Telemetry

Details Telemetry Telemetry

1996-09-24

1998-12-22

Horabik, Michael

Communications: electrical

Continuously variable indicating

With meter reading

34087003, 34087011, 34082547, 455 383, G08B 2300

Patent

active

058524096

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to telemetry systems of the type which provide two-way communication between a central data collection unit and one or more remote data gathering units. Such systems may find application in remote utility metering.
Existing remote metering systems are typically of two types. The first type is non-interactive in that the central data collection unit acts as a repository for the data transmitted to it from time to time by the remote data gathering units, but has no control over the timing of the transmission of such data. Each remote unit may power up, say, once every day to transmit its data to the central data collection unit and subsequently power down to a quiescent state. If the remote units are battery-powered, this results in battery life being prolonged because the remote units are only transmitting for a fraction of their working life. However, the inflexibility of one-way transmission and fixed timing makes it impossible, if the system is used for utility monitoring, to monitor peaks and troughs in demand effectively. A system of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,224 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,976.
The second existing type of metering system is an interactive system in which the central data collection unit polls the remote data gathering units from time to time. In this way, the timing of data transmission from the remote units to the central data collection unit is under the control of the central data collection unit's operator or programmer and hence flexible. Nevertheless, there is a drawback and this is that the remote units must at all time be powered up to receive interrogating signals from the central data collection unit. Flexibility is gained at the expense of efficiency of power consumption at the remote units. If the remote units are battery-powered, this will markedly curtail the battery life. Systems of this type are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,011 and GB-2238147-A.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an interactive remote metering system in which the remote data gathering units are powered up only when data transmission is required and in which the timing of data transmission is under the control of the central data collection unit's operator or programmer. Accordingly, the present invention provides a data gathering system comprising one or more remote data gathering units and a central data collection unit, in which each remote data gathering unit and the central data collection unit includes a transceiver for the communication of information between the remote data gathering units and the central data collection unit, the central data collection unit comprises means for transmitting via its transceiver a signal including power down time information, each remote data gathering unit comprises means for extracting the power down time information from the signal received via its transceiver and means for subsequently interrupting the power supply to its transceiver for a period of time dependent upon the power down time information, and the central data collection unit further comprises means for delaying for a period of time dependent upon the power down time information before transmitting a further signal via its transceiver, at which time the power supply to the transceiver of each remote data gathering unit has already been resumed.
When the central data collection unit is interrogating the remote unit or units, part of the interrogating signal includes information as to the length of time which will expire before the next interrogating signal is transmitted. This may, for example, be four hours, or it may be ten minutes; it is entirely under the control of the operator or programmer of the central data collection unit. Each remote unit, after receiving the signal will transmit its data, if instructed to do so, and then powers down to a quiescent state for the period of time for which it has been so instructed.
The central data collection unit delays for a similar period of time before transmitting its next interrogating sig

REFERENCES:
patent: 4839645 (1989-06-01), Lill
patent: 5481259 (1996-01-01), Bane

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