Systems and methods for isolated sensor discovery and reporting

Abstract

A utility sensor module includes one or more sensors, a communication link, and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to broadcast an advertising signal associated with a communication protocol at a first transmission time. The advertisement signal is configured to cause the external device to transmit a response message. The electronic processor is further configured to determine whether a response message is received within a predetermined time period, and operate in a modified sleep mode in response to determining that the response message is not received within the predetermined time period. Operating in the modified sleep mode includes modifying operation of the communication interface, broadcasting the advertisement signal at periodic intervals such that the advertisement signal is broadcast at the periodic intervals only at the second transmission time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to controlling a utility sensing system during various operations, and more particularly, to discovering and / or reporting sensors within the system that are not communicating with the utility, such as via a receiving unit or other communication device. Background Art

[0002] Connected or smart utility meters and / or sensors are increasingly common in utility systems, such as gas, electricity, water, etc. These connected sensors allow data to be provided directly to a central utility system for processing, billing, maintenance, etc. In some facilities or other devices, there may be multiple smart utility meters and / or sensors, which in turn are configured to communicate with a central utility system. Typically, these smart devices communicate with a central utility system via an intermediate device. In some cases, one or more smart devices may not be able to establish communication with one or more intermediate devices, or may subsequently lose their communication link. In these cases, smart devices are typically determined to be isolated. In some systems, these isolated devices may not be discovered or reported without manual verification. Because the smart devices are isolated, they are unable to report the sensed parameters to the facility and / or utility system. Therefore, a system and process for discovering and / or reporting isolated sensors to facility operators and / or utilities would be beneficial. Summary of the invention

[0003] The systems and methods described herein provide systems and methods for discovering orphaned devices within a facility or other network. These discovered orphaned devices can then be reported to the facility and / or utility so that maintenance personnel can be dispatched or the orphaned devices can be otherwise notified so that the orphaned devices can be replaced or linked to a communication network.

[0004] In one embodiment, a utility sensor module includes one or more sensors, a communication link, and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to broadcast an advertisement signal associated with a communication protocol at a first transmission time. The advertisement signal is configured to cause the external device to transmit a response message. The electronic processor is further configured to determine whether the response message is received within a predetermined time period, and in response to determining that the response message is not received within the predetermined time, operate in a modified sleep mode. Operating in the modified sleep mode includes modifying the operation of the communication interface to broadcast the advertisement signal at periodic intervals, so that the advertisement signal is only broadcast at periodic intervals at a second transmission time.

[0005] In one aspect, the utility sensor module is powered by a battery.

[0006] In another aspect, the periodic interval is based on the voltage of the battery.

[0007] In another aspect, the second transmission time is based on a voltage of the battery.

[0008] In another aspect, the second transmission time is less than the first transmission time.

[0009] In another aspect, the electronic processor is further configured to establish a communication link with the external device in response to receiving the response message within a predetermined time period. The electronic processor is further configured to determine whether the established communication link has been discarded, attempt to renegotiate the communication link with the external device in response to determining that the established communication link has been discarded, determine whether the attempt to renegotiate the communication link is successful, and operate in the modified sleep mode in response to determining that the attempt to renegotiate the communication link is unsuccessful.

[0010] In another aspect, the one or more sensors include a methane detection sensor.

[0011] In another embodiment, a method for changing an operating mode of a sensor module is described. The method includes broadcasting an advertising signal associated with a communication protocol at a first transmission time. The advertising signal is configured to cause an external device to transmit a response message. The method also includes determining whether the response message is received within a predetermined time period. The method also includes modifying the operation of the utility sensor module to operate in a modified sleep mode in response to determining that the response message is not received within the predetermined time period, wherein operating in the modified sleep mode includes modifying the operation of the sensor module to broadcast the advertising signal at periodic intervals, such that the advertising signal is only broadcast at periodic intervals at a second transmission time.

[0012] In one aspect, the periodic interval is based on the voltage of a battery powering the sensor module.

[0013] In another aspect, the second transmission time is based on a voltage of the battery.

[0014] In another aspect, the second transmission time is less than the first transmission time.

[0015] In another aspect, the process also includes establishing a communication link with the external device in response to receiving the response message within a predetermined time period, determining whether the established communication link has been discarded, and attempting to renegotiate the communication link with the external device in response to determining that the established communication link has been discarded. The process also includes determining whether the attempted renegotiation of the communication link is successful, and operating in a modified sleep mode in response to determining that the attempt to renegotiate the communication link is unsuccessful.

[0016] In another aspect, the communication protocol is the Bluetooth protocol.

[0017] In another aspect, a sensor module includes a methane detection sensor.

[0018] In another embodiment, a utility system including a sensor module and a receiving device is described. The sensor module includes one or more sensors and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to broadcast an advertisement signal associated with a communication protocol at a first transmission time and determine whether a response message is received within a predetermined time period. The electronic processor is also configured to operate in a modified sleep mode in response to determining that the response message is not received within the predetermined time period. Operating in the modified sleep mode includes modifying the operation of the communication interface to broadcast the advertisement signal at periodic intervals so that the advertisement signal is only broadcast at periodic intervals at a second transmission time. The receiving device includes an electronic processor configured to transmit a response message in response to receiving the advertisement signal.

[0019] In one aspect, the electronic processor of the receiving device is further configured to receive an advertisement signal from at least one sensor module, determine whether the advertisement signal is an expected advertisement signal, and determine whether a communication link with the sensor module has been previously established. The electronic processor is further configured to establish a communication link with the sensor module in response to determining that a communication link with the sensor module has been previously established, and transmit a first status message to the utility server to indicate that the sensor module has previously disconnected communication with the receiving device.

[0020] In another aspect, the electronic processor of the receiving device is further configured to transmit a second status message to the utility server indicating that the sensor module is not in communication with the receiving device in response to determining that the communication link with the sensor module was not previously established.

[0021] In another aspect, the periodic interval is based on a voltage of a battery powering the sensor module.

[0022] In another aspect, the second transmission time is based on a voltage of a battery powering the sensor module.

