dynamic file adjustment solution to solve the above problems and improve the quality of system operation. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a dynamic file management method and a meter collection system for electricity meter collection, so as to optimize electricity meter file management and improve the reliability of collection.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: Dynamic record management methods applied to centralized electricity meter reading include: When the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, perform the following steps: The concentrator independently maintains its own dedicated list of device changes; the fields of the device change list include timestamp, device identifier, and device status. After a meter is connected to the concentrator and completes its network access, or after a meter is disconnected from the concentrator and completes its network exit, the concentrator adds a corresponding change record to its device change list and refreshes its own configured delayed reporting timer. After its delayed reporting timer expires, the concentrator reports the device change event to the HES master station; After receiving a device change event, the HES master station reads the new record from the device change list of the corresponding concentrator. The HES master station updates the device association table based on the newly read records; the device association table is used to record the binding association between each concentrator and all the meter devices under its jurisdiction.

[0009] The HES master station sends meter reading tasks to devices whose status is online based on the device association table.

[0010] Optionally, it also includes: After the concentrator switches from gateway mode to DCU mode, the following steps are performed: Restart the concentrator to complete mode initialization; The HES master station issues a device change list clearing command to the corresponding concentrator, updates the device association table, and removes the binding association between the concentrator and all its subordinate electricity meter devices.

[0011] Optionally, when the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: After all the meters under its jurisdiction are disconnected from the concentrator, a new global offline record is added to the device change list of the concentrator, and its delayed reporting timer is refreshed. The global offline record uses the concentrator identifier as the device identifier and the device status as offline to indicate that all the meters under its jurisdiction are disconnected from the concentrator at the corresponding timestamp.

[0012] Optionally, when the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: When the HES master station reads the device change list of the concentrator for the first time, it uses a full read method to obtain all records in the device change list. After the initial full read is completed, the HES master station responds to the device change event and uses an incremental read method to retrieve only the newly added records in the device change list.

[0013] Optionally, when the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: After the concentrator reports a device change event to the HES master station, if it detects that it has not received a device change list read instruction from the HES master station within the preset detection period, it will report the device change event to the HES master station again.

[0014] Optionally, when the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: The HES master station responds to the user-triggered full data reading command and reads all records from the device change list of the corresponding concentrator; The HES master station parses all the records it acquires one by one according to the timestamp sequence, and updates the device association table one by one based on the parsing results.

[0015] Optionally, when the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: The concentrator enables NTP network time service for time synchronization calibration.

[0016] Optionally, it also includes: The concentrator is configured to either gateway mode or DCU mode based on the working mode control instructions issued by the HES master station.

[0017] Another technical solution provided by this invention is: A centralized meter reading system includes an HES master station, several concentrators, and several electricity meters; the electricity meters are connected to the HES master station via the concentrators. The HES master station is configured to execute the steps performed by the HES master station in the above-described dynamic file management method; The concentrator is configured to perform the steps in the above-described dynamic file management method that are executed by the concentrator.

