Smart grids depend on automated metering infrastructure (AMI) and automated meter reading (AMR) to measure, collect, and communicate energy usage data back to a central database for further analysis. The vast amount of information being transferred makes it inefficient for meters to directly communicate with the utility servers themselves. Instead, data concentrator nodes are placed along the AMI to aggregate data from a more manageable number of meters before networking with the central utility servers. Texas Instruments’ Smart Data Concentrator evaluation module (EVM), the highly integrated TMDSDC3359 EVM, is extremely flexible and scalable in order to provide developers with the means of creating data concentrator designs adaptable to the majority of worldwide smart grid standards. The solution supports quick connectivity to more than 2,000 e-meters and reduces development time by up to nine months.
The Smart Data Concentrator evaluation module EVM is a successful a consolidation of many items from TI’s robust portfolio of complementary analog, embedded processing and wireless connectivity products for the smart grid. Over 20 analog components from TI’s power management suite alone are incorporated in the solution, including the power management IC TPS65910, the SN65HVD3082 interface, and log portfolio SN74LVC1G08. This vast flexibility allows systems designers the means of creating a customizable platform solution for specific data concentrator requirements.
Data concentrators are critical.
The advent of smart-grid technology has had an obvious impact on the energy sector with the capability of bidirectional energy and data flow between the customer and provider. The benefits of such as obvious: instantaneous energy usage readings for accurate billing, wireless customer consumption monitoring, and faster troubleshooting of any fault in the network. However, optimizing such an intricate network of intelligent systems is reliant on the flexibility of core components.
It is estimated that by August 2012, more than 36 million smart meters have been implemented across the entire United States.
To understand why this is necessary, familiarity with a smart grid’s structure is imperative. The automated metering infrastructure (AMI) is inclusive of the e-meters responsible for recording electricity consumption. By contrast, the data concentrator is the core of the data and energy management in the AMI and provides the actual technology for measuring and collecting energy consumption data. Therefore, a system’s bottom line efficiency ultimately boils down to its data concentrator.
Multiple communication standards
Communication standards vary across global regions, thereby challenging scalable concentrator platforms to include multi-vendor interoperability for meters and head-end management systems.
The primary requirement for establishing multiple communication standards is the inclusion of a robust software foundation. To that end, TI’s Smart Data Concentrator EVM takes advantage of the Sitara AM3359 processor to expand wired and wireless connectivity options through flexible peripherals. The processor enables developers to easily add multiple connectivity options including <1GHz (LPRF), general packet radio service (GPRS), ZigBee®, Wi-Fi, near field communication (NFC) and multiple PLC standards. For robust G3, PRIME, and S-FSK support, the PLC system-on-module contains TI’s C2000 Octave F28PLC83 microcontroller and AFE031 analog front end. Data can be transferred from the concentrator to the utility through Ethernet, GSM, GPRS, WiMAX, or other telecom networks.
EVM’s specs in-detail
On top of using the Sitara AM3359 processor as a means of providing the needed performance leeway for the routing algorithm in the data concentrator to connect to more than 2,000 e-meters, the TMDSDC3359 EVM supports the following communication interfaces: sub-1-GHz and 2.4-GHz RF, Ethernet, RS-232, RS-485, infrared and wireless modules. It contains multiple PLC stacks for MAC and PHY layers so developers can create designs that support PLC-Lite, PRIME, G3 and IEEE-P1901.2 standards.
The EVM uses a three-phase power line communication module and features a 120/240 V power supply with isolation to prevent damage from high voltage and currents. TMDSDC3359 is designed for high speeds systems and serves as a strong reference design for passing ESD system tests. To that end, the EVM uses field-proven technology to alleviate the time consuming nature of performing actual field tests when compiling a design.
The entire Smart Data Concentrator evaluation module (EVM) component portfolio can be found below.
Featured Products – Orderable Part Numbers available at Mouser:
• AFE031AIRGZT – PLC Analog Front End
• AM3352BZCZ80 – Sitara™ ARM® Cortex™-A8 Microprocessor
• CC2538SF53RTQT – Powerful SoC for 2.4-GHz IEEE 802.15.4-2006 and ZigBee® Applications
• ISO3082DW – Isolated 5-V Full-Duplex RS-485 Transceiver
• MAX3221MDBREP – 3-V to 5.5-V Single-Channel RS-232 Line Driver/Receiver
• SN65HVD3082EDR – Low-Power Half-duplex RS-485 Transceiver
• SN74LVC1G08DBVRG4– Single 2-Input Positive-AND Gate
• TM4C123GH6PGET – Tiva™ C Series (Cortex-M4)
• TMS320F28xx – Flexible PLC Modem 32-bit Microcontroller
• TPS65910 – Integrated Power Management IC
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