TWI796614B - Water meter monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

A water meter monitoring device includes a body, a sensor, a camera module, a communication module and a microcontroller. The body is used to be installed on the water meter. A sensor, a camera module, a communication module and a microcontroller are arranged on the body. The sensor senses the number of rotations of the metal sheet, and indirectly obtains the number of rotations of the pointer to obtain information on the number of rotations of the pointer. The camera module captures the image of the character wheel to obtain degree image information. The micro-controller transmits the received pointer rotation times information and degree image information to another communication module and/or server of the water meter monitoring device through the communication module. In this way, the present invention has the functions of pointer rotation detection and word wheel image capture, and can further calculate the degree of water use through the above two functions, and the two functions can also complement each other's deficiencies.

Description

Water meter monitoring device

The invention relates to a water meter monitoring device, in particular to a water meter monitoring device with the functions of pointer rotation detection and word wheel image capture.

A general mechanical water meter includes a housing, a metering device and a display. Both ends of the casing are respectively connected with a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe. The metering device is arranged in the shell and is used to measure the water passing through the shell. The display part is arranged on the casing and includes a character wheel, a pointer and a metal sheet. The character wheel is connected to the metering device, is driven by the metering device to rotate, and is used to display the accumulated water degree. The pointer is connected with the metering device and driven by the metering device to rotate. The metal piece is arranged on the pointer and rotates with the pointer.

The known water meter monitoring device is installed on the housing, and uses magnetic induction to sense the number of rotations of the metal sheet, and indirectly obtains the number of rotations of the pointer to obtain information on the number of rotations of the pointer, and transmits the information on the number of rotations of the pointer to a concentrator . The concentrator further transmits the information of the number of pointer rotations to a server, and a water meter data management unit of the server can calculate the water degree according to the information of the number of pointer rotations and judge whether the pointer rotates forward or reverse or rotates continuously per unit time. The forward rotation of the pointer represents normal use, the reverse rotation of the pointer represents the user secretly flipping the water meter upside down to steal water, and the continuous rotation of the pointer per unit time represents water leakage from the water pipe.

However, on-site humidity, lightning strikes or someone deliberately using a magnet to interfere will affect the rotation of the pointer, resulting in asynchronous rotation of the pointer and the metering device. Charge or undercharge water bills.

In order to solve the above problems, another water meter monitoring device has been introduced on the market. This water meter monitoring device has a camera module. Give a concentrator. The concentrator further transmits the degree image information to a server, and an image recognition unit of the server can calculate the degree of water according to the degree image information. Since the image captured by the camera module will not be disturbed by humidity, lightning strikes or someone deliberately holding a magnet, the accuracy of the calculated water degree is extremely high, which solves the problem of overcounting or undercounting the number of rotations.

However, the camera module needs to consume 20~30mA of current and 10 seconds for each camera, which consumes a lot of power. If this kind of water meter monitoring device is to sense the forward rotation or reverse rotation of the pointer or the continuous rotation within a unit time, the camera module must continue to take pictures, and the image recognition unit can judge the forward rotation or reverse rotation or rotation of the pointer by the continuous images of the character wheel Rotate continuously in unit time. It should be noted that continuous video recording consumes a lot of battery power, causing the battery to die quickly. The water company must send people to the user's home to replace the battery from time to time. Otherwise, once the battery is dead, the water meter monitoring device will lose its function. However, labor costs and battery costs are quite staggering. Therefore, in order to save manpower and battery costs, this kind of water meter monitoring device is usually limited to only taking pictures once a day to calculate the water consumption in a single day, but it cannot take continuous pictures, so it cannot monitor the forward or reverse rotation of the pointer or the continuous movement per unit time. Turn, and the water company has no way of knowing if a customer is stealing water or if a pipe is leaking.

Furthermore, once it rains, the surface of the display part of the water meter is prone to fogging, resulting in the image of the character wheel captured by the camera module being very blurred, and the image recognition unit has no way to recognize the image of the character wheel at all, and cannot calculate the degree of water use.

In addition, even if the sky is sunny, sometimes the number on the character wheel is turned halfway, and its image will be captured, so that the image recognition unit cannot recognize the number on the character wheel at all.

