System and method to enforce utility meter security

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9384658-B2
Application number	US-201113996397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2011
Priority date	Dec 22, 2010
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system, and method for enforcing utility usage and metering functions by a utility meter associated with a utility consumer end user, connected to a remote utility management center by a communication network. The present invention proposes a utility meter for controlling and metering a least one utility consumption.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A utility meter for controlling and metering at least one utility consumption, the utility meter comprising:
at least one metering device provided with at least a first main counter, the first main counter configured to count said utility consumption,
a transmission unit configured to receive messages from a remote management center and to send at least one report message to the remote management center,
a memory configured to store data,
a switch configured to switch the utility meter between operating according to a normal operating mode and operating according to a disrupted operating mode,
a validity counter configured to increment or decrement a validity value,
a processor configured to implement processing functions of said utility meter,
a transmission control unit configured to verify if an acknowledgment message has been received from the remote management center in response to the at least one report message, generate a signal which comprises positive information in response to a determination that the acknowledgement message has been received, and generate a signal which comprises negative information in response to a determination that the acknowledgement message has not been received,
a validity unit configured to check a validity of a renewal message received from the remote management center and reload the validity counter in response to a determination that the renewal message is valid, and
an activating unit configured to control the switch, to cause the utility meter to operate according to the normal operating mode or the disrupted operating model, based on the information comprised in the generated signal and the validity value of said validity counter.

2. The utility meter of claim 1 , wherein said renewal message is the acknowledgement message.

3. The utility meter of claim 1 , wherein said report message, said acknowledgment message and said renewal message are encrypted messages.

4. The utility meter of claim 1 , wherein said report message is encrypted with a public key of the remote management center and said renewal message and acknowledgment message are encrypted with a public key of the utility meter, each of these messages requiring respectively a private key of the utility meter and a private key of the remote management center to decrypt them.

5. The utility meter of claim 1 , wherein said validity counter is configured to increment or decrement the validity value according to an internal clock.

6. The utility meter of claim 1 , wherein said validity counter is configured to increment or decrement the validity value according to the first main counter.

7. The utility meter of claim 1 , wherein the validity counter is configured to be reloaded with a new validity value and said new validity value and/or a threshold value are/is included within said renewal message.

8. The utility meter of claim 7 , wherein said new validity value and/or said threshold value are/is pre-stored in the memory.

9. The utility meter of claim 1 , wherein said renewal message further comprises update information associated with upgrading the utility meter.

10. The utility meter of claim 1 , further comprising a manual actuator, the manual actuator configured to enable a manual bypass of the activating unit to temporary switch the the utility meter from operating according to the disrupted operating mode to operating according to the normal operating mode.

11. The utility meter of claim 1 , further comprising an alerting unit, the alerting unit configured to be triggered in response to the validity counter reaching a critical value.

12. The utility meter of claim 1 , further comprising at least a second main counter, the second main counter configured to temporarily count said utility consumption, the utility meter configured to temporarily switch from counting said utility consumption via the first main counter to counting said utility consumption via the second main counter, in response to the utility meter being switched to operating according to the disrupted operating mode.

13. The utility meter of claim 1 , wherein the utility comprises at least one of electric power, gas or water.

14. A method for enforcing utility usages and metering functions of a utility meter, the utility meter configured to control and meter at least one utility consumption, the utility meter operable to be switched between a normal operating mode and a disrupted operating mode, by the utility meter being provided with at least one metering device provided with at least a first main counter the first main counter configured to count said utility consumption, the utility meter being further provided with a validity counter configured to increment or decrement a validity value, the method comprising:
sending, by the utility meter, a report message to a remote management center,
verifying, by the utility meter, whether an acknowledgement message has been received from the remote management center in response to the report message,
generating, by the utility meter, a signal based on the verifying, wherein the signal comprises positive information if the acknowledgement message has been received, and the signal comprises negative information if the acknowledgement message has not been received,
checking, by the utility meter, whether a renewal message sent from the remote management center is valid,
reloading, by the utility meter, the validity counter with a new validity value in response to a determination that the renewal message is valid, and
operating according to the normal operating mode or the disrupted operating mode, based on the information comprised in the generated signal and the validity value of said validity counter.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein checking the validity of the renewal message is performed in accordance with a cryptographic process.

Assignees

• Le Buhan Corinne
• Nicolas Christophe
• Conus Joël
• Nagravision Sa

Inventors

• Le Buhan Corinne
• Nicolas Christophe
• Conus Joël

Classifications

• G08C19/00 Primary

  Electric signal transmission systems (G08C17/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01D4/004

  Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location · CPC title

• Y02B90/242

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02B90/244

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y04S20/42

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic