Smart 1-Ph E-Meter

With increasing regulatory pressure, local utilities must adopt more efficient methods to monitor subscriber-level energy consumption, adjust conventional energy generation, and support flexible business models such as pre-paid and post-paid. These electricity meters will require reliable bidirectional communication, with system designs varying between wired and wireless approaches depending on local infrastructure.

This flexible metering system supports multiple current sensing methods, such as current transformers (CTs) and Rogowski coils, to meet diverse deployment needs. It is scalable to support 2G or 5G wireless connectivity for remote and rural areas, Sub-1GHz communication via a data logger, or wired connectivity through power line communication (PLC) for urban environments, enabling reliable performance across a wide range of metering scenarios.

System Benefits:

• Ultra-low power metrology MCUs with integrated 24-bit sigma–delta (ΣΔ) ADCs deliver precision current sensing.
• Scalable system controllers offer high performance, rich connectivity, and integrated security engines with tamper detection and TrustZone^® support—ideal for efficient and secure smart metering.
• UART with optical isolation ensures reliable data transfer and protects the controller from high voltage transients, scalable for multi-line systems.
• LED/IrDA and RS-485 interfaces support reliable, bidirectional communication for contactless local access and long-range wired connectivity, supporting production, configuration, and field servicing.
• Sub-1GHz MCU supports proprietary frequency shift keying (FSK) or Wi-SUN^® protocols, while PLC modem IC and line drivers support G3-PLC and PRIME specifications.
• The optical isolator ensures compliance with G3 zero-crossing detection requirements for both isolated and non-isolated coupling designs.
• Galvanic isolation can be achieved via a dedicated LDO for metrology and an optional LDO for RS-485 with wireless modules operating at 3.8V (min. 3.3V) using a separate DC/DC supply, while other system components are powered by an independent 3.3V regulator.