Smart Meter Location via Signal Analysis and Remote Deauthorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and automatic meter reading (AMR) systems lack the ability to remotely disable lost or stolen meters, posing a security risk and potential for unauthorized utility access, and often lack location-based technologies like GPS to track these meters.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a meter location application within the meter management system that utilizes communication capabilities to detect and locate unauthorized meters by analyzing usage data, signal strength, and tamper alarms, and employs a directional antenna for precise location determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If AMI and AMR deployments use traditional metering infrastructure without location-based technologies, then device complexity is reduced and cost is lowered, but the ability to locate and remotely disable lost or stolen meters is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple functions into the smart meter device including location tracking via GPS, communication capabilities for remote deauthorization, and tamper detection. This multi-functionality approach allows a single device to provide both traditional metering and security/locating functions, resolving the contradiction between improved security and increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a centralized server as an intermediary that coordinates between meters, utility operators, and location tracking. The server manages the complex tasks of receiving location data, processing deauthorization requests, and coordinating responses, thereby distributing complexity away from individual meter devices while maintaining system-wide security.
2Loss of information
If GPS and location-based technologies are added to smart meters, then the ability to locate and recover stolen meters is improved, but device cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the location tracking functionality as a separate, dedicated component within the smart meter system. The GPS module and location processing are isolated from the core metering functions, allowing the location tracking subsystem to be added or removed independently. This extraction reduces the complexity impact on the primary metering operation while maintaining location capability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the ability to remotely disable meters is added to AMI/AMR systems, then prevention of unauthorized utility access is improved, but system complexity and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements preliminary action by pre-configuring meters with unique identifiers and establishing communication protocols before security incidents occur. The remote deauthorization capability is pre-established through standardized communication channels, allowing immediate response to theft without requiring complex real-time negotiation or additional infrastructure during the security event.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various embodiments for locating utility metering devices. Utility metering devices that are lost or stolen and that are facilitating unauthorized utility service access. Many AMI and/or AMR deployments lack the ability to remotely deactivate a meter. Accordingly, embodiments of this disclosure can generate a zone of interest in which an unauthorized utility metering device is located, and the unauthorized utility metering device can be subsequently located within the zone of interest.