Smart Meter Reading Based on DLMS/COSEM Protocol

Abstract

This research project aims at designing a system for Managing Electrical Grids based on Power Line Communication Carrier (PLCC). A comprehensive study and investigation for the relevant hardware equipment and software protocols is conducted. Three case studies of similar work of pilot projects are analysed from Palestine in Gaza strip and West bank cities. It is found that all these projects are utilizing smart meters compliant with the DLMS/COSEM protocol, which is a world-wide standard for automatic meter reading (AMR). However; none of them uses locally developed software instead all of them rely on software packages which are not only expensive but also complicate the developing procedure, fault diagnosis andmaintenance. Consequently, we focused on the low level programming to demonstrate the implementation of DLMS/COSEM protocol using a standard programming language VB6. The implemented application successfully communicates with any DLMS-Compliant meter and retrieves the basic readings such as energy, current, and voltage along with the time stamp. Keywords: A Power Line Communication, A Power Line Carrier Communication, PLCC, Broadband, DLMS, COSEM, HDLC, OBIS, Managing Electrical Grids, Automatic Meter Reading (AMR), smart meters, smart Grid.