WO1999062042A1

WO1999062042A1 - A telemeter with independent power source

Info

Publication number: WO1999062042A1
Application number: PCT/KR1999/000252
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sung Rho Yoon
Original assignee: Woorigisool Inc.
Priority date: 1998-05-22
Filing date: 1999-05-20
Publication date: 1999-12-02
Also published as: AU4062999A; KR19990085830A

Abstract

The telemeter equipped with independent power source consists of a small turbine for generating electric power while it rotates due to a flowing of fluid such as water, oil or fuel gas etc.; a power amplifier for amplifying the low electric power provided from the small turbine; a rechargeable battery being charged with the electric power from the power amplifier, and supplying the charged electric power to individual components of the telemeter; a sensor for sensing a rotation speed, which is proportional to the velocity of the flowing fluid, of the small turbine, converting the sensed value into an electric signal; an A/D converter for converting an analog signal outputted from the sensor into a digital signal; a modem for transmitting the converted digital information on the amount of fluid flowed to the outside; a memory for storing information collected on every gauging operation; and a controller for controlling the operations of all the components, enabling a permanent gauging function without an additional power supplying from the outside by generating the electric energy necessary for operations of all its components.

Description

D E S C R I P T I O N

A TELEMETER WITH INDEPENDENT POWER SOURCE

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a telemeter with independent power source, more particularly, to a telemeter having an independent power supplier to self-generate electric power, enabling a telemetering to be accomplished without any additional power supplied from the outside by generating electric power in itself from mechanical energy in flowing of fluid, e.g., fuel gas or water provided through pipes.

2. Background Art

In a telemetering service recently under a commercial use in U.S., a telemetering apparatus is installed at each houses to measure the amount of fuel gas, piped water or electricity etc. used, and to transmit such measured information from each house to a central control center by cable or radio. Therefore, the telemetering is accomplished without a meterman's visit at each houses.

However, such conventional telemetering apparatus requires electric power supplied from the outside in order to transmit the measured information to the control center. Thus, not only additional charges for electric energy dissipated in a telemetering apparatus should be paid, but also electric power lines should be extended from other power source, or a battery exchange is required periodically, in case that a circumstantial condition is inappropriate to install an electric power supplier in or adjacent to the telemetering apparatus.

3. Disclosure of Invention

It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a telemeter with an independent power source, which is capable of generating and supplying electric power by utilizing physical characteristics of an object to be telemetered.

In accordance with the present invention for achieving the objective, the telemeter with an independent power source consists of a gauging unit for measuring the amount of an object used; a communication unit for transmitting the measured information provided by the gauging unit to the outside; and a power generating unit for generating the electric power from the object telemetered and supplying the power to the gauging unit and the communication unit, the electric power being necessary for an operation of individual components thereof.

In the inventive telemeter with an independent power source configured as above, the electric power is obtained directly from the object telemetered in the power generating unit by utilizing the physical characteristics of the object. For example, in case that the object to be telemetered, which is called as "telemetering object" hereinafter, is a fluid such as water, oil or fuel gas etc., a kinetic energy of fluid is converted into an electric energy by a turbine etc. In case that the telemetering object is electricity, power can be obtained simply by a connection with an electric wire.

As above-mentioned, if the electric power is generated directly from the telemetering object, the gauging unit measures the amount of the telemetering object used by using the self-generated electric power, and the communication unit can transmit information on the measured amount to the exterior control center etc. as dissipating the generated electric power . 4. Brief Description of Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, illustrate the preferred embodiment of this invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a telemeter with an independent power source according to the present invention; and FIG. 2 describes the block diagram of a telemeter with an independent power source in detail in a case of telemetering a flowing object such as water, oil or fuel gas etc.

5. Modes for Carrying out the Invention

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail referring to the accompanying drawings .

