Battery-operated smart metering counter

Abstract

During the battery operation of a smart metering meter (11) which is equipped with a consumption sensor (14) and a transmit clock generator (17) for a radio module (19) for the transmission of consumption data packets (20), in the event of a conspicuously decreased residual capacity of the battery (21), it is determined whether the data packets (20) can be transmitted as previously with said residual capacity over the residual time period also until the scheduled battery exchange at the end of the specified operating time period. If not, the transmit power, for example, of the data packets (20) is reduced and / or their transmit clock (27) is extended over the residual period. This determination, along with the control specification, are preferably performed in the concentrator (13) and are transmitted by means of bidirectionally operating radio modules (19) to the meter (11) so that the computer capacities required for this purpose do not have to be retained in each individual meter (11) of the supply area. (Drawing)

Description

Battery-operated smart metering counter The invention relates to a method and a device for the battery operation of smart metering meters. In smart metering, as described, for example, in DE 1 01 52 554 B4, the aim is to equip each consumption point for line-connected energy sources such as electricity, gas, water or district heating with a meter for signals generated by a metering device depending on consumption, and with a radio module for wireless short-range packet transmission of the currently accumulated digitized meter reading via one of the license-free-accessible ISM frequency bands to a concentrator. The receives and stores the packets (also referred to as messages) individualized by meter addresses and comparatively frequently received from different meters operated in the receiving area and, in some instances, carries out a preprocessing, for example for a data plausibility check. The data temporarily stored in concentrators are transmitted comparatively infrequently via long-range radio data transmission, for example in accordance with a WLAN or mobile radiocommunication standard, to a network headend, for example to the billing or operations management center of an energy supply company for this energy source in this supply area. The meter inaccessible to the consumer is equipped with a long-life battery which is intended to necessitate a battery change (possibly together with a metering device recalibration) only after an operating period of at least twelve years. For logistical, technical and cost reasons, all meters or at least their batteries are exchanged more or less simultaneously at the end of this specified operating time period in the supply area, even if some of the batteries still have sufficient capacity for further operation at that time. On the other hand, however, if the battery in one of the meters operated in the supply area is prematurely exhausted, the unscheduled exchange incurs considerable additional manpower-related and financial outlay, particularly for the short residual time period until the next, i.e. scheduled, exchange at the end of the operational time period in the entire supply area. In the light of such circumstances, the technical object of the present invention is to avoid the requirement for an unscheduled, premature battery exchange in the smart metering meter. This object is achieved by extending the still available residual operating period of a battery threatening premature exhaustion through targeted load relief thereof until (at least) the end of the scheduled operating time period by modifying parameters of the radio link depending on the residual capacity of the battery in the sense of an extension of the residual operating time period. For this purpose, particularly in the event of reduced battery capacity after a certain operating period, the number of data packets still transmittable with this battery can be defined in order to transmit the data packets in the residual time period then with radio parameters modified to extend the residual time period, for example reduced only in terms of data rate, waveform, clock and / or level. A detector operating in the meter is provided to record the behavior, in particular the characteristic of the discharge curve, or at least of the present, particularly load-dependent and temperature-dependent state, of the battery. A usable state criterion of this type is the present battery voltage or the present internal resistance of the battery, measured if possible under full load, preferably compared with a standard behavior or standard state of this battery type after the present operating period. Taking account of the known power consumption, in particular of the metering device, the signal processing and the radio module of this meter, selected radio parameters are modified depending on the residual capacity of the battery. For this purpose, the number of packet transmissions of the present type which are still possible with the presently residual battery capacity can be defined, for example calculated or derived from stored tables. However, in order to further extend the resulting operating period, at least one radio parameter, such as the transmit power of the radio module of this meter and / or its transmit clock, will henceforth be reduced accordingly until the scheduled battery exchange at the end of the operating time period specified in the system. In particular, the number of packet transmissions still possible can be distributed in a spread manner over the remainder of the scheduled operating time period