Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UTILITY METER ACTIVATION
BACKGROUND
[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to activating sensors,
such as utility
meters for a power, water, gas, or other utility distribution network.
[0002] Certain utility networks, such as power, water, and gas distribution
networks,
may include a number of sensors distributed throughout the network in
communication
with a centralized control system. For example, a power distribution network
may
include a number of meters (e.g., "smart" meters) disposed at customer
locations
throughout the network to monitor the consumption of power. Furthermore, these
meters
may communicate with a centralized control system, which may use the
monitoring data
collected by the meter to, for example, determine each customer's monthly
utility bill.
Accordingly, it may be desirable for the meters and the centralized control
system to be
communicatively coupled to exchange information.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0003] In an embodiment, a utility network includes a utility meter capable
of
measuring a property of the network once installed and capable of
communicating the
measurement to a server once activated. The network also includes an access
point
configured to communicatively couple to the utility meter and to the server
and
configured to notify the server when the utility meter has been bound to the
access point.
The network further includes a mobile device configured to notify the server
when the
utility meter has been installed, configured to request the server to add the
utility meter to
a queue of utility meters to be activated by the server, and configured to
receive a
response from the server when the utility meter is activated.
[0004] In another embodiment, a method includes receiving instructions to
activate a
utility meter that has been installed in a network and adding the utility
meter to a queue of
utility meters to be activated. The method also includes receiving
notification from an
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access point that the utility meter has been bound by the access point. The
method also
includes activating the utility meter, wherein activating the utility meter
includes
establishing communication with the utility meter via the access point. The
method
further includes updating the queue of utility meters to be activated to
indicate an
activation status of the utility meter.
[0005] In another embodiment, a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable
medium
stores instructions executable by a processor of an electronic device. The
instructions
include instructions to receive user input when a utility meter has been
installed in a
utility network. The instructions also include instructions to notify a server
that the utility
meter has been installed. The instructions also include instructions to
receive notification
from the server that the utility meter has been added to a list of utility
meters to be
activated by the server and to provide user notification that the utility
meter has been
added to the list. The instructions also include instructions to receive
notification from
the server that the utility meter has been activated by the server to provide
user
notification that the utility meter has been activated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present
invention will
become better understood when the following detailed description is read with
reference
to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts
throughout the
drawings, wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a power distribution network, in
accordance with
an embodiment of the present approach;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating certain internal components
of a meter,
access point, AMI system, and mobile device of the power distribution network
illustrated in FIG. I, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
approach;
2
,
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[0009] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating a process by which a meter is
activated,
from the perspective of the meter, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present
approach;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process, from the
perspective of the
access point of FIG. 2, by which a new meter is activated, in accordance with
an
embodiment of the present approach;
[0011] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process, from the
perspective of the
mobile device of FIG. 2, by which a new meter is activated, in accordance with
an
embodiment of the present approach;
[0012] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a process by which the mobile
device of
FIG. 2 may update the installer, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present
approach; and
[0013] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a process, from the
perspective of the AMI
system 30 of FIG. 2, by which a new meter is activated, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present approach.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
100141 One or more specific embodiments of the present invention will be
described
below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all
features of
an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should
be
appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in
any
engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must
be made
to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-
related and
business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to
another.
Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be
complex and
time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design,
fabrication,
and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this
disclosure.
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100151 When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present
invention,
the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean that there are
one or more of
the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended
to be
inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed
elements.
100161 As set forth above, it may be desirable for the sensors and the
centralized
control system of a network (e.g., a power, water, or gas distribution
network, or other
suitable utility network) to be communicatively coupled to one another to
exchange
information. For example, it may be desirable to communicatively couple a
sensor (e.g.,
a "smart" meter) and a centralized controller (e.g., an Advanced Metering
Infrastructure
(AMI) system) of a power distribution network. Accordingly, during
installation of the
meter, it may be desirable for an installer to ensure that the meter is in
communication
with the AMI system. However, since it may take minutes to hours to establish
communication, it may not be efficient for an installer to wait for
communication to be
established after installing a meter. Furthermore, as discussed below,
allowing the
installer to directly communicate with the meter (e.g., via an electrical
device) may also
introduce opportunity for unauthorized access of the meter.
