

Used technologies can also vary from 3G wireless communication channels to broadband PLC, optical fiber, wireless radio, etc.

WANs provide continuous communication between the different components of the AMI platform, as data concentrators and the AMI MDC system, employing bidirectional communication channels. Data concentrators, if present, can communicate with their set of smart meters using different technologies such as power line carrier (PLC), wireless, etc. The operation of all these functionalities can be remotely configured and customized in the metering devices, and they are also remotely managed and gathered either on demand or on a scheduled basis.ĭata concentrators are used to concentrate the communication and management of a set of smart meters into one single device, facilitating the gathering of the information from the smart meters, grouping the communications to them, and therefore reducing the cost of the overall operations. Smart meters are solid-state electronic electricity meters supporting not only the measurement of electricity consumption but also additional smart functionalities as hourly electricity consumption, time-based load control, remote connection and disconnection of delivery site, tamper detection, etc. These components are described briefly herein. Wide-area communication network (WAN), 3. The infrastructure included in the AMI refers to: 1. The pictorial representation of AMI is as shown in Fig. Various functionalities of smart meters include quantitative measurement, communication, control and calibration, power management, synchronization, and display. The smart meters communicate these data to the utility companies for processing, analysis, and billing. The vital element of AMI system is smart meters that support various functions such as measuring electricity consumption of customers on different time-intervals, monitoring the on/off status of electricity, and measuring the voltage levels. AMI system is a a platform that supports measurement, collection, and analysis of energy usage and communicates the same with the energy metering device. Hence, by using the AMI system, the issuance or communication of commands or the price signal from utility to a meter or load controlling devices are also possible. AMI is an integrated system of smart meters, data management systems and communication networks that enable two-way communication between the utilities and the customers. Smart metering systems are considered as the next-generation power measurement systems, which are a revolutionary version of existing electric grids.
