Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01D4/00—Tariff metering apparatus
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
  • G01F15/00—Details of, or accessories for, apparatus of groups G01F1/00 - G01F13/00 insofar as such details or appliances are not adapted to particular types of such apparatus
  • G01F15/001—Means for regulating or setting the meter for a predetermined quantity
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
  • G01F15/00—Details of, or accessories for, apparatus of groups G01F1/00 - G01F13/00 insofar as such details or appliances are not adapted to particular types of such apparatus
  • G01F15/06—Indicating or recording devices
  • G01F15/061—Indicating or recording devices for remote indication
  • G01F15/063—Indicating or recording devices for remote indication using electrical means
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
  • G08C17/00—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
  • G08C17/02—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link using a radio link
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02B—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS
  • Y02B90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
  • Y02B90/20—Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y04—INFORMATION OR COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES HAVING AN IMPACT ON OTHER TECHNOLOGY AREAS
  • Y04S—SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS
  • Y04S20/00—Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
  • Y04S20/30—Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Definitions

• the present invention relates to interfaces for meters such as water, heat or electricity meters but particularly gas meters.
• meters are increasingly used in a number of different applications, for example to provide a more convenient meter reading display remote from the meter or as a prepayment meter arranged to accept money, tokens or 'smart cards' in order to dispense a commodity.
• a reading may be taken from a meter which may be arranged to provide an electrical or optical output signifying the quantity of a commodity dispensed and this reading used by a suitable module attached to the meter to perform a desired application.
• This interface allows different metering services to be added to a basic meter in a modular manner.
• RF technology enables different add-ons to be conveniently situated remote from the meter and to utilise the meter wherever it is installed.
• This invention provides a robust method of future proofing the evolution of metering services in the competitive world of gas supply by enabling further remote units to be added without the need to make any adjustments to the interface thus supporting the wide range of new metering services that will become part of the competitive market place of energy supply.
• This invention aims to meet the technical requirements to facilitate the introduction of these services and allows competitive products to be matched to an open access system.
• the interface allows the meter owner to focus on the issues of the meter installation, while giving a standard mechanism for providing access to any meter services provider.
• the radio transmission control means may be able to arrange transmission to the plurality of remote units simultaneously.
• Such an interface is able to support more than one application at a time significantly increasing its usefulness.
• a plurality of interfaces may be arranged to transmit simultaneously to a single remote unit.
• Radio communication is particularly advantageous because any number of remote units can receive signals from a single transmitting means without the need for any adjustment as further remote units are added. Furthermore the provision of such transmitting means permits the provision of remote units some distance from the meter unit for greater convenience without the need for unsightly and untidy connecting wires between the meter unit and remote units.
• the interface may be incorporated within a meter.
• the meter may be a fluid meter such as a gas meter.
• the meter or interface may be arranged to control a means for cutting off the supply of the commodity. If the meter is a flow meter the cut-off means may be a shut-off valve to prevent the flow of fluid through the meter.
• the interface may include means to receive a signal from a remote unit to cause the cut-off means to close.
• Such a meter or interface incorporating a shut-off valve is particularly useful when the remote unit is a gas detector or a prepayment unit.
• the remote unit When the remote unit is a gas detector it may be positioned in a room supplied with gas from the meter and can be used to send a signal to the meter or interface to shut off the gas supply via the valve when gas is detected.
• the remote unit When the remote unit is a prepayment unit it can be positioned at a convenient position remote from the valve for a user to insert payment and can be used to send a signal to close the valve when credit has expired and more money/tokens/smart card credits need to be supplied.
• remote units according to further aspects of the present invention to be used in conjunction with the interface of the first aspect of the present invention include:
• Multi-tariff meter to provide meter data to allow manipulation based on date/time and tariffs obtained from the supplier
• Each of the remote units may have a receiver which is preferably an aerial which may be enclosed within the reception unit housing to receive transmissions from the interface.
• the remote units may alternatively or additionally have a transmitter to transmit a signal to the interface such as indicating that gas is detected or credit has expired. The same aerial may act as the receiver and transmitter.
• the remote unit may initiate communication with an interface by transmitting a signal to the interface and then waiting to receive a reply.
• Figure 1 diagrammatically shows an interface connected to a meter, the interface being arranged to communicate with a number of remote units,-
• Figures 2a and 2b show an interface applied to a conventional fluid meter to enable it to communicate with remote units ,-
• Figure 4 is a flow diagram showing the operation of an interface upon receipt of an incoming signal from a remote unit.
• an interface 1 is arranged to receive a signal from a meter 2 indicative of a quantity of a commodity read by the meter 2 via communication link 3.
• the interface 1 is arranged to send a signal indicative of a reading from the meter 2 via radio transmissions 4 to a plurality of remote units 5-10 each having different functions.
• Some of the remote units such as remote unit 5 which may be a gas detector for example may be able to send a signal to the interface 1 for it to perform a particular function such as in this case to close a valve preventing the flow of gas through the meter.
• One or more other remote systems such as a customer display at some convenient position remote from the meter itself or an automatic meter reader.
• the present invention also enables access to the meter for any future metering service developments as the market for innovative products in this area evolves.
• the remote units 5 - 10 may have a receiver for the reception of transmissions from the interface 1 and/or a transmitter for sending transmissions to the interface 1.
• An aerial may be used as the receiver and/or transmitter.
• FIG. 2a shows an interface 1 which can be applied to a conventional fluid meter, in this case a gas meter 21 to enable it to operate in accordance with the present invention.
• the interface 1 is physically supported in this example by an inlet pipe 22 which is arranged to deliver fluid, in this case fuel gas, to an inlet port 23 and by an outlet pipe 24 through which gas passes from an outlet port 25 of the gas meter 21.
• the interface 1 could be temporarily supported by inlet pipe 22 and/or outlet pipe 24 and/or the existing meter 21 using resilient clips or brackets with bolts for example.
• the interface 1 could have holes through its outer casing for the inlet 22 and outlet 24 pipes to pass through to support the interface 1 which may also rest on top of the gas meter 21.
• the interface 1 could be supported on only one pipe, such as the outlet pipe 24 shown in Figure 2b.
• the example shown has also a standard meter bracket 38 and a standard pressure regulator 39.
• the interface 1 could be provided with one or two gas pipes mounted to the interface 1 to be installed in addition to or as a replacement for existing meter inlet 22 and outlet 24 pipes.
• the interface 1 has a cut-off means in this example in the form of a valve to stop the flow of gas since the cut-off means can be provided in the inlet or outlet pipes provided with the interface 1.
• the interface 1 has a connector 26 which may be connected to the gas meter 21 and which can supply the volume reading from the gas meter 21 to a control means 27 which may comprise a microprocessor and/or electronics mounted in a housing inside the interface.
• a control means 27 which may comprise a microprocessor and/or electronics mounted in a housing inside the interface.
• Some gas meters are able to supply an electrical or optical signal indicative of the volume of gas it has measured in which case the connector 26 has a suitable male or female plug or socket to connect to the corresponding male or female plug or socket on the meter 21.
• Some meters 21 have dials or decimal digit wheels in which case a suitable optical detector as is well known in the art is employed to convert these readings into a suitable electrical signal to be received by the control means 27 of the interface 1.
• the control means housing also supports a battery 28 which as well as supplying electrical power to the control means 27 also supplies electrical power for other systems such as an aerial 29 and valve 30 to be described later.
• the control means 27 modulates the signal representing the meter reading read from the meter 21 via connector 26 and sends the modulated signal to aerial 29 from which it is transmitted to be received by the remote unit that requested the meter reading or possibly simultaneously to all remote units 5-10.
• the control means 27 is also able to demodulate signals received from remote units 5-10 via the aerial 29. These signals may instruct the interface or meter to perform any appropriate function but in the present example are used to request the transmission of a meter reading to a remote unit or instruct the closure of valve 30 to prevent the further flow of gas through the meter 21.
• the valve 30 need not necessarily be provided internally within the interface 1 but could be provided externally and at the inlet or outlet connection to the meter. All four variants offer advantages :
• External Outlet allows costs to be apportioned to gas supplier directly.
• the interface 1 is provided with a manual valve reset 31 for opening the valve after it has been closed.
• the valve 30 could just as easily be arranged to open under instruction from a remote unit via the radio link.
• FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows the structure of the control means 27.
• a tamper unit 48 may be provided to send an appropriate signal to the microcontroller 40 on line 49 if for example the connection 26 to the meter 2 is broken or radio communication is blocked. Upon receipt of a tamper signal the microcontroller 40 closes valve 30 to prevent the further flow of gas .
