Tamper protection for an automatic remote meter reading unit

Communications: electrical – Continuously variable indicating – Combined

Patent

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Details

340512, 34087002, G08B 2100

Patent

active

043374662

ABSTRACT:
In a remote meter reading system, a tamper protection circuit provides a warning at a central station upon the disconnecting or tampering with a remote utility meter. Tamper protection is provided for the meter and for the transmission line carrying energy usage information to a transponder (500) such that any interruption of the circuit path causes an alarm to be generated. The circuitry includes an encoder (302) associated with each remote meter (300) to be protected and a centrally located decoder (350) for receiving the signal transmitted by the encoder. When usage information is not being transmitted, the encoder is considered to be in a quiescent state providing a pulsed carrier signal to the decoder. For the transmission of usage information, the encoder modifies the pulsed carrier signal by causing a single pulse of a greater period to be superimposed on the carrier and transmitted therewith over the line to the decoder. Any interruptions of the circuit path which could be caused by disconnecting the meter or tampering with the line connected thereto will interrupt the pulsed carrier signal and cause pulses corresponding to the interruptions to be placed on the line. Each of these pulses has a period longer than the usage information pulse and is sensed by a detector (380-385) in the decoder. This detector responds to each of these pulses by causing an alarm signal to be transmitted over a communications link to the central station.

REFERENCES:
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patent: 3820073 (1974-06-01), Vercellotti et al.
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patent: 4180803 (1979-12-01), Wesemeyer et al.
patent: 4241335 (1980-12-01), Barnes
patent: 4247848 (1981-01-01), Kitta et al.
patent: 4254410 (1981-03-01), Virkus
patent: 4266219 (1981-05-01), Foster et al.
patent: 4296411 (1981-10-01), Romanelli et al.

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