An inventive telemeter equipped with an independent power source is provided with its structure and operation as follows . FIG. 1 illustrates the block diagram of an embodiment of the present telemeter, and it is composed of a gauging sensor 10 for gauging the amount for a telemetering object used; a power generator 20 for generating electric power by utilizing a physical nature of the telemetering object; a secondary battery 30 charged with the electric power generated by the power generator 20, for keeping and supplying the electric power to individual components of the telemeter; a communication unit 50 for transmitting the gauged information obtained from the gauging sensor 10 to the outside; and a controller 40 for controlling overall all the components mentioned above.

FIG. 2 offers a detailed structure of a preferred embodiment of the present telemeter used for telemetering a fluid, e.g., water, oil or fuel gas. In FIG. 2, the inventive telemeter includes a small turbine 130 for generating electric power while it rotates due to a flowing of a telemetering object such as water, oil or fuel gas etc.; a power amplifier 80 for amplifying the low electric power provided from the small turbine 130; a rechargeable battery 90 being charged with the electric power from the power amplifier 80, and supplying the charged electric power to individual components of the telemeter; a sensor 60 for sensing a rotation speed of the small turbine 130 proportional to a flowing speed of the fluid, converting the sensed value into an electric signal; an A/D converter 70 for converting an analog signal outputted from the sensor 60 into a digital signal; a modem 100 for transmitting the converted digital information on the amount of fluid flowed to the outside; a memory 120 for storing information collected on every gauging time; and a controller 110 for controlling the operations of all the components mentioned above.

The modem 100 is used while transmitting information on the amount of fluid flowed through a cable. Meantime, in case of transmitting the information through a radio wave, the modem 100 is replaced with an RF transmitter.

The operation of the embodiment of FIG. 2 according to the present telemeter is described in detail as follows.

Fluid such as water, oil or fuel gas etc. flows along through a pipe 140, e.g., a water pipe or a fuel-gas pipe, and the small turbine 130 fixed inside the pipe 140 rotates in a predetermined rotational direction by a flowing force of the fluid.

Mechanical energy caused by its rotation is converted by the small turbine 130 into electric energy transferred to the power amplifier 80. The power amplifier 80 amplifies the transferred electric level enough to charge the rechargeable battery 90 and provides the amplified electric power to it. The battery 90 is charged with the supplied electric power and keeps it. After that, when the energy is not generated any more because the fluid does not flow, the battery 90 can supply the electric power to the individual components of the telemeter.

The sensor 60 detects the rotation speed of the small turbine 130. The amount of the fluid used can be measured from the detected rotation speed of the small turbine 130 and the rotation time, since its rotation speed increases or decreases in proportion to the flow velocity of the fluid.

The sensor 60 converts such measured information on the amount of the used fluid into the electric signal. Under a control of the controller 110, this signal is converted into the digital data processed by the controller 110 in the A/D converter 70.

The controller 110 stores the converted digital information on the amount of the used fluid into the memory 120 one by one. The information stored in the memory 120 is sequentially transmitted to the exterior control center located in a remote site through the modem 100 (or the RF transmitter) under the control of the controller 110 at a predetermined transmission interval . Of course, the electric power necessary for the operations of the individual components is supplied from the battery 90 charged with the self-generated electric power.

Though the above-described is for the telemetering of fluid such as water, oil or fuel gas etc. the present invention is also applicable to the telemetering of electricity. In this case, the rotation sensor 60 may be replaced with a specific sensor adequate to detect a current.

Based on the above structure and operation, the telemeter with an independent power source generates the electric power in itself by utilizing the physical nature of the object telemetered, and uses such electric power for a telemetering operation of all the components. Accordingly, telemetering performance is permanently possible without any additional power supplying from the outside. The foregoing is provided only for the purpose of illustration and explanation of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, so changes, variations and modifications may be^" made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A telemeter, comprising: means for measuring the amount of an used object; means for transmitting the measured information to the outside; and means for generating electric power from the object and supplying the generated power to said measuring means and said transmitting means.

2. The telemeter of claim 1, wherein the object is a fluid, and said power generating means converts kinetic energy of the fluid into electric energy.

3. The telemeter of claim 1, wherein the object is electricity, and said power generating means obtains the electric energy directly from the electricity.