Years ago, you’d have seen an electrician going door-to-door with a copy book, checking the electricity meter, but now it’s becoming less common. With the development of information technology and the popularization of intelligent electricity meters, it is possible to use the acquisition system technology to read meters remotely and automatically calculate the results of electricity charges. Compared with older meters, smart meters not only solve the problem of inefficient manual meter reading, but also are a good assistant for energy consumption analysis and energy management. Managers can monitor and manage the data through smart electricity meters, so as to grasp the trend of electricity consumption at any time, so as to manage power efficiently.
There is no doubt that smart electricity meter is the trend of development, but also the inevitable development. So where is “smart” in a smart meter? How does smart meter realize remote meter reading? Let’s take a look at it today.
Where is “smart” in a smart meter?
1. Features of smart electricity meter — more complete functions
Both the structure and function of smart meters have been upgraded and transformed from the old ones. Measurement is the both basic and core function. Conventional mechanical meters can only display active power values, but smart meters, which is quite common in the market today, can collect much more data. Take The hot-selling Linyang three-phase electricity meter for example, it not only measures the active power value, but also shows the value of forward active power, reactive power, reverse active power and residual electricity cost, etc. These data can help managers to make a good analysis of energy consumption and more efficient power consumption management, so as to lead the adjustment and optimization of power consumption mode.
In addition to richer data collection, scalability is also a significant feature of smart electricity meters. Extension module is a new generation of intelligent watt-hour meter. According to different business scenarios, the user can choose the watt-hour meter equipped with different functional extension module, with which the meter can realize the functions of communication, control, calculation of meter, monitoring, bill payment , and other functions, to achieve highly information-based and intelligent and greatly improving the efficiency and level of electricity.
2. Features of intelligent electricity meter — data can be transmitted remotely
Another feature of smart electricity meter is that data can be transmitted remotely. It is worth noting that our smart electricity meters do not mean independent intelligent operation of electricity meters and there is only a chip module inside. In other words, smart electricity meters are the terminal layer, but managers need to read the meter with meter reading system. Assuming that the meter is not combined with a remote meter reading system, it is just a meter with only measurement. So, the real meaning of smart meters is to use smart meters with smart systems.
Then how to realize remote meter reading by smart meter?
There’s a concept that you’ve probably heard of called the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things means to realize the ubiquitous connection between things and people through all kinds of possible network access, and realize the intelligent perception, identification and management of goods and processes. Remote meter reading application of smart meter is this technology of acquisition – transmission – analysis – application. The acquisition device collects the data, and then transmits the data to the intelligent system, which then automatically feeds back the information according to the instruction.
1. Wireless networking scheme
Nb-iot /GPRS networking solution
Wireless signal transmission, for everyone, is certainly not strange. Mobile phone transmits wireless signal. Nb-iot and GPRS transmit in much the same way as mobile phones do. Electricity meters have built-in communication modules that automatically connect to cloud servers.
Features: Simple and fast networking, no wiring, no additional configuration acquisition equipment, and not limited by distance
Applicable scenario: it is applicable to the occasions where the owners are scattered and far away, and the real-time data is strong
LoRa networking scheme
In addition to NB – IoT which directly connected to the cloud server, there is a LoRa concentrator (LoRa concentrator module can be put in meters) to upload data to the cloud server network schemes. This scheme, compared with NB \ GPRS scheme, has the biggest advantage that as long as the acquisition equipment, signal can be transmitted, fearless of signal blind spot.
Features: no wiring, strong signal penetration, transmission anti – interference ability
Applicable scenario: decentralized installation environment, such as business district, factory, industrial park, etc
2. Wired networking scheme
Since the RS-485 meter does not need to add communication module components, the unit price is lower. Coupled with the fact that wired transmission is generally more stable than wireless transmission, so wired networking solutions are also popular.
Switch from Rs-485 to GPRS
The electricity meter has its own RS-485 interface, and the RS-485 transmission line is used to connect several RS-485 interface electricity meters directly with the electricity meters with concentrator module to establish the data transmission network. A concentrator module can read 256 meters. Each meter is connected with the meter with concentrator through RS-485. The meter with concentrator transmits data to the cloud server through GPRS/4G.
Features: low unit price of electricity meter, stable and fast data transmission
Applicable scenario: applicable to centralized installation places, such as rental houses, communities, factories and enterprises, large shopping malls, hotel apartments, etc.
Signal acquisition and transmission work, equivalent to a road work. Through this road, what is transported and what is obtained are completed according to different application scenarios of users and with different meter reading systems. Scenarios such as factories, the low efficiency of traditional electric power metering, energy consumption data is incomplete, inaccurate and incomplete, it is useful to take Linyang’s energy management to help realize energy real-time monitoring and coordination control.
Automatic meter reading: according to users’ requirements, the meter can be automatically read by hour, hour, day and month, and more than 30 items of electricity data can be copied in 3 seconds. It provides data support for user monitoring, realizes electricity visualization, avoids manual meter reading and financial data checking, greatly saves labor cost and improves work efficiency and data accuracy.
2. Comprehensive report: the system can display the report of electric quantity in different time periods according to users’ demands, and generate the report of current, voltage, frequency, power, power factor and four-quadrant reactive total electric energy in real time. All the data can be automatically generated line chart, bar chart and other graphs, comprehensive comparative analysis of the data.
3. Operation efficiency statistics: record the operating efficiency of the equipment and generate reports, which can be compared with the efficiency data in the specified time period.
4. Users can inquire at any time: users can inquire their payment information, water and electricity consumption, payment record inquiry, real-time electricity consumption and so on in WeChat public account.
5. Fault alarm: the system can record all user operations, switch, parameter overruns and other user’s actual requirements.
Post time: Sep-18-2020