Device for communicating electrical measurement data from a user and associated method

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for communicating data measuring a user's electricity consumption and / or production, referred to as the device. The device is designed to be plugged into a user's electricity meter and to be powered solely by said electricity meter. The device comprises a storage element for energy supplied by the user's electricity meter, referred to as the storage element; a very low-power processing unit comprising a first microcontroller, powered by the user's electricity meter and designed to process user data from the meter; and a communication unit comprising a second microcontroller, controlled by the processing unit, powered by the user's electricity meter and the storage element, and designed to transmit the processed user data via a cellular network.The processing unit is configured to: put the communication unit into standby or stop operation, and / or activate or start the communication unit. See Figure 1 for abbreviations.

Description

Title of the invention: Device for communicating electrical measurement data from a user and associated method technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of user electricity consumption data.

[0002] The invention relates in particular to the remote reading, by individual electricity meters, of user data of electricity consumption / production measurements.

[0003] The invention also relates to the pooling and sharing of individual and aggregated electricity consumption / production data over several users. Prior art

[0004] In the prior art, smart electricity meters installed by electricity distribution network operators (DNOs) are known. These electricity meters allow for real-time monitoring of the user's electricity consumption. For example, the Linky™ electricity meters installed by the distribution network operator Enedis are known.

[0005] This type of electricity meter includes a specific interface called TIC (“Customer Tele-Information”) intended to be operated either by a wired device having its own energy source or by a wireless device, which is called ERL (“Linky Radio Transmitter”) in the case of Linky™ meters, powered solely by the energy delivered for this purpose by the user's electricity meter.

[0006] The voltage delivered by state-of-the-art communicating electricity meters is generally insufficient to power a device ensuring the demodulation and storage in volatile memory of the measurement data of electricity consumption and / or production provided by such electricity meters while carrying out wireless transmission of the processed data.

[0007] Wired devices connected to the user's electricity meter are known in the prior art. These products must have their own power supply, which may require the intervention of an electrician for installation. Such devices are also expensive. Furthermore, they cannot be installed where the user's electricity meters are located at the property line or on the public road.

[0008] Devices powered by the state-of-the-art wireless user data transmission counter require an Internet access gateway implemented by elements enabling the retransmission of user data via a connection to Internet access, such as xDSL, Fiber Optics, 4G, Satellite, and Ethernet, is used to transmit data to servers. This approach incurs an additional cost for the user with such a device.

[0009] Furthermore, some state-of-the-art wireless user data transmission devices have a very limited range. They therefore cannot establish a connection with the Internet access gateway in many situations, such as, for example, residential dwellings in rural areas (where the electricity meter is located at the property line near the road, several tens of meters from the user, with many obstacles (house walls, fence walls, vegetation, etc.).

[0010] Furthermore, state-of-the-art wireless user data transmission devices require configuration or pairing steps with the Internet access gateway to comply with security and encryption standards. This step proves tedious for the user. Moreover, it introduces malfunctions inherent to the various pairing technologies.

[0011] One object of the invention is to provide a device for communicating data measuring the electricity consumption and / or production of a user: - enabling the correction of problems with state-of-the-art devices, and / or

[0012] - wireless, and / or

[0013] - to be electrically powered solely by the user's meter, and / or

[0014] - not requiring a radio gateway for user data transmission, and / or - not requiring any special configuration or pairing for the transmission of consumption data, and / or

[0015] - transmitting user data without range limit. Presentation of the invention

[0016] For this purpose, a communication and / or sharing device, referred to as the device, is proposed for measuring the electricity consumption and / or production of a user, referred to as user data.

[0017] According to the invention, and in the present application, "user's electricity consumption and / or production measurement data", referred to as user data, may be understood to mean any electrical quantity / value that may be transmitted or recorded, measured, calculated and / or determined by an individual user's electricity meter.

[0018] User data may include, among other things, active power consumed and / or produced, reactive power consumed and / or produced, current consumed and / or produced, voltage consumed and / or produced, a load curve of consumption and / or production and / or a tariff index of consumption and / or production.

[0019] The pooled user data can be unidirectional, i.e., comprising only electricity consumption data of a user, provided by the user's individual meter, or only electricity production data (for example from the user's solar panels) of the user.

[0020] The pooled user data can be bidirectional, i.e. including electricity consumption data of a user, provided by the user's individual meter, and electricity production data (for example from the user's solar panels) of the user.

[0021] The device is arranged to be plugged into a user electricity meter. Preferably, the user electricity meter includes a socket or connector. Preferably, the device includes a plug for connecting or inserting into the connector of the user electricity meter.

[0022] The device is arranged to be powered solely or exclusively by said user electricity meter. Preferably, the device is arranged to be powered solely via the connector of the user electricity meter.

[0023] The device includes an element arranged to store energy supplied by the user's electricity meter, referred to as the storage element. The storage element may be or may include a capacitor, a supercapacitor, an electrical circuit, preferably an electrical circuit including a capacitor or a supercapacitor.

[0024] Preferably, the storage element is powered solely or exclusively by the user's electricity meter.

[0025] The device includes a very low power consumption unit, called the processing unit. The processing unit includes, or consists of, a first microcontroller.

[0026] The processing unit is powered, preferably powered solely or exclusively, by the user's electricity meter.

[0027] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to be in continuous operation.

[0028] The processing unit is arranged to process user data from the user's electricity meter.

[0029] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to process user data from the user's electricity meter continuously.

[0030] The device includes a unit, called the communication unit. The communication unit includes, or consists of, a second microcontroller.

[0031] The communication unit is controlled and / or operated by the processing unit. Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to control and / or operate the unit of communication.

[0032] The communication unit is powered by the user's electricity meter and by the storage element.

[0033] Preferably, the storage element is arranged to discharge or to supply the stored energy, preferably solely or exclusively, to the communication unit. Preferably, the storage element is arranged to power, preferably solely or exclusively, the communication unit.

[0034] The communication unit is arranged to transmit or send processed user data via a cellular network, for example a mobile telephone network.

[0035] Preferably, the communication unit is arranged to transmit or emit only the processed user data in order to limit the amount of data emitted.

[0036] The processing unit is arranged to: • put the communication unit into standby mode or turn it off, preferably to limit energy consumption, and / or • activate or switch on the communication unit.

[0037] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to activate the communication unit at defined and / or regular intervals, for example every 30 seconds. Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to activate the communication unit at defined and / or regular intervals so that the communication unit transmits the processed user data at defined and / or regular intervals, for example every 30 seconds.

[0038] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to control the transmission of processed user data by activating the communication unit at defined and / or regular intervals, for example every 30 seconds.

[0039] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to activate the communication unit at defined and / or regular intervals so that the storage element delivers electrical power necessary for the transmission, by the communication unit, of user data.

[0040] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to put the communication unit to sleep or stop for a minimum time interval, predefined or adjustable, for example for 30 seconds.

[0041] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to put the communication unit into standby or stop so as to store, in the storage element, a minimum electrical power necessary for the transmission, by the communication unit, of user data.

[0042] Preferably, the processing unit is connected to or arranged to communicate with the storage unit.

[0043] Preferably the processing unit is arranged and / or configured and / or capable of reading, obtaining, measuring, detecting and / or determining, preferably continuously or in real time, the amount of energy stored in the storage unit.

[0044] Preferably, the processing unit is further arranged to: • activate or switch on the communication unit when: • the amount of energy stored in the storage element is greater than or equal to a higher threshold amount, and / or • at constant or variable time intervals, and / or • depending on a previous state or a succession of previous states of the communication unit, and / or • Put the communication unit into standby or shut it down when: • the amount of energy stored in the storage element is less than or equal to a lower limit quantity, or • after transmission of processed user data, preferably after each transmission of processed user data, and / or • depending on a previous state or a succession of previous states of the communication unit, and / or.

[0045] The lower limit quantity may be equal to the upper threshold quantity.

[0046] The arrangement of the device, preferably the combination of the processing unit with the storage element and the communication unit, it allows: • Wireless transmission of user data without a gateway, • radio transmission of user data without configuration or pairing, and / or • a radio transmission of user data that does not present any problems related to the transmission range or has no transmission range limit.