100171 Accordingly, present embodiments are directed toward systems and
methods
for establishing communication between a sensor (e.g., a "smart" utility
meter) and a
centralized system (e.g., an AMI system) of a utility network (e.g., a power
distribution
network). For example, present embodiments enable an installer to utilize a
mobile
device (e.g., a laptop or cell phone) to notify an AMI system of a meter's
physical
installation as well as to receive updates from the AMI system regarding the
meter's
activation status. Additionally, present embodiments include an access point
that
communicatively couples the meters to the centralized system (e.g., the AMI
system) of
the utility network. As set forth below, the meter, access point, and
centralized system
may cooperate to activate the meter (e.g., establish communication between the
meters
and the centralized systems via the access points). As set forth below,
present
embodiments enable the activation of meters without an installer having to
directly
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communicate with the sensor, which may help to limit unauthorized access of
the meter.
Furthermore, present embodiments improve the efficiency of meter installation
by
enabling an installer to notify the centralized system of the physical
installation a new
meter from a mobile device and allowing the installer to proceed to the next
physical
installation without waiting for communication to be established.
100181 With the foregoing in mind, FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a
network,
power distribution network 10, which enables an installer to efficiently and
securely
activate sensors (e.g., "smart" utility meters 12) within the power
distribution network 10.
Accordingly, the power distribution network 10 may include a utility operation
center 14,
which may operate a power source 16 (e.g., a coal, gas, or nuclear power
plant, a main
transmission line from a power plant, or other suitable power source).
Further, the power
distribution network 10 may include a number of other electrical components 18
(e.g.,
transformers, capacitors, converters, switches, transmission lines, and so
forth) suitable
for the transmission and/or conversion of power being supplied by the power
source 16 to
render the power suitable for use at a number of customer locations 20 (e.g.,
residential or
commercial locations).
100191 In particular, the power distribution network 10 illustrated in FIG.
1 includes a
segment 22 of a larger power distribution network 10. The illustrated segment
22
includes a transmission line 24 that couples each of the customer locations 20
to the
power distribution network 10. More specifically, each customer location 20
includes a
sensor (e.g., a "smart" utility meter 12) disposed between the customer
location 20 and
the transmission line 24. As set forth in detail below, "smart" meters 12 may
include a
memory and a processor capable of performing a number of functions by
executing one
or more instructions. For example, the illustrated meters 12 include sensors
to determine
power consumption at each of the customer locations 20. Further, the meters 12
include
one or more network interface devices to enable the meter to communicate with
other
devices. For example, in certain embodiments, the meters 12 may also be
capable of
communicating with a remote system to determine a current price for power, an
average
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price for power over a period of time, a total amount of power consumed at a
customer
location 20 over a period of time, and so forth.
[0020] Specifically, the meters 12 illustrated in FIG. 1 are
communicatively coupled
to an access point 26. In certain embodiments, the access point 26 may be a
dedicated
utility access point 26 (e.g., dedicated to providing a communication bridge
for the
meters 12). In other embodiments, the access point 26 may be a general purpose
wireless
access point. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the meters 12 may be equipped with one
or more
wireless network interface devices and may be wirelessly coupled to the access
point 26.
In certain embodiments, the meters 12 and the access point 26 may wirelessly
communicate using a standard wireless protocol (e.g., 802.x, BluetoothTM,
Zigbee, code
division multiple access (CDMA), or other suitable wireless protocol). In
other
embodiments, the access point 26 may be coupled to the transmission line 24
and may
communicate with the meters 12 using the transmission line 24 via a power line
communication technique (e.g., broadband over powerline (BPL), or other
suitable power
line communication technique). Furthermore, as discussed below, communication
between the access point 26 and the meters 12 may, in certain embodiments, be
based on
a proprietary communication technique for which hardware may not be widely
available.
Additionally, in certain embodiments, communication between the access point
26 and
the meters 12 may be encrypted or otherwise secured to prevent unauthorized
access.
