Electronic meter having user-interface and central processing functionality on a single printed circuit board

• US 20080238713A1
• Filed: 03/26/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EI Electronics LLC (Hubbell, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electro Industries/Gaugetech
• Inventors: Kagan, Erran, Banhegyesi, Tibor
• Granted Patent: US 8,587,949 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.02
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/008 with calibration coefficients stored in memory
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/00 Arrangements for measuring electric power or power factor G01R7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/06 by electronic methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/065 related to mechanical aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1424 Card cages

Abstract

A digital electrical power and energy meter integrates a primary processing module and a user interface module onto a single printed circuit board to reduce overall meter size, assembly time, and cost.

Claims

1. A digital electrical power and energy meter comprising:

a housing;

one or more interface cards, the one or more interface cards each comprising a printed circuit board and having a mating connector;

a first one of the one or more interface cards comprises;

at least one sensor for sensing a voltage signal;

at least one sensor for sensing a current signal; and

at least one analog to digital converter coupled to said at least one voltage or one current sensor; and

a motherboard comprising;

a first surface and a second surface, the first surface opposing the second surface;

one or more connectors, disposed on the first surface, each of the one or more connectors for receiving the mating connector of a one of the one or more interface cards; and

a user interface module, disposed on the second surface, the user interface module for displaying information to a user and receiving commands from a user.

2. The meter of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more interface cards are disposed in parallel relation to each other and in perpendicular relation to the motherboard; and

the mating connector on each of the one or more interface cards is disposed along an edge of the interface printed circuit board.

3. The meter of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more interface cards are disposed in parallel relation to each other and in parallel relation to the motherboard; and

the mating connector on each of the one or more interface cards is disposed on a face of the interface printed circuit board.

4. The meter of claim 1, further comprising:

a metering module capable of measuring or calculating at least one parameter of an AC electrical service;

a processing module capable of administering operation of the meter and processing data obtained by the metering module; and

a communication module capable of communicating with one or more remote devices.

5. The meter of claim 4, wherein:

the metering module is disposed on the first one of the one or more interface cards;

a first portion of the communication module is disposed on a second one of the one or more interface cards; and

each of the processing module and a second portion of the communication module is disposed on the motherboard.

6. The meter of claim 4, wherein the communication module further comprises:

a first portion comprising an infra-red communication device and disposed on the motherboard; and

a second portion comprising a network communication module disposed on a one of the one or more interface cards.

7. The meter of claim 6, wherein the network communication module supports at least one of Modbus TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP or email functionality.

8. The meter of claim 6, wherein the second portion of the communication module further comprises at least one input/output module communicatively coupled to the processing module.

9. The meter of claim 8, wherein the at least one input/output module facilitates bi-directional data exchange using any of:

analog 0-1 mA signals, analog 4-20 mA current loop signals, digital signals, relay contacts, solid-state contacts, fiber-optic signals, a 10/100BaseT Ethernet communication protocol, or a Modbus/TCP communication protocol.

10. A digital electrical power and energy meter comprising:

a housing;

one or more interface cards, the one or more interface cards each comprising a printed circuit board;

a first one of the one or more interface cards comprises;

at least one sensor for sensing a voltage signal;

at least one sensor for sensing a current signal; and

at least one analog to digital converter coupled to said at least one voltage or one current sensor; and

a motherboard comprising a printed circuit board;

one or more connection means for communicatively connecting the motherboard to each of the one or more interface cards, wherein a first portion of the one or more connection means is disposed on a first surface of the motherboard and a reciprocal second portion of the one or more connection means is disposed on at least one of the one or more interface cards; and

user interface means for displaying information to a user and receiving commands from a user, the user interface means disposed on a second surface of the motherboard.

11. The meter of claim 10, further comprising:

metering means for measuring or calculating at least one parameter of an AC electrical service;

processing means for administering operation of the meter and processing data obtained by the metering means; and

communication means for communicating with one or more remote devices.

12. The meter of claim 11, wherein:

the metering means are disposed on the first one of the one or more interface cards;

a first portion of the communications means is disposed on a second one of the one or more interface cards; and

each of the processing means and a second portion of the communications means are disposed on the motherboard.

13. The meter of claim 11, wherein the communications means further comprises:

a first portion comprising an infrared communication device and disposed on the motherboard; and

a second portion comprising a network communication module disposed on a one of the one or more interface cards.

14. The meter of claim 13, wherein the network communication module provides at least Modbus TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP or email functionality.

15. The meter of claim 13, wherein the second portion of the communication means further comprises input/output means communicatively connected to the processing means.

16. The meter of claim 15, wherein the input/output means facilitates bi-directional data exchange using any of:

analog 0-1 mA signals, analog 4-20 mA current loop signals, digital signals, relay contacts, solid-state contracts, fiber-optic signals, a 10/100BaseT Ethernet communication protocol, or a Modbus/TCP communication protocol.

17. A digital electrical power and energy meter comprising:

a housing;

one or more interface cards, the one or more interface cards each comprising a printed circuit board and having a mating connector; and

a motherboard comprising;

a first surface and a second surface, the first surface opposing the second surface;

one or more connectors, disposed on the first surface, each of the one or more connectors for receiving the mating connector of a one of the one or more interface cards; and

a user interface module, disposed on the second surface, the user interface module for displaying information to a user and receiving commands from a user,

wherein the one or more interface cards are disposed in parallel relation to each other and in perpendicular relation to the motherboard, and

wherein the mating connector on each of the one or more interface cards is disposed along an edge of the interface printed circuit board.

18. A digital electrical power and energy meter comprising:

a housing;

one or more interface cards, the one or more interface cards each comprising a printed circuit board and having a mating connector;

a first one of the one or more interface cards comprises a metering module, the metering module capable of measuring or calculating at least one parameter of an AC electrical service;

and

a motherboard comprising;

a first surface and a second surface, the first surface opposing the second surface;

one or more connectors, disposed on the first surface, each of the one or more connectors for receiving the mating connector of a one of the one or more interface cards;

a processing module disposed on the first surface, the processing module capable of administering operation of the meter and processing data obtained by the metering module;

and

a user interface module, disposed on the second surface, the user interface module for displaying information to a user and receiving commands from a user,

wherein the one or more interface cards are disposed in parallel relation to each other and in perpendicular relation to the motherboard, and

wherein the mating connector on each of the one or more interface cards is disposed along an edge of the interface printed circuit board.

19. The meter of claim 18, wherein the housing comprises:

a cover including at least one first opening and a rear portion including at least one second opening,

wherein the housing is configured to support the motherboard such that the first surface of the motherboard faces the at least one second opening and the second surface face the at least one first opening.

20. The meter of claim 19, further comprising a second one of the one or more interface cards comprising a communication module capable of communicating with one or more remote devices, wherein the second one of the one or more interface cards is disposed through the at least one second opening.

21. The meter of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors, the processing module and the user interface module are surface mounted to the motherboard.