[0047] The arrangement of the device, preferably the arrangement of the device to be plugged into the user's electricity meter, in particular associated with the combination of the processing unit with the storage element and the communication unit, allows, with the sole power supply of the device by the user's electricity meter and / or without the use of an external power supply, the radio transmission of user data without gateway, without configuration or pairing and / or without limit of transmission range.

[0048] Preferably, the user electricity meter is arranged to deliver an electrical power between 90 and 150 mW.

[0049] Preferably, the user electricity meter is arranged to deliver an electrical power less than or equal to 160 mW, preferably 150 mW, preferably even more 140 mW and preferably 130 mW.

[0050] Preferably, the user electricity meter is arranged to deliver an electrical power greater than or equal to 80 mW, preferably 90 mW, preferably even more 100 mW, preferably 110 mW and even more preferably 120 mW and even more preferably 130 mW.

[0051] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to consume an instantaneous electrical power less than or equal to 60 mW and / or an average or active electrical power less than or equal to 30 mW.

[0052] Preferably, the energy (or electrical power) consumed by the processing unit comes exclusively from the user's electricity meter.

[0053] Preferably, the energy (or electrical power) stored in the storage element comes exclusively from the user's electricity meter.

[0054] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to consume an average electrical power less than or equal to 30 mW, preferably 25 mW, preferably still 20 mW, preferably 15 mW and even more preferably 10 mW.

[0055] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to consume an instantaneous electrical power less than or equal to 80 mW, preferably 70 mW, preferably still 60 mW, preferably 50 mW, more preferably 40 mW and even more preferably 30 mW.

[0056] The processing unit and / or the first microcontroller may be very low power consumption.

[0057] Very low consumption can be understood as an instantaneous electrical consumption of less than or equal to 80 mW, preferably 70 mW, preferably even more 60 mW, preferably 50 mW, more preferably 40 mW and even more preferably 30 mW.

[0058] Very low consumption can be understood as an average electrical consumption of less than or equal to 30 mW, preferably 25 mW, more preferably 20 mW, more preferably 15 mW and even more preferably 10 mW.

[0059] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to process a user data frame from the user's electricity meter.

[0060] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to process user data from the user's electricity meter at a frequency greater than or equal to 32 MHz.

[0061] Preferably, the processing unit and the communication unit are arranged to communicate with each other synchronously or asynchronously.

[0062] Preferably, the processing unit is arranged to: • Keep the communication unit in standby or off mode when no user data is being modified, preferably to limit the energy consumption, and / or • activate or start up the communication unit during an evolution, modification or change of user data, and / or • process user data by aggregating or averaging it, preferably in order to limit the amount of data emitted.

[0063] Preferably, the communication unit is arranged to communicate with, and / or transmit user data to, a low-power cellular network.

[0064] Preferably, the communication unit is arranged to transmit user data: • by an asynchronous transmission protocol, preferably without acknowledgment, of user data, preferably in order to limit energy consumption, and / or • by a non-pairing data transmission protocol, preferably in order to limit energy consumption.

[0065] Preferably, the communication unit and / or the second microcontroller is a modem.

[0066] Preferably, the user's electricity meter is a Linky® electricity meter.

[0067] According to the invention, a method for communication and / or sharing of user data, referred to as the method, is also proposed.

[0068] The method includes the step of storing energy supplied by the user's electricity meter in the storage element.

[0069] The method further includes the step of processing user data from the user's electricity meter, using the processing unit.

[0070] The method further comprises the step of piloting and / or controlling, by means of the processing unit: • a standby or shutdown of a unit, known as a communication unit, and / or • an activation or commissioning of the communication unit.

[0071] The method further includes the step of transmitting the processed user data via a cellular network, by means of the communication unit.

[0072] Preferably, the electrical energy stored in the storage element is, preferably only, returned to, and / or consumed by, the communication unit.

[0073] Preferably, the process further comprises a step: • maintaining the communication unit in standby or shutdown mode by the processing unit in the absence of any modification to user data, and / or • processing of user data, using the processing unit, by average or aggregation, and / or • asynchronous sending of user data without acknowledgment by the communication unit, and / or • transmission of processed user data without pairing by the communication unit.

[0074] Preferably, the process further comprises an instantaneous electrical consumption, by the processing unit, of less than or equal to 60 mW and / or an average electrical consumption, by the processing unit, of less than or equal to 30 mW.

