Reducing power consumption of electrical meters
First Claim
1. An electrical power meter comprising:
- a power supply for converting alternating current (AC) voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage;
an optical diode in series with the power supply;
a metering circuit in series with the optical diode and in parallel with the power supply, wherein the power supply provides power to the metering circuit; and
a switch in communication with the optical diode, wherein the switch is in parallel with the optical diode.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention contemplates an electrical power meter and method of operating the electrical power meter. The inventive power meter includes a power supply for converting alternating current (AC) voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage for powering the electronic components, and an optical diode in series with the power supply. The meter may also include an optical communications port in communication with the optical diode and/or a switch (e.g., a transistor) in communication with the optical diode. The switch may be in parallel with the optical diode, and allow DC current to bypass the optical diode when a request for communication is received by the meter. The DC current provided to the optical diode represents communication of data with an optical communications port. The switch may be controlled by a microprocessor device.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An electrical power meter comprising:
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a power supply for converting alternating current (AC) voltage to a direct current (DC) voltage; an optical diode in series with the power supply; a metering circuit in series with the optical diode and in parallel with the power supply, wherein the power supply provides power to the metering circuit; and a switch in communication with the optical diode, wherein the switch is in parallel with the optical diode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification