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Authors: Shao Zehua, Wang Maoxi
First author unit: Chengdu Qin Chuan Internet of Things Technology Co., Ltd.
Excerpt from “Gas and Heat” April 2022 issue
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Gas Meter
1 Overview
In recent years, with the in-depth research and rapid development of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and edge computing, network communication technology has been widely applied in various industries, including the research and application of IoT gateway technology.［1］ The gateway, as an important intermediate node in the network communication process, has already been promoted and applied to a certain extent. In the IoT operation system, the gateway serves as a bridge connecting the perception control terminal and the remote management platform, responsible for building the IoT sensing network, unifying the management and scheduling of perception control terminal devices, and achieving real-time data interaction between the object platform and the management system, making it an important part of the IoT sensing network, which relates to the reliability of network operation, security of communication data, and real-time data transmission.
2 Gateway Technology of IoT Operation System for Smart Gas Meters
2.1 IoT Operation System for Smart Gas Meters
Smart gas meter IoT operation system is a hardware and software system integrating object platform, sensing network platform, management platform, service platform, and user platform, with functions of intelligent perception, intelligent management, intelligent protection, information security management, remote two-way wireless communication, gas business management, remote operation and maintenance, data statistical analysis, and user services. Its architecture is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Architecture of IoT Operation System for Smart Gas Meters
The sensing information of the IoT smart gas meter is generated by the object platform and transmitted successively through the sensing network platform, management platform, service platform to the user platform; the control information is generated by the user platform based on the content of the sensing information and transmitted successively through the service platform, management platform, sensing network platform to the object platform, completing the intelligent control of the IoT smart gas meter.
The object platform is a system platform that integrates the IoT smart gas meter hardware and software system, realizing the perception and control functions of gas transaction physical quantities, gas state physical quantities, and the meter’s own state physical quantities. The sensing network platform consists of the meter communication module, IoT gateway, and sensing network management system, which manages the communication status of the IoT smart gas meter and the sensing network platform itself on one hand, and connects to the upper-level gas comprehensive management system on the other hand. The management platform is the data processing center of the IoT operation system for smart gas meters, using the gas company management server as a carrier to achieve comprehensive management functions such as gas operation and maintenance through the gas comprehensive management system. The service platform includes the gas company service platform, government operator service platform, and social operator service platform, used to achieve the open sharing of information resources within the IoT. The user platform integrates various hardware and software systems such as self-service terminals, user APPs, WeChat public accounts, to realize the self-service inquiry and handling of gas user business information.
The IoT gateway is located in the sensing network platform of the IoT operation system for smart gas meters, including two functional modules: the sensing network gateway and the meter gateway. The IoT gateway connects to the sensing network management system through the sensing network gateway in the north direction, and connects to the meter communication module through the meter gateway in the south direction.
From a physical system perspective, the IoT gateway exists as an independent network node in the sensing network. It can be set inside the IoT smart gas meter, achieving communication connection with the meter communication module through electronic circuits, or it can be set outside the gas meter, establishing communication through wired or wireless methods.
From an information system perspective, the IoT gateway acts as a bridge for information transmission, receiving the sensing information reported by the meter communication module and uploading it to the sensing network management system via the public network; on the other hand, it receives control information issued by the sensing network management system and forwards it to the meter communication module.
From a functional system perspective, the IoT gateway serves as an intermediary link in the perception control closed loop between the IoT smart gas meter and the upper management systems (gas comprehensive management system and sensing network management system). The basic data and business data from the meter need to be reported to the IoT gateway through the meter communication module, with the IoT gateway responsible for converting communication protocols and forwarding data. Similarly, the upper management systems also need to use the IoT gateway to achieve clock synchronization, device management, parameter configuration, safety valve control, software upgrades, etc., for the IoT smart gas meter.
2.2 IoT Gateway
The current national standard GB/T38624.1—2020 “IoT Gateway Part 1: Technical Requirements for Gateways Aimed at Perception Device Access” defines the “IoT gateway” as “an entity with data storage capability, computing capability, and protocol conversion capability, which can establish communication connections with application platforms through northbound interfaces and communicate with perception control devices through southbound interfaces.” The IoT gateway studied in this paper integrates functions such as network management, device management, flag management, interface management, security management, application management, and protocol conversion. The functional architecture of the IoT gateway is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 Functional Architecture of IoT Gateway
The protocol conversion function of the IoT gateway is accomplished through the protocol adaptation module, including remote connection adaptation module and local connection adaptation module. The remote connection adaptation module can convert various control instructions and business data issued by the sensing network management system and gas comprehensive management system into instruction formats and data formats that the IoT gateway can receive; on the other hand, it converts various request instructions and business data uploaded by the gateway into instruction formats and data formats that the sensing network management system and gas comprehensive management system can receive. The local connection adaptation module can convert various request instructions and business data reported by the IoT smart gas meter into instruction formats and data formats that the IoT gateway can receive; on the other hand, it converts various control instructions and business data issued by the IoT gateway into instruction formats and data formats that the IoT smart gas meter can receive.
