GB2519122A

GB2519122A - Metering device and parts therefor

Info

Publication number: GB2519122A
Application number: GB1317956.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ray Keech; Neil Coleman; Simon Draper; Peter Asquith
Original assignee: ABB Ltd Great Britain
Current assignee: ABB Ltd Great Britain
Priority date: 2013-10-10
Filing date: 2013-10-10
Publication date: 2015-04-15
Also published as: GB201317956D0

Abstract

An electronic visual display 445 (e.g. liquid crystal display or LCD screen) comprises a generally planer short-range antenna 411 incorporated in a layer of the display 445 (e.g. a reflective LCD layer, a membrane or a PCB) or mounted on the rear or front surface of the electronic visual display 445. The antenna 411 may be a near field communication (NFC) antenna with a conductive loop or track 463 which follows a path adjacent to a perimeter of the display 445. An industrial metering device 423 (e.g. flow, conductivity or power metres) may comprise the electronic visual display 445 located in or behind a window 431 of a housing 403. The antenna 411 and the display 445 may be connected to electronic circuitry via a shared connection 407.

Description

METERING DEVICE AND PARTS THEREFOR

The present invention relates to industrial metering or measurement devices (in particular industrial process meters such as flow meters, conductivity meters, power meters and the like) and to parts therefor.

Industrial metering devices are used to take measurements of industrial processes and systems. For example, flow meters allow measurement of the flow of fluids (e.g. liquids, gases and steam) through a fluid conduit. In many cases, operators obtain measurements from such measurement devices via direct visual inspection of a display provided on the measurement device itself. In addition, operators may configure such measurement devices, for example changing them from one measuiement mode to another. Such configuration is often done via physical interaction with the measurement device, for example pressing a bufton or trigging a light sensor by hand.

Some recent proposals allow measurements to be obtained from such measurement devices and reconfigurations made to such measurement devices via a handheld computer device, using near field wireless communication techniques to communicate between the handheld device and the measurement device. However, the housing which holds such measurement devices tends to inhibit near field communication between an external handheld device and communication circuitry located within the housing of the measurement device. This is a particular problem if the housing is made from metal because such metal enclosures exhibit Faraday screening which attenuates near field signals.

The present invention aims to at least alleviate the above problem by providing a measurement device with a display including an antenna, in order to improve communications between such handheld devices and measurement devices.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an industrial metering device comprising: an electronic visual display having a layered construction; and a short-range wireless communication antenna for transmitting or receiving information relating to the metering device; wherein the wireless communication antenna is incorporated in or on at least one layer of the electronic visual display.

By virtue of incorporating the wireless communication antenna in or on at least one layer of the electronic visual display, this mitigates attenuation or inhibition of communication signals between the metering device and a handheld device in use.

The electronic visual display may be a Liquid Crystal Display, LCD.

The wireless communication antenna may be a Near Field Communication, NFC, antenna.

The wireless communication antenna may comprise at least one conductive loop. The at least one conductive loop may comprise a conductive track, and the conductive track may comprise a printed circuit board, PCB, track. Alternatively, the at least one conductive loop may comprise a wire.

The at least one conductive loop may follow a path which is generally adjacent to a perimeter of the electronic visual display.

The layer in or on which the wireless communication antenna is incorporated may be a reflective LCD layer. Also, the layer may comprise a membrane. Furthermore, the layer may comprise a PCB. The layer may be disposed on a rear side of the electronic visual display. Alternatively, the layer maybe disposed on a front side of the electronic visual display. Alternatively, the layer may be an intermediate layer within the electronic visual display.

The antenna and the electronic visual display may be connected to further electronic circuitry via a shared connection.

The industrial metering device may further comprise a housing having a window, the electronic visual display being located in or behind the window.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides an electronic visual display having a layered construction, said electronic visual display comprising: a short-range wireless communication antenna for transmitting or receiving information; wherein the wireless communication antenna is incorporated in or on at least one layer of the electronic visual display.

The electronic visual display may be a Liquid Crystal Display, LCD.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures in which: Figure 1 schematically illustrates an industrial flow meter which is installed in a pipeline and a portable user device which is able to communicate with the flow meter; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the flow meter of Figure 1, including electric components illustrated schematically; Figure 3 is an underside view of an LCD screen of the flow meter shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a top view of an industrial flow meter and LCD screen according to an alternative embodiment; and Figure 5 is a top view of an industrial flow meter and LCD screen according to a further alternative embodiment.