[0021] Furthermore, the illustrated access point 26 is capable of
communicating over a
public or private wide area network (WAN) 28. For example, the illustrated
access point
26 include one or more wireless network interface devices to enable the access
point 26
to couple to and communicate over the WAN 28. In certain embodiments, the WAN
28
may be a public WAN 28, such as a WAN 28 of cellular data towers in a cellular
data
network. As such, in certain embodiments, the access point 26 may connect to
the WAN
28 of the cellular data network in order to exchange data with other systems
across the
WAN 28. It should be appreciated that the WAN 28 may also represent a
connection to
any number of networks (e.g., the Internet) to facilitate communication
between the
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access point 26 and other systems. In other embodiments, the WAN 28 may be a
private
WAN, such as a WAN that is operated and controlled by the utility operation
center 14
(e.g., specifically for the exchange of utility data).
[0022] The access point 26 illustrated in FIG. 1 is communicatively coupled
to an
AMI system 30 disposed at the utility operation center 14 via the WAN 28. More
specifically, the access point 26 and the AMI system 30 may exchange
information (e.g.,
packets of data) with one another via the gateway 32 and the WAN 28.
Accordingly, in
certain embodiments, the access point 26 may have Internet access via a
connection to the
WAN 28 (e.g., a cellular data WAN 28) and the gateway 32 may also have a wired
or
wireless Internet connection. Accordingly, the access point 26 may route
information
over the Internet (or over a private network) to the gateway 32, such that the
information
may be received by the AMI system 30. It should be appreciated that, in
certain
embodiments, the access point 26 and the gateway 32 or the AMI system 30 may
exchange suitable security credentials (e.g., security certificates or keys)
to verify their
respective identities and, in some embodiments, to establish an encrypted
communication
channel between the devices for enhanced security.
[0023] For example, one function of the power distribution network 10
illustrated in
FIG. 1 is remote meter reading. That is, the "smart" utility meters 12 of the
power
distribution network 10 are capable of determining, storing, and communicating
an
amount of power consumed at each customer location 20 in the power
distribution
network 10. To provide this information to the AMI system 30, the illustrated
meters 12
may first relay information (e.g., one or more data packets) to the access
point 26, which
may, in turn, route the information through the WAN 28 (e.g., the Internet)
and the
gateway 32 to reach the AMI system 30. In certain embodiments, the meters 12
may
relay monitoring information to the AMI system 30 periodically or based on a
request
received from the AMI system 30 (e.g., via the gateway 32, WAN 28, and access
point
26, respectively). It should be appreciated that, in certain embodiments, the
meters 12 and
the gateway 32 or the AMI system 30 may exchange suitable security credentials
(e.g.,
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security certificates or keys) to ensure their respective identities and, in
some
embodiments, to establish an encrypted communication channel between the
devices for
enhanced security.
[0024] As such, when a new meter 12 is added to the power distribution
network 10,
the new meter 12 is first physically installed (e.g., physically disposed
between the
transmission line 24 and the customer location 20 by an installer) and
subsequently
activated. "Activation" of a meter 12, as used herein, may generally refer to
establishing
a communication link (e.g., channel or route) between the meter 12 and the AMI
system
30. As such, after physically installing a new meter 12, an installer may
begin an
activation process to communicatively couple the meter 12 and AM! system 30.
[0025] However, it may be desirable to prevent (e.g., deter, mitigate, or
otherwise
lessen) unauthorized access to the meters 12. That is, since there may be
financial
motivation to alter the behavior and/or contents of the meter 12 (e.g., to
alter an amount
of power consumed at a particular customer location 20), it may be desirable
to have the
meters 12 communicate with the access point 26 using an uncommon or
proprietary
protocol and/or hardware. Accordingly, in order to communicate with the meters
12, in
certain embodiments, the access point 26 may be equipped with a complementary
network interface device to communicate using the uncommon or proprietary
protocol
and/or hardware. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the access point 26 and
the
meters 12 may communicate using an encrypted communication channel, and may
further utilize an exchange of security credentials (e.g., security
certificates or keys
installed on the access point 26 and the meters 12 upon manufacturing or
installation) to
verify the identities of both the access point 26 and the meters 12.