[0018] Optionally, the HES master station is configured to respond to a user-triggered command to view the device change list and to visually display the device change list of the specified concentrator on the display interface.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention specifically addresses the pain points of existing meter reading systems, such as lagging device status perception and rigid record management. By endowing the concentrator with the ability to actively perceive and record meter status, it can capture and record the grid connection / disconnection status in real time; a delayed reporting mechanism ensures real-time data synchronization between the concentrator and the HES master station, and aggregates continuous changes for combined reporting, reducing resource consumption; the HES master station dynamically maintains the device association table based on the synchronization mechanism with the concentrator, and reconstructs the meter reading logic accordingly, enabling accurate issuance of meter reading tasks based on the actual online status of the meters, improving the success rate of bill reading; simultaneously, it supports seamless switching between gateway mode and DCU mode for the concentrator, adapting to different field scenarios and reducing system upgrade costs. Overall, this invention realizes dynamic and intelligent record management in the centralized meter reading system, improving the overall system performance and management level, and has significant engineering application value. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of configuring the concentrator in gateway mode in a dynamic file management method for centralized meter reading provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between the concentrator and the HES master station when the concentrator is switched from DCU mode to gateway mode in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between the concentrator and the HES master station when the concentrator is switched from gateway mode to DCU mode in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the process after the concentrator is switched from gateway mode to DCU mode in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the interface effect of viewing the list of device changes maintained by a specified concentrator on the HES master station as a specific example of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction between the concentrator and the HES master station when the concentrator is working in gateway mode in a specific application scenario of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To explain in detail the technical principles, specific implementable solutions, possible application scenarios, and achievable objectives and effects of the present invention, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that the embodiments described herein and the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are therefore only examples intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0022] Explanation of technical terms involved in this invention: HES Master Station: The full name is Head-End System Master Station, which is the data acquisition front-end master station in the power system. It connects to and manages terminals (concentrators / meters) and is a central service platform responsible for unified data acquisition, remote control, and protocol adaptation.

[0023] Gateway mode: This mode involves the HES master station managing everything, while the concentrator only handles transparent forwarding. The concentrator is only responsible for protocol conversion and data pass-through. All instructions are issued by the HES master station, and the concentrator passively forwards data. It has no local fixed files, does not actively read meters, and data is not stored and is immediately transferred. The connection between the master station, concentrator, and meter is real-time and direct.

[0024] DCU mode: Data Concentrator Unit. The concentrator has local autonomous data collection capabilities, and can actively read meters according to a preset scheme (timed / periodic / event-triggered) without the need for commands from the HES master station; it also has data processing and storage capabilities, and can locally parse, verify and store historical data (daily freeze, monthly freeze, event logs).

[0025] NTP Calibration: NTP (Network Time Protocol) is a protocol used to synchronize the clocks of computer systems. It enables devices to obtain and calibrate their local time from an NTP server—a more precise time source such as an atomic clock, GPS, or a high-precision server—via a network connection.

[0026] Please see Figures 1 to 6 This invention provides a dynamic file management method for electricity meter centralized data collection.

[0027] This invention provides a dynamic record management method for centralized meter reading, comprising the following: I. Concentrator dual-mode switching.

[0028] The HES master station controls whether the concentrator operates in DCU mode or gateway mode.

[0029] In some specific implementations, dedicated parameter configurations enable flexible switching of the concentrator's operating mode without hardware modifications, ensuring compatibility with different application scenarios: Parameter configuration: 0 = Gateway mode, 1 = DCU mode; Mode switching logic: Initialize the default configuration to DCU mode; based on the working mode control instructions issued by the HES master station, configure it to the gateway mode or DCU mode corresponding to the instructions.

[0030] 2. Configure the concentrator in gateway mode.

[0031] When the concentrator is working in gateway mode, the system meter records are changed from static distribution by the traditional HES master station to dynamic maintenance by the HES master station; the concentrator actively senses, records, and reports the device status to the HES master station; the HES master station updates the device association table in real time accordingly to ensure complete synchronization between the system meter records and the actual status of the meters.

[0032] When the concentrator is working in gateway mode, such as Figure 1 As shown, the specific steps are as follows: S2-1: The concentrator independently maintains a dedicated list of equipment changes.

[0033] The fields in the device change list include timestamp, device identifier, and device status.

[0034] The timestamp represents the point in time when the device status changes. For example, the broadcast command format for the concentrator to obtain the timestamp is: 8 (timestamp synchronization message type); 0-0:1.0.0.255 (global broadcast domain for all devices); 2 (second-level standard timestamp format), used to obtain the current synchronization point of the entire network.

[0035] Among them, the device identifier is a unique identifier for the device, preferably a device ID (meter number / concentrator number). For example, the broadcast command format for the concentrator to obtain the device identifier is 1 (device identifier message type); 0-0:96.1.0.255 (global broadcast domain for all 96 major categories of devices); 2 (standard data return type), which is used for device identity addressing, i.e., obtaining the device identifier.

