Method for collecting data, sensor and supply network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11245969-B2
Application number	US-201916715063-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2019
Priority date	Dec 14, 2018
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A method for collecting data of a consumption, a physical or physico-chemical parameter and/or an operating state in a supply network for consumables. A measuring element of a local sensor provides elementary measuring units, which correspond to at least one physical or physico-chemical variable or at least one physical or physico-chemical parameter, as raw measurement data. In order to determine the measurement resolution of the sensor, the conditions for generating time stamps are determined in advance using a correlation model, time stamps of successive raw measurement data are generated in the sensor on the basis of the correlation model, and the time stamps are transmitted via a wired connection and/or via a radio path. The raw measurement data are reconstructed and evaluated based on the time stamps with the correlation model. The conditions for generating time stamps can be changed dynamically within the framework of the correlation model.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for collecting data during operation of a local sensor in a supply network for distributing a consumable, the method comprising:
providing the sensor with a measuring element, with radio communication capability and a memory;
providing elementary measuring units with the measuring element of the sensor, the elementary measuring units corresponding to at least one physical or physico-chemical variable or at least one physical or physico-chemical parameter, and forming raw measurement data;
in order to determine a measurement resolution of the sensor, determining conditions for generating time stamps in advance using a correlation model;
generating time stamps of successive raw measurement data in the sensor based on the correlation model;
transmitting the time stamps via a wired connection and/or a radio connection, whereupon the raw measurement data acquired by the measuring element are reconstructed and evaluated based on the time stamps using the correlation model; and
dynamically and temporally changing conditions for generating time stamps within a framework of the correlation model by a data collector and/or a head end, the data collector and/or the head-end system stipulating or dynamically changing the conditions for generating the time stamps and transmitting the conditions to the sensor; and
carrying out a new data transmission by transmitting a message or a telegram as soon as the following condition is met: reaching a predefined quantity of the time stamps since a previous transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:
connecting the local sensor to the data collector via a primary communication path;
providing a tertiary communication path between the data collector and a head end; and
collecting, storing and/or evaluating the time stamps transmitted by the sensor or a plurality of sensors in the data collector and/or in the head end.

3. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises:
determining a particular value, a particular value change or a particular value difference of the at least one physical or physico-chemical variable or the at least one physical or physico-chemical parameter within a scope of the correlation model for the assignment of a time stamp; and
when the particular value, the particular value change or the particular value difference is captured by the measuring element, triggering a time stamp and storing the time stamp in the memory of the sensor.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises a gradually or incrementally increasing meter reading and/or a value table is/are represented by means of time stamps within the scope of the correlation model.

5. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises providing the time stamps with a sign.

6. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises transmitting each of a plurality of time stamps as a data packet along the primary communication path.

7. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises generating a raw measurement data stream on a basis of the time stamps arriving at the data collector and/or at the head end using the correlation model.

8. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises providing a scaling factor for stipulating the conditions for generating time stamps.

9. The method according to claim 8 , which comprises transmitting the scaling factor from the data collector and/or from the head end to the sensor.

10. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises stipulating conditions for generating time stamps based on requirements of an application which uses the reconstructed raw measurement data.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the requirements of the application are temporally variable.

12. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises dynamically stipulating conditions for generating time stamps individually for individual sensors of a plurality of sensors.

13. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises evaluating the raw measurement data stream, in a further course of the data processing, on a time-historical basis without a time gap irrespective of the measurement resolution of the sensor.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the elementary measuring units are an electrical voltage or a current intensity.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measured physical variable relates to a supply medium selected from the group consisting of water, electricity, fuel, and gas, of a supply network.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the measured physical or chemico-physical parameters is characteristic of a quantity, a quality and/or a composition of a fluid which flows through the sensor or with which contact is made by the sensor.

17. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises generating a time stamp with the elementary measuring unit as soon as the elementary measuring unit receives a pulse.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the raw measurement data stream has a temporal resolution which is determined or conditioned by the sensor sampling rate or measuring element sampling rate or a multiple thereof.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the raw measurement data stream is continuous and/or complete taking a continuous temporal resolution as a basis.

20. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises packaging the time stamps by formatting them in data packets of a predetermined fixed size, wherein, each time the accumulated data reach the size of a data packet or the predefined interval of time has expired, a new transmission is initiated.

21. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises carrying out the data transmission with redundancy.

22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the redundancy in the transmission comprises repeatedly transmitting the same time stamps and/or repeatedly transmitting the same data packet in a plurality of successive transmission operations.

23. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises transmitting the time stamps in compressed form.

24. The method according to claim 23 , which comprises compressing the time stamps with loss-free compression.

25. The method according to claim 23 , which comprises compressing the time stamps in a compression with a predefined permissible loss level.

26. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises collecting data in connection with a consumption, a physical or physico-chemical parameter and/or an operating state, during operation of a plurality of local sensors for consumption meters as part of a supply network which includes a plurality of local sensors.

27. A method for collecting data during operation of a local sensor in a supply network for distributing a consumable, the method comprising:
providing the sensor with a measuring element, with radio communication capability and a memory;
providing elementary measuring units with the measuring element of the sensor, the elementary measuring units corresponding to at least one physical or physico-chemical variable or at least one physical or physico-chemical parameter, and forming raw measurement data;
in order to determine a measurement resolution of the sensor, determining conditions for generating time stamps in advance using a correlation model;
generating time stamps of successive raw measurement data in the sensor based on the correlation model;
transmitting the t

Assignees

• Diehl Metering Systems Gmbh
• Diehl Metering S A S

Inventors

• Schmitz Stefan
• Kauppert Thomas
• Joppich-Dohlus Petra
• Schmidt Achim
• Sosna Christoph
• Gottschalk Klaus
• Bach Guy
• Breton Aster

Classifications

• G01D21/00 Primary

  Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• G01D9/005

  Solid-state data loggers · CPC title

• H04Q9/02 Primary

  Automatically-operated arrangements · CPC title

• G07F15/00

  Coin-freed apparatus with meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity · CPC title

• G01D21/02

  Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass · CPC title