Programmable AC electric energy meter having radiation responsive external data interface
First Claim
1. An electric energy meter including a programmable time based measuring system for totalizing measured parameters of electric energy usage, said meter interactively communicating with a programmer/reader unit by way of binary coded light radiations, said meter comprising:
- a sealed enclosure including a cup-shaped cover wholly enclosing said measuring systam, said cover including an optically transparent portion thereof for allowing the transmission of said light radiations through said enclosure, said cover further including integral index means having a fixed position thereat for orienting said programmer/reader unit;
said measuring system including a metering sequence logic control circuit having a data input/output unit and a read/write data memory means, said memory means electronically storing metering data and program data and being connected to said input/output unit so as to transfer data therebetween;
radiation sensitive data interface means including a first light radiation emitter and a first light radiation sensor for establishing communications with said programmer/reader unit, and including a second light radiation emitter cooperating with both said first light radiation sensor and emitter so as to interactively send data at an arbitrary rate, and further including a second light radiation sensor cooperating with both said first light radiation emitter and sensor so as to interactively receive data at an arbitrary rate; and
radiation coupling means providing optically isolated light radiation paths between said transparent portion of said cover and said data interface means, said radiation coupling means having a predetermined aligned position relative to said index means such that said radiation sensitive data interface means is aligned with said programmer/reader unit thereby facilitating interactive bi-directional communication between said programmer/reader unit and said data memory means.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An electric energy meter has a programmable time based measuring system carried in a sealed enclosure for mounting the meter at a metering location. A radiation sensitive external data interface receives and transmits data encoded radiations through a transparent communications window of the enclosure. Pulse data is processed by the external data interface in serial data bit transmissions in and out of the measuring system for programming, readout and testing of the system.
109 Citations
11 Claims
-
1. An electric energy meter including a programmable time based measuring system for totalizing measured parameters of electric energy usage, said meter interactively communicating with a programmer/reader unit by way of binary coded light radiations, said meter comprising:
-
a sealed enclosure including a cup-shaped cover wholly enclosing said measuring systam, said cover including an optically transparent portion thereof for allowing the transmission of said light radiations through said enclosure, said cover further including integral index means having a fixed position thereat for orienting said programmer/reader unit; said measuring system including a metering sequence logic control circuit having a data input/output unit and a read/write data memory means, said memory means electronically storing metering data and program data and being connected to said input/output unit so as to transfer data therebetween; radiation sensitive data interface means including a first light radiation emitter and a first light radiation sensor for establishing communications with said programmer/reader unit, and including a second light radiation emitter cooperating with both said first light radiation sensor and emitter so as to interactively send data at an arbitrary rate, and further including a second light radiation sensor cooperating with both said first light radiation emitter and sensor so as to interactively receive data at an arbitrary rate; and radiation coupling means providing optically isolated light radiation paths between said transparent portion of said cover and said data interface means, said radiation coupling means having a predetermined aligned position relative to said index means such that said radiation sensitive data interface means is aligned with said programmer/reader unit thereby facilitating interactive bi-directional communication between said programmer/reader unit and said data memory means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. An electric energy meter including a programmable time based measuring system for totalizing measured parameters of electric energy usage by use of stored program data that is transmitted to the meter through binary coded light radiations, said meter comprising:
-
a sealed enclosure for mounting at a fixed energy metering location and wholly enclosing said measuring system, said enclosure including an integral and uninterrupted optically transparent portion thereof defining a preselected communications window portion for transmission of a plurality of the coded light radiations through the enclosure; said measuring system including a metering sequence logic control circuit having a data input/output unit and a read-write data memory means for electronically storing metering data and said stored program data and being connected to said input/output unit to transfer binary information therebetween; radiation sensitive external data interface means including first and second light radiation emitters and first and second light radiation sensors for selectively communicating with each of four separate ones of the binary coded radiations transmitted through said window portion and being connected to said input/output unit for effecting optoelectronic coupling between said input/output unit and the coded radiations; electronic readout display means connected to said input/output unit for visually displaying numerical values of the metering data accumulated in said read-write data memory means, said metering sequence logic control circuit further including means cyclically activating and deactivating said readout display means in a programmed sequence, and still further including means responsive to continuous external light radiations transmitted through said window portion and effective to produce the simultaneous activation of said first and second radiation sensors for effecting activation of said readout display means when in an inactivated state so as to provide visual displays at other than the programmed cycles of activation thereof.
-
Specification