[0036] The device status indicates whether the device is currently offline (identified by 0) or online (identified by 1). For example, the broadcast command format for the concentrator to obtain device status is: 1 (device status query message); 0-0 (global area, no partition): 96.88.55.255 (broadcast domain for device operation / online status under the category of electricity meters / metering equipment); 2 (standard data return type), used for batch querying the real-time operating status of all its subordinate electricity meters.

[0037] In this embodiment, the table enables the concentrator to accurately record the status of all its subordinate electricity meter devices and to incrementally synchronize with the HES master station, which forms the basis for dynamic file management.

[0038] S2-2: When a meter is connected to the concentrator and completes its network access, or when a meter is disconnected from the concentrator and completes its network exit, the concentrator adds a corresponding change record to its device change list and refreshes its own configured delay reporting timer.

[0039] In some specific implementations, the concentrator determines whether its subordinate electricity meter devices are connected to or disconnected from the grid in the following ways: The downlink communication between the electricity meter and the concentrator is via PLC carrier or RF wireless, referred to as the downlink communication network, which is maintained by the concentrator's downlink communication module. When an electricity meter joins the network, the downlink communication module notifies the concentrator, which then marks the meter's status as online. If the downlink communication module fails to communicate with an electricity meter in the network for a certain number of consecutive routing cycles, it notifies the concentrator that the meter is offline. When it reconnects or joins the network again, it notifies the concentrator that the meter is online.

[0040] In some specific implementations, when the concentrator determines that all its subordinate meters have disconnected from it, it will add a global offline record to the device change list of the concentrator and refresh its delayed reporting timer; the global offline record uses the concentrator identifier as the device identifier and the device status as offline to indicate that all its subordinate meter devices have disconnected from it at the corresponding timestamp.

[0041] In other words, the recording rules for the equipment change list are as follows: Single electricity meter connection / deconnection → Generate change record: timestamp | meter identifier | device status; All meters under the concentrator are disconnected from the network → a global offline record is generated: timestamp | concentrator identifier | offline.

[0042] In this way, when all the meters go offline in batches (the concentrator loses its entire downlink communication network due to factors such as power failure, restart, or removal of the communication module, and all the meter devices connected to it through the network are offline), only one record is needed to identify it, reducing storage overhead and system network costs during subsequent reporting.

[0043] For example, the contents recorded in the device change list are: Timestamp | Device ID | Meter Status 2024-08-20 17:48:23|037990011104|1 #Indicates that the electricity meter is connected to the grid#; 2024-08-20 17:48:18|037990240104|0 #Indicates that the meter is disconnected from the network by this concentrator#; 2024-08-20 17:46:02|037177240530|1 #Indicates that the electricity meter is connected to the grid#; 2024-08-20 17:45:56|010211279728|1 # indicates that the electricity meter is connected to the grid#; 2024-08-20 17:41:08|410205194|0 #The device identifier is the concentrator number, indicating that all meters under this concentrator are disconnected from the grid#; 2024-08-20 17:40:36|010211279777|0# indicates that the meter is disconnected from the network by this concentrator. 2024-08-20 17:39:26|010211279788|0# indicates that the meter is disconnected from the network by this concentrator.

[0044] S2-3: After the concentrator's delayed reporting timer expires, it reports the device change event to the HES master station.

[0045] Here, a delayed reporting time window is configured through a delayed reporting timer. Whenever a status change occurs (a new record is added to the device change list), the delay will be reset and the waiting time will be reset. If no status change occurs within the continuous delayed reporting time window, the device status will be reported to the HES master station in order to merge and report continuous changes in device status, thereby reducing resource consumption.

[0046] For example, configuring the delayed reporting timer to have a delayed reporting time window of 0~65535s can extend the reporting time when there are large-scale changes in the status of electricity meters, and report after the network stabilizes, reducing invalid interactions and avoiding communication congestion caused by high-frequency reporting.

