DE102018114660B3 - Data collection device - Google Patents

Abstract

A data collection device (1) for acquiring or receiving data is described, which includes a battery unit (2) and a plurality of functional blocks (4) with a function module (42) for acquiring or receiving the data, a computing unit (41), an on and switchable remote data transmission module (43) and a current measuring circuit (44). The functional blocks (4) of the data collecting device (1) are connected in parallel to the battery unit (2) in a secondary section (32) of the power supply circuit (3). Further, a current sensor (5) of the current measuring circuit (44) is arranged in a primary section (31) of the power supply circuit (3). The current measuring circuit (44) is configured to detect the current flowing during the activation of a selected function block (4) in the primary section (31) and to determine the total charge consumption during the activation of this at least one function block (4) and the total charge consumption of the To determine data collection device.

Description

The invention relates to a data collection device for acquiring or receiving data with a battery unit and a plurality of functional blocks comprising a function module for acquiring or receiving the data, a computing unit for controlling the data collection device, an on and off switchable remote data transmission module for transmitting the data via a remote data transmission connection, in particular one Mobile communication, to a remote data processing device and a current measuring circuit for measuring the current flowing in the power supply circuit according to the preamble of claim 1.

Depending on how the functional module is configured to acquire or receive the data, the data collection device may be a terminal in a home or utility metering system and / or a data collector in this system that receives data from the terminals.

Terminal devices may be, in particular, consumption recording devices, sensor devices or hazard detectors, which are equipped with a device, for example a measuring or detection device, for detecting a consumption value, a sensor value or a state value. In the case of a data collection device, the measuring or detection device is then part of the functional module.

Terminals in the radio network can also be actuators, for example. Control devices such as electronically controllable valves, speed-controlled heating pumps, which are equipped with radio transceivers, for example, for receiving control commands and / or output state values.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the data collection device can be set up for use in a local radio network with at least one terminal which transmits data in radio telegrams to the radio network. In this case, the data collection device may operate as a data collector receiving data from other terminals and transmitting it to the remote data processing device. Optionally, the data collection device can operate in parallel as a terminal, for example as a local consumption meter, sensor device, alarm, actuator, repeater or the like. The reception of the data is usually carried out by radio telegrams in the local radio network.

In the local radio network, all terminals are equipped with at least one radio transmitter (as transmitting unit) for transmitting a radio telegram with data (for example consumption value, sensor value or status value or the like) into the local radio network. Optionally, terminals may also have a radio receiver as the receiving unit. For this purpose, the terminals can either have only a radio-end IC (radio chip), or via a radio transmitting and receiving IC (radio transceiver), which serves as a transmitting unit or combined transmitting and receiving unit.

Even repeaters or devices equipped with a repeater function that send out received data telegrams for reception by another subscriber of the local radio network can be terminals in this sense.

In principle, all devices which emit data telegrams into the radio network for reception by other subscribers come into question as terminals in the local radio network. These can also be data collection devices themselves, which emit radio telegrams with data in the local radio network, for example as status data, in a repeater function, in a secondary radio or for other reasons.

The field of application of the proposed data collection device is particularly in the field of AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) systems. The proposed data collection device may accordingly be configured in particular for participation in an AMR system. Thus, the proposed data collection device may be configured to identify itself to other subscribers as a subscriber of the local radio network, for example by having and / or transmitting certain identifiers.

Regardless of whether the data collection devices proposed according to the invention are locally (for example radio-emitting, ie radio-telegram emitting, consumption detectors or the like in the local radio network) or data collectors (as radiated by terminal radio telegrams with data and inside or outside a building, locally (Vor Locally installed data collection devices) in the sense described above, such systems have remote reading or remote reading of data via remote data transmission to a remote data processing device.

The remote data processing device can also be set up only to store the data. The following explanations also apply to such an embodiment of the data processing device as a data storage device.

In the general sense, the remote data processing device is an IT system, for example a storage cloud or a cloud application, which stores, Further processing and / or evaluation of the data and possibly other functions can take over. For remote data transmission, the remote data transmission module is present in at least one of the data collection devices, for example a local consumption metering system, for example a mobile radio modem. Possibly. The data collection devices additionally comprise a so-called secondary radio, in which the data collection devices communicate with each other. Thus, the at least one data collection device equipped with the data transmission module can transmit the entire data of all, for example, in a local radio network integrated terminals to the remote data processing device. The effort to set up and maintain such a secondary radio network (data collector network), however, is expensive, so that a direct remote data transmission between the respective data collection devices and the remote data processing device is preferred.

In order to minimize the installation effort of the data collection devices on site, all data collection devices of the local radio network, including those that have a cellular modem (or general data transmission module), are battery operated. This can be complicated electrical installation work can be avoided.

In the following, the term "mobile radio modem" is used synonymously with the term "data transmission module" and consequently also includes other data transmission paths than the mobile radio provided by a mobile radio provider.

The cost of maintaining the AMR system (s) in the AMR system may be minimized if the battery powered data collection devices can be operated without battery replacement during the desired service life (eg, 5 or 10 years). In order to be able to ensure this, it is necessary, by means of budgeting, ie a so-called "device power budget", to carry out all the charges expected in the energy supply during the period of operation and occurring operating states with the expected frequency, for example by means of a number of actions per year over the planned duration of use (eg computationally) split.

The power supply preferably comprises in one battery unit one or more (non-rechargeable) batteries (for example lithium batteries).

Due to the long periods of use of at least five to ten years (depending on the application) and the previously unknown local operating conditions (environmental influences such as changing temperatures and / or humidity), it is usually not possible to prepare an exact power budget plan. Therefore, a sufficient margin of security is usually scheduled in the power budget of the battery, which, however, is often not consumed and will remain as unused energy after the end of the period of use, or in other words, batteries with a higher charge capacity than required will be used. This leads to higher costs.

In this context, the describes EP 2 573 579 A1 the applicant a method for determining the battery state of charge of a battery in a battery-powered consumption detection device by voltage measurement. In the disclosed method, the voltage waveform and the ambient temperatures on the lithium battery are measured and then used to estimate the remaining capacity of the charge storage or to predict the life of the battery. However, this procedure is only suitable for circuit parts of the electronics of a data collection device in which the charge consumption (possibly temperature-dependent) can be predicted with sufficient accuracy on the basis of known data sheet information on the components at certain adjustable load states. However, the procedure is not suitable for circuit parts or component components that are integrated in remote data transmission networks, for example mobile radio networks, because here the charge consumption of the mobile radio data transmission device of a data collector varies greatly depending on various external influences. A not reliably predictable influence is, for example, the fluctuating mobile signal strength during the course of the day. Because of other possible systematic influences, such as. Occurring shields due to structural changes in the building, statistical considerations are not accurate enough to reliably enable the desired period of use of the battery or alarm in case of imminent failure of the data collection device or reliable to predict the remaining service life ,

The EP 1 096 635 proposes for electrically operated, in particular battery-operated, adjusting devices, a method which makes the determination of the discharged from the battery and thus consumed charge on the basis of predefined "charge quantities per action" by adding up. This method is performed without measuring the current power consumption of the device and / or one of its components and requires a predefined set of charge quantities per action. For example, preferably during device manufacturing, by setting a predefined operating state, the measurement of the power consumption of the individual functional parts done and the measured power consumption is then stored in the device with respect to this operating state, for example in a table. In one embodiment of the above method, the current operating state is then identified during operation of the device and the power consumption stored for this purpose is multiplied as charge consumption Li (with i> = 1) by the operating time ti. The operating time ti is the operating time for which the identified operating state existed. By addition of all charge products Li * ti and the subtraction of the initial battery charge capacities (battery charge at delivery or according to data sheet data), the residual charge still available is calculated or estimated. However, this requires a known and consistent over the duration of use power consumption per action.

Because of the energy consumption of the individual circuit components and functions, in particular the device components used for remote data transmission, which can not be predicted with sufficient reliability over the entire service life, it is advantageous according to the invention to charge at least for the largest or worst predictable power consumers (in terms of one already used with the battery used Total charge) by measurement.

Current measurements can be used to measure the amount of charge. Basically, current measurements by means of shunt resistors, known. For example, the US 2015/0134981 A1 a mobile device, in particular a laptop, with an internal circuit on which the functions of the mobile device are implemented. This device has an external power connector and a power connector to a battery pack with rechargeable batteries. The battery unit includes a semiconductor device having a voltage measuring unit that measures an output voltage of a battery and a voltage on a power supply path between the battery and an internal circuit that is supplied with electric power from the battery. Further, a current measuring unit that measures a discharging current of the battery, and a control unit that calculates a theoretical value of the output voltage in a normal measuring mode, an amount of the maximum available power of the battery in the large current measuring mode, based on the calculated theoretical value of the output voltage and measured voltage on the power supply path.

However, the known measuring methods can not be used for determining the charge consumption in all components of an electronic device. Difficulties exist, for example, in the case of modules delivered as encapsulated components, as is often the case with mobile radio modems, since such black box modules do not permit the measurement of the current or the determination of the charge consumption of relevant sub-components during the activity of the module the activity would be interrupted by a current determination and thus disturbed. In the prior art known circuits are usually very expensive and often require the use of an integrated circuit (IC), which makes the measuring device as a subcomponent of the data collection device, which only serves to determine the charge consumption of individual components, more expensive and thus the data collection device as a whole. In particular, in mass products that are to be used in large quantities, thereby creating an economic disadvantage.

The object of the invention is to propose a simple data collection device with a possibility for determining the remaining charge capacity of batteries (also synonymously referred to as residual capacity or residual charge of the batteries) in the battery-operated data collection devices. The determination of the residual charge should be able to take place independently of the components or modules present in the data collection device, in particular if the operating state is not known, can not be reliably determined for certain components (such as, for example, a remote data transmission module) or the currently available operating state only involves a very high overhead can be determined.

This object is achieved by a data collection device having the features of claim 1. Accordingly, the invention also relates to a method for determining the residual capacity according to the described inventive circuit.

According to the invention, a simple measuring circuit for determining the remaining charge capacity of batteries (residual capacity) used in the battery-operated data collection devices is described. The proposed circuit is universally applicable and gives more reliable information about the currently still existing residual capacity of the batteries as described in the prior art. Thus, for example, the need for a battery change can be detected early.

In the following, the inventively proposed circuit arrangement and the inventive method for the data collection device described. However, the disclosure of the application is not limited thereto, but also refers to a process that can be implemented by a corresponding circuit arrangement and the circuit arrangement as such, which can be used in corresponding terminals.

