Programmable AC electric energy meter having radiation responsive external data interface

Claim 2

An electric energy meter including a programmable time based measuring system for totalizing measured parameters of electric energy usage, said meter interactively communicating with a programmer/reader unit by way of binary coded light radiations, said meter comprising: a sealed enclosure including a cup-shaped cover wholly enclosing said measuring systam, said cover including an optically transparent portion thereof for allowing the transmission of said light radiations through said enclosure, said cover further including integral index means having a fixed position thereat for orienting said programmer/reader unit; said measuring system including a metering sequence logic control circuit having a data input/output unit and a read/write data memory means, said memory means electronically storing metering data and program data and being connected to said input/output unit so as to transfer data therebetween; radiation sensitive data interface means including a first light radiation emitter and a first light radiation sensor for establishing communications with said programmer/reader unit, and including a second light radiation emitter cooperating with both said first light radiation sensor and emitter so as to interactively send data at an arbitrary rate, and further including a second light radiation sensor cooperating with both said first light radiation emitter and sensor so as to interactively receive data at an arbitrary rate; and radiation coupling means providing optically isolated light radiation paths between said transparent portion of said cover and said data interface means, said radiation coupling means having a predetermined aligned position relative to said index means such that said radiation sensitive data interface means is aligned with said programmer/reader unit thereby facilitating interactive bi-directional communication between said programmer/reader unit and said data memory means.

Claim 3

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cup-shaped cover includes a front face at the closed end thereof having the transparent portion, and wherein the indexing means includes symmetrically spaced recessions extending partially into said front face.

Claim 4

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second light radiation emitters include first and second light light-emitting diodes and wherein the first and second light radiation sensors include first and second photo-transistors.

Claim 5

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the radiation coupling means includes a shielding baffle means having four separate cylindrical apertures extending therethrough so as to provide four optically isolated light radiation paths, one of said light radiation paths for each of said first light radiation sensor and emitter and said second light radiation sensor and emitter.

Claim 6

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 1 including an electronic display means connected to the input/output unit, and wherein the metering sequence logic control circuit is responsive to the simultaneous activation of both the first and the second light radiation sensors so as to switch said display means from an inactive to an active state.

Claim 7

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first light radiation emitter is effective to produce STROBE OUT binary coded light radiations, the second light radiation emitter is effective to produce DATA OUT binary coded light radiations, the first light radiation sensor is effective to receive STROBE IN binary coded light radiations and the second light radiation sensor is effective to receive DATA IN binary coded light radiations.

Claim 8

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 6 wherein the second light radiation sensor receives DATA IN coded light radiations after the establishment of a communication link between said meter and the programmer/reader unit.

Claim 9

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 7 wherein the communication link is established by the receipt of the STROBE IN coded light radiations identifying the status of the programmer/reader unit and the production of the STROBE OUT coded light radiations identifying the status of said meter, and wherein one bit of data is input to said meter in response to the establishment of said communications link such that said meter controls the rate of input of data thereto so as to remain capable of performing other functions.

Claim 10

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 6 wherein the second light radiation emitter produces the DATA OUT coded light radiations after the establishment of a communication link between said meter and the programmer/reader unit.

Claim 11

An electric energy meter as claimed in claim 9 wherein the communication link is established by the production of the STROBE OUT coded light radiations identifying the status of said meter and the receipt of the STROBE IN coded light radiations identifying the status of the programmer/reader unit, and wherein one bit of data is output from said meter in response to the establishment of said communications link such that said meter controls the rate of output of data therefrom so as to remain capable of performing other functions.

Claim 12

An electric energy meter including a programmable time based measuring system for totalizing measured parameters of electric energy usage by use of stored program data that is transmitted to the meter through binary coded light radiations, said meter comprising: a sealed enclosure for mounting at a fixed energy metering location and wholly enclosing said measuring system, said enclosure including an integral and uninterrupted optically transparent portion thereof defining a preselected communications window portion for transmission of a plurality of the coded light radiations through the enclosure; said measuring system including a metering sequence logic control circuit having a data input/output unit and a read-write data memory means for electronically storing metering data and said stored program data and being connected to said input/output unit to transfer binary information therebetween; radiation sensitive external data interface means including first and second light radiation emitters and first and second light radiation sensors for selectively communicating with each of four separate ones of the binary coded radiations transmitted through said window portion and being connected to said input/output unit for effecting optoelectronic coupling between said input/output unit and the coded radiations; electronic readout display means connected to said input/output unit for visually displaying numerical values of the metering data accumulated in said read-write data memory means, said metering sequence logic control circuit further including means cyclically activating and deactivating said readout display means in a programmed sequence, and still further including means responsive to continuous external light radiations transmitted through said window portion and effective to produce the simultaneous activation of said first and second radiation sensors for effecting activation of said readout display means when in an inactivated state so as to provide visual displays at other than the programmed cycles of activation thereof.

Claim 13

An electric energy meter including a programmable time based measuring system for totalizing measured parameters of electric energy usage by use of stored program data that is transmitted to the meter through binary coded light radiations, said meter comprising: a sealed enclosure for mounting at a fixed energy metering location and wholly enclosing said measuring system, said enclosure including an integral and uninterrupted optically transparent portion thereof defining a preselected communications window portion for transmission of a plurality of the coded light radiations through the enclosure; said measuring system including a metering sequence logic control circuit having a data input/output unit and a read-write data memory means for electronically storing metering data and said stored program data and being connected to said input/output unit to transfer binary information therebetween; radiation sensitive external data interface means including first and second light radiation emitters and first and second light radiation sensors for selectively communicating with each of four separate ones of the binary coded radiations transmitted through said window portion and being connected to said input/output unit for effecting optoelectronic coupling between said input/output unit and the coded radiations; electronic readout display means connected to said input/output unit for visually displaying numerical values of the metering data accumulated in said read-write data memory means, said metering sequence logic control circuit further including means cyclically activating and deactivating said readout display means in a programmed sequence, and still further including means responsive to continuous external light radiations transmitted through said window portion and effective to produce the simultaneous activation of said first and second radiation sensors for effecting activation of said readout display means when in an inactivated state so as to provide visual displays at other than the programmed cycles of activation thereof.