Interval data for a utility meter during a power outage without a battery

A utility meter, comprising:

• a consumption measurement unit configured to generate consumption data;
• a meter processor coupled to a memory;
• a real-time clock (RTC) coupled to the meter processor configured to provide a time for time stamping of the consumption data to provide interval meter data during interval meter operation;
• the memory configured to store the interval meter data during interval meter operation;
• the meter processor configured to implement or initiate:
• responsive to a loss of power that suspends operation of the RTC, switching from the interval meter operation to begin relative time operation;
• during the relative time operation storing the consumption data as relative consumption data together with a relative time as relative meter data, wherein the relative meter data uses a selected measurement interval that is at a higher resolution as compared to a resolution of the interval meter data;
• responsive to having the power restored and then receiving a current time, the utility meter switching from the relative time operation back to the interval meter operation;
• calculating a time of restoration corresponding to when the power was restored using the current time and an elapsed time since the time of restoration;
• using the time of restoration and the current time, generating calculated times and then time stamping the consumption data obtained during the relative time operation with the calculated times to provide time-corrected relative meter data, and
• storing the time-corrected relative meter data to the memory.

A utility meter, comprising:

• a consumption measurement unit configured to generate consumption data;
• a meter processor coupled to a memory;
• a real-time clock (RTC) coupled to the meter processor configured to provide a time for time stamping of the consumption data to provide interval meter data during interval meter operation;
• the memory configured to store the interval meter data during interval meter operation;
• wherein utility meter is exclusive of a battery;
• the meter processor configured to implement or initiate:
• responsive to a loss of power that suspends operation of the RTC, switching from the interval meter operation to begin relative time operation;
• during the relative time operation storing the consumption data as relative consumption data together with a relative time as relative meter data;
• wherein the relative meter data uses a selected measurement interval that is at a higher resolution as compared to a resolution of the interval meter data;
• responsive to having the power restored and then receiving a current time, the utility meter switching from the relative time operation back to the interval meter operation;
• calculating a time of restoration corresponding to when the power was restored using the current time and an elapsed time since the time of restoration;
• using the time of restoration and the current time, generating calculated times and then time stamping the consumption data obtained during the relative time operation with the calculated times to provide time-corrected relative meter data, and
• storing the time-corrected relative meter data to the memory.