• - Zur Energieversorgung der Datensammelvorrichtung ist eine Batterieeinheit in einem Energieversorgungsschaltkreis vorgesehen. Die Batterieeinheit beinhaltet mindestens eine nicht wieder aufladbare Batterie, beispielsweise eine Lithiumbatterie. In einer bevorzugten Ausführung umfasst die Energieversorgung der Datensammelvorrichtung keinen zusätzlichen aufladbaren Akkumulator. Ist in einer alternativen Ausführung der Datensammelvorrichtung ein Akkumulator (beispielsweise als eine aufladbare Batterie) vorhanden, so wird der diesem Akkumulator entnommene Strom vorzugsweise nicht bei der Ermittlung des Gesamtladungsverbrauchs der Datensammelvorrichtung berücksichtigt.
• - In der Datensammelvorrichtung sind mehrere Funktionsblöcke / Komponenten vorhanden, deren Energieversorgung aus dem Energieversorgungsschaltkreis mit der Batterieeinheit erfolgt, wobei die Funktionsblöcke mindestens umfassen:
  1. i) ein Funktionsmodul zum Erfassen oder Empfangen der Daten, insbesondere eine Empfangseinheit zum Empfangen der Funktelegramme der Endgeräte in dem lokalen Funknetzwerk.
  2. ii) eine (bspw. durch einen entsprechend mit Programmcodemitteln eingerichteten Prozessor gebildete) Recheneinheit zur Steuerung der Datensammelvorrichtung. Wenn die Datensammelvorrichtung in einem lokalen Funknetzwerk mit mindestens einem Endgerät verwendet wird, das in Funktelegrammen Daten in das Funknetzwerk aussendet und die Datensammelvorrichtung Funktelegramme der Endgeräte in dem lokalen Funknetzwerk empfängt, ist die Recheneinheit der Datensammelvorrichtung vorzugsweise zur Verarbeitung des empfangenen Funktelegramms eingerichtet. Die Verarbeitung des Funktelegramms kann insbesondere eine Zwischenspeicherung der in der Regel verschlüsselten Funktelegramme, beispielsweise als Rohtelegramm in der empfangenen Form („Originaltelegramm“) beinhalten. Zur Verarbeitung kann auch das Entschlüsseln und Speichern des verschlüsselten Funktelegramms sowie ggf. ein Bearbeiten von unverschlüsselten Teilen des empfangenen Funktelegramms zählen, bspw. ein Extrahieren der verschlüsselten Blöcke aus einem ersten Funktelegramm und ein Zusammenfassen der verschlüsselten Blöcke mehrerer Endgeräte zu einem Datenpaket zur nachfolgend beschriebenen Datenfernübertragung, bspw. mittels Mobilfunk. Sofern erforderlich kann im Rahmen der Datenverarbeitung in der Datensammelvorrichtung auch eine inhaltliche Auswertung und/oder eine Aufbereitung der Funktelegramme und/oder eine statistische Auswertung zur Funkübertragungsqualität (bspw. Ermittlung von Kenndaten), insbesondere der Signalgüte, erfolgen. Die inhaltliche Verarbeitung setzt voraus, dass die Schlüssel zur Entschlüsselung der verschlüsselten Blöcke der Funktelegramme in der Datensammelvorrichtung vorhanden sind oder dass nur unverschlüsselte Funktelegramme verarbeitet werden.
  3. iii) ein (bspw. elektronisch) an- und abschaltbares Datenfernübertragungsmodul (bspw. ein Datenfernübertragungsmodul) zur Übertragung der Daten über eine Datenfernübertragungsverbindung an eine entfernte Datenverarbeitungseinrichtung, wobei die Recheneinheit auch zur Steuerung des Datenfernübertragungsmoduls eingerichtet ist bzw. sein kann. Die Daten können, durch das Datenfernübertragungsmodul gesteuert oder durch die Recheneinheit gesteuert zu vordefinierten Zeitpunkten und/oder nach Bedarf an die entfernte Datenverarbeitungseinrichtung übertragen werden; Die Daten können durch die Recheneinheit verarbeitete Endgerätedaten, Qualitätskenndaten des Funknetzwerks, wie bspw. aller Empfangspegel (RSSI) der empfangenen Endgeräte, die verschlüsselt wieder ausgesendeten Funktelegramme in der empfangenen Form („Originaltelegramme“) und/oder bspw. anderweitig durch die Recheneinheit aufbereitete Daten sein.
  4. iv) eine Strommessschaltung zur Messung des in dem Energieversorgungsschaltkreis fließenden Stroms.

The data collection device proposed according to the invention has at least the following components:

• - To power the data collection device, a battery unit is provided in a power supply circuit. The battery pack includes at least one non-rechargeable battery, such as a lithium battery. In a preferred embodiment, the power supply of the data collection device does not include an additional rechargeable accumulator. If an accumulator (for example as a rechargeable battery) is present in an alternative embodiment of the data collection device, the current taken from this accumulator is preferably not taken into account in the determination of the total charge consumption of the data collection device.
• - In the data collection device, there are a plurality of functional blocks / components whose power supply is from the power supply circuit to the battery unit, wherein the functional blocks at least include:
  1. i) a function module for detecting or receiving the data, in particular a receiving unit for receiving the radio telegrams of the terminals in the local radio network.
  2. ii) an arithmetic unit (formed, for example, by a processor configured correspondingly with program code means) for controlling the data collection device. If the data collection device is used in a local radio network with at least one terminal that transmits data in radio telegrams data in the radio network and the data collection device radio telegrams of the terminals in the local radio network, the arithmetic unit of the data collection device is preferably configured to process the received radio telegram. The processing of the radio telegram may in particular include a buffering of the generally encrypted radio telegrams, for example as a raw telegram in the received form ("original telegram"). The processing may also include decrypting and storing the encrypted radio telegram and, if necessary, editing unencrypted parts of the received radio telegram, for example extracting the encrypted blocks from a first radio telegram and combining the encrypted blocks of several terminals into a data packet for the remote data transmission described below , for example by means of mobile radio. If necessary, as part of the data processing in the data collection device, a content evaluation and / or a preparation of the radio telegrams and / or a statistical evaluation of radio transmission quality (eg. Identification of characteristics), in particular the signal quality done. The content processing requires that the keys for decrypting the encrypted blocks of the radio messages are present in the data collection device or that only unencrypted radio messages are processed.
  3. iii) an (eg, electronically) connectable and disconnectable remote data transmission module (eg, a remote data transmission module) for transmitting the data over a remote data link to a remote data processing device, wherein the arithmetic unit is also configured to control the remote data communications module. The data may be controlled by the remote data transmission module or may be transferred to the remote data processing device at predetermined times and / or as required by the computing unit; The data can be processed by the arithmetic unit terminal data, quality characteristics of the wireless network, such as all reception levels (RSSI) of the received terminals, the encrypted retransmitted radiotelegrams in the received form ("original telegrams") and / or, for example, otherwise processed by the arithmetic unit data be.
  4. iv) a current measuring circuit for measuring the current flowing in the power supply circuit.

• - dass die Funktionsblöcke der Datensammelvorrichtung in einem Sekundärabschnitt des Energieversorgungsschaltkreises zur Energieversorgung parallel an die Batterieeinheit angeschlossen sind. Die Funktionsblöcke können als (grundsätzlich auf der Platine zugängliche) Komponenten bzw. Schaltungsteile oder als (bspw. gekapselte) Module ausgebildet sein.
• - dass ein Strommessfühler der Strommessschaltung in einem Primärabschnitt des Energieversorgungsschaltkreises angeordnet ist, wobei der Primärabschnitt des Energieversorgungsschaltkreises der Teil des Energieversorgungsschaltkreises ist, durch den der aus der Batterieeinheit fließende Gesamtstrom fließt. Besonders bevorzugt kann vorgesehen sein, dass die Energieversorgung der - auch einen Funktionsblock der Datensammelvorrichtung bildenden - Strommessschaltung erfindungsgemäß aus dem Sekundärabschnitt des Energieversorgungsschaltkreises erfolgt;
• - dass diese - bevorzugt aus dem Sekundärabschnitt mit Energie versorgte - Strommessschaltung dazu eingerichtet ist, den während der Aktivierung zumindest eines der ausgewählten Funktionsblöcke in dem Primärabschnitt fließenden Strom zu erfassen und hieraus den Gesamtladungsverbrauch der Datensammelvorrichtung während der Aktivierung des zumindest einen ausgewählten Funktionsblocks zu ermitteln. Mit anderen Worten wird also der aus der Batterieeinheit fließende Gesamtstrom erfasst, d.h. der in dem Primärabschnitt fließende Strom. Hierzu kann der Funktionsblock der Strommessschaltung einen eigenen Mikroprozessor aufweisen. In einer bevorzugten Ausführung wird die Strommessschaltung an einen Eingang der Recheneinheit angeschlossen, wobei der Mikroprozessor der Strommessschaltung beziehungsweise die Recheneinheit der Datensammelvorrichtung zur Ermittlung des Gesamtladungsverbrauchs der Datensammelvorrichtung während der Aktivierung des zumindest einen Funktionsblocks (oder mit anderen Worten der Durchführung seiner Aktivität) eingerichtet ist. Dies kann in einer einfachen Ausführung dadurch erfolgen, dass die Aktivierung des Funktionsblocks durch die Recheneinheit in dem Mikroprozessor der Strommessschaltung oder in einem Softwaremodul in der Recheneinheit signalisiert wird, bspw. durch eine „Flag“, so dass die Recheneinheit und/oder der ggf. in der Strommessschaltung vorhandene Mikroprozessor feststellen können, dass der ausgewählte Funktionsblock gerade aktiviert worden ist, und auch, ob die Aktivität beendet wurde.
• - Die Recheneinheit ist erfindungsgemäß weiter dazu eingerichtet, mit dem oder durch die Strommessschaltung ermittelten Gesamtladungsverbrauchs der ausgewählten (aktivierten) Funktionsblöcke (oder des ausgewählten Funktionsblocks), den Gesamtladungsverbrauchs der Datensammelvorrichtung über die Zeit während der Lebensdauer der Batterie oder Batterien in der Batterieeinheit zu bestimmen und die Restladung in der Batterie zu ermitteln.

