JPH06282790A - Automatic meter reading radio device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an automatic meter reading radio device which is attached to a meter frame so as to surely send the meter reading value, etc., in an optional direction and also can secure the satisfactory communication characteristic by using a columnar structure which is set in a recess part formed externally on the cover of the meter frame and can optionally control the direction of antenna of the radio device. CONSTITUTION:A radio device 1 is set in a recess part 2a formed approximately at the center of an upper cover 2 of a meter frame 3 which is exposed over the ground surface 20. A cord 5 is extended down from the bottom of the device 1 and connected to a water meter 6 set in the frame 3. The device 1 contains a radiocircuit unit 7 and an antenna 8, and the antenna 8 has the directivity of radio waves as shown by an arrow 9. Then the device 1 has a columnar structure and can freely revolve in the part 2a of the cover 2 to set the antenna 8 in an optional direction. So that the device 1 can have the satisfactory communication with the other radio device of the opposite side.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention utilizes a telephone line to
For example, the present invention relates to a wireless device for automatic meter reading used in a wireless system for automatic meter reading in which a part of the automatic meter reading system for collecting meter reading values of a water meter in a center device is wireless.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The wireless part of this type of automatic meter reading system is between a terminal network control device (device for controlling a telephone line) installed in a customer and a water meter, and the wireless device is a terminal. It is connected to each network control device and water meter.

Here, considering the installation situation of the wireless device,
The wireless device connected to the terminal network control device side is mainly installed on the outer wall of the house (near the protector which is the entrance of the telephone line), while the wireless device connected to the water meter side is It will be installed in the "meter masu (box for water meter buried underground)" where the water meter is installed.

Further, considering the antenna structure of the wireless device, since the wireless device is installed outdoors, it is necessary to consider weather resistance and rainproofness, and at the same time, the wireless device used in this type of automatic meter reading system. Uses a specific low-power radio that does not require a license, so it is necessary to integrate the housing and the antenna, and generally the antenna is housed inside the housing.

[0005]

The automatic meter-reading system using wireless has the great advantage that no wiring work is required. However, wireless communication uses radio waves as a medium, so the wireless device can be installed anywhere. Communication is not always possible even if installed.

That is, the radio wave has a directional characteristic that "the radio wave easily propagates in the horizontal direction of the antenna" as shown in FIG. 8, and "even if the radio wave is in the directivity direction, the electronic circuit is in that direction. The presence of parts and conductors such as metal plates makes it difficult for radio waves to propagate. ”

Further, because of the characteristic that "radio waves cannot propagate in the ground", when a wireless device is installed deep inside the "meter", it can communicate with a wireless device installed in the upper direction, but It becomes difficult to communicate with the wireless device installed in.

[0008] Therefore, in such a wireless system for automatic meter reading of a water meter, the wireless device installed in the "meter masu" can obtain better communication characteristics when installed as close to the ground surface as possible. .

At the same time, the communication characteristics are also improved by directing the antenna of the wireless device installed in the "meter masu" toward the partner wireless device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above,
The purpose is to install an automatic meter reading wireless device that can be attached to the meter so that the meter reading value that should be wirelessly transmitted can be wirelessly transmitted in any direction with good accuracy, and that can obtain good communication characteristics. To provide.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, an automatic meter reading wireless device of the present invention is an automatic meter reading wireless device used in an automatic meter reading wireless system for collecting meter information. The gist of the present invention is that it is a columnar structure disposed inside a recess formed from the front side in the lid of the meter case and is configured so that the direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be arbitrarily adjusted within the recess.

The automatic meter-reading wireless device of the present invention is an automatic meter-reading wireless device used in an automatic meter-reading wireless system that collects meter information, and is a recess formed from the front side on the lid of the meter sash. It is a regular polygonal column structure disposed inside, and is configured so that the direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be arbitrarily adjusted in the concave unit at least in an angle unit corresponding to one side of the regular polygon. And

Further, the wireless device for automatic meter reading of the present invention is a wireless device for automatic meter reading used in a wireless system for automatic meter reading, which collects meter information, and has a columnar structure attached to the back side of the lid of the meter case. The gist is that it is configured so that the direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be adjusted arbitrarily.

Furthermore, the automatic meter-reading wireless device of the present invention is an automatic meter-reading wireless device used in an automatic meter-reading wireless system that collects meter information, and is installed on the back side of the lid of the meter case. A gist of the present invention is a polygonal prism structure, which is configured so that the direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be arbitrarily adjusted in at least an angle unit corresponding to one side of a regular polygon.

