Household Meter Interface Device Bus Protocol Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for remote reading of electronic household meters are cost-intensive and insecure, requiring a separate communication device for each meter and lacking encryption for data transmission.
Innovation Solution
A household meter interface device that converts optical signals into electrical signals compatible with a communication bus protocol, allowing point-to-multipoint communication and encryption to secure data transmission, enabling remote configuration and reading of multiple meters with a single Multi-Utility Communication Controller (MUC-C).
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate MUC-C is provided for each household meter via RS232 interface, then remote reading capability is achieved, but system cost increases and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple household meters are merged into a single communication network through the bus interface. Instead of requiring separate MUC-C devices for each meter, the patent enables multiple meters to share a common communication bus (I2C, SMBus, 1-Wire, or MIPI), allowing a single MUC-C to manage multiple meters simultaneously. This consolidation reduces system complexity and cost while maintaining remote reading capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication interface device is designed with universal compatibility across multiple bus protocols (I2C, SMBus, 1-Wire, MIPI). This multi-functional capability allows a single device architecture to support various communication standards, enabling flexible deployment scenarios where one MUC-C can interface with multiple meters using different protocols, thereby reducing the need for protocol-specific hardware variants.
2Loss of information
If optical interface communication is used for remote reading, then data transmission capability is achieved, but security is compromised due to lack of encryption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary communication layer (the bus interface device) between the optical interface and the MUC-C. This intermediary component receives data from the optical interface, processes it through a secure bus protocol with encryption capabilities, and then transmits it to the MUC-C. The bus interface acts as a security gateway that ensures confidential and authenticated communication while maintaining the data transmission functionality of the optical interface.
3Reliability
If point-to-point communication protocol is used between MUC-C and each meter, then communication reliability is achieved, but cost increases due to requiring one MUC-C per meter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple point-to-point communication channels into a single multi-point bus network. Instead of requiring one MUC-C per meter, the system combines multiple meter connections onto a shared communication bus, allowing a single MUC-C to communicate with multiple meters simultaneously. This approach maintains communication reliability through protocol-level addressing and handshaking while dramatically reducing the quantity of MUC-C devices needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication architecture segments the system into three functional layers: the optical interface layer (for data acquisition), the bus interface layer (for secure multi-point communication with protocol handling), and the MUC-C layer (for centralized control). This segmentation allows the MUC-C to manage multiple meters through the intermediary bus layer, reducing the need for multiple MUC-C devices while maintaining reliable communication through dedicated protocol handling at each layer.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces costs by allowing multiple meters to communicate through a single MUC-C and enhances security through encryption, making remote reading of electronic household meters efficient and secure.
Implementation Method 1
a conversion device (8) that converts optical signals of the transceiver (6) into electrical signals
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Household meter interface device with an optical transceiver 6 mechanically connected to an optical interface 22 of an electronic household meter 20, and a conversion device 8 that converts optical signals from the transceiver 6 into electrical signals. Connecting several electronic household meters to a Multi Utility Communication Controller is possible because an interface device 10 converts the signals received from the conversion device 8 into a bus protocol and transmits them to a communication bus 14, and also converts signals received from the communication bus 14 into signals for the conversion device 8 and/or the transceiver 6.