Power-down communication method for electric energy meter

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of electric energy meter equipment, in particular to an electric energy meter power failure communication method. The method comprises the following steps: step 02, a processing module obtains a power-down signal, and a key operation access window is started; 04, the processing module judges whether a first key trigger signal is received in the key operation access window or not, and if the first key trigger signal is successfully received, the step 06 is executed; if the receiving fails, no action is performed; step 06, the processing module sends a starting instruction to the photoelectric communication module and opens a first time window, and the photoelectric communication module enters a working state; the processing module judges whether a second key trigger signal is received in a first time window or not, if the second key trigger signal is received successfully, the photoelectric communication module keeps a working state, and if the second key trigger signal is received unsuccessfully, a state conversion instruction is sent to the photoelectric communication module after first delay time; and step 08, the photoelectric communication module and an external transceiving device carry out bidirectional data transceiving, and a power-down communication action is executed. The method can limit the unnecessary on-state of the standby power supply and save the electric quantity of the standby power supply.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electric energy meter equipment, in particular to a communication solution for electric energy meter after power failure. BACKGROUND

[0002] The electric energy meter communication mostly only supports data reading and communication when the alternating current is powered on. When the electric energy meter installed in the user's home is powered off, the operator cannot operate when he wants to read the data in the electric energy meter on site, and can only wait for power on before communication reading. Therefore, it is necessary to support communication reading of electric energy meter data after power failure.

[0003] In the prior art, the electric energy meter is built-in with a backup power supply (such as a super capacitor and a lithium battery), which is not only used to support the normal operation of the clock module of the electric energy meter, but also used for backup power supply communication after power failure. However, due to the limited internal space of the electric energy meter, the capacity of the backup power supply installed in the meter body is limited. In the areas where the power grid infrastructure is weak, frequent rotation or power cut will cause the electric energy meter to be disconnected from the power grid for a long time. Since the existing backup power supply starts immediately after the electric energy meter is powered off and continues to supply power until the electric energy meter is powered on, the power supply communication related unit in the standby state will consume a large amount of additional power during this period. Therefore, the backup power supply is exhausted from time to time. Once the backup power supply is exhausted, not only the timing function of the electric energy meter will fail, but also the operator needs to replace the battery or perform third-party external power supply when he wants to read the data in the electric energy meter on site. This not only wastes time but also increases the difficulty of meter reading and equipment requirements. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide an electric energy meter power failure communication method, which can automatically limit the startup time limit of the backup power supply of the electric energy meter after power failure, limit the unnecessary start state of the backup power supply, save the power of the backup power supply, prolong the self-sustaining time of the electric energy meter, and facilitate the power failure communication work.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is as follows: An electric energy meter power failure communication method, the method comprising: Step 02, the processing module acquires the power failure signal and opens the key operation access window; Step 04, the processing module judges whether the first key trigger signal is received in the key operation access window, if successfully received, step 06 is executed; if the receiving fails, no action is taken; Step 06, the processing module sends a start instruction to the optoelectronic communication module and opens a first time window, and the optoelectronic communication module enters a working state; the processing module judges whether the first time window receives a second key trigger signal, if the receiving is successful, the optoelectronic communication module remains in the working state, if the receiving fails, after a first delay time, a state conversion instruction is sent to the optoelectronic communication module; Step 08, the optoelectronic communication module in the working state and an external transceiving device carry out bidirectional data transceiving, and a power-off communication action is executed.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, the power meter power-off communication method further comprises a display step, specifically: After the processing module successfully receives the first key trigger signal in the key operation access window, a first display instruction is sent to the display module, and the display module forms and displays first visual information based on the first display instruction. After the processing module successfully receives the second key trigger signal in the first time window, a second display instruction is sent to the display module, and the display module forms and displays second visual information based on the second display instruction.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, after the optoelectronic communication module enters the working state, a parameter configuration step is further executed, specifically: the processing module automatically configures the baud rate and communication mode of the optoelectronic communication serial port.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, the power meter power-off communication method further comprises an effective communication judgment step, specifically: after the processing module successfully receives the second key trigger signal in the first time window, a second time window is opened, if the optoelectronic communication module does not receive / send electric energy data in the second time window, after a second delay time, a state conversion instruction is sent to the optoelectronic communication module; if the optoelectronic communication module successfully receives / sends electric energy data in the second time window, the processing module automatically resets the starting point of the second time window to the last time when the electric energy data is successfully received / sent.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, the length of the second time window is positively correlated with the trigger frequency of the first key trigger signal.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, the state conversion instruction is a closing instruction, when the optoelectronic communication module receives the closing instruction, the processing module synchronously opens a key operation access window and waits for the first key trigger signal to activate the optoelectronic communication module.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present application, the state conversion instruction is a mute instruction, when the optoelectronic communication module receives the mute instruction, the processing module synchronously sends a start instruction to the optoelectronic communication module and opens a first time window, and waits for the second key trigger signal to activate the optoelectronic communication module.

