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
  • G01D5/00—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable
  • G01D5/26—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable characterised by optical transfer means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light
• • 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
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
  • G01F1/00—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow
  • G01F1/05—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow by using mechanical effects
  • G01F1/06—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow by using mechanical effects using rotating vanes with tangential admission
  • G01F1/065—Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow by using mechanical effects using rotating vanes with tangential admission with radiation as transfer means to the indicating device, e.g. light transmission

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an optical detection device for a meter, in particular for a fluid, for example water meter, intended to allow the remote reading of the consumption of this water meter or equivalent operations of logging or alarm type. .
• an optical detection device for a meter comprising a consumption indicator formed by a rotating disc provided with at least one so-called active sector and optical elements of the transmitter and receiver type facing said disc, of which the received optical signal is processed to deduce at least the number of revolutions of said disc.
• a consumption indicator formed by a rotating disc provided with at least one so-called active sector and optical elements of the transmitter and receiver type facing said disc, of which the received optical signal is processed to deduce at least the number of revolutions of said disc.
• the device comprises an optical detector which is arranged outside the counter and which is adapted to produce a useful signal each time an active index or sector arranged on a disk passes in front of the detector.
• This signal is amplified and converted into a square signal so as to be sent over a data transmission network.
• Such a detection device makes it possible to determine the number of revolutions of the disc but does not make it possible to determine the direction of rotation of this disc.
• a fluid meter in particular a water meter, can operate at the fluid inlet and also at the fluid outlet. This is the case, for example, when emptying the water inlet pipes during work or during flow surges causing the water to go back and forth.
• the consumption display device takes this data into account.
• the object of the invention is to provide an optical detection device capable of determining the direction of water circulation and therefore the direction of rotation of the indicator disc in order to take into account consumption which can be described as negative and to supply consumption data identical to that supplied by the conventional display device of the meter.
• the invention proposes an optical detection device for a meter comprising a consumption indicator formed by a rotating disc provided with at least one so-called active sector and optical elements of the transmitter type and of the receiver type opposite.
• said disc comprises at least three sectors with an angle at the center equal to 120 °, each of the sectors being coated on its face facing outwards from the counter of a different color and said optical elements comprise at least one element emitting a beam of light of at least two different colors and one element receiving a beam of reflected light.
• optical elements can be integrated in the same component and an adequate cover of the meter and of the module can limit the stray light beams.
• the optical transmitter operates sequentially.
• the positioning of the elements can be such that the angle of incidence of the optical beam emitted and received by the optical elements is less than 60 °.
• the device can comprise a device for collimating the optical beam and this collimating device can include slots for limiting parasitic interference between light beams.
• the invention also relates to a fluid meter comprising a rotating disc part of an optical detection device as specified above.
• the invention finally relates to a detection module intended to cooperate with a fluid meter and comprising said optical elements which are parts of a device as specified above.
• this module also includes a device for collimating the optical beam.
• Figure 1 is a view of a counter and a module according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is a sectional view of a detection device according to the invention, according to a first embodiment.
• Figure 3 is a top view of a rotating disc part of a detection device according to the invention.
• Figure 4 is a sectional view of a detection device according to the invention, according to a second embodiment.
• Figure 5 is a partial sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a detection device according to the invention.
• FIG. 1 is a front view of a fluid meter 1, more precisely of water, comprising a casing called tarpaulin 2 provided with an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe for water and surmounted by a totalizer 3 containing a mechanism for transmitting and reducing the rotation of the shaft of a measuring element such as a turbine or a volumetric chamber, contained in the tank 2 towards a consumption display device not shown and a rotating indicator disc 4 parallel to a transparent upper wall of the totalizer.
• a fluid meter 1 is a front view of a fluid meter 1, more precisely of water, comprising a casing called tarpaulin 2 provided with an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe for water and surmounted by a totalizer 3 containing a mechanism for transmitting and reducing the rotation of the shaft of a measuring element such as a turbine or a volumetric chamber, contained in the tank 2 towards a consumption display device not shown and a rotating indicator disc 4 parallel to a transparent upper wall of the totalizer.
• a measuring element such as
• An optical detection module 5 with an at least partially transparent lower wall is placed on the upper wall of the counter 1 in order to detect the water consumption as well as its direction of circulation.
• FIG. 2 illustrates in more detail the optical detection device according to the invention.