Figure 1 shows an industrial flow meter 123 which is installed in a pipeline 121 for sensing the flow of liquid along the pipeline 121. The flow meter 123 includes built-in measurement circuitry to carry out flow measurements.

The flow meter 123 includes a housing 103 which holds and protects the internal components of the flow meter 123. The housing 103 has a window 131 which allows visual inspection of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) 145. The LCD displays, amongst other things, measurement information relating to the flow of liquid along the pipeline 121. In this embodiment, the flow meter 123 also includes buttons 133 which can be used by a user to control and configure the flow meter 123.

In this embodiment, the flow meter 123 includes a pipe section 117 which is mounted in the pipeline 121 such that liquid flowing through the pipeline 121 passes through the pipe section 117 of the flow meter 123. The pipe section 117 includes sensor circuitry which allows electromagnetic measurement of the flow of liquid through the pipeline 121.

The flow meter 123 also includes built-in near field communication (NEC) circuitry to allow a user to read the flow meter 123 from nearby, using a portable handheld user device 103 (such as a mobile telephone) which also has built-in NFC circuitry, or to exchange other digital information between the flow meter 123 and the user device 103. The NEC circuitry built into the flow meter 123 includes an NFC antenna which is provided as part of the LCD 145.

Although, for clarity, the user device 103 is illustrated offset from the flow meter 123, in practice a user places the user device 103 close to or in contact with the LCD 145 in order to allow coupling, such as inductive coupling, between the NFC circuitry of the user device 103 and the NFC antenna provided in the LCD 145. This allows NFC signalling to be transmitted between the flow meter 123 and the user device 103.

Providing an LCD which includes an NFC antenna is advantageous because it allows good coupling to be achieved between the user device NFC circuitry and the NFC antenna. As illustrated in Figure 1, the LCD is immediately behind a window in the housing of the flow meter, which minimises attenuation of NFC signalling by the flow meter housing.

Furthermore, the construction of most LCDs causes only minimal signal interference or attenuation and therefore an NEC antenna can be provided in any part of the LCD itself (for example mounted on the rear of the LCD). Furthermore, the LCD and NFC antenna can be provided as a single unit and may beneficially share connections, reducing manufacturing complexity and costs.

Locating the NEC antenna at the LCD 145 can also simplify the usability of the NEC aspect of the flow meter 123, since the LCD can be configured to display a message such as "place NFC device here", thereby indicating the optimum position where the user device 103 should be placed in order to perform NEC communication.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the flow meter of Figure 1, along line AA in Figure 1, showing a number of electrical components which are illustrated schematically for simplicity.

The LCD 145 is located immediately behind the window 131 in the flow meter housing 103 and includes an NFC antenna 211. In this embodiment, the NFC antenna includes a resonant circuit. The LCD 145 is connected to a controller 217 via a ribbon connector 215.

The controller 217 includes an NFC module 225 for transmitting and receiving NFC signalling via the NFC antenna 211.

The controller 217 is also connected to sensor circuitry 258 which senses the flow of liquid through the pipeline 121, and to a memory 259. The controller 217 controls the sensor circuitry 258 to measure the flow of liquid through the pipeline 121. The controller 217 receives and processes measurement signals from the sensor circuitry 258 and maintains a cumulative record of the process condition being metered which it can store in a memory 259 for subsequent output on the LCD 145 or output via NFC signalling using the NFC antenna 211.

In order to output a measurement via the NFC antenna 211, the NFC module 225 controls the application of an alternating current (or voltage) to the NFC antenna 211 via appropriate drive circuitry (not shown). In addition, the NFC module 225 receives and processes signals received by the NFC antenna 211, for example by measuring changes in impedance or by sensing electric signals induced in the NEC antenna 211. Typically, the alternating current applied to the NFC antenna 211 by the NFC module 225 will have a frequency of 13.56 MHz (NFC standard) and is matched to the resonant frequency associated with the NFC antenna, in order to efficiently drive the resonant circuit of the NEC antenna 211.