[0012] As the preferred embodiment of the present application, the power meter power failure communication method further comprises a main frequency switching step, specifically: the processing module switches the power meter to the first working frequency after successfully receiving the second key trigger signal in the first time window; the optoelectronic communication module switches the power meter to the second working frequency after receiving the shutdown instruction.

[0013] As the preferred embodiment of the present application, the first key trigger signal is a long key signal, and the second key trigger signal is a short key signal, and the key trigger time of the long key signal is at least 10 times that of the short key signal.

[0014] In another aspect, the present application also provides an electronic device comprising a processor and a memory; The processor is connected to the memory; The memory is used to store executable program codes; The processor runs the program corresponding to the executable program codes by reading the executable program codes stored in the memory, so as to execute the power meter power failure communication method described above.

[0015] In summary, the present application has the following advantages: The power meter power failure communication method compares the time window with the key trigger signal, and after the power failure occurs, it is determined that the optoelectronic communication module should be started only when optoelectronic communication is needed, so that it can enter and maintain the working state, and through the setting of the delay time, the optoelectronic communication module can be automatically offline when it is not needed, and the low-power state of the device is activated, so as to automatically limit the standby power supply starting time limit of the power meter after power failure, limit the unnecessary start state of the standby power supply, save the power of the standby power supply, and prolong the self-sustaining time of the power meter.

[0016] In addition, based on the characteristic trigger difference (such as a specific key trigger time) of the first key trigger signal and the second key trigger signal, a verification combination can be formed; so that non-working personnel cannot easily trigger the working state of the optoelectronic communication module when the power meter is powered off; further, this design can further prevent the situation of intentionally cutting off the power supply of the power meter to steal or rewrite data. That is, the power meter power failure communication method provided by the present application not only ensures the low energy consumption of the power meter in the power failure state, improves the durability of the standby power supply, but also improves the data security during the power failure process of the power meter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to make the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application or the prior art clearer, the accompanying drawings needed in the embodiments or prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative effort on the basis of these drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 For the flow chart of the method of the present application; Figure 2 For a possible optical-electric communication module circuit structure in the embodiment; Figure 3 For a possible optical-electric communication module circuit structure in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The subject matter described herein will now be discussed with reference to example implementations. It should be understood that these implementations are discussed solely for the purpose of illustrating aspects of the subject matter described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of protection, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. Changes in the function and arrangement of elements discussed can be made without departing from the scope of the subject matter content of this specification. Various examples can omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, the methods described can be performed in an order different than that described, and in an example, various steps can be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with respect to some examples can be combined in other examples.

[0020] As used herein, the term "includes" and its variants are meant to be open-ended terms that mean "comprises, but not limited to." The term "based on" means "based, at least in part, on." The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" mean "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment." The terms "a first," "a second," etc. can refer to different or the same objects. Other definitions can be found in the following description of the drawings. The definitions are not inconsistent with the definitions in the specification and the claims.

[0021] As Figure 1 shown, step 02, the processing module acquires the power-off signal and opens the key operation admission window; The processing module is a central processing device installed in the shell of the electric energy meter, which can be composed of an MCU processor. In a normal working state, the electric energy meter is connected to the mains. When the mains is disconnected, i.e. a power failure event occurs, the software layer of the processing module recognizes the power failure event and acquires the power failure signal, and then synchronously opens the key operation access window. Only after the key operation access window is opened, the subsequent key trigger signal can be effectively triggered, so that the misoperation of the key trigger signal in a non-power failure state can be avoided.

[0022] Step 04, the processing module judges whether the first key trigger signal is received in the key operation access window. If the first key trigger signal is successfully received, step 06 is executed. If the first key trigger signal is not successfully received, no action is taken. The first key trigger signal can be realized by manually operating the function key on the electric energy meter. The triggering time of the key trigger signal must be in the key operation access window, so that the misoperation of the key trigger signal in a non-power failure state can be avoided. If the processing module fails to receive the first key trigger signal, no action is taken. If the processing module successfully receives the first key trigger signal, step 06 is executed.

