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com

Electrical Engineering
Department

Automatic Meter
Reading
(AMR)

Contents :

Page
I- Abstract . -2-
II- Introduction . -3-
1- CHAPTER – 1 : Traditional meter reading systems disadvantages -4-
2- CHAPTER – 2 : What is the AMR ? -5-
3- CHAPTER – 3 : Benefits of AMR . -6-
4- CHAPTER – 4 : AMR construction . -7-
5- CHAPTER – 5 : AMR THEORY OF OPERATION . -8-
6- CHAPTER - 6 : DISADVANTAGES OF AMR . -12-
7- References. -13-

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I - Abstract :

AMR (Automatic Meter Reading ) is the modern Power

measuring device .it is being used in measuring electricity , gas
, water consumption in many countries on the world since it
has a lot of advantages that the old analog meters doesn’t
have .
it has advantages in safety , real time measuring and time
save as well as it has a better user interface and digital data
analysis .
AMR appears in several types depends on measured data
type and data transfer technologies . We can say that AMR is
the best solution to measure , collect and analyze data for the
Mega networks like the electricity transmission and distribution
network in Egypt .

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II - Introduction

In 1886 , the first ac transmission line was installed . Since this age
, it was very important to measure the energy that consumers pay for .
Hence , the first generation of power meters was found which we know
as (Watt-Hour meter ) [1].

As most of us know , the first generation(traditional meter reading

devices ) is being used tell now in many places .It has a lot of
disadvantages that we will mention later .

To overcome this disadvantages we have to modify a new reading

system that provides remote reading , safety , on-time readings and a
simple user interface . That is what AMR provides successfully .

Power consumption reading and analysis using AMR has a lot of

benefits which we will discuss in this papers .This benefits make it clear
that this system will be used in most of the regions of the world in the
next few years .

The first AMR system was created on 1974 on USA by Mr.

Paraskevakos who used a technology developed on 1972 by Theodore
George[2].

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CHAPTER – 1
Traditional meter reading
systems disadvantages :
• Highly Person dependant.

• Human errors cannot be avoided.

• Accessibility of meters in rural/ Agricultural zones.

• Energy Audits performed based on bill collection which is highly

inaccurate.

• Billing done mainly on estimated/ monthly average basis

• Inability to monitor and control discrete loads

• Billing cycle requires excessive time.

• Meter data used only for billing, cannot help in analysis like
demand analysis, energy audit, pinpointing losses, etc.

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CHAPTER – 2
What is the AMR ?

AMR brings significant benefits to the customer by providing

increased meter-reading accuracy, fewer estimated bills, rapid response
to read requests, automatic leak detection and billing options and
provides detailed usage information about individual sites, which allows
the company to offer variable rates and encourage price -responsive
behavior among customers[3].

AMR improves operational management by providing just-in-time

meter replacement, tamper detection, remote access, and automatic
scheduling of meter reading. In short, AMR will optimize cost savings
and maximize efficiency while providing improved customer service.

By using AMR we overcome the disadvantages of the traditional

meter reading devices , improve the control and data we have and make
the consumer aware of the power consumption he have so he can limit
and control the price he pay [4].

Fig -1 : AMR system .

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CHAPTER – 3
Benefits of AMR :

 Ability to detect tamper events and outage occurrences.

 Remotely Connect/ Disconnect power supply through meter.

 Calculate transformer loading and sizing from interval data

 15 minute interval data gives accurate load information for supply

scheduling, switching operations, planning etc

 Consistent and granular data for improved accuracy.

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CHAPTER – 4
AMR construction :
4.1 - Consumer side unit (CSU):
RTC
Antenna

GSM Modem
LCD
OR RF Transmitter
-receiver

Microcontroller Relay
Power Supply
AT89C2051

EEPROM Energy Meter

Fig-2 : construction of the AMR Transmitter unit .

Transmitter unit is used to send the meter reading to the receiving

end. The data is send to the receiver end through RF channel. The
transmitter unit consist of transmitter module, encoder HT12E,
microcontroller AT89C2051 and display driver 74LS244.The pulses are
given to the of microcontroller via optocoupler. For display the meter
reading we are using seven segments. The supply which is given to the
transmitter unit is +5 volt. The meter data is stored on the EEPRO
memory unit .

4.2 - Server side unit (SSU) :

At the receiving side , a RF receiver collect the data transmitted

from the consumer side , decode it , and transfer the decoded data to

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the server computer which analysis this data and insert it into the
database .

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CHAPTER – 5
AMR THEORY OF OPERATION :
5.1 Consumer side unit (CSU) operation :
The microcontroller receives the measured quantity as analog data
from the energy meter port which is , in watt-hour meters , a potential
and current quantities .The microcontroller is programmed to analysis
this quantities then it display the reading in the LCD screen . When the
server wants to collect the reading from the meter , it sends a message
to the meter which receive it throw the antenna and the GSM modem
connected with it . This message call the meter to wake up and then it
makes a data frame consisting of the meter’s information and sends it to
the server which collect them and store them in the database . The data
collection can be done at any time or periodically such as hourly, daily,
weekly or monthly.

5.2 Server side unit (SSU) operation :

First , the SSU send a waking message to the CSU to tell it to
wake up and start preparing data . after the CSU response and send the
data , the SSU collect this data , analysis it and make the computations
needed , then it store them on the database of the company .
the SSU can reprogram the CSU and fully control it by sending
connect/disconnect commands or applying remote energy
management .This reprogramming and controlling processes is being
done throw commands transferred throw the communication channel
between the SSU and the CSU .