• the control means 27 is powered by a battery 50, preferably a 3.7 V lithium battery.
• the microcontroller 40 preferably closes the valve 30 to prevent the further flow of gas which may not be charged for.
• the interface 1 is only powered at regular intervals, for example every two seconds, and remains active for a fraction of this time unless it is addressed by a remote unit.
• the interface 1 could transmit the meter reading to each of the remote units at regular intervals, eg every two seconds which would be received by each remote unit and acted on accordingly.
• a remote unit could initiate radio contact with the interface .
• a remote customer meter reading display or multi-tariff meter could request the current meter reading at regular intervals such as every few seconds or minutes or an off site meter reader eg a hand held computer could request the meter reading to be used for billing purposes.
• An off- site meter reader could request the meter reading from a plurality of interfaces simultaneously.
• a remote unit could also send instructions to the interface 1 such as a gas detector or prepayment meter instructing the closure of the valve 30.
• Step 100 the microcontroller is asleep,-
• Step 101 the microcontroller detects an incoming signal ,- Step 102 the microcontroller wakes up and waits for data; Step 103 the microcontroller decodes any required addressing data and decides whether it is addressed; Step 104 if it is not addressed it goes to step 100 if it is addressed it goes to step 105; Step 105 the microcontroller decodes the rest of the message and interprets it; Step 106 if the message is instructing the microcontroller to perform an action, eg close valve 30, the microcontroller performs this action,- Step 107 the microcontroller switches to transmit; Step 108 the microcontroller takes or retrieves any required measurement ,- Step 109 the microcontroller codes a response message such as providing the current meter reading or acknowledging that an instructed action has been performed;
• a remote unit that does not require use of the shut-off valve may not use step 106 or a remote unit that does not require a meter reading such as the gas detector may omit step 108 or steps 107 to 109.
• a gas detecting means as is well known in the art is provided with an RF transmitting means arranged to send a signal to the interface indicating when the gas detecting means detects gas.
• the signal may be addressed to the particular interface connected to the meter supplying gas to the area in which the gas detector operates.
• a valve must be associated with the interface to be closed when the interface receives an appropriate signal from the gas detector.
• a prepayment meter comprises means to receive payment such as a coin meter or a card reader to accept credit from a so-called 'smartcard', means to monitor the amount of gas consumed by communicating with the interface via an RF receiving means, control means to determine when credit has expired and RF transmitting means to instruct the interface accordingly.
• the interface is associated with a valve to be closed when the prepayment meter advises that credit has expired.
• a home automation system requires means to receive a meter reading from the interface and control means to operate various home systems in response to the meter reading to manage the temperature of the home whilst reducing gas consumption.
• a multi- tariff remote unit comprises a time and/or date supplying means, means to receive meter readings from the interface including RF receiving means and control means to correlate the volume of gas consumed at different times and/or dates which have different charging rates.
• a multi-tariff remote unit can thus be applied to an existing gas meter fitted with a suitable interface without having to supply a number of different gas meters to operate during different parts of the day or different dates according to the charging rate in force at that time or date .
• An off-site meter reader has a receiving means to receive a meter reading from one or more interfaces as shown in Figure 4 for example.
• An off-site meter reader is particularly useful as the person having to collect meter readings for a particular area such as a street of houses does not have to gain access to each residence or meter installation, significantly reducing time and costs .

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
• Arrangements For Transmission Of Measured Signals (AREA)
• Measuring Volume Flow (AREA)
• Beverage Vending Machines With Cups, And Gas Or Electricity Vending Machines (AREA)
• Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)
• Details Of Flowmeters (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10843949

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (15)

• 1998
  • 1998-12-10 GB GBGB9827147.1A patent/GB9827147D0/en not_active Ceased
• 1999
  • 1999-12-06 EP EP99959522A patent/EP1141659A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-12-06 GB GB9928692A patent/GB2344672A/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-12-06 JP JP2000587155A patent/JP2002531857A/ja active Pending
  • 1999-12-06 WO PCT/GB1999/004101 patent/WO2000034745A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-12-06 KR KR1020017007181A patent/KR20010093808A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-12-06 AU AU16666/00A patent/AU1666600A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-12-06 CA CA002354568A patent/CA2354568A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-12-06 BR BR9916061-7A patent/BR9916061A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-12-09 AR ARP990106301A patent/AR017738A1/es not_active Application Discontinuation

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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