Meter register

• US 6,954,178 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2003
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arad Measuring Technologies Ltd
• Original Assignee: Arad Measuring Technologies Ltd
• Inventors: Winter, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIH CHAO
• Application Number:
  US10/667,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20040056807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/709, 343/719, 343/749, 340/870.03
• US Class Current: 343/700.0MS
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/006 Remote reading of utility meters to a non-fixed location, i.e. mobile location
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/12 using electric or magnetic means G01D5/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2515 with magnetically controlled switches, e.g. by movement of a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/075 with magnetic or electromagnetic coupling to the indicating device
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/56 by using electric or magnetic effects G01F1/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/007 comprising means to prevent fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/0755 involving digital counting
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2233 used in consumption-meter devices, e.g. electricity, gas or water meters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0414 in a stacked or folded configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0421 with a shorting wall or a shorting pin at one end of the element H01Q9/0414 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A meter register includes a register body having a rotatable drive shaft coupled thereto. A drive gear is attached to the drive shaft and at least one follower gear is rotatably attached to the register body and coupled with the drive gear. An antenna is provided that includes a first electrically conductive sheet, a second electrically conductive sheet, and an axially extending leg electrically connected to the first electrically conductive sheet and the second electrically conductive sheet. A first electrically conductive sheet is spaced an axial distance away from the second electrically conductive sheet wherein at least a portion of the register body is sandwiched between the first electrically conductive sheet and the second electrically conductive sheet. The meter register can be attached to a meter body and, further, an auxiliary antenna can be attached to the meter register. Also disclosed is a method of operation of a utility measuring system that incorporates the above-described meter register.

Claims

1. An antenna for transmitting a radio frequency signal, comprising:

a first electrically conductive member;

a second electrically conductive member spaced a first distance apart from said first electrically conductive member;

an axially extending leg electrically connected to said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member, said axially extending leg being electrically conductive; and

a metallic cup electrically coupled to said first electrically conductive member.

2. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first electrically conductive member, said second electrically conductive member, and said axially extending leg are made of metal.

3. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first electrically conductive member, said second electrically conductive member, and said axially extending member are made from a unitary sheet of metal.

4. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first electrically conductive member has a first arcuate-shaped outer edge and said second electrically conductive member has a second arcuate-shaped outer edge wherein said axially extending member extends from said first arcuate-shaped outer edge to said second arcuate-shaped outer edge.

5. An antenna as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first arcuate-shaped outer edge has a first radius extending from a first center point and said second arcuate-shape outer edge has a second radius extending from a second center point.

6. An antenna as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first center point and the second center point are contained on a centerline, and said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member are contained in a first plane and a second plane wherein the first plane is parallel to the second plane and the centerline is normal to the first plane and the second plane.

7. An antenna as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first electrically conductive member has a first surface area and said second electrically conductive member has a second surface area, wherein said first surface area is greater than the second surface area.

8. An antenna as claimed in claim 7, wherein said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member include cut-out sections.

9. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a cable electrically coupled to said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member.

10. An antenna as claimed in claim 9, wherein said cable is coaxial cable.

11. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first electrically conductive member is spaced apart a distance from said second electrically conductive member and is approximately equal to or a multiple of a wavelength distance of the frequency transmitted from said antenna.

12. An antenna as claimed in claim 11, wherein said axially extending leg has a length equal to the spaced apart distance.

13. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cup includes an opened top structure having a cylindrically-shaped sidewall attached to a bottom wall.

14. An antenna as claimed in claim 13, wherein a portion of said bottom wall slopes away from the open top portion toward a central axial axis passing through said cup.

15. An antenna as claimed in claim 14, wherein said portion of said bottom wall is frusta-conical in shape.

16. An antenna as claimed in claim 15, wherein said bottom wall further includes a central flat portion connected to an end of the frusta-conical shaped portion.

17. An antenna as claimed in claim 16, wherein said central flat portion is circular in shape.

18. An antenna as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first electrically conductive member comprises a tab extending therefrom contacting said cup.

19. An antenna as claimed in claim 13, wherein said first electrically conductive member is spaced a second distance from said bottom wall.

20. An antenna as claimed in claim 19, wherein the second distance is approximately equal to or a multiple of a wavelength distance of the frequency to be transmitted from the antenna.

21. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a mechanical register at least partially received between said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member.

22. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an electrical frequency generator electrically coupled to said first electrically conductive member.

23. An antenna as claimed in claim 22, wherein said frequency generator is electrically coupled to a coaxial cable which is electrically coupled to said first electrically conductive member.

24. An antenna as claimed in claim 22, further comprising a power source electrically coupled to said frequency generator.

25. An antenna as claimed in claim 24, wherein said power source is a battery.

26. An antenna as claimed in claim 22, further comprising a circuit board that includes said frequency generator, said circuit board attached to said first electrically conductive sheet.

27. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a metallic meter case, said metallic cup received within said metallic meter case.

28. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member is an electrically conductive sheet.

29. An antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member are electrically conductive sheets.

30. An antenna for transmitting a radio frequency signal, comprising:

a first electrically conductive member;

a second electrically conductive member spaced a first distance apart from said first electrically conductive member, said first conductive member contained in a first plane and said second conductive member contained in a second plane;

an axially extending leg electrically connected to said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member, said axially extending leg being electrically conductive; and

a mechanical register at least partially received between said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member in an area defined between the first plane and the second plane.

31. An antenna as claimed in claim 30, wherein one of said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member is an electrically conductive sheet.

32. An antenna as claimed in claim 30, wherein said first electrically conductive member and said second electrically conductive member are electrically conductive sheets.