FR2638832A1 - ANALOGUE / DIGITAL OPTOELECTROMAGNETIC COUNTING SYSTEM FOR FLUIDS - Google Patents

Abstract

A completely sealed transmitter unit E is placed in the pipe 1 of the circulating fluid, it comprises electronic equipment which analyzes the electromagnetic amplitude variations and ensures their transmission by suitable coding by means of a connection line to a receiver R , totally independent of the emitter E, to indicate the precise unit of volume desired by addition or by subtraction according to the information transmitted by the emitter E, said information is displayed in an indicating device; the receiver R comprises binary coded decimal serial outputs BCD to transmit all of its information to a data processing center 26 which reads each meter and provides its invoicing in an automatic manner. Application to remote metering of fluids, in particular liquids.

Description

The subject of the present invention is a counting system

  optoelectromagnetic analogue / digital for fluids. The object of the invention is to improve and simplify the operating conditions of the fluid meters by means of an analog / digital optoelectromagnetic system which makes it possible to measure with extreme precision the volume of fluid flowing through a conduit, determining at any time the volume used in individual applications or for general consumption, the readings being then relayed to a receiving device which is remote which makes possible the data processing and even billing or any other kind of electronic or electromechanical maneuver that can to be required. The present system provides significant advantages over all that exists in the field of which it is possible to underline the elimination of damage since the system does not include any mechanical transmission element such as wheels or wheels. toothed gears, etc. which may be subject to wear or breakage and which ultimately cause measurement errors over time. The counting system offers the same precision regardless of the direction of flow of the fluid that is to say that it counts by addition when the fluid flows in one direction and

  counts in difference when it circulates in the opposite direction.

  A particularly interesting feature of the invention is the ease with which the rotor or turbine assembly can be changed or replaced without being

  necessary to dismantle any part of the meter itself.

  even since said mechanical element is totally independent of the assembly ensuring the transmission of data, which makes it possible to avoid any possibility of leakage and even manipulation; for this purpose the rotor or the turbine being specially designed to be actuated by the fluid stream has been provided with a certain number of magnetic poles which generate a certain number of electromagnetic variations in a totally independent electronic circuit, without frequency limitation, said variations being then analyzed in said circuit and transmitted by means of a special code via a line connecting the transmitter and the receiver

  since they are distinct from each other.

  The proposed system consists of the following elements: a) An emission assembly, a fluid flow measuring device that also measures the flow direction of the vein. The body of the transmitter is completely sealed since the pipe through which the fluid

  circulates is made in one piece.

  b) A receiver and a cabinet assembly, provided to receive the appropriate coding from the transmitter to define the volume unit treated, by addition or subtraction according to the information received from the transmitter, while the elements of Receiving the counting assembly are grouped in the cabinet which consists of a visual panel where the remote reading from the transmitter elements is controlled. (c) A bipolar power cable that does not require a sheath and has a polarity direction

indifferent.

  d) Remote billing equipment.

  For the purpose of a better understanding of the invention are attached a number of drawings showing an embodiment of the object of the invention described and

  shown without limitation.

  Figure 1 shows a view of the constituent parts

the transmitter group.

  Figure 2 shows a section of the assembled transmitter unit. Figure 3 shows several views of the receiver group.

  Figure 4 shows a view of the parts of the cabinet.

  Figure 5 shows schematically the system of

telemetry and processing.

  According to the invention, the counter consists of two distinct bodies, clearly differentiated from one another: the transmitter and the receiver. They are the vital parts of the device, a group completing a grouping cabinet, a bipolar electrical cable and a system of

  microprocessor remote billing.

  That is, the counting system is composed of the following elements:

a) Issuer Group.

(b) Receiving group.

c) Wardrobe.

d) Electrical conductor cable.

  e) Remote billing system.

a) Issuer Group.

  It comprises a pipe 1, Figure 1, whose outer portion is hexagonal and whose interior is cylindrical, coaxially inside which there is a cartridge 2 which comprises guide nozzles 3; the shafts supporting the turbine bearings 4 and the turbine 5. Said cartridge 2 rests on a housing provided for this purpose in the pipe 1 which makes

  that it is perfectly fixed inside it.

  Also included in the front part is a filter 6 which

  also acts as a seal on its flat part.

  The pipe 1 shows on its outer part a number of grooves 7 perpendicular to its axis adapted to receive supports 8 which in turn are fixed on an outer casing 9 and the box 10 containing the electronic box. The assembly is then closed by the cover 11 which has a number of grooves 12 through which pass tabs 13 of the carcass 9 which contributes to maintaining perfectly in position the assembly and

allows to obtain its tightness.