for this purpose. This results in a reduced transmit clock for packet transmissions from this meter for the residual time period still remaining after the operating period thus far, wherein the frequency of the clock generator of said meter is reduced for the transmission of data packets. However, if the reception of meter data packets becomes too infrequent as a result, e.g. for a desired billing update of the consumption data, the transmit power is reduced over the residual time period of the specified operating time period if the remaining data rate is sufficiently high. A transition to a reduced- range waveform is also possible. For practical reasons, a deterioration in the reception conditions in the concentrator is sufficiently compensated by the repeated transmission of data packets of the meter and due to a plurality of concentrators distributed in the supply area. If the radio modules, not only of the concentrator, but also of the meters, are equipped with a transceiver for bidirectional radio data transmission, the total outlay in terms of the processing power to be maintained in each case in the numerous meters of the supply area can be drastically reduced by determining the reduction, e.g. of the transmit clock of the data packets and / or the transmit power, required to attain the operating time period over the residual time period, only in the concentrators, possibly even only in the control center. For this purpose, the meter transmits information relating to the present state of its battery, preferably not separately, but with the data packet or as an attachment to a data packet, characterized, for example, by the battery voltage under load, to at least one of the concentrators in the supply area. The data rate for the system-specific operating time period is stored there. In response to the information relating to the battery state, the meter receives from the concentrator an indication of the, if necessary optimized, future transmit parameter, e.g. the transmit clock with a specified, possibly reduced transmit power, preferably also in the form of the coded new settings of the transmit clock generator and the transmitter output power in this meter with otherwise prematurely dwindling battery capacity. For this meter, the residual capacity of its battery is thus compared with the residual time period of the battery operation in the other, normally operating, meters of this supply area by modifying selected radio parameters depending on the residual capacity of the battery to extend the residual time period. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a smart metering meter among a plurality of smart metering meters of a supply area each having a consumption sensor, a long-life battery and a transmit clock generator, the method comprising: using the plurality of smart metering meters for transmitting consumption data packets via radio to at least one concentrator, determining as an operational control parameter a specified operating time period uniform to all smart meters of the supply area, at an end of which specified operating time period all the smart meters of the supply area or at least their long-life batteries are to be exchanged, and, in an event of decreased capacity of the long-life battery of the smart metering meter among the plurality of smart metering meters of the supply area after a certain operating period after which the long-life battery of said smart metering meter among said plurality of smart metering meters of the supply area has a residual operating time period until reaching the end of the specified operating time period, modifying at least one radio transmission parameter of said smart metering meter among said plurality of smart metering meters of the supply area to extend its residual operating time period depending on a residual capacity of the long-life battery of the smart metering meter among the plurality of smart metering meters of the supply area to provide an extension of the residual operating time period until at least the end of the specified operating time period; and modifying said at least one radio transmission parameter includes defining a number of still transmittable consumption data packets, and transmitting the number of still transmittable consumption data packets in modified form during the residual operating time period until an end of the residual operating time period such that the number of consumption data packet transmissions still possible is distributed in a spread manner over a remainder of the specified operating time period. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for operating a smart metering meter having a consumption sensor and a transmit clock generator and transmitting consumption data packets via a radio module by means of a long life battery, configured to carry out at least one of the methods as described herein, wherein, if the capacity of the long-life battery is critically reduced during the residual operating time period, the clock generator and / or a transmitter of the radio module is / are controllable by a battery state detector to provide the extension of the residual operating time period until at least the end of the specified operating time period. Additional alternatives and developments of the solution according to the invention can be found taking account of the advantages thereof, from the following description of a preferred example embodiment of the invention. The single figure of the drawing illustrates, by way of a block diagram reduced to the functional essentials, the battery management according to the invention of a smart metering meter. N , The abstractly