WO1990013984A1

WO1990013984A1 - Electronic meter reader system

Info

Publication number: WO1990013984A1
Application number: PCT/US1989/001870
Authority: WO
Inventors: Francisco Denis, Jr.
Original assignee: Lorimaur International, Inc.
Priority date: 1989-05-08
Filing date: 1989-05-08
Publication date: 1990-11-15

Abstract

A pulse encoder (26) generates spaced pulses within a utility meter (10) reflecting measurement of a predetermined quantity, such pulses being continuously counted and totalled to provide repetitive pulse count readouts that are registered at a remote data gathering terminal (82) in response to reception of control signals and selective address data originating from the remote terminal.

Description

ELECTRONIC METER READER SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the reading of meter devices for measuring the consumption of electrical energy and the like and more particularly to the encoding, transmission and gathering of data for meter reading purposes.

Although automatic electronic meter reading systems are generally known and have heretofore been proposed in order to enable utilities to reduce the cost of gathering data from customer's meters, there has not been any widespread use of such meter reading systems for various reasons. A pulse encoding type of utility meter reading system is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,439,764 to York et al, wherein the pulses are counted and totaled to reflect an increasing quantity being measured by the meter. Such pulse total output of the pulse encoder is compared with repetitive outputs of a meter dial registering encoder which also controls start-up of the pulse encoder.

According to U.S. Patent No. 4,654,662 to Van Orsdel, a utility meter reading system is provided wherein a plurality of sensors of a meter based unit respectively sense numerical data displayed on the conventional number wheels of the meters.

It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide an automatic meter reading system more likely to achieve widespread acceptance because of its desirable attributes such as operational speed, reliability and data reading accuracy under diverse conditions of use despite reduced installational complexity and cost. A further object in accordance with the foregoing object is to provide a unit capable of being readily installed in an existing electric meter for meter reading and communication interfacing purposes. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a meter reading unit may be installed in any standard electric utility meter without major structural modification thereof to collect, process and read out data in response to reception of externally generated control signals and address code inputs from a remote centralized terminal at which the individual meter reading outputs are collected. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a photo-interrupt type sensor in the meter reading unit encodes meter readings by detecting incremental displacement of an element of the meter driven in response to energy consumption in order to supply corresponding pulses to a continuously operative counter and data store within which a running total of the energy consumed is maintained. An internal standby power source allows the data store to retain its total count reflecting the energy consumed whenever there is a power failure.

Readout of the current energy consumption count from the counter and data store is effected through solid state signal transmitting components including a shift register connected by a multi-bit data bus to the counter and data store and under control of a flip-flop. A second shift register receives input data having an address code from a remote central computer terminal. When the address code matches the address code of a particular meter reading unit stored within its address memory, a triggering signal is applied to the flip-flop in order to enable the first-mentioned shift register following reset of the flip-flop and the application of clock signal pulses from the remote terminal in order to produce a data output operational mode for the meter reading unit during which output data reflecting the current consumption of energy is read out.

Control signals and address code data are respectively supplied to a plurality of the meter reading units during intervals between generation of the meter reading pulses aforementioned through an interface system connected to the aforementioned remote central computer terminal and its associated power supply. According to one embodiment of the invention, the components of each meter reading unit may be externally powered from the central power supply through the interface system, with only the data store being locally powered by a battery on a standby basis as aforementioned to maintain the count accumulated therein in the event there is a power failure. In addition to supplying the control signals, operating power and the address code data for the various meter reading units, the interface system also transmits the output data therefrom to the central computer within which the data is gathered and further processed for billing purposes, by way of example. The central computer through the programmed supply of the control signals and address data controls the timing and duration of data readout registration in operative relation to the pulses generated within the meter reading unit.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Figure 1 is a front elevation view of a typical electric utility meter with which the present invention may be associated.

Figure 2 is a top partial section view taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line 2-2 showing a portion of the meter reading system of the present invention installed within the meter.

Figure 3 is a partial section view taken substantially through a plane indicated by section line 3-3 in Fig. 1 showing another portion of the meter reading system installed within the meter.

Figure 4 is a block circuit diagram illustrating the meter reading system of the present invention in accordance with one embodiment. Figure 4A is a block diagram illustrating a modified arrangement of meter reading devices in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a graphical illustration of the data signals associated with the meter reading system of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a basic program flow chart for the remote controlled computer associated with the system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings in detail.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate by way of example a typical electrical utility meter generally referred to by reference numeral 10 enclosed within a transparent housing secured to the meter base 14. A rotatable element of the meter, such as the circular disk 16, is driven in response to energy consumption in order to effect movement of a plurality of meter reading dials 18 through gearing, as is already well known in the art.