  The flow of the fluid stream that is to be measured rotates freely along the cartridge 2 and rotates the turbine 5, which has special features. A number of magnetic poles are provided which induce in the electronic circuit located in the housing 10 a certain number of electromagnetic variations.

  without any limitation in frequency.

  These variations are analyzed in said circuit and are transmitted with a special code by a line connecting the transmitter to the receiver. The circuit also analyzes the direction of rotation of the turbine to define the flow direction of the fluid stream. The system thus designed allows a replacement or a change of the mechanical complex without the need to disassemble any part of the meter. Figure 2 shows a longitudinal section of the transmitter. b) Receiving group It consists of a housing 14 having a number of conical side guides 15 to allow its centering on the grooves provided in the cabinet for this purpose. On its LCD liquid crystal screen is provided a bevel 16 which abuts on the cabinet which allows both

  easy set-up and extraction (Figure 4).

  The housing 14 has a rear cover 17 which has a hollow portion for its perfect mechanical attachment to the cabinet and which has the necessary number of pins for its connection to the cabinet and external lines. Inside the casing 14 are a certain

  number of electronic circuits and display (Figure 3).

  The receiver is supplied with information comprising a suitable coding corresponding to that of the transmitter according to the division that it must perform according to the number of revolutions of the turbine to define the necessary unit of volume, cubic meter, liter, gallon, etc., by addition or subtraction according to the information transmitted by the transmitter. There is also a monitoring system of the transmission line to detect any anomaly in it or any manipulation. The direction of rotation, dextrorotatory or laevorotatory, is also analyzed to analyze the corresponding addition or subtraction and also to check the point at which the counter starts to operate for a given level. All this information is visualized on the

  indicator device: the LCD liquid crystal display. Celui-

  It comprises two blocks of figures of different size so as to perfectly differentiate the units of measurement. It shows on its lower right part in the form of an "F" any defect or anomaly; similarly, it can be seen by means of a number of circular sectors which appear sequentially, an indication that the counter is functioning properly. The receivers include BCD (binary coded decimal) serial outputs to transmit all information through the cabinet, telephone line, fiber optic or radio as needed to a data center. With this system, it is possible to easily and economically read a reading of each meter and

  an automatic billing of the latter.

  c) Cabinet This is the element where all the receiving sets of the counting group are grouped together (Figure 4). It consists of a visualization panel o is realized

  remote reading of the transmitters.

  The cabinet has a rectangular housing 18, the sides 19 are larger to receive an inner housing and allow its pivoting. Said inner housing, in turn, is made from a U-shaped plate 20 having internal flanges for fixing the flat portion 21 supporting all the connectors and having a housing on its lower part for receiving the batteries . All lines from each unit

  transmitter are connected to these connectors.

  The housing 18 has a number of holes

  allowing the passage of cables and to ensure its fixation.

  In solidarity with the piece 21 is a printed circuit board comprising the entire system so as to define its correct operation as well as a Modem unit intended to provide all the information of each counter,

  its state and the state of the cupboard itself and its batteries.

  The battery fixing cover 22 comprises a system through which the batteries can be disconnected from the circuit of the cabinet during charging periods and it is sufficient to press the fixing screws so that

  the batteries work. That is to say that the lid itself

even acts as a switch.

  In the front part of the plate 20, openings are provided which are covered by a synoptic means with grooves so that by a slight pressure the housings intended to place the necessary number of

  receivers in each installation may be available.

  The cabinet has a signaling system that indicates if it is in a normal operating state or if there is a lack of mains voltage or if the batteries

  are unloaded or accept no charge.

  This group is completely protected by the cover 23 which has a transparent window to visualize the entire complex which is fixed by means of

  screws that seal them.

  d) Electrical conductor cable The electrical cable connecting the transmitter to the receiver is a bipolar cable and has no shielding or

indication of polarity.

  e) Remote Billing System In FIG. 5 a scheme of transmission and processing of the information contained in the receivers has been shown. The optoelectromagnetic analog / digital counting system is a "remote reading" system for two reasons: a) The transmitter and the receiver are two elements connected by means of a cable. This makes it possible to place the receiver in the most appropriate location, to centralize the reading of all billings in the corresponding cabinets. b) The receivers, in turn, have BCD (binary coded decimal) serial outputs prepared for connection to a modem unit from which the information can be sent to a data processing center. The following operations are performed in this center: - Reading order of all connected meters

  in the center and their storage on a magnetic disk.