[0075] According to the invention, a computer program is also proposed comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, lead the latter to implement the process according to the invention.

[0076] According to the invention, a computer-readable medium is also proposed comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, lead the computer to implement the process according to the invention.

[0077] Preferably, the method according to the invention is suitable, more preferably is particularly suitable, more preferably is designed and particularly advantageously is specially designed, to be implemented by the device according to the invention.

[0078] The device according to the invention is suitable, preferably is particularly suitable, more preferably is designed and particularly advantageously is specially designed to implement the process according to the invention.

[0079] Also, any feature of the process according to the invention is directly transposable to the device according to the invention, and vice versa. Description of the figures

[0080] Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed description of implementations and embodiments, which are by no means limiting, and the following accompanying drawings:

[0081] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] is a schematic representation of a communication device measurement of electricity consumption and / or production data for a user according to the invention,

[0082] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] is a flowchart illustrating a particular embodiment of the method according to the invention. Description of the implementation methods

[0083] The embodiments described below are in no way limiting; in particular, variants of the invention may be considered that comprise only a selection of the described features, isolated from the other described features (even if this selection is isolated within a sentence including these other features), if This selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art. This selection includes at least one feature, preferably functional, without structural details, or with only some structural details if that part alone is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0084] One objective of the invention is to optimize the electricity consumption of users of the electrical network by taking advantage, in real time, of opportunities, that is to say, based on user data: - local, i.e. originating from the user's own individual electricity meter, such as from an intermittent renewable energy production source (photovoltaic panels, for example), and / or - on the electricity grid, either locally to the distribution network or remotely, i.e. originating from individual electricity meters located near the user or from individual electricity meters located at a distance from the user, for example by taking advantage of peer-to-peer electricity trading mechanisms (collective self-consumption, for example), and / or - on the electricity network in relation to flexibility mechanisms, sale on the spot market or purchase by an aggregator, an obligated buyer or a balancing or pricing manager for very advantageous withdrawal temporarily or on a calendar basis.

[0085] Exploiting these opportunities through the collection of user data (i.e., data communicated or transmitted by the user data communication device, referred to as device 1, according to the invention) in real time can be achieved by: - the user by adapting their behavior and habits, and / or - an energy manager to control consumption or storage sources, and / or - electrical relays and / or any other device enabling the erasure, triggering and / or modulation of an electrical load or the control of energy storage.

[0086] To this end, with reference to [Fig. 1], an embodiment of a device for communicating measurement data of a user's electricity consumption and / or production, referred to as device 1, is illustrated. The measurement data of a user's electricity consumption and / or production are referred to as user data. Device 1 is arranged to be plugged, by means of a plug 2, into a user electricity meter 3. The user electricity meter 3 is referred to as meter 3. According to the invention, device 1 is powered solely by meter 3. All the elements of device 1 are powered exclusively by the energy delivered by the meter 3. No other power supply or any other source of energy is required according to the invention.

[0087] According to the embodiment, meter 5 is a Linky® 5 meter supplied, installed and made available to users by the company Enedis®.

[0088] The device 1 includes an element 4, called storage element 4, arranged to store electrical energy supplied by the meter 3. By way of non-limiting example, the storage element is a supercapacitor 4 according to the embodiment.

[0089] The device includes a unit 5, referred to as processing unit 5, which is very low power consumption. Processing unit 5 includes a first microcontroller, denoted MCU1. Processing unit 5 is powered by counter 3.

[0090] The processing unit 5 is configured to process user data from the counter 3. The processing unit 5 is configured to operate continuously without interruption. Thus, the "raw" user data is processed and analyzed continuously. Processing the user data has the effect of limiting the amount of data to be transmitted and therefore the energy required to transmit the user data.

[0091] The processing unit 5 is arranged to receive frames from counter 3.

[0092] Device 1 also includes a unit 6, referred to as communication unit 6. Communication unit 6 includes a second microcontroller, denoted MCU2. Processing unit 5 is arranged to drive and / or control and / or command communication unit 6.

[0093] According to the embodiment, the communication unit 6 is a modem. By way of non-limiting example, the communication unit 6 is a low-power wide area network modem, also known as LPWAN for "Low Power Wide Area Network".