[0015]

The wireless device for automatic meter reading of the present invention has a columnar structure arranged in a recess formed in the lid of the meter from the front side, and the direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be arbitrarily adjusted in the recess. You can

Further, the wireless device for automatic meter reading of the present invention has a regular polygonal column structure disposed in a recess formed in the lid of the meter from the front side, and at least the direction of the antenna of the wireless device is set in the recess. It can be arbitrarily adjusted in an angle unit corresponding to one side of a regular polygon.

Furthermore, the wireless device for automatic meter reading of the present invention has a cylindrical structure attached to the back side of the lid of the meter masque,
The direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be adjusted arbitrarily.

Furthermore, the wireless device for automatic meter reading of the present invention has a regular polygonal column structure attached to the back side of the lid of the meter case, and the direction of the antenna of the wireless device is an angle corresponding to at least one side of the regular polygon. It can be arbitrarily adjusted in units.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automatic meter-reading wireless device and a structure in which the automatic meter-reading wireless device is provided in a meter of a water meter according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the wireless device for automatic meter reading is formed in a columnar structure having a short length as indicated by reference numeral 1. In addition, below the wireless device 1 for automatic meter reading having the columnar structure, there is shown a meter 3 which is a rectangular water meter box used for housing a water meter. This meter 3
Is buried in the ground for water meters,
In the figure, the lower part excluding the surface is shown by a dotted line.
A circular concave portion 2a is formed on the upper lid 2 exposed on the ground surface of the meter mast 3 from the front side, that is, from the upper side in the drawing, and the automatic meter-reading wireless device 1 is arranged in the circular concave portion 2a. It has become. And the circular recess 2
The wireless device 1 disposed inside a can freely rotate as indicated by an arrow 4, whereby the direction of an antenna (not shown) provided in the wireless device 1 can be set in any direction, that is, the wireless device. 1 can be adjusted so as to face the wireless device (not shown) of the other party for wireless communication.

FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view of the meter 3 having the wireless device 1 shown in FIG. 1 in the upper lid 2 as seen from above, and FIG. 2 (b) is a side view of FIG. 2 (a). FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the internal structure viewed from above, which is buried in the ground except for the upper lid 2.

As can be seen from FIG. 2B, the ground surface 2
The wireless device 1 is disposed in a recess 2a formed in the central portion of the upper lid 2 of the meter case 3 exposed from 0, and the electrical connection cord 5 extends downward from the bottom of the wireless device 1, and the lower meter It is connected to a water meter 6 provided in the mast 3. Water pipes are connected to both sides of the water meter 6.

FIG. 2 (c) schematically shows the inside of the wireless device 1, but the wireless device 1 has a built-in wireless circuit unit 7 and an antenna 8 and the directional characteristics of the radio waves of the antenna 8. Is in the direction indicated by arrow 9. In addition,
2D is a cross-sectional view of the wireless device 1 shown in FIG.

In the above-described structure, since the wireless device 1 having the columnar structure is provided in the circular recess 2a of the upper lid 2 of the meter case 3, the wireless device 1 can be freely rotated in the recess 2a and its antenna can be oriented in any direction. Can be adjusted to perform good wireless communication with the partner wireless device of the pair. Although the meter mast 3 is buried in the ground, since the wireless device 1 is provided in the recess 2a of the upper lid 2 exposed on the surface of the ground, radio waves are relatively not blocked by the ground or other metal plates. In addition, good wireless communication can be performed.

FIG. 3 (a) is a plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 (b) is a partial sectional side view showing its internal structure. It is a figure respectively similar to b). 3C and 3D are views similar to FIGS. 2C and 2D, respectively, and show the wireless device 11.

As can be seen from FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b), the wireless device for automatic meter reading shown in this embodiment has a reference numeral 11.
The wireless device 1 has a regular hexagonal prism structure as shown in FIG.
A concave portion 3b formed from the front side at approximately the center of the upper lid 2 of the meter 3 for accommodating 1 is also formed in a regular hexagon.

Even in the above-mentioned structure,
Similar to the wireless device for automatic meter reading shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wireless device 11 having a regular hexagonal column structure is provided in the recess 2b of the upper lid 2 of the meter mast 3, and therefore, as shown in FIG. To
The antenna can be turned freely at an angle corresponding to each side of the regular hexagon, that is, at an angle of 60 °, and the direction of the antenna can be oriented in a desired direction, so that good wireless communication with a paired partner radio device can be performed. Can be adjusted to. Although the meter mast 3 is buried in the ground, since the wireless device 11 is provided in the recess 2b of the upper lid 2 exposed on the surface of the ground, radio waves are relatively not blocked by the ground or other metal plates. In addition, good wireless communication can be performed.

