High Frequency Data Recorder Retrofit for Smart Meter
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electricity meters sample power consumption at low frequencies, limiting data collection bandwidth and requiring modifications to existing metering systems, which restricts the ability to accurately measure and transmit high-frequency power usage patterns efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A high-frequency data recorder (HFDR) is introduced, capable of sampling power at least 100 times per second, which can be retrofitted between a meter and a meter box, using a power collar with wireless transceivers to transmit data via cellular networks, allowing for high-bandwidth communication without disrupting existing metering systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional electricity meters are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but measurement precision and data collection bandwidth are limited due to low sampling frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The HFDR is nested within the existing metering system by plugging into the meter receptacle, with the meter itself nested within the HFDR. This nested configuration allows the HFDR to capture high-frequency power measurements without replacing the entire metering system, thereby improving measurement precision while minimizing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The HFDR acts as an intermediary device between the power supply and the load, capturing high-frequency measurements of power consumption. It mediates between the existing conventional meter and the need for high-precision measurements, allowing both functions to coexist without requiring complete system reconfiguration.
2Productivity
If high-frequency sampling is implemented, then data collection bandwidth is improved, but loss of time for data transmission increases due to larger data volumes
Solution Approach 1:
The HFDR extracts only the essential power measurement data at high frequency and transmits it wirelessly, separating the measurement function from the transmission function. This extraction approach allows high-frequency sampling to improve data collection bandwidth while minimizing transmission time by sending only critical measurements rather than continuous raw data streams.
3Measurement precision
If existing metering systems are modified to support high-frequency measurements, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the measurement function from the existing meter by introducing a separate HFDR device. This segmentation allows the HFDR to be installed independently in the meter receptacle without modifying the existing meter or requiring complex system changes, thereby maintaining ease of operation while achieving high-precision measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The HFDR is designed as a self-contained unit that plugs directly into the existing meter receptacle and automatically begins high-frequency measurements upon installation. The device requires no complex configuration or system reconfiguration, making it easy to install and operate while providing immediate high-precision power measurement capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A high frequency data recorder (“HFDR”) can include a first set of contacts, on a first side of the HFDR, that are pluggable into a first meter receptacle of a meter box, wherein the first meter receptacle provides a connection to a power supply and a connection to a load. The HFDR also includes a second set of contacts, on a second side of the HFDR, that form a second meter receptacle. The second meter receptacle provides another connection to the power supply and another connection to the load. The HFDR can further include a processor that accesses a non-transitory machine readable memory that stores instruction that when executed cause the processor to passively measures current downstream from the meter box. The HFDR still further includes a wireless transceiver that wirelessly transmits data characterizing the measured current.