[0094] The communication unit 6 is advantageously arranged to communicate with a low-power cellular network.

[0095] The communication unit 6 is powered both by the counter 3 and by the storage element 4. In particular, and as detailed below, the communication unit 6 is continuously powered by the counter 3 and momentarily by the storage unit 4.

[0096] The communication unit 6 is configured to transmit processed user data via a cellular network. Thus, the communication unit 6 transmits only the user data processed by the control unit and not the raw user data from the counter 3. By way of non-limiting example, the communication unit 6, and in particular the second microcontroller MCU2, supports or is configured to communicate via LTE Cat-M radio protocols for "long term" "Evolution Machine" and / or Nb-IoT for "narrowband internet of things".

[0097] The processing unit 5 is arranged to put the communication unit 6 into standby or stop mode and / or to activate or start the communication unit 6.

[0098] By putting the communication unit 6 into standby or stopping it, the processing unit 5 indirectly controls the energy storage in the storage unit 4. When the processing unit 5 puts or keeps the communication unit 6 into standby, the storage unit 4 charges.

[0099] The energy stored in the storage unit 4 can thus be delivered to the communication unit 6 when it is activated by the processing unit 5. The communication unit 6 will therefore consume, in peak consumption bursts, the energy stored in the storage unit 4 during the transmission of the processed user data. After transmission, preferably after each transmission, of the processed user data, the processing unit 5 is configured to put the communication unit 6 into standby mode or shut it down.

[0100] Putting the communication unit 6 into standby or stopping and / or activating or starting the communication unit 6 makes it possible to transmit user data, also over long distances, by means of a data transmission device 1 powered solely by the user counter 1 (without external source or input of energy).

[0101] According to the non-limiting embodiment presented, the processing unit 5 and / or the first microcontroller MCU1 includes a bidirectional communication means, for example of the UART type for "Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter", denoted BCOM1, with the communication unit 6. The communication unit 6 and / or the second microcontroller MCU2 includes a bidirectional communication means, for example of the UART type, denoted BCOM2, with the processing unit 5. The processing unit 5 and the communication unit 6 communicate via BCOM1 and BCOM2. Other bidirectional communication modes / means could be used.

[0102] For example, the processing unit 5 includes a digital output, denoted SN1, to which the communication unit 6 is connected. Thus, according to the non-limiting embodiment, the processing unit drives the communication unit 6 via SN1. The power-on / standby control circuit of the communication unit 6 can be either an electronic subcircuit, separate from and distinct from the MCU2, comprising one or more components, or included in MCU2, or a function of MCU2, or a combination of both.

[0103] According to the non-limiting embodiment, the processing unit 5 comprises a coupled analog input EA1, preferably coupled to an analog-to-analog converter digital or ADC for "Analog-to-Digital Converter". The EA1 input is coupled or connected to the storage unit 4. The processing unit 5 is then arranged to measure or determine the amount of energy stored in the storage unit 4, preferably at any given time, for example by measuring a voltage across the terminals of the storage unit 4.

[0104] Meter 1 is arranged to deliver an electrical power between 90 and 150 mW.

[0105] The processing unit 5 is arranged to consume an instantaneous electrical power less than or equal to 60 mW and / or an average electrical power less than or equal to 30 mW.

[0106] The processing unit 5 is arranged to process user data from counter 1 at a frequency greater than or equal to 32 MHz.

[0107] According to an improvement of the invention, the processing unit 5 is further arranged to: • activate or switch on communication unit 6: • when the amount of energy stored in the storage element 4 is greater than or equal to a higher threshold amount, and / or • at constant or variable time intervals, and / or • depending on a previous state or a succession of previous states of the communication unit 6.

[0108] According to an improvement of the invention, the processing unit 5 is further arranged to: • Put the communication unit 6 into standby or shut it down when: • the amount of energy stored in storage element 4 is less than or equal to a lower limit quantity, and / or • after transmission of user data processed by transmission unit 6, and / or • depending on a previous state or a succession of previous states of the communication unit 6.

[0109] These improvements relate to the control of the communication unit 6 by the processing unit 5 and / or to the transmission and reception strategy of the communication unit 6, controlled by the processing unit 5.