To achieve the object, the invention provides

• - That the function blocks of the data collection device are connected in parallel to the battery unit in a secondary portion of the power supply circuit for power supply. The functional blocks can be designed as components (basically accessible on the circuit board) or circuit components or as (for example, encapsulated) modules.
• - That a current sensor of the current measuring circuit is arranged in a primary portion of the power supply circuit, wherein the primary portion of the Power supply circuit is the part of the power supply circuit through which flows from the battery unit flowing total current. Particularly preferably it can be provided that the power supply of the - also a function block of the data collecting device forming - current measuring circuit according to the invention takes place from the secondary section of the power supply circuit;
• - That this - preferably from the secondary section powered with - current measuring circuit is adapted to detect the current flowing during the activation of at least one of the selected function blocks in the primary section current and to determine therefrom the total charge consumption of the data collection device during the activation of the at least one selected function block. In other words, therefore, the total current flowing out of the battery unit is detected, ie the current flowing in the primary section. For this purpose, the functional block of the current measuring circuit may have its own microprocessor. In a preferred embodiment, the current measuring circuit is connected to an input of the arithmetic unit, wherein the microprocessor of the current measuring circuit or the arithmetic unit of the data collection device for determining the total charge consumption of the data collection device during the activation of the at least one function block is set up (or in other words the implementation of its activity). This can be done in a simple embodiment in that the activation of the function block is signaled by the arithmetic unit in the microprocessor of the current measuring circuit or in a software module in the arithmetic unit, for example. By a "flag", so that the arithmetic unit and / or the possibly present in the current measuring circuit microprocessor can determine that the selected function block has just been activated, and also whether the activity has ended.
• According to the invention, the arithmetic unit is further configured to determine the total charge consumption of the selected (activated) function blocks (or the selected function block), the total charge consumption of the data collection device over time during the life of the battery or batteries in the battery unit, and / or determined by the current measuring circuit to determine the remaining charge in the battery.

By the "determined total charge consumption of a selected function block" is meant the total charge consumption of the data collection device during the activation ("action") of the at least one selected function block determined from the total current in the primary section. Since other function blocks can be activated during the activation of a selected function block (and, in the usual way, the arithmetic unit and - when the current measurement is also the current measuring circuit), according to the invention its current consumption is also included in the determination of the total charge consumption of the selected function block (ie during activation of the selected function block). This is intended because during the activation of the functional blocks activated during a selected function block, these are necessary for the control and / or the proposed function (s) of the data collection device of the selected function block (eg the arithmetic unit for the control, the Current measuring device, etc.). Their power consumption is therefore typically correlated with the power consumption of the selected function block and is part of the "action". As a result of the inventive detection of the total current flowing out of the battery unit by means of the current sensor arranged in the primary section, the total charge consumption during activation of the one selected function block (or possibly several simultaneously selected function blocks) can be detected by means of a single measurement. Each functional block of the data collection device is thus a power consumer in the data collection device.

By the "total charge consumption of the data collection device" is meant the total charge consumption of the data collection device during the life of the battery or batteries in the battery pack, i. the "total charge consumption of the data collection device over the period of use or the life of the battery".

For the embodiment proposed according to the invention, only one measuring sensor is necessary in the current measuring circuit with which the total charge consumption during activation of the various selected function blocks can be determined. In principle, it is also possible to add the typical charge consumption of certain function blocks (for example for activation and / or based on the activation duration) to the total charge consumption of the data collection device. The latter applies to non-selected functional blocks of the data collection device and / or functional blocks whose power consumption is not measured and / or according to the invention need not be measured. For non-selected functional blocks, the charge consumption can be determined, for example, per activation or with options described in the prior art and with the measured Total charge consumption for the selected function blocks.

Thus, according to the invention, a selected function block or a plurality of selected function blocks can be determined whose total charge consumption is determined individually and / or jointly. If all function blocks are selected accordingly, the total charge consumption of the data collection device can also be determined by the current measuring device from the sum of the respective total power consumption of the function blocks.

The wording "taking into account the total charge consumption of the selected function blocks determined by the current measuring circuit" should also include the case important according to the invention that only exactly one functional block, for example the remote data transmission module, is selected whose power consumption during the activation of many variables unknown in the data collection device , such as the characteristics of the remote data transmission network (in particular the level of the reception level of the mobile radio signal), the number of retransmission attempts, the energy consumption during connection establishment (for example the duration for dialing into the mobile radio network) and / or other external circumstances.

The power supply circuit in the data collection device preferably consists of the primary section and the secondary section.

In the secondary section, various functional blocks, each constituting an energy consumer of the data collecting device, are connected in a parallel circuit to the battery unit. As a result, the total current flowing out of the battery unit is distributed to the parallel strands of the secondary section in accordance with the effective resistance of the various functional blocks. The effective resistance of the various functional blocks can vary over time, for example by switching on and off certain functional blocks (such as the receiving unit, the remote data transmission module and / or the current measuring circuit) or by time-varying energy consumption due to different utilization of the computing unit in different operating conditions such as "mobile radio transmission "," Terminal data reception "," stand-by "or the like. In the following, the terms" function block "and" consumer "are also used interchangeably. Together, the functional blocks connected in parallel in the secondary section can also be considered as an "overall effective consumer" with a time-varying total energy consumption in the power supply circuit.

In the primary section are the battery, the current sensor and the total effective consumer formed by the secondary section. In other words, this means that the power supply circuit is a closed circuit between the positive terminal of the battery unit and the negative terminal of the battery unit, in which the battery unit, the current sensor and the secondary section are connected in series (in terms of total effective consumption). The part of the power supply circuit which is not divided into parallel strands is called a primary section. In other words, the primary section is characterized in that in the primary section of the power supply circuit only one conductor is provided with components connected in series, so that the total current supplied by the battery can be measured in this conductor.

According to the invention, at least the functional block of the remote data transmission module can be embodied as an encapsulated mobile radio modem which has a self-contained functional unit with an integrated circuit (IC) for mobile data transmission, a microprocessor provided for controlling the mobile radio modem, a power supply connection and an internal circuit with electronic elements, and an interface, for example, an AT interface which is common for external modem control, this interface being the only way of accessing the computing unit of the data collection device to the remote data transmission module (mobile radio modem) in the data collection device.

Such remote data transmission modules are often incorporated as a chipset or as a complete module (ie encapsulated) in the data collection device. The complete module then consists, for example, of a data transmission IC (integrated circuit for data transmission) and a microprocessor and all additionally required components (resistors, quartz, etc.) in a closed module housing. Since such modules are encapsulated, the current operating state of the module and the associated power consumption can only be read out by means of command sequences via the usual AT remote communication modules AT interface. For example, to determine the operating state of the power level (PCL) of the mobile network and the number of available time slots is queried. These parameters are assigned by the mobile radio base station of the mobile network operator to the mobile subscriber, ie the remote data transmission module of the data collection device. The base station can reassign these communication parameters relevant for the data transmission at any time, so that the current state of the mobile radio modem is constantly updated can change and for the mathematical determination of power consumption cyclically the current operating state of the remote data transmission module would have to be checked to determine its current energy needs. Since in the case of a remote data transmission module designed as an encapsulated mobile radio modem, only the (one) AT interface is accessible to the arithmetic unit, the data transmission would have to be ended cyclically during the data transmission, ie in the data transmission mode, and switched to a command mode in which the current operating state of the mobile modem could be read, since only so the determination of the current operating state is possible.

During the command mode, however, the data transmission is interrupted, with the remote data transmission module remaining active and possibly even maintaining its readiness for transmission. As a result, the data transfer module consumes considerably more battery charge due to the extended active time (ON-time) due to the inquiry of the operating state. Examples of mobile radio standards which operate according to this procedure are, for example, GSM, CSD, GPRS, UMTS, LTE and IoT-NB.

Also component scatters in the power consumption parameters of a remote data transmission module are common and known. The different levels of power consumption (scattering) of the components for the same action have an effect on the battery current to be applied for an operating condition or the "power budget". Different ambient temperatures and their time courses also have an effect on the battery power to be budgeted for an operating state or the charge consumption.

All these uncertainties are avoided by the inventively proposed current measurement during the activation of the function block "remote data transmission module / cellular modem". According to the invention, the current measurement takes place outside the encapsulated remote data transmission module and takes into account the total power consumption of all the functional blocks of the data collection device during the activation of the remote data transmission module selected as the function block. For the aforementioned reasons, it is particularly advantageous according to the invention that the data collection device is set up to use at least one encapsulated mobile radio modem as the selected function block.

According to the invention, therefore, the current consumption of these particular (selected) functional blocks is measured with a simple circuit and with sufficient accuracy for determining the total charge consumption, wherein the additional power consumption can be kept very low by the current measurement. By selectively measuring current total power consumption during activation of particular components and functional blocks whose total charge, in particular, can not be reliably estimated otherwise, the current (during activation of the selected functional blocks) total charge consumption of the battery powered data collection device and thus the total residual capacity of such battery powered data collection devices be determined more precisely. The device according to the invention thus enables a more accurate prediction of the battery test runtime than would be possible by way of a purely computational consideration. The direct and up-to-date current measurement allows the actual and, for each data collection device, individual usage-dependent and environmental-influenced power consumption to be measured. The direct current measurement in the primary section is particularly advantageous because it is universally possible even with encapsulated function blocks. Thus, an extension of the duration of the data transmission of the remote data transmission module (mobile radio modem) is avoided, as can be dispensed with the interruption of the data transmission of the module for determining the predetermined by the base station transmission parameters in mobile.

According to a possible embodiment, a simple possibility for carrying out the current measurement is that the current measuring circuit can be activated and deactivated by switching on and off the power supply (for example by means of an electronic switch in the power supply circuit that can be controlled by the arithmetic unit of the data collection device), wherein the current measuring circuit the activation of the at least one of the selected function blocks is activated. In other words, activation of the selected function block, for example by activating the power supply, also activates the current measuring circuit. With the deactivation of the at least one of the selected function blocks, the current measuring circuit is or is deactivated, for example by switching off the power supply of the current measuring circuit.

In principle, however, it would also be possible to activate and deactivate the current measuring circuit by means of a hardware or software switch, wherein the deactivated current measuring circuit is, for example, in a standby or standby mode, which is indicated by a signal of the arithmetic unit of the data collecting device Pressing the hardware or software switch is terminated. Again, this is understood in the context of the disclosure as switching on and off the power supply of a function block or other components of the data collection device.

The switching on and off of the power supply of a selected function block can be effected by a signal of the arithmetic unit, preferably by the same signal with which the selected function block is activated and deactivated.

In one embodiment of the invention, the current measuring circuit may be configured to average and / or accumulate the measured current during activation of the at least one of the selected functional blocks.