[0023] Step 06, the processing module sends a start instruction to the optical communication module and opens a first time window, and the optical communication module enters a working state. The processing module judges whether the second key trigger signal is received in the first time window. If the second key trigger signal is successfully received, the optical communication module remains in the working state. If the second key trigger signal is not successfully received, the processing module sends a state conversion instruction to the optical communication module after a first delay time.

[0024] Specifically, after the first key trigger signal is successfully triggered, the optical communication module enters the working state. However, in order to exclude the mis-triggering of the optical communication module from causing the waste of the standby power supply, the first time window is specially set. The first time window is a countdown window. The second key trigger signal must be completely triggered in the first time window, so that the working state of the optical communication module can be kept open. If the processing module does not receive the second key trigger signal in the first time window, the optical communication module also enters an automatic timing-off state. The processing module sends a state conversion instruction to the optical communication module after a first delay time. The length of the first time window can be set to 30 seconds, the duration of the continuous triggering of the second key trigger signal can be set to 1 second, and the first delay time can be flexibly set according to the capacity of the standby power supply of different signal electric energy meters, for example, 5 minutes. If the optical communication module receives the state conversion instruction, an action (for example, a closing action) is performed. If the optical communication module is to be activated again, the first key trigger signal needs to be manually given again, and the second key trigger signal needs to be given within the first time window.

[0025] Step 08, the optical communication module in the working state performs bidirectional data transmission with an external transceiver device, and executes a power failure communication action.

[0026] When the optoelectronic communication module is in the working state, bidirectional data transceiving can be performed with the external transceiving device through infrared photoelectric effect, etc., to ensure that the electric energy meter can perform communication operation in a power-off state.

[0027] In another possible embodiment, the electric energy meter power-off communication method further comprises a display step, specifically: After the processing module successfully receives the first key trigger signal in the key operation admission window, the processing module sends a first display instruction to the display module, and the display module forms and displays first visual information based on the first display instruction. After the processing module successfully receives the second key trigger signal in the first time window, the processing module sends a second display instruction to the display module, and the display module forms and displays second visual information based on the second display instruction.

[0028] The display step can enable the operator to clearly and explicitly know the current trigger stage. After the first key trigger signal is successfully received by the processing module, the processing module automatically sends a first display instruction to the display module, and the display module forms and displays second visual information based on the second display instruction, for example, ON+optical indicating that the first key trigger operation is successful. Similarly, after the second key trigger signal is successfully received by the processing module, the processing module automatically sends a second display instruction to the display module, and the display module forms and displays second visual information based on the second display instruction, for example, DONE indicating that the second key trigger operation is successful.

[0029] In another possible embodiment, after the optoelectronic communication module enters the working state, a parameter configuration step is further performed, specifically, the processing module automatically configures the optoelectronic communication serial port baud rate and communication mode.

[0030] The processing module automatically configuring the optoelectronic communication serial port baud rate and communication mode can quickly match the communication rate with the external transceiving device.

[0031] In another possible embodiment, the electric energy meter power-off communication method further comprises an effective communication judgment step, specifically: after the processing module successfully receives the second key trigger signal in the first time window, the processing module starts a second time window, if the optoelectronic communication module has not received / sent electric energy data in the second time window, the processing module sends a state conversion instruction to the optoelectronic communication module after a second delay time; if the optoelectronic communication module successfully receives / sends electric energy data in the second time window, the processing module automatically resets the starting point of the second time window to the last time when the electric energy data is successfully received / sent.

[0032] The second key trigger signal is different from the first key trigger signal, and the purpose is to give the next logical instruction to the processing module. After the processing module successfully receives the first key trigger signal in the key operation admission window, the optoelectronic communication module has entered the working state, and the processing module has also successfully received the second key trigger signal in the first time window, so that the working state of the optoelectronic communication module can be maintained. However, based on the comprehensive consideration of saving power consumption, it is necessary to exclude the case that the optoelectronic communication module does not actually successfully receive / send electric energy data. Therefore, if the optoelectronic communication module does not receive / send electric energy data in the second time window, the processing module sends a state conversion instruction to the optoelectronic communication module after a second delay time; if the optoelectronic communication module successfully receives / sends electric energy data in the second time window, the processing module automatically resets the starting point of the second time window to the last time when the electric energy data is successfully received / sent. It can be seen that as long as there is reception / transmission of electric energy data, the second time window will be continuously updated and reset, so that the optoelectronic communication module is always in a working state. When the electric energy data transmission is completed, there is no electric energy data in the next second time window, so the processing module sends a state conversion instruction to the optoelectronic communication module after a second delay time to close the optoelectronic communication module (the optoelectronic communication module can also be manually controlled by personnel to trigger the key to close).