[0047] Here, by configuring device change events on the concentrator and the HES master station, the HES master station is triggered to actively read the device change list of the concentrator, ensuring that the device status is kept synchronized and updated in real time between the concentrator and the HES master station.

[0048] For example, 0x4606 (decimal 17926) is defined as a dedicated event code for device change events, which is then integrated into the concentrator's downlink network event system, and alarm filters are configured to enable or disable reporting.

[0049] S2-4: After receiving a device change event, the HES master station reads the new record from the device change list of the corresponding concentrator.

[0050] In some specific implementations, an incremental copying mechanism is configured on the HES master station: After the HES master station receives a device change event, if it is the first time it has received a device change event from the concentrator, it will read the device change list for the first time and use the full read method to obtain all records in the device change list. If the device change event is not received for the first time from the concentrator, i.e. after the initial full read is completed, the HES master station will respond to the device change event in the future by using incremental reading to only obtain the newly added records in its device change list.

[0051] For example, the initial HES reads the entire data over a time range (2024-01-01 08:00:00~2099-01-01 08:00:00), and subsequent reads use the latest timestamp from the previous read as the starting point for incremental data. For instance, the time range for the second read would be: the latest timestamp in the list during the previous read ~ 2099-01-01 08:00:00.

[0052] Therefore, the HES master station only accurately reads the incremental records within the time interval between two adjacent readings, so as to avoid repeatedly copying historical data and not miss any new records in the interval, thus achieving seamless and accurate continuous reading of data.

[0053] S2-5: The HES master station updates the device association table based on the newly read records; the device association table is used to record the binding association between each concentrator and all the meter devices under its jurisdiction.

[0054] The device association table is maintained locally by the HES master station. It uses each concentrator connected to the HES master station as the core object, recording the binding relationships between each concentrator and all the meters under its jurisdiction. The device association table is dynamically managed and updated based on each device change list read from the HES master station, automatically releasing off-grid meters from their original binding relationships with their corresponding concentrators.

[0055] Specifically, when a global offline record is read, that is, the device identifier in the record is the concentrator identifier, such as "410205194", it indicates that all the electricity meters under the concentrator are in an offline state at the corresponding timestamp. In this case, the HES master station will, based on the global offline record, remove the binding relationship between the concentrator and all the electricity meters originally bound in the device association table, and update the status of all these electricity meters to offline.

[0056] S2-6: The HES master station sends meter reading tasks to devices whose status is online according to the device association table.

[0057] In this embodiment, the control of meter reading is transferred to the HES master station, which uses the device association table to accurately collect bills from online meters.

[0058] In some specific implementations, the HES master station, based on the binding relationships between each concentrator and all its subordinate electricity meters recorded in the device association table, creates daily scheduled data collection tasks for all electricity meters recorded in the table. The collected data items support both point-to-point and time-to-time data collection modes. The collection tasks are then distributed to the corresponding concentrators, which act as gateways to forward the collection tasks to the target electricity meters. This ensures that meter reading operations are performed only on currently online electricity meters, completely resolving the problem of data collection failures caused by discrepancies between the system's meter records and the actual device status.

[0059] In some further embodiments of this example, when the concentrator is operating in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: S2-7: After the concentrator reports a device change event to the HES master station, if it detects that it has not received a device change list read command from the HES master station within the preset detection period, it will actively report the device change event to the HES master station again to trigger the HES master station to issue a device change list read command.

[0060] Here, by configuring a periodic detection mechanism, when the concentrator reports equipment change events and the HES master station fails to read the equipment change list in a timely manner within the specified time, the concentrator will automatically report the new records periodically, thus forming a backup synchronization mechanism.

[0061] For example, the detection period is configured to be 0~65535s.

[0062] In some further embodiments of this example, when the concentrator is operating in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: S2-8: The HES master station responds to the user-triggered full data reading command and reads all records from the device change list of the corresponding concentrator; S2-9: The HES master station parses all the records it has acquired one by one according to the timestamp sequence, and updates the device association table one by one according to the parsing results.

