An improved assembly (10) for housing electronics for remote reading to meter reading data in a subsurface enclosure (11) includes a first inner enclosure (40) of metal for housing the receiver/transmitter circuitry (90), a second inner enclosure (69, 86) for housing a battery (65) and an outer enclosure (24) of plastic which encloses both of the inner enclosures.
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1. A battery assembly for use in a utility meter data collection unit, the battery assembly comprising:
a casing for receiving a battery and sealing material to be disposed in the casing and around at least a portion of the battery; an electrical socket which is electrically connectable to said battery and which is connectable to supply battery power to the utility meter data collection unit; means formed on said casing for locating said casing in position within said utility meter data collection unit; and said casing being insertable and removable from a position in which said socket can be connected to supply battery power to the utility meter data collection unit.
0. 9. A battery assembly for use in a utility meter data collection unit, the battery assembly comprising:
a casing for receiving a battery and sealing material to be disposed in the casing and around at least a portion of the battery; at least two electrical leads which are electrically connectable to said battery and which are connectable to supply battery power to the utility meter data collection unit; a pair of oppositely disposed guides for orienting and holding said casing in position within said utility meter data collection unit; and said casing being insertable and removable from a position between said guides in which said leads can be connected to supply battery power to the utility meter data collection unit.
0. 5. A battery assembly for use in a utility meter data collection unit, the battery assembly comprising:
a casing for receiving a battery and sealing material to be disposed in the casing and around at least a portion of the battery; at least two electrical leads which are electrically connectable to said battery and which are connectable to supply battery power to the utility meter data collection unit; a pair of oppositely disposed projections formed on said casing for locating said casing in a position within said utility meter data collection unit which is defined by a pair of oppositely disposed members, wherein each of said members cooperates with a respective one of said projections; and said casing being insertable and removable from the position within said utility meter data collection unit in which said leads can be connected to supply battery power to the utility meter data collection unit.
2. The battery assembly of
3. The battery assembly of
4. The assembly of
0. 6. The battery assembly of
0. 7. The battery assembly of
0. 8. The battery assembly of
0. 10. The battery assembly of
0. 11. The battery assembly of
0. 12. The battery assembly of
0. 13. The battery assembly of
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This is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/909,907 filed Aug. 12, 1997, and now U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,703 issued Mar. 2, 1999.
The invention relates to electronic instrument enclosures that are located with utility meters outside of a building in underground enclosures.
In moderate climate zones, utility meters are located in subsurface enclosures in areas near residences or other dwellings. Such enclosures are referred to as "pits." An example of such enclosure is illustrated in Haase et al., U.S. Pat. No. 1,781,280.
In Edwards et al., EPO Publication No. 0 252 184, meter data is transmitted from a utility meter in an underground pit to an in-ground electronic coupling circuit and then to an electronic collection unit carried by a meter reading person. Scuilli, U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,836, shows an electronic metering unit which uses the inductive coupling method of the metering unit of Edwards et al.
Besides inductive coupling system, radio frequency transponder systems have also been known. Examples are illustrated and described in Cerny et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,894, issued Mar. 29, 1994, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In these systems, a receiver/transmitter, and an associated antenna are enclosed in one or more sealed enclosures which are located in a larger pit for the water meter. When the transponder is interrogated by a signal, it returns a radio signal to a collection unit, either hand-held or carried by in a vehicle, where the radio signal can then be decoded to extract the meter data.
A primary issue concerning all remote meter systems, whether used in pit installations or elsewhere, is their resistance to weather, and to submersion in the event that the pit fills with water. Therefore, a primary object of the invention is to provide a device that is resistant to environmental conditions in its operating environment.
Typically, the data storage device is powered by one or more batteries, which must also be contained in a sealed enclosure. For an example of a prior battery assembly, please refer to Karsten et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,731, assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
Therefore, another object of the invention is to provide for battery replacement in the field without adversely affecting the environmental protection of the electronics in the assembly.
As with other electronic devices, there is also a desire to make the devices smaller in size, lower in the cost of manufacture, and easier to service in the field.
The invention is provided in an improved battery enclosure which can also be enclosed within an outer enclosure but removed, in the event that the battery must be changed, without affecting the environmental protection of the other portions of the assembly.
The invention provides a fully remote meter reading system with weather-resistant features that permit installation of the transponder unit in outdoor underground enclosures.
The invention provides a unit of reduced size and weight, and yet provides the weather resistance and operating features of prior units.
The invention also provides a unit having advantages in its assembly and manufacturing.
Other objects and advantages, besides those discussed above, will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the description of the preferred embodiment which follows. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and which illustrate examples of the invention. Such examples, however, are not exhaustive of the various embodiments of the invention, and, therefore, reference is made to the claims which follow the description for determining the scope of the invention.
Referring to
The pit enclosure 11 (
The pit enclosure 11 is located along the route of water supply pipe 17. A water meter housing 16 is connected in the water supply line 17, using hex-head nuts 18, 19 which are sealed in a conventional manner against leaks at the connecting points. A water meter register 20 is mounted on top of the housing 16 and is magnetically coupled to the movements of the nutating disc in the water meter 16.
The meter register 20 (
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,894, cited in the Description of the Background Art, a transponder assembly 10 may communicate via electromagnetic, radio frequency waves to a handheld collection unit (not shown herein) carried by a meter reading person or a collection unit carried in a vehicle (not shown herein). The transponder assembly 10 may also be part of a networked system in which one or more transponder assemblies 10 communicate with local receiver stations which further communicates with a central data collection station.
In addition to different types of data collection systems, different types of meter registers can also be used, including the High Resolution Transmitter (HRT) Series, and the LMI Series from the assignee of the present invention, or other meter registers known in the art.
In the embodiment in
The cap 22, which is also made of plastic, is formed with a recess having inner diameter threads 30 (
Referring to
Inside the inner enclosure 40 in
This PCB 90 (
PCB 90 is supported from below by a Y-shaped support 120 (
The outer enclosure 14, which is preferably made of plastic, to resist chemical attack, completely surrounds and encloses the metal inner enclosure 40. The plastic is typically a modified polyphenylene oxide (PPO) material which is resilient to provide protection against unintentional impacts. The outer enclosure provides additional space 35 (
The antenna PCB 50 is supported by a support frame 60, having a Y-shaped base, three legs rising from the ends of base, and pins on the ends of the legs which are received in holes on the PCB 50. The antenna support 60 also has a projection 64 (
In the present embodiment, the antenna PCB 50 is positioned slightly above the metal pit lid 15 when the transponder assembly 10 is attached to the pit lid 15. However, in embodiments for use in pit enclosures of concrete or plastic, the transponder assembly 10 can be mounted by a mounting flange having a threaded opening similar to cap 22, but fastened with screws underneath the pit lid 15. In these alternative embodiments, the antenna can be positioned underneath the pit lid. The present invention could also be used in other remote transmitter and transponder assemblies, provided that power requirements for the transponder are reduced in accordance with FCC regulations.
Referring again to
The battery casing 69 is formed to hold a single battery 65 in this embodiment. The battery 65 is connected by leads 66 to connector 68 via a battery circuit board 67. This assembly of parts 65-68 is positioned in battery casing 69, with the circuit board supported by posts 72 having pins 73 to retain and locate the circuit board 67. The battery 65 is received in semi-cylindrical battery trough 74 in which stand-offs 75 are formed to support the battery 65 above the casing wall. A first guide channel member 76 is formed on a wall of the battery casing which extends around the circuit board 67. A web 80, partially visible in
When assembling the battery subassembly, the battery 65 is placed in casing 69 and a sealing material 108 is filled in, around and over the battery 65 as seen in FIG. 2. This seating material 108 is softer, more ductile and has a longer cure time than sealing material 88. The base member 86 has a gasket 93 formed by a guard rail that traces an outline of the open side of the battery casing 69, but is sized to fit inside the outside walls of the battery casing 69, when it is pressed against the base member 86. The gasket 93 is then spaced a short distance inside the walls of casing 69. The sealing material 108 is filled in, around and over the battery 65 in the subassembly of components 69, 86 and is allowed to cure and solidify. It remains, however, deformable, and when the battery casing 69 and battery are installed over guard rail 93, the guard rail 93 is pressed into the soft body of sealing material 108 and becomes embedded there.
As seen in
The cable 21 with plug socket 98 is inserted and connected as shown in FIG. 2. The cable 21 has three insulated wires 111, one of which is shown in FIG. 2. The three insulated wires are sheathed in a cable insulation jacket 112. A strain relief collar 113 of metal is crimped on a cable insulation jacket 112, and prevents a length of cable 21 from being pulled through wire entry port 89.
A room temperature vulcanizing adhesive/sealant 88 is admitted through the port 85 until it fills the annular space (
Cable socket 98 is plugged into pins of connector 100 (
This asymmetrical arrangement of the pins assures proper orientation and electrical connection of the battery casing assembly to the PCB 90 in inner enclosure 40. In lieu of using sockets 96. 104, the pins could also be directly soldered to the PCB 90.
After the battery casing 69 with battery 65 is assembled within casing 86, cable 21 has been connected, and sealing operations have been completed, the bottom cover 23 (
Although the preferred embodiment utilizes a battery casing with one battery, a battery casing for two batteries and for a larger single batteries is also contemplated as being within the scope of the invention. In such an assembly, the casing may be oriented perpendicular to the position of battery 65 with respect to posts 84, 85, and the battery casing may more completely fill the cavity in base member 86.
This has been a description of examples of how the invention can be carried out. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various details may be modified in arriving at other detailed embodiments, and these embodiments will come within the scope of the invention.
Therefore, to apprise the public of the scope of the invention and the embodiments covered by the invention, the following claims are made.
Bloss, Jr., Kenneth R., Walding, Jr., H. Paul, Sell, Jeffrey L.
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