[0023] In another aspect, the electronic processor of the sensor module is further configured to establish a communication link with the receiving device in response to receiving the response message within a predetermined time period, determine whether the established communication link has been discarded, and attempt to renegotiate the communication link with the external device in response to determining that the established communication link has been discarded. The electronic processor of the sensor module is further configured to determine whether the attempted renegotiation of the communication link is successful, and operate in a modified sleep mode in response to determining that the attempt to renegotiate the communication link is unsuccessful.

[0024] In another embodiment, a utility sensing system is disclosed. The utility sensing system includes at least one receiving unit having a communication interface and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to monitor an advertisement signal associated with a communication protocol, determine whether an advertisement message is received, and determine whether the advertisement message is expected in response to determining that the advertisement message is received. The electronic processor is also configured to determine whether communication with a sensor module associated with the received advertisement message was previously established in response to determining that the advertisement message is not expected, and transmit a first message that the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message is an orphan sensor in response to determining that communication with the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message was not previously established.

[0025] In one aspect, the electronic processor is further configured to attempt to establish a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message in response to determining that communication with the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message was previously established.

[0026] In another aspect, the electronic processor is further configured to transmit a second message indicating that the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message is restored in response to the receiving unit successfully establishing a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message.

[0027] In another aspect, the electronic processor is further configured to transmit a first message indicating that the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message is an orphan sensor in response to the receiving unit being unsuccessful in establishing a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message.

[0028] In another aspect, the electronic processor is further configured to receive a command authorizing the receiving unit to attempt to establish a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertising message.

[0029] In another embodiment, a utility sensing system is disclosed. The utility sensing system includes at least one receiving unit having a communication interface and an electronic processor. The electronic processor is configured to monitor an advertisement signal associated with a communication protocol, determine whether an advertisement message is received, and in response to determining that the advertisement message is received, determine whether the advertisement message is expected. The electronic processor is also configured to determine whether communication with a sensor module associated with the received advertisement message was previously established in response to determining that the advertisement message was not expected, transmit a first message that the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message is an orphan sensor in response to determining that communication with the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message was not previously established, and receive a command authorizing the receiving unit to attempt to establish a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message.

[0030] In one aspect, the electronic processor is further configured to transmit the message in response to successfully establishing a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertisement message.

[0031] In another aspect, the received command is transmitted by the utility network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings (in which like reference numerals refer to elements of the same or similar functions throughout the various views) and the following detailed description are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, and are used to further illustrate embodiments of the concepts including the claims and to explain the various principles and advantages of these embodiments.

[0033] Figure 1 is a diagram of a general utility system according to some embodiments.

[0034] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a utility sensor module according to some embodiments.

[0035] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a receiving unit device according to some embodiments.

[0036] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating the process of sensor module sleep mode according to some embodiments.

[0037] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating further processes for executing an orphan sensor module recovery mode according to some embodiments.

[0038] Figure 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process for detecting orphaned sensor modules according to some embodiments.

[0039] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating a process for employing an isolated sensor module according to some embodiments.

[0040] Skilled technicians will understand that the elements in the figures are shown for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the size of some elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] Where appropriate, apparatus and method components are represented in the drawings using conventional symbols, and only those specific details relevant to understanding the embodiments of the disclosure are shown to avoid obscuring the disclosure with details that would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art who would benefit from the description herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Before explaining any embodiment of the present disclosure in detail, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of parts set forth in the following description or shown in the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and can be practiced or carried out in various ways.

[0043] One or more embodiments are described and illustrated in the following description and accompanying drawings. These embodiments are not limited to the specific details provided herein and may be modified in various ways. In addition, there may be other embodiments not described herein. In addition, the functions performed by one component described herein may be performed by multiple components in a distributed manner. Similarly, the functions performed by multiple components may be merged and performed by a single component. Similarly, the components described as performing specific functions may also perform additional functions not described herein. For example, a device or structure "configured" in a certain way is configured at least in that way, but may also be configured in an unlisted manner. In addition, some embodiments described herein may include one or more electronic processors configured to perform the described functions by executing instructions stored in a non-transient, computer-readable medium. Similarly, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as non-transient, computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more electronic processors to perform the functions. As used herein, "non-transient computer-readable media" includes all computer-readable media, but is not composed of transient propagation signals. Thus, a non-transitory computer readable medium may include, for example, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, a ROM (read only memory), a RAM (random access memory), a register memory, a processor cache, or any combination thereof.

[0044] In addition, the wording and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes only and should not be considered as limiting. For example, "include", "comprise", "contain", "have" and its variants used herein are meant to cover the items listed thereafter and their equivalents and additional items. The terms "connected" and "coupled" are widely used and include direct and indirect connections and couplings. In addition, "connected" and "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings, and may include electrical connections or couplings, whether direct or indirect. In addition, electronic communications and notifications may be performed using wired connections, wireless connections, or a combination thereof, and may be transmitted directly or through one or more intermediate devices through various types of networks, communication channels, and connections. In addition, only relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom may be used herein to distinguish one entity or action from another entity and action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between these entities or actions.

[0045] Figure 1A generic utility system 100 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. The system 100 may include a facility 102 having one or more connected utility sensor modules, such as sensor modules 104, 106. The facility 102 may include various types of facilities, such as commercial, residential, industrial, etc. Although the facility 102 is shown as having only sensor modules 104, 106, it should be understood that different facilities may have multiple sensor modules of various types. The example sensor modules 104, 106 may be various sensor types, such as methane sensor modules, humidity sensor modules, temperature sensor modules, arc detection modules, gas concentration sensor modules, water level sensor modules, and / or other sensor modules required for a given application.

[0046] As described above, the sensor modules 104, 106 can be configured to sense one or more parameters associated with a utility system, such as gas (e.g., methane), humidity, temperature, current, voltage, arc, water or other liquid level, gas pressure, and / or other parameters associated with a given utility system. For the purposes of this application, the sensor modules 104, 106 will generally be discussed with respect to methane gas sensors. However, it should be understood that other sensor types may be used in place of or in addition to methane gas sensors. The sensor modules 104, 106 may be configured to communicate with a utility system 108. The utility system 108 may be or include a server or cloud-based system that allows a utility to monitor and / or control various aspects of an associated utility network.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, the sensor modules 104, 106 are generally configured to communicate with the utility system 108 via one or more receiving units 110, 112. The receiving units 110, 112 can receive communications from the sensor modules 104, 106 using a first communication protocol 114 (such as Bluetooth) and transmit the data received from the sensor modules 104, 106 to the utility system 108 via a second communication protocol 116 (such as cellular, Wi-Fi, etc.). Thus, the receiving units 110, 112 provide longer range communications to the utility system 108. This is advantageous when the sensor modules 104, 106 are powered via an onboard power source (such as a battery). By relying on a lower power communication protocol to communicate locally with one or more receiving units 110, 112, the battery life can be increased, and thus the operating time of the sensor modules 104, 106 can be increased. In some embodiments, the receiving units 110, 112 are positioned at a fixed location within the facility 102. However, in other embodiments, the receiving units 110, 112 may be mobile devices and may be moved around the facility. For example, the receiving units 110, 112 may be carried by one or more personnel within the facility.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, in some cases, a sensor module (such as sensor module 106) may not communicate with any of the receiving units 110, 112. In some cases, this may be referred to as an isolated sensor module. This may be due to the sensor module 106 not establishing a communication link during the initial setup of the sensor module 106. In other cases, the communication link between the sensor module 106 and one or more receiving units 110, 112 may be lost during operation, such as due to the receiving unit 110, 112 moving out of the range of the sensor module 106, interference generated by one or more other devices within the facility, physical objects placed in the communication path of the sensor module 106, etc. Therefore, due to the lack of an available communication path via one or more receiving units 110, 112, the sensor module 106 is unable to communicate with the utility system 108. As will be described in more detail below, this may cause the sensor module 106 to enter a sleep mode and not attempt to reestablish communication with one or more receiving units 110, 112. Furthermore, the utility system 108 may not be able to determine that the sensor module 106 is not providing information to the utility system 108, particularly if the sensor module 106 is unable to initially establish a communication path with the utility system 108 via the receiving units 110, 112. This may result in the utility system 108 not receiving the sensed data as expected and / or required for a given application. Furthermore, in the event that the utility system 108 determines that one or more sensor modules, such as the sensor module 106, are not communicating with the utility system, personnel may be dispatched to repair or replace the sensor module 106, thereby increasing maintenance costs.

[0049] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a sensor module 200 according to some embodiments. The sensor module 200 may be similar to the sensor module 200 described above. Figure 1 The sensor modules 104, 106 are described and should be understood to be interchangeable herein. Each sensor module 200 may include an environmentally sealed housing (not shown). Such a housing may be made of any suitable material, including materials for components in external locations, such as external utility systems (meters, power lines, substations, etc.).

[0050] The sensor module 200 may include one or more sensors 202. The sensor 202 may include a gas detection sensor, a gas concentration sensor, a pressure sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a corrosion detection sensor, a chemical presence sensor, a flow sensor, a tilt sensor, a vibration sensor, an acceleration sensor, a velocity sensor, a volume sensor, a pH sensor, a conductivity sensor, an oxidation sensor, a chlorine sensor, a chlorophyll sensor, an algae sensor, a humidity sensor, a resistance sensor, an inductance sensor, a liquid level sensor, a sound / acoustic sensor, a proximity sensor, or other sensors required for a given application. In one embodiment, the sensor 202 may be any sensor used in a gas, water, wastewater, or power utility space. The sensor module 200 may also include a user interface 204. The user interface 204 may include one or more inputs to allow a user (such as a technician) to control, modify, or otherwise provide instructions to the sensor module 200, as described in more detail below. In some examples, the user interface 204 may also include a display to provide a visual indication of one or more parameters of the sensor module 200, such as communication status, sensor readings, configuration data, and / or other information applicable to a given application. In some embodiments, the display can be used as an input device and an output device, such as in the case where the display is a touch screen device. The sensor module 200 can also include a position sensor 206 (eg, GPS, Glonass). The position sensor 206 can provide the position of the sensor module 200.

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, the sensor module 200 also includes an electronic processor 208, a memory 210, a power source 212, and a communication interface 216. The sensor 202 and the position sensor 206 are configured to provide one or more sensed values ​​to the electronic processor 208. The user interface 204 can both provide input to the electronic processor 208 and receive output from the electronic processor 208.

[0052] The memory 210 may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), other non-transitory computer-readable media, or a combination thereof. The electronic processor 208 is configured to communicate with the memory 210 to store data and retrieve stored data. Among other things, the electronic processor 208 is configured to receive instructions and data from the memory 210 and execute various instructions, processes, applications, etc. In particular, the electronic processor 208 executes instructions stored in the memory 210 to perform one or more of the processes described herein.

[0053] In one embodiment, the power supply 212 is configured to provide power to the various components of the sensor module 200. In some embodiments, the sensor module 200 receives external power, and the power supply 212 converts and distributes the external power to the various components of the sensor module 200. In some examples, the power supply 212 includes a battery. In some cases, the battery can be the only power source, or can be configured to provide backup power when the external power source is not available.

[0054] The communication interface 216 (e.g., a transceiver) allows communication between the electronic processor 208 and one or more external devices, such as one or more external sensors 220. The external sensor 220 can be a remote sensor configured to operate with the sensor module 200, such as a gas sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, a temperature sensor, or other sensors described herein. The external sensor 220 can be used when the sensor module 200 cannot be easily placed near the desired location of the sensor, or when the location of the sensor prevents the sensor module 200 from being able to communicate with the utility network, or the location of the sensor is within another component, such as a pipeline. In addition, the communication interface 216 can be configured to communicate with the sensor via a wired connection, and in some examples, power can be provided to the one or more external sensors 220, such as from the power supply 212.