outlined meter 11 is one of many which communicate with at least one concentrator 13 in a supply area via, in this case bidirectional, radio links 12. Consumption data 15, in particular the flow of a fluid, are recorded by means of an e.g. incrementally operating sensor 14 in or on the tap line of an energy source. Said data are processed and, if necessary, digitized and accumulated in a signal processing unit 16 until they are transmitted from time to time, controlled via a clock generator 17, by means of the transmitter 18 of a radio module 19 as a consumption data packet 20 to the receiver 25 of the radio module 19 in at least one of the concentrators 13 accessible in the supply area. The meter 11 is equipped with a primary battery 21 for the operating energy of its functional components, i.e., in particular for the signal processing unit 16, the clock generator 17 and the radio module 19 and, if necessary also the sensor 14. Battery information 26 relating to the present state of charge of the battery 21 is supplied by a detector 22 which, in this example embodiment, is designed to measure the current battery voltage under full load. This information 26 is transmitted in any case from time to time, e.g. as an attachment to the data packet 20, to the receiver 25 in the concentrator 13. If it is established there in a voltage comparator 23 that, for example in this battery 21, the discharge curve is falling significantly more steeply than is typical for the battery, the residual battery capacity will not be sufficient to operate this meter 11 until the scheduled end of the operating time period. The number of present data packets 20 transmitted by the meter 11 via radio for which this residual capacity is still sufficient and the reduced transmit clock 27 acting via the signal processing unit 16 or directly on the meter transmitter 18 by which this number of data packets 20 can be evenly distributed over the current residual time period of the operating time period are therefore established in a table memory or in a computing circuit 24 for the residual battery capacity. This clock frequency specification, reduced compared with the normal operation, is transmitted via the receiver 25 of the radio module 19, operating bidirectionally in any event for that purpose, to the clock generator 17. In a comparable manner (not shown in the drawing), the transmit power of the transmitter 18 can alternatively or additionally be reduced in the meter 11 via the computing circuit 24 in order to continue transmitting data packets 20 to the concentrator 13 despite dwindling battery capacity without a premature battery exchange over the residual time period until the end of the specified operating time period. For this type of transmission with transmit power reduced during the residual time period, other original transmit . parameters such as the clock can be retained or, particularly in the case of a critical power budget for the residual time period, similarly reduced. During the battery operation of a smart metering meter 11 which is equipped with a consumption sensor 14 and a transmit clock generator 17 for a radio module 19 for the transmission of consumption data packets 20, it is therefore determined according to the invention, in the event of a conspicuously decreased residual capacity of the battery 21, whether this residual capacity is sufficient for the intended data transmission; if not, the data packets 20 must be transmitted with at least one modified transmit parameter to a concentrator 13 over an extended time period until the scheduled battery exchange at the end of the specified operating time period. To do this, the data rate, for example, or the transmit level of the data packets 20 can be reduced over the residual time period and / or their transmit clock 27 can be extended. This determination, along with the control specification for the future operation of the transmitter 18 are performed in a control center, but preferably in a concentrator 13, and are transmitted by means of directionally operating modules 19 to the meter 11 so that the computer capacities required for this purpose do not have to be retained in each of the numerous meters 11 of the supply area. . A . Reference number list 11 Meter (with 14 and 19) 12 Radio link (between 11 und 13) 13 Concentrator 14 Sensor (from 11) 15 Consumption data (from 14, in 20) 16 Signal processing (between 14 and 18) 17 Clock generator (for 16 / 18 in 11) 18 Transmitter (from 19) 19 Radio module (from 11 or from 13) 20 Data packet (from 11 to 13) 21 Battery (in 11) 22 Detector (at 21) 23 Comparator (for 26) 24 Computing circuit (for 27 from 23) 25 Receiver (from 19) 26 Battery information (from 22, transmitted with 20) 27 Transmit clock (from 17, for 18 / 20) • 1 • • 1

Claims

<pat:ClaimStatement>CLAIMS:< / pat:ClaimStatement> <pat:Claims com:id="claims"> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00001"> <pat:ClaimNumber>1< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>1. A method for operating a smart metering meter among a plurality of smart metering meters of a supply area each having a consumption sensor, a long-life battery and a transmit clock generator, the method comprising: using the plurality of smart metering meters for transmitting consumption data packets via radio to at least one concentrator, determining as an operational control parameter a specified operating time period uniform to all smart meters of the supply area, at an end of which specified operating time period all the smart meters of the supply area or at least their long-life batteries are to be exchanged, and, in an event of decreased