Node communication with unknown network ID
AssigneeMueller International, LLC
InventorsDale McLeod Magley, Edward J. Meaney, Jr., David Edwin Splitz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method includes listening, at a mobile collector, for beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each beacon comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information; receiving, by the mobile collector, the beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes; and determining, by the mobile collector, that the beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the beacon.
Claims17
A method comprising steps of:
- listening, at a mobile collector, for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair;
- receiving, by the mobile collector, an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes;
- determining, by the mobile collector, that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;
- sending a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node's hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon;
- receiving, by the mobile collector, a response to the hail message from the targeted node;
- and
- sending, by the mobile collector, a command message to the targeted node.
A mobile collector, comprising:
- a processor, and
- logic processed by the processor to
- listen for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair,
- receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
- determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon,
- send a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node's hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
- receive a response to the hail message from the targeted node, and
- send a command message to the targeted node.
A modified advanced meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:
- a mobile collector comprising
- a mobile collector processor, and
- logic processed by the mobile collector processor to
- listen for a plurality of AMR beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair,
- receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
- determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;
- and
- the targeted node, wherein the targeted node comprises
- a node processor, and
- logic processed by the node processor to
- send the AMR beacon,
- receive a hail message from the mobile collector on a communication channel in the targeted node's hailing channel pair beginning within a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
- determine whether the hail message comprises the utility device ID, and
- responsive to a determination that the hail message comprises the utility device ID, initiate temporary two-way communication by sending a response to the mobile collector.
A method comprising steps of:
- listening, at a mobile collector, for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information;
- receiving, by the mobile collector, an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes;
- determining, by the mobile collector, that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;
- sending a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the communication channel information, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon;
- receiving, by the mobile collector, a response to the hail message from the targeted node;
- and
- sending, by the mobile collector, a command message to the targeted node.
A mobile collector, comprising:
- a processor, and
- logic processed by the processor to
- listen for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information,
- receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
- determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon,
- send a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the communication channel information, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
- receive a response to the hail message from the targeted node, and
- send a command message to the targeted node.
A modified advanced meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:
- a mobile collector comprising
- a mobile collector processor, and
- logic processed by the mobile collector processor to
- listen for a plurality of AMR beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and communication channel information,
- receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
- determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;
- and
- the targeted node, wherein the targeted node comprises
- a node processor, and
- logic processed by the node processor to
- send the AMR beacon,
- receive a hail message from the mobile collector on a communication channel in the communication channel information beginning within a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the time window lasting 2.2 milliseconds, the predefined delay beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
- determine whether the hail message comprises the utility device ID, and
- responsive to a determination that the hail message comprises the utility device ID, initiate temporary two-way communication by sending a response to the mobile collector.
A method comprising steps of:
- listening, at a mobile collector, for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair;
- receiving, by the mobile collector, an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes;
- determining, by the mobile collector, that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;
- sending a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node's hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the predefined delay lasting 750 milliseconds and beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon;
- receiving, by the mobile collector, a response to the hail message from the targeted node;
- and
- sending, by the mobile collector, a command message to the targeted node.
A mobile collector, comprising:
- a processor, and
- logic processed by the processor to
- listen for a plurality of advanced meter reading (AMR) beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair,
- receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
- determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon,
- send a hail message from the mobile collector to the targeted node on a communication channel identified by the targeted node's hailing channel pair, the hail message beginning during a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the predefined delay lasting 750 milliseconds and beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
- receive a response to the hail message from the targeted node, and
- send a command message to the targeted node.
A modified advanced meter reading (AMR) system, comprising:
- a mobile collector comprising
- a mobile collector processor, and
- logic processed by the mobile collector processor to
- listen for a plurality of AMR beacons from a plurality of nodes to locate and communicate with a targeted node, each AMR beacon in the plurality of AMR beacons comprising a utility device identification (ID) and the targeted node's hailing channel pair,
- receive an AMR beacon from the targeted node of the plurality of nodes, and
- determine that the AMR beacon was received from the targeted node based on the utility device ID included in the AMR beacon;
- and
- the targeted node, wherein the targeted node comprises
- a node processor, and
- logic processed by the node processor to
- send the AMR beacon,
- receive a hail message from the mobile collector on a communication channel in the targeted node's hailing channel pair beginning within a time window commencing after a predefined delay, the predefined delay lasting 750 milliseconds and beginning at a time at which the targeted node sent the AMR beacon,
- determine whether the hail message comprises the utility device ID, and
- responsive to a determination that the hail message comprises the utility device ID, initiate temporary two-way communication by sending a response to the mobile collector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.