[0026] Furthermore, in order to further enhance security, in certain
embodiments, the
power distribution network 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 may enforce a policy to
not allow any
device to communicate directly with the meter 12 except for the access point
26. As
such, in certain embodiments, an installer installing a new meter 12 in the
power
distribution network 10 may not carry or use a device that directly
communicates with the
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new meter 12. Instead, as set forth in detail below, present embodiments
enable an
installer to use a mobile device 34 (e.g., communicatively coupled to the AMI
system 30
via the WAN 28) to activate a new meter 12 without directly communicating with
the
new meter 12. By avoiding the use of a device configured to directly interface
with the
meters 12 in the field, present embodiments reduce the possibility for
unauthorized meter
access in the power distribution network 10. Furthermore, in certain
embodiments, the
meters 12, the access point 26, or both, may be configured to detect
unauthorized access
(e.g., an attempt to modify the contents of the memory of the meter 12) or
unauthorized
communication, may notify the server 30 of the unauthorized access or
unauthorized
communication.
100271 FIG. 2 illustrates certain internal components of an embodiment of
the power
distribution network 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. In particular, FIG. 2
illustrates certain
internal components of the meter 12, the access point 26, the AMI system 30,
and the
mobile device 34, for an embodiment of the power distribution network 10.
These
illustrated components enable an installer to activate sensors (e.g., "smart"
meters 12)
within the power distribution network 10 in an efficient and secure manner. As
set forth
above, the meter 12, the access point 26, the AMI system 30, and the mobile
device 34
may cooperate with one another in order to activate a new meter 12 in the
power
distribution network 10.
[00281 The new meter 12 illustrated in FIG. 2 is a "smart" meter, which
includes a
memory 50 (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or other
suitable memory) and a processor 52 (e.g., any suitable microprocessor)
capable of
respectively storing and executing instructions. The meter 12 may also include
nonvolatile (NV) storage 54 (e.g., a hard drive, solid-state disk (SSD), flash
drive, or
other suitable nonvolatile storage) that may, for example, store values
measured and/or
determined by the meter 12. For example, the meter 12 may execute instructions
using
the processor 52 to determine an amount of power consumed at a particular
customer
location 20, and may store this value in NV storage 54 for later use.
Additionally, in
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certain embodiments, the meter 12 may include a display 56 that may be used
(e.g., by
the processor 52) to display information to the installer and/or customer.
Furthermore,
the illustrated meter 12 includes a network interface 58 that enables
communication with
at least one access point 26. As set forth above, in certain embodiments, the
network
interface device 58 may be an uncommon or proprietary network interface
device, in
addition or in alterative to various encryption and identity verification
techniques (e.g.,
certificate exchanges), to make unauthorized network access of the meter 12
more
difficult.
100291 The access point 26 illustrated in FIG. 2 also includes memory 68
(e.g.,
random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or other suitable memory),
processor 70 (e.g., any suitable microprocessor), and nonvolatile (NV) storage
72 (e.g., a
hard drive, solid-state disk (SSD), flash drive, or other suitable nonvolatile
storage). As
such, the access point 26 is generally capable of storing and executing
instructions.
Additionally, the access point 26 includes one or more internal network
interfaces 60 for
interfacing with one or more meters 12. In certain embodiments, each internal
network
interface 60 may communicatively couple to a single meter 12, while, in other
embodiments, each internal network interface 60 may communicatively couple
with
multiple meters 12. As mentioned above, in certain embodiments, communication
62
between the meter 12 and the access point 26 may occur wirelessly or via a
wired
connection (e.g., using a power line communication technique). Furthermore,
the access
point 26 includes one or more external network interfaces 64 that are capable
of coupling
the access point 26 to the AMI system 30. As set forth above, communication 66
between the access point 26 and the AMI system 30 may occur wirelessly and/or
via a
wired connection in the WAN 28. In certain embodiments, the access point 26
may be
equipped with multiple or redundant external network interfaces 64 (e.g., a
primary
wireless network interface to a cellular data WAN 28 and a secondary wired
Internet
connection) for use in load balancing and/or failover situations.
