Staggered Smart Meter Transmission Control for AMI Bottlenecks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems face data bottlenecks due to simultaneous transmissions from smart meters, leading to potential message loss or latency, especially in peak usage scenarios and after power outages when utilities and smart meters resynchronize.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to control and stagger the transmission times of messages from smart meters to the central controller, allocating specific transmission increments and times based on identifiers and group quantities to avoid overwhelming the communication link's capacity, thereby reducing the likelihood of data bottlenecks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If smart meters transmit messages simultaneously to the central controller, then communication speed is improved, but data bottlenecks and message loss occur due to exceeding link capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transmission process by dividing smart meters into different groups and assigning specific time slots to each group for transmitting messages to the central controller. This segmentation prevents simultaneous transmissions from all meters, thereby avoiding data bottlenecks and message loss while maintaining efficient communication throughput.
2Reliability
If transmission timing is controlled to avoid data bottlenecks, then message delivery reliability is improved, but system complexity increases due to timing coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by establishing regular time slots for different groups of smart meters to transmit messages to the central controller. This periodic transmission schedule simplifies the coordination complexity compared to arbitrary timing while ensuring reliable message delivery by preventing simultaneous transmissions that would cause data bottlenecks.
3Quantity of substance
If all smart meters are allowed to communicate during peak usage scenarios and after power outages, then communication completeness is improved, but bandwidth overload occurs leading to communication failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-assigning time slots to different groups of smart meters before the communication period begins. This preliminary arrangement ensures that during peak usage scenarios and after power outages, all necessary messages can be transmitted without bandwidth overload, as the transmission capacity is already planned and allocated to prevent communication failures.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method control transmission of messages over a fixed bandwidth communication link from fixed position client or communication devices to a central controller. In one exemplary embodiment, the central controller determines an identifier associated with each communication device, a reporting period during which messages are to be transmitted by the communication devices, and transmission increments within the reporting period. The central controller allocates each transmission increment to a respective group of multiple communication devices. The central controller then determines transmission times for messages from the communication devices, such that a transmission time for any particular communication device is based on (a) the identifier for the particular communication device, (b) a duration of a transmission increment allocated to a group of communication devices that includes the particular communication device, and (c) a quantity of communication devices in the group of communication devices that includes the particular communication device.