# US 2013/0157559 A1 · Utility grid wireless node with powered emergency device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0157559 A1 - Document ID: US20130157559A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/328,764 - Filed: 2011-12-16 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-16 - Assignees: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. - Inventors: George Flammer, III; Eli Marlin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130157559A1 ## CPC - G08B 21/12: responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms - G01D 2204/45: Utility meters networked together within a single building - G01D 2204/47: Methods for determining the topology or arrangement of meters in a network - H04B 7/155: Ground-based stations (H04B7/204 takes precedence) - Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00) - Y04S 20/30: Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04B: TRANSMISSION - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A wireless node that bridges a wireless communications gap between a first wireless device, such as a smart meter, and a wireless network, such as a smart grid network, by repeating wireless communications received by the wireless node. The wireless node is integrated with another powered device common to buildings to provide a clandestine improvement to wireless communications. Additionally, the wireless node may effect testing of the powered device and provide results of the test wirelessly to remote devices. The wireless node may take the form of an exit sign, an emergency light, a speaker, and a combination of one or more of these devices. The wireless node may also track power consumption of the repeater portion of the wireless node to provide billing credit to power consumers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A wireless node for repeating wireless communications in an environment having an external power source, the wireless node comprising: a power terminal for coupling to the external power source; a powered emergency device (PED) housing at least partially housing a powered emergency device coupled to the power terminal, wherein the power emergency device at least one of conveys audio information, conveys visual information, and provides illumination to an area outside of the PED housing; and a repeater within the PED housing and coupled to the power terminal, the repeater including: an antenna, and a repeater controller coupled to the antenna, wherein the repeater controller receives wireless communications from a first device via the antenna, and repeats the wireless communications to a second device via the antenna. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, wherein the wireless communications are one of smart grid communications, cellular communications, and machine-to-machine (“m2m”) network communications. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, wherein the PED housing includes a cover through which light emitted by the powered emergency device is transmitted to the area outside of the PED housing to generate a textual message. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, wherein the PED housing includes a dynamic display remotely controlled via the antenna to display a textual message. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, the PED housing further comprising a battery providing backup power to the powered emergency device and a power sensor that monitors power input from the external power source, wherein, when the power sensor detects a power outage, the battery provides power to components of the powered emergency device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, wherein the PED housing is one of an exit sign housing, an emergency light housing, and a speaker housing. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, further comprising: a battery providing backup power to the repeater; and a power sensor that monitors power input from the external power source, wherein when the power sensor detects a power outage, the battery provides power to components of the repeater. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The wireless node of claim 7, wherein when the power sensor detects a power outage, the battery provides power to components of both the repeater and the powered emergency device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, wherein the powered emergency device comprises a device controller that disconnects the power terminal from the repeater and the powered emergency device for a testing time period; monitors components of the powered emergency device during the testing time period to generate monitored data; and transmits monitored data via the antenna to a remote device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, further comprising a power sensor that monitors power consumed by the repeater to determine a repeater power consumption amount, and wherein the wireless communications received from the first device include a power consumption amount from a utility power meter, and the repeater controller transmits to the second device, via the antenna, one of the repeater power consumption amount and a net power consumption amount equal to the power consumption amount from the utility power meter less the repeater power consumption amount. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The wireless node of claim 1, wherein the at least one of audio information, visual information, and illumination is conveyed or provided to the area outside of the PED housing in response to commands received via the antenna. ### Claim 12 A method of repeating wireless communications from a wireless device to a wireless access point with a wireless node, the wireless node including a powered emergency device (PED) housing with a powered emergency device, a power terminal for coupling to an external power source, an AC/DC converter, a battery, and a repeater including an antenna and a repeater controller, wherein the repeater is within the PED housing, the method comprising: receiving, from the external power supply, AC power at the power terminal; converting the AC power to DC power with the AC/DC converter, supplying the DC power to the repeater controller and to the powered emergency device; receiving, via the antenna, wireless communications from the wireless device; outputting, via the antenna, the wireless communications to the wireless access point; detecting a power outage of the external power source; supplying DC power from the battery to the powered emergency device; and controlling the powered emergency device to at least one of convey audio information, convey visual information, and provide illumination to an area outside of the housing. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising, during the power outage, supplying DC power from the battery to the repeater; and outputting, via the antenna, additional wireless communications to the wireless access point. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: disconnecting, by a device controller of the powered emergency device, the power terminal from the repeater and the powered emergency device for a testing time period; monitoring, by the device controller, at least one component of the powered emergency device during the testing time period to generate monitored data; and transmitting, by the repeater, the monitored data via the antenna to a remote device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: monitoring, with a power sensor, power consumed by the repeater to determine a repeater power consumption amount, receiving, by the repeater, a power consumption amount from the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is a smart grid meter, and transmitting to the wireless access point, by the repeater, one of the repeater power consumption amount and a net power consumption amount equal to the power consumption amount from the utility power meter less the repeater power consumption amount. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: emitting light, by the powered emergency device, through a cover of the PED housing to the area outside of the PED housing to generate a textual message. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving commands indicating a textual message to display on a dynamic display; and controlling the dynamic display to show the textual message. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the PED housing is one of an exit sign housing, an emergency light housing, and a speaker housing. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining a level of an environmental characteristic via an environmental sensor; determining that the level of the environmental characteristic exceeds a threshold; and generating an alarm in response to the exceeded threshold. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining a level of an environmental characteristic via an environmental sensor; determining that the level of the environmental characteristic exceeds a threshold; and wirelessly reporting the exceeded threshold to a remote device. ### Claim 21 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the wireless communications are one of smart grid communications, cellular communications, and machine-to-machine (“m2m”) network communications. ### Claim 22 A method of installing a wireless node in a smart grid communications network comprising: positioning a smart grid meter, including a wireless communication module, outside of wireless communication range of a smart grid wireless access point; positioning the wireless node within wireless communication range of both the smart grid wireless access point and the smart grid meter, wherein the wireless node includes a housing, a power terminal for coupling to an external power source, an AC/DC converter, a battery, a repeater including an antenna and a repeater controller, and a powered emergency device, wherein the power terminal, the AC/DC converter, the battery, the repeater, and the powered emergency device are within the housing; and wherein the wireless node receives wireless communications from the smart grid meter via an antenna, and repeats the wireless communications to the wireless access point via the antenna. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising: emitting light, by the powered emergency device, through a cover of the PED housing to the area outside of the PED housing to generate a textual message. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, further comprising, detecting a power outage of the external power source; supplying DC power from the battery to the powered emergency device; and controlling the powered emergency device to at least one of convey audio information, convey visual information, and provide illumination to an area outside of the housing.