Method for distributing data, a communication system and a metering unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11206125-B2
Application number	US-201916720922-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2019
Priority date	Jul 20, 2017
Publication date	Dec 21, 2021
Grant date	Dec 21, 2021

Abstract

A method distributes data in a communication system which has a group of metering units arranged in each case to measure the consumption of a delivered supply medium, and a data collector. Each metering unit has a communication module, a frequency reference device, and a processor to operate the metering unit on the basis of the data. The metering units and the data collector are arranged in a communication network, wherein the data are transmitted by the data collector via the communication system within a session, common to the group of metering unit. A synchronization sequence common to the metering units is transmitted within the common session and the synchronization sequence is dimensioned in such a way that the frequency reference device of each metering unit in the group of metering units is synchronized with the transmitted synchronization sequence within a session.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for distributing data in a communication system having a group of metering units disposed in each case to measure a consumption of a delivered supply medium, and a data collector, wherein each metering unit having a communication module, a frequency reference device, and at least one processor to operate the metering unit, wherein the metering units and the data collector are disposed in a communication network, which comprises the steps of:
transmitting the data by the data collector at a transmit frequency via the communication system within a common session common to the group of metering units;
transmitting a synchronization sequence common to the metering units within the common session and the synchronization sequence is dimensioned and/or varied in such a way that the frequency reference device of each of the metering units in the group of metering units is synchronized with the synchronization sequence transmitted within the common session; and
receiving the data at the metering units, wherein a receive bandwidth of the metering units being in a narrowband range, wherein a ratio between the receive bandwidth of the metering unit and a frequency tolerance of the frequency reference device of said metering unit being less than 1.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data are update program data, consumption data, synchronization data, or time data.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the synchronization sequence is modified within the common session.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises transmitting the data and the synchronization sequence in data packets and a ratio between the data and the synchronization sequence is modified within the common session.

5. The method according to claim 4 , which further comprises assigning pilot synchronization sequences to the data packets and/or a series of data packets.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the data packets and/or the series of data packets are transmitted in alternation with interspersed said pilot synchronization sequences.

7. The method according to claim 4 , which further comprises transmitting the data packets or a series of the data packets in alternation with interspersed transmit pauses.

8. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises determining the transmit frequency of the data collector by the metering unit through frequency scanning and/or frequency estimation.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data are distributed in a broadcast or a multicast.

10. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises performing synchronization of the frequency reference device of each of the metering units by means of the synchronization sequence.

11. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises assigning time information to the synchronization sequence and the communication module can determine a second transmit time on the basis of the time information.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the second transmit time has a plurality of temporally successive transmit times n at which the data collector transmits data packets which are to be transmitted.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein on completion of synchronization, the metering unit generates a synchronization acknowledgement and transmits it to the data collector in order to acknowledge the synchronization of the frequency reference device to the data collector.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the synchronization sequence is dimensioned in such a way that it is at least three times as long as the synchronization sequence in unicast.

15. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises transmitting the synchronization sequence in one piece.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metering units have a data memory and received data packets or parts of the received data packets are stored in the data memory.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein once reception is completed, the metering units complete parts of the data packets and/or the data packets or combine them into the data.

18. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises:
generating an acknowledgement of receipt by the metering units on a basis of received data packets and communication of the acknowledgement of receipt by the communication module to the data collector;
performing by the data collector a data synchronization between the acknowledgement of receipt of the communication module and data packets to be transmitted; and
rearranging the data packets to be transmitted on a basis of data synchronization, so that only the data packets which have not yet been received by the communication modules are transmitted.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the data are additionally distributed on different frequencies in unicast.

20. The method according to claim 1 , wherein receive pauses are provided between the ready-to-receive times of the metering unit.

21. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises determining a transmission quality of frequencies within a specific frequency range via the data collector and the transmit frequency is defined on a basis of transmission qualities.

22. A method for distributing data in a communication system having a group of metering units disposed in each case to measure a consumption of a delivered supply medium, and a data collector, wherein each metering unit having a communication module, a frequency reference device, and at least one processor to operate the metering unit, wherein the metering units and the data collector are disposed in a communication network, which comprises the steps of:
transmitting the data by the data collector at a transmit frequency via the communication system within a common session common to the group of metering units; and
transmitting a synchronization sequence common to the metering units within the common session and the synchronization sequence is dimensioned and/or varied in such a way that the frequency reference device of each of the metering units in the group of metering units is synchronized with the synchronization sequence transmitted within the common session, wherein the metering unit adjusting a receive frequency at least three times for a reception of the synchronization sequence.

23. A method for distributing data in a communication system having a group of metering units disposed in each case to measure a consumption of a delivered supply medium, and a data collector, wherein each metering unit having a communication module, a frequency reference device, and at least one processor to operate the metering unit, wherein the metering units and the data collector are disposed in a communication network, which comprises the steps of:
transmitting the data by the data collector at a transmit frequency via the communication system within a common session common to the group of metering units;
transmitting a synchronization sequence common to the metering units within the common session and the synchronization sequence is dimensioned and/or varied in such a way that the frequency reference device of each of the metering units in the group of metering units is synchronized with the synchronization sequence transmitted within the common session; and
receiving the data at the metering units, wherein a receive bandwidth of the metering units is in a narrowband range, wherein the receiv

Assignees

• Diehl Metering Systems Gmbh

Inventors

• Petkov Hristo
• Lautenbacher Thomas
• Kauppert Thomas
• Gottschalk Klaus

Classifications

• H04L67/62

  Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L5/0048

  Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091) · CPC title

• H04L7/04 Primary

  Speed or phase control by synchronisation signals {(H04L7/0075 takes precedence)} · CPC title