According to the invention an electronic circuit arrangement is provided with the current measuring circuit, which allows a direct measurement of the power consumption of individual or several activated functional blocks or special components, in particular of the remote data transmission module. Since functional blocks, such as the remote data transmission module, may have or have pulsed power consumption (eg, by switching on and off using switch-on and switch-off commands), the power is applied at various ON times (ie, during activation of the selected functional module) averaged with a suitable electronic circuit. In addition, this averaging makes it possible that current measurements do not have to take place continuously or quasi-continuously, but can take place at predetermined intervals, the interval length being predetermined by the time span covered by the averaging or being tuned to it. This results in less frequent current measurements compared to a (quasi) continuous current measurement and is particularly advantageous because by reducing the number of individual consecutive measurements during a given measurement period, the processor utilization of the microprocessor can be lowered and thus its (also) energy demand from the battery.

Averaging agents are known to the person skilled in the art, for example, as a low-pass filter (moving average) or as an analog circuit with an operational amplifier (arithmetic mean). Concrete examples thereof will be described with reference to the drawings without the invention being limited to any of these concrete examples. Nevertheless, the averaging agents described represent a particularly preferred embodiment, since with particularly simple and cost-effective circuits, an accuracy that is appropriate for the determination according to the invention of the total power consumption of the data collection device can be achieved.

The determination of power consumption, i. the current measurement by means of the current measuring circuit, according to the invention can also be done by measuring the voltage drop across a defined resistance as a current sensor in the circuit.

A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the current sensor is formed as compared to the effective resistance of the functional blocks and in particular the selected function block low-impedance or very low-impedance shunt resistor which is provided in the primary portion of the power supply circuit in series with the battery unit, a voltage drop across the shunt resistor is measured and from this the total current drawn from the battery unit is determined.

Since the shunt resistor is permanently installed in the power supply circuit, the power dissipation P = I ² * R in the shunt resistor must be kept as low as possible. During operation of the various functional blocks of the data collection device, and preferably also during different modes of operation, the shunt resistance should preferably be selected so that the power dissipation is no greater than 5% of the total device power, preferably on the order of 1-2%. A correspondingly selected shunt resistor can be referred to as "low-resistance or very low-resistance" in the sense of the invention.

An essential criterion that can additionally or alternatively define the size of the (low-resistance or very low-resistance) shunt resistor in a preferred embodiment results from the required or desired accuracy of the measuring circuit, which, for example, is better than 5% of the current value to be measured should. The accuracy, taking into account the components used in the current measuring circuit, results from the magnitude of the resulting voltage signal, which results from the voltage drop across the shunt resistance level.

Significantly, the accuracy achieved, for example, is determined by the extent to which the signal voltage range detectable by a converter of the current measuring circuit is utilized. For given components of the current measuring circuit, the person skilled in the art can then determine the shunt resistor in a fundamentally known manner from a specification of the desired accuracy defined in accordance with the invention, such that the expected resulting voltage signal dropping across the shunt resistor and (possibly multiplied by an operational amplifier) is the signal voltage range the converter of the current measuring circuit (essentially, that is, except for a safety range which can be suitably defined by the person skilled in the art), taking advantage of the expected component tolerances and component accuracies.

In order to achieve this power dissipation and / or accuracy even during different operating modes with, for example, different activated function blocks of different power consumption, the height of the shunt resistor value can be adjustable, for example by using a plurality of switchable resistors in a resistor network, depending on the switching state the plurality of resistors adjusts a shunt resistor (in the sense of a resistance value) so that the resistor network forms an (effective) shunt resistor.

It can be provided according to the invention that at least two shunt resistance values can be set, for a first group of function blocks with high power consumption (in particular the remote data transmission module) and for a second group of function blocks with normal power consumption (in particular the arithmetic unit, possibly a separate one) Memory, the current measuring circuit and the receiving unit in the local network). Possibly. further functional blocks are assigned to one of the two groups according to a suitable power consumption threshold value. In principle, according to the invention, more than two groups of functional blocks, and then correspondingly more than two shunt resistors with more than two resistance values can be selected.

Unless current measurement with the current measuring circuit is or is to be carried out when activating non-selected functional blocks, the shunt resistor in the resistance network can also be short-circuited during this time according to the invention, so that the shunt resistance and the power loss are negligible. This contributes to the energy saving of the battery-powered data collecting devices according to the invention.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a fixed shunt resistor of the current sensor may be provided in the primary section of the power supply circuit, which is tuned to the power consumption of a selected function block.

Various simple embodiments for a resistor network which can be used according to the invention will be described later with reference to the drawings, wherein these possibilities can be combined or modified freely within the scope of the skilled person.

A further, supplementary or alternatively usable possibility for adapting the tapped signal to the measuring range of the converter (signal voltage range) provides that the current measuring circuit has a differential amplifier, the differential amplifier having a first with a first voltage measuring point before the shunt resistor (ie on the one Side of the shunt resistor) and a second input connected to a second voltage sense point behind the shunt resistor (ie, on the other side of the shunt resistor) to boost the shunt voltage across the shunt resistor. One of the two voltage measuring points can also be realized by a connection to the device ground, if the device ground describes the voltage level on one side of the shunt resistor. This is particularly easy to implement metrologically.

This allows efficient current measurement even in the primary section of the power supply circuit, possibly even with a permanently and firmly in series in the primary section connected shunt resistor. This can be chosen (in the sense described above) so that only a very small voltage drop across the shunt resistor occurs (with a correspondingly very low power), since the very small voltage drop is amplified by the differential amplifier, in particular an operational amplifier in that the signal can be processed by the arithmetic unit, ie in a voltage range which can be processed, for example, by a port (signal input channel) of the microcontroller of the arithmetic unit and / or utilizes the measuring range effectively to achieve the desired accuracy. Possibly. It is also possible to choose a differential amplifier with an adjustable gain in order to amplify differently the voltage drop across a fixed shunt resistor with different power consumption and thus to improve the accuracy of the measurement for different currents.

The difference formation of the signal also minimizes possible systematic errors due to temperature influences.

The current measurement of the selected function block, in particular of the remote data transmission module for data transmission, for example. Via mobile, is carried out in one embodiment by means of a well-known in the art current measuring circuit using a (in the sense described) very low impedance shunt resistor and at least one differential operational amplifier, the makes very small voltage drop across the very low-impedance shunt resistor for the arithmetic unit measurable.

wobei R_s der (effektive) Shunt-Widerstand und U die bei einem Strom I durch den Shunt-Widerstand R_s über dem Shunt-Widerstand R_s abfallende Spannung ist, die auf einen für die Messschaltung angepassten Wert eingestellt wird bzw. werden kann.The resistor value to be selected for the shunt resistor results, as already described, from the expected current of the selected function block, ie the one to be covered Current measuring range, and the input voltage range of the selected differential amplifier by means of the known in the art relationship: $$R_S=U\text{/}I$$

in which R _s the (effective) shunt resistance and U the current I through the shunt resistor R _s over the shunt resistor R _s is falling voltage, which is set to a value adapted for the measurement circuit value or can be.

The arrangement of the current sensor, i. in particular the shunt resistor (as a single resistor or as a resistor network), in the primary circuit can between the positive output (plus pole) of the battery unit and the power supply input of the function blocks or between the power supply output of the function blocks and the negative output of the battery unit (negative pole) lie. The latter variant is particularly advantageous in terms of circuitry because the power supply output of the functional blocks corresponds to the device ground. Therefore, one of the two inputs of the differential amplifier (for example, a rail-to-rail differential amplifier, which operates largely linearly and in which no saturation effects occur, even if the input voltages are of the order of the supply voltages) can be connected to the device ground. This variant is particularly easy to handle circuitry and allows a particularly cost-effective, inventively preferred solution for the current measuring circuit of the proposed data collection device.

In one embodiment of the invention, it may be provided that the current measuring circuit has an averaging device, wherein the mean value generator is set up to integrate the signal tapped off via the shunt resistor and possibly amplified by the differential amplifier.

Here, in particular, an analog integration of the signal picked up via the shunt resistor can take place in an integrator (for example a capacitively functioning integrator) whose output voltage clearly depends on the integrated signal (for example the amount of charge). According to the invention, the output voltage of the integrator can be compared with a comparator threshold value, wherein when the comparator threshold value is exceeded, a counter is incremented and the integrator is reset (i.e., reset). A counting unit, which is counted up in each case, therefore corresponds to an amount of charge delivered by the current flow from the battery, so that in this way with a simple analog circuit the current or charge consumption of the battery during the activated function block can be determined. Such a current measuring circuit proposed according to the embodiment described here according to the invention is also referred to as current-voltage pulse transformer. A concrete example of a suitable circuit will be explained later.

Another preferred embodiment provides that the current measuring circuit has a digital averaging device, wherein the averaging device is configured to digitize and digitally integrate the signal picked up via the shunt resistor in an analog-to-digital converter.

The digitization of the tapped signal can basically be done virtually continuously. For this purpose, a corresponding sampling rate at the analog-to-digital converter is set so that the temporal changes of the signal is detected reliably. As a rule, this requires a sampling rate at least of the order of magnitude of the temporal changes of the power consumption (and thus of the signal picked up via the shunt resistor), preferably at least one factor 2 to 10 higher for better resolution in the scan. In contrast to a constant over a longer period change of the signal should be considered as a fluctuation of the signal in particular the period in which the rate of change of the signal and / or direction of change (switching between higher and lower power consumption) changes. In order to achieve reliable sampling, the fastest fluctuation to be detected (in terms of a rate of change) must be taken as the basis for determining the sampling rate.

wobei t_i jeweils den Zeitpunkt der Messung der über dem Shunt-Widerstand R_s abfallenden Spannung U ist. Der Zeitpunkt t₀ stellt eine Messung unmittelbar bei Aktivierung der Messschaltung bzw. dem ausgewählten Funktionsblock dar, und t_n den Zeitpunkt bei Deaktivierung des ausgewählten Funktionsblocks.If the changes in the fluctuations are detected with the desired accuracy, the integration of the signal can take place according to the invention via a so-called Riemann subtotal, in which the mean value of signal values determined by the analog-to-digital converter at successive sampling times is formed and all these average values are transferred the time can be summed up as indicated in the formula below. The result then represents - with suitable normalization of the signal - the charge consumption Q of the data collection device when activating a selected function block: $$Q={\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{n}{\Sigma }}\frac{U\left(t_i\right)+U\left(t_{i-1}\right)}{2\cdot R_s}*dT.}$$

in which t _i each time the measurement of the above the shunt resistor R _s declining voltage U is. Point of time t ₀ represents a measurement immediately upon activation of the measuring circuit or the selected function block, and t _n the time when the selected function block is deactivated.

