Abstract: A power meter for measuring power consumption and detecting the presence of an unsafe line condition is disclosed. The power meter has a service disconnect switch, which is interposed between load contacts and source contacts, the disconnect switch interrupts the flow of power from the source contacts to the load contacts when the disconnect switch is in an open position. The power meter also has a processor coupled to a two input signal processing circuit. The two input signal processing circuit receives a first and second voltage signal from the load contacts. The two input signal processing circuit converts the first and second voltage signal into a first and second voltage value. The processor computes the power consumption using the first and second voltage values in combination with current values.

Abstract: A method of detecting the presence of an unsafe line condition at a power metering device is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of determining if a disconnect switch is in the open position, and measuring a first voltage at a first load contact. The method measures a second voltage at a second load contact and determines if the first voltage is greater than a first voltage threshold or less than a second voltage threshold. The method further determines if the second voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold or less than the second voltage threshold. The method indicates that an unsafe condition exists if either the first voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold, or first voltage is less than the second voltage threshold or the second voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold or the second voltage is less than the second voltage threshold, when the disconnect switch is in the open position.

Abstract: A power meter for measuring power consumption and detecting the presence of an unsafe line condition is disclosed. The power meter has a service disconnect switch, which is interposed between load contacts and source contacts, the disconnect switch interrupts the flow of power from the source contacts to the load contacts when the disconnect switch is in an open position. The power meter also has a processor coupled to a two input signal processing circuit. The two input signal processing circuit receives a first and second voltage signal from the load contacts. The two input signal processing circuit converts the first and second voltage signal into a first and second voltage value. The processor computes the power consumption using the first and second voltage values in combination with current values.

Abstract: A load control unit is provided for a meter which can be connected to a meter communication network. The load control unit includes a dual coil solenoid switch that is operable to connect the meter to a load, and disconnect the meter from the load. An electronic switching circuit is provided that reduces or eliminates undesirable braking in the solenoid switch.

Abstract: Techniques for power outage management and power support restoration for devices in a wireless network are disclosed herein. Such a wireless network may include a number of bi-directional nodes in bi-directional wireless communication with one or more central nodes. Each bi-directional node may have a wireless communication path to one of the central nodes that is either a direct path or an indirect path through one or more intermediate bi-directional nodes serving as relays. Each bi-directional node may be configured to detect when it has become stranded such that it can no longer communicate with its assigned central node via its assigned communication path, to determine a reason for its stranding, and to transmit a stranding notification and the reason therefore.

Abstract: A power meter for measuring power consumption and detecting the presence of an unsafe line condition is disclosed. The power meter has a service disconnect switch, which is interposed between load contacts and source contacts, the disconnect switch interrupts the flow of power from the source contacts to the load contacts when the disconnect switch is in an open position. The power meter also has a processor coupled to a two input signal processing circuit. The two input signal processing circuit receives a first and second voltage signal from the load contacts. The two input signal processing circuit converts the first and second voltage signal into a first and second voltage value. The processor computes the power consumption using the first and second voltage values in combination with current values.

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 load control system that communicates with existing automated meter reading communications systems to interrupt and shed loads at a customer location. The system includes a master controller that listens to communications between a utility meter and the reading system. The controller receives tier and/or pricing information and will instruct a load control unit to interrupt certain loads based on the information. In addition, the system may be employed as a load shedding system where a command may be forwarded to the master controller to disconnect loads based on action levels. The command may be sent via a TCP/IP communications system to a node in the reading system and the forwarded via a radio network to the master controller to reduce latency. Predictive shedding may be performed based on forecast loads.

Abstract: A system, device, and method for quantifying fuel flow from a substantially stationary consumer container is contemplated. The system includes a flow sensor, a communications medium, and a receiver. Both the flow sensor and the receiver are in communication with the communications medium. The system may include a display, a computing device in communication with the receiver and an environmental sensor in communication with the communications medium. The communications medium may be wireless.

Abstract: An electronic meter for measuring electricity consumption is provided that includes extra functionality without significantly increasing cost or complexity of the meter. The meter includes a capacitor for storing energy during normal operation of the meter. The output voltage of the capacitor is used as the input to an auxiliary power supply that is used to power the meter during a power outage. The auxiliary power supply may provide sufficient power to enable the meter to transmit a power outage signal to alert a utility of the power outage. Service disconnect circuitry is also included within the meter to disconnect or reconnect service to the load when desired. The energy stored on the capacitor can be used to energize a relay within the service disconnect circuitry to open or re-close the line to the load. Thus, the single capacitor is used to provide power to two different meter functions.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a linear power supply and an auxiliary power supply powered from the linear power supply. The auxiliary power supply comprises a switching regulator connected to receive, at an input thereof, the output voltage of the linear power supply and to generate therefrom an output voltage of the auxiliary power supply. The auxiliary power supply further comprises a detection circuit, connected to the linear power supply and to the switching regulator, that detects one of (i) a level of current drawn from the linear power supply and (ii) a level of voltage at an output of the linear power supply and that causes the switching regulator to reduce its load on the linear power supply when the detected level reaches a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A method of detecting the presence of an unsafe line condition at a power metering device is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of determining if a disconnect switch is in the open position, and measuring a first voltage at a first load contact. The method measures a second voltage at a second load contact and determines if the first voltage is greater than a first voltage threshold or less than a second voltage threshold. The method further determines if the second voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold or less than the second voltage threshold. The method indicates that an unsafe condition exists if either the first voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold, or first voltage is less than the second voltage threshold or the second voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold or the second voltage is less than the second voltage threshold, when the disconnect switch is in the open position.