  - Treatment of all the information reviewed.

  - Invoicing and printing of the corresponding invoices. - List of meters with irregularity

  for their subsequent verification.

  - Verification of the operation of the cabinet and

  detection of possible manipulations.

  The terminals 24 of the emitter bodies E have no polarity with respect to the transmission line and no

  Special cable is needed for the lines.

  There are four options for making the connection between transmitter (s) and receiver (s) according to the following requirements: 1) Transmission of information from each transmitter to the corresponding receiver R placed in a cabinet 25. That is to say that the receiver offers a direct reading from its transmitter E.

  This is the standard connection system.

  2) Paralleling of several transmitters, E1-E2-

  E3-E4, to obtain the sum of the fluid consumption circulating through all four, totalized on a receiver "Rl". This is possible, for example, to obtain the total volume consumed in which there are fluid inputs from more than one set

  directly from a single receiver.

  3) Insertion of a receiver "R2" in series with the required line which shows the indication of the transmitter or emitters.

  Figure 5 shows two emitters E5 and E6.

  This system, for example, allows a user to have his own receiver to know and control his total consumption or partial consumption at any point as he wishes. That is, the repeater can be inserted in all or some of the counters. FIG. 5 shows the repeater "R2" 1 which supplies the consumption for the counters E5 and E6 and on the cabinet 25 one obtains the

  total consumption of E5, E6 and E7.

  4) Totalizing on a single receiver the reading of a fluid distribution in a ring circuit. This is achieved by having one of the issuers count and

  the other count which shows the difference on a receiver.

  Until now, the transmission of data from the transmitter body to the receiver body placed in the cabinet or at any place required by the user has been described. We will analyze below the transmission of the

  receiver at the information processing center.

  Each receiver has a dump input and a serial BCD output through which it provides all the information it contains. The counting system has three reading options: 1) Visual reading of the centralized receiver

the corresponding cabinet 25.

  2) On-site sequential reading and printing at

means of special equipment.

  3) Sequential remote reading via a system through which information is transmitted over a telephone line or through optical fibers or radio links to a processing center. The center is essentially a specially designed calculator 26 that controls and stores all billing information and systems.

printer 27 as needed.

  Some are responsible for billing "IR" itself, while other "IFs" print meters on which there may be some anomaly (default or manipulation), that is to say billing and verification of all meters is done automatically; the computer 26 reads sequentially according to the instructions all the counters of the cabinet and, through a billing program, addresses each reading to the corresponding user. This information is processed and can be

  printed in the desired format.

Claims (12)

