Automatic meter reading device and meter reading control method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses an automatic meter reading device and a meter reading control method thereof, and relates to the technical field of automatic meter reading, wherein the automatic meter reading device comprises a shell, an image acquisition assembly and a shielding part. The inner side of the shell is formed with an inner cavity, and one end of the shell is formed with a mounting part. The mounting part is used for connecting a meter structure, so that the indication information of the meter structure can be displayed in the inner cavity. The image acquisition assembly comprises a camera unit and an illumination unit. The camera unit and the illumination unit are arranged in the inner cavity and correspond to the mounting part, and are used for acquiring the indication information of the meter structure. The technical scheme provided by the application can isolate the interference of unstable external light on the image acquisition process through the arrangement of the shielding part, avoid the overexposure, underexposure or ghosting problem of the collected image caused by the change of external light and environmental reflection, and does not need to repeatedly adjust the shooting parameters to reacquire the image, so that the stability of image acquisition is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of automatic meter reading technology, and in particular to an automatic meter reading device and its meter reading control method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, automatic meter reading devices on the market typically take pictures at fixed time intervals (such as at fixed times every day). The hardware mainly includes a camera module, main control unit, power supply module, and communication module. Its working principle is as follows: the device periodically activates the camera to capture images of the meter dial according to a preset program, and uploads them to the server via the communication module. Users can view the data through a webpage or app. On the software side, existing systems generally include functional modules such as user management, device management, data query, and report generation, and need to support cloud servers and user terminal devices. However, existing automatic meter reading devices suffer from unstable shooting results under different lighting conditions, often exhibiting overexposure or underexposure, affecting the accuracy of meter reading. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to propose an automatic meter reading device and its meter reading control method, which aims to solve the problem of poor identification accuracy of traditional active meter reading devices.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an automatic meter reading device comprising: The housing has an inner cavity formed on its inner side, and a mounting part is formed at one end of the housing. The mounting part is used to connect the instrument structure so that the display information of the instrument structure can be displayed in the inner cavity. An image acquisition component includes a camera unit and an illumination unit, both of which are disposed within the inner cavity and corresponding to the mounting portion, for acquiring display information of the instrument structure; and, A shielding part is mounted on the housing and has a shielding state on the housing. Corresponding to the shielding state, the shielding part is at least partially attached to the housing for shielding external light.

[0005] In one embodiment, the housing includes an upper shell portion having a first shell segment and a second shell segment in a first direction, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the first shell segment in the first direction is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second shell segment, so as to form a recessed portion between the first shell segment and the second shell segment. When the shielding part is in the shielding state, the projection of the shielding part in the first direction is within the outer contour of the recessed platform.

[0006] In one embodiment, the housing further includes a lower shell portion, which is mounted at one end of the upper shell portion in a second direction to form the inner cavity, the inner cavity having an image acquisition cavity corresponding to the inner side of the first shell segment; The lower shell portion is at least partially recessed inward on one end face corresponding to the upper shell portion to form a boundary groove, and the boundary groove is at least partially located inside the image acquisition cavity; The image acquisition component is disposed on the inner wall of the first shell segment corresponding to the boundary groove; The first direction and the second direction are intersecting.

[0007] In one embodiment, the housing includes an upper shell portion and a lower shell portion, wherein an annular boss extends outward from the edge of the upper shell portion, and the annular boss is fixedly connected to the lower shell portion; and / or, The upper shell also includes a first shell section and a second shell section in a first direction. An image acquisition cavity is formed inside the first shell section, and an electrical mounting cavity is formed inside the second shell section. The automatic meter reading device also includes an electrical component, which is disposed in the electrical mounting cavity.

[0008] In one embodiment, the annular boss has one end facing the lower shell portion recessed inward to form