Methods and apparatus for retrieving energy readings from an energy monitoring device

Abstract

An energy monitoring device including procedures for secure communication of data from the device is disclosed. The energy monitoring device includes a public/private key pair used to encrypt and/or digitally sign communications by the device. This allows the receivers of these communications to authenticate the communications to ensure that the device and/or communications have not been compromised. The energy monitoring device is further capable of communications via an ad-hoc “mesh” network, thereby facilitating communications among devices which are substantially inaccessible due to either physical or economic limitations.

1 . An energy monitoring device for securely reporting energy consumption, comprising: 
 current interface circuitry operative to sense current flow in at least one power line and generate a first analog signal indicative thereof;    at least one analog to digital converter coupled with said current interface circuitry and operative to convert said first analog signal to a digital representation of said sensed current flow;    a processor coupled with said at least one analog to digital converter, and operative to calculate at least one measure of energy consumption based on said digital representation and store said calculated at least one measure of energy consumption as at least one energy consumption message;    a memory register coupled with said processor and operative to store a private key, wherein said processor is further operative to generate a digital signature based on said at least one energy consumption message and said private key and sign said at least one energy consumption message utilizing said digital signature; and    a radio frequency interface coupled with said processor and operative to transmit said signed at least one energy consumption message, via at least a second and a third energy monitoring device, to a remote device.