Node communication with unknown network ID

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10768016-B2
Application number	US-201816149242-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2018
Priority date	Jan 23, 2018
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

A method includes listening, at a mobile collector, for beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each beacon comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information; receiving, by the mobile collector, the beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes; and determining, by the mobile collector, that the beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the beacon.

First claim

That which is claimed is:

1. A method comprising steps of:
listening, at a mobile collector, for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair;
receiving, by the mobile collector, an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes;
determining, by the mobile collector, that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;
sending a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node's hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon;
receiving, by the mobile collector, a response to the hail message from the targeted node; and
sending, by the mobile collector, a command message to the targeted node.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the command message comprises a request for additional data from the targeted node.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the command message comprises a command for the targeted node to perform an action.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the utility device ID includes a water meter register ID, wherein the AMR beacons include advanced meter reading IDs, and wherein a list of water meter register IDs is stored in the mobile collector for comparison to water meter register IDs received from the plurality of nodes in the advanced meter reading beacons.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the targeted node's hailing channel pair comprises two predefined alternating hailing channels.

6. A mobile collector, comprising:
a processor, and
logic processed by the processor to
listen for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair,
receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon,
send a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node's hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
receive a response to the hail message from the targeted node, and
send a command message to the targeted node.

7. The mobile collector of claim 6 , wherein the command message comprises a request for additional data from the targeted node.

8. The mobile collector of claim 6 , wherein the command message comprises a command for the targeted node to perform an action.

9. The mobile collector of claim 6 , wherein the utility device ID includes a water meter register ID, wherein the AMR beacons include AMR IDs, and wherein a list of water meter register IDs is stored in the mobile collector for comparison to water meter register IDs received from the plurality of nodes in the AMR beacons.

10. The mobile collector of claim 6 , wherein the targeted node's hailing channel pair comprises two predefined alternating hailing channels.

11. A modified advanced meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:
a mobile collector comprising
a mobile collector processor, and
logic processed by the mobile collector processor to
listen for a plurality of AMR beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair,
receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon; and

the targeted node, wherein the targeted node comprises
a node processor, and
logic processed by the node processor to
send the AMR beacon,
receive a hail message from the mobile collector on a communication channel in the targeted node's hailing channel pair beginning within a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
determine whether the hail message comprises the utility device ID, and
responsive to a determination that the hail message comprises the utility device ID, initiate temporary two-way communication by sending a response to the mobile collector.

12. A method comprising steps of:
listening, at a mobile collector, for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information;
receiving, by the mobile collector, an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes;
determining, by the mobile collector, that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;
sending a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the communication channel information, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon;
receiving, by the mobile collector, a response to the hail message from the targeted node; and
sending, by the mobile collector, a command message to the targeted node.

13. A mobile collector, comprising:
a processor, and
logic processed by the processor to
listen for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information,
receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon,
send a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the communication channel information, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
receive a response to the hail message from the targeted node, and
send a command message to the targeted node.

14. A modified advanced meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:
a mobile collector comprising
a mobile collector processor, and
logic processed by the mobile collector processor to
listen for a plurality of AMR beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information,
receive an AMR beacon from the targeted

Assignees

• Mueller Int Llc

Inventors

• Magley Dale Mcleod
• Meaney Jr Edward J
• Splitz David Edwin

Classifications

• H04Q9/00 Primary

  Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom · CPC title

• G01D2204/43

  Identification of a specific meter · CPC title

• H04Q2209/40

  using a wireless architecture · CPC title

• H04W76/14

  Direct-mode setup · CPC title

• H04Q2209/50

  using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by · CPC title