Device for determining the movement of a rotary element, particularly for readings of water and/or gas meters

• US 10,215,594 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Onde, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivera Vargas, Manuel A
• Application Number:
  US15/379,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20170350730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/008 Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/249 using pulse code
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2497 Absolute encoders G01D5/2454 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/34792 with only digital scales or both digital and incremental scales
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A rotary element is equipped with a pattern representing a reflected binary code on at least three bits. A detection circuit is configured to sense the pattern and deliver an incident signal encoded in reflected binary code on at least three bits. The incident signal is converted by a transcoding circuit into an intermediate signal encoded in reflected binary code on two bits. A decoding stage decodes the intermediate signal and outputs at least one clock signal representing the amount of rotation of the rotary element and a direction signal representing the direction of rotation. A processing circuit determines the movement of the rotary element, and has at least one general purpose timer designed to receive the at least one clock signal and direction signal.

Claims

1. A device for determining the movement of a rotary element equipped with a pattern representing a reflected binary code on at least three bits, comprising:

a detection circuit comprising at least three sensors interacting with the rotary element and configured to deliver an incident signal encoded in reflected binary code on at least three bits during the rotation of said pattern in front of said sensors, wherein said reflected binary code on at least three bits comprises one or more prohibited states,

a transcoding circuit configured to convert the incident signal into an intermediate signal encoded in reflected binary code on two bits,

a decoding circuit configured to receive the intermediate signal and to deliver at least one clock signal representing the amount of rotation of the rotary element and a direction signal representing a direction of rotation, and

a processing circuit configured to determine the movement of the rotary element and comprising at least one general purpose timer configured to receive said at least one clock signal and said direction signal.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the decoding circuit is configured to deliver a first clock signal representing the amount of rotation of the rotary element in a first direction of rotation and a second clock signal representing the amount of rotation of the rotary element in a second direction of rotation.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said at least one general purpose timer is a synchronous timer having at least one clock synchronization circuit containing D flip-flops receiving said at least one clock signal delivered by the decoding circuit and timed by a timing clock signal, and the decoding circuit further comprises a clock gating circuit configured to deliver a clock gating signal and to deliver the sequencing clock signal on the basis of a base clock signal only if the clock gating signal is present.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the gating circuit is also configured to allow the delivery of the intermediate signal to the decoding circuit only if the clock gating signal has already been delivered.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the clock gating circuit comprises:

a sequence of D flip-flops wherein a first flip-flop is timed by the base clock signal, a non-complemented output of a penultimate flip-flop delivers an auxiliary timing signal, a complemented output of a last flip-flop delivers said clock gating signal, a data input of each successive flip-flop in the sequence from a second flip-flop to a last flip-flop being connected to the complemented output of the preceding flip-flop; and

two auxiliary D flip-flops which are timed by the auxiliary clock signal and whose respective data inputs are configured to receive the two components of the intermediate signal, and whose two non-complemented outputs are connected to the input of the decoding circuit.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the transcoding circuit is also configured to deliver an error signal in the response to either a prohibited transition between two values of the reflected binary code or in the presence of a prohibited state of the reflected binary code.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the number of sensors is equal to three.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the sensors are offset by 120 degrees from each other.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the rotary element is a part of a gas or water meter.

10. A device for determining the movement of a rotary element equipped with a pattern representing a reflected binary code on at least three bits, comprising:

a sensing circuit interacting with the rotary element and configured to deliver an incident signal encoded in reflected binary code on at least three bits in response to rotation of the rotary element,

a transcoding circuit configured to convert the incident signal into an intermediate signal encoded in reflected binary code on two bits,

a decoding circuit configured to decode the intermediate signal and output at least one clock signal representing the amount of rotation of the rotary element and a direction signal representing a direction of rotation,

a synchronous timer circuit having an input receiving said at least one clock signal, wherein the synchronous timer circuit is clocked by a control clock signal, and

a clock gating circuit configured to selectively pass a base clock signal as said control clock signal in response to a clock gating signal.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein said clock gating circuit is further configured to control delivery of the intermediate signal to the decoding circuit if said base clock signal is passed as said control clock signal.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein the decoding circuit is configured to deliver a first clock signal representing the amount of rotation of the rotary element in a first direction of rotation and a second clock signal representing the amount of rotation of the rotary element in a second direction of rotation.