[0055] The communication interface 216 may also provide communication with other external devices, such as the receiving units 110, 112 ( Figure 1 ). Receiving units 110, 112 ( Figure 1 ) can then be used in the sensor module 200 and the utility system 108 ( Figure 1 In some embodiments, the communication interface 216 may include separate transmission components and receiving components. In one embodiment, the communication interface 216 is a wireless transceiver that encodes information received from the electronic processor 208 into a carrier wireless signal and transmits the encoded wireless signal to one or more external devices and / or communication networks, as described above. The communication interface 216 also decodes information received from one or more external devices and provides the decoded information to the electronic processor 208.

[0056] The communication interface 216 may communicate with devices and / or networks via various communication protocols, such as using a power line network or a wireless network (eg, In one embodiment, the communication interface 216 may use a proprietary wireless communication protocol, such as Aclara RF from Aclara Technologies, LLC. Additionally, in one embodiment, the communication interface 216 may communicate using a combination of communication protocols, such as those described above. For example, the communication interface 216 may be configured to communicate via a combination of cellular, Bluetooth, and powerline networks, thereby allowing the communication interface to communicate with multiple devices, such as the communication network 222, external sensors 220, and / or receiving units 110, 112 ( Figure 1 ). However, other combinations of communication protocols may be suitable for a given application.

[0057] Now go to Figure 3 , a block diagram of an example receiving unit 300 according to some embodiments is shown. The receiving unit 300 may be similar to the receiving units 110, 112 ( Figure 1 ), and should be understood to be interchangeable herein. The receiving unit 300 may include an electronic processor 302, a user interface 304, a memory 306, and a communication interface 308. The memory 306 may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), other non-transitory computer-readable media, or a combination thereof. The electronic processor 302 is configured to communicate with the memory 306 to store data and retrieve stored data. Among other things, the electronic processor 302 may also be configured to receive instructions and data from the memory 306 and execute various instructions, processes, applications, etc. In particular, the electronic processor 302 executes instructions stored in the memory 306 to perform one or more of the processes described herein.

[0058] The communication interface 308 (eg, a transceiver) allows the electronic processor 302 to communicate with one or more external devices (such as one or more sensor modules 200 ( Figure 2 The communication interface 308 can communicate with the sensor module 200 ( Figure 2 ) communication. The communication interface 308 may also communicate with a communication network, such as the communication network 310, to allow communication with a utility system, such as the utility system 108 ( Figure 1 The communication interface 308 can also communicate with devices and / or networks via various communication protocols, such as using a power line network or a wireless network (e.g., In one embodiment, the communication interface 308 may use a proprietary wireless communication protocol, such as Aclara RF from Aclara Technologies, LLC. Additionally, in one embodiment, the communication interface 308 may communicate using a combination of communication protocols, such as the above-mentioned protocols.

[0059] The user interface 304 may allow a user (such as a technician) to receive output from the receiving unit 300 or provide input to the receiving unit 300. In one example, the receiving unit 300 may receive an output from the sensor module 200 ( Figure 2 ) receives data and displays the data via the user interface 304. In a further example, a user may input various commands (e.g., entering a pause mode) or data (e.g., configuration data, communication data, calibration data, firmware updates, etc.) via the user interface 304, which may then be transmitted to the sensor module 200 ( Figure 2 ). Sensor module 200( Figure 2 ) can then provide data such as confirmation signals, parameter changes, etc. to the receiving unit 300, which can be viewed on the user interface 304. In other embodiments, the display communication link data provided by the sensor module 200 and various information about the sensor module 200, such as communication address, baud rate, MAC address or other identification information. In some examples, the user interface 304 can be a touch screen device, such as a capacitive touch screen, an inductive touch screen, or a resistive touch screen, or other touch screen types required for a given application. Therefore, the touch screen can allow both user input and visualization of output. In other embodiments, the user interface 304 may include only a display screen, and then include one or more inputs (e.g., a keyboard, various buttons, soft keys, etc.) to allow the user to provide input to the receiving unit 300.

[0060] Now go to Figure 4 , describes a flow chart of a sensor module performing a process 400 for entering a sleep mode according to some embodiments. According to some embodiments, the process 400 is performed by a sensor module (such as sensor module 200 ( Figure 2 )). Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the process 400 is understood to be performed by the sensor module 200 ( Figure 2 ) is executed. For example, process 400 may be stored in memory 210 ( Figure 2 ) and by electronic processor 208 ( Figure 2 )implement.

[0061] At process block 402, sensor module 200 initiates a communication link operation to attempt to establish communication with one or more receiving units (such as receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 In one embodiment, a user (such as a technician) can instruct the sensor module 200 to initiate a communication link operation, such as via the user interface 204 ( Figure 2 In other examples, the sensor module 200 may automatically attempt to establish a communication link after initially being powered on. In other examples, the sensor module 200 may respond to receiving an external command (such as via the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 After the communication link operation is initiated, the sensor module 200 transmits an advertisement message at process block 404. In some examples, the advertisement message is generated based on a communication protocol used by the sensor module 200 (such as Bluetooth, LoRa, Zigbee, etc.).

[0062] At or during the transmission of the advertising message, at process block 406, the sensor module 200 determines whether a signal is received from an external device (such as the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 )) receives a response. The response may be an expected response based on the communication protocol used, and may indicate that the advertising message transmitted by the sensor module 200 has been received by at least one external device. In response to determining that no response has been received, the sensor module 200 determines at process block 408 whether a response time has expired. In one embodiment, the response time is a predefined time, such as 5 minutes. However, response times of more than 5 minutes or less than 5 minutes are also contemplated. For example, during manufacturing, the predefined time may be programmed in the sensor module 200. Alternatively, the user may select a time to respond to the advertisement message transmitted by the sensor module 200 via the user interface 204 ( Figure 2 ) sets a predefined time. In some embodiments, the response time is based on the type of communication protocol being used by the sensor module 200. For example, when the sensor module 200 uses the Bluetooth communication protocol to communicate with the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 ) communications, the response time can be based on one or more standards within the Bluetooth protocol.