[0033] In another possible embodiment, the state conversion instruction is a closing instruction, and the processing module synchronously opens the key operation admission window when the optoelectronic communication module receives the closing instruction, and waits for the first key trigger signal to activate the optoelectronic communication module. In this embodiment, the state conversion instruction is a closing instruction, and the optoelectronic communication module needs the original trigger of the first key trigger signal next time after receiving the closing instruction each time, which is suitable for electric energy meters with high data security requirements. In this embodiment, the optoelectronic communication module is closed and then reactivated by the double verification complete trigger of the first key trigger signal and the second key trigger signal.

[0034] In another possible embodiment, the length of the second time window is positively related to the trigger frequency of the first key trigger signal. Based on the above embodiment, the state conversion instruction is a closing instruction, and in the above setting, although the security is enhanced, the complexity of the operation of the staff is also increased. On this basis, the length of the second time window is positively related to the trigger frequency of the first key trigger signal, that is, in actual operation, the higher the demand of the staff for restarting the optoelectronic communication module (the higher the frequency), the longer the length of the corresponding second time window, so as to avoid accidental closing and restarting operation caused by receiving / sending multiple sets of electric energy data, and reduce the complexity of the operation of the staff on the basis of ensuring safety.

[0035] In another possible embodiment, the state conversion instruction is a silent instruction, and when the optoelectronic communication module receives the silent instruction, the processing module synchronously sends a start instruction to the optoelectronic communication module and opens the first time window, and waits for the second key trigger signal to activate the optoelectronic communication module. Thus, when the state conversion instruction is a silent instruction, it can be applied to the electric energy meter with lower additional security requirements, and the operation of the staff can be simplified. Specifically, when the optoelectronic communication module enters a silent state, the next time the optoelectronic communication module is activated, the staff only needs to trigger the second key trigger signal to complete the operation, and the operation of triggering the first key trigger signal is omitted.

[0036] In another possible embodiment, the power-off communication method of the electric energy meter further includes a main frequency switching step, specifically: after the processing module successfully receives the second key trigger signal in the first time window, the processing module switches the electric energy meter to a first working frequency; and after the optoelectronic communication module receives the close instruction, the optoelectronic communication module switches the electric energy meter to a second working frequency. In particular, the first working frequency is a power-off communication frequency, the power-off communication frequency is 3.6 MHz, and the second working frequency is a silent frequency, and the silent frequency is 32 kHz. The power-off communication frequency is a high-frequency mode, at this time, the electric energy meter needs to quickly process data (such as saving key information and uploading data), the chip operation speed is faster in the high-frequency mode, and the burst task can be efficiently completed, but the dynamic power consumption is higher; the silent frequency is a low-frequency mode, at this time, the CPU only maintains the basic timing or standby function, and the dynamic power consumption is significantly reduced; this design can maximize the power consumption of the standby power supply and prolong the service life of the standby power supply. It should be noted that the working frequency of the electric energy meter in this embodiment includes the working frequency of the processing module, the working frequency of the acquisition module, and the like.

[0037] In another possible embodiment, the first key trigger signal is a long key signal, and the second key trigger signal is a short key signal, and the key trigger time of the long key signal is at least 10 times that of the short key signal. This design can make different trigger operations completed by one key of the electric energy meter, which is beneficial to simplify the circuit structure and reduce the operation difficulty; by setting the trigger time difference of the long / short key signal, the discrimination degree of the two keys can be ensured, and the time multiple difference can also enhance the data security in the power-off process of the electric energy meter. When a non-staff member does not understand the time multiple requirement, the optoelectronic communication module cannot be successfully activated.

[0038] The following introduces a possible hardware circuit implementation form of the present application, such as Figure 2As shown in the figure, when AC power is connected, VCC (3.3V) powers the infrared emitting and receiving diodes. When power is off, VCC is 0V, and MVDD powers the infrared emitting and receiving diodes. During a power outage, the battery voltage, after a diode drop, converts the 3.6V battery voltage to 3.3V and supplies it to MVDD. After another diode drop, the voltage supplied to the infrared emitting and receiving diodes is approximately 3V. The optoelectronic communication module power control pin is active low and initialized to a high level during power-on and power-off, turning off the optoelectronic communication module. After a power outage, the processing module turns the optoelectronic communication module power control pin on and off. When the processing module turns the infrared communication power control pin on and off, and the output is low, the MOS transistor is turned on, powering the optoelectronic communication module.

