Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for a wide dynamic range current measurement with consumption event analysis are disclosed. According to an aspect, a method includes analyzing a plurality of a set of input data characteristics from a device under test. The method also includes totalizing the set of input data characteristics. The method also includes determining whether at least one of the plurality of the set of input data characteristics occurs above a quiescent level. Further, the method includes establishing an event in response to determining that at least one of the plurality of the set of input data characteristics occurs above the quiescent level. The method also includes creating a summary statistic based on the plurality of the set of input data characteristics. Further, the method includes storing the summary statistic and the event as a result.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for a wide dynamic range current measurement with consumption event analysis are disclosed. According to an aspect, a method includes analyzing a plurality of a set of input data characteristics from a device under test. The method also includes totalizing the set of input data characteristics. The method also includes determining whether at least one of the plurality of the set of input data characteristics occurs above a quiescent level. Further, the method includes establishing an event in response to determining that at least one of the plurality of the set of input data characteristics occurs above the quiescent level. The method also includes creating a summary statistic based on the plurality of the set of input data characteristics. Further, the method includes storing the summary statistic and the event as a result.

Abstract: Methods and systems regarding an electricity meter in a wireless network are disclosed. The network may comprise a collector and a plurality of electricity meters that measure consumption of electricity and that bi-directionally communicate wirelessly with the collector. The electricity meter may have an established association with at least one battery-powered meter that measures consumption of a commodity other than electricity. The electricity meter may receive information about measured consumption of the other commodity from the battery-powered meter and store the received information. The electricity meter may transmit both information about consumption of electricity measured by the electricity meter and the information about consumption of the other commodity received from the associated battery-powered meter to the collector via the wireless network and also to a remotely located display associated with the electricity meter.

Abstract: A metering device may be configured to communicate with other devices in an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. For example, a metering device may be configured to communicate with a collection device. To enable such communications, a collection device may send a wake-up-tone and/or a request message to a metering device. Based on the request message, a metering device may send data to the collection device. Metering communication networks may be mobile and/or fixed. For example, a mobile collection device may use a wireless signal to interrogate a metering device to retrieve data from the metering device.

Abstract: A metering device may be configured to communicate with other devices in an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. For example, a metering device may be configured to communicate with a collection device. To enable such communications, a collection device may send a wake-up-tone and/or a request message to a metering device. Based on the request message, a metering device may send data to the collection device. Metering communication networks may be mobile and/or fixed. For example, a mobile collection device may use a wireless signal to interrogate a metering device to retrieve data from the metering device.

Abstract: A metering device may be configured to communicate with other devices on a plurality of metering communication networks. To enable such communications across various networks, the metering communication device may use an active utility identifier corresponding to the metering network in which it is actively communicating. The active utility identifier may be changed to a valid utility identifier corresponding to another metering network and which may be associated with the metering communication device itself. The metering communication device may use the changed active utility identifier to communicate with other devices on the other metering network having the valid utility identifier. For example, the metering communication device may change the active utility identifier to enable communication a test network from a production network, a production network to a test network, or a first test network to a second test network.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed herein for providing wireless network communication nodes with opt-out capabilities. Such capabilities may, for example, allow particular customers to opt out of a typical full-scale communication mode such that their associated equipment operates at least temporarily in a limited communication mode. The limited communication mode may limit customer exposure to emissions resulting from RF communications near their homes or other areas, which may be attractive to customers such as those with health or other emission-related concerns.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for routing Internet Protocol (IP) messages over a network of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system that employs a different communications protocol.

Abstract: A method, wireless mesh network and processor-readable storage medium for providing interoperability between devices that are capable of communicating at different data rates are disclosed herein. A start-of-frame delimiter token value in a synchronization header is used to indicate a data rate at which a device is capable of communicating. In certain embodiments, samples are collected around a bit transition and are used to adjust a bit timing of a receiving device to match a bit timing of a transmitting device using a coarse adjustment process and, in some embodiments, a fine adjustment process. In this way, compatibility can be maintained between new devices that can communicate at a relatively fast data rate and legacy devices that communicate at a lower data rate.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed herein for providing wireless network communication nodes with opt-out capabilities. Such capabilities may, for example, allow particular customers to opt out of a typical full-scale communication mode such that their associated equipment operates at least temporarily in a limited communication mode. The limited communication mode may limit customer exposure to emissions resulting from RF communications near their homes or other areas, which may be attractive to customers such as those with health or other emission-related concerns.