,
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[0030] The AMI system 30 illustrated in FIG. 2 also includes memory 74
(e.g.,
random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or other suitable memory),
processor 76 (e.g., any suitable microprocessor), and nonvolatile (NV) storage
78 (e.g., a
hard drive, solid-state disk (S SD), flash drive, or other suitable
nonvolatile storage) for
use in storing and executing instructions to control the power distribution
network 10.
The illustrated AMI system 30 also includes input devices 80 (e.g., mice,
keyboards,
touchpad, touchscreens, microphones, and/or other suitable input devices) and
output
devices 82 (e.g., monitors, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), touchscreens,
speakers,
printers, and/or other suitable output devices) to facilitate user interaction
with the AMI
system 30. Furthermore, the illustrated AMI system 30 includes at least one
network
interface 84 capable of facilitating communication between the AMI system 30
and the
access point 26, as well as between the AMI system 30 and the mobile device
34.
Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the network interface 84 of the AMI
system 30
may be coupled to a gateway (e.g., gateway 32 illustrated in FIG. 1), which,
in turn, is
coupled to a WAN (e.g., the Internet).
[0031] The mobile device 34 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be a laptop, tablet,
handheld
electronic device, cell phone, or other suitable mobile electronic device 34
capable of
communicating with the AMI system 30. The illustrated mobile device 34
includes
memory 86 (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or other
suitable memory), processor 88 (e.g., any suitable microprocessor), and
nonvolatile (NV)
storage 90 (e.g., a hard drive, solid-state disk (SSD), flash drive, or other
suitable
nonvolatile storage) for use in storing and executing instructions.
Additionally, the
illustrated mobile device 34 includes input devices 92 (e.g., mice, keyboards,
touchpad,
touchscreens, microphones, and/or other suitable input devices) and output
devices 94
(e.g., monitors, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), touchscreens, speakers,
printers, and/or
other suitable output devices) to facilitate installer interaction with the
mobile device 34.
Furthermore, the illustrated mobile device 34 includes at least one network
interface 96
capable of communication 98 with the AMI system 30. For example, in certain
embodiments, the network interface 96 of the mobile device 34 may be a
wireless
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network interface (e.g., 802.x, CDMA, or other suitable wireless network
interface) or a
wired network interface (e.g., Ethernet or other suitable wired network
interface) that
provides the mobile device 34 with a network connection (e.g., an Internet
connection)
for communication 98 to the AMI system 30.
[0032] With the foregoing in mind, FIGS. 3-7 illustrate embodiments of
processes that
may be executed by the various components of the power distribution network 10
(illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2) when activating a new meter 12 in the power
distribution
network 10. In particular, FIG. 3 illustrates a process that may be executed
by the meter
12 (e.g., processor 52 of the meter 12), FIG. 4 illustrates a process that may
be executed
by the access point 26 (e.g., processor 70 of the access point 26), FIGS. 5
and 6 illustrates
processes that may be executed by the mobile device 34 (e.g., processor 88 of
mobile
device 34), and FIG. 7 illustrates a process that may be executed by the AMI
system 30
(e.g., processor 76 of the AMI system 30). It should be appreciated that
certain steps
illustrated in FIGS. 3-7 may, in certain embodiments, be executed concurrently
and/or in
other orders.
[0033] For example, FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a process 110, from
the
perspective of a new meter 12, whereby the new meter 12 may be activated. That
is, the
process 110 may be executed by the processor 52 of the new meter 12 during
activation.
The illustrated process 110 begins with the new meter 12 attempting (block
112) to locate
a number of access points 26. For example, the meter 12 may scan particular
channels
and/or broadcast on particular channels (e.g., wired or wireless) to locate
one or more
nearby access points 26 in the power distribution network 10. Subsequently,
the meter 12
may bind (block 114) to at least one access point 26, in which the access
point 26 is
communicatively coupled to the AMI system 30 (e.g., via the WAN 28 and/or
gateway
32 illustrated in FIG. 1). Once bound to (e.g., associated with or connected
to) the access
point 26, the meter 12 may be communicatively coupled to the access point 26.