In accordance with the present invention, the meter 10 without any major structural modification has a meter reading unit generally referred to by reference numeral 20, installed therein as more clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the meter reading unit 20 includes a pair of closely spaced circuit boards 22 and 24 fixedly mounted within the meter enclosure below the disk 16 in order to mount a plurality of its solid state electronic components. The meter reading unit also includes in the illustrated embodiment a photo-interrupt type of pulse encoder generally referred to by reference numeral 26. The encoder 26 includes a mounting plate 28 jou naling a rotatable element 30 operatively connected to the meter reading dial gearing. A plurality of angularly spaced holes 32 are formed in the element 30 through which light may be transmitted in order to detect movement by means of position sensor and pulse generator 34 in response to angular displacement of the element 30. By way of example, a pulse may be generated by encoder 26 each time the driven disk 16 is displaced by 10° in order to reflect a corresponding consumption of energy.

The meter reading unit 20 associated with one particular meter as illustrated in Figs. 1-3, is diagrammed in Fig. 4 showing the pulse encoder 26 from which the output pulses are continuously counted by a 16-bit binary counter and data store 36 within which a total count of pulses is accumulated and stored to reflect the quantity of energy consumed, corresponding to the visual dial readout of the meter 10. The binary counter 36 is connected by means of a multi-digit data bus 38 to a 16-bit shift register 40 as one of the components of the meter reading unit mounted on the circuit boards 22 and 24 aforementioned in connection with Fig. 3. The shift register 40 during the operational output mode, transmits a sequential readout of the data received from through bus 38, such readout being applied through a tri-state driver 42 to a data output line 44.

The shift register 40 and driver 42 are enabled in response to an output from the Q-terminal of a flip-flop 46. Such enabling output of flip-flop 46 is effected following reset by control signals applied thereto through reset line 48 and line 50 from an equality detector 52. The signal in line 50 from equality detector 52 is produced in response to coincidence between an 8-bit address code applied thereto from shift register 54 and the address code stored in memory 56 identifying the particular meter reading unit 20 with which a selected meter 10 is associated.

Data transmitting operation of the shift registers is controlled by clock signals applied thereto through line 58 following the application of the reset signal to the flip-flop 46 through line 48 which also clears the shift register 54.

At the same time, an address code input to the shift register 54 is applied in a sequential pulse format through data input line 60 in order to transmit the aforementioned 8-bit address code to equality detector 52. The input data line 60, the control signal lines 48 and 58, the output data line 44 and a power supply line 62 connected to the various components of the meter reading unit 20, originate from a remote source externally of the meter 10 and transmitted through cable 64 forming part of a data bus system 66 connected to all of the meter reading units 20 of the system.

As shown in Fig. 5, a meter reading operation is initiated by application of a signal pulse 68 through line 48 to the flip-flop 46 and the shift register 54 as aforementioned in connection with Fig. 4. The pulse 68 is followed by the clock pulses 70 and the sequential pulses 72 forming the address code input as aforementioned. Negative pulse 74 in Fig. 5 represents the output of flip-flop 46 as aforementioned necessary to enable data transmission through shift register 40. Following such enablement of the shift register, the sequential pulse readout through line 44 occurs as denoted by the data output pulses 76 in Fig. 5. Referring once again to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the data readout lines 44 from the meter reading units extend through data bus 66 to an interface 80 through which the data input in cables 64 are transmitted. The data bus system 66 thus operatively interconnects the various meter reading units 20 with a central computer 82 from which the control signals and address code data originates in response to some selective input such as an input code entered through a keyboard. The central computer 82 also performs data gathering and data processing operations. Operation of the central computer may be powered from a central power supply 84 from which the operating energy for each of the meter reading units 20 is derived according to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4. While all of the powered components of each meter reading unit is thereby energized by power from a source externally of the meter, a standby power source 86 is provided internally of the meter for the data store of component 36 in order to maintain the accumulated total pulse count representing the energy consumed, in the event there is any power failure. Figure 6 illustrates an operational sequence dictated by programming of the central computer 82 for controlling the timing and duration of a data reading mode of operation within the meter reading unit 20 as hereinbefore described. Input data applied to the equality detector 52 initiates operation as indicated by start 88 in Fig. 6. The equality detection phase 90 effects transmission of the address code data as indicated by operational phase 92 so that the energy consumption count data may be received from the meter reading unit as reflected by operational phase 94. Such data transmission and reception is repeated three times as indicated at 96 in order to ensure the transmission of accurate data. When the repeated data outputs are equal, corresponding to readouts limited to an interval between pulse generation by the pulse encoder 26 as reflected at decision block 98, the output data is registered by being stored and displayed through the computer as indicated at 100. Such storage and display of data occurs a maximum number of times depending on the capacity of the counter and data store 36. When such limit is exceeded as indicated at decision block 102, the meter reading operation terminates as indicated at 104. Otherwise, another meter reading operational sequence may be initiated with equality detection at 90. In the event repeated readout during any operational sequence does not produce equal data, the decision at 98 effects a data-error detection operation 106 which produces an error signal applied to the computer. Figure 4A illustrates another communication arrangement between the central computer 82 and each of a plurality of meter reading units 20 having a local power supply 108 associated therewith. Input data including the control signals and address code data aforementioned is fed to each meter reading unit 20 through a transponder 110 also powered by the local power supply 108. The transponder 110 corresponds to the type of medium 112 utilized to establish data communication through a communication interface 114 to which the central computer 82 is coupled. The transmission medium 112 may be in the form of telephone lines, power lines, radio frequency transmission, etc.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and, accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMED:

