ELECTRICAL METER READING SYSTEM

• US 3,697,970 A
• Filed: 06/17/1970
• Issued: 10/10/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William W. Jaxheimer
• Original Assignee: William W. Jaxheimer
• Inventors: Jaxheimer, William W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell, John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mooney, Robert J.
• Application Number:
  US05/046,857
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 340/183,182,150,151,152T,408,204 179/2A 178/2D
• US Class Current: 340/870.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/826 where the data is sent periodically
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A telemetering system for sequentially interrogating a plurality of meters and successively transmitting the data thereon to a remote station for suitable processing, such as the sequential reading of meters indicating the consumption of electrical energy, gas, water, and similar meters, and transmitting the readings by encoded electrical signals to a central station or other location where the readings may be recorded and stored for future processing or may be fed directly to a suitable computer for computation, recording, and billing for the service rendered. An encoder provides electrical pulses corresponding to the reading on each meter dial and the dial readings are sequentially encoded and transmitted to the processing station. After all dials of a meter have been read, a coded pulsed identification is transmitted indicating the meter just read. When there is only one meter at a reader location, the reading and information encoding is followed by a transfer signal sent from the meter just completed to the next meter location in the sequence to energize the reader at this latter meter location. Should this latter meter location be out of operation, the transfer signal is transmitted to the next sequential meter reader until an operative meter is reached. The interrogating, encoding, and transmitting, as previously explained, is then repeated until the entire sequence of meters has been read. When there is a plurality of meters at one location, only one master encoder and one master meter and dial selector are required for all meters at that location, provided the master units are built to read and transmit the number of meters thus grouped together. If the master unit is built to handle more meters than those in the group, provision is made to transmit the transfer signal when all meters in the group have been read, thus avoiding needless waiting for completion of a reading cycle longer than that required for the actual meters in the group.

Claims

1. A telemetering system for sequentially interrogating a plurality of meters at a plurality of locations and reading the meters and encoding said reading into signals corresponding to the digital indication read and encoding other signals for identifying the meter read and for transmitting said signals to a central station for processing, comprising:

a meter-reader at each meter location for reading meters and producing data signals and meter identifying signals and for transmitting said signals to the central station;

each of said meter-readers including a drive motor for driving said meter-readers, means at the central station for transmitting an initial interrogation read-out signal to the meter reader for the first of said plurality of meters, operation control means for initially energizing said motor in response to receipt of a read-out signal and having means for holding said motor energized sUbsequent to said initial energization for a predetermined operating cycle, presettable means at each of said meter-reader locations for selecting the number of meters to be read at that location and for automatically transmitting a transfer read-out signal to the sequentially next meter-reader of said plurality of locations on completion of the meter reading of the selected number of meters at the respective meter location; and

means for resetting each respective meter reader to its starting condition after completion of the meter reading of the selected number of meters at its respective location and for then releasing said motor energization holding means.

2. A telemetering system as defined in claim 1 wherein each meter reader includes means for producing encoded trains of pulses as said data signals and another train of pulses as said meter identifying signals, and said operation control means includes means having contacts for connecting said motor to an energizing source in response to said initial read-out signal.

3. A telemetering system as defined in claim 2 wherein said operation control means read-out signal responsive means comprises a relay having an operating coil connected for response to said initial read-out signal for closing said contacts to energize said motor and a holding coil comprising said holding means connected for energization in response to a predetermined operation of said motor for holding closed said relay contacts during said operating cycle.

4. A telemetering system as defined in claim 3 having means for releasing said holding means after completion of said operating cycle and in response to a predetermined reader drive by said motor.

5. A telemetering system as defined in claim 4 wherein said releasing means comprises a shunting circuit operable to shunt out said holding coil in response to said predetermined reader drive by said motor.

6. A telemetering system as defined in claim 1 adapted to be connected to an energizing source and having means at each of said plurality of meter locations responsive to nonenergization of the system to be metered at the respective location for bypassing the meter-reader thereat and providing for transmitting a read-out signal to the sequentially next meter-reader.

