Utility meter and method for heating a utility meter

Abstract

A method for heating a utility meter, the utility meter comprising one or more processors, the method comprising: determining an amount of excess processing capacity of the one or more processors; and when the amount of excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity, causing at least one of the one or more processors to execute a set of instructions and thereby cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase. Also described herein is A utility meter comprising one or more processors, the utility meter being configured to: determine an amount of excess processing capacity of the one or more processors; and when the amount of excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity, cause at least one of the one or more processors to execute a set of instructions and thereby cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase.

Description

[0001] UTILITY METER AND METHOD FOR HEATING A UTILITY METER

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to utility meters, in particular a method for heating a utility meter.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] A utility meter (e.g. an electricity meter, a gas meter, and / or a water meter) may be configured to communicate information about utility consumption to a utility provider (e.g. over a network), e.g. as part of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Such a utility meter may be referred to as a “smart meter”.

[0006] A utility meter may be normally powered by a mains electricity source, but may comprise an internal power source to provide backup power in the event of a mains power outage. The internal power source (e.g. a battery or supercapacitor) may enable the utility meter to communicate with the utility provider during the power outage.

[0007] In some cases, the performance of a utility meter (in particular the performance of the internal power source) may be negatively impacted at low temperatures.

[0008] SUMMARY

[0009] The present disclosure provides a way for a utility meter to heat itself and thereby ensure normal operation, e.g. at low ambient temperatures. In particular, heat may be generated by deliberately causing one or more processors of the utility meter to heat up without requiring any additional components to be added to an existing utility meter. For example, a special set of instructions (e.g. an algorithm), could be run by the one or more processors when excess processing capacity is available and / or when an ambient temperature falls below a certain threshold temperature.

[0010] Described herein is a method for heating a utility meter, the utility meter comprising one or more processors, the method comprising: determining an amount of excess processing capacity of the one or more processors; and when the amount of excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity, causing at least one of the one or more processors to execute a set of instructions and thereby cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase.

[0011] Also described herein is a utility meter comprising one or more processors, the utility meter being configured to: determine an amount of excess processing capacity of the one or more processors; and when the amount of excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity, cause at least one of the one or more processors to execute a set of instructions and thereby cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase.

[0012] Advantageously, using excess processing capacity to heat the utility meter means that the method described herein can be applied to any suitable existing utility meter without the need for additional components.

[0013] The set of instructions may be an algorithm, and / or an application. The set of instructions, algorithm, or application may be specifically designed to cause the one or more processors to heat up. Alternatively, or in addition, the set of instructions may take advantage of an existing function of the processor(s), causing the processor(s) to carry out the function under conditions where it would not normally be required so as to provide the heating effect.

[0014] In some examples, the set of instructions may cause the processor(s) to carry out an auxiliary function that is not related to the normal functioning of the utility meter, for example carrying out a cryptographic operation (e.g. for cryptocurrency mining).

[0015] The method may comprise determining whether a temperature of the utility meter is below a threshold temperature, and / or the utility meter described herein may be configured to determine whether a temperature of the utility meter is below a threshold temperature. For example, the utility meter may comprise a temperature sensor, and the temperature of the utility meter may be determined based on a signal from the temperature sensor. The temperature of the utility meter may be determined directly, and / or may be determined based on an ambient temperature reading. The method may comprise causing the at least one or more processors to execute the set of instructions when the temperature is below the threshold temperature, and / or the utility meter described herein may be configured to cause the at least one or more processors to execute the set of instructions when the temperature is below the threshold temperature.

[0016] In some examples, the threshold temperature is in a range from -40°C to -10°C. In some examples, the threshold temperature is in a range from -40°C to -20°C. In some examples, the threshold temperature is in a range from -30°C to -10°C. In some examples, the threshold temperature is in a range from -25°C to -15°C. In some examples, the threshold temperature may be around -20°C.

[0017] The performance of some (internal) power sources, such as lithium-ion batteries, may degrade significantly at low temperatures. In particular, lithium-ion batteries may not perform optimally at temperatures below around -20°C, and so internal heating of the utility meter according to the present disclosure may enable the use of lithium-ion batteries as an internal backup power source in cold environments.

[0018] In some examples, a method or utility meter according to the present disclosure may enable the use of lithium-ion batteries at temperatures as low as -40°C.

[0019] A processor of a utility meter according to the present disclosure may be configured to perform one or more specific functions relevant to normal operation of the utility meter. The excess processing capacity may comprise processing capacity that becomes available when these functions are not in use, or when these functions are in use but the processor(s) employed for these functions are not operating at full capacity. Therefore, in some examples, the set of instructions may cause the processor(s) to carry out these functions for the purposes of heat generation only.

