Radiant energy – Photocells; circuits and apparatus – Optical or pre-photocell system
Patent
1997-06-09
1999-03-09
Allen, Stephone
Radiant energy
Photocells; circuits and apparatus
Optical or pre-photocell system
34087002, 34087022, G08S 2300
Patent
active
058804641
ABSTRACT:
A meter reader for reading a meter by reading a shadow made by a meter pointer on the face of the meter. The meter reader includes a light source for shining a light toward the meter, a pulse control circuit for pulsing the light source, two light sensors for receiving reflections of the pulsed light from two sections of the face, a detection circuit for detecting the intensity of the reflections received by each of the sensors, a microprocessor system for calculating an intensity relationship between the intensities received by each of the sensors, a counter for incrementing a meter readout count when the intensity relationship varies indicating that the shadow has passed over both sections of the meter face, and a transmitter for transmitting the meter readout count in a meter readout signal.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3639747 (1972-02-01), Schmidt
patent: 4680704 (1987-07-01), Konicek et al.
patent: 4688038 (1987-08-01), Giammarese
patent: 5056107 (1991-10-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5140351 (1992-08-01), Garcia et al.
Allen Stephone
Diablo Research Corporation
Gildea David R.
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