Development of a remote automated three phase power switching control system for three phase postpaid meters
Abstract
Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) is the technology of automatically collecting data from metering devices (electric, water, gas) and transferring that data to a central database for billing and/or further analysis. Power utility firms have an obligation to bill their customers based on actual meter readings taken. However, provision of these services has had challenges. This leads to the issue of estimated readings and an inconvenient billing method that is based on incorrect readings. This is normally evident during the power meter-reading period when some power consumers influence clerks to evade paying their power bills. A common phenomenon in some cases is either where the same field clerks take wrong readings or end up over/underestimating the customer’s consumption. This ends up inconveniencing customers budgeting. The project seeks to design and construct a remote automated three phase power switching control system. The proposed system will enable the utility company to remotely re-connect back its customers on three phase lines without sending technical personnel on ground. The project will be based on an 8-bit reduced instruction set computer based on Harvard CPU architecture-the ATMEGA328P microcontroller interfaced with a quad band SIM900 GSM modem from SIMcom. By sending control commands, the utility company will remotely control connection of three phase customers.