Abstract: A display system that communicates with existing automated meter reading communications systems to provide information to a user. The display includes a radio that listens to communications between a utility meter and the reading system. When the display recognizes a particular utility meter identifier, it captures meter read information and stores it in memory. The information may then be presented to the user. Alternatively, a broadcast message may be communicated, that when received by the display, causes the display to extract information from the receiver. A manual override button may be provided to allow a user to manually request information from the meter. The display will extract information from the meter upon receipt of the manual request.

Abstract: A meter data collection system in which endpoint meters are reconfigurable to operate in either a mobile mode or a fixed network mode is disclosed herein. While operating in the mobile mode, the endpoint meters transmit their meter data to a mobile device such as a “walk by” or “drive by” data collection device. While operating in the fixed network mode, the endpoint meters communicate with each other and with a central node to form a fixed wireless network. The endpoint meters may include a transceiver that enables the endpoint meters to transmit and receive data to and from the mobile device or other nodes in the fixed wireless network. The endpoint meters can be quickly and easily transitioned from operation in the mobile mode to operation in the fixed network mode (or vice versa) without changes to the endpoint meter hardware and without substantial re-configuration of the endpoint meters.

Abstract: A method of detecting the presence of an unsafe line condition at a power metering device is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of determining if a disconnect switch is in the open position, and measuring a first voltage at a first load contact. The method measures a second voltage at a second load contact and determines if the first voltage is greater than a first voltage threshold or less than a second voltage threshold. The method further determines if the second voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold or less than the second voltage threshold. The method indicates that an unsafe condition exists if either the first voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold, or first voltage is less than the second voltage threshold or the second voltage is greater than the first voltage threshold or the second voltage is less than the second voltage threshold, when the disconnect switch is in the open position.

Abstract: The invention contemplates an electrical power meter and method of operating the electrical power meter. The inventive power meter includes a power supply for converting alternating current (AC) voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage for powering the electronic components, and an optical diode in series with the power supply. The meter may also include an optical communications port in communication with the optical diode and/or a switch (e.g., a transistor) in communication with the optical diode. The switch may be in parallel with the optical diode, and allow DC current to bypass the optical diode when a request for communication is received by the meter. The DC current provided to the optical diode represents communication of data with an optical communications port. The switch may be controlled by a microprocessor device.

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: An apparatus comprises a linear power supply and an auxiliary power supply powered from the linear power supply. The auxiliary power supply comprises a switching regulator connected to receive, at an input thereof, the output voltage of the linear power supply and to generate therefrom an output voltage of the auxiliary power supply. The auxiliary power supply further comprises a detection circuit, connected to the linear power supply and to the switching regulator, that detects one of (i) a level of current drawn from the linear power supply and (ii) a level of voltage at an output of the linear power supply and that causes the switching regulator to reduce its load on the linear power supply when the detected level reaches a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Disclosed is an invention relating to a power supply for use in an apparatus for measuring electrical energy, comprising, in one embodiment, a first switching device, a device for storing electrical charge in electrical connection with the first switching device, a second switching device in electrical connection with the device for storing electrical charge, a first device for controlling the flow of current in electrical connection with the second switching device, and a third switching device in electrical connection with the first device for controlling the flow of current, wherein the first device for controlling the flow of current enables an input voltage to be applied to the second switching device when the input voltage is below a predetermined amount, and enables the input voltage to be applied to the second and third switching devices when the input voltage is above the predetermined amount.

Abstract: The invention contemplates an electrical power meter and method of operating the electrical power meter. The inventive power meter includes a power supply for converting alternating current (AC) voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage for powering the electronic components, and an optical diode in series with the power supply. The meter may also include an optical communications port in communication with the optical diode and/or a switch (e.g., a transistor) in communication with the optical diode. The switch may be in parallel with the optical diode, and allow DC current to bypass the optical diode when a request for communication is received by the meter. The DC current provided to the optical diode represents communication of data with an optical communications port. The switch may be controlled by a microprocessor device.