[0039] In order to prevent the infrared communication power supply from being turned on and the VCC circuit being turned on to supply power to other devices, a resistor R186 is added. Figure 3 In the optoelectronic communication module circuit shown, the microcontroller serial port is normally high when not in use, disabling the TX transmitter. When transmitting data, the TX port is low, turning the transmitter on. The receiving circuit utilizes a common-emitter amplifier circuit model with a triode Q600. This circuit operates in an amplified or saturated state when conducting, influenced by the magnitude of the photocurrent. This circuit fully utilizes the current amplification factor, resulting in high sensitivity. However, when the infrared tube illumination is low, the photocurrent is low, and the Q600 output level varies with the photocurrent, ultimately making it difficult to identify. Therefore, a signal shaping circuit is added to ensure accurate signal identification. When the infrared receiver RX receives an infrared signal, a photocurrent is generated on the RX pin, causing Q600 to operate in amplification mode, generating a high level across resistor R601. Q601 is in cutoff mode, resulting in a low-level signal being received at the RXD terminal.

[0040] While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the foregoing description is intended to be illustrative, non-exhaustive, and not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, their practical applications, or technological improvements in the marketplace, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A power-off communication method for an electric energy meter, characterized in that: The method includes: Step 02: The processing module obtains a power-off signal and opens a key operation access window; Step 04: The processing module determines whether the first key trigger signal is received in the key operation access window. If it is received successfully, step 06 is executed; if it fails to receive, no action is taken; Step 06: The processing module sends a start instruction to the photoelectric communication module and opens the first time window, and the photoelectric communication module enters the working state. The processing module determines whether the second button trigger signal is received in the first time window. If the second button trigger signal is received successfully, the photoelectric communication module remains in the working state. If the second button trigger signal is received unsuccessfully, the processing module sends a state transition instruction to the photoelectric communication module after the first delay time. Step 08: The optoelectronic communication module in the working state performs bidirectional data transmission and reception with the external transceiver device, and executes the power-off communication action.

2. The method for communicating when an electric energy meter is powered off according to claim 1, wherein: The power-off communication method for the electric energy meter further includes a display step, specifically: After successfully receiving the first key trigger signal in the key operation access window, the processing module sends a first display instruction to the display module, and the display module generates and displays first visual information based on the first display instruction; After successfully receiving the second button trigger signal in the first time window, the processing module sends a second display instruction to the display module, and the display module forms and displays second visual information based on the second display instruction.

3. The power-off communication method for electric energy meters according to claim 2, characterized in that: After the photoelectric communication module enters the working state, a parameter configuration step is further performed, specifically: the processing module automatically configures the photoelectric communication serial port baud rate and communication mode.

4. The method for communicating when an electric energy meter is powered off according to claim 3, wherein: The power-off communication method of the electric energy meter also includes an effective communication judgment step, specifically: after the processing module successfully receives the second button trigger signal in the first time window, it opens the second time window; if the photoelectric communication module has not received / sent electric energy data in the second time window, the processing module sends a state conversion instruction to the photoelectric communication module after a second delay time; if the photoelectric communication module successfully receives / sends electric energy data in the second time window, the processing module automatically resets the timing starting point of the second time window to the last successful reception / sending of electric energy data.

5. The power-off communication method for electric energy meters according to claim 4, characterized in that: The state conversion instruction is a shutdown instruction. When the photoelectric communication module receives the shutdown instruction, the processing module synchronously opens a key operation access window and waits for a first key trigger signal to activate the photoelectric communication module.

6. The power-off communication method for electric energy meters according to claim 5, characterized in that: The length of the second time window is positively correlated with the trigger frequency of the first key trigger signal.

7. The method for communicating when an electric energy meter is powered off according to claim 4, characterized in that: The state transition instruction is a silent instruction. When the photoelectric communication module receives the silent instruction, the processing module synchronously sends a start instruction to the photoelectric communication module and opens a first time window, waiting for a second button trigger signal to activate the photoelectric communication module.

8. The power-off communication method for electric energy meters according to claim 5, characterized in that: The power-off communication method of the electric energy meter also includes a main frequency switching step, specifically: after the processing module successfully receives the second button trigger signal in the first time window, the electric energy meter is switched to the first operating frequency; after the photoelectric communication module receives the shutdown instruction, the electric energy meter is switched to the second operating frequency.

9. The power-off communication method for electric energy meters according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first key trigger signal is a long key trigger signal, the second key trigger signal is a short key trigger signal, and the key trigger time of the long key signal is at least 10 times that of the short key signal.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: including a processor and a memory; The processor is connected to the memory; The memory is used to store executable program code; The processor runs a program corresponding to the executable program code by reading the executable program code stored in the memory, so as to execute the power-off communication method for an electric energy meter as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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