capacity of the long-life battery of the smart metering meter among the plurality of smart metering meters of the supply area after a certain operating period after which the long-life battery of said smart metering meter among said plurality of smart metering meters of the supply area has a residual operating time period until reaching the end of the specified operating time period, modifying at least one radio transmission parameter of said smart metering meter among said plurality of smart metering meters of the supply area to extend its residual operating time period depending on a residual capacity of the long-life battery of the smart metering meter among the plurality of smart metering meters of the supply area to provide an extension of the residual operating time period until at least the end of the specified operating time period; and modifying said at least one radio transmission parameter includes defining a number of still transmittable consumption data packets, and transmitting the number of still transmittable consumption data packets in modified form during the residual operating time period until an end of the residual operating time period such that the number of consumption data packet transmissions still possible is distributed in a spread manner over a remainder of the specified operating time period. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00002"> <pat:ClaimNumber>2< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a transmit clock of the transmit clock generator and / or a transmit power of the transmission of the data packets is / are reduced as part of the modifying of said at least one radio transmission parameter. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00003"> <pat:ClaimNumber>3< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the parameter which is to be reduced for a future data packet transmission is a transmit clock of the transmit clock generator or the transmit power or the transmit clock and the transmit power, a data rate or a waveform or the data rate and the waveform for a reduced range. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00004"> <pat:ClaimNumber>4< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein information relating to the battery capacity is transmitted with the data packets or as an attachment to data packets. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00005"> <pat:ClaimNumber>5< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>5. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein information relating to the battery capacity is obtained from a battery voltage and from a battery internal resistance. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00006"> <pat:ClaimNumber>6< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the battery capacity is obtained from the battery voltage and from the battery internal resistance measured under full load. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00007"> <pat:ClaimNumber>7< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>7. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein information relating to the battery capacity is transmitted from the smart metering meter via radio to the concentrator, and, if necessary, on from the concentrator to a higher-level control center, from which specifications for one or more of said at least one radio transmission parameter to be modified are transmitted via radio transmission back to the smart metering meter. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00008"> <pat:ClaimNumber>8< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>8. A device for operating a smart metering meter having a consumption sensor and a transmit clock generator and transmitting consumption data packets via a radio module by means of a long life battery, configured to carry out at least one of the methods as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, if the capacity of the long-life battery is critically reduced during the residual operating time period, the clock generator and / or a transmitter of the radio module is / are controllable by a battery state detector to provide the extension of the residual operating time period until at least the end of the specified operating time period. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the operating extension is a result of reduced frequency of the transmit clock or reduced transmit power. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00010"> <pat:ClaimNumber>10< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>10. The device as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein a voltage-measuring or an impedance- measuring detector is provided. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00011"> <pat:ClaimNumber>11< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>11. The device as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein a bidirectionally operating radio module is provided in the smart metering meter, and a comparator and a computing circuit are provided in a concentrator in radio contact with said radio module in addition to the radio module of the smart metering meter in order to modify at least one transmit parameter of the transmission of data packets from the smart metering meter to the concentrator. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> <pat:Claim com:id="CLM-00012"> <pat:ClaimNumber>12< / pat:ClaimNumber> <pat:ClaimText>12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one transmit parameter is a transmit clock of the transmit clock generator or a transmit power of the transmission of data packets. < / pat:ClaimText> < / pat:Claim> < / pat:Claims>