[0063] In response to determining that the response time has not expired, at process block 404, the sensor module 200 continues to transmit the advertisement message. In response to determining that the response time has expired, at process block 410, the sensor module 200 enters a sleep mode. When operating in the sleep mode, the sensor module 200 may continue to communicate with the sensor 202 and / or the external sensor 220 ( Figure 2 ) senses various parameters; however, the communication interface 216 ( Figure 2 ) may stop broadcasting advertising messages and / or communicating with other devices (such as receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3This allows the sensor module 200 to prevent the communication interface 216 ( Figure 2 ) continuously broadcasts advertising messages to save energy. Figure 2 ) is an energy storage device such as a battery, this can be particularly important. A sensor module 200 operating in sleep mode can be referred to as an isolated sensor module because the sensor module does not communicate with any other device and / or utility system.

[0064] In response to determining that a response is to be received at process block 406, a connection to an external device (such as receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 )). The communication link can be established based on a standard link establishment process for a given communication protocol (such as Bluetooth, LoRa, Zigbee, etc.). After the communication link is established, at process block 414, the sensor module 200 operates in a normal communication mode. When operating in the normal communication mode, the sensor module 200 can use the established communication protocol to communicate with one or more external devices (such as the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 ))communication, as described above.

[0065] When operating in normal communication mode, at process block 416, the sensor module 200 will periodically transmit a heartbeat signal. The timing and format of the heartbeat signal will depend on the standard of the applicable communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, LoRa, Zigbee, or other communication protocols suitable for the desired application. After transmitting the heartbeat signal, at process block 418, the sensor module 200 determines whether a confirmation signal is received. The determination of whether a confirmation signal is received, the required format of the confirmation signal, and / or the time range of the confirmation signal that needs to be received is based on the applicable communication protocol, such as Bluetooth, LoRa, Zigbee, or other communication protocols suitable for the desired application. In response to receiving the confirmation signal, at process block 414, the sensor module 200 continues to operate in normal communication mode.

[0066] In response to not receiving the confirmation signal, at process block 420, the sensor module 200 will attempt to renegotiate the communication link. The renegotiation of the communication link can be performed based on the communication protocol used by the sensor module (such as Bluetooth, LoRa, Zigbee, or other communication protocols suitable for the desired application). In some examples, the sensor module 200 can resume transmitting the advertising message as described above. At process block 422, the sensor module 200 determines whether the renegotiation of the communication link is successful. In response to determining that the renegotiation is successful, at process block 414, the sensor module 200 resumes operating in normal communication mode. In response to determining that the renegotiation of the communication link is unsuccessful, at process block 410, the sensor module enters sleep mode, as described above.

[0067] Now go to Figure 5 , according to some embodiments, a process 500 for a sensor module (such as sensor module 200) to perform an isolated recovery mode is described. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the process 500 is understood to be performed by the sensor module 200 ( Figure 2 ) is executed. For example, process 500 may be stored in memory 210 ( Figure 2 ) and by electronic processor 208 ( Figure 2 )implement.

[0068] At process block 502, sensor module 200 initiates a communication link operation to attempt to establish communication with one or more receiving units (such as receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 In one embodiment, a user (such as a technician) can instruct the sensor module 200 to initiate a communication link operation, such as via the user interface 204 ( Figure 2 In other examples, the sensor module 200 may automatically attempt to establish a communication link after initially being powered on. In other examples, the sensor module 200 may respond to receiving an external command (such as via the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 )) and start the communication link operation. When the communication link operation is started, at process block 504, the sensor module 200 transmits an advertising message. In some examples, the advertising message is generated based on a communication protocol used by the sensor module 200 (such as Bluetooth, LoRa, Zigbee, etc.).

[0069] At or during the transmission of the advertising message, at process block 506, the sensor module 200 determines whether a signal is received from an external device (such as the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 )) receives a response. The response may be an expected response based on the communication protocol used and may indicate that the advertising message transmitted by the sensor module 200 has been received by at least one external device. In response to determining that no response has been received, at process block 508, the sensor module 200 determines whether a response time has expired. In one embodiment, the response time is a predefined time, such as 5 minutes. However, response times of more than 5 minutes and less than 5 minutes are also contemplated. For example, during manufacturing, the predefined time may be programmed in the sensor module 200. Alternatively, the user may select a time to respond to the advertisement message transmitted by the sensor module 200 via the user interface 204 ( Figure 2 ) sets a predefined time. In some embodiments, the response time is based on the type of communication protocol being used by the sensor module 200. For example, when the sensor module 200 uses the Bluetooth communication protocol to communicate with the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 ) communications, the response time can be based on one or more standards within the Bluetooth protocol.

[0070] In response to determining that the response time has not expired, at process block 504, the sensor module 200 continues to transmit the advertisement message. In response to determining that the response time has expired, at process block 510, the sensor module 200 executes an isolated sensor module recovery mode. The isolated sensor module recovery mode can be used to modify the sleep mode of the sensor module 200. For example, the isolated sensor module can modify the sleep mode of the sensor module 200 to allow the sensor module to temporarily exit the sleep mode and allow the communication interface 216 ( Figure 2 ) periodically transmits an advertising message within a modified response time (such as the response time described above). In some embodiments, the modified response time may be the same as the normal response time described above. However, in other embodiments, the modified response time may vary to reflect operation in an isolated sensor module recovery mode. For example, the modified response time may be modified based on the available power of the sensor module 200. For example, where the power source 212 is a power storage device such as a battery, the modified response time may be determined based on the voltage of the battery. Other characteristics of the battery, such as the state of charge, the state of health, etc., may also be used when determining the modified response time. In addition, other factors (such as the time of day, the time since the last communication link was established, or other parameters applicable to a given application) may also be used to determine the modified response time.