At some
point after binding to the access point 26, the meter 12 may receive (block
116) data from
the AMI system 30 to confirm activation of the meter 12. Then, having been
activated,
12
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the meter 12 may send (block 118) monitoring data to the AMI system 30
periodically
and/or by request of the AMI system 30.
100341 FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a process 130, from the
perspective of the
access point 26, whereby the new meter 12 may be activated. That is, the
process 130
may be executed by the processor 70 of the access point 26 during activation
of the new
meter 12. The illustrated process 130 begins with the access point 26
receiving (block
132) a request from a meter to bind to (e.g., communicatively couple to and/or
establish a
connection with) the access point 26. For example, the access point 26 may
detect the
new meter 12 scanning and/or broadcasting on a particular wired or wireless
channel.
Subsequently, the access point 26 may bind (block 134) to the new meter 12.
After
binding to the new meter 12, the access point 26 may notify (block 136) the
AMI system
that the meter 12 has been bound to the access point 26. That is, the access
point 26 may
use communication 68 illustrated in FIG. 2 (e.g., including WAN 28 and/or
gateway 32
illustrated in FIG. 1) to send information (e.g., one or more data packets) to
the AMI
system 30, such that the AMI system 30 may record the connection between the
meter 12
and the access point 26. After notifying the AMI system 30, the access point
26 may
proceed to route (block 138) communication between the activated meter 12 and
the AMI
system 30.
[00351 FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a process 150, from the
perspective of the
mobile device 34, whereby a new meter 12 may be activated in the power
distribution
network 10. That is, the process 150 may be executed by the processor 88 of
the mobile
device 34 during activation of the new meter 12. The illustrated process 150
begins with
the mobile device 34 receiving (block 152) input from an installer regarding
an
installation of a new meter at a customer location 20. For example, the memory
86 and
processor 88 of the mobile device 34 may respectively store and execute a user
interface
that the installer may use (e.g., via input devices 92 and output devices 94)
to enter
information about the installation of the new meter 12. By specific example,
the user
interface may allow the installer to enter information such as the physical
location of the
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new meter 12, an identification number for the new meter 12, model information
for the
new meter 12, rating information for the new meter 12, time and date of new
meter
installation, and/or other suitable information regarding the new meter 12.
100361 Continuing through the illustrated process 150, after receiving
input from the
installer (e.g., via a user interface), the mobile device 34 may instruct
(block 154) the
AMI system 30, via network connection 98, to activate the new meter 12. As set
forth
above, in certain embodiments, the instructions from the mobile device 34 may
traverse
the public or private WAN 28 illustrated in FIG. 1 to reach the AMI system 30.
At some
point after instructing the AMI system 30 to activate the meter 12, the mobile
device 34
may receive (block 156), from the AMI system 30, confirmation that the meter
12 has
been added to a queue (e.g., a list or other suitable data structure) of
meters to be
activated. For example, the mobile device 34 may receive information (e.g.,
one or more
data packets) from the AMI system 30 denoting a time at which the new meter 12
was
added to the queue. Then, the mobile device 34 may notify (block 158) the
installer that
the meter 12 has been added to the queue of meters to be activated.
Subsequently, the
mobile device 34 may receive (block 160), from the AMI system 30, confirmation
that
the meter has been activated. Accordingly, the mobile device 34 may notify
(block 162)
the installer that the meter 12 has been activated. In other embodiments,
rather than
receiving confirmation of the meter's successful activation (e.g., in block
160), the
mobile device 34 may instead receive a notification if the meter 12 was not
successfully
activated (e.g., a failure notification), and the mobile device 34 may
subsequently notify
the installer that the meter 12 was not successfully activated.
100371 In certain embodiments, the mobile device 34 may receive more
information
from the AMI system 30 regarding the queue of meters 12 to be activated. That
is, in
certain embodiments, the steps 156, 158, 160, and 162 of the process 150
illustrated in
FIG. 5 may be substituted by the process 170 illustrated in FIG. 6.
