Anti-fraud means for digital measuring instrument

• US 5,155,747 A
• Filed: 03/20/1991
• Issued: 10/13/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chung-Hwa Huang
• Original Assignee: Chung-Hwa Huang
• Inventors: Huang, Chung-Hwa
• Primary Examiner(s): Heyman, John S.
• Application Number:
  US07/672,445
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 377/14, 377/15, 377/16, 377/20, 377/30, 377/39
• US Class Current: 377/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/37 involving digital counting
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/066 Arrangements for avoiding or indicating fraudulent use
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 13/00 Taximeters measuring distance travelled G01C; measuring time G04

Abstract

An anti-fraud device for digital measuring instrument includes a sensing encoder integrated circuit combinably packed with a sensor, and a measuring decoder integrated circuit combinably packed with a measuring meter for receiving signal as sensed from the sensor through a transmission line. When an external-signal generator is fraudulently installed on the transmission line for increasing output signals into the meter for cheating a meter fare, an external signal from the external-signal generator will be first checked by the measuring decoder integrated circuit provided before the measuring meter to be different from a prestored data in the measuring. Then the measuring decoder will not output a valid pulse to be counted in the measuring meter, without increasing an unwanted meter fare or fees for preventing a fraud matter.

Claims

1. An anti-fraud means for digital measuring instrument comprising:

a sensor detecting an input signal responsive to a sensing element of a digital measuring meter;

a sensing encoder integrated circuit connected to an output of said sensor,

said sensing encoder integrated circuit including;

a first oscillator and system timing generator for producing timing pulses for use in the sensing encoder integrated circuit, a control logic for controlling the timing pulses from the first timing generator into a preset data register and for responding an input pulse signal sensed from said sensor, a data generator for generating output data signal as controlled by said control logic, and a first gate for outputing a preset data signal from said generator;

a measuring integrated circuit operatively cooperating with said sensing encoder integrated circuit by a transmission line connected therebetween,

said measuring decoder integrated circuit including;

a trigger circuit connected with a data detector for detecting the preset data signal transmitted from said sensing encoder integrated circuit, an input data register for temporarily holding an input data from the data signal sensed from the detector, a second oscillator and system timing generator for producing timing pulses which are prestored in a prestored data register, a comparator operatively comparing the preset data from said input data register and the prestored data from said prestored data register as controlled by a second control logic for producing a valid pulse from said comparator, and a second gate for outputing the valid pulse to the main body of the measuring meter for counting a meter fare;

said measuring decoder integrated circuit sealably combined with said main body of said measuring decoder integrated circuit in a meter casing; and

said sensing encoder integrated circuit sealably combined with said sensor in a sensor casing;

said anti-fraud means further including an external-signal generator means installed on said transmission line for increasing fraud data signals into said measuring decoder integrated circuit, said measuring decoder integrated circuit operatively checks for the presence of preset data from said sensing encoder integrated circuit combined with the fraud data signals from said external-signal generator to thus indicate a different signal from said prestored data in said measuring decoder integrated circuit thereby preventing an output of a valid pulse to the measuring meter and preventing a fraudulent meter fare.