In operation, when a user wishes to obtain meter readings or reconfigure the flow meter 123, they place their portable user device 103 near or against the LCD 145. When the user device 103 is close enough to the NEC antenna 211 of the LCD 145, NFC signals produced by the user device NFC circuitry couple with the NFC antenna 211. This coupling causes an electrical current to flow in the NFC antenna 211, which is detected by the NFC module 225 of the controller 217. As a result, signals can be transmitted from the user device 103 to the flow meter controller 217. Similarly, signals applied to the NEC antenna 211 of the flow meter by the NFC module 225 can be transmitted to the user device 103, again via coupling between the NFC antenna 211 and the user device NFC circuitry. The provision of the NFC antenna 211 in the LCD 145 improves NFC signal coupling between the NFC antenna 211 and the user device NFC circuitry.

Figure 3 is an underside view of the LCD 145 included in the flow meter 123 shown in Figure 2, the view illustrated in Figure 3 being indicated with arrow B in Figure 2. As is well known, LCDs use the special properties of liquid crystals to present images. Generally, LCDs are made up a number of layers including two polarising filter layers which are oriented perpendicularly to one another. Between the two polarising filter layers there is disposed at least two electrode layers either side of a layer containing twisted nematic liquid crystals. On one side of the LCD 145, herein referred to as the rear side, the outermost layer is frequently a reflective layer or may alternatively be a light emitting layer. The purpose of this rear outermost layer is to reflect or emit light towards the opposing side (herein referred to the front side) of the LCD 145. The intermediate layers of the LCD control how this reflected or emitted light passes though the display, resulting in the formation of an image. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the front side of the LCD 145 is the side that is viewed by a user when viewing the information displayed by the LCD 145. Conversely, the rear side is the side that is not viewed by a user when viewing the information displayed by the LCD 145.

Accordingly, Figure 3 shows the rear side of the LCD 145 where the NFC antenna 211 is provided on a membrane 327 mounted to a rear reflective layer of the LCD 145. The NFC antenna 211 includes an inductor coil 363 comprising three loops of conductive wire, the inductor coil 363 being connected in series to two capacitors 323a and 323b. The inductor coil 363 and the two capacitors 323a and 323b form a resonant circuit, which results in the antenna 211 having resonant characteristics, tending to resonate at a resonant frequency.

A ribbon connector 215 is shown connected to the LCD 145 at a terminal 313. The ribbon connector 215 comprises a plurality of connection lines 307 (indicated using dashed lines) which electrically connect to electrodes in the electrode layers of the LCD via the terminal 313. However, two of the connection lines 309a and 309b do not connect to electrodes in the LCD 145 but instead electrically connect to the NFC antenna 211. Specifically, connection line 309a connects to the NFC antenna 211 at the connection between the inductor coil 363 and the capacitor 323a, and the connection line 309b connects to the NEC antenna 211 at the connection between the capacitors 323a and 323b. This arrangement allows the capacitors 323a and 323b to act as a capacitive divider, allowing the matching of the impedance of the NFC antenna 211 and electrical components such as the controller 217.

The terminal 313 provides the electrical connection between each of the connection lines 307 and a corresponding electrode, and provides the electrical connection between the connection lines 309a, 309b and the NEC antenna 211.

The ribbon connector 215 also connects, at an end (not shown) distal to the terminal 313, to the controller 217 (or to other external components). The controller 217 controls the image displayed on the LCD 145 using electrical signalling which is transmitted to the LCD 145 via the connection lines 307 of the ribbon connector 215. Similarly, the controller 217 controls the operation of the NFC antenna 211 using electrical signalling transmitted via the connection lines 309a, 309b.

Figure 4 shows a top view of a flow meter 423 according to an alternative embodiment. The flow meter 423 includes a housing 403 which contains and protects a number of components, which may include, for example, the electrical components illustrated in Figure 2. The housing 403 includes a window 431 which allows visual inspection of an LCD 445 which is located immediately behind the window 431. The LCD 445 is formed as a generally rectangular panel, and its dimensions in the plane of the panel are larger than those of the window 431, such that the LCD 445 extends beyond the perimeter of the window 431.

Accordingly, the outer edges of the LCD 445 are located behind the housing 403 of the flow meter in the view illustrated in Figure 4, and are therefore indicated using dotted lines.

As shown, the LCD 445 includes a number of connectors 407 disposed at regular intervals along opposing side edges of the LCD 445. The connectors 407 are electrically connected to electrodes in the electrode layers of the LCD in order to allow connection of these electrodes to a controller (not shown) and/or to other components.