Both of the above two water meter monitoring devices need to be equipped with a concentrator, but the concentrator has the following problems:

First, the concentrator needs to be installed with an operating system, resulting in a very large volume of the concentrator, which cannot be fixed on the water meter. In order to solve this problem, the water company usually needs to negotiate with the user to borrow the wall to fix the concentrator. However, some users are unwilling to lend the wall to the water company to fix the concentrator, which is quite troublesome for the water company and users.

Second, the operating system of the concentrator consumes a lot of power, and the power of a general battery is not enough to provide the concentrator with normal operation. In order to solve this problem, the water company usually needs to negotiate with the user to borrow the mains power, so that the concentrator has enough power for its normal operation. However, it is easy to cause disputes on electricity bills with users when borrowing municipal power, which is quite troublesome for water companies and users.

Third, because general concentrators are expensive, one concentrator can collect information from hundreds or even thousands of water meters, so as to reduce the number of concentrators in each area, thereby reducing the cost of setting concentrators. It is suitable for applications in Areas with low density of buildings. However, in areas with high density of buildings, water meters are usually distributed on various floors and basements, because the radio frequency signal is easily interfered by buildings, resulting in the information of the number of pointer rotations or degree images that can be collected by each concentrator The effect of information is less than 50%.

Fourth, the radio frequency units of the above two water meter monitoring devices are automatically networked, and the plurality of radio frequency units of the water meter monitoring devices of multiple water meters are connected to each other in an automatic and random manner. For example, the radio frequency unit of the water meter monitoring device on the first floor is automatically connected with the radio frequency unit of the water meter monitoring device on the 50th floor, instead of automatically connecting with the radio frequency unit of the water meter monitoring device on the second floor, and so on. This automatic random connection method is too complicated and inefficient, and the radio frequency signal is easily disturbed by buildings and unstable, so it is not suitable for areas with high density of buildings.

The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a water meter monitoring device, which can simultaneously have the functions of pointer rotation detection and word wheel image capture, and can further calculate the water degree through the above two functions, and the two functions can complement each other. insufficient.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water meter monitoring device. The microcontroller has the function of a concentrator and does not need to install an operating system, so the volume is small and can be installed in the main body.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water meter monitoring device that provides a standby mode and a power-on mode, and the microcontroller has a function of low power consumption, so that the life of the battery can be extended and there is enough power to provide the camera module for continuous camera tasks .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water meter monitoring device, which can control the transmission path of the radio frequency signal of the radio frequency unit through the manual networking mode, so as to reduce the problem of building interference.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water meter monitoring device, which can eliminate the fog on the surface of the display part, so that the surface of the display part is clearer, and the image of the character wheel captured by the camera module is very clear.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides a water meter monitoring device, which includes a body, a sensor, a camera module, a communication module and a microcontroller.

The body is used to be installed on a water meter.

The sensor is arranged in the body, and is used for sensing the rotation times of a metal piece of the water meter, and indirectly obtains the rotation times of a pointer of the water meter, so as to obtain information on the rotation times of a pointer.

The camera module is arranged in the main body, and is used to capture the image of the character wheel of the water meter to obtain image information of one degree.

The communication module is arranged in the body, and is used for connecting with a communication module of another water meter monitoring device and/or connecting with a server.

The microcontroller is installed in the body and is electrically connected to the sensor, camera module and communication module. The sensor sends information on the number of rotations of the pointer to the microcontroller, and the camera module sends the degree image information to the microcontroller. , the microcontroller transmits the received information on the number of pointer rotations and degree image information to the communication module, and the communication module transmits the received information on the number of pointer rotations and degree image information to the communication module of another water meter monitoring device and/or or server.

Preferably, the body defines at least one lens hole and at least one flashlight hole, the camera module includes at least one lens and at least one flashlight, at least one lens faces at least one lens hole, and at least one flashlight faces at least one flashlight hole.

Preferably, the body includes a ring wall, the ring wall has a fog surface and a transparent window, and the transparent window is used for the user to visually view the character wheel of the water meter.

Preferably, the ring wall is transparent, and the body includes a cover, which is slidably arranged on the body and displaced between an open position and a closed position. When the cover is in the closed position, the cover completely covers the ring When the cover is in the open position, the cover does not cover the ring wall.

