High frequency data transceiver and surge protection retrofit for a smart meter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11726117-B2
Application number	US-202016863363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2020
Priority date	Apr 30, 2020
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

A high frequency data recorder (“HFDR”) can include a first set of contacts, on a first side of the HFDR, that are pluggable into a first meter receptacle of a meter box, wherein the first meter receptacle provides a connection to a power supply and a connection to a load. The HFDR also includes a second set of contacts, on a second side of the HFDR, that form a second meter receptacle. The second meter receptacle provides another connection to the power supply and another connection to the load. The HFDR can further include a processor that accesses a non-transitory machine readable memory that stores instruction that when executed cause the processor to passively measures current downstream from the meter box. The HFDR still further includes a wireless transceiver that wirelessly transmits data characterizing the measured current.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A high frequency data recorder (“HFDR”) comprising:
a first set of contacts, on a first side of the HFDR, that are pluggable into a first meter receptacle of a meter box, wherein the first meter receptacle provides a connection to a power supply and a connection to a load;
a second set of contacts, on a second side of the HFDR, that form a second meter receptacle and are configured to receive a meter that is pluggable into the first meter receptacle of the meter box, wherein the second meter receptacle provides another connection to the power supply and another connection to the load;
a processor that accesses a non-transitory machine readable memory that stores instruction that when executed cause the processor to passively measure a current downstream from the meter box; and
a wireless transceiver that wirelessly transmits data characterizing the measured current downstream from the meter box.

2. The HFDR of claim 1 , wherein the data characterizing the measured current downstream from the meter box consumed by the load to is transmitted to a server via a public network.

3. The HFDR of claim 2 , wherein the wireless transceiver of the HFDR transmits the data characterizing the measured current downstream from the meter box to the server via a cellular network.

4. The HFDR of claim 1 , wherein the HFDR is integrated with a power collar.

5. The HFDR of claim 4 , wherein the meter is a smart meter, and the smart meter is plugged into the second set of contacts on the second side of the HFDR integrated with the power collar.

6. The HFDR of claim 5 , wherein the power collar further comprises a surge shield that provides surge protection to electrical equipment downstream from the first meter receptacle.

7. The HFDR of claim 6 , wherein the HFDR is circumscribed by a meter ring that includes a fastener to secure the meter to the power collar.

8. The HFDR of claim 7 , wherein circuitry of the HFDR is mounted on a plastic insulator to prevent short circuiting.

9. The HFDR of claim 1 , wherein the processor samples the current downstream from the meter box at least 2000 times per second to measure the current downstream from the meter box consumed by the load.

10. The HFDR of claim 1 , wherein the HFDR is retrofitted to the meter box, wherein the HFDR extends functionality of the meter box without reconfiguration of the meter box or the meter.

11. The HFDR of claim 1 , wherein the meter box is positioned an outside of a customer premises.

12. The HFDR of claim 1 , wherein the HFDR is configured to passively measure impedance across the load.

13. The HFDR of claim 1 , wherein the HFDR is electrically and physically positioned between the meter box and the meter.

14. A system for measuring and transmitting power measurements comprising:
a power collar comprising:
a first side with connectors pluggable into a first meter receptacle of a meter box, wherein the first meter receptacle provides a connection to a power supply and a load representing electrical equipment;
a second side, opposite the first side, the second side comprising a second meter receptacle for a meter that is pluggable into the first meter receptacle of the meter box;
a high frequency data recorder (“HFDR”) the HFDR comprising:
processor that accesses a non-transitory machine readable memory that stores instruction that when executed cause the processor to passively measures power supplied to the load at least 2000 samples per second; and
a transceiver that wirelessly transmits data characterizing the measured power supplied to the load;
the meter is pluggable into the second meter receptacle of the power collar; and
a remote server that receives the data characterizing the measured power supplied to the load from the HFDR, wherein the remote server employs a power pattern detector module to analyze the data.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the power collar comprising the HFDR is retrofitted to the meter box and the meter, and the meter was previously plugged into the meter box.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the meter is a smart meter, the transceiver of the HFDR communicates with the remote server via a first protocol and the smart meter communicates with the remote server via a second protocol.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the first protocol employed to communicate by the transceiver of the HFDR is a cellular protocol or a Wi-Fi protocol and the second protocol employed to communicate by the smart meter is a mesh network protocol.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the power collar further comprises a surge protector that provides surge protection to the HFDR and the meter on the second side of the power collar, such that the HFDR measures a first power of the measured power supplied to the load on the first side of the power collar and the meter measures a second power of the measured power supplied to by the load on the second side of the power collar.

Assignees

• Florida Power & Light Co

Inventors

• Meranda Adam D
• Kitchener Bryan
• Collins Christopher

Classifications

• G01R22/063 Primary

  related to remote communication · CPC title

• G01D4/008

  Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading · CPC title

• H02H9/005

  avoiding undesired transient conditions · CPC title

• H04B1/38

  Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving · CPC title

• H04W84/042

  Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems · CPC title