[0063] Here, in response to the possibility of missed binding / unbinding of electricity meters by the HES master station due to extreme on-site conditions (such as network interruption, hardware failure, etc.), which could lead to abnormal data collection, a special solution for handling missed binding / unbinding anomalies has been configured. By developing a function on the HES master station to manually trigger a full data reading command, maintenance personnel can trigger this command at any time to automatically complete the repair of missed binding / unbinding, with full traceability.

[0064] In some further embodiments of this example, when the concentrator is operating in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: S2-10: The concentrator enables NTP network time service for time synchronization calibration.

[0065] Here, we address the issue of meter attribution errors caused by inaccurate time settings in concentrators. Specifically, the HES master station determines the latest meter attribution based on the timestamps in the incremental records of the device change list. If the concentrator's time is out of sync, the recorded timestamps will not match the actual time, leading to incorrect attribution determination. This is addressed by implementing firmware-level technical constraints at the source, forcing concentrators in gateway mode to enable NTP time synchronization, ensuring real-time synchronization with the NTP server. Preferably, this can be further enhanced by adding time validity checks to the HES master station. When the time deviation exceeds a threshold, a time synchronization command is immediately issued and the abnormal device is flagged, ensuring the concentrator's time synchronization.

[0066] It should be noted that the step numbers above are only used to identify different steps and do not limit the order in which the steps are executed.

[0067] 3. The concentrator is configured in DCU mode.

[0068] After the concentrator performs system initialization at startup, it operates in DCU mode by default.

[0069] like Figure 2As shown, when there is a need to switch the concentrator from the current DCU mode to the gateway mode, the HES master station remotely switches the working mode by issuing a working mode control command (set to gateway mode); the concentrator will set the working mode to gateway mode according to the received working mode control command; after the concentrator switches to gateway mode, all data collection tasks are paused and the whitelist is invalidated.

[0070] like Figure 3 As shown, when there is a need to switch the concentrator from the current gateway mode to the DCU mode, the HES master station remotely switches the working mode by issuing a working mode control command (setting to DCU mode); the concentrator will set the working mode to DCU mode according to the received working mode control command; after the concentrator switches to DCU mode, it clears the file, that is, clears the device change list.

[0071] Specifically, when the concentrator switches from gateway mode to DCU mode, such as Figure 4 As shown, the following steps will be performed: S2-1: The concentrator automatically restarts after completing mode initialization, and its downlink communication module automatically restarts, causing all meter devices in its downlink network to disconnect from the network. S2-2: After the HES master station detects the switch of the concentrator's working mode, it automatically sends a device change list clearing command to the corresponding concentrator, updates the device association table, and removes the binding association between the concentrator and all the electricity meter devices under its jurisdiction.

[0072] This section addresses the issue of consistency between the device profile and the actual status during dual-mode switching of the concentrator. Specifically, when the concentrator switches modes, inconsistencies can arise between the device relationships maintained by the HES master station, the concentrator's local profile, and the actual status of the field downlink communication network. This is resolved by automatically clearing the concentrator's device change list and re-issuing the profile to ensure consistency across all three parties.

[0073] Another embodiment of the present invention, based on the above embodiments, provides an electricity meter centralized reading system, including an HES master station, several concentrators, and several electricity meters; the electricity meters are connected to the HES master station via the concentrators. Specifically, the electricity meter devices are connected to the downlink communication module of the concentrators and connected to the downlink communication network of the concentrators; each concentrator is connected to the HES master station through its uplink communication module.

[0074] The HES master station is configured to execute the steps performed by the HES master station in the dynamic file management method described in the above embodiments; The concentrator is configured to perform the steps executed by the concentrator in the dynamic file management method described in the above embodiments.

[0075] The specific steps performed by the HES master station and each concentrator will not be repeated here; please refer to the description in the above embodiments for details.