The LCD 445 also includes an NFC antenna 411 which is located on the rear face of the LCD 445, indicated using a dashed line. As shown, the NEC antenna 411 includes an inductor coil 463 which comprises two loops of conductive wire. The LCD 445 also includes connectors 409a and 409b which have a similar form to the connectors 407. However, rather than providing connection to an electrode of the LCD, connections 409a and 409b are electrically connected to the NFC antenna 411, allowing the NFC antenna 411 to be connected to a controller (for example a controller comprising an NEC module).

The inductor coil 463 is dimensioned to fit within the window 431 -in particular the width of each loop forming the inductor coil 463 is smaller than the corresponding width of the window 431. This ensures that the inductor coil 463 can be located behind the window 431 as shown in Figure 4, and that it does not extend beyond the window 431 of the housing and thus does not suffer from attenuation and/or interference which may result from at least part of the inductor coil 463 being shielded by the housing 403 in such a situation. In this embodiment, the inductor coil 463 is positioned generally in the centre of the LCD 445 and generally in the centre of the window 431.

Figure 5 is a top view of a flow meter 523 according to a further alternative embodiment.

This embodiment is similar to that shown in Figure 4, however, in this embodiment the inductor coil is not located behind the window but instead is located behind the housing at the edge of the window, as explained in more detail below.

The flow meter 523 includes a housing 503 which contains and protects a number of components which may include, for example, the electrical components illustrated in Figure 2. The housing 503 includes a window 543 which allows visual inspection of an LCD 545 which is located immediately adjacent to the window 431. In common with the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the LCD 545 is formed as a generally rectangular panel, and its dimensions in the plane of the panel are larger than those of the window 531, such that the LCD 545 extends beyond the perimeter of the window 531. Accordingly, the outer edges of the LCD 545 are located behind the housing 503 of the flow meter in the view illustrated in Figure 5, and are therefore indicated using dotted lines.

Also in common with the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4, the LCD 545 includes a number of connectors 507 disposed at regular intervals along opposing side edges of the LCD 545.

The connectors 507 are electrically connected to electrodes in the outer layers of the LCD in order to allow connection of these electrodes to a controller (not shown) and and/or other components. The LCD 545 also includes connectors 509a and 509b which have a similar form to the connectors 507. However, rather than providing connection to an electrode of the LCD, connections 509a and 509b are electrically connected to an NEC antenna 511, allowing the NFC antenna 511 to be connected to a controller (for example a controller comprising an NFC module).

In this embodiment the NFC antenna 511 is disposed on the front face of the LCD 545. The NEC antenna 511 includes an inductor coil 563 which is made up of two conductor loops.

The inductor coil 563 is dimensioned to fit around the outside of the window -in particular each loop forming the inductor coil 563 is larger than the corresponding width of the window 531. As shown, the inductor coil 563 follows a path which is generally adjacent to the perimeter of the LCD 545 and also generally adjacent to the perimeter the window 531. In the view illustrated in Figure 5, the inductor coil 563 is located behind the housing 503, and is therefore indicated with a dashed line.

The advantage of having an inductor coil 563 which is larger than the window 531 and disposed adjacent to the edge of the window 531 and behind the housing 503 is that the inductor coil 563 can be disposed on the front face of the LCD 545 without its presence being viewable through the window 531. In some cases it is advantageous to form the NEC antenna 511 on the top face of the LCD 545 because it places the NFC antenna 511 closer to the external surface of the flow meter 523 and therefore closer to a user device which is brought into close proximity to the flow meter 523. It also prevents near field signals from having to be transmitted through the various layers of the LCD when communication between the NFC antenna 511 and a user device 103 is taking place. In this embodiment, the housing 503 of the flow meter 523 is preferably manufactured from a non-metal material, such as plastic, in order to prevent undesirable interruption and/or aftenuation of NEC signals.

Modifications and Alternatives Detailed embodiments have been described above. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, a number of modifications and alternatives can be made to the above embodiments whilst still benefiting from the inventions embodied therein.

Although the embodiments described above include an NFC antenna, alternative embodiments may alternatively (or additionally) include an antenna for communicating using any wireless technology, for example a OSM or RFID antenna.