  1. Analogue / digital optoelectromagnetic counting system for fluids, characterized by the arrangement of a fully sealed transmitter unit (E) intended to be introduced into the conduit (1) of a circulating fluid, comprising electronic equipment which is capable of analyzing electromagnetic amplitude variations without frequency limitation to ensure transmission by suitable coding by means of a connection line to a receiver (R), totally independent of the transmitter (E), to indicate the unity precise volume desired by addition or subtraction according to the information transmitted by the transmitter (E), said information being displayed in an indicator device; said receiver (R) having binary coded decimal serial outputs (BCD) for transmitting all its information to a cabinet (25) by means of a telephone line, or optical fibers or by radio to a data processing center ( 26) which reads each meter and provides its billing Automatic way.   2. Analogue / digital optoelectromagnetic counting system for fluids according to the preceding claim characterized in that the transmitter unit (E) comprises a tubular cylindrical body intended to be arranged in a fluid duct (1) and capable of being assembled from a static manner on an outer sheath, while inside it contains a cartridge (2) on which a number of steering nozzles (3) have been arranged, the support shafts (4) of a turbine (5) being fixed inside the tubular body, a filter (6) being provided on the end of the cartridge; in a tubular carcass (9) at the upper part of the latter is assembled a box (10) which comprises a suitable electronic equipment which is covered by a sealing cover (11) so that the fluid flow vein flows freely through the cartridge supported by the turbine (5) to rotate it; said turbine (5) comprises a number of magnetic poles which induce in the electronic circuit electromagnetic amplitude variations without frequency limitation, which are analyzed in said circuit and are then transmitted, with a special code by means of a line or a power cable having two wires having no polarity connecting the emitter (E) and the receiver (R); said circuit also analyzes the direction of rotation of the turbine (5)   to clarify the direction of circulation of the fluid vein.   3. optoelectromagnetic analog / digital counting system for fluids according to the preceding claim characterized in that the emitter body (E) is arranged to allow easy change or replacement of the mechanical part contained inside the cartridge. (2) without the need to dismantle one any of the parts of the meter.   4. Optoelectromagnetic counting system   Analogue / digital for fluids according to the claims   characterized in that the turbine (5) has been designed with hydrodynamic characteristics which make the flow measurement virtually linear whatever the   pressure and the value of the flow.   5. Analogue / digital optoelectromagnetic counting system for fluids according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiver group (R) being independent and totally separate from the emitter (E), comprises a carcass (20) provided with means assembly on a cabinet (25), having a rectangular observation opening (23) in which liquid crystal display means (LCD) is arranged and in the rear part an inner cavity (17) which allows its mounting as well as a number of pins necessary for its connection to the cabinet and the outside lines; they comprise internally a certain number of electronic circuits and the display is such that the receiver (R) thus constituted receives the appropriate coding coming from the transmitter (E), according to the division which it is necessary to carry out according to the number of turns of the turbine, to indicate the required unit of volume, such as cubic meters, liters, gallons or any other type of volume, by adding or subtracting the information transmitted by the transmitter. 6. Analogue / digital optoelectromagnetic counting system for fluids according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the receiver (R) comprises a supervision system of the transmission line for detecting any anomaly, likewise analyzing the direction of rotation of the turbine. (5) to function properly and at the same time check the point at which the counter starts at a given level; all the information mentioned is visualized in the indicator system; the liquid crystal display (LCD) device having two digit blocks of different size to differentiate the units of measurement, having a symbol ("F") to indicate any defect or anomaly and a number of circular sectors that appear sequentially to indicate that the counter is working properly; these receivers (R) having serial outputs BCD for transmitting all the information to the cabinet (25), by means of a telephone line, optical fibers or radio to a data processing center.   7. Optoelectromagnetic counting system   Analogue / digital for fluids according to the claims   characterized in that the cabinet (25) is the element in which the sets of meter receivers bodies (R) are grouped which consist of a display panel (20-21) on which the reading emitter distance (E) is achieved, which makes it possible to centralize a variable number of counters capable of connecting and totalizing various transmitters into a single receiver, regardless of whether each transmitter evolution can be additive or subtractive, it comprises a panel receiving housing supporting the connectors, and has a housing at its bottom for receiving batteries, allowing connection to the various connectors of the lines from each transmitter unit; the housing comprises a number of orifices to allow the penetration of the cables and their subsequent attachment, integrally to the connector carrying panel (1417) is assembled a printed circuit support plate having all the suitable circuits to indicate the correct operation as well that the unit output to the outside of all the data coming from each counter.   8. Optoelectromagnetic analog / digital counting system for fluids according to the preceding claim characterized in that the battery fixing cover comprises a number of means for disconnecting the circuit of the cabinet during charging periods and in by simply turning their screws   they become operational, the cover itself   the same (22) acting as a switch; on the front of the panel are provided openings which are covered by synoptic means forming grooves so that by means of a slight pressure the housings are available for the positioning of the precise number of   receivers for each installation.   9. Optoelectromagnetic counting system   Analogue / digital for fluids according to the claims   characterized in that the cabinet (25) comprises a number of signaling means which indicate whether one is in normal operating conditions and if a voltage fault has appeared and if one is in a state of discharge or if the batteries can not accept a charge, the entire group being protected by a cover (23) having a transparent window for viewing the complex. 10. Optoelectromagnetic counting system   Analogue / digital for fluids according to the claims   characterized by the fact that the electrical cable connecting the transmitter and the receiver is bipolar, does not require any shielding and does not take into account of polarity.   11. Optoelectromagnetic counting system   Analogue / digital for fluids according to the claims   characterized in that the receivers comprise BCD series outputs, prepared for their connection with a transmission unit, from which the information is transferred to a data processing center (26) which provides the reading order all the meters connected to the center and its storage on a magnetic disk; the treatment of all the information reviewed; invoicing and printing of the corresponding invoices; the list of meters presenting any anomaly and the verification of the operation of   the cabinet and the detection of any possible manipulation.   12. Optoelectromagnetic counting system   Analogue / digital for fluids according to the claims   characterized by the fact that the metrological conditions of the meter have the same accuracy as the vein of fluid flows in one direction or the other, which   differentiates already known counter systems.