Method for Edge Gateways

In the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), the concentrator serves as a critical intermediate node connecting the master station and terminal metering devices, undertaking the core functions of heterogeneous network convergence and protocol conversion. On the local network side, the concentrator must be compatible with various communication technologies, including power line carrier (e.g., G3-PLC, PRIME-PLC), low-power wide-area networks (e.g., Wi-SUN), and traditional RS-485 bus networks. On the remote network side, the concentrator accesses the public internet via fiber Ethernet or cellular networks to achieve secure and reliable communication with the master station.The core roles of the concentrator are twofold: on one hand, it acts as a network gateway to achieve transparent transmission from the local network to the public network; on the other hand, as a protocol gateway, it performs efficient conversion between the communication protocol used between the master station and the concentrator and that used between the concentrator and terminal devices. When the public network and the local network employ the same transport layer protocol (e.g. TCP), protocol conversion primarily occurs at the application layer, which is relatively straightforward. However, when network heterogeneity leads to different transport layer protocols (e.g., TCP on the public network and HDLC as the link layer control for the local RS-485), the concentrator must implement complex cross-layer protocol conversion, including session management, flow control, error recovery, and other mechanisms. This poses a key challenge in ensuring the real-time performance, reliability, and security of the AMI system. This paper addresses the aforementioned issues by investigating an adaptive protocol conversion mechanism for multi-scenario applications, aiming to enhance the compatibility, efficiency, and stability of concentrators in hybrid network environments.