IEC 62056

Key takeaways

IEC 62056 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect IEC 62056 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of IEC 62056 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

IEC 62056 is a set of standards for electricity metering data exchange by the International Electrotechnical Commission. The IEC 62056 standards are the international standard versions of the DLMS/COSEM specification. Device Language Message Specification (DLMS, originally Distribution Line Message Specification), is the suite of standards developed and maintained by the DLMS User Association (DLMS UA) and has been adopted by the IEC TC13 WG14 into the IEC 62056 series of standards. The DLMS User Association maintains a Type D liaison with IEC TC13 WG14, responsible for international standards for meter data exchange and establishing the IEC 62056 series. In this role, the DLMS UA provides maintenance, registration and compliance certification services for IEC 62056 DLMS/COSEM. Companion Specification for Energy Metering (COSEM) includes a set of specifications that defines the transport and application layers of the DLMS protocol. The DLMS User Association defines the protocols into a set of four specification documents, namely, the Green Book, Yellow Book, Blue Book and White Book. The Blue Book describes the COSEM meter object model and the OBIS object identification system, the Green Book describes the architecture and protocols, the Yellow Book addresses all the questions concerning conformance testing, the White Book contains the glossary of terms. If a product passes the conformance test specified in the Yellow Book, then a certification of DLMS/COSEM compliance is issued by the DLMS UA. The IEC TC13 WG14 groups the DLMS specifications under the common heading: "Electricity metering data exchange — The DLMS/COSEM suite." DLMS/COSEM protocol is not specific to electricity metering, it is also used for gas, water and heat metering.

Standards IEC 62056-1-0:2014 Smart metering standardisation framework IEC 62056-3-1:2013 Use of local area networks on twisted pair with carrier signalling IEC 62056-4-7:2014 DLMS/COSEM transport layer for IP networks IEC 62056-5-3:2017 DLMS/COSEM application layer IEC 62056-6-1:2017 Object Identification System (OBIS) IEC 62056-6-2:2017 COSEM interface classes IEC 62056-6-9:2016 Mapping between the Common Information Model message profiles (IEC 61968-9) and DLMS/COSEM (IEC 62056) data models and protocols IEC 62056-7-3:2017 Wired and wireless M-Bus communication profiles for local and neighbourhood networks IEC 62056-7-5:2016 Local data transmission profiles for Local Networks (LN) IEC 62056-7-6:2013 The three-layer, connection-oriented HDLC based communication profile IEC 62056-8-3:2013 Communication profile for PLC S-FSK neighbourhood networks IEC 62056-8-5:2017 Narrow-band OFDM G3-PLC communication profile for neighbourhood networks IEC 62056-8-6:2017 High speed PLC ISO/IEC 12139-1 profile for neighbourhood networks IEC TS 62056-8-20:2016 Mesh communication profile for neighbourhood networks IEC TS 62056-9-1:2016 Communication profile using web-services to access a DLMS/COSEM server via a COSEM Access Service (CAS) IEC 62056-9-7:2013 Communication profile for TCP-UDP/IP networks Other IEC 62056 parts deal with Electricity metering - Data exchange for meter reading, tariff and load control

IEC 62056-21:2002 Direct local data exchange IEC TS 62056-41:1998 Data exchange using wide area networks: Public switched telephone network (PSTN) with LINK+ protocol IEC 62056-42:2002 Physical layer services and procedures for connection-oriented asynchronous data exchange IEC 62056-46:2002+AMD1:2006 Data link layer using HDLC protocol IEC 62056-47:2006 COSEM transport layers for IPv4 networks IEC TS 62056-51:1998 Application layer protocols IEC TS 62056-52:1998 Communication protocols management distribution line message specification (DLMS) server IEC 62056-61:2002 Object identification system (OBIS)

Interface classes In DLMS/COSEM, all the data in electronic meters and devices are represented by means of mapping them to appropriate classes and related attribute values. Any real-world thing mapped to an appropriate class type can be described by the attributes defined in the standard, and the methods defined therewith allow operations to be performed on the attributes. The attributes and methods constitute an object. Conventionally, the first attribute in an object is the logical name, also defined as the OBIS code in the case of LN referencing. It is one part of the identification of the object. Objects that share common characteristics are generalized as instantiations of an interface class with defined class_id. Instantiations of an interface class are called COSEM objects. IEC 62056-62 defines nineteen interface classes for the COSEM object model.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with IEC 62056

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what IEC 62056 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to IEC 62056 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about IEC 62056 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of IEC 62056

In research: IEC 62056 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses IEC 62056 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: IEC 62056 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics IEC standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for IEC 62056 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study IEC 62056 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what IEC 62056 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain IEC 62056 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is IEC 62056 in simple terms?

IEC 62056 is a set of standards for electricity metering data exchange by the International Electrotechnical Commission. The IEC 62056 standards are the international standard versions of the DLMS/COSEM specification.

Why does IEC 62056 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study IEC 62056?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on IEC 62056.