[0071] In addition, operating in the isolated sensor module recovery mode can set a periodic advertising time for waking up from the sleep mode to transmit the advertising message. In some embodiments, the periodic advertising time can be 5 minutes. However, periodic advertising times of more than 5 minutes or less than 5 minutes are also contemplated. In one embodiment, the periodic advertising time is a predefined time. In some examples, the periodic advertising time is dynamically determined based on one or more parameters associated with the sensor module 200. For example, at the power supply 212 ( Figure 2 ) is an energy storage device such as a battery, the periodic advertising time can be based on the characteristics of the battery, such as voltage, charge state, health state, etc. For example, as the battery voltage decreases over time, the periodic advertising time can be increased so that the sensor module 200 exits sleep mode and reduces battery life. However, other factors (such as the type of data sensed, predetermined user settings, etc.) can be used to dynamically determine the periodic advertising time.

[0072] When executing the isolated sensor module recovery mode, at process block 512, the sensor module 200 operates in a modified sleep mode. The modified sleep mode can operate similarly to the sleep mode described above, wherein the parameters are modified as described above with respect to the isolated recovery mode. When operating in the modified sleep mode, the sensor module 200 can continue to operate via the sensor 202 and / or the external sensor 220 ( Figure 2 ) senses various parameters; however, the communication interface 216 ( Figure 2 ) can stop broadcasting advertising messages and / or communicate with other devices (such as receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 This allows the sensor module 200 to prevent the communication interface 216 ( Figure 2 )Continuously broadcast advertising messages to save energy.

[0073] At process block 514, the sensor module 200 determines whether the periodic time period has expired. In response to determining that the periodic time period has not expired, at process block 512, the sensor module 200 continues to operate in the modified sleep mode. In response to determining that the periodic time period has expired, at process block 504, the sensor module transmits an advertisement message and determines whether a response is received at process block 506, as described above.

[0074] At process block 506, in response to determining that a response has been received, at process block 516, the sensor module 200 establishes a communication link with the external device that provided the response. Then, at process block 518, the sensor module 200 operates in a normal communication mode. Operation in the normal communication mode may be similar to that described above with respect to Figure 4 At process block 520, the sensor module 200 determines whether the communication link has been dropped. Figure 4 As described above, the sensor module 200 may determine that the communication link has been dropped based on the transmitted handshake signal without receiving an acknowledgment signal. However, other factors may be used to determine whether the communication link has been dropped depending on the requirements of a given communication protocol used by the sensor module 200.

[0075] In response to determining that the communication link has not been dropped, at process block 518, the sensor module continues to operate in normal communication mode. In response to determining that the communication link has been dropped, at process block 522, the sensor module 200 attempts to renegotiate the communication link. The renegotiation of the communication link can be performed based on the communication protocol used by the sensor module (such as Bluetooth, LoRa, Zigbee, or other communication protocols suitable for the desired application). In some examples, the sensor module 200 can resume transmitting advertising messages as described above. At process block 524, the sensor module 200 determines whether the renegotiation of the communication link is successful. In response to determining that the renegotiation is successful, at process block 518, the sensor module 200 resumes operating in normal communication mode. In response to determining that the renegotiation is unsuccessful, the sensor module 200 performs an isolated sensor module recovery mode at process block 510.

[0076] Now go to Figure 6 According to some embodiments, a process 600 for detecting an orphaned sensor module 200 is described. In one embodiment, the process 600 is performed by a receiving unit (such as the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 )) is performed. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the process 600 will be described with respect to the receiving unit 300. At process block 602, the receiving unit 300 monitors the one or more sensor modules 200 ( Figure 2 ) as described above. In one embodiment, the communication interface 308 ( Figure 3 ) can monitor for advertisement messages. The receiving unit 300 can be configured to monitor for advertisement messages of a particular communication protocol, such as a communication protocol used by one or more sensor modules 200, as described above.

[0077] At process block 604, the receiving unit 300 determines whether an advertisement message is received. In response to determining that an advertisement message is not received, at process block 602, the receiving unit 300 continues to monitor for advertisement messages. In response to determining that an advertisement message is received, at process block 606, the receiving unit 300 determines whether the message is an expected response. In some embodiments, the advertisement message may be an expected message, wherein the receiving unit 300 is in communication with one or more sensor modules 200 ( Figure 2 ) in an active pairing mode for pairing. Conversely, in a case where the receiving unit 300 is not in active pairing mode and receives an advertisement message in a general operating mode, the advertisement message may be determined to be not an expected message. In response to determining that the received advertisement message is an expected advertisement message, at process block 608, the receiving unit 300 attempts to establish a communication link with the sensor module that transmitted the advertisement message. For example, the receiving unit 300 may attempt to establish a communication link by using a communication link process required for a given communication protocol (such as the communication protocol described above).

[0078] In response to determining that the received advertisement message is not an expected advertisement message, at process block 612, the receiving unit 300 determines whether the sensor module 200 transmitting the advertisement message was previously connected to the receiving unit 300. In some embodiments, at process block 612, the receiving unit 300 may determine whether the sensor module 200 transmitting the advertisement message is connected to any receiving unit 300 within a given system. For example, the receiving unit 300 may query a server or utility system, such as the utility system 108 ( Figure 1 ) to determine whether the sensor module 200 was previously connected to other receiving units 300 (for example, a communication link has been established).

[0079] In response to determining that the sensor module 200 transmitting the advertisement message was not previously connected, at process block 614, the receiving unit 300 reports the sensor module 200 as an orphan sensor. In some embodiments, the receiving unit 300 reports the sensor module 200 as an orphan sensor to a utility system, such as the utility system 108 ( Figure 1 ). The utility system may then log the orphaned sensor module 200, and may then perform various actions, such as dispatching a maintenance team to repair or replace the orphaned sensor module 200. The receiving unit may report various information about the orphaned sensor module 200, such as the identification, location, or other applicable information provided in the advertisement message of the sensor module 200. In one embodiment, the utility system, upon receiving the report of the orphaned sensor module 200, may instruct the receiving unit 300 to establish a communication link with the sensor module 200. This may prevent the utility from dispatching maintenance personnel to resolve communication issues with the sensor module 200.

