Conformity assessment of photo-optical measurement data registration in legal metrology Ensuring admissibility as evidence of measurement data retrieved from legacy utility meters

• Published in: Technisches Messen Vol. 90; no. 2; pp. 91 - 102
• Main Authors: Esche, Marko, Nischwitz, Martin, Schmidt, Manuel, Meyer, Reinhard, Elfroth, Marco
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 23.02.2023
• ISSN: 0171-8096; 2196-7113
• DOI: 10.1515/teme-2022-0033

Abstract The rollout of smart meters in Europe requires solutions for the transition from the existing metering system to the digital metering infrastructure. Connecting legacy meters to the new digital backends is one of the major challenges for the transitory phase. Here, the requirements for performing valid registration of measurement values from legacy meters are derived from the legal metrological framework of the European Union. Threats on the process of registration are then determined based on these requirements and subsequently evaluated. A prototypical implementation, making use of photo-optical technology is presented, illustrating how applicable requirements may be covered. With the help of a risk assessment, the critical aspects of the implementation are identified to highlight how actual implementations might be further improved.