• the counter 1 therefore comprises a transparent wall 1A and parallel to this wall an indicator disc 4 driven by a transmission mechanism.
• This disc comprises three sectors 4A, 4B, 4C with an angle at the center equal to 120 °, each of the sectors being coated on its face facing outwards from the counter 1 with a different color.
• the module 5 Arranged so as to face this disk 4 when the module is put in place on the counter 1, the module 5 comprises two optical elements, more precisely an optical transmitter 6 and an optical receiver 7. If we consider the axis A of the disc 4, the optical receiver 7 is offset from this axis A and the two optical elements 6 and 7 are aligned parallel to a diameter of the disc 4.
• the optical emitter is a LED diode emitting a beam of two different wavelengths, and here of two different colors, which passes through the two transparent walls 5A, 1 A, is reflected on the disc 4 and is received by the optical receiver 7, preferably consisting of a photodiode or a phototransistor.
• the optical transmitter 6 operates sequentially in one color and in the other, which makes it possible to determine the signals and the corresponding states and has the advantage of requiring reduced overall consumption.
• the light beam is emitted in the form of frequency pulses linked to the maximum speed of rotation of the target.
• FIG. 3 shows a relative position of the disc 4 and the trace on the disc of the beam S (6) emitted by the transmitter, seen along a plane perpendicular to the axis A of the disc.
• the direction of rotation of the disc is represented by an arrow, this direction corresponding to a positive normal consumption of fluid.
• the first sector 4A is coated in red
• the second sector 4B in green
• the third sector 4C in yellow, which is the color obtained by subtractive synthesis of the colors red and green.
• the optical transmitter element 6 sequentially emits a red light pulse and a green light pulse and the received signal is analyzed each time.
• the table below summarizes the signals received according to the different states of the target and the optical transmitter.
• the signals received are therefore pairs of values and in no case is a received signal equal to (0, 0) during detection, when the module is placed on the counter. This arrangement therefore makes it possible to verify the presence of the module on the counter: the signal being equal to (0, 0) in the event absence. Thus, possible fraud or poor positioning are detected.
• the optical elements 6, 7 are advantageously SMD optical components (Surface Mounted Components) and simple, that is to say without collimation integrated into the components.
• a collimation device 8 of the optical beam of the lens type is either interposed between the transparent wall 5A of the module 5 and the optical elements 6, 7, or it is directly the transparent wall 5A of module 5 which is shaped into a collimation device.
• a slot 9 is arranged in this collimation device 8 to limit parasitic interference between the light pulses emitted and received by the different optical elements 6, 7.
• a separating wall can be used between optical transmitter and receiver.
• optical elements 6, 7 can here also be SMD optical components (Surface Mounted Components).
• Figure 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment according to the invention.
• a sealing device can be provided between the reading module and the totalizer, of the joint or fitting type for example, may deposit on the transparent wall 1A of the counter 1 solid or liquid particles or dirt which interfere in the transmission of the light beam through the transparent walls 1A, 5A of the counter 1 and of the detection module 5.
• the optical elements 6, 7 are arranged very close to one another, so that the angle of incidence B of this beam is very small and preferably less than 60 °.
• the beam power losses due to particles or dirt are minimal and the beam transmitted through transparent walls remains of high power.
• the distance between optical elements 6, 7 is less than 2mm.
• Another solution for minimizing this angle of incidence B is to choose an adequate distance between the optical elements and the disc, the angle B being smaller the greater this distance.
• FIG. 6 illustrates another variant of the invention.
• the optical receiver 7 is arranged with its axis of symmetry directed in the direction of the beam of light perpendicular to the transparent wall 1A of the module and the optical transmitter 6 has its own equivalent axis of symmetry in a plane perpendicular to this wall 1A but inclined by an angle C relative to this axis of symmetry of the central optical receiver 7.
• this angle C is less than 60 °.
• the receiver 7 is located above the emitting diode 6 so as to avoid direct coupling between the emitter and the receiver without passing through the rotating target.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
• Indicating Or Recording The Presence, Absence, Or Direction Of Movement (AREA)
• Optical Transform (AREA)
• Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)
• Measuring Volume Flow (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (7)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2003
  • 2003-02-05 FR FR0301319A patent/FR2850750B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2004
  • 2004-01-30 WO PCT/FR2004/000230 patent/WO2004079301A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2004-01-30 EP EP04706713A patent/EP1590631A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2004-01-30 US US10/533,156 patent/US20060124843A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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