7. A telemetering system as defined in claim 2 wherein said operation control means includes a relay having said contacts for connecting said motor to a source of energization and having an operating winding responsive to said read-out signal for closing said contacts and a holding winding energizable after a predetermined reader drive by said motor for holding said contacts closed and for releasing said contacts to open circuit position after said meter reader resetting, and means for by-passing a meter reader at a meter location not connected to said energizing source and for transferring the read-out signal to the sequentially next meter location.

8. A telemetering system as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for automatically transmitting said transfer read-out signal comprises a relay having an operating winding energized on completion of each meter reading and encoding thereof and of the meter identifying signals and having contacts adapted to be closed for transmitting said transfer read-out signal, and means including a differential winding on said relay energized concurrently with energization of said operating winding when another meter is to be read at the same location following completion of the reading cycle of a meter for negating the excitation of said relay operating winding and preventing closing of said relay contacts.

9. A telemetering system as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for automatically transmitting said transfer read-out signal comprises means for providing said transfer read-out signal following completion of each meter reading and meter identification signals at each meter location and means operable for preventing the providing of said transfer read-out sigNal when another meter remains to be read at said location.

10. In a telemetering system for sequentially interrogating a plurality of meters at a plurality of locations and reading the meters and encoding said readings into signals corresponding to the digital readings and encoding other signals for identifying the meter read and for transmitting said signals to a central station, comprising:

means at the central station for transmitting an initial read-out signal to a meter-reader location of said system to initiate operation thereof;

a meter-reader at each location for reading meters and producing data signals and meter identifying signals and for transmitting said signals to the central station;

each of said meter readers having a drive motor for driving said meter-readers;

operation control means for initially energizing said motor in response to a read-out signal and having means for holding said motor energized for a predetermined operating cycle; and

settable means at each meter reader for preselecting the number of meters to be read and for automatically transmitting a transfer read-out signal to the sequentially next meter reader of said plurality of locations on completion of the meter reading and meter identification of the preselected number of meters at the respective meter location.

11. In a telemetering system, a meter reader as defined in claim 10, including means for automatically resetting it to starting conditions on completion of said meter reading and identification signal transmissions.

12. In a telemetering system, a meter reader as defined in claim 11 including means for automatically stopping said reader and providing for return of information signals from subsequent meter readers to the central station.

13. In a telemetering system, a meter reader as defined in claim 11 adapted sequentially to read a plurality of meters at its respective location and including means set in accordance with the plurality of meters to be read for automatically controlling the sequential reading and identifying of the plurality of meters for said setting thereof and for controlling the transmittal of said transfer read-out signal.

14. In a telemetering system, a meter reader as defined in claim 13 wherein said operation control means holds said motor energized until the respective meter reader is reset to a starting condition at the end of said operating cycle unaffected by the setting for the number of meters to be read and having means to prevent interference with subsequent meter readers due to continued energization and operation of said motor after completion of meter reading for which said reader is set and before the end of said operating cycle.

15. In a telemetering system, a meter-reader as defined in claim 10 including a digital dial contact device having a plurality of dial reading members one for each meter dial, each dial reading member having a plurality of digital contacts corresponding to the digits 1 to 10 on the respective dial and a movable contactor for engaging a digital contact corresponding to the dial digit value for the respective meter dial;

dial selecting means for successively energizing said movable dial contactors of each dial reading member;

an encoder having a mounting disc driven by said motor and having a signal pulse collector ring and a plurality of sets of spaced encoding contact elements mounted on said disc, the number of contact element sets corresponding to the number of dials on each meter to be read, said encoding contact elements each representing a digit successively from 1 to 10 and carried by and extending substantially radially of said mounting disc and varying in length progressively outwardly with the longest contact representing 1, a plurality of radially spaced brush means for engaging said encoding contact elements and connected to said dial reading member contacts respectively progressively from 1 to 10 radially Outwardly whereby said radially spaced brush means successively respectively engage one to 10 of said encoding contact elements on rotation of said mounting disc and transmits respectively one to 10 signal pulses to said collector ring representing digits 1 to 10 according to the brush energized from the dial reading member contact engaged by the respective dial contactor; and

means for transmitting said signal pulses to the central station.