Preferably, the communication module includes a wireless communication unit, the wireless communication unit is connected to the server, and the communication mode of the wireless communication unit is 4G, 5G, long-distance wide area network (LoRaWAN), narrowband Internet of Things (Narrow Band Internet of Things; NB-IoT) or Wi-Fi.

Preferably, the communication module includes a radio frequency unit, and the radio frequency unit has an automatic networking mode and a manual networking mode; wherein, when the radio frequency unit is set to the automatic networking mode, the radio frequency unit automatically randomly and plural The wireless radio unit connection of one of the water meter monitoring devices; And wherein, when the radio frequency unit is set to the manual networking mode, the radio frequency unit is manually set to be connected to at most two radio frequency units of the nearest water meter monitoring devices.

Preferably, the body includes a housing portion, and the housing portion defines at least two housing slots, the sensor, the communication module and the microcontroller are integrated on a circuit board and arranged in one of the housing slots, and the camera module Assembled on another circuit board and arranged in another accommodating groove, the water meter monitoring device further includes a cover, which is set on the accommodating portion to close the accommodating grooves.

Preferably, the body has at least one first engaging portion, the water meter has at least one second engaging portion, and the at least one first engaging portion is detachably engaged with the at least one second engaging portion.

Preferably, the main body is provided with at least one ventilation opening, and the at least one ventilation opening is used to remove the mist on the surface of a display part of the water meter.

Preferably, the water meter monitoring device further includes a battery disposed in the body and electrically connected to the microcontroller; wherein the microcontroller has a standby mode and a power-on mode; wherein, when the sensor detects When the metal piece of the water meter stops rotating, the microcontroller does not receive information on the number of pointer rotations and switches to standby mode, and the microcontroller further controls the camera module and the communication module to stop operating; and wherein, when the sensor detects that the water meter When the metal piece starts to rotate, the microcontroller will wake up immediately after receiving the information on the number of rotations of the pointer and switch to the power-on mode. The microcontroller further controls the camera module and the communication module to start operating.

The effect of the present invention is that the water meter monitoring device of the present invention can simultaneously have functions such as pointer rotation detection and character wheel image capture, and can further calculate the water degree through the above two functions, and the two functions can also complement each other. insufficient.

Furthermore, the microcontroller has the function of a concentrator and does not need to install an operating system, so it can be installed in the main body with a small volume.

In addition, the water meter monitoring device of the present invention can provide a standby mode and a power-on mode, and the microcontroller has the function of low power consumption, so that the life of the battery is extended and there is enough power to provide the camera module for continuous camera tasks.

In addition, the water meter monitoring device of the present invention can control the transmission path of the radio frequency signal of the radio frequency unit through the manual networking mode, thereby reducing the problem of building interference.

Furthermore, the water meter monitoring device of the present invention can eliminate the fog on the surface of the display part, so that the surface of the display part is clearer, and the image of the character wheel captured by the camera module is very clear.

1,1A: Water meter monitoring device

10,10A: body

11:Accommodating part

111: Control slot

112: battery slot

113: camera slot

1131: lens hole

1132: flash hole

1133: vent

1134: slotting

12: ring wall

121: matte surface

122: transparent window

123: Hook

13: Cover body

131: card slot

132: Chute

14: fixed part

141: Grooving

142: slide rail

15: Installation Department

151: Internal space

152: Gap

16: The first engaging part

20: Sensor

201: Information on the number of pointer rotations

30: Camera module

301: Degree image information

31: Lens

32: Flash

40: Communication module

41: Wireless communication unit

42: Wireless radio frequency unit

421: Automatic networking mode

422: Manual networking mode

50: microcontroller

51:Standby mode

52: Boot mode

60: battery

70,71: circuit board

711: Gap

80: cover body

100: server

110: Water meter data management unit

120: Image recognition unit

200: water meter

210: shell

220: display part

221: character wheel

222: Pointer

223: metal sheet

230: the second engaging part

[ Fig. 1 ] is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

[ Fig. 2 ] is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[ Fig. 3 ] is a plan view of the main body of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 4] is a block diagram showing the structure of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[ Fig. 5 ] is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention installed in a water meter.

[FIG. 6] is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the present invention installed in a water meter.

[ FIG. 7 ] is a block diagram of sensing the number of rotations of the metal piece in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[ Fig. 8 ] is a schematic diagram of imaging in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 9] is a block diagram of imaging in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[ Fig. 10 ] is a perspective view of the cover in the open position according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 11] is a schematic diagram showing a plurality of first embodiments of the present invention installed on different floors of a building.

[ Fig. 12 ] is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

[ Fig. 13 ] is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 14] is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention installed in a water meter.

[FIG. 15] is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the present invention installed in a water meter.

The implementation of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings and reference symbols, so that those skilled in the art can implement it after studying this specification.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 , which are respectively a perspective view, an exploded view, a top view and a structural block diagram of the main body 10 of the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 , the present invention provides a water meter monitoring device 1 , which includes a body 10 , a sensor 20 , a camera module 30 , a communication module 40 and a microcontroller 50 . The sensor 20 , the camera module 30 , the communication module 40 and the microcontroller 50 are all disposed in the body 10 , and the microcontroller 50 is electrically connected to the sensor 20 , the camera module 30 and the communication module 40 . The communication module 40 is used to connect with the communication module 40 of another water meter monitoring device 1 and/or connect with a server 100 (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 ).

Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , which are respectively a perspective view and an exploded view of the first embodiment of the present invention installed on a water meter 200 . As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , the water meter 200 includes a housing 210 , a metering device (not shown in the figure) and a display portion 220 . Two ends of the casing 210 are respectively connected to a water inlet pipe (not shown in the figure) and a water outlet pipe (not shown in the figure). The metering device is disposed in the housing 210 for measuring the amount of water passing through the housing 210 . The display part 220 is disposed on the casing 210 and includes a character wheel 221 , a pointer 222 and a metal piece 223 . The character wheel 221 is connected to the metering device, is driven to rotate by the metering device, and is used to display the accumulated water degree. The pointer 222 is connected with the metering device and driven by the metering device to rotate. The metal piece 223 is disposed on the pointer 222 and rotates with the pointer 222 . The body 10 is installed on the casing 210 .

Please refer to FIG. 7 . FIG. 7 is a block diagram of sensing the number of rotations of the metal piece 223 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7 , the sensor 20 senses the rotation times of the metal piece 223 by means of magnetic induction. Indirectly obtain the number of rotations of the pointer 222 to obtain information 201 of the number of rotations of the pointer; the sensor 20 transmits the information 201 of the number of rotations of the pointer to the microcontroller 50, and the microcontroller 50 transmits the information 201 of the number of rotations of the pointer received To the communication module 40 , the communication module 40 transmits the received information 201 of the rotation times of the pointer to the server 100 . A water meter data management unit 110 of the server 100 can calculate the degree of water use according to the information of the number of rotations of the pointer 201 and determine whether the pointer 222 rotates forward or backward or rotates continuously within a unit time. The forward rotation of the pointer 222 represents normal use, the reverse rotation of the pointer 222 represents the user secretly flipping the water meter 200 upside down to steal water, and the continuous rotation of the pointer 222 per unit time represents water leakage from the water pipe.

Please refer to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 , which are respectively a schematic diagram and a block diagram of the camera according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the camera module 30 is used to capture the image of the character wheel 221 to obtain the degree image information 301; the camera module 30 transmits the degree image information 301 to the microcontroller 50, and the microcontroller 50 transmits the received degree image information 301 to the communication module 40 , and the communication module 40 transmits the received degree image information 301 to the server 100 . An image recognition unit 120 of the server 100 calculates the degree of water according to the degree image information 301 .

Thereby, the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention has the functions of pointer rotation detection and character wheel image capture, and can further calculate the degree of water use through the above two functions.

Furthermore, if factors such as on-site humidity, lightning strikes, or someone intentionally interfere with the magnet interfere with the rotation of the pointer 222, the rotation of the pointer 222 and the metering device will not be synchronized, and the information 201 on the number of rotations of the pointer obtained by the sensor 20 will be different from the actual value of the pointer. There is an error in the number of rotations. Since the image of the word wheel 221 will not be affected by factors such as on-site humidity, lightning strikes, or someone deliberately using a magnet, the image recognition unit 120 of the server 100 can calculate the degree of water according to the degree image information 301. The precision is extremely high, making up for the deficiency of the sensor 20 .

In addition, if the surface of the casing 210 is fogged, the number of the character wheel 221 is turned to half, or other factors cause the image of the character wheel 221 to be blurred, resulting in the camera module 30 being unable to obtain clear degree image information 301, at this time the server The water meter data management unit 110 of 100 can calculate the water degree according to the pointer rotation times information 201 and judge that the pointer 222 rotates forward or backward or rotates continuously within a unit time, so as to make up for the deficiency of the camera module 30 .

In addition, if the water meter data management unit 110 of the server 100 judges that the pointer 222 reverses or rotates continuously within a unit time according to the pointer rotation number information 201, the image recognition unit 120 of the server 100 will automatically calculate the degree according to the degree image information 301. Degree of water.

In addition, if the error of the water consumption degree obtained by both the pointer rotation number information 201 and the degree image information 301 is greater than 1%, the water company will manually calculate the water consumption degree based on the degree image information 301 .

Also, the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention uses a microcontroller 50 that has the function of a concentrator and does not need to install an operating system to receive and transmit the pointer rotation number information 201 and the degree image information 301. The microcontroller 50 has a small size, low Advantages such as low power consumption and manufacturing cost can be installed in the main body 10 without borrowing walls from users.

It is worth mentioning that the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention can be installed on the mechanical water meter 200. In addition to enjoying the benefits of the low failure rate of the mechanical water meter 200, the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention can further provide pointer rotation The functions of electronic water meters such as frequency detection and degree image capture are quite innovative and practical.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , the water meter monitoring device 1 further includes a battery 60 disposed in the body 10 and electrically connected to the microcontroller 50 . The battery 60 can directly supply power to the microcontroller 50 and supply power to the sensor 20 , the camera module 30 and the communication module 40 through the microcontroller 50 . The microcontroller 50 has A standby mode 51 and a power-on mode 52 . When the sensor 20 detects that the metal piece 223 stops rotating, the microcontroller 50 does not receive the pointer rotation number information 201 and switches to the standby mode 51, and the microcontroller 50 further controls the camera module 30 and the communication module 40 to stop. operate. When the sensor 20 senses that the metal piece 223 starts to rotate, the microcontroller 50 will be woken up immediately after receiving the pointer rotation times information 201 and switch to the power-on mode 52, and the microcontroller 50 will further control the camera module 30 and the communication module. Group 40 came into operation.

In this way, the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention will only enter the power-on state when water passes through the casing 210, and start to perform functions such as the rotation detection of the pointer 222 and the image capture of the word wheel 221. When no water passes through the casing 210 time, the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention will enter the standby state, reduce power consumption, and the low power consumption function of collocation microcontroller 50, reach the effect of power saving, battery 60 life-span can be extended, does not need to borrow from the user Mains electricity and water supply companies do not need to send people to the user's home to replace the battery 60 frequently, saving manpower and battery 60 costs.

Furthermore, because the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention will only enter the power-on state when there is water passing through the housing 210, the camera module 30 will start to capture the image of the character wheel 221, so the battery 60 has enough power to provide the camera. The module 30 performs continuous camera tasks, and provides sufficient degree image information 301 to the image recognition unit 120. The image recognition unit 120 can further determine whether the pointer 222 rotates forward or backward or rotates continuously within a unit time.

In other embodiments, the water meter monitoring device 1 further includes an electrical connection part (not shown in the figure), the electrical connection part is electrically connected to the microcontroller 50 , and has a power cord and a plug. The plug is plugged into the mains, and supplies power to the microcontroller 50 through the power line and supplies power to the sensor 20 , the camera module 30 and the communication module 40 through the microcontroller 50 . Therefore, because the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention saves more power and can increase users' willingness to borrow commercial power, it can also choose to connect to the commercial power through the electrical connection part to obtain the power required for operation.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the body 10 includes a housing portion 11, and the housing portion 11 is provided with a plurality of housing slots, and these housing slots are respectively defined as a control slot 111, a battery slot 112 and a camera slot 113 , the sensor 20, the communication module 40 and the microcontroller 50 are integrated on a circuit board 70 and arranged in the control slot 111, the battery 60 is arranged in the battery slot 112, and the camera module 30 is integrated on another circuit board 71 and set in the camera slot 113. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the water meter monitoring device 1 further includes a cover 80, the cover 80 is set on the accommodating portion 11 to close the control slot 111, the battery slot 112 and the camera slot 113 to protect the sensor 20. Functions of the communication module 40, the microcontroller 50, the battery 60, and the camera module 30. In case the sensor 20 , the communication module 40 , the microcontroller 50 , the battery 60 or the camera module 30 fails, as long as the cover 80 is opened, the failed components can be taken out and replaced with new ones to achieve the effect of maintenance.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, a plurality of lens holes 1131 and a plurality of flashlight holes 1132 are provided at the bottom of the camera slot 113, and the camera module 30 includes a plurality of lenses 31 and a plurality of flashlights 32, and the lenses 31 face the lens holes 1131 respectively, The flash lamps 32 respectively face the flash lamp holes 1132 . As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the light sources of the flashlights 32 can pass through the flashlight holes 1132 to illuminate the display part 220, and the lenses 31 can capture images in an environment with sufficient light sources through the lens holes 1131. The image of character wheel 221.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the body 10 includes a ring wall 12 and a cover body 13, the ring wall 12 is transparent and has a matte surface 121 and a transparent window 122, the cover body 13 is slid on the body 10 and displaced Between an open position and a closed position. As shown in Figure 5 and Figure 8, when the cover body 13 is in the closed position, the cover body 13 completely covers the ring wall 12, so that external light cannot penetrate through the ring wall 12 and enter the interior of the body 10, avoiding the problem of reflection caused by external light interference , resulting in that the image of the character wheel 221 captured by the lenses 31 is not clear enough. As shown in Figure 10, when the cover body 13 is in the open position, the cover body 13 does not cover the ring wall 12, so that external light can penetrate through the ring wall 12 and enter the interior of the body 10, and the user can see the character wheel through the transparent window 122. 221, so as to know the current accumulative water consumption degree.

Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the main body 10 includes a fixing portion 14, which is arranged around the outside of the camera slot 113, and has a plurality of through slots 141, and two sliding rails 142 are formed at both ends thereof; A top surface of the ring wall 12 is protruded with a plurality of hooks 123, and the hooks 123 pass through the through grooves 141 and hook the fixed part 14; two slide rails 142 are respectively protruded on both sides of the battery slot 112; the cover body 13 The cover body 13 is ring-shaped, and a plurality of slots 131 are provided on the inner side of a top wall of the cover body 13 , and two slide slots 132 are respectively recessed at both ends of the cover body 13 . The two slide rails 142 correspond to the two slide slots 132 , so that the cover body 13 can be displaced relative to the ring wall 12 between an open position and a close position. As shown in FIG. 8 , when the cover 13 is in the closed position, the hooks 123 are respectively located in the slots 131 . As shown in FIG. 10 , when the cover body 13 is in the open position, the hooks 123 are separated from the engaging slots 131 respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the body 10 includes a mounting portion 15 and a plurality of first engaging portions 16. The mounting portion 15 is disposed below the ring wall 12 and forms an inner space 151 together with the ring wall 12. An engaging portion 16 protrudes from the outside of the mounting portion 15 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the water meter 200 has a plurality of second engaging portions 230 protruding from the outer side of the housing. As shown in FIG. 5 , the first engaging portions 16 are detachably engaged with the second engaging portions 230 . As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the light sources of the flashlights 32 can sequentially pass through the flashlight holes 1132 and the inner space 151 to illuminate the display part 220, and the lenses 31 can pass through the lens holes 1131 and the interior. The space 151 captures the image of the character wheel 221 in an environment with sufficient light sources.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , the communication module 40 includes a wireless communication unit 41 and a wireless radio frequency unit 42 . The wireless communication unit 41 is connected to the server 100. The communication mode of the wireless communication unit 41 is 4G, 5G, LoRaWAN, Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) or Wi-Fi. The radio frequency unit 42 has an automatic networking mode 421 and a manual networking mode 422 . As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 9, when the wireless radio frequency unit 42 is set to the automatic networking mode 421, the wireless radio The radio frequency unit 42 is automatically randomly connected with the radio frequency unit 42 of one of the multiple water meter monitoring devices 1; when the radio frequency unit 42 is set to the manual networking mode 422, the radio frequency unit 42 is manually set to be at most two The wireless radio frequency unit 42 of the water meter monitoring device 1 is connected.

If the water meter 200 is set in an area with low building density, the radio frequency unit 42 is suitably set to the automatic networking mode 421 . If the water meter 200 is set in an area with high density of buildings, the radio frequency unit 42 is suitably set to the manual networking mode 422 .

Please refer to FIG. 11 . FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of first embodiments of the present invention arranged on different floors of a building. The buildings shown in FIG. 11 are located in areas with relatively high density, and the radio frequency signals are easily interfered by buildings. At this time, the plurality of radio frequency units 42 of the plurality of water meter monitoring devices 1 are all set to the manual networking mode 422 . The water meter monitoring devices 1 located on the higher floors can transmit the pointer rotation number information 201 and the degree image information 301 of the multiple water meters 200 located on the higher floors sequentially to the ones located on the middle floors through their radio frequency units 42. A radio frequency unit 42 of the water meter monitoring device 1 . The water meter monitoring devices 1 located on the lower floors can transmit the pointer rotation number information 201 and degree image information 301 of the water meters 200 located on the lower floors to the ones located on the middle floors sequentially through their radio frequency unit 42. A radio frequency unit 42 of the water meter monitoring device 1 . The wireless communication unit 41 of one of the water meter monitoring devices 1 located on the middle floor transmits the received pointer rotation times information 201 and degree image information 301 of all water meters 200 to the water meter data management unit 110 and image recognition unit 120 of the server 100 .

In this way, the water meter monitoring devices 1 can control the transmission path of the radio frequency signals of the radio frequency units 42 through the manual networking mode 422, thereby reducing the problem of building interference, and the connection efficiency is high and stable, which is suitable for buildings. High density areas.

Furthermore, as long as the communication module 40 of one of the water meter monitoring devices 1 on the middle floor has a wireless communication unit 41, the communication modules 40 of the water meter monitoring devices 1 on other floors may not have a wireless communication unit 41, reducing the cost.

In addition, each microcontroller 50 can receive information 201 on the number of pointer rotations and degree image information 301 of about twenty water meters 200. Although it is not as good as a general concentrator, the cost of the microcontroller 50 is much lower than that of a centralized concentrator. device. In areas where the density of buildings is relatively high, as long as the water meter monitoring device 1 of the present invention is installed on several water meters 200, the water meter monitoring devices 1 can receive the pointer rotation number information 201 and degrees of all water meters 200 in the area Video information 301, the overall cost is still much cheaper than a single concentrator.

Please refer to FIG. 12 to FIG. 15 , which are respectively a perspective view, an exploded view, a perspective view installed on the water meter 200 and an exploded view installed on the water meter 200 of the second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between the water meter monitoring device 1A of the second embodiment and the water meter monitoring device 1 of the first embodiment is that: firstly, two air vents 1133 are provided on the outside of the camera slot 113, and these air vents 1133 are used to exclude the surface of the display part 220 The mist makes the surface of the display part 220 clearer, and the image of the character wheel 221 captured by the lenses 31 is very clear; second, the control slot 111 and the battery slot 112 are integrated to reduce the volume; third, it does not include Ring wall 12, cover body 13 and cover body 80; Its 4th, camera module 30 only comprises a lens 31 and a flashlight 32; Its 5th, installation part 15 is a transparent cover and offers a lens hole 1131, a flashlight hole 1132 and a notch 152, the circuit board 70 forms a notch 711, and the camera groove 113 is provided with a slot 1134, and these notches 152, 711 and the slot 1134 together form a first engaging portion 16, and the water meter 200 has a tenon as the first Two engaging parts 230 . Apart from this, the rest of the technical features of the second embodiment are completely the same as those of the first embodiment, and can achieve the same effect.

The above-mentioned ones are only preferred embodiments for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention in any form. Therefore, any modification or change of the present invention made under the same spirit of the invention , all should still be included in the category that the present invention intends to protect.

