Meter antenna

• US 20050052328A1
• Filed: 09/08/2003
• Published: 03/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tantalus Systems Corp
• Original Assignee: Tantalus Systems Corp
• Inventors: De Angelis, Robert Hugo
• Granted Patent: US 7,129,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/767
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2233 used in consumption-meter devices, e.g. electricity, gas or water meters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/42 Housings not intimately mechanically associated with radiating elements, e.g. radome
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/29 Combinations of different interacting antenna units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q25/00 takes precedence
• 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

The antenna configuration presented is an integral component of a retrofit module designed to incorporate a data telemetry transceiver within the confines of a utility meter.

Claims

1. An antenna arrangement for a conventional utility meter having a cover and metallic infrastructure plus RF communications capability, comprising a slot antenna formed to fit under the cover and cooperating with said RF communications capability.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein said cover is in the shape of a frusto-cone and said slot antenna is formed in an approximate frusto-cone shape.

3. An antenna arrangement for a conventional utility meter having a cover, metallic infrastructure and RF communications capability, comprising:

(a) an antenna with a radiating/receiving element and that is formed to fit under the cover and

(b) a dominant metallic structure that is physically closer to the said radiating/receiving element than the metallic infrastructure is to said radiating/receiving element.

4. A method of managing the varying effects of differing incumbent metallic infrastructures on the performance of a radiating/receiving element of an antenna, comprising the steps of:

(a) inserting a metallic structure closer to the radiating/receiving element than the incumbent metallic infrastructure.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said inserted metallic structure takes the form of a slot antenna and the radiating/receiving element is the slot of the slot antenna.