Process for testing an electronic electricity meter

Details Process for testing an electronic electricity meter Process for testing an electronic electricity meter

1995-03-24

1997-07-01

Wieder, Kenneth A.

Electricity: measuring and testing

Testing and calibrating electric meters

340539, 364483, G07F 1724, H04Q 900

Patent

active

056442220

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a process for testing an electronic meter having an optical interface.
Before being put into use, electricity meters undergo a functional test. This includes, inter alia, testing the load curve of the electricity meter, which is done by measuring precisely defined test loads. The measured value is output at the electricity counter by a flashing light-emitting diode and picked up by a testing unit via a scanning head. FIG. 3 depicts the fundamental block diagram of an electricity meter of this type, with the power being indicated by a flashing diode. The quantities current I and voltage U measured in the load circuit are first multiplied in a multiplier element 10, and the resultant power is relayed to a power-frequency converter 3, at whose output pulses 11 having a specific pulse significance are emitted. A quite specific amount of energy that is always the same corresponds in this case to one pulse. To make these pulses visible and distinguishable to the human eye by means of a light emitting diode 16 even in the case of a heavy load, the flashing frequency should amount to a maximum of 10 Hz in this case. Accordingly, it is necessary to divide the pulses 11 by a divider 13 to make available pulses 12 with a pulse significance which will maintain a flashing frequency that is still perceptible to the human eye. The pulses 12 are supplied to another divider 14, which triggers a subsequent register (counting mechanism) 15. To pick up the measurable value, as mentioned, the flashing diode 16 is scanned by a scanning head of the testing unit. When small loads are measured, a correspondingly low flashing frequency results, so that the measuring duration is relatively long. In terms of technical implementation, very little expenditure is required to use a red light emitting diode as a flashing diode, since small transmitting capacities suffice for this and, on the other hand, a simple scanning head is all that is needed. Because the red light emitting diode can be easily mixed up with a warning signal for fault or spurious conditions and error situations, there is, however, a customer demand for green or orange-colored light emitting diodes. However, this entails problems for the scanning operation, as special and more costly scanning heads are needed.
The problem delineated here is encountered both in the case of Ferraris meters, as well as in the case of electronic electricity meters of a known type of construction. The latter usually have a bidirectional infrared interface, via which data can be retrieved from the electricity meter or input into this meter. A request message is sent via this interface to the meter, which responds to the message by sending out e.g. the register counts, or by depressing a push-button control, all data. A scanning head that differs from the one mentioned above is needed for this function.
The object of the invention is to conceive of a process for testing an electronic electricity meter of the above-mentioned type, which will make it possible to shorten the testing duration and reduce the expenditure required for the testing unit. This is achieved by a process having the features according to claim 1. Moreover, it will make it possible to dispense with the scanning head used to scan the flashing diode, i.e., to test the meter, it will suffice to use the scanning head that is already required anyway for the optical interface.
When medium and heavy loads are measured, it can be that the flashing frequency of the light emitting diode is still high enough to indicate the power, so that it is regarded as sufficient to inject the meter pulses at the light emitting diode into the infrared interface in accordance with claim 2.
One especially advantageous specific embodiment consists in feeding the meter pulses with the first request message to the infrared transmitting diode for a predetermined time period and, after expiration of this time period, inputting a second request message into the meter via its optical interface, the result being that this second req

REFERENCES:
patent: 4213119 (1980-07-01), Ward et al.
patent: 4454461 (1984-06-01), Jacobs
patent: 5014213 (1991-05-01), Edwards et al.
etz., vol. 112 (1991), No. 6-7, pp. 320-323; Manfred Schwendtner et al.: Electronischer Haus-haltszahler.

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