[0110] By way of non-limiting example, the arrangement and / or programming and / or configuration of the processing unit 5 to control and / or command the communication unit 6 may be software (embedded), for example a "firmware" type microprogramming of the processing unit 5 or of the MCU1.

[0111] According to a non-limiting embodiment of the improvement, the processing unit 5 is arranged to control an alternation of activated and standby states of the communication unit 6. The alternation includes, for example, a succession of activated states, of defined duration(s), or preferably of duration which can be modulated or adjusted by the processing unit 5, and of standby states, of defined duration(s), or preferably of duration which can be modulated or adjusted by the processing unit 5.

[0112] Preferably, the processing unit 5 is arranged to control the activation and / or standby state based on or in relation to the current state and / or a previous state and / or a succession of previous states of the communication unit 6. The current state may, by way of example, include or correspond to an attempt to register on the network or the establishment of a data connection by a user. In this case, the processing unit 5 is arranged to prioritize (and therefore proceed with) the registration on the network or the establishment of a connection by a user rather than the transmission of user data processed by the communication unit 6.

[0113] Advantageously, in whatever case the improvement is, the processing unit 5 is arranged to control the activation and / or standby and / or to modulate the duration of activation and / or the duration of standby according to or in relation to the stored energy available in the storage unit 4.

[0114] According to another improvement of the invention, the processing unit 5 is arranged to: • keep the communication unit 6 in standby or off mode in the absence of any change in the user's electricity consumption and / or production measurement data; preferably, in this case, the processing unit 6 can be used to store, for example in a temporary cache memory or a database, to allow for the (temporary) availability of non-transmitted user data for third-party equipment (such as computers or telephones for end subscribers or servers for data processing providers), and / or • process the user's electricity consumption and / or production measurement data by aggregating and / or compressing it, preferably in a binary format, and / or • process the user's electricity consumption and / or production measurement data by averaging it (between two transmissions), and / or • process the user's electricity consumption and / or production measurement data by transmitting only the latest values ​​received.

[0115] This improvement has the effect of limiting the amount of data to be transmitted and therefore of limiting the amount of energy required for the transmission, by the communication unit 6, of user data.

[0116] According to another improvement of the invention, the communication unit 6: • uses an asynchronous data transmission protocol without acknowledgment measurement of the user's electricity consumption and / or production, and / or • uses a non-peering data transmission protocol, and / or • is designed to transmit user data processed by an internet protocol (or IP for "internet protocol"), for example a user datagram protocol (or UDP for user datagram protocol), preferably offering encryption of the data to be transmitted, and / or • is arranged to transmit user data unidirectionally and / or without acknowledgment.

[0117] This improvement has the effect of limiting the amount of energy required for the transmission, by the communication unit 6, of user data.

[0118] According to the invention, a method for communicating data measuring a user's electricity consumption and / or production, referred to as the method, is also proposed. The device 1 according to the invention is designed to implement the method according to the invention. Furthermore, the method according to the invention is designed to be implemented by the device 1 according to the invention.

[0119] The process comprises the steps of: • store energy supplied by meter 1 in storage element 4, • process user data from counter 1, by processing unit 5, • to control and / or operate, using processing unit 5: • a standby or shutdown of the communication unit 6, and / or • an activation or commissioning of the communication unit 6, • transmit the processed user data via a cellular network, using communication unit 6.

[0120] According to a preferred, non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the method comprises: • a step for processing user data from counter 1, by processing unit 5, denoted as step SI, • a step of obtaining a quantity of energy stored in the storage unit 4, denoted step S2, • a step of obtaining, by the processing unit 5, a current state and / or a previous state or a succession of previous states of the communication unit 6, denoted step S3, • an activation step of communication unit 6, denoted step S4, when or if or provided that: • the amount of energy stored in storage unit 4 is greater than or equal to a threshold amount (result of step S2), • the current state of and / or a previous state or a succession of previous states of the communication unit 6 does not prevent or prohibit transmission, for example during request(s) or attempt(s) to register on the network or to establish a connection or during failure(s) of previous transmission(s), (result of step S3), for example due to an insufficient amount of energy, in the storage unit 4, for the transmission of the processed user data, • a step of transmitting the processed user data, by the communication unit 5.

