SMART METER COVER WITH INTEGRAL UNTETHERED ANTENNA ELEMENTS FOR AMI COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20100253538A1
• Filed: 04/07/2010
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RF Savvy Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: RF Savvy, LLC
• Inventors: Smith, Norman James
• Granted Patent: US 8,228,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.20
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/008 Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2233 used in consumption-meter devices, e.g. electricity, gas or water meters
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49018 with other electrical component

Abstract

Method and apparatus for mounting and locating untethered embedded antenna elements in the dielectric cover of electric utility meters configured for but not limited to wireless remote one way or two way radio communications for automated metering applications such as remote meter reading, remote connect/disconnect, home area networking, meter equipment firmware downloads, load management or locations based services. A multiplicity of untethered integral antenna elements and topologies may be located within a replacement dielectric cover for a direct-connect cable free or cable connection to a radio or microwave modem. Also described is a method and apparatus for retro-fitting the antenna elements on the inner face of an existing utility meter dielectric cover.

Claims

1. An untethered antenna assembly integral to a utility meter dielectric cover for use in wireless communications systems with water, gas, or electric utility metering devices that include a meter body and a dielectric cover, said assembly comprising:

at least one antenna having a portion of its resonant structure substantially incorporated into or disposed on an interior wall of the dielectric cover, each of said at least one antennas including a portion exposed for use as an antenna electrode;

at least one meter body electrode mounted on the utility meter body for connection to a signal source via an antenna feed network; and

a surface mount contact disposed on each of either of said at least one meter body electrode or said at least one antenna electrode, wherein each of said meter body electrodes and said antenna electrodes are electromagnetically connected to one another through electromagnetic coupling of said surface mount contact with either of said antenna electrode or said meter body electrode when the dielectric cover of the utility meter is installed and in a locked configuration;

wherein an electromagnetic connection between said at least one antenna and said signal source is made entirely through the placement of the dielectric meter cover on the meter body, and the same electromagnetic connection is broken by the removal of the dielectric cover from the meter body, such that said at least one antenna and said antenna feed network includes no soldered or permanent cable-implemented physical connection between said antenna electrode and said meter body electrode.

2. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of said at least one meter body electrodes comprises a spring-loaded electrode.

3. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein either of said at least one of said meter body electrodes or said at least one antenna electrodes is a pogo pin.

4. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said antenna feed network includes a printed transmission line.

5. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said signal source is selected from the group consisting of a printed circuit board radio modem, and a printed circuit board microwave modem.

6. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said antenna is a monopole antenna having its arm disposed on the inside surface of the dielectric cover and the antenna ground plane is disposed on the signal source.

7. The antenna assembly of claim 6, wherein said surface mount contact and said antenna electrode are electromagnetically coupled through physical contact with one another.

8. The antenna assembly of claim 6, wherein said at least one of said surface mount contacts is a meter body electrode substantially covered with insulating material, and wherein said meter body electrode and said antenna electrode are in a spaced-apart relationship to one another when the dielectric cover is installed on the utility meter and in a locked configuration so as to define a dielectric insulating gap and to couple said at least one meter body electrode and said antenna electrode with a capacitive coupling.

9. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said surface mount contact and said at least one antenna electrode are electromagnetically coupled through physical contact with one another.

10. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said surface mount contact comprises dielectric ceramic pellets.

11. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said surface mount contact is a spring-loaded contact located on said radio modem printed circuit board.

12. The antenna assembly of claim 11, wherein said spring-loaded contact is formed as part of the antenna element on the dielectric cover and includes a spring curvature that engages said transmission line on said radio modem printed circuit board.

13. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said antenna comprises at least one antenna system.

14. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said antenna system includes multiple antennas.

15. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said untethered antenna is retrofitted to an existing utility meter dielectric cover by means other than by substantially incorporating it into a replacement dielectric cover.

16. The antenna assembly of claim 1, wherein said untethered antenna is substantially constructed around an optical coupler light pipe in the meter cover to facilitate bridging the air gap between the meter body and the inner face of the meter cover.

17. An untethered AMI communications antenna assembly for use in utility meters having a meter body and an antenna feed network connected to a signal source, said antenna assembly comprising:

a dielectric cover;

at least one antenna having a portion of its resonant structure substantially incorporated into or disposed on an interior wall of said dielectric cover, each of said at least one antennas including an exposed antenna electrode; and

at least one meter body electrode disposed on the surface of the meter body;

wherein said meter body electrode and said antenna electrode are electrically connected to one another through an electromagnetic coupling of said at least one meter body electrode with said antenna electrode only when said dielectric cover is installed on the meter body and put into a locked configuration, such that an electromagnetic connection between said at least one antenna and the antenna feed network is made entirely and only through the placement of said dielectric meter cover on said meter body, and the same electromagnetic connection is broken by the removal of said dielectric cover from said meter body, thereby obviating the need for a soldered or permanent cable-implemented physical connection between said at least one antenna electrode and said at least one meter body electrode.

18. The antenna assembly of claim 17, wherein placement of said dielectric cover on the meter body creates a physical connection between said at least one antenna electrode and said at least one meter body electrode, thus creating an inductive coupling.

19. The antenna assembly of claim 17, further including dielectric material disposed between said at least one antenna electrode and said at least one meter body electrode, thereby creating a capacitive coupling between said at least one antenna electrode and said meter body electrode.

20. A method of providing an untethered antenna assembly for use in AMI communications systems with water, gas, or electric utility metering devices having a utility meter body and a signal source, said method including the steps of:

(a) locating and installing an antenna feed network on the utility meter body;

(b) mounting a meter body electrode on the utility meter body;

(c) electrically connecting the signal source to the meter body electrode using an antenna lead-in;

(d) providing a dielectric meter cover;

(e) installing an antenna assembly in the dielectric meter cover either by substantially incorporating a portion of its resonant structure in an interior wall of the dielectric meter cover or by disposing a portion of its resonant structure on an interior wall of the dielectric meter cover, wherein the antenna assembly includes an exposed portion for use as an antenna electrode; and

(f) configuring and orienting the meter body electrode and the antenna electrode such that an electromagnetic coupling between the meter body electrode and the antenna electrode is effected only when the dielectric cover of the utility meter is installed and put into a locked configuration, and thus an electromagnetic connection between the antenna and the signal source is made entirely and only through the placement of the dielectric meter cover on the meter body, and such that the same electromagnetic connection is broken by the removal of the dielectric cover from the meter body.