Abstract: A wireless mesh network, method, and processor-readable storage medium for operating a network that has a control node that communicates with a plurality of communication nodes are disclosed. When the control node receives a broadcast message, the control node broadcasts a “clear” message that causes other communication nodes to clear their copies of the broadcast message from their message queues. By clearing redundant copies of the original broadcast message, the network can conserve bandwidth for other network traffic.

Abstract: Preferred embodiments of housings for an automatic meter reading device permit the automatic meter reading device to be mounted on a meter such as a water meter, or on a wall remote from the meter. A removable portion of the housing can be separated from a body of the housing when the housing is used to mount the automatic meter reading device on the meter.

Abstract: A wireless mesh network, method, and processor-readable storage medium for using stand-alone repeaters that are designated as having priority over other communication nodes with respect to their service as repeaters are disclosed herein. According to various embodiments, a control node or collector builds a wireless mesh network by first establishing communication paths with the designated priority communication nodes and then with communication nodes that are not designated priority communication nodes.

Abstract: A wireless mesh network, method, and processor-readable storage medium for operating a network that has a control node that communicates with a plurality of communication nodes, at least one of which comprises a battery-powered communication node, are disclosed. The battery-powered communication node is associated with an electric meter and is configured to maintain time- and frequency synchronization with an electric meter or with the network, to transmit a message, and to listen for a response to the message during a polling period after the message is transmitted.

Abstract: Techniques for over the air (OTA) microcontroller flash memory updates using a wireless network are disclosed herein. A control node first transmits the microcontroller flash memory update to all devices that can receive the message. Each packet of the message is relayed through multiple communication levels until all devices receive the packet. This starts with communications from the control node to each device node that has a direct communication path to the control node, which are referred to herein as “first level” device nodes. The first level device nodes then relay each communication to each other device node that has a direct communication path to the first level device nodes, which are referred to herein as “second level” device nodes. This process is repeated at each level of the wireless network until each of the plurality of device nodes has received the microcontroller flash memory update.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for routing Internet Protocol (IP) messages over a network of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system that employs a different communications protocol.

Abstract: A wireless mesh network, method, and processor-readable storage medium for using stand-alone repeaters that are designated as having priority over other communication nodes with respect to their service as repeaters are disclosed herein. According to various embodiments, a control node or collector builds a wireless mesh network by first establishing communication paths with the designated priority communication nodes and then with communication nodes that are not designated priority communication nodes.

Abstract: A metering device may be configured to communicate with other devices on a plurality of metering communication networks. To enable such communications across various networks, the metering communication device may use an active utility identifier corresponding to the metering network in which it is actively communicating. The active utility identifier may be changed to a valid utility identifier corresponding to another metering network and which may be associated with the metering communication device itself. The metering communication device may use the changed active utility identifier to communicate with other devices on the other metering network having the valid utility identifier. For example, the metering communication device may change the active utility identifier to enable communication a test network from a production network, a production network to a test network, or a first test network to a second test network.

Abstract: Techniques for optimization of redundancy and throughput in an automated meter data collection system using a wireless network are disclosed herein. The wireless network comprises a central node, a plurality of bi-directional nodes, and a plurality of transmit-only meters. Each of the bi-directional nodes is in bi-directional wireless communication with the central node and has a wireless communication path to the central node that is either a direct path or an indirect path through one or more intermediate bi-directional nodes serving as relay nodes. The transmit-only meters wirelessly transmit meter data that is then relayed by one or more bi-directional nodes to the central node. Each of the bi-directional nodes is assigned one or more authorized transmit-only meters, and each of the bi-directional nodes is configured to relay meter data only from its authorized transmit-only meters, thereby providing an optimum level of redundancy and throughput in the network.

Abstract: A method, wireless mesh network and processor-readable storage medium for providing interoperability between devices that are capable of communicating at different data rates are disclosed herein. A start-of-frame delimiter token value in a synchronization header is used to indicate a data rate at which a device is capable of communicating. In certain embodiments, samples are collected around a bit transition and are used to adjust a bit timing of a receiving device to match a bit timing of a transmitting device using a coarse adjustment process and, in some embodiments, a fine adjustment process. In this way, compatibility can be maintained between new devices that can communicate at a relatively fast data rate and legacy devices that communicate at a lower data rate.