Accordingly, after
instructing the AMI system 30 to activate the meter 12 (e.g., in block 154 of
the process
150) the mobile device 34 may receive (block 172), from the AMI system 30, the
queue
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of meters to be activated by the AMI system 30. For example, in certain
embodiments,
the mobile device 34 may receive a queue that includes all meters awaiting
activation by
the AMI system 30. Subsequently, the mobile device 34 may present (block 174),
to the
installer, at least a portion of the received queue of meters 12 to be
activated by the AMI
system 30. In certain embodiments, the mobile device 34 may present to the
installer a
subset of the queue of new meters 12 awaiting activation by the AMI system 30
(e.g.,
only meters 12 queued by the installer, only meters 12 queued within a
particular time
frame, only meters 12 that have been successfully activated, only meters 12
that have
failed to successfully activate, and so forth). Furthermore, in certain
embodiments, the
steps 172 and 174 of the process 170 may periodically repeat (e.g., every few
minutes,
every few hours, every few days, or with other suitable frequency) such that
the installer
may be able to determine the activation status of the new meter 12.
[0038] FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a process 180, from the
perspective of the
AMI system 30, whereby a new meter 12 may be activated. That is, the process
180 may
be executed by the processor 76 of the AMI system 30 during activation of the
new meter
12. The illustrated process 180 begins with the AMI system 30 receiving (block
182)
instructions, from the mobile device 34, to activate the new meter 12 (e.g.,
via
communication 98). In certain embodiments, the AMI system 30 may verify one or
more
security credentials (e.g., username/password, certificate, or other suitable
credential) of
the mobile device 34 and/or the installer before proceeding. Subsequently, the
AMI
system 30 may add (block 184) the meter 12 to the queue of meters to be
activated (e.g.,
stored in the memory 74 and/or NV storage 78 of the AMI system 30). At some
point,
the AMI system 30 may receive (block 186) notification from the access point
26 that the
meter 12 has been bound to the access point 26. It should be appreciated that,
in certain
embodiments, block 186 may occur before blocks 184 and/or 182.
[0039] Continuing through the process 180 illustrated in FIG. 7, after
adding the meter
12 to the queue and receiving notification from the access point 26 that the
meter 12 has
been bound, the AMI system 30 may establish (block 188) communication with the
meter
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12 (e.g., activate the meter 12). As mentioned above, communication between
the AMI
system 30 and the meter 12 may traverse the public or private WAN 28 and/or
gateway
32. After establishing communication with the meter 12, the AMI system 30 may
update
(block 190) the queue of meters to be activated. Further, in certain
embodiments, the
AMI system 30 may notify (block 192) the mobile device 34 that the meter 12
has been
activated. In certain embodiments, the AMI system 30 may provide to the mobile
device
34 information (e.g., time of activation, any errors or warnings encountered,
or other
suitable information) related to the activation of the meter 12. In other
embodiments,
rather than providing confirmation of the meter's successful activation (e.g.,
in block
192), the AMI system 30 may instead provide a notification if the meter 12 was
not
successfully activated (e.g., communication with the meter 12 was not
established in
block 188).
[0040] Technical effects of the present approach include enabling an
installer to
efficiently and securely activate sensors, such as "smart" utility meters 12,
within a utility
network (e.g., a power, water, gas or similar utility network). That is,
present
embodiments improve the efficiency of sensor installation by enabling an
installer to
notify the centralized system (e.g., the AMI system) of the physical
installation of a new
sensor (e.g., a new meter 12) from a mobile device and allowing the installer
to proceed
to the next physical installation without waiting for communication to be
established.
Furthermore, present embodiments enable the activation of sensors (e.g.,
meters 12) in
the network (e.g., power distribution network 10) without requiring the
installer to
directly communicate with the sensor, reducing the potential for unauthorized
access of
the sensors.
[0041] While there have been described herein what are considered to be
preferred
and exemplary embodiments of the present invention, other modifications of
these
embodiments falling within the scope of the invention described herein shall
be apparent
to those skilled in the art.
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