[0076] In some specific implementations of this embodiment, the HES master station is also configured to respond to user-triggered device change list viewing commands and visually display the device change list of a specified concentrator (operating in gateway mode) on the display interface.

[0077] For example, the interface for viewing the list of device changes maintained by a specified concentrator on the HES master station looks like this: Figure 5 As shown.

[0078] Below, please combine Figure 6 To further illustrate this, we will use a specific application scenario to explain the dynamic file management method when the concentrator is operating in gateway mode: A. Configure the concentrator to gateway mode; B. On August 20, 2024, at 17:45:56, meter 1 (number 010211279728) was connected to concentrator 1 (number 410205194); a new record was added to the equipment change list of concentrator 1: 2024-08-20 17:45:56|010211279728|1; C. Concentrator 1 starts a delay reporting countdown timer (default 5 minutes); D. On August 20, 2024, at 17:46:02, meter 2 (number 03717724053) was connected to concentrator 1 (number 410205194); a new record was added to the equipment change list of concentrator 1: 2024-08-20 17:46:02|037177240530|1; E. Concentrator 1 refreshes the countdown timer, restarting the 5-minute countdown; F. On August 20, 2024, at 17:48:00, meter 3 (number 03717724113) was disconnected from concentrator 1 (number 410205194); a new record was added to the equipment change list of concentrator 1: 2024-08-20 17:48:00|03717724113|0; G. Concentrator 1 refreshes the countdown timer, restarting the 5-minute countdown; H. If there is no change in the electricity meter for 5 consecutive minutes, concentrator 1 will trigger device change event 17926 and report it to the HES master station. When the I.HES master station receives the event, it begins to read the list of device changes for concentrator 1 within the specified time range, and can read the three records mentioned above. The J.HES main station updates the status of meters 1 and 2 under concentrator 1 to online, and unbinds the previously online meter 3, changing it to offline. The K.HES main station collects data from meter 1 and meter 2 via concentrator 1 as needed, but does not collect data from offline meter 3. L. On August 20, 2024, at 19:00:00, meter 2 (number 03717724053) was connected to concentrator 2 (number 410206666). A new record was added to the equipment change list of concentrator 2: 2024-08-20 19:00:00|037177240530|1; M. Concentrator 2 starts a delayed reporting (default 5 minutes) countdown timer; if there is no change in the electricity meter for 5 consecutive minutes, concentrator 2 triggers device change event 17926 and reports it to the HES master station; The N.HES master station received the event and began reading the list of device changes for concentrator 2 during this period according to the time. It could read the record mentioned above; it updated the affiliation of meter 2 to concentrator 2 (number 410206666) and marked its status as online. The O.HES master station transmits data from meter 1 via concentrator 1 as needed, and transmits data from meter 2 via concentrator 2. Through the above, the HES master station will achieve dynamic file adjustment, ensuring that the binding relationship of the electricity meter devices is completely synchronized with the actual status of the meters on site; when collecting electricity meter data, it can clearly identify which concentrator to issue the collection task. The delayed reporting mechanism avoids frequent event reporting, saving communication resources. The concentrator only maintains the device change list and notifies events; the HES master station actively reads the change list.

[0079] In summary, the dynamic record management method and system for centralized meter reading provided by this invention, through the concentrator independently maintaining the device change list in gateway mode, combined with a delayed timer-triggered event reporting mechanism, achieves accurate recording and continuous reporting of meter network access / departure changes. The HES master station adopts a hierarchical data acquisition strategy of initial full reading and subsequent incremental reading, reducing communication overhead and improving record synchronization efficiency. Simultaneously, through mechanisms such as unified offline recording across the entire domain, proactive reporting of periodic non-recall, manual full reading as a fallback, and NTP time calibration, the record update logic under abnormal and special scenarios is improved, ensuring real-time accuracy of device relationships. This invention enables smooth switching between concentrator modes and automatic release of record relationships, ensuring accurate synchronization between the meter relationship records of the HES master station and the actual meter status, and reasonable distribution of meter reading tasks, effectively improving the real-time performance, reliability, and overall operational stability of the centralized meter reading system's record maintenance.