Although particularly advantageous with flow measurement devices, such as electromagnetic liquid flow meters, the above described embodiments can be used with any type of industrial measurement device. Furthermore, the LCD having an NFC antenna can be used alone or as part of any device requiring the electronic display of information and NFC wireless communications.

In the above embodiments, communications protocols and interfaces conforming to the NFC standards are described. However, it will be appreciated that the embodiments described above may communicate using wireless communication which does not conform to the NEC standards, but nevertheless makes use of near field magnetic and/or electric field components. For example, RFID technology or inductive pad meter reading such as ISO 22158 may be used instead of NEC technology.

The NFC antenna is preferably configured to inductively couple with the user device NFC circuitry; however this coupling may additionally or alternatively be electromagnetic and may additionally or alternatively be capacitive.

As those skilled in the art will appreciate! the electric circuitry shown in the figures is illustrated in simplified form. For example, drive circuits may be provided for generating the drive signals applied to the resonant circuit.

The resonant circuit of the NFC antenna may comprise different and/or additional components, and different arrangements may be used, provided the resonant circuit has an inductive characteristic and a capacitive characteristic sufficient to cause the resonant circuit to exhibit resonant behaviour at a desired resonant frequency.

The NFC antenna need not comprise any capacitors, and may be made of up an inductor alone. The NFC antenna preterably includes a capacitive divider formed using two capacitors, however, the NFC antenna may include any kind of divider. The NFC antenna may comprise at least one conductor loop, such as a conductive wire. Although the above embodiments include inductor coils having a particular number of loops, any number of conductor loops can be used.

The resonant frequency of the NFC antenna may be between 10 and 20 MHz.

The window in the flow meter housing may be provided in any suitable way. For example the window may comprise a transparent section of the housing, or the window may comprise an opening in the housing.

Preferably, the LCD is located in or behind the window. However, the LCD may have any suitable position with respect to the window; for example the LCD may extend through the window, and/or at least part of the LCD may be located adjacent to the window.

The NFC antenna may comprise at least one loop formed as part of a printed circuit board (PCB). The NEC antenna would, in this embodiment, include a printed conductive track forming at least one loop. For example, a PCB membrane including an NEC loop antenna may be mounted on the rear of the LCD, or on the front of the LCD, or as an intermediate layer of the LCD.

Alternatively or additionally, the NFC antenna may be provided as part of a membrane mounted to the front, rear or at an intermediate layer of the LCD. Furthermore, the membrane may extend around the LCD, at least partially enclosing the display. The membrane may be formed from a transparent polymer material.

Alternatively, in place of an LCD, any layered display could be used such as electronic paper or electronic ink.

The NFC module 255 may be integrated into the NFC antenna 211, or alternatively the NFC antenna 211 may connect directly to the controller 217 which includes integrated circuitry to handle NFC communications.

Although the sensor circuitry 258 is shown as being located in a particular part of the flow meter 123 in Figure 2, it will be appreciated that the sensor circuitry 258 can be provided at any part of the flow meter 123, and may in particular be located in the pipe section 117 of the flow meter 123. Furthermore, the sensor circuitry 258 may be provided by a number of electrical components which are distributed within the flow meter 123, and may even include external components.

Although Figures 2 and 3 show the LCD 145 being connected to the controller 217 via a ribbon 215 and Figures 4 and 5 show the LCD 145 having a number of connectors 407, 507, disposed at regular intervals along opposing side edges, those skilled in the art will understand that the LCD may be connected to a controller (and/or to some other internal or external device) via any suitable connection means. In particular, a ribbon connector may be used in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5. Moreover, the connectors 407, 507 illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 may be subsequently connected to a controller via a ribbon connector.

While the inductor coil of the NFC antenna is illustrated as having a generally rectangular shape, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inductor coil may have any suitable form, and in particular may be circular or oval in shape.

In Figures 2, 3 and 4 the NFC antenna is illustrated as being disposed at or near a rear side of the LCD while in Figure 5 the NFC antenna is shown disposed at or near a front side of the LCD. However, the NFC antenna may be provided on any part of the LCD, and may make up any layer of a multi-layered LCD. Furthermore, one or more additional layers or coatings (e.g. one or more anti-reflection layer, anti-glare layer or touch sensing layer) may be provided between the antenna layer and the rest of the LCD.

