Battery Meter Mirroring via Line-Powered Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery-powered meters in home area networks face challenges in efficiently communicating data due to power consumption and signal quality issues, leading to reduced battery life and increased power usage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a mirroring system where line-powered devices act as mirrors for battery-powered meters, selecting the closest mirror device based on signaling conditions such as signal strength and power source to reduce data transmission power and extend battery life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If battery-powered meters directly communicate with HAN devices, then data transmission is achieved, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mirror device as an intermediary between the battery-powered meter and HAN devices. The mirror device receives data from the meter and relays it to HAN devices, allowing the meter to remain in sleep mode longer and reducing its communication-related power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a mirror copy of the battery-powered meter's data interface. The mirror device maintains a copy of the meter's data and presents it to HAN devices, eliminating the need for the original meter to frequently wake up and communicate directly.
2Loss of information
If battery-powered meters wake up frequently to post metering data, then data freshness is maintained, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mirror device acts as an intermediary that maintains data freshness by receiving updates from the meter when it wakes up and then immediately making that data available to HAN devices, reducing the frequency and duration of the meter's wake cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The mirror device performs preliminary actions by pre-fetching and caching meter data before HAN devices need it, so that when the meter wakes up, data can be quickly transferred to the mirror which then serves subsequent requests without requiring the meter to wake up again.
3Reliability
If multiple mirror capable devices are available, then redundancy and reliability improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where mirror capable devices report their capability and signaling conditions to the utility device, which then selects the optimal mirror based on reported power consumption characteristics and signal quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by evaluating multiple mirror candidates based on signaling conditions and power consumption metrics, selecting the mirror that optimizes the balance between reliability and energy efficiency for the specific communication scenario.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for mirroring to allow for data transmissions from a device through mirror capable device. In an embodiment, a plurality of mirror capable devices may report their capability, which may include signaling conditions related thereto. A mirror capable device may be selected from the plurality of mirror capable devices based on signaling conditions associated with the utility device's power consumption.