[0080] In response to determining that the sensor module 200 has previously communicated with the receiving unit 300 (or other receiving unit), the receiving unit 300 attempts to establish a communication link with the sensor module 200 at process block 616. The receiving unit 300 may attempt to establish a communication link using various communication techniques (such as the communication techniques described above) applicable to a given communication protocol. At process block 618, the receiving unit 300 determines whether the communication link is successfully established. In response to determining that the communication link is not successfully established, at process block 614, the receiving unit 300 reports an isolated sensor module 200, as described above. In response to determining that the communication link has been successfully established, at process block 620, the receiving unit 300 operates with the sensor module 200 in a normal communication mode and reports the restored sensor module 200 to a utility system, such as the utility system 108.

[0081] Now go to Figure 7 According to some embodiments, a process 700 for detecting an orphaned sensor module 200 is described. In one embodiment, the process 700 is performed by a receiving unit (such as the receiving unit 300 ( Figure 3 )) is performed. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the process 700 will be described with respect to the receiving unit 300. At process block 702, the receiving unit 300 monitors the one or more sensor modules 200 ( Figure 2 ) as described above. In one embodiment, the communication interface 308 ( Figure 3 ) can monitor for advertisement messages. The receiving unit 300 can be configured to monitor for advertisement messages of a particular communication protocol, such as a communication protocol used by one or more sensor modules 200, as described above.

[0082] At process block 704, the receiving unit 300 determines whether an advertisement message is received. In response to determining that an advertisement message is not received, at process block 702, the receiving unit 300 continues to monitor for advertisement messages. In response to determining that an advertisement message is received, at process block 706, the receiving unit 300 determines whether the message is an expected response. In some embodiments, the advertisement message may be an expected message, wherein the receiving unit 300 is in communication with one or more sensor modules 200 ( Figure 2 ) active pairing mode for pairing. Conversely, in the event that the receiving unit 300 is not in active pairing mode and receives an advertisement message in a general operating mode, the advertisement message may be determined to be not an expected message. In response to determining that the received advertisement message is an expected advertisement message, at process block 708, the receiving unit 300 attempts to establish a communication link with the sensor module that transmitted the advertisement message. For example, the receiving unit 300 may attempt to establish a communication link by using a communication link process required for a given communication protocol (such as the communication protocol described above).

[0083] In response to determining that the received advertisement message is not an expected advertisement message, at process block 712, the receiving unit 300 determines whether the sensor module 200 transmitting the advertisement message was previously connected to the receiving unit 300. In some embodiments, at process block 712, the receiving unit 300 may determine whether the sensor module 200 transmitting the advertisement message is connected to any receiving unit 300 within a given system. For example, the receiving unit 300 may query a server or utility system, such as the utility system 108 ( Figure 1 ) to determine whether the sensor module 200 was previously connected to other receiving units 300 (for example, a communication link has been established).

[0084] In response to determining that the sensor module 200 transmitting the advertisement message was not previously connected, at process block 714, the receiving unit 300 reports the sensor module 200 as an orphan sensor. In some embodiments, the receiving unit 300 reports the sensor module 200 as an orphan sensor to a utility system, such as the utility system 108 ( Figure 1). The utility system may then record the orphaned sensor module 200, and may then perform various actions, such as dispatching a maintenance team to repair or replace the orphaned sensor module 200. The receiving unit may report various information about the orphaned sensor module 200, such as the identification, location, or other applicable information provided in the advertisement message of the sensor module 200. At process block 716, the utility system, upon receiving the report of the orphaned sensor module 200, provides an instruction to the receiving unit 300 indicating that it has the authority to "adopt" the orphaned sensor module 200. This may provide the receiving unit with appropriate authority to allow a communication link to be established between the receiving unit 300 and the orphaned sensor module 200. This may prevent the utility from dispatching maintenance personnel to resolve communication issues with the sensor module 200. In response to the utility system not providing the receiving unit 300 with authority to adopt the orphaned sensor module 200, at process block 702, the receiving unit continues to monitor the advertisement message. In response to the utility system providing the receiving unit with authorization to employ the orphan sensor module, at process block 718 the receiving unit attempts to establish a communication link with the orphan sensor module.

[0085] Similarly, in response to determining that the sensor module 200 has previously communicated with the receiving unit 300 (or other receiving units), at process block 718, the receiving unit 300 attempts to establish a communication link with the sensor module 200. The receiving unit 300 may attempt to establish a communication link using various communication techniques (such as the communication techniques described above) applicable to a given communication protocol. At process block 720, the receiving unit 300 determines whether the communication link is successfully established. In response to determining that the communication link is not successfully established, at process block 714, the receiving unit 300 reports an isolated sensor module 200, as described above. Similarly, at process block 716, the utility system may provide the receiving unit 300 with authority to adopt. In some examples, the utility system may revoke authority to adopt an isolated sensor module 200 after a predetermined number of communication negotiation failures.

[0086] In response to determining that the communication link has been successfully established, at process block 722 , the receiving unit 300 reports the recovered sensor module 200 to a utility system, such as the utility system 108 , and then continues to monitor for advertising messages at process block 702 .

[0087] In the foregoing description, specific embodiments have been described. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the following claims. Therefore, the description and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this teaching.

[0088] Various features and advantages of some embodiments are set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A utility sensor module, comprising: one or more sensors configured to sense one or more characteristics of the utility system; Communication interface; and an electronic processor in communication with the one or more sensors and the communication interface and configured to: broadcasting an advertisement signal associated with the communication protocol at a first transmission time, wherein the advertisement signal is configured to cause the external device to transmit a response message, determining whether the response message is received within a predetermined time period, and In response to determining that the response message has not been received within the predetermined time period, operating in a modified sleep mode, wherein operating in the modified sleep mode includes modifying the operation of the communication interface to broadcast the advertisement signal at periodic intervals such that the advertisement signal is broadcast at the periodic interval only at a second transmission time.