1. In combination with a meter having an element driven in response to energy consumption, positional sensor means mounted within the meter for generating time spaced pulses reflecting incremental energy consumption in response to movement of said element, counter means connected to said sensor means for continuously counting said pulses and storing a total of the counted pulses, data transmitting means connected to the counter means for readout of said total of the counted pulses during a data output mode and remotely controlled input means connected to the data transmitting means for selectively initiating operation thereof in the data output mode in response to reception of input data having an address code.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the input data further includes reset and clock signals controlling said operation of the data transmitting means.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the data transmitting means includes a pair of shift registers respectively operated under control of the clock signals, an address memory, equality detector means connected to the address memory and one of the shift registers for enabling the other of the shift registers in response to correspondence between the address code in the input data and the address memory and output data bus means operatively connecting said counter means to the other of the shift registers for effecting said readout therethrough while enabled during the data output mode.

4. The combination of claim 3 including remote terminal means for generating the input data, power supply means connected to the remote terminal means externally of the meter for operation of the terminal means and interface means operatively connected to the remote terminal means and the external power supply means for respectively transmitting the input data to the remotely controlled input means and externally powering the counter means, the data transmitting means and the input means.

5. The combination of claim 4 including standby power means connected to the counter means internally of the meter for maintaining the total of the counted pulses stored therein during failure of the power supply means.

6. The combination of claim 1 including remote terminal means for generating the input data, power supply means connected to the remote terminal means externally of the meter for operation of the terminal means and interface means operatively connected to the remote terminal means and the external power supply means for respectively transmitting the input data to the remotely controlled input means and externally powering the counter means, the data transmitting means and the input means.

7. The combination of claim 6 including standby power means connected to the counter means internally of the meter for maintaining the total of the counted pulses stored therein during failure of the power supply means.

8. A system for gathering measurement data from time spaced pulses, comprising means for continuously counting said generated pulses and ^storing an accumulative pulse count, signal responsive means for registering readouts of the accumulative pulse count when enabled during intervals between said pulses and address means connected to the signal responsive means for selective enablement thereof.

9. The system of claim 8 including programmed terminal means connected to the signal responsive means for registration of the readouts limited to repetitively equal pulse counts occurring during said intervals between the pulses.

10. The system of claim 9 including standby power means connected to the counting and storing means independently of the programmed terminal means for maintaining the continuous counting and storing operation thereof.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the signal responsive means includes a first shift register connecting the continuous counting and storing means to the programmed terminal means, a second shift register connected to the programmed terminal means and equality detecting means operatively connected to the address means and both of the shift registers for effecting said enablement of the first shift register and said readouts of the pulse count therethrough.

12. The system of claim 8 including standby power means locally connected to the counting and storing means for maintaining the continuous counting and storing operation thereof.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the signal responsive means includes a first shift register connecting the continuous counting and storing means to the programmed terminal means, a second shift register connected to the remote terminal means and equality detector means operatively connected to the address means and both of the shift registers for effecting said enablement of the first shift register and said readouts of the pulse count therethrough.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the signal responsive means includes a pair of shift registers, means connecting the continuous counting and storing means to one of the shift registers for effecting said readouts of the pulse count therefrom when enabled and equality detector means operatively connected to both of the shift registers for effecting the selective enablement of said one of the shift registers.