Moreover, the coil of the NFC antenna may be formed by conductor loops in multiple layers simultaneously -e.g. one or more loops disposed above the LCD, and/or one or more loops disposed below the LCD, and/or one or more loops disposed within one or more internal layers of the LCD. As described above, such loop(s) may be dimensioned to fit within the window of the housing of the measurement device, or may be dimensioned larger than the window.

In the embodiments illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 the NFC antennas 411, 511 do not include capacitors. However, these antennas may alternatively include one or more capacitors connected in series or in parallel with the conductor coil. In particular, these capacitors may form a capacitive divider between the NFC antenna and its connections.

In the flow meter the sensor may be any kind of sensor, and alternatively the sensor may be omitted and optionally replaced with a sensor interface configured to receive signals from and/or transmit signals to a remote sensor or sensors.

Various other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An industrial metering device comprising: an electronic visual display having a layered construction; and a short-range wireless communication antenna for transmitting or receiving information relating to the metering device; wherein the wireless communication antenna is generally planar in form and is incorporated in or on at least one layer of the electronic visual display.
2. An industrial metering device according to claim 1, wherein said electronic visual display is a Liquid Crystal Display, LCD.
3. An industrial metering device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said wireless communication antenna is a Near Field Communication, NFC, antenna.
4. An industrial metering device according to any preceding claim, wherein said wireless communication antenna comprises at least one conductive loop.
5. An industrial metering device according to claim 4, wherein said at least one conductive loop comprises a conductive track.
6. An industrial metering device according to claim 5, wherein said conductive track comprises a printed circuit board, PCB, track.
7. An industrial metering device according to claim 4, wherein said at least one conductive loop comprises a wire.
8. An industrial metering device according to any of claims 4 to 7, wherein said at least one conductive loop follows a path which is generally adjacent to a perimeter of the electronic visual display.
9. An industrial metering device according to any preceding claim, wherein said layer is a reflective LCD layer.
10. An industrial metering device according to any preceding claim, wherein said layer comprises a membrane.
11. An industrial metering device according to any preceding claim, wherein said layer comprises a PCB.
12. An industrial metering device according to any preceding claim, wherein said layer is disposed on a rear side of the electronic visual display.
13. An industrial metering device according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein said layer is disposed on a front side of the electronic visual display.
14. An industrial metering device according to any of claims ito 11, wherein said layer is an intermediate layer within the electronic visual display.
15. An industrial metering device according to any preceding claim, wherein the antenna and the electronic visual display are connected to further electronic circuitry via a shared connection.
16. An industrial metering device according to any preceding claim, further comprising a housing having a window, the electronic visual display being located in or behind the window.
17. An electronic visual display having a layered construction, said electronic visual display comprising: a short-range wireless communication antenna for transmitting or receiving information; wherein the wireless communication antenna is generally planar in form and is incorporated in or on at least one layer of the electronic visual display.
18. An electronic visual display according to claim 17, wherein said electronic visual display is a Liquid Crystal Display, LCD.
19. An electronic visual display according to claim 17 or claim 18, wherein said wireless communication antenna is a Near Field Communication, NFC, antenna.
20. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 17 to 19, wherein said wireless communication antenna comprises at least one conductive loop.
21. An electronic visual display according to claim 20, wherein said at least one conductive ioop comprises a conductive track.
22. An electronic visual display according to claim 21, wherein said conductive track comprises a printed circuit board, PCB, track.
23. An electronic visual display according to claim 20, wherein said at least one conductive loop comprises a wire.
24. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 20 to 23, wherein said at least one conductive loop follows a path which is generally adjacent to a perimeter of the electronic visual display.
25. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 17 to 24, wherein said layer is a reflective LCD layer.
26. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 17 to 25, wherein said layer comprises a membrane.
27. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 17 to 26, wherein said layer comprises a PCB.
28. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 17 to 27, wherein said layer is disposed on a rear side of the electronic visual display.
29. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 17 to 27, wherein said layer is disposed on a front side of the electronic visual display.
30. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 17 to 27, wherein said layer is an intermediate layer within the electronic visual display.
31. An electronic visual display according to any of claims 17 to 30, wherein the antenna and the electronic visual display are connected to further electronic circuitry via a shared connection.
32. An industrial metering device substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in any combination of the accompanying drawings.
33. An electronic visual display substantially as herein described with reference to and/or as illustrated in any combination of the accompanying drawings.