WO2023203580A1 - Dispositif de lecture de compteur - Google Patents

Dispositif de lecture de compteur Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2023203580A1
WO2023203580A1 PCT/IN2023/050386 IN2023050386W WO2023203580A1 WO 2023203580 A1 WO2023203580 A1 WO 2023203580A1 IN 2023050386 W IN2023050386 W IN 2023050386W WO 2023203580 A1 WO2023203580 A1 WO 2023203580A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
meter
meter reading
server
camera
controller
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IN2023/050386
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Ajinkya CHAPHEKAR
Chetan SHINDE
Original Assignee
Chaphekar Ajinkya
Shinde Chetan
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Chaphekar Ajinkya, Shinde Chetan filed Critical Chaphekar Ajinkya
Publication of WO2023203580A1 publication Critical patent/WO2023203580A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G01D4/00—Tariff metering apparatus
    • G01D4/008—Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to meter reading devices and more particularly to meter reading device that reads analog and digital meters.
  • the utility meters include the meters for reading the consumption of various utilities including water, oil, gas, electricity, etc. These meters may range from the traditional dial meters, standard meters, analog meters, digital meters to smart meters.
  • the recording of the meter reading and its further processing is necessary for simplifying the process of meter reading.
  • the meter reader extracts the meter reading data for further processing.
  • the US patent US10430656B2 by Utility Meter Reader LLC describes an analog utility meter reader.
  • the apparatus is configured to analyze a digital image of the analog dial of the utility meter and determine a value of each dial of the utility meter.
  • a digital image of the analog dial utility meter is obtained and processed to determine a meter reading of the utility meter.
  • the US patent US6621943B 1 by Wafermasters Inc discloses operation of a processing system which converts the analog data obtained from meters and gauges to digital data.
  • An image sensor provides an image of the measuring instrument, that is further processed by an image processor to detect a measured value. The measured value is compared to an expected value, and a signal is generated further instructing a controller to adjust the process functionality until the measured value reaches the expected value.
  • the smart meters available in the prior art turn dumb after particular number of years.
  • the old meters need to be replaced wherein the entire box has to be replaced by the new smart meter. This is a cumbersome process and also cost a lot for the replacement.
  • a device which may be connected to any type of meter to obtain the meter reading data in an energy efficient and cost-effective manner. Further there is a need of a device that provides accurate data with minimum server usage. Also, there is a need for a device that is tamper-proof and has reduced risk of catching fire.
  • a meter reading device reading values of analog and digital meters including a pipe, a meter positioned on the pipe 102 for providing values either digital or analog.
  • a barrel connecting with the device from a first end and the meter from an open end.
  • a camera fixedly inside the barrel and positioned at the downward facing end of the device.
  • a lens removably positionable on the camera, a controller configured for connecting the camera with a server.
  • the controller storing captured image data into a memory.
  • the controller configured to operate the device in a first operable mode and a second operable mode.
  • the controller switching the device from the first operable mode to the second operable mode.
  • a server configured to receive image data from the controller.
  • the server storing the received data in a database.
  • the barrel cylindrically shaped for avoiding distortion in capturing images from the camera.
  • the camera configured to output image in pixel matrix format from a 340X340 pixel to 1280X640.
  • the one-fourth portion of the lens is configured with 67 degrees of Field of View along with focal length adjustment.
  • the controller being configured for activating the camera for capturing clear images in 100 milliseconds and simultaneously enabling the flash for 5 seconds.
  • the device is in an idle state in a first operable mode for about 5 seconds to 400 hrs.
  • the device is in a working state in a second operable mode.
  • a system of the meter reading device comprising an artificial intelligence module configured for receiving the captured image from the server.
  • the artificial intelligence module configured for pre-processing received image and extracting numeric reading from the captured image.
  • the artificial intelligence module being configured with character segmentation of the pre-processed image.
  • the artificial intelligence module is configured to extract data from the segmented image through the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN).
  • the communication module configured for transmitting the image data from the device to the server.
  • the battery positioned on the controller for powering the real time clock, the camera therein.
  • FIG. 1 shows perspective view of a meter reading device fixed on meter in accordance with the present invention
  • FIG. 2 shows a schematic of the meter reading device of FIG. 1
  • FIG. 3 shows a system 300 for automatic meter reading with the meter reading device 100 of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3A shows a flow chart of a second operable mode of the meter reading device 100 of FIG.1;
  • FIG. 4 is a flow chart for capturing meter reading of the meter in accordance with the present invention of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 5 is a flow chart for processing captured image to obtain meter data in accordance with the present invention of FIG. 1.
  • references in the specification to "one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that particular feature, structure, characteristic, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention.
  • the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
  • a meter reading device 100 is described.
  • the meter reading device 100 is securely installable on existing meters 105 for example, water meters, gas meters, electricity meters and the like.
  • the meters 105 may be positioned on a pipe 102 for example a gas supply pipe, a water supple pipeline or the like.
  • the device 100 is preferably removably positionable on the meter 105.
  • the meter reading device 100 advantageously reads the meter readings either analogue or digital produced by the meter 105.
  • the device 100 records the meter readings on predefined interval of time and is configured to remain off for the rest of time.
  • the device 100 is removably positonable on existing or new meters 105 with minimum efforts.
  • the device 100 includes a lens (not seen) that is positioned in a barrel 115 for capturing meter reading data of the meter 105.
  • the barrel 115 is preferably cylindrical in shape and is connected with the device 100 from one end and connects with the meter 105 from another end.
  • the meter reading device 100 includes a communication module 205, a camera 210, a lens 215 and a controller 220.
  • the camera 210 is fixedly attached inside the barrel 115 of the device 100 and positioned at the downward facing end of the device 100.
  • the camera 210 is connected to the controller 220 through an I2S (Integrated Inter- IC Sound Bus) communication method.
  • I2S Integrated Inter- IC Sound Bus
  • a Serial Camera Control Bus (SCCB) connector type is used to connect the camera 210 and the controller 220.
  • the camera 210 is preferably an OV2640 sensor however, the type of sensor varies in other embodiments of the present invention.
  • the camera 210 outputs an 8-bit compressed data and generates the required image in the form of pixel matrix format.
  • the pixels are adjusted from 240x240 up to 1280x640. It is to be noted that, a 340x340 pixel format is sufficient and energy efficient for producing clear image of said meter 105.
  • the lens 215 is attached to the barrel 115(Refer Fig. 1).
  • the one-fourth part of the camera lens 215 is configured with 67 Degrees of FOV (Field of View).
  • the focal length of the lens 215 and distance of camera 210 is adjusted from the source for obtaining clear image.
  • the flash positioned on the camera 210 preferably emit LED light and is configured with appropriate light setting for reducing the reflection from source meter 105 glass surface.
  • the device 100 also includes a controller 220, a PCB (printed circuit board) and a battery 225.
  • the controller 220 receives images from the camera 210 that are processed and sent to a predefined server.
  • the communication module 205 enables exchange of data between the device 100 and the server 310 through either GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) or through Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity).
  • the communication module 205 connects the device 100 with the server through the GSM communication technologies for example, 5G, LTE (4G), GPS, GPRS and the like.
  • the communication module 205 connects to internet through onboard GSM processor (not seen) and the embedded nano SIM card slot with full band antenna.
  • the GSM processor includes a Power Save Mode (PSM).
  • PSM Power Save Mode
  • the PCB is securely positioned in a casing 240 that is positioned at the bottom end portion of the device 100.
  • the battery 225 is positioned inside the device 100 on the motherboard (not seen).
  • the device 100 is operable through an inbuilt battery 225 however, the device may be powered through a dedicated power supply in other embodiments of the present invention.
  • the system 300 that is connected to a server 310 preferably through internet.
  • the server 310 is configured to receive data from a plurality of devices 100 and store in the database 305.
  • the server 310 includes an artificial intelligence module 315 (hereinafter referred to as Al Module 315), a data base 305 and an interface 325.
  • the server 310 is accessible from a device such as laptop, computer, tabs, mobile, handheld device and the like.
  • the artificial intelligence module 315 is configured for processing the captured image for obtaining the meter readings.
  • the device 100 is operable in two modes i.e., a first mode and a second mode.
  • the device 100 is in an idle state in the first mode of operation whereas, in the second mode of operation the device 100 is in a working mode.
  • the device 100 is in an idle state, in this state the device 100 is disconnected from the communication module 205.
  • the device 100 includes a range of 5 seconds to 400 hrs for configuring the device 100 in idle state.
  • the device 100 is awakened from the first mode to the second mode through a RTC (Real Time Clock) (not seen) positioned on the controller 220.
  • RTC Real Time Clock
  • the device 100 captures image data at specified intervals and communicates with the server 310 accordingly. Further, after sending the data the device 100 again enters into the first mode.
  • the second mode of operation of the device 100 is described hereinafter.
  • the device 100 fixedly positioned on the meter 105 for reading the parameters is activated.
  • the device 100 is awakened by the RTC configured on the controller 220.
  • the device 100 searches nearby wireless network through the communication module 205 or communicates through GSM.
  • the device 100 connects to the available Wi-Fi network through the communication module 205.
  • the communication module 205 is configured to search for Wi-Fi for approximately 30 seconds.
  • step 335 if the communication module 205 fails to connect with the Wi-Fi than the device 100 goes into the sleep mode again.
  • the controller 220 establishes connection with the server 310.
  • the controller 220 is configured to establish connection with the server 310 for approximately 30 seconds.
  • the controller 220 fails to connect with the server 310 than the device 100 stores the image data to be captured in the memory 230 positioned inside the controller 220.
  • the device 100 stores maximum of 10 entries of image data on the onboard memory 230. Further, in this step 335, the device 100 sends the stored data to the server 310 and clears the memory 230 after connecting with the server 310.
  • the flash (not seen) of the camera 210 is turned on for 3 seconds so that the camera 210 captures multiple images within few milliseconds.
  • the best captured image is recognized by the controller 220 and is then converted to a base64 data format where the buffer size is assigned for the image data.
  • a next step 350 the controller 220 communicates with the RTC and imprints a time stamp on the captured image.
  • the captured image and the data is sent to the server 310 through a MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol.
  • MQTT Message Queuing Telemetry Transport
  • the device 100 sends the captured image data to the server 310 than the device 100 enters sleep mode.
  • the server 310 is not connected then the data is stored inside the memory 230 and the device is entered into sleep mode. Further, the device 100 after connecting with the server 310 sends the stored data to the server 310 and clears the data queue in the memory 230.
  • the device 100 is initialized and connected with the server 310 through internet using either GSM or Wi-Fi by activating the communication module 205.
  • the device 100 verifies connection with the server 310 until the device 100 is connected with the server 310.
  • the device 100 verifies connection with the camera 210.
  • step 425 if the camera 210 is not connected then the error message is displayed in step 430 and the algorithm stops in step 435.
  • a next step 425 if the camera 210 is connected then the image capturing is initiated, and the control is transferred towards step 440.
  • the captured image is processed with predefined parameter such as clarity, frame and the like on the controller 220.
  • a next step 450 if the processed image is not as predefined parameters, then the image is recaptured, and the control is redirected towards step 440.
  • step 450 if the processed image as per predefined parameters the sequence for sending captured and processed image to the server 310 is initiated in step 455.
  • a next step 460 the connection between the server 310 and the device 100 is established.
  • a next step 465 if the connection with the server 310 is not established then the control is transferred towards step 470 where the controller 220 retries to connect until connection is establish.
  • the processed image is sent to the server 310 through internet 310.
  • the device 100 receives acknowledgement from the server 310 and process ends.
  • the device waits for acknowledgement from the server 310.
  • step 505 shows a flow chart for processing captured image to obtain meter data is described.
  • the server 310 is initialized.
  • a next step 510 the image received from the device 100 is loaded.
  • the image data is acknowledged, and control is transferred towards step 525.
  • step 515 if the image data is not acknowledged then the control is transferred towards step 520.
  • step 525 the image frame parameters are verified.
  • step 530 the parameters are verified and accordingly control is transferred towards step 535 and step 540.
  • step 535 the image parameters are not as per predefined parameters and new image is requested by transferring control to step 510.
  • the Al module 315 is configured for pre-processing of image and further numeric reading area of the received image is cropped.
  • step 545 the Al module 315 applies pre-processed image with character segmentation such that the individual digits are segmented through horizontal and vertical scanning of the cropped numeric area.
  • step 550 the Al module 315 applies Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) classifier to further extract data from the segmented image.
  • CNN Convolutional Neural Network
  • the character recognition algorithm is applied for recognition and comparing each segment digit with the digits templates.
  • the numeric data is extracted from the processed image.
  • step 565 the extracted numeric data is stored in the database 305 and terminates the flow in step 470.
  • the user of the device 100 positions the device 100 on the meter 105 and wraps using the belts (not seen).
  • the device 100 is initialized and awakened from the idle state as per user instructions.
  • the device 100 connects with the server 310 through the communication module 205 and establishes connection between the device 100 and the server 310.
  • the device 100 captures image through camera 210 and processes the image on the controller 220.
  • the processed image is received by the server 310 where multiple image processing algorithms are applied.
  • the processed image is stored in the database 305 and accessed by the user through the interface 325.
  • the user accesses the user interface 325 through the tablets, laptops or the like.
  • the user views the last updated image of the meter consumption, data read on the meter dial, and the data may also be downloaded in an excel sheet.
  • the brief analysis of the meter 105 consumption is shown on the dashboard mobile app.
  • the user also may download weekly, monthly or yearly data in the excel sheet format.
  • the payment gateway is interfaced into the dashboard allowing the users to make the payments for the utility consumed.
  • the sensor for the camera 210 used in this embodiment OV2640 and the power output of the LED Flash attached on the device 100 is of 1 watt, 3.3v, 350mA.
  • the PSRAM used in the device 100 has capacity of 8 mb and SRAM has capacity of 520 KB.
  • the battery is preferably a Li-Ion battery having a storage capacity of 5000mAh and provides output of 3.7v.
  • the power consumption of the board is 250mA for 15 seconds.
  • the GSM module used in the device 100 is preferably 4G module.
  • the WiFi protocol used in the device 100 is 802.1.11/b/g/n.
  • the server stores the data that is preferably AWS EP3.
  • type, shape, size, capacity, form factor, protocol of said components varies in other embodiments of the present invention.
  • the meter reading device 100 is fixable on new and old meters 105. Further, the meter reading device 100 advantageously, is activated only on predefined time intervals. The meter reading device 100 advantageously, consumes between 0.5 to 0.8 watt per data sent and remains off the rest of the time, thus making it very energy efficient.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Arrangements For Transmission Of Measured Signals (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un dispositif de lecture de compteur (100) permettant de lire des données à partir des dispositifs de mesure existants (105) tels qu'un compteur de gaz, un compteur d'électricité ou un compteur d'eau. Le dispositif (100) peut de préférence être fixé de manière amovible sur le cadran de face du compteur existant (105). Le dispositif (100) comprend une caméra (210), une lentille (215) et un cylindre (115) pour prendre des images des lectures de compteur. Le dispositif (100) est configuré pour communiquer avec un serveur (310) sur un intervalle de temps prédéfini. Le serveur (310) est configuré avec des algorithmes d'apprentissage automatique et d'intelligence artificielle pour traiter une image et extraire des données numériques à partir de l'image.
PCT/IN2023/050386 2022-04-20 2023-04-20 Dispositif de lecture de compteur WO2023203580A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IN202221023292 2022-04-20
IN202221023292 2022-04-20

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2023203580A1 true WO2023203580A1 (fr) 2023-10-26

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Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1998013670A1 (fr) * 1996-09-25 1998-04-02 Harbour Management Services Limited Systeme permettant le releve a distance de compteurs et la transmission des donnees obtenues
US20150088734A1 (en) * 2013-09-20 2015-03-26 Mastercard International Incorporated Wireless utility meter reading system and method

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1998013670A1 (fr) * 1996-09-25 1998-04-02 Harbour Management Services Limited Systeme permettant le releve a distance de compteurs et la transmission des donnees obtenues
US20150088734A1 (en) * 2013-09-20 2015-03-26 Mastercard International Incorporated Wireless utility meter reading system and method

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