REMOTE METER READING METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 3,553,376 A
• Filed: 08/28/1968
• Issued: 01/05/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bogaart Peter, Kenneth D. Powe
• Original Assignee: Bogaart Peter, Kenneth D. Powe
• Inventors: BOGAART PETER, Powe, Kenneth D.
• Application Number:
  US04/756,029
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• US Class Current: 379/106.07
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/002 with telemetering systems telemetering in general G08C

Abstract

An apparatus for reading at a central station a multidial meter such as a utility meter or similar device located at a remote station by transmitting coded pulses representative of the digits shown on the meter over a conventional telephone line and decoding the pulses at a central station. To obtain a reading of any specific customer'"'"''"'"'s meter, a master translator unit at the central station sends out a signal through the telephone system to a slave translator unit which is electromechanically connected to the customer'"'"''"'"'s meter in such manner that a series of binary coded drums in the slave unit store coded information representing the amount of utility service used by the customer. The slave unit is designed to individually scan each bit of information stored in the coded drums and send a sequence of pulses through the telephone line with each pulse being representative of one bit of information. Upon receiving each pulse, the master translator unit sends it through a certain predetermined circuit to the proper location in a decoder which converts the information either into readable digits or into an output for a computer which compares the output with stored information on previous meter readings for computing the customer'"'"''"'"'s bill.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reading a customer'"'"''"'"'s utility meter at a remote station over a telephone line from a central station comprising:

A. a master translator unit located at a central station and connected to a telephone system;

B. a slave translator unit located at a remote station and connected to a meter to be read and to a telephone line which is normally connected to the telephone of the customer whose meter is to be read and to the telephone system serving the master translator;

C. a counter and storage unit in the slave unit actuated by a single rotary member of the customer'"'"''"'"'s meter to count the number of units of the item being metered at the same time that each unit is registered on the meter and store the count results as individual bits of coded information retained in the slave unit until a readout is called for by the master unit;

D. a slave readout selector switch in the slave unit which determines the readout sequence of the bits of coded information stored in the counter and storage unit;

E. a multisection decoder in the master translator unit;

F. a master readout selector switch in the master translator unit synchronized with the slave readout selector for directing each bit of coded information to the proper location in the decoder section; and

G. a signal generator to provide signals to the slave translator unit to perform a readout of the coded information stored in the cOunter and storage unit.

2. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the counter and storage unit comprises a plurality of rotary coded members having electrical contact strips arranged in a coded pattern thereon to make or break a plurality of electrical circuits in the counter and storage unit, depending upon the relative position of said rotary coded members, each of the rotary coded members corresponding to one of the visual dials on the meter to be read and the rotational position of each rotary coded member at any given time being related to the amount shown on the meter dial to which it corresponds, one of the rotary coded members being actuated in response to one of the rotary shafts in the meter and each of the other rotary coded members being actuated by the preceding adjacent rotary coded member.

3. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the code pattern of the contact strips is a binary code.

4. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein at least one of the rotary coded members of the counter and storage unit are rotated a fractional part of one revolution by a solenoid each time one unit of the utility is used.

5. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the solenoid which advances the rotary coded members is energized by the closing of a counter switch which is closed by a cam attached to one of the rotary shafts in the customer'"'"''"'"'s meter.

6. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the rotary coded members are cylindrical drums rotatably mounted in axial alignment on a shaft with each successive drum rotating a fraction of a revolution each time the preceding drum rotates one complete revolution.

7. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein each drum has a multitoothed ratchet wheel on one end and a single step transfer wheel on the opposite end, both of said wheels being fixed to the drum for rotation therewith.

8. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the slave readout selector switch and the master readout selector switch comprise synchronized multicontact rotary motor driven switches, each switch having contacts corresponding to the contacts in the opposite switch.

9. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein each of the rotary switches are stopped on the same contact on each respective switch after each revolution by a solenoid operated brake.

10. A meter reading apparatus as claimed claim 8 wherein a sweep arm in each of the rotary switches is stopped by a fixed pin and is returned to its original position by a spring which reverses the direction of travel of the sweep arm when the motor operating the switch turns off.

11. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the decoder is made up of combinations of normally open and normally closed relays arranged in a code pattern corresponding to the code pattern of the counter and storage unit.

12. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the signal generator is located in the master translator unit.

13. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a computer connected to the master translator unit for calculating the customer'"'"''"'"'s utility bill from the output information provided by the master translator.

14. A meter reading apparatus as claimed in claim 13 including automatic error detection and billing apparatus operated by the output of the computer.

15. A method of reading a customer'"'"''"'"'s meter at a remote station over a telephone line from a central station comprising:

A. continuously counting at the remote station, the number of units of the item being metered at the same time each unit is registered on the meter;

B. continuously storing at the remote station, the count results as individual bits of coded information with each bit being represented by the relative position of an electrical contact which either makes a completed circuit or an uncompleted circuit in a counter and storaGe unit;

C. periodically sending signals from the central station over the telephone line to the remote station;

D. selectively connecting each of the circuits in the counter and storage unit through the telephone line to a corresponding circuit in the central station; and

E. selectively connecting each corresponding circuit in the central station to a corresponding portion of a decoder circuit in the central station to produce a readout of the electrical signals from the remote station which is indicative of the count recorded on the storage unit at the time.

16. A method of reading a customer'"'"''"'"'s meter as claimed in claim 15 including the step of feeding the output information from the decoder to a computer for calculating the amount of the customer'"'"''"'"'s utility bill and feeding the output of the computer to error detection and billing equipment for automatically preparing the customer'"'"''"'"'s bill.