1: Water meter monitoring device

10: Ontology

11:Accommodating part

111: Control slot

112: battery slot

113: camera slot

1131: lens hole

1132: flash hole

12: ring wall

121: matte surface

122: transparent window

123: Hook

13: Cover body

131: card slot

132: Chute

14: fixed part

141: Grooving

142: slide rail

15: Installation Department

16: The first engaging part

20: Sensor

30: Camera module

31: Lens

32: Flash

40: Communication module

41: Wireless communication unit

42: Wireless radio frequency unit

50: microcontroller

60: battery

70,71: circuit board

80: cover body

Claims (9)

A water meter monitoring device, comprising: a body, used to be installed on a water meter; a sensor, arranged in the body, and used to sense the number of rotations of a metal sheet of the water meter, and indirectly obtain a value of the water meter The number of rotations of the pointer to obtain information on the number of rotations of the pointer; a camera module, which is installed in the body, and is used to capture the image of the character wheel of the water meter to obtain image information of one degree; a communication module, set in the body, and used to connect with a communication module of another water meter monitoring device and/or connect with a server; a microcontroller, set in the body, electrically connected to the sensor , the camera module and the communication module, and have a standby mode and a power-on mode, the sensor transmits the pointer rotation number information to the microcontroller, and the camera module transmits the degree image information to the A microcontroller, the microcontroller transmits the received information on the number of rotations of the pointer and the image information of the degree to the communication module, and the communication module transmits the received information on the number of rotations of the pointer and the image information of the degree to another The communication module and/or the server of a water meter monitoring device; and a battery arranged in the body and electrically connected to the microcontroller; wherein, when the sensor senses the metal of the water meter When the chip stops rotating, the microcontroller does not receive the pointer rotation number information and switches to the standby mode, and the microcontroller further controls the camera module and the communication module to stop operating; and Wherein, when the sensor detects that the metal sheet of the water meter starts to rotate, the microcontroller is immediately awakened after receiving the information on the number of rotations of the pointer and switches to the power-on mode, and the microcontroller further controls the camera The module and the communication module start to work. The water meter monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the main body is provided with at least one lens hole and at least one flash hole, the camera module includes at least one lens and at least one flash light, and the at least one lens faces the at least one lens hole, The at least one flashlight faces the at least one flashlight hole. The water meter monitoring device as described in Claim 2, wherein the body includes a ring wall with a fog surface and a transparent window for users to visually view the character wheel of the water meter. The water meter monitoring device as described in claim 3, wherein the ring wall is transparent, the body includes a cover, the cover is slid on the body and is displaced between an open position and a closed position, when When the cover body is in the closed position, the cover body completely covers the ring wall; when the cover body is in the open position, the cover body does not cover the ring wall. The water meter monitoring device as described in claim 1, wherein the communication module includes a wireless communication unit, the wireless communication unit is connected to the server, and the communication mode of the wireless communication unit is 4G, 5G, long-distance wide area network ( LoRaWAN), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) or Wi-Fi. The water meter monitoring device as described in claim 1, wherein the communication module includes a radio frequency unit, and the radio frequency unit has an automatic networking mode and a manual networking mode; wherein, when the radio frequency unit is set to automatic In the networking mode, the radio frequency unit is automatically randomly connected to the radio frequency unit of one of the plurality of water meter monitoring devices; and Wherein, when the wireless radio frequency unit is set to the manual networking mode, the wireless radio frequency unit is manually set to be connected to the wireless radio frequency unit of at most two water meter monitoring devices closest to it. The water meter monitoring device as described in claim 1, wherein the body includes a housing part, and the housing part has at least two housing slots, and the sensor, the communication module and the microcontroller are integrated into a circuit board and set in one of the accommodating grooves, the camera module is integrated on another circuit board and set in another accommodating groove, the water meter monitoring device further includes a cover, the cover is set on the The accommodating part is used to close the accommodating grooves. The water meter monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the body has at least one first engaging portion, the water meter has at least one second engaging portion, and the at least one first engaging portion is detachably engaged with the At least one second engaging portion. The water meter monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the body is provided with at least one ventilation opening, and the at least one ventilation opening is used to remove fog from the surface of a display portion of the water meter.

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