By an optional amplifier (in particular a differential amplifier), the tapped over the shunt resistor signal can also be amplified so that the signal is adapted to the input signal range of the analog-to-digital converter.

Advantageously, the current measuring circuit can optionally be set up to amplify the signal picked up via the shunt resistor by means of a differential amplifier, for example an operational amplifier, and to stretch it by means of a capacitor connected between an input and output of the amplifier, in particular a capacitor.

In addition to the adaptation of the tapped over the shunt resistor signal to the input signal range of the analog-to-digital converter by the gain of the signal is stretched by the capacity or stretched. This allows lower sampling rates (in the successive individual voltage measurements) compared to an unstretched signal, because also possible fluctuations in the signal are time-stretched and integrated analogously. The analog integration of the signal then no charge information is lost in the digital integration, when the sampling rate of the analog-to-digital converter (also referred to as conversion rate of the analog-to-digital converter) is longer than temporal variations of the signal. As a result, computing power and power can be saved in the operation of the analog-to-digital converter. In addition, more favorable hardware can be used for the analog-to-digital converter, allowing slower processing times. Optimally, the sampling rate is approximately matched to the variation of the (time-stretched) signal applied to the input of the analog-to-digital converter.

A current measuring circuit particularly preferred in this context provides that the signal picked up on one side of the shunt resistor is connected through a first resistor R1 an input of the differential amplifier is supplied, wherein the capacity C2 and a second resistor R2 connected in parallel with the one input and connected to the output of the differential amplifier. The parallel connection of capacity C2 and second resistance R2 is preferably connected on one side to the one input of the differential amplifier, with which input also the first resistor R1 is connected, preferably between the input of the differential amplifier and the first resistor R1 , On the other side of the parallel circuit of capacity C2 and second resistance R2 this is connected to the output of the differential amplifier, preferably between the output of the differential amplifier and the input of the analog-to-digital converter. As a result, the time-dependent voltage drop at the shunt resistor by means of simple electronic components (in particular operational amplifier as differential amplifier, capacitor as capacitance C2 and two resistors as the first and second resistors R1 . R2 the current measuring circuit) into an amplified and time-expanded function, which can be digitized by a simple and inexpensive operational amplifier with a conventional sampling rate. Such a current measuring circuit represents a particularly preferred embodiment, which can also be implemented independently of the other features described and freely combined with the other features described.

According to a preferred embodiment it can be provided that the arithmetic unit of the data collection device is adapted to switch off the current measuring circuit with the deactivation of the selected function block.

This ensures that the determined power consumption of the data collection device is determined only during the activation of the selected power consumption. This avoids that the quiescent current consumption of the current measuring device affects the determined power consumption during the activation of the selected functional block and this leads to a possibly incorrect accumulated total current or total charge consumption of the data collecting device.

In this context, it represents a reasonable improvement in the achievable accuracy, when the arithmetic unit of the data collecting device is configured to switch off the current measuring circuit on deactivation of the selected function block, the stored residual charge (Q _Rest ), during the activation of the selected function blocks in the current measuring device was estimated and taken into account in the determination of the total charge consumption of the data collection device during the activation of the selected function block.

erfolgen, der in der Recheneinheit durch Softwaremittel eingerichtet ist. Zusätzliche Messungen oder elektronische Bauteile sind hierfür nicht notwendig, wobei die integrale Schreibweise der Gleichung die Restladung theoretisch beschreibt. Theoretisch ist die Restladung beginnend mit der Deaktivierung des ausgewählten Funktionsblocks zu dem Zeitpunkt t_n über die Entladung der gespeicherten Ladung zu integrieren. Die Spannung U_C(t) beschreibt dabei die durch die in der Kapazität gespeicherte Ladung erzeugte Spannung, die am Analog-Digital-Wandler anliegt, und v den Verstärkungsfaktor R2/R1.This can, for example, according to the formula $$Q_{Rest}={\displaystyle {\int }_{t_n}^{\infty }\frac{U_C\left(t\right)}{v\cdot R_S}}dt\approx \frac{R2\cdot C2}{v\cdot R_s}\cdot U_C\left(t=t_n\right)$$

done, which is set up in the arithmetic unit by software means. Additional measurements or electronic components are not necessary for this, with the integral notation of the equation theoretically describing the residual charge. Theoretically, the residual charge is beginning with the deactivation of the selected function block at the time t _n to integrate about the discharge of the stored charge. The voltage U _C (t) describes the voltage generated by the charge stored in the capacitance, which is applied to the analog-to-digital converter, and v the amplification factor R2 / R1 ,

The right side of the formula indicates the equation to be implemented, where C2 is the capacitance value of the capacitance C2 describes.

wobei n_Kanal die Nummer des durch den Analog-Digital-Wandler aufgrund der anliegenden Spannung ermittelten Kanals und N_Kanal die Auflösung des Analog-Digital-Wandlers in Stepps sind. V_ref ist die Referenzspannung des Analog-Digital-Wandlers.The voltage U _C (t = t _n ) is given by the time t _n digitized value of the voltage applied to the input of the analog-to-digital converter $$U_C\left(t=t_n\right)=n_{Kanal}\cdot \frac{V_{ref}}{N_{Kanal}}$$

where n _{channel is} the number of the channel detected by the analog-to-digital converter due to the applied voltage and N _{channel is} the resolution of the analog-to-digital converter in stepps. V _ref is the reference voltage of the analog-to-digital converter.

A possible embodiment of the inventively proposed data collection device provides that the secondary section of the power supply circuit has a first sub-string and a second sub-string, wherein the first sub-string and the second sub-string are connected in parallel and in each of the sub-strands at least one functional block is arranged. Preferably, a first voltage converter is provided in the first sub-string, which supplies the first sub-string with a first supply voltage, and in the second sub-string, a second voltage converter, which supplies the second sub-string with a second supply voltage. The first voltage converter and the second voltage converter are supplied with the battery voltage provided by the battery unit. As a result, functional blocks with different requirements for the voltage and / or energy supply can be flexibly integrated into the data collection device.

According to a specific embodiment, the remote data transmission module may be arranged in the second sub-string, wherein the second sub-string is preferably switched on and off by means of a (preferably electronic) provided between the battery unit and the second voltage converter in the secondary section switch.

According to a preferred embodiment of this embodiment, the remote data transmission module can be arranged as the only functional block in the second sub-string. All other functional blocks, including the arithmetic unit receiving the control of the data collection device, are then arranged according to the invention correspondingly in the first functional block. By turning off the second sub-string in the secondary section, the remote data transmission module can be safely turned on and off by disabling the power supply without having to access software interfaces of the remote data transmission module.

The current measuring circuit may preferably be arranged in the first sub-string, wherein in the first sub-string of the secondary portion between the battery unit and the first voltage converter, a capacitor between the input of the first voltage converter and a device ground is provided. This buffer capacitor smoothes the supply voltage, in particular for pulsed charging requirements in the first sub-string of the secondary section.

In an alternative or supplementary embodiment of the invention, a voltage converter - preferably integrated in the battery unit - be arranged in the primary section of the power supply circuit. This then provides, starting from the battery voltage, a common supply span for the entire secondary section. If the supply voltage and power supply through this one voltage transformer in the primary section is suitable for all functional blocks, it is possible to dispense with further voltage transformers in the secondary section or in individual sub-sections of the secondary section.

Each of the aforementioned voltage transformers can be designed as a voltage regulator, which regulates the supply voltage for the functional blocks in the secondary section or sub-section of the secondary section to a predetermined value, at least as long as the energy present in the battery unit is sufficient.

In the case of such a voltage regulator, the current sensor of the current measuring circuit, in particular so the shunt resistor can be arranged in front of or behind the voltage regulator or in the feedback loop. Concrete examples will be explained.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the data collection device proposed according to the invention, the battery unit can have at least two (preferably exactly two) series-connected batteries which are exchangeable. In other words, at least or exactly a first battery and a second battery are provided in series in the battery unit. In such an arrangement, the current sensor may be arranged in the above-described sense between the two batteries in the battery unit.

In a further embodiment, it can be provided that the current measuring range of the measuring circuit is increased or decreased by a change in the resistance value of the shunt resistor, which can be set in particular by the arithmetic unit. In a similar manner, the current measuring range of the measuring circuit can be increased or decreased by a change of the amplification factor of the differential amplifier, for example of the operational amplifier, which can be set in particular by the arithmetic unit.

A further embodiment provides that the data collection device is additionally equipped with a radio transmitter and transmits data to the local radio network, for example for transmitting the data to other radio receivers (for example, actuators or other data collection devices).

Other features, advantages and possible applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and the drawings. In this case, all described and / or illustrated features, both individually and in any combination to Gegenstad the invention, regardless of their summary in the claims or their back references.

• 1 schematisch den Aufbau einer Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Strommessvorrichtung mit dem Energieversorgungsschaltkreis;
• 2 schematisch einen Schaltplan einer bevorzugten Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Strommessvorrichtung;
• 3a bis 3c schematisch verschiedene Varianten zur Verschaltung von Shunt-Widerständen als Strommessfühler im Primärabschnitt des Energieversorgungsschaltkreises entsprechend verschiedener, bspw. in einem Widerstands-Netzwerk beliebig miteinander kombinierbarer, Shunt-Widerstände;
• 4a bis 4c schematisch die Spannungsverhältnisse an einem erfindungsgemäß eingesetzten Shunt-Widerstand während der Strommessung gemäß einer Ausführungsform;
• 5 schematisch eine erfindungsgemäße Variante der Strommessschaltung nach einer Ausführungsform der Erfindung;
• 6 schematisch eine weitere erfindungsgemäße Variante der Strommessschaltung nach einer Ausführungsform der Erfindung;
• 7 die Anordnung eines Strommessfühlers gemäß einer weiteren Ausführungsform der Erfindung.

Show it:

• 1 schematically the structure of an embodiment of the current measuring device according to the invention with the power supply circuit;
• 2 schematically a circuit diagram of a preferred embodiment of the current measuring device according to the invention;
• 3a to 3c schematically different variants for the connection of shunt resistors as current sensor in the primary section of the power supply circuit according to different, for example. In a resistor network arbitrarily combinable with each other, shunt resistors;
• 4a to 4c schematically the voltage conditions at a shunt resistor used according to the invention during the current measurement according to an embodiment;
• 5 schematically a variant of the current measuring circuit according to the invention according to an embodiment of the invention;
• 6 schematically a further variant according to the invention of the current measuring circuit according to an embodiment of the invention;
• 7 the arrangement of a current sensor according to another embodiment of the invention.

