System and method to manage utility meter communications
A method for managing communications within a network comprising utility meters, each associated and connected to at least one utility management center through at least one intermediate data concentrator. A message is sent by a utility meter to the destination data concentrator. This message includes metering data measurement reported by said utility meter, its utility meter identifier, the destination data concentrator identifier and the management center identifier. Then, on the basis of several metering data measurements, a metering counter differential consumption value is calculated by difference of two metering counter consumption indexes measured by the utility meter within a time period interval. Then, a report containing at least the metering counter differential consumption value is sent from the destination data concentrator towards the utility management center to which said utility meter is associated.
1. A method for managing utility meter communications within a network comprising a plurality of utility meters each associated and connected to at least one utility management center through at least one intermediate data concentrator, each utility meter being identified by a utility meter identifier and being configured to produce and send utility meter messages to a destination data concentrator identified by a data concentrator identifier, each destination data concentrator being configured to produce and send reports to said management center identified by a management center identifier, said method comprising:
sending a utility meter message from a utility meter to said destination data concentrator, said utility meter message including a metering data measurement reported by said utility meter, said utility meter identifier, said destination data concentrator identifier and said management center identifier;
determining a metering counter differential consumption value based on a difference of two metering counter consumption indexes measured by said utility meter within a time period interval;
sending, from the destination data concentrator towards the utility management center to which said utility meter is associated, a report containing at least said metering counter differential consumption value.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the report includes a detailed tariff computation based on a tariff table and the metering counter differential consumption value.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising securing the report sent from the destination data concentrator to the utility management center to which the utility meter is associated.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said securing of the report includes encrypting the report with an encryption key.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein said securing of the report includes signing the report with a digital signature.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising processing the report at the utility management center to which the utility meter is associated if the report is authenticated by the digital signature.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending an acknowledgement from the destination data concentrator to the utility meter in response to receipt of the utility meter message by the destination data concentrator.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the utility meter message is sent in response to receipt of a request from the destination data concentrator by the utility meter.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a configuration message by the destination data concentrator to the utility meter to update a reporting rate of utility meter messages by the utility meter.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the utility meter message is sent from the utility meter to the destination data concentrator via synchronous communication.
11. The method of claim 1 , sending utility meter messages from the utility meter to the destination data concentrator at periodic intervals.