[0020] For example, one or more processors may be a processor configured to provide a communications function, e.g. for communication with other utility meters and / or a head-end system in a network. Such a processor may be referred to as a communications processor (although it will be understood that the communications processor may, in some examples, perform other functions in addition to communications). The excess processing capacity may comprise an excess processing capacity of the communications processor. In some examples, the set of instructions comprises instructions to cause the communications processor to provide the communications function for the purpose of heating (i.e. when the communications function, or an increase in power to the communications function for the purposes of communications, is not itself required).

[0021] In another example, one or more processors may be a processor configured to provide a metering and / or metrology function, e.g. for managing a metering unit / metering means of the utility meter (e.g. to measure electricity usage). Such a processor may be referred to as a metering processor (although it will be understood that the metering processor may, in some examples, perform other functions in addition to metering).

[0022] The excess processing capacity may comprise an excess processing capacity of the metering processor. In some examples, the set of instructions comprises instructions to cause the metering processor to provide the metering function for the purpose of heating (i.e. when the metering function, or an increase in power to the metering function for the purposes of metering and / or metrology, is not itself required).

[0023] In some examples, the heat may be generated by causing one or more processors to perform a function other than their normal function. This may advantageously enable the excess processing power of the utility meter to be employed for other purposes which may be advantageous. For example, the set of instructions may comprise a cryptographic function. E.g. the utility meter could be used to perform a decryption function while self-heating. In some examples, the utility meter could be used to mine one or more cryptocurrencies while self-heating.

[0024] The utility meter may comprise an internal power source. The internal power source may enable the utility meter to communicate with a utility provider (e.g. to a head-end system) during a power outage, for example to send a “last gasp message” to a headend system. The last gasp message may include a notification of the power outage as well as other information (e.g., energy usage, error conditions, or other electric meter information) at the time power was lost. The internal power source may comprise a supercapacitor.

[0025] In some examples, the internal power source may comprise a lithium-ion battery (e.g. a rechargeable lithium-ion battery). Advantageously, lithium-ion batteries may be have larger energy storage capacities than supercapacitors, and / or may be more reliable than supercapacitors. A lithium-ion battery may enable prolonged messaging from and to the utility meter during a power outage, and may enable additional and / or more detailed data collection over previous internal power sources. In addition, lithium-ion batteries may result in an increased success rate of message transmission between the utility meter and the utility provider and / or head-end system during a power outage. However, as described above, lithium-ion batteries may exhibit poor performance at low temperatures (e.g. below about -20°C). The methods and examples for operating a utility meter to provide self-heating as described herein may therefore enable the improvements provided by lithium-ion batteries, while also ensuring their operation at low temperatures, without requiring any dedicated heating components.

[0026] Also described herein is a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more of the processors of the utility meter, cause the utility meter to carry out the method described herein.

[0027] For example, the instructions may be provided from memory (e.g. flash memory) provided in the utility meter. In some examples, the instructions may be provided from a remote source, e.g. via a data carrier signal.

[0028] In an example, one or more of the processor(s) of the utility meter may be configured to run an operating system (e.g. Linux). The method described herein may be carried out as an application running on the operating system.

[0029] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a utility meter according to the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 2 schematically illustrates an example of a method for heating a utility meter according to the present disclosure; and Figure 3 schematically illustrates an example of an algorithm according to the present disclosure.

[0032] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a utility meter 100 according to the present disclosure. The example utility meter 100 illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a plurality of processors 102a-c. However, it will be understood that in other examples the utility meter 100 could comprise a single processor.

[0034] The utility meter 100 may comprise part of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). The utility meter 100 may be connected to a head-end system 110 via a wired or wireless connection by a communications device 122 (e.g. a radio) of the utility meter 100.

[0035] A first processor of the plurality of processors may be a communications processor 102a configured to operate the communications device 122. In some examples, the communications processor 102a and the communications device 122 may be collectively referred to as a communications unit.

[0036] A second processor of the plurality of processors may be a metering processor 102b configured to operate a metering device 124 to provide a metering function (e.g. to measure consumption of a utility).

[0037] A third processor 102c, and / or any additional processors, may also be present to perform any other functions of the utility meter 100.

[0038] A set of instructions may be provided, e.g. on a memory 103 and / or communicated to the utility meter 100 via a data carrier signal. The set of instructions may be carried out by one or more of the processors 102a-c when an excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity. The excess processing capacity may be an excess processing capacity of a single processor, of a subset of the processors, or of all of the processors. Executing the set of instructions may cause one or more of the processors 102a-c to heat up, and thereby heat the utility meter. The set of instructions may, for example, cause the communications processor 102a to communicate (e.g. via the communications device 122) with the head-end system 110, with a utility provider, and / or with another utility meter or another device forming part of the AMI. Such communication may not actually be necessary for the operation of the utility meter 100 per se, but by executing the instructions the communications processor 102a can be employed to provide a self-heating function to the utility meter 100 without requiring any reconfiguration of the standard hardware or functions of the utility meter 100. Similarly, alternatively or in addition, the metering processor 102b may be normally configured for use with the metering device 124, and the set of instructions may cause e.g. the metering processor 102b to perform functions including obtaining a reading corresponding to usage of the utility. Again, this function may not normally be required at such a time, but by carrying out this function heat is generated by the metering processor 102b to heat the utility meter 100.

[0039] It will be understood that, in general, the set of instructions may be carried out by any of the processors 102a-c, and that the set of instructions may be carried out by more than one processor 102a-c.

[0040] In some cases, the set of instructions may be carried out by a dedicated processor (e.g. a third processor 102c of the utility meter 100 illustrated in Figure 1 ). In some cases, the set of instructions may not be related to a normal function of the utility meter, but may provide some auxiliary function such as data processing or a cryptography function.

[0041] The utility meter 100 may comprise an internal power source 104. The internal power source 104 acts as a back-up power source in the event of a mains power outage, and can enable a “last gasp message” to be sent to the head-end system 110, e.g. to notify the head-end system of the power outage, and / or to provide other status information to the head-end system 110.

[0042] The internal power source 104 may comprise a supercapacitor. In some examples, the internal power source 104 comprises a lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries often exhibit degraded performance at temperatures below around -20°C. Therefore, the utility meter 100 according to the present disclosure may enable the use of lithium-ion batteries as the internal power source 104 at much lower ambient temperatures than would be possible without heating, and without requiring any additional hardware.

[0043] In some examples, depending on the number of processors, a utility meter 100 according to the present disclosure may be capable of reaching temperatures of up to around 20 or 30°C above the ambient temperature. Therefore, in cases where the internal power source 104 comprises a lithium-ion battery, the utility meter 100 may be able to operate at ambient temperatures as low as -40°C or lower, without the need for an ancillary heating element.

[0044] In some examples, the utility meter 100 may be caused to run the set of instructions when the temperature of the utility meter 100, and / or an ambient temperature, falls below a certain threshold temperature. The threshold temperature may correspond to a temperature below which performance one or more components of the utility meter 100 may deteriorate. For example, in cases where the utility meter comprises an internal power source 104 comprising a lithium-ion battery, the threshold temperature may be around -20°C, or just above or below -20°C.

[0045] Figure 2 schematically illustrates an example of a method 200 for heating a utility meter according to the present disclosure. The utility meter comprises one or more processors, and may correspond to the utility meter 100 illustrated in Figure 1 . That is, the method 200 may generally be carried out by any suitable utility meter such as the utility meter 100 illustrated in Figure 1 .

[0046] At S202, the method 200 comprises determining an amount of excess processing capacity of the one or more processors.

[0047] At S204, the method 200 comprises, when the amount of excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity, causing at least one of the one or more processors to execute a set of instructions and thereby cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase.

[0048] The method 200 may be carried out by any of the processors and / or units of the utility meter and may be implemented as hardware and / or software in order to be carried out by a single entity and / or multiple entities within the utility meter. For example, the set of instructions described herein and illustrated in S204 of Figure 2 may form part of a larger set of instructions, or algorithm, which may be executed by the one or more processors of the utility meter.

[0049] For example, an algorithm according to the present disclosure may comprise: determining an amount of excess processing capacity of the one or more processors; and when the amount of excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity, causing at least one of the one or more processors to execute the set of instructions and thereby cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase. Such an algorithm may be carried out by a utility meter (e.g. the utility meter 100 illustrated in Figure 1).

[0050] The utility meter 100 illustrated in Figure 1 may therefore comprise at least one computer, (micro)processor or other type of processor (such as one or more of the processors 102a-c), and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the memory 103, which may be embodied as any kind of internal and / or external RAM and / or ROM memory device or data storage as well as corresponding permanent or non-permanent computer and / or machine-readable media, including but not limited to e.g. cloud storage devices, micro-chips, flash drives, EEPROM, magnetic disks, cards, tapes, and drums, punched cards and paper tapes, optical discs, barcodes, smart codes, and / or magnetic ink characters, that stores instructions, i.e. computer- readable program code (e.g., software or firmware), such as a computer program, executable by the (micro)processor, logic gates, switches, inter-faces, gateways, transceivers, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic controller, and / or an embedded microcontroller, for example. In particular, the electricity meter 100 may be configured to perform any kind of measurement, computation, calculation, processing, generation, determination, decision, monitoring and / or control step as described herein.

