Automatic meter reader with microcomputer control system
First Claim
1. An automatic meter reader for connection to a metering transducer and for connection to a telephone line to transmit modulated signals to a remote data receiving center, said reader comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line and including relay means for establishing an off-hook condition of said telephone line for transmission of modulated signals, interconnecting means connected to said metering transducer, said telephone interface and said microcomputer, said interconnecting means including digital logic circuitry and being arranged to facilitate operations including the register of meter data by said microcomputer, transmission of signals to said interface and operation of said off-hook relay for transmission of signals from said interface to said telephone line, said microcomputer means being arranged to control development of said modulated signals from registered meter data and transmission thereof from said interconnecting means and through said telephone interface to said telephone line for reporting of registered meter data to said center, said interconnecting means including terminal means for connection to said metering transducer to receive metering pulse signals each representing a certain quantity, and said digital logic circuitry including metering pulse counter means, debounce means coupled to said terminal means and arranged for applying a pulse to said metering pulse counter means from each received metering pulse signal which has at least a certain amplitude and at least a certain duration, and means for transfer of data from said pulse counter means to said microcomputer means, said terminal means being connectable through lead line conductors to signal means of said transducer and to a fixed resistance at said metering transducer and including a signal terminal connected to said debounce means and through a first one of said lead line conductors to said signal means, a supervision terminal for connection through a second one of said lead line conductors to one end of said fixed resistance and a ground terminal for connection through a third one of said lead line conductors to an opposite end of said fixed resistance, and said interconnecting means including line supervision means including resistance measuring means for developing an output corresponding to the resistance between said supervision and ground terminals.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic meter reader includes a microprocessor connected through digital logic circuitry and a telephone interface to a metering transducer and a telephone line, to develop modulated signals for reporting of registered meter data and for sampling of received signals to detect a carrier and to effect demodulation and develop control data. A count-down arrangement is used for developing the modulated signals. In sampling received signals, a sample count is developed which is proportional to the duration of one cycle of a received signal and which is compared with stored counts for detection of a carrier and for demodulation. A debounce arrangement is included in the logic circuitry.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. An automatic meter reader for connection to a metering transducer and for connection to a telephone line to transmit modulated signals to a remote data receiving center, said reader comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line and including relay means for establishing an off-hook condition of said telephone line for transmission of modulated signals, interconnecting means connected to said metering transducer, said telephone interface and said microcomputer, said interconnecting means including digital logic circuitry and being arranged to facilitate operations including the register of meter data by said microcomputer, transmission of signals to said interface and operation of said off-hook relay for transmission of signals from said interface to said telephone line, said microcomputer means being arranged to control development of said modulated signals from registered meter data and transmission thereof from said interconnecting means and through said telephone interface to said telephone line for reporting of registered meter data to said center, said interconnecting means including terminal means for connection to said metering transducer to receive metering pulse signals each representing a certain quantity, and said digital logic circuitry including metering pulse counter means, debounce means coupled to said terminal means and arranged for applying a pulse to said metering pulse counter means from each received metering pulse signal which has at least a certain amplitude and at least a certain duration, and means for transfer of data from said pulse counter means to said microcomputer means, said terminal means being connectable through lead line conductors to signal means of said transducer and to a fixed resistance at said metering transducer and including a signal terminal connected to said debounce means and through a first one of said lead line conductors to said signal means, a supervision terminal for connection through a second one of said lead line conductors to one end of said fixed resistance and a ground terminal for connection through a third one of said lead line conductors to an opposite end of said fixed resistance, and said interconnecting means including line supervision means including resistance measuring means for developing an output corresponding to the resistance between said supervision and ground terminals.
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2. An automatic meter reader for connection to a metering transducer and for connection to a telephone line to transmit modulated signals to a remote data receiving center, said reader comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line and including relay means for establishing an off-hook condition of said telephone line for transmission of modulated signals, interconnecting means connected to said metering transducer, said telephone interface and said microcomputer, said interconnecting means including digital logic circuitry and being arranged to facilitate operations including the register of meter data by said microcomputer, transmission of signals to said interface and operation of said off-hook relay for transmission of signals from said interface to said telephone line, said microcomputer means being arranged to control development of said modulated signals from registered meter data and transmission thereof from said interconnecting means and through said telephone interface to said telephone line for reporting of registered meter data to said center, arranged to receive carrier and modulated signals from said center through said telephone line with said relay means in said off-hook condition, said microcomputer means being arranged to sample said received signals to detect a carrier signal and to then effect demodulation of received modulated signals to develop control data therefrom.
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3. An automatic meter reader for connection to a metering transducer and for connection to a telephone line to transmit modulated signals to a remote data receiving center, said reader comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line and including relay means for establishing an off-hook condition of said telephone line for transmission of modulated signals, interconnecting means connected to said metering transducer, said telephone interface and said microcomputer, said interconnecting means including digital logic circuitry and being arranged to facilitate operations including the register of meter data by said microcomputer, transmission of signals to said interface and operation of said off-hook relay for transmission of signals from said interface to said telephone line, said microcomputer means being arranged to control development of said modulated signals from registered meter data and transmission thereof from said interconnecting means and through said telephone interface to said telephone line for reporting of registered meter data to said center, said reader being arranged to receive modulated signals from said center through said telephone line with said relay means in said off-hook condition, said microcomputer means being arranged to effect demodulation of received modulated signals to develop control data therefrom, and said microcomputer means in effecting said demodulation being arranged to effect at least one sample of said received signal for determination of its frequency.