[0121] If a transmission of processed user data by the transmission unit 6 is interrupted due to a lack of energy, particularly energy stored in the storage unit 4, the untransmitted processed user data is transmitted during the next transmission. In the event of an incomplete transmission or interruption of the transmission of processed user data, the processing unit 5 is configured to command the transmission unit to transmit the untransmitted processed user data during the next one or more activations of the transmission unit.

[0122] According to the preferred, non-limiting embodiment, the method includes, for example, the reception, by the processing unit 5, of frames from the counter 1. Only user data that has changed since the last transmission is stored by the processing unit 5. When the user data changes or is modified, only the last received value is retained, with the exception of values ​​received in historical mode where all values ​​received since the previous transmission by the communication unit 6 are stored and an average value is kept up-to-date / recalculated with each new frame reception. In addition, preferably, the processing unit is arranged to retain a timestamp of the last frame received from the counter 1.

[0123] According to the preferred, non-limiting embodiment, the communication unit 6 is activated by the processing unit only when the energy stored in the storage unit exceeds the threshold value. Upon activation of the communication unit 6, the communication unit is configured to register itself on a network, preferably a single network of a given frequency. At each new registration attempt, for example, at every 4 to 8 second interval, the communication unit 6 is configured to attempt to register with a different (network, frequency) pair, for example, according to a Round Robin strategy: • if the communication unit 6 is registered with the network but without an established connection, a data connection is established with the operator and the communication unit 6 is put into standby mode by the processing unit 5; • if the communication unit 6 is registered with the network and a The connection is already established; processing unit 5 commands the transmission of user data.

[0124] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples just described and many modifications can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0125] Thus, in combinable variants of the embodiments described above: • Device 1 includes a power supply circuit, denoted CA, located upstream of the communication unit 6 and downstream of the processing unit 5, and / or • Device 1 includes an optocoupler, denoted OC, arranged to adapt (e.g., rectify) the signal emitted by counter 1, and / or • Processing unit 5 and / or the first microcontroller MCU1: • includes a means of receiving communication compatible with the Linky® 5 meter frame protocol, and / or • two or more digital outputs, labeled SN2 and SN3, and / or • a minimum of 20kB of volatile memory (RAM), and / or • a minimum storage memory (flash) of 192kB, and / or • one or more additional digital outputs, and / or • The digital output SN2 is connected to a light-emitting diode, denoted LED, and the processing unit 5 is arranged to control the blinking of the LED, and / or • is arranged to consume an average electrical power of less than or equal to 30 mW, preferably 25 mW, preferably 20 mW, preferably 15 mW, and even more preferably 10 mW, and / or • is arranged to consume an instantaneous electrical power of less than or equal to 80 mW, preferably 70 mW, preferably 60 mW, preferably 50 mW, preferably 40 mW, and preferably 30 mW, and / or • the communication unit 6 and / or the second microcontroller MCU2: • includes a means of bidirectional communication, for example of the UART type, denoted BCOM2, with the processing unit 5, and / or • arranged and / or configured to implement or be put into hibernation functionality, for example to implement PSM (Power Saving Mode) and / or eDRX functionality "Extended discontinuous reception" of LTE Cat-M and Nb-IoT protocols, and / or • includes a digital input EN1, and / or • has dimensions less than or equal to 18 mm x 18 mm x 18 mm, by for example 18 mm in length, 18 mm in width and 18 mm in thickness, and / or includes a port suitable or arranged to be connected to a smart card reader, for example a subscriber identification module or SIM card, by way of non-limiting example a mini-SIM, micro-SIM, nano-SIM, eSIM and / or is arranged to be, autonomously and / or from external commands, for example via the digital input EN1, put into standby or stopped and / or to be activated or switched on, and / or is arranged to be activated or switched on at regular intervals, for example every 30 seconds, and / or is arranged to be activated or put into operation so as to transmit user data at regular intervals, for example every 30 seconds, and / or is configured to be put into standby or stopped for a period of time, for example for 30 seconds, and / or is arranged to be put into standby or stopped for a period of time, so as to allow the storage of a minimum electrical energy and / or the minimum electrical power necessary for the transmission of the processed user data, for example for 30 seconds, and / or The data transmission step of the process includes the indication in a header of a unique identifier, for example, the header may include the value of the label “ADCO” transmitted in a frame if the Linky® meter is in Historical TIC mode or the value of the label “PRM” if the Linky™ meter is in standard customer tele-information (TIC) mode; these values ​​are unique identifiers either of the meter (“ADCO”) or of the electrical delivery point (“PRM”) on the electrical network of the distribution manager Enedis®, thus the values ​​returned by device 1 can be stored, for example on servers, in a manner associated with this unique identifier representing meter 1.

