Self-powered system for measuring and storing consumption of utility meter
First Claim
1. In a system without a local power supply for measuring and accumulating a manifestation of the consumption of a utility, comprising:
- (a) meter means responsive to the utility consumption for generating a series of pulse-like, electrical signals, each indicative of the consumption of a given quantity of the utility;
(b) non-volatile memory means for storing an indication of the number of the pulse-like, electrical signals generated by said meter means, indicative of the total measured utility consumed;
(c) power conversion means for converting at least one of the pulse-like, electrical signals to provide solely that voltage for energizing said system, including detector means responsive to the initiation of a pulse-like, electrical signal for providing an initiate operate signal; and
(d) sequence control means responsive to the initiate operate signal for enabling the received pulse-like signal to be stored in said memory means, and thereafter providing a terminate operation signal effecting the deactuation of said system.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system is disclosed for storing signals indicative of a customer'"'"'s consumption of a utility as measured by a meter, such as adapted to measure the flow of water, gas or electricity, for example, and for storing a corresponding data word to permit subsequent readout from the system of utility consumed and of a data word identifying the customer consuming the service, whereby the utility company providing the service may appropriately and accurately prepare a bill for the customer. This system comprises a meter or pulse generator responsive to the input from the utility company to the customer to provide a signal typically in the form of a pulse-like, electrical signal indicative of the consumption of a given quantity of the utility, a storage or memory means for storing a first data word indicative of the utility consumed and a second data word specifying the customer, and sequence control means for permitting interrogation of the memory means, whereby the data words indicative of utility consumed and the customer identification may be read out, typically by an external interrogation unit. The interrogation unit may typically comprise a portable unit including a storage mechanism such as a cassette, carried by a "meter reader" to each customer location. This system is self-powered, requiring only the application of either of a pulse-like, electrical signal of the utility meter or an interrogate signal from the interrogation unit for its complete energization, and operates in a first, pulse increment mode of operation to respond to the application of the meter signal and in particular the sensing of a particular voltage level of the meter signal to increment the currently-stored data word indicative of the previously-stored utility consumption, store the new incremented data word and thereafter deactuate the system. In a second, interrogation mode of operation, an interrogation signal from the interrogation unit actuates and energizes the system when the voltage level of the interrogation signal rises above a predetermined level, whereby the system reads from the system'"'"'s memory the stored data word indicative of the utility consumption and the customer'"'"'s identification, which both are applied to the interrogation unit, and thereafter the system is deactuated.
-
Citations
39 Claims
-
1. In a system without a local power supply for measuring and accumulating a manifestation of the consumption of a utility, comprising:
-
(a) meter means responsive to the utility consumption for generating a series of pulse-like, electrical signals, each indicative of the consumption of a given quantity of the utility; (b) non-volatile memory means for storing an indication of the number of the pulse-like, electrical signals generated by said meter means, indicative of the total measured utility consumed; (c) power conversion means for converting at least one of the pulse-like, electrical signals to provide solely that voltage for energizing said system, including detector means responsive to the initiation of a pulse-like, electrical signal for providing an initiate operate signal; and (d) sequence control means responsive to the initiate operate signal for enabling the received pulse-like signal to be stored in said memory means, and thereafter providing a terminate operation signal effecting the deactuation of said system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A system without a local power supply for measuring and accumulating a series of electrical signals, comprising:
-
(a) means for providing the series of the electrical signals; (b) non-volatile memory means for successively storing the series of signals as each is received by said system; (c) power conversion means for converting at least one of the electrical signals to provide solely that voltage for energizing said system and including detector means responsive to the receipt of the electrical signal for providing an initiate operation signal; and (d) sequence control means responsive to the initiate operation signal for enabling the received electrical signal to be stored in said memory means and thereafter providing a terminate operation signal effecting the deactuation of said system. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
-
-
30. In a system without local power supply for measuring the consumption of a utility by a customer and adapted to be interrogated by an external interrogation unit to read out a manifestation of the consumption of the utility consumed by the customer, comprising:
-
(a) a utility meter responsive to the utility consumed by said customer, for generating a pulse-like, electrical signal upon the occurrence of the consumption of a given quantity of the utility; (b) coupling means for coupling said measuring and accumulating system to the external interrogation unit; (c) non-volatile memory means for storing in a first address location thereof a first data word indicative of the number of pulse-like, electrical signals generated by said utility meter, indicating the total measured utility consumed by the customer, and for storing at a second address location of said memory means a second data word indicative of a customer identification number; (d) power conversion means for converting either the pulse-like signals or an interrogation signal applied by the interrogation unit via said coupling means to said system, to provide solely that voltage for energizing said system; (e) detector means responsive to the receipt of either of the pulse-like signal or the interrogate request signal from the external interrogation unit for providing an initiate operation signal; (f) a select circuit responsive to the receipt of the pulse-like, electrical signal from said meter for operating said system in a first, pulse increment mode of operation and to the receipt of the interrogation signal from the external interrogation unit for operating said system in a second, pulse request mode of operation; and (g) sequence control means responsive to the initiate operate signal in the first, pulse increment mode of operation for, first, reading out from said memory means the first data word and thereafter incrementing the read-out first data word by "1" before re-storing the incremented first data word in said first address location of said memory means, and responsive to the initiate operate signal in said second mode of operation for successively reading out from said first addressed location the first data word and thereafter reading out the second data word from said second address location of said memory means, both of the first and second data words to be applied through said coupling means to the external interrogation unit. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
-
-
38. A system without local power supply for measuring and accumulating a series of electrical signals, comprising:
-
(a) means for providing the series of the electrical signals; (b) non-volatile memory means for successively storing each of the series of signals; (c) power conversion means for converting one of the electrical signals to provide solely that voltage for energizing said system and responsive to the one electrical signal for producing an initiate operation signal; and (d) means responsive to the initiate operation signal for enabling the received electrical signal to be stored in said memory means. - View Dependent Claims (39)
-
Specification