- View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An automatic meter reader for connection to a metering transducer and for connection to a telephone line to transmit modulated signals to a remote data receiving center, said reader comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line and including relay means for establishing an off-hook condition of said telephone line for transmission of modulated signals, interconnecting means connected to said metering transducer, said telephone interface and said microcomputer, said interconnecting means including digital logic circuitry and being arranged to facilitate operations including the register of meter data by said microcomputer, transmission of signals to said interface and operation of said off-hook relay for transmission of signals from said interface to said telephone line, said microcomputer means being arranged to control development of said modulated signals from registered meter data and transmission thereof from said interconnecting means and through said telephone interface to said telephone line for reporting of registered meter data to said center, said reader further comprising high frequency oscillator means, frequency shift keying means operable by said microcomputer means including down-counter means operable from signal supplied by said high frequency oscillator means an arranged for selective operation under control of said microcomputer means at two different count-down ratios to develop mark and space signals of different frequencies for transmission over said telephone line to report registered meter data.
- View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. An automatic meter reader for connection to a metering transducer and for connection to a telephone line to transmit modulated signals to a remote data receiving center, said reader comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line and including relay means for establishing an off-hook condition of said telephone line for transmission of modulated signals, interconnecting means connected to said metering transducer, said telephone interface and said microcomputer, said interconnecting means including digital logic circuitry and being arranged to facilitate operations including the register of meter data by said microcomputer, transmission of signals to said interface and operation of said off-hook relay for transmission of signals from said interface to said telephone line, said microcomputer means being arranged to control development of said modulated signals from registered meter data and transmission thereof from said interconnecting means and through said telephone interface to said telephone line for reporting of registered meter data to said center, said reader further including battery operated voltage supply means for supplying an operating voltage for said microcomputer means, said interconnecting means including circuitry which is continuously energized from said voltage supply means, and which includes data signal receiving means and wake-up timer means, said data signal receiving means being arranged for receiving signals from said metering transducer, said wake-up timer means being arranged to be reset and to thereafter develop a wake-up signal, said microcomputer means including a memory and being connected to said voltage supply means for continuous energization of said memory thereof and for performance of processing operations when in a wake-up condition, and wake-up means responsive to said wake-up signal to change said microcomputer means from an inactive sleep condition to an active wake condition for performance of said processing operations, said processing operations including accumulation of data from said data signal receiving means and storage of corresponding accumulated data in aid memoru followed by a final power-down to said sleep condition.
- View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A device for connection to a telephone line for receiving carrier and modulated signals from a control center, said device comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line, interconnecting means connected to said telephone interface and to said microcomputer means for receipt by said microcomputer means of received carrier and modulated signals transmitted from said center, said microcomputer means being arranged to detect receipt of a carrier signal and to operate in response to detection of receipt of a carrier signal to effect demodulation of said modulated signals received through said telephone line and said interface from said center and to develop control data therefrom, said microcomputer means in detecting a carrier signal and in effecting said demodulation being arranged to effect samples of said received signal for determination of its frequency, each of said sample being effected by detecting changes of state of a received signal and determining the duration of one full square wave of the received signal.
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18. A device for connection to a telephone line for receiving modulated signals from a control center, said device comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line, interconnecting means connected to said telephone interface and to said microcomputer means for receipt by said microcomputer means of said modulated signals transmitted from said center, said microcomputer means being arranged to effect demodulation of said modulated signals received through said telephone line and said interface from said center and to develop control data therefrom, said microcomputer means in effecting said demodulation being arranged to effect at least one sample of said received signal for determination of its frequency, said device further including oscillator means for supplying a clock signal to said microcomputer means for operation thereof, and said sample being effected by counting clock intervals each having a duration proportional to the duration of one cycle of said clock signal and to obtain from the sample a resultant sample count proportional to the duration of one cycle of said received signal.
- View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A device for connection to a telephone line for receiving modulated signals from a control center, said device comprising:
- microcomputer means, a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line, interconnecting means connected to said telephone interface and to said microcomputer means for receipt by said microcomputer means of said modulated signals transmitted from said center, said microcomputer means being arranged to effect demodulation of said modulated signals received through said telephone line and said interface from said center and to develop control data therefrom, said microcomputer means in effecting said demodulation being arranged to effect at least one sample of said received signal for determination of its frequency, said device further comprising signal processing means for processing a AC signal received by said telephone interface from said telephone line and arranged to apply to said microcomputer means a signal having state changes corresponding to zero crossings of said AC signal.
- View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A devive for connection to a telephone line for transmitting modulated signals to a control center to report data, said device comprising:
- a telephone interface for connection to said telephone line, microcomputer means, interconnecting means connected to said telephone interface and said microcomputer, said interconnecting means including digital logic circuitry and being arranged to facilitate operations including the transmission of signals to said interface, said microcomputer means being arranged to control development of said modulated signals from data to be reported and transmission thereof from said interconnecting means and through said telephone interface to said telephone line for reporting of data to said center.
- View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An automatic meter reader including terminal means for connection through lead line conductors to signal means of a metering transcducer and to a resistance at said metering transducer, said terminal means including a signal terminal connected through a first one of said lead line conductors to said signal means, a supervision terminal for connection through a second one of said lead line conductors to one end of said fixed resistance and a ground terminal for connection through a third one of said lead line conductors to an opposite end of said fixed resistance, and said interconnecting means including line supervision means including resistance measuring means for developing an output corresponding to the resistance between said supervision and ground terminals.
- 35. An automatic meter reader including terminals for connection through lead line conductors to signal means of a metering transducer and to a fixed resistance at said metering transducer, and signal receiving means and line supervision means connected to said terminals, said line supervision means including resistance measuring means for periodically measuring the resistance presented at said terminals from said fixed resistance and conductors said lead line in series therewith, said resistance measuring means including capacitance means connected to said terminals to be connected in circuit with said fixed resistance and being operable through measurement of a change of charge of said capacitance means.
Specification