GB1213125A - Meter reading attachment - Google Patents

Abstract

1,213,125. Counters; indicating counter readings. UNITED GAS INDUSTRIES Ltd. 14 Dec., 1967 [16 Dec., 1966], No. 56403/66. Headings G4D and G4H. [Also in Division H1] An attachment for a meter enabling the value on the meter to be read at a remote point comprises a plurality of switches each of which forms a digit wheel driven from the meter mechanism and has a number of positions, there being a number of conductors connecting the switch contacts to the remote point and enabling the settings of the separate switches to be indicated. The digit wheel 1, Fig. 1, has driving teeth 8 on one side and a single transfer tooth 9 on the other. Wiper contacts 3 and 4 are carried on a bridge 2 located by pegs 5 and 6. The wheel coacts with contacts on a printed circuit board 11, Fig. 2, having ten contacts 13 and a contact ring 16. The contact ring is energized through connection 17 to cause the value of the wheel to be read out. The boards 11 are assembled on a base having openings to receive the fingers 14 and printed connections between the corresponding outputs of the several switches. There is a separate input to each switch leading to the uppermost finger. The circuits are completed by soldering when the boards 11 are assembled on the base. The wheels are advanced at the carry position by pinions mounted on an auxiliary spindle to engage teeth 8 having a toothed portion to be engaged and rotated by transfer tooth 9 of the adjacent wheel as it passes from 9 to 0. The switching wheels may be preceded by a mechanism, Fig. 5, which actuates the wheels with a snap action. The meter rotates a worm 46 revolving a pinion 33 carrying a cam 34. The cam bears on a pin 38 on lever 36 which is loaded by spring 45. When the pin slips off the nose of the cam the lever flies clockwise and pawl 41 engages ratchet 31 to advance the wheel 81 by one digit step. Pin 39 on lever 36 engages the teeth of stop gear 30 to prevent over-running and ratchet 40 prevents backward movement. The worm actuating mechanism 100 may be operated by pulses from the meter. The wheel 81 carries an advance tooth to transmit its movement to the lowest decade wheel. The indicating wheels may be directly coupled to a socketed driving shaft on the meter body. The wheel assembly is mounted in a separate housing. Instead of having ten leads for the outputs of the successive decode wheels, the ten switch contacts may be connected together by resistors so that a signal is transmitted indicating by its amplitude the value of the wheel. The resistors may be printed or deposited on the boards 11.