Chips from STMicroelectronics to Meter Utility Consumption in One Million Chinese Households

Highly-integrated power-line transceivers from STMicroelectronics, a world leader in mixed-signal IC technologies and semiconductors for metering applications, will be deployed in the largest-ever Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) project in China. Power-line communication modules based on ST’s chips have been selected, in combination with other conventional communication technologies such as RS485, for a multi-utility metering system that will enable China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the country’s largest integrated oil and gas company, to remotely collect and manage consumption of water, gas, heat and electricity in more than one million households across China.

ST’s ST7540 power-line transceiver chips are at the heart of power-line communication modules supplied by Shenzhen B&G Technology Development (B&G),one of the major system providers for the CNPC project. These modules will collect user consumption data from different meters into Data Concentrators, remotely managed by the central Management Information System.

Widely used worldwide for various command-and-control applications, such as Automatic Meter Reading, Street Lighting control, and Home and Building Automation systems, ST’s power-line transceivers have proven particularly suitable to the China market. In addition to the undisputed space and cost benefits of the highly integrated solution, extensive field tests, carried out in China’s power grid, have demonstrated the high communication robustness of the ST7540.

Compliant with the major international standards, including the European CENELEC EN50065 and the US FCC part 15, the ST7540 has been alsoapproved for compliance with the local Chinese standard DL/T 698-1999.

The multi-utility metering project in China will take about three years to complete. Some 200,000 ST’s power-line transceiver chips have been already shipped to B&G for the first installations