Adaptive Meter Frame Compression for High-Resolution Water Data

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing water meters face challenges in balancing high-resolution data collection for efficient water management with the need to minimize power consumption and network congestion, as shorter data collection intervals increase frame size and energy consumption.

Innovation Solution

A method that divides measurement periods into time intervals, identifies periods of constant consumption, and replaces measurement data with compacted data, adjusting the duration of intervals to maintain a predefined frame size while maximizing information transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the data collection interval is shortened to improve measurement resolution, then the measurement precision is improved, but the data frame size increases and energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeasurement resolutionVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and identifies periods of constant consumption from the measurement data, separating them from variable consumption periods. By extracting only the essential information (start time, duration, constant value) rather than transmitting all raw measurement points, the data frame size is reduced while maintaining measurement resolution during variable periods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of transmitting all measurement data points and letting the receiving system identify constant periods, the patent inverts the approach by having the meter itself identify and compress constant consumption periods before transmission. This preprocessing at the source reduces the data burden on the communication system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Measurement precision

If the data collection interval is shortened to improve measurement resolution, then the measurement precision is improved, but the data frame size increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeasurement resolutionVSAvoiddata frame size

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and identifies periods of constant consumption from the measurement data, separating them from variable consumption periods. By extracting only the essential information (start time, duration, constant value) rather than transmitting all raw measurement points, the data frame size is reduced while maintaining measurement resolution during variable periods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the representation parameters of constant consumption periods by encoding them with only three parameters (start time, duration, constant value) instead of multiple measurement data points. This parameter transformation dramatically reduces the data volume for constant periods while preserving the ability to reconstruct the original measurement sequence.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If the data frame size is increased to improve measurement resolution, then the measurement precision is improved, but the network congestion increases and frame loss risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeasurement resolutionVSAvoidnetwork reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and identifies periods of constant consumption from the measurement data, separating them from variable consumption periods. By extracting only the essential information (start time, duration, constant value) rather than transmitting all raw measurement points, the data frame size is reduced while maintaining measurement resolution during variable periods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial compression by identifying and compressing only the constant consumption periods while leaving variable periods uncompressed. This selective approach ensures that critical variable consumption data maintains full resolution while constant periods contribute minimally to the data volume, achieving a balance between resolution and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4575411B1Adaptive compression of collection frames

Publication Date: 2026.03.18 SAGEMCOM ENERGY & TELECOM SAS

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AI summary

Method for transmitting measurements, implemented in a meter (1) and comprising the steps of: - detecting at least one period of constant consumption formed by successive time intervals during each of which the consumption is equal to a constant value; - producing and transmitting a collection frame containing the measurement data associated with the time intervals of the measurement period, by replacing, for each period of constant consumption, the measurement data associated with the successive time intervals of said period of constant consumption by compacted data comprising a first data item making it possible to identify the time intervals of the period of constant consumption and a second data item containing the constant value.