Claims

Demands

1. A communication device, referred to as device (1), for measuring the electricity consumption and / or production of a user (1), referred to as user data, said device is arranged to be plugged into a user electricity meter (3) and to be powered solely by said user electricity meter, said device comprises: • an element arranged to store energy supplied by the user electricity meter, referred to as storage element (4), • a very low power consumption unit, referred to as processing unit (5), comprising a first microcontroller: • powered by the user electricity meter, • arranged to process the user data from the user electricity meter, • a unit, referred to as communication unit (6), comprising a second microcontroller: • controlled by the processing unit,• powered by the user's electricity meter and the storage element, • arranged to transmit processed user data via a cellular network; said processing unit is arranged to: • put the communication unit into standby or stop mode, and / or • activate or start the communication unit.

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit (5) is further arranged to: activate or switch on the communication unit (6): • when an amount of energy stored in the storage element (4) is greater than or equal to an upper threshold amount, and / or • at constant or variable time intervals, and / or • depending on a previous state or a succession of previous states of the communication unit, and / or • put the communication unit to sleep or stop when: • an amount of energy stored in the storage element is less than or equal to a lower limit amount, and / or • after transmission of the processed user data, and / or • depending on a previous state or a succession of previous states of the communication unit.

3. Device (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: • the user electricity meter (3) is arranged to deliver an electrical power of between 90 and 150 mW, and / or • the processing unit (5) is arranged to consume an instantaneous electrical power less than or equal to 60 mW and / or an average electrical power less than or equal to 30 mW.

4. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (5) is arranged to process a user data frame from the user electricity meter (3).

5. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (5) is arranged to process user data from the user electricity meter (3) at a frequency greater than or equal to 32 MHz.

6. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit (5) is arranged to: • keep the communication unit (6) in standby or off mode in the absence of changes to user data from the user electricity meter (3), and / or • process user data by aggregating or averaging it.

7. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication unit (6) is arranged to communicate with a low-power cellular network.

8. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication unit (6) is arranged to transmit user data: • by an asynchronous sending protocol without user data acknowledgment, and / or • by a non-pairing data sending protocol.

9. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the communication unit (6) is a modem (6).

10. Device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the user electricity meter (3) is a Linky® electricity meter.

11. A method for communicating, referred to as the method, user electricity consumption and / or production measurement data, referred to as user data, by means of a communication device (1) arranged to be plugged into a user electricity meter (3), referred to as the device (1), and to be powered solely by said user electricity meter, said method comprising the steps of: • storing energy supplied by the user electricity meter in a storage element (4) of the device, • processing the user data from the user electricity meter by means of a very low power unit, referred to as the processing unit (5), of the device, comprising a first microcontroller, • controlling, by means of the processing unit: • a standby or shutdown of a unit, referred to as the communication unit (5) comprising a second microcontroller, and / or • an activation or start-up of the communication unit, • transmitting processed user data via a cellular network, by means of the communication unit.

12. A method according to the preceding claim comprising a step of: • keeping the communication unit (6) in standby or stopped by the processing unit (5) in the absence of modification of the user data, and / or • processing the user data, by means of the processing unit, by averaging or aggregation, and / or • asynchronous sending without acknowledgment of the user data by the communication unit, and / or • transmission of the processed user data without pairing by the communication unit.

13. A method according to any one of claims 11 or 12, comprising an instantaneous electrical consumption, by the processing unit, of less than or equal to 60 mW and / or an average electrical consumption, by the processing unit, of less than or equal to 30 mW.

14. A computer program comprising instructions which, when the program is executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

15. Computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

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