5.3 SSU – CSU communication :

5.3.1 Telephone communication :
Telephone lines are desirable from an economic point of view
since most electricity users in the country have telephone service. The
telephone system provides an ideal communication infrastructure for

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AMR systems due to simplicity of operation, quality of data, high noise

immunity, reliability and low cost, both at the remote site and the central
station.
Telephone communications AMR systems are categorized by the
method of call initiation and initial data flow. The two most common
forms are inbound communications and outbound communications.
5.3.1.1 Inbound communications :

With inbound communications, a unit at the customer site (usually

the controller or a modem connected to the controller) dials in to the
central station system at the company without first receiving an
interrogation message. The remote site unit initiates the communication
at a date and time programmed into the controller's memory. In the case
of tampering or system malfunctions, a call can be initiated to the
company's central station, where the alarm condition will be received
and processed. This approach takes advantage of the fixed monthly
charge for local calls that the customer is already paying. No additional
telephone access equipment is required.
The disadvantages of inbound communications are that the
company cannot obtain real-time data upon request, nor can the
company reprogram the controller unit or issue control commands
as in the case of connect-disconnect or energy management,
should these capabilities be incorporated into the system.

5.3.1.2 outbound communications :

Outbound communications arc those where data communications
are initiated by a central unit located at the company or at a local
telephone company switching station. These systems respond to a query
and require central telephone switching equipment and test trunk lines.
Telephone company involvement is required to enable the company's
central station computer to dial out to a customer's remote unit without
ringing the customer's telephone. The advantage of this approach is that
these systems function in real time, as needed, which simplifies the
implementation of demand load recording surveys, status monitoring,
etc.
The primary disadvantages to an outbound communications
approach are the capital costs associated with the telephone
company's involvement and the recurring tariffs that telephone
companies charge. An additional complication arises in

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geographical areas served by one electric company and two or

more telephone companies.

5.3.2 Powerline Communication :

Powerline carrier communications take place over the same lines
that deliver electricity. This technique involves injecting a high frequency
AC carrier onto the powerline and modulating this carrier with data
originating from the remote meter or central station.
Years of research, however, have not overcome the technical
problems that preclude this medium from being a cost-effective solution
over primary transmission lines. Powerline carrier techniques may be
used successfully and cost effectively for short distances; i.e., from a
customer’s meter to a pole or surface-mounted transformer. It is very
expensive to pass this data through a distribution transformer and onto
the primary distribution lines and the resulting communications is slow
due to the narrow bandwidth and mono-directional meaning data is
transmitted from the meter to the company but the company cannot send
data or control signals back to the meter or associated devices at the
subscriber side.

5.3.3 Radio Frequency Communications

(RF) :
Radio frequency, or RF, systems make use of small low power RF
transmitters or transceivers located at the controller. These may take
advantage of licensed or unlicensed portions of the RF spectrum and the
effective radiated power of the transmitter and the distances capable of
being traversed will vary as a function of the frequency and power of the
remote transmitters and the receiving strategies employed. A variety of
system configurations have been field tested thus far. The most
successful employs a mobile unit operated in a van that sends a wakeup
and transmit command to the remote meter units in its range. The
remote meter units pick up the signal and respond by sending back
requested data to the van's computer for later uploading and billing. This
system is commercially available for use with gas meters. A variation of
this approach employs remote meter units that regularly transmit every
few seconds and a small portable receiver connected to a hand-held
data terminal. Two of the more exotic approaches (in 1992) involves use
of a cellular telephone network system and satellite communications.
The mobile receiver approach suffers the significant disadvantage
of being effectively mono-directional ; thus, communication cannot be

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initiated from the company's central office. Therefore, systems of this

type have limited function and relatively low feature/function cost ratios
and are not well suited for use by electric utilities.

The full-scale implementation of AMR requires that a data

communication network be established that effectively links every
customer with the company's central office. The actual amount of AMR
related data and its frequency of transmission is very low. These factors
contribute to the difficulties encountered in the economic justification of
AMR systems. There are, however, a myriad of services and functions
that can be accomplished through this communication system, some of
which significantly reduce a company's operating costs and some of
which can actually generate additional revenues. The incremental costs
associated with incorporating these functions in the AMR system
controllers is marginal. Payback can vary enormously. In theory, it is
almost possible to finance a full-scale AMR system installation through
the resulting costs savings and new revenue-producing services [5] .

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CHAPTER - 6
DISADVANTAGES OF AMR :
The most effective disadvantages of AMR system are :

1- The economical charges that must be satisfied in order to replace

the old traditional meters with the new AMR devices .
2- The cost of involving communication companies in the system in
order to make a data connection between the SSU and the CSU
because this companies acquire payments to let the distribution
company use her system as said in part - [5.3] .

We can overcome this disadvantages by :

1- make economical studies to chose the best system to build .

2- Make the AMR units locally to cover the national needs and use
the extra-production in exportation to make economical balance .
3- In Egypt , about 49 % of the communication companies are
owned to the Egyptian government .If a deal is made between the
Electricity Ministry and the Communication Ministry , it’ll be easy to
overcome the second disadvantage with the lowest cost .

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References :
1- “Electric power transmission”, Wikipedia ,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_transmission , visited at 1st December ,2010
12.00 am .
2- “Automatic meter reading”, Wikipedia ,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_meter_reading , visited at 1st December , 2010 01:00
am .
3- “AMR: Automated Meter Reading ,Passive Line Component Offering” , Johanson Technology
Inc , July 21st, 2009,P.1, USA .
4- “Cisco Outdoor Wireless Solutions—Automated Meter Reading” , Cisco Systems, Inc., 2006 ,
USA .
5- Tom D. Tamarkin , “Automatic Meter Reading “ , Public Power magazine , Volume 50, Number
5, September-October 1992 .

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