Energy meter application programming interface
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorJimmy Sfaelos
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An energy meter includes metering circuitry configured to monitor power consumption. The energy meter includes firmware including internal functions configured to control elements of the energy meter. Further, the energy meter includes an input/output port or a communications device configured to receive customized instructions and a processor. The processor controls the metering circuitry, receives customized instructions from the input/output port or the communications device. The customizable instructions provide additional control of the elements of the energy meter beyond the internal functions of the firmware. The processor interprets the customized instructions and executes the customized instructions using the internal functions of the firmware.
Claims18
An energy meter comprising:
- metering circuitry configured to monitor energy consumption;
- memory storing firmware comprising internal function configured to control elements of the metering circuitry;
- an input/output port or a communications device configured to receive customized instructions;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- control the metering circuitry;
- receive the customized instructions from the input/output port or the communications device, wherein the customized instructions are configured to provide additional control of the elements of the metering circuitry beyond the internal functions of the firmware;
- interpret the customized instructions;
- and
- execute the customized instructions utilizing the internal functions of the firmware by injecting information into an incoming or an outgoing communication from the input/output port or the communications device, wherein the information injected into the incoming or the outgoing communication is based at least in part on the customized instruction, wherein the information comprises a tag configured to provide a destination for the outgoing communication.
A method for executing a customized instruction on an energy meter, comprising:
- receiving, at an input/output port or a communications device of the energy meter, the customized instruction;
- detecting, at the input/output port or the communications device, a data stream containing the customized instruction, by:
- detecting a start flag in the data stream;
- detecting an end flag in the data stream;
- receiving all data between the start flag and the end flag;
- and
- defining the customized instruction based at least in part on the data between the start flag and the end flag;
- interpreting the customized instruction via firmware of the energy meter;
- and
- executing the customized instruction by utilizing a library of functions of firmware.
An article of manufacture comprising:
- one or more tangible, machine-readable media configured to store processor-executable instructions, the instructions comprising:
- instructions to provide a user interface to enable creation of customizable instructions, wherein the user interface comprises:
- source code comprising functions to enable creation of the customizable instructions;
- a compiler configured to transform the source code into a language understandable by an application programming interface (API) of a smart meter;
- a linker configured to transform an output of the compiler into an executable program;
- a builder configured to provide a graphical user interface to visually develop the customizable instructions;
- or
- a combination thereof;
- wherein the customizable instructions are interpretable and executable by a processor of an energy meter when the energy meter sniffs a specific data string and wherein the customizable instructions enable customizable functionality beyond originally programmed functions of a firmware of the smart meter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.