In the 1 schematically illustrated data collection device 1 is designed as a subscriber of a local radio network in which there is at least one measuring device (terminal) for detecting a sensor and / or state and / or consumption value. The local radio network and the measuring devices are not shown for clarity in the drawing.

The measuring device (not shown) is in addition to the detection of the sensor and / or state and / or consumption value also adapted to transmit the detected sensor and / or state and / or consumption value in the local radio network in an encrypted or unencrypted radio telegram , This transmitted radio telegram (data telegrams) is then passed through the data collection device 1 receive.

The data collecting device according to the invention 1 has a battery unit as power supply 2 on that with a power supply circuit 3 connected is. Furthermore, the data collection device 1 several functional blocks 4 which are connected to the power supply circuit and are supplied via this with energy (voltage, current). The power supply circuit 3 is represented by the closed circuit, which is the battery unit 2 with their positive output and negative output with the function blocks connected in parallel in the power supply circuit 4 combines.

To connect to the local wireless network, the functional blocks include 4 an arithmetic unit 41 used to control the data collection device 1 is set up. This includes in particular the control of the respective function blocks 4 , For example, by turning on and off of the function blocks, as well as the processing of radio telegrams received from the local radio network. The arithmetic unit 41 typically includes a processor and a memory, which may, for example, be provided together in a microprocessor. The arithmetic unit 41 can also provide computing power for other functional blocks, for example by connecting the function blocks to different ports of the microprocessor of the arithmetic unit 41 , In this respect, the arithmetic unit 41 logically also part of other or more function blocks 4 be. However, this is not shown in the drawing for the sake of clarity. Furthermore, an optional further memory 45 as a separate function block 4 in the data collection device 1 be provided.

As another functional block 4 includes the data collection device 1 a receiving unit 42 which is set up to receive the radiotelegram of the terminal in the local radio network. The receiving unit may, for example, be a radio module and thus receive data telegrams in a local radio network, with which the measuring devices (for example the consumption recording devices, the danger detectors, the sensors and / or actuators) their measuring and / or state and / or consumption values and / or broadcast radio statistics as encrypted or partially encrypted or unencrypted radio telegram (data telegram).

Furthermore, the data collection device 1 as a functional block 4 a remote data transmission module 43 on that for transmission by the arithmetic unit 41 processed data, ie in particular the sensor and consumption values, and / or the encrypted radio telegrams and / or the process values of actuators and / or the terminal status values and / or other data to a remote data storage device and / or data processing device (in particular as a cloud Application can be designed) is set up. The remote data transmission module 43 is - for example, by the arithmetic unit 41 - can be switched on and off.

Furthermore, the data collection device 1 as another functional block 4 According to the invention, a current measuring device 44 which is used to measure the in the power supply circuit 3 flowing electricity is set up. This is a current sensor 5 in the power supply circuit 3 arranged and via an electrical connection 6 with the current measuring device 44 connected. The electrical connection 6 does not need the power supply of the current sensor 5 serve and can serve, for example, exclusively a signal tap. To clarify that the electrical connection 6 does not necessarily have to be part of the power supply circuit, this connection 6 in 6 shown in phantom.

As from the schematic representation of 1 can be seen, are all functional blocks 4 in the illustrated example, therefore, the arithmetic unit 41 , the receiving unit 42 , the mobile unit 43 , the current measuring circuit 44 and the optional (in addition to the arithmetic unit 41 ) existing memory 45 in a secondary section 32 of the power supply circuit 3 parallel to the battery unit 2 connected.

The current sensor 5 the current measuring circuit 44 is in a primary section 31 of the power supply circuit 3 arranged, wherein the primary section 31 of the power supply circuit 3 the part of the power supply circuit 31 is, through which the current flowing from the battery unit total current flows. This total current is then correspondingly by the current sensor 5 the current measuring circuit 44 measured. In other words, so are the battery unit 2 and the current sensor 5 connected in series, leaving the entire battery unit 2 flowing current through the current sensor 5 is detected.

The current measuring circuit 44 is set up during the activation of at least one of the function blocks 4 current flowing in the primary section (ie, during this activation of the selected functional block 4 from the battery unit 2 total current flow) and from this - by integration or summation over time - the total charge consumption of the current measuring device 1 during activation of this at least one functional block 4 to investigate.

Taking into account by the current measuring circuit 44 determined total charge consumption during the activation of the selected function blocks, the arithmetic unit then determines the total charge consumption of the data collection device over time (regardless of the activation or non-activation of individual function blocks 4 ), ie during the entire operating time of the battery unit (or the batteries installed therein). In this case, it is particularly preferred according to the invention that the power requirement of certain functional blocks be utilized 4 well over the time can be estimated, so these functional blocks 4 not need to be selected, hence the current measuring circuit 4 measure their power consumption during activation. These include, for example, the total power consumption in the idle state of the data collection device 1 when receiving the consumption or sensor values from the local network and so on. Possibly. may even be a value for the total charge consumption - in terms of a longer unit of time, for example, related to a month, a billing period or a year - for the operation of the data collection device 1 to be accepted, in which none of the selected function blocks 4 is activated.

During activation of the selected function blocks, the total charge consumption will then be through the current sense circuit 44 determined. This total charge consumption becomes the known total charge consumption when not activating at least one of the selected function blocks 4 added to determine the total charge consumption of the data collection device, ie over the entire life of the battery unit. This essential element of the invention can be combined with all further described features in any Realize combination and implement in all of the embodiments described below.

It corresponds to a preferred embodiment, as a selected function block 4 the remote data transmission module 43 is selected. In a particularly preferred application, the remote data transmission module becomes 43 selected as the only selected function block of the data collection device.

The dashed line separating line between the primary section and the secondary section extends through the connection of the parallel function blocks to the battery unit 2 and the elements connected in series, such as the current sensor 5 and one in 2 shown current transformer and / or current regulator 135 . 136 ,

The in 2 illustrated schematic diagram of an embodiment of the data collection device according to the invention 101 shows a possible implementation of the invention in more detail, wherein the data collection device 101 in the same way and with the same functions as the data collection device 1 a battery unit 102 with a power supply circuit connected to the positive and negative terminals of the battery unit 103 in a primary section 131 of the power supply circuit 103 having. In the primary section 103 is found - arranged in this particular example between the device ground and the negative pole of the battery unit 103 - the current sensor 105 at least one into the power supply circuit 103 integrated shunt resistor 151 having. A measuring point on the shunt resistor 151 is via an electrical connection 106 with a current measuring circuit 144 Connected as one of the functional blocks 104 in the secondary section 132 is arranged, in which the current measuring circuit 144 in parallel with the arithmetic unit 141 , the receiving unit 142 , the remote data transmission module 143 and possibly further function blocks 104 , such as a in 2 not shown, parallel to the battery unit 102 connected.

In that regard, the data collection device corresponds 101 according to 2 the data collection device 1 according to 1 also with regard to the features, functions and advantages described therein.

In the battery unit 102 There are two series connected (preferably non-rechargeable) batteries B1 and B2 that make up the power supply. The current I flows from the positive pole of the battery unit 102 to the negative pole of the battery unit 102 through the power supply circuit 103 , decoupling diodes D1 and D2 , each parallel to one of the batteries B1 and B2 are switched on, protect the batteries B1 . B2 against improper recharging when one of the batteries B1 . B2 is discharged.

The secondary section 132 of the power supply circuit 103 has a first substring 133 and a second sub-string 134 on, which are connected in parallel. In each of the sub strands 133 . 134 is at least one function block 104 arranged. Concrete are as functional blocks 104 in the first sub-string 133 the arithmetic unit 141 , the receiving unit 142 and the current measuring circuit 144 as well as further functional blocks 104 each connected in parallel, wherein the receiving unit 142 through a switch S2 and the current measuring circuit 144 through a switch S4 each separately in a to the respective function block 104 (ie 142 and 144) extending parallel strand of the secondary section can be switched off.

In the second sub-string 134 of the secondary section 132 is the only functional block 104 the remote data transmission module 143 , where the entire second sub-string 134 through a switch S3 can be switched off from the power supply.

In the first sub-string 133 is a first voltage transformer 135 provided that the first sub-string 133 in his to the respective function blocks 104 extending parallel strands with a first supply voltage U1 provided. Between the battery unit 102 and the first voltage converter 135 is in the first sub-string 133 of the secondary section 132 another buffer capacitor C1 between the output voltage U the battery unit 102 and the device ground.

In the second sub-string 134 supplies a second voltage converter 136 the second substrand 134 with a second supply voltage U2 with which the remote data transmission module 143 is operated. The desk S3 is between the battery unit 102 and the second voltage converter 136 arranged so as to open the switch S3 next to the remote data transmission module 143 also the second voltage converter 136 off. This contributes to energy savings when the remote data transmission module 143 is not needed.

The switches S2 . S3 and S4 are each by the arithmetic unit 141 switched, which is permanently supplied with energy.

As shown by the dashed line part of the current sensor 105 implied, not necessarily exactly a shunt resistor 151 be provided. Typically, a shunt resistor is on the current of that functional block 104 whose current is to be measured during activation (selected function block 104 ). If several function blocks 104 With different power consumption selected, it may be useful to know the height of the effective shunt resistance value R _S to adapt to the typical current of the function block to optimally adjust the accuracy.

For this purpose, optionally a resistor network can be provided, which is connected by parallel and / or series connection further shunt resistors to an optimized effective shunt resistance value R _S to create. As one of many possibilities within the reach of the expert lying shows 2 an optional parallel string 152 , which optionally has a switch 153 and optionally an optional shunt resistor 154 connecting them.

Without the optional shunt resistor 154 the shunt resistor provided can be short-circuited in accordance with the invention, if for a non-selected function block 104 no current measurement should take place. This serves to further save energy by closing the switch 153 in this case.

If in the parallel strand 152 In addition, the optional shunt resistor 154 in series with the switch 153 is provided, the shunt resistance 154 the shunt resistor 151 be switched in parallel, and the effective shunt resistance value R _S is adjustable.

Further exemplary possibilities for interconnecting the shunt resistors 151 and 154 and the switch 153 are in the 3a to 3c shown a shunt switching circuit ( 3a) , a shunt parallel circuit ( 3b) and a shunt series circuit ( 3c ). These variants can be combined as desired and combined with other shunt resistors and switches in the sense of a larger resistor network.