Although the wireless device 11 having a regular hexagonal column structure is shown in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and a regular octagonal column structure may be used as shown in FIG. 4B. Of course, other regular polygonal column structures may be used. In the case of the regular octagonal column structure shown in FIG. 4B, the adjustment can be performed at an angle of 45 ° as shown.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in the figure, the wireless device 1 having the same columnar structure as that shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the back side of the upper lid 2 of the meter 3 with a pair of supports 13.

As can be seen from the structure shown in FIG. 6, each of the pair of supports 13 has a shape in which an L-shape and a U-shape are combined, and is made of, for example, elastic plastic. The wireless device 1 is supported so as to be fitted between the supports 13. Note that FIG. 6A is a view of the upper lid 2 of the meter case 3 as viewed from the back side.

7 (a), (b), and (c) are a plan view, a partial sectional side view, and a partial sectional side view seen from the other side, respectively, showing another embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the wireless device 11 having the same regular hexagonal column structure as shown in FIG. 3 is used in place of the wireless device 1 having the columnar structure in the embodiment shown in FIGS. Supports the wireless device 11 on the upper lid 2 of the meter 3 3
The other construction is the same as that of the embodiment of FIGS.

In the wireless equipment for automatic meter reading of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the meter device 3 is used in the same manner as the wireless equipment of the cylindrical structure and the regular polygonal pillar structure shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. It can be freely rotated while being supported by the support 13 on the back side of the upper lid 2, and the direction of the antenna can be oriented in a desired direction, and it can be adjusted so as to perform good wireless communication with a counterpart wireless device. . The meter mast 3 is buried in the ground, but since the wireless device is attached to the back side of the upper lid 2 exposed on the surface of the ground, radio waves are relatively uninterrupted by the ground and other metal plates, which is good. Wireless communication can be performed.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The wireless device for automatic meter reading is a columnar structure or regular polygonal column structure arranged in the concave part of the lid of the meter, and the direction of the antenna can be adjusted to the desired direction in the concave part,
Or it is a columnar structure or a regular polygonal column structure attached to the back of the lid of the meter, and the direction of the antenna can be adjusted to the desired direction, so the antenna can be freely moved in the direction of the wireless device of the other party to communicate wirelessly. The radio device can be attached to the upper lid of the meter close to the ground surface, and good communication characteristics can be obtained without relatively blocking radio waves.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an automatic meter-reading wireless device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a structure in which the automatic meter-reading wireless device is provided in a meter rack of a water meter.

2A and 2B are a plan view of a meter case having the wireless device shown in FIG. 1 in an upper lid as viewed from above and a partial cross-sectional side view showing an internal structure as viewed from a side.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the present invention and a partial cross-sectional side view showing the internal structure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing radio wave directivity direction adjustment angles of the wireless device having the regular hexagonal column structure and the regular octagonal column structure shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a partial cross-sectional side view,
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view seen from the other side.

FIG. 7 is a plan view, a partial cross-sectional side view, and a partial cross-sectional side view seen from the other side, showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional wireless device for automatic meter reading.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,11 Wireless device for automatic meter reading 2 Upper lid 2a, 2b Recess 3 Meter 13 Support

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A wireless device for automatic meter reading, which is used in a wireless system for automatic meter reading, which collects meter information, which has a cylindrical structure arranged in a recess formed from the front side of a lid of a meter masque. A wireless device for automatic meter reading, characterized in that the direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be arbitrarily adjusted in the recess. 2. A wireless device for automatic meter reading used in a wireless system for automatic meter reading for collecting meter information, wherein the regular polygonal column structure is arranged in a recess formed from the front side of a lid of a meter masque. The wireless device for automatic meter reading is configured such that the direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be arbitrarily adjusted in at least an angle unit corresponding to one side of a regular polygon in the recess. 3. A wireless device for automatic meter reading used in a wireless system for automatic meter reading for collecting meter information, which has a cylindrical structure attached to the back side of a lid of a meter masque,
A wireless device for automatic meter reading, which is configured so that the direction of the antenna of the wireless device can be adjusted arbitrarily. 4. A wireless device for automatic meter reading used in a wireless system for automatic meter reading for collecting meter information, which is a regular polygonal column structure attached to the back side of a lid of a meter masquette, A wireless device for automatic meter reading, characterized in that the direction can be arbitrarily adjusted in an angle unit corresponding to at least one side of a regular polygon.