The IoT gateway is located in the sensing network platform, assuming the responsibility of data transmission and network management between the gas meter and the sensing network management system. Therefore, the IoT gateway needs to have certain network management functions, including gateway management, performance management, self-maintenance management, clock synchronization, registration management, and access management. Gateway management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to manage and maintain its own software and hardware through local or remote methods. Performance management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to collect and report performance information of its own resource devices (including but not limited to CPU usage, memory usage, storage occupancy rate, throughput, etc.). Self-maintenance management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to automatically detect and maintain its own functions and performance, and adjust throughput according to actual conditions to improve or reduce operational efficiency. Clock synchronization refers to the gateway’s ability to synchronize its clock based on the clock of the sensing network management system and gas comprehensive management system. Registration management refers to the IoT gateway issuing a registration request to the sensing network management system when it first enters the public network, supporting the storage of successful registration information, and allowing the sensing network management system to manage and maintain the locally stored registration information. Access management refers to the IoT gateway enabling initialization configuration access to the public network when first used, supporting the sensing network management system to read, modify, and delete the gateway access configuration, and supporting automatic recovery of configuration information in case of configuration errors.
The IoT gateway has device management functions, including log management, alarm management, fault management, firmware management, device configuration management, status management, and power management. Log management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to record logs, including login records, management configuration operation records, external attack records, alarm information records, and audit records. Alarm management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to implement local alarm management, including alarm generation, alarm reporting, and alarm cancellation. Fault management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to continuously or intermittently test, observe, and monitor its own devices, and generate alarms when device performance significantly declines, capable of determining the location of the fault. Firmware management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to query and remotely upgrade the versions of software and firmware managed by it. Device configuration management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to obtain and set configuration parameters for itself and the gas meter through local or remote methods, and to automatically update and manage password settings when network structure changes occur. Status management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to obtain and report status information of its own resource devices and the gas meter. Power management refers to the IoT gateway’s ability to configure and manage its own power management strategy through local or remote means, and supports remote control of the gateway’s power on, off, sleep, and activation.
The IoT gateway’s flag management includes flag mapping and conversion, which can identify physical flags, network address flags, and application attribute flags from the northbound interface of the gateway; on the other hand, it can also achieve mutual mapping and conversion of various flags transmitted between the southbound interface and the northbound interface.
The IoT gateway has interface management functions, capable of providing southbound interfaces for gas meter access, including various wired interfaces or low-power wide-area networks, Zigbee, cellular communication, and other wireless interfaces, and can manage and configure the northbound remote connection adaptation module and southbound local connection adaptation module through local or remote methods.
The IoT gateway has security management functions, which can achieve security management for the gateway itself by obtaining the security policy information of the gateway’s own resource devices and configuring the security management policies of the gateway’s own resource devices, and can also achieve security management for the gas meter by obtaining and configuring the security management policies of the gas meter. Security management includes user authentication, encrypted transmission mechanisms, and attack protection. User authentication can be a simple password authentication mechanism, or it can be authenticated through digital certificates, smart cards, or gas meter features. The IoT gateway has data encryption functions, and the encryption algorithm can use triple data encryption standard (3DES) or advanced encryption standard to encrypt the basic data and business data of the gas meter in the IoT, ensuring data security. The IoT gateway can also support vulnerability scanning or denial-of-service attacks. When the IoT gateway is attacked, it can automatically record key information such as the attack source address, attack time, and attack type, generating real-time alarm information, and has certain blocking capabilities.
The IoT gateway achieves configuration and management of the applications running within the gateway through the application management module.
3 Characteristics of IoT Gateway
1. Real-time Performance
The IoT gateway not only serves as a transmission link in the sensing network but also undertakes part of the network management functions. The data reported by the gas meter includes metering information, billing information, valve status information, as well as safety information such as abnormal flow, abnormal voltage, and abnormal working status of the gas meter. The safety management of the gas meter requires not only the sensing network management system and gas comprehensive management system but also the IoT gateway to monitor the data information of the meter to determine whether the status of the meter is abnormal and whether it is necessary to issue warning information or implement safety control measures to ensure the safety management of the gas meter. Therefore, the IoT gateway must ensure the real-time performance of data transmission and judgment response.
2. High Reliability
The IoT gateway generally operates in a long-term working state, and the gateway hardware is usually installed in an environment without supervision. Therefore, the IoT gateway should have safe and reliable characteristics to ensure its long-term safe and reliable operation. The safety of the IoT gateway includes hardware safety and information safety. Since the IoT gateway typically uses external mains power supply, it should be installed in areas without potential explosion risks, away from gas usage locations, to ensure the explosion-proof safety of the gateway. Additionally, the gateway may operate for extended periods in complex environments with low temperatures, high temperatures, high humidity, and high dust, requiring certain protective performance to ensure the safety and reliability of the gateway hardware.
3. High Security
The IoT gateway has a high-security protection mechanism, possessing certain blocking capabilities against network attacks, ensuring the security of data transmission, data storage, and attack prevention. The IoT gateway ensures the security of data transmission in the sensing network by adopting advanced key encryption and real-time upgrade technologies; it can verify the legality, authenticity, integrity, and validity of information through information verification technologies, ensuring safety during the information reading and exchange process; and it can prevent the access of illegal network devices by verifying the identity legitimacy of the gas meters entering the network through identity authentication mechanisms and meter ID management technologies, preventing information eavesdropping, interception, tampering, and forgery caused by fake base stations.
4. Scalability
With the customized design of gas meters and the upgrading of functional requirements, the IoT gateway also has certain scalability, supporting further upgrades of its functions and optimization of its performance. Typically, sufficient external expansion interfaces are reserved during gateway design, which can be wired or wireless methods such as infrared, Bluetooth, etc., facilitating the expansion of functions and fault maintenance during the use of the gateway.
References:
［1］Ge Chao. Design and Implementation of Intelligent Gateway for IoT (Master’s Thesis) [D]. Changchun: Jilin University, 2020: 1-5.
（This article is edited by: Lin Guozhen）
Wireless Communication Technology of Smart Gas Meters
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