2. The utility sensor module of claim 1, wherein: The utility sensor module is powered by a battery.

3. The utility sensor module of claim 2, wherein: The periodic interval is based on the voltage of the battery.

4. The utility sensor module of claim 2, wherein: The second transmission time is based on a voltage of the battery.

5. The utility sensor module of claim 1, wherein: The second transmission time is less than the first transmission time.

6. The utility sensor module of claim 1, wherein: The electronic processor is further configured to: establishing a communication link with the external device in response to receiving the response message within the predetermined time period, determining whether an established communications link has been dropped, attempting to renegotiate a communication link with the external device in response to determining that the established communication link is dropped, determining whether the attempt to renegotiate the communication link was successful, and Operating in the modified sleep mode is responsive to determining that the attempt to renegotiate the communication link is unsuccessful.

7. The utility sensor module of claim 1, wherein: The one or more sensors include a methane detection sensor.

8. A method for modifying a communication link operation of a utility sensor module, the method comprising: broadcasting an advertisement signal associated with a communication protocol at a first transmission time, wherein the advertisement signal is configured to cause an external device to transmit a response message; determining whether the response message is received within a predetermined time period; as well as In response to determining that the response message has not been received within the predetermined time period, the operation of the utility sensor module is modified to operate in a modified sleep mode, wherein the operation in the modified sleep mode includes modifying the operation of the utility sensor module to broadcast the advertising signal at periodic intervals, so that the advertising signal is only broadcast at the periodic interval at a second transmission time.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The periodic interval is based on a voltage of a battery powering the utility sensor module.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The second transmission time is based on a voltage of the battery.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The second transmission time is less than the first transmission time.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: establishing a communication link with the external device in response to receiving the response message within the predetermined time period; determining whether the established communication link has been dropped; attempting to renegotiate a communication link with the external device in response to determining that the established communication link is dropped; determining whether the attempted renegotiation of the communication link was successful; and Operating in the modified sleep mode is responsive to the attempt to renegotiate the communication link being determined to be unsuccessful.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The communication protocol is the Bluetooth protocol.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The utility sensor module includes a methane detection sensor.

15. A utility sensing system, the utility sensing system comprising: A sensor module, the sensor module comprising: one or more sensors; and An electronic processor configured to: broadcasting an advertisement signal associated with the communication protocol at a first transmission time, determining whether a response message is received within the predetermined time period, and In response to determining that the response message is not received within the predetermined time period, operating in a modified sleep mode, wherein operating in the modified sleep mode includes modifying operation of the communication interface to broadcast the advertisement signal at periodic intervals such that the advertisement signal is broadcast at the periodic intervals only at a second transmission time; and A receiving device, the receiving device comprising: An electronic processor is configured to transmit the response message in response to receiving the advertisement signal.

16. The utility sensing system of claim 15, wherein: The electronic processor of the receiving device is further configured to: receiving an advertising signal from the sensor module, determining whether the advertisement signal is an expected advertisement signal, determining whether a communication link with the sensor module has been previously established, In response to determining that a communication link with the sensor module has been previously established, establishing a communication link with the sensor module, and A first status message is transmitted to a utility server to indicate that the sensor module has previously disconnected communications with the receiving device.

17. The utility sensing system of claim 16, wherein: The electronic processor of the receiving device is further configured to transmit a second status message to the utility server indicating that the sensor module is not in communication with the receiving device in response to determining that a communication link with the sensor module has not been previously established.

18. The utility sensing system of claim 15, wherein: The periodic interval is based on a voltage of a battery powering the sensor module.

19. The utility sensing system of claim 15, wherein: The second transmission time is based on a voltage of a battery powering the sensor module.

20. The utility sensing system of claim 15, wherein: The electronic processor of the sensor module is also configured to: establishing a communication link with the receiving device in response to receiving the response message within the predetermined time period, determining whether an established communications link has been dropped, attempting to renegotiate a communication link with the receiving device in response to determining that the established communication link is dropped, determining whether the attempted renegotiation of the communication link was successful, and Operating in the modified sleep mode is responsive to determining that the attempt to renegotiate the communication link is unsuccessful.

21. A utility sensing system, the utility sensing system comprising: A receiving unit, the receiving unit comprising Communication interface; and An electronic processor configured to: monitoring advertising signals associated with the communication protocol, determining whether the advertisement signal is received, In response to determining that the advertisement signal is received, determining whether the advertisement signal is desired, In response to determining that the advertising signal is not expected, determining whether communication with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal was previously established, and A message is transmitted that the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal is an orphan sensor in response to determining that communications with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal have not been previously established.

22. The utility sensing system of claim 21, wherein: The electronic processor is further configured to attempt to establish a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal in response to determining that communication with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal was previously established.

23. The utility sensing system of claim 22, wherein: The electronic processor is further configured to transmit a message indicating that the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal is restored in response to the receiving unit successfully establishing a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal.

24. The utility sensing system of claim 22, wherein: The electronic processor is further configured to transmit a message that the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal is an orphan sensor in response to the receiving unit being unsuccessful in establishing a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal.

25. The utility sensing system of claim 21, wherein: The electronic processor is further configured to receive a command authorizing the receiving unit to attempt to establish a communication link with a sensor module associated with the received advertising signal.

26. A utility sensing system, the utility sensing system comprising: A receiving unit, the receiving unit comprising Communication interface; and An electronic processor configured to: monitoring advertising signals associated with the communication protocol, determining whether the advertisement signal is received; In response to determining that the advertisement signal is received, determining whether the advertisement signal is desired; as well as In response to determining that the advertising signal is not expected, determining whether communication with a sensor module associated with the received advertising signal was previously established; transmitting a message that the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal is an orphan sensor in response to determining that communications with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal have not been previously established; A command is received authorizing the receiving unit to attempt to establish a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal.

27. The utility sensing system of claim 26, wherein: The electronic processor is further configured to transmit a message in response to successfully establishing a communication link with the sensor module associated with the received advertising signal.

28. The utility sensing system of claim 26, wherein: The received command is transmitted by the utility network.

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