With a sufficiently low-impedance shunt resistor 151 ie correspondingly low effective shunt resistance value R _S can the shunt resistance 151 also stuck in the power supply circuit 103 be installed, provided that despite the power loss of the current measuring circuit sufficient battery life can be achieved. This is particularly advantageous in embodiments in which the current is only for one functional block 104 , for example the remote data transmission module 143 , must be measured.

The above-described current sensor 105 is in the power supply circuit between the device ground and the negative pole of the battery unit 102 arranged. The actual current measuring circuit 144 is about the electrical connection 106 connected to the current sensor, wherein the electrical connection is the voltage between the current sensor 105 and the battery unit 102 taps. The voltage on the other side of the current sensor 105 corresponds to the device ground and therefore does not have to be tapped with a separate measuring point on the current sensor in this particularly preferred circuit variant.

In the current measuring circuit 144 will that be over the electrical connection 106 tapped voltage signal across a first resistor R1 the negative input of an operational amplifier operating room fed. The positive input of the operational amplifier operating room is connected to the device ground in this particularly simple circuit variant. Between the negative input of the operational amplifier operating room (or more generally, the input to which the first resistor R1 upstream) and the output of the operational amplifier operating room is a parallel connection of a second resistor R2 and a capacity C2 , in particular a capacitor provided. The operational amplifier operating room In particular, it may be a rail-to-rail precision operational amplifier. This converts through the described wiring with the first and the second resistor R1 . R2 and the capacity C2 the time-dependent voltage drop across the shunt resistor 151 . 154 (or more generally the current sensor with the effective shunt resistance value R _S ) at its output in a strengthened and temporally extended function. By C2 An analogous continuous accumulation takes place. The output signal of the operational amplifier operating room becomes an analog-to-digital converter AD supplied by which the signal is digitized, so that it by a computing unit, for example. The arithmetic unit 141 or a computing unit, not shown, in the current measuring circuit itself, in the inventive and already described manner can be further processed.

Also the capacity C1 in the first sub-string 133 of the secondary section 132 stretches the short mobile pulses, which are 577 μs long in the 4.615 ms frame interval, for example in GPRS mobile radio.

Due to the time stretching, the analog-to-digital converter can AD sample the signal at a much slower conversion rate. This saves computing power and power.

For integration, the arithmetic unit can form the Riemann sub-sum of the samples in the manner already described. This is a particularly simple and efficient solution. Of course, it is the expert free, here is another way to integrate the signal and thus to realize the determination of the total charge consumption during the current measurement.

The current measurement is made by closing the switch S4 turned on, which is the operational amplifier operating room (or more generally, the current sense circuit 144 ) is activated. In the exemplary embodiment described here by way of example, in which only the current of the mobile radio mode 143 is to be detected, the switch S4 together with the switch S3 closed, the remote data transmission module 143 activated.

It corresponds to an advantageous embodiment, after switching off (deactivating) the remote data transmission module 143 (or more generally, the selected function block 104 ) also to stop the current measurement and the sampling of the analog-to-digital converter AD to stop.

berücksichtigt werden.Because at this time the capacity C2 still carries residual stress, which is called tension U _C at the input of the analog-to-digital converter, this must as residual charge Q _remainder, for example, according to the already explained formula $Q_{Rest}=\frac{\mathrm{<figure-callout\; id="2"\; label="R"\; filenames="DE102018114660B3\_0009.png"\; state="\{\{state\}\}">R</figure-callout>}2\cdot C2}{v\cdot R_S}\cdot U_C$

be taken into account.

4 shows schematically the voltage conditions at the shunt resistor 151 ( 4a) and during the measurement time symbolized by the arrows through the analog-to-digital converter AD sampled voltage U _C (which, for example, is summed up after the Riemann subtotal) ( 4b) , The individual vertical lines under the voltage curve U _C symbolize the sampling times. The total charge consumption during activation of the remote data transfer module 143 as selected function block then results with additional consideration of the remaining charge Q _rest ( 4c ).

The total charge consumption Q (during the activation of a function block 104 ) thus results from the sum of the Riemann intermediate charges and the residual charge Q _rest : $$Q={\displaystyle \underset{i=1}{\overset{n}{\Sigma }}\frac{U\left(t_i\right)-U\left(t_{i-1}\right)}{2\cdot R_s}+Q_{Rest},}$$

According to the invention, the current measurements can also be used in production tests, for example, for a typical consumption of individual function blocks or activation modes of the data collection device 101 to investigate. In addition, the current measuring circuit can be 144 also use to allow functional testing of the function blocks during operation and / or to determine the current battery state of charge. In addition to the current measurement, the voltage of the batteries U _B1 and U _B2 just before the start of the current measurement, during the current measurement and shortly after the current measurement.

During the current measurement, the ambient temperature of the batteries can also be measured so that the measured typical consumption can be assigned to an operating temperature. Thus, during the production tests, it is possible to determine temperature-dependent typical power consumption values that could be stored, for example, as a table in the data collection device, which could, if necessary, be incorporated mathematically in the determination of the total charge consumption of the data collection device.

The consumed total amount of charge of the batteries or the battery unit over time can be inventively determined from the sum of the total charge consumption of the individual function blocks over time, possibly different operating modes of the function blocks can be considered. The total charge consumptions of the individual function blocks may be known by estimation or by determination in production tests or determined by the above-described current measurement. The latter is the case according to the invention for at least one functional block, namely the remote data transmission module. This applies equally to all of the variants and embodiments described.

wobei Q_m , Q_n , Q_o , Q_p die Ladungsmenge eines Funktionsblocks anzeigt und die Summe über die Laufindices i, j, k, l jeweils verschiedene Betriebsmodi des entsprechenden Funktionsblocks (entsprechend ihrer Aktivierung über die Zeit) aufsummiert.As a formula, the consumed total charge amount (total charge amount or consumption of the data collection device) of the batteries or the battery unit over time can be described as follows: $$Q_{Ges}=\mathrm{\Sigma }{Q}_{mi}+\mathrm{\Sigma }{Q}_{nj}+\mathrm{\Sigma }{Q}_{Ok}+\cdots +\mathrm{\Sigma }{Q}_{pl.}$$

in which Q _m . Q _n . Q _o . Q _p indicates the amount of charge of a function block and the sum on the run indexes i, j, k, l respectively different operating modes of the corresponding function block (according to their activation over time) added up.

However, the amount of charge consumed is only an indication of the state of charge of the batteries, because depending on the ambient temperature-current-time profile and specimen scattering batteries can deliver different amounts of charge. In addition, if necessary, the charge amount of several batteries is determined together, although the discharge of the batteries does not necessarily have to be equally distributed.

To get an even better statement on the state of charge of each battery, can In all described embodiments, the voltage across the batteries when switching off the current measurement, ie still under load when switching off the function block, measured and calculated. If one of the batteries is below a voltage threshold, then the data collection device may issue a warning, for example via the remote data transmission module, that a battery change is required. In addition, the respective internal battery resistance can be determined in a manner known per se.

5 describes a variant of the current measuring circuit 144 out 4 which is alternatively usable in all embodiments. In the 5 illustrated current measuring circuit 244 shows a current-voltage pulse transformer for determining the total amount of charge during a current measurement.

The voltage drop across the shunt resistor U _S is through a differential amplifier 251 proportionally amplified and in an integrator 252 in time to a voltage signal U _i integrated. Exceeds the voltage signal U _i the comparator threshold U _K a comparator 253 , then generates a timer 254 (Monoflop) a short time pulse 255 who is the integrator 252 resets (short circuits) and a counter 256 counts. The counter reading N of the counter 256 corresponds to the amount of charge flowed through the shunt resistor (number of charge units).

In 6 is a variant of the current measuring circuit 344 shown, wherein the other components of those of the circuit according to 2 correspond and are denoted by the same reference numerals as in 2 ,

In the primary section 131 of the power supply circuit 103 is also as a shunt resistor 351 trained current sensors 105 between the positive pole of the battery unit and the positive terminal of the secondary section 132 arranged in 6 not shown. In the in 2 variant shown is the shunt resistor 152 in contrast, arranged between the device ground and the negative pole of the battery unit. The principle of current measurement by shunt resistor is the same in all variants.

Compared to the in 2 illustrated variant but here are two electrical connections 306 . 307 to the current measuring circuit 344 provided the voltage directly in front of and behind the shunt resistor 351 in the power supply circuit 103 tap off. In the in 2 variant shown could be omitted in the current direction before the shunt resistor tap, because the voltage level there corresponded to the device ground, which has simplified the circuit a little. A tap just before and after the shunt resistor, as shown in this embodiment, is universally applicable to all of the embodiments described in this text, including the in 2 illustrated variant or a current sensor between two batteries in the battery unit. This variant is also possible according to the invention, even if it has not been explained in the embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

In the illustrated example according to 2 lies in front of the shunt resistor 351 at the electrical connection 306 the battery voltage U at. The current flows through the shunt resistor and the load (formed by one or more of the functional blocks) I , so over the shunt resistor 351 the voltage drop U _S occurs, resulting from the difference of the electrical connection 307 measured voltage Around and by the electrical connection 306 tension U _m 'results: $$U_S=U_m-U_m\text{'}$$

In the variant of the embodiment according to the invention described here, the connections via the electrical connections 306 . 307 tapped voltage signals U _m . U _m 'Each one means for averaging supplied, which smooths the signal (sliding averages) and thus makes the integration of the current flowing current to the total charge consumption more accurate.

Similar to the embodiments already described, the signals (in this variant, however, already averaged in advance) become a differential amplifier 354 fed, the one the voltage drop U _S generates proportional signal. This becomes an analog to digital converter 355 supplied and in the manner already described by the arithmetic unit 141 processed, for example, via a switch S3 the selected function block is the Remote Data Transfer Module 143 activated, whose power consumption is to be measured. The current measurement according to the invention also only during the activation of the remote data transmission module 143 respectively.

Both the differential amplifier 354 as well as the analog-to-digital converter 355 and possibly the means for averaging can in the arithmetic unit 141 be integrated, so that in the real circuit the electrical connections 306 and 307 also directly to the arithmetic unit 141 , For example, the ports of the microprocessor of the arithmetic unit 141 , can be connected. In the schematic representation chosen here, however, the different functions for clarification are separate even if they are realized in one and the same electronic component.

As already explained, a current measurement takes place, in particular for the remote data transmission module 143 the data collection device 101 instead of. To ensure a stable supply voltage, in addition to or as an alternative to the in 2 illustrated variant - also a voltage converter 437 in the primary section 131 the data collection device are provided. This will be described below with reference to 7 still explained, whereby also here in 2 used reference numerals for the same components of this embodiment. This variant is basically combined with the other described embodiments.

