Meter register and remote meter reader utilizing a stepper motor

• US 20050007260A1
• Filed: 06/09/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arad Measuring Technologies Ltd
• Original Assignee: Arad Measuring Technologies Ltd
• Inventors: Koch, Ronald N., Winter, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 7,775,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.10
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/07 Integration to give total flow, e.g. using mechanically-operated integrating mechanism

Abstract

A meter for flowing material, e.g., water, has a meter register having an electronic display, e.g., an LED or LCD display, and a mechanical read-out display driven by a stepper motor to record units of water that flowed through the meter. In the event of an electrical power failure, the LED or LCD readout values are lost, however, the mechanical read-out values remain. Further, signals are transmitted to a microprocessor of a meter register to change the rotation of the stepper motor so that the meter register can be used with different types of meters. Still further, a meter generator co-acting with a meter register forwards an electrical pulse signal after a quantity of material or utility passes through a water meter to a microprocessor of a remote reader. The remote reader includes an odometer coupled to a stepper motor.

Claims

1. A meter register to measure a quantity of material passing through a meter having a driving means, comprising:

a body;

a signal generating means received by said body and adapted to be driven by the driving means;

a signal receiving means adapted to receive the signal of said signal generating means, said signal receiving means adapted to convert the received signal to an electrical signal;

first means to receive the electrical signal to cause a first representation of the material passing through the meter; and

second means to receive an electrical signal to cause a second representation of said material passing through said meter.

2. The meter register as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first means includes a digital display.

3. The meter register as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first means is one of a liquid crystal display or light-emitting diode display.

4. The meter register as claimed in claims 1-3, wherein said second means comprises a stepper motor coupled to an odometer.

5. The meter register as claimed in claim 4, wherein said odometer is a mechanical odometer.

6. The meter register as claimed in claim 1, wherein said driving means comprises a magnetic driver, said signal generating means comprises a magnetic follower, and a signal receiving means comprises a reed switch.

7. A meter, comprising:

a body defining a flow-through cavity;

a measuring chamber received by said body;

a register attached to said body and in communication with the measuring chamber, said register having a mechanical drive system to drive a mechanical read-out system indicative of the volume of material flowing through the meter body;

an electrical reading system coupled to said register for creating an electrical signal indicative of the volume of material flowing through the register body; and

an electrical/mechanical system electrically coupled to said electrical reading system whereby an electrical signal causes said mechanical drive system to drive said mechanical read-out system.

8. The meter as claimed in claim 7, wherein said mechanical drive system comprises a stepper motor coupled to said mechanical read-out system whereby an electrical signal causes the stepper motor to rotate and drive the mechanical read-out system.

9. The meter as claimed in claim 8, wherein said mechanical read-out system comprises an odometer.

10. The meter as claimed in claim 8, wherein said mechanical read-out system is an arrow indicator driven by the stepper motor.

11. The meter as claimed in claims 7-10, wherein said mechanical read-out system is a gear driven odometer.

12. The meter as claimed in claims 7-10, wherein said electrical reading system, said electrical/mechanical system, and said mechanical read-out system are positioned away from said meter register and said meter body.

13. A universal meter reading register, comprising:

a body;

a signal generating means received by said body and adapted to be driven by a driving means and adapted to create a signal corresponding to an amount and/or flow rate of material flowing through a meter;

a signal receiving means adapted to receive the signal of said signal generating means, said signal receiving means having means to indicate the amount and/or flow rate of material passing through a meter; and

means for adjusting said signal to convert the signal received by the driving means to correlate with the specific type of meter.

14. The meter register as claimed in claim 13, wherein the signal generating means is a magnetic driver.

15. The meter register as claimed in claims 13, wherein the signal receiving means is a magnetic follower.

16. The meter register as claimed in claim 13, wherein said means for adjusting said signal comprises a look-up table, and wherein said means for adjusting said signal is activated to convert the signal received by the driving means through an entry on the look-up table to correspond to a specific type of meter.

17. A meter reading system, comprising:

a meter;

a meter generator co-acting with said meter, said meter generator producing an electrical pulse signal after a quantity of material or utility passes through the meter; and

a remote reader electrically coupled to said meter generator, said remote reader including an odometer coupled to a stopper motor, wherein the electrical pulse signal causes the stepper motor to change a reading on said odometer.

18. The meter reading system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the electric pulse signal is selected from the group of a polarized pulse signal and a non-polarized pulse signal, and the remote reader further comprises a first connection for the polarized pulse signal and a second connection for the non-polarized pulse signal, a battery, a microprocessor connected to the battery and the first and second connections and the microprocessor connected to the stepper motor.

19. A method for obtaining a reading from a meter, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a meter having a measuring chamber for measuring the quantity of material passing therethrough;

(b) providing a driving means coupled to the measuring chamber adapted to provide a driving signal;

(c) providing a register to co-act with said driving means; and

(d) causing an electronic signal to result in an electronic display and to drive a stepper motor to cause a reading on a mechanical display.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the mechanical display is an odometer.

21. A method for retrofitting a universal register to a meter, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a meter for the measurement of the volume of material passing therethrough;

(b) providing a meter register adapted to co-act with a plurality of meters;

(c) providing information to the meter register about the meter; and

(d) co-acting the meter register with the meter so that the meter register provides flow information corresponding to the meter.