[0080] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon understanding the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to the embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover the preferred embodiments and all equivalent modifications falling within the scope of protection defined by the claims and their equivalents. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and variations to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope. If such modifications and variations fall within the scope of protection defined by the claims and their equivalents, the invention also intends to include them.

[0081] It should be noted that any reference signs placed between parentheses in the claims should not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of components or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding a component does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such components. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different components and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware.

[0082] In this invention, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified. The term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone.

[0083] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0084] In this specification, the use of terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refers to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. The illustrative expressions of the above terms in this specification should not be construed as necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0085] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent modifications made based on the content of the present invention's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A dynamic record management method applied to centralized meter reading, characterized in that, include: When the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, perform the following steps: The concentrator independently maintains its own dedicated list of device changes; the fields of the device change list include timestamp, device identifier, and device status. After a meter is connected to the concentrator and completes its network access, or after a meter is disconnected from the concentrator and completes its network exit, the concentrator adds a corresponding change record to its device change list and refreshes its own configured delayed reporting timer. After its delayed reporting timer expires, the concentrator reports the device change event to the HES master station; After receiving a device change event, the HES master station reads the new record from the device change list of the corresponding concentrator. The HES master station updates the device association table based on the newly read records; the device association table is used to record the binding association between each concentrator and all the meter devices under its jurisdiction. The HES master station sends meter reading tasks to devices whose status is online based on the device association table.

2. The dynamic record management method for centralized meter reading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: After the concentrator switches from gateway mode to DCU mode, the following steps are performed: Restart the concentrator to complete mode initialization; The HES master station issues a device change list clearing command to the corresponding concentrator, updates the device association table, and removes the binding association between the concentrator and all its subordinate electricity meter devices.

3. The dynamic record management method for electricity meter centralized reading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: After all the meters under its jurisdiction are disconnected from the concentrator, a new global offline record is added to the device change list of the concentrator, and its delayed reporting timer is refreshed. The global offline record uses the concentrator identifier as the device identifier and the device status as offline to indicate that all the meters under its jurisdiction are disconnected from the concentrator at the corresponding timestamp.

4. The dynamic record management method for centralized meter reading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: When the HES master station reads the device change list of the concentrator for the first time, it uses a full read method to obtain all records in the device change list. After the initial full read is completed, the HES master station responds to the device change event and uses an incremental read method to retrieve only the newly added records in the device change list.

5. The dynamic record management method for electricity meter centralized reading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: After the concentrator reports a device change event to the HES master station, if it detects that it has not received a device change list read instruction from the HES master station within the preset detection period, it will report the device change event to the HES master station again.

6. The dynamic record management method for electricity meter centralized reading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: The HES master station responds to the user-triggered full data reading command and reads all records from the device change list of the corresponding concentrator; The HES master station parses all the records it acquires one by one according to the timestamp sequence, and updates the device association table one by one based on the parsing results.

7. The dynamic record management method for electricity meter centralized reading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When the concentrator is configured in gateway mode, the following steps are also performed: The concentrator enables NTP network time service for time synchronization calibration.

8. The dynamic record management method for electricity meter centralized reading as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The concentrator is configured to either gateway mode or DCU mode based on the working mode control instructions issued by the HES master station.

9. A centralized meter reading system, characterized in that, It includes an HES master station, several concentrators, and several electricity meters; the electricity meters are connected to the HES master station via the concentrators. The HES master station is configured to execute the steps performed by the HES master station in the dynamic file management method according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The concentrator is configured to perform the steps executed by the concentrator in the dynamic file management method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The meter reading system as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The HES master station is configured to respond to user-triggered commands to view the device change list and to visually display the device change list of the specified concentrator on the display interface.

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