Generally, for all embodiments described herein, the remote data transmission _module current I may be _module = 500mA in the data transfer mode. As a shunt resistor (measuring resistor), for example, a resistor having a resistance R _shunt = 0.1 ohms is used. This results in a voltage drop of Us = 50 mV at the shunt resistor. The electrical power loss at the shunt resistor is then P _Shunt = 25mW when the remote data transmission module is on.

A data collection device is often powered by lithium batteries. Their usual battery voltage is U = 3.6V. In the data transfer mode, a data remote transmission _module according to a possible embodiment typically consumes on average an electrical power of about P _modulus = U _modulus * I _modulus = 1.8W. Thus, the ratio of the electric power between the current measurement P _shunt and the load P _{modulus is} 0.0139. This means that the current measuring circuit through the shunt resistor takes an additional power of 1.39% of the power consumption of the load from the power supply (battery).

The in 7 shown primary section has next to the battery unit 102 and as a shunt counter 451 trained current sensor 105 that has electrical connections 406 . 407 with a current measuring circuit 444 connected to a voltage converter 444 between the plus pole of the battery unit and the positive terminal of the secondary section (not shown in detail) 132 on. The voltage converter 437 regulates the supply voltage U _V at the positive connection of the secondary section 132 via a feedback 438 , It is provided according to the invention in this embodiment, the shunt resistor 451 in the closed loop of feedback 438 to provide, ie in the feedback loop of the voltage regulator 437 , This leads to a reduction of the voltage drop across the shunt resistor 451 as will be apparent from the following explanation of an exemplary configuration.

Assuming the battery unit 102 generate the battery voltage U , The load current through the shunt resistor 451 amount in the current measurement the value I , The voltage regulator 437 (also synonymously referred to as a voltage transformer, because voltage converters often also have a corresponding regulation) stabilizes the supply voltage U _V of the connected consumer (here assumed the remote data transmission module 143 ). If the consumer changes to an operating state which requires a higher current, the current increases /. This also increases the voltage drop across the shunt resistor 451 ,

The feedback 438 of the voltage regulator / voltage converter 437 is at the supply voltage U _V connected, and therefore regulates the voltage regulator 437 to the supply voltage U _V out. By balancing the voltage drop at the shunt with pulsing supply currents according to the circuit 7 greatly reduced by the balancing. As a voltage regulator, a linear regulator or a switching regulator can be used.

The current measuring circuit can be realized concretely according to one of the described embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Data collection device

2

battery unit

3

Power supply circuit

31

primary section

32

secondary section

4

function blocks

41

computer unit

42

receiver unit

43

Remote data transmission module

44

Current measurement circuit

45

Storage

5

Current sensor

6

electrical connection

101

Data collection device

102

battery unit

103

Power supply circuit

131

primary section

132

secondary section

133

first sub-string of the secondary section

134

second sub-strand of the secondary section

135

first voltage converter

136

second voltage converter

104

function blocks

141

computer unit

142

receiver unit

143

Remote data transmission module

144

Current measurement circuit

105

Current sensor

151

Shunt resistor

152

Parallel string of the current sensor

153

optional switch

154

optional shunt resistor

106

electrical connection

244

Current measurement circuit

251

differential amplifier

252

integrator

253

comparator

254

timer

255

pulse

256

counter

306

electrical connection

307

electrical connection

344

Current measurement circuit

351

Shunt resistor

352

Averaging device (averager)

353

Averaging device (averager)

354

differential amplifier

355

Analog to digital converter

406

electrical connection

407

electrical connection

437

DC converter

438

feedback

444

Current measurement circuit

451

Shunt resistor

B1, B2

battery

D1, D2

diodes

S2, S3, S4

switch

R _S

Shunt resistance

operating room

operational amplifiers

AD

Analog to digital converter

R1, R2

resistance

C1, C2

capacity

I

Current (total current flowing through the battery unit)

U

output voltage U the battery unit

U1, U2

output voltage U the voltage converter

Us

Voltage drop at the shunt resistor

UC

Input voltage at the analog-to-digital converter

To, U _m '

tapped measuring signals

Claims (18)

A data collection device for acquiring or receiving data, the data collection device (1, 110) comprising: - a battery unit (2, 102) including at least one non-rechargeable battery (B1, B2) for powering the data collection device (1, 101) in a power supply circuit (3,103); a plurality of functional blocks (4, 104) connected to the battery unit (2, 102) for power supply in the power supply circuit (3, 103), the functional blocks (4, 104) comprising at least: i) a functional module for detecting or receiving the data; ii) a computing unit (41, 141) for controlling the data collection device (1, 101); iii) an on-off-switchable remote data transmission module (43, 143) for transmitting the data over a remote data link to a remote data processing device; iv) a current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) for measuring the current (I) flowing in the power supply circuit (3, 103); characterized in that - the function blocks (4, 104) of the data collection device (1, 101) are connected in parallel to the battery unit (2, 102) in a secondary section (32, 132) of the power supply circuit (3, 103) for power supply; - That a current sensor (5, 105) of the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) in one Primary section (31, 131) of the power supply circuit (3, 103), the primary section (31, 131) of the power supply circuit (3, 103) being the part of the power supply circuit (3, 103) through which the entire current flowing from the battery unit (2, 102) (I) flows; - That the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) is adapted to detect the during the activation of a selected function block (4, 104) in the primary section (31, 131) flowing current (I) and from this the total charge consumption (Q) during the activation of this at least one function block (4, 104) to determine; - that the arithmetic unit (41, 141) is further adapted, taking into account the total charge consumption (Q) determined by the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) during the activation of the selected function blocks (4, 104), the total charge consumption (Q _ges ) of the data collecting device (1, 101) over time during the life of the battery (B1, B2) to determine and to determine the remaining charge in the battery (B1, B2). Data collection device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the data collecting device (1, 101) is adapted for use in a local radio network with at least one terminal transmitting data in radio telegrams into the radio network, wherein the data collecting device (1, 101) comprises, as a functional module, one for receiving the data in The receiving unit (42, 142) has the radio network and sends out the data unit (41, 141) of the data collection device (1, 101) for processing the received radio telegram. Data collection device according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) by activating and deactivating the power supply can be activated and deactivated, wherein the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) during the activation of the at least one the selected function blocks (4, 104) is activated and deactivated with the deactivation of the at least one of the selected function blocks (4, 104). Data collection device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) is adapted to average the measured current (I) during the activation of the at least one of the selected function blocks (4, 104) and / or to accumulate. Data collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the current sensor (5, 105) is formed as a low-impedance shunt resistor (151, 154, 351, 451) which in the primary section (31, 131) of the power supply circuit (3,103) in Row with the battery unit (2, 102) is provided, wherein a voltage drop (Us) via the shunt resistor (151, 154, 351, 451) measured and determined from the battery unit (2, 102) taken total current (I) becomes. Data collection device according to Claim 5 characterized in that the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) comprises a differential amplifier (OP, 151, 354), the differential amplifier (OP, 151, 354) having a first voltage measuring point on one side of the Shunt resistor (151, 154, 351, 451) connected input and a second input connected to a second voltage measuring point on the other side of the shunt resistor (151, 154, 351, 451) to the above the shunt resistor ( 151, 154, 351, 451) to increase the falling shunt voltage (Us). Data collecting device according to one of Claims 5 or 6 characterized in that the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) comprises an analog averaging means (352, 353), the averaging means (352, 353) being adapted to operate across the shunt resistor (151, 154 , 351, 451) tapped signal to integrate. Data collecting device according to one of Claims 5 or 6 , characterized in that the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) comprises a digital averaging device, wherein the averaging device is adapted to the above the shunt resistor (151, 154, 351, 451) tapped signal in an analog Digital converter (AD) to digitize and digitally integrate. Data collection device according to Claim 8 , characterized in that the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) is adapted to the above the shunt resistor (151, 154, 351, 451) tapped signal by means of a differential amplifier (OP, 151, 354) amplify and / or by means of a switched between an input and output of the amplifier capacitance (C2) in time. Data collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the Arithmetic unit (41, 141) of the data collecting device (1, 101) is arranged to turn off the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) with the deactivation of the selected function block (4, 104). Data collection device according to Claims 9 and 10 characterized in that the arithmetic unit (41, 141) of the data collection device (1, 101) is adapted to disable the selected functional block (4, 104) when the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) is turned off stored residual charge (Q _remainder ), which was stored in the current measuring device during the activation of the selected function blocks (4, 104) and to take into account in the determination of the total charge consumption (Q) during the activation of the selected function block (4, 104). Data collection device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the secondary section (32, 132) of the power supply circuit (3, 103) comprises a first sub-string (133) and a second sub-string (134), wherein - the first sub-string (133) and the second sub-string (134) are connected in parallel and in each of the sub-strands (133, 134) at least one functional block (4, 104) is arranged; - In the first sub-string (133) optionally a first voltage converter (135) is provided, which supplies the first sub-string (133) with a first supply voltage (U1); - In the second sub-string (134) optionally a second voltage converter (136) is provided, which supplies the second sub-string (134) with a second supply voltage (U2); and - the optional first voltage converter (135) and the optional second voltage converter (136) are supplied with the battery voltage (U) provided by the battery unit (2, 102). Data collection device according to Claim 12 , characterized in that the remote data transmission module (43, 143) in the second sub-string (134) is arranged and the second sub-string (134) by means of a between the battery unit (2, 102) and the second voltage converter (136) in the secondary section (32 , 132) provided switch (S3) on and off. Data collection device according to Claim 12 or 13 characterized in that the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) is disposed in the first sub-string (133) and in the first sub-string (133) between the battery unit (2, 102) and the first voltage converter (135) in the secondary portion (32, 132) is provided between the first and the second output of the battery unit (2, 102) connected capacitor (C1). Data collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the battery unit (2, 102) at least two series-connected batteries (B1, B2), which are exchangeable individually or as a battery pack. Data collecting device according to one of Claims 5 to 15 , characterized in that by a change in the resistance value of the shunt resistor (151, 154, 351, 451) of the current measuring range of the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) is increased or decreased. Data collecting device according to one of Claims 6 to 16 , characterized in that by a change in the amplification factor of the differential amplifier (OP, 151, 354) of the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) of the current measuring range of the current measuring circuit (44, 144, 244, 344, 444) increased or decreased becomes. Data collection device after the previous one Claims 2 to 17 , characterized in that the data collection device (1, 101) is additionally equipped with a radio transmitter and is adapted to send data to the local radio network.

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