[0051] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a simple algorithm 300 that may be implemented using, e.g., the utility meter 100 illustrated in Figure 1. The algorithm 300 may be an implementation of one or more of the methods described herein, e.g. the method 200 illustrated in Figure 2.

[0052] As shown in Figure 3, following a Start, the processor(s) of a utility meter may perform their normal processing functions (“normal meter processing”). A check may be performed, e.g., periodically, to establish whether there is excess processing capacity available from one or more processors (“excess processing available”). If there is no excess processing capacity available (“N”), the processor(s) will continue to perform their normal function(s). If there is excess processing capacity available (“Y”), a check may be performed to establish whether the temperature (“Temp”) (e.g. a temperature of the utility meter, and / or an ambient temperature) is below a threshold temperature (e.g. below a temperature of -20°C, as shown in the example algorithm 300 illustrated in Figure 3). If the temperature is below the threshold temperature (“Y”), the processor(s) may be caused to execute a set of instructions to cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase. In some examples, such as the algorithm 300 illustrated in Figure 3, the set of instructions may be referred to as a “temperature rise routine”, and executing the set of instructions may comprise running the temperature rise routine. If the temperature is not below the threshold temperature (“N”), the processor(s) will continue to perform their normal functions (i.e. not run the temperature rise routine).

[0053] It will be understood that the algorithm 300 illustrated in Figure 3 is merely an example, and other implementations are available. For example, as described herein, in some examples the set of instructions may be carried out on a dedicated processor.

[0054] Although the disclosure has been described in terms of preferred embodiments as set forth above, it should be understood that these embodiments are illustrative only and that the claims are not limited to those embodiments. Those skilled in the art will be able to make modifications and alternatives in view of the disclosure, which are contemplated as falling within the scope of the appended claims. Each feature disclosed or illustrated in the present specification may be incorporated in any embodiments, whether alone or in any appropriate combination with any other feature disclosed or illustrated herein.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method for heating a utility meter, the utility meter comprising one or more processors, the method comprising: determining an amount of excess processing capacity of the one or more processors; and when the amount of excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity, causing at least one of the one or more processors to execute a set of instructions and thereby cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase.

2. A method according to claim 1 , comprising: determining whether a temperature of the utility meter is below a threshold temperature; and causing the at least one of the one or more processors to execute the set of instructions when the temperature is below the threshold temperature.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the threshold temperature is in a range from -40°C to -10°C.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the threshold temperature is in a range from -25°C to -15°C.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is a communications processor configured to provide a communications function, and wherein the set of instructions comprises instructions to cause the communications processor to provide the communications function.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is a metering processor configured to provide a metering function, and wherein the set of instructions comprises instructions to cause the metering processor to provide the metering function.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the set of instructions comprises a cryptographic operation.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the utility meter comprises an internal power source.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the internal power source comprises a lithium-ion battery.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more of the processors of the utility meter, cause the utility meter to carry out the method of any one of the preceding claims.

11. A utility meter comprising one or more processors, the utility meter being configured to: determine an amount of excess processing capacity of the one or more processors; and when the amount of excess processing capacity is above a threshold capacity, cause at least one of the one or more processors to execute a set of instructions and thereby cause a temperature of the utility meter to increase.

12. A utility meter according to claim 11 , further configured to: determine whether a temperature of the utility meter is below a threshold temperature; and when the temperature is below a threshold temperature, cause the at least one of the one or more processors to execute the set of instructions.

13. A utility meter according to claim 12, wherein the threshold temperature is in a range from -40°C to -10°C.

14. A utility meter according to claim 12, wherein the threshold temperature is in a range from -25°C to -15°C.

15. A utility meter according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is a communications processor configured to provide a communications function, and wherein the set of instructionscomprises instructions to cause the communications processor to provide the communications function.

16. A utility meter according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is a metering processor configured to provide a metering function, and wherein the set of instructions comprises instructions to cause the metering processor to provide the metering function.

17. A utility meter according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the set of instructions comprises a cryptographic operation.

18. A utility meter according to any one of claims 10 to 17, further comprising an internal power source.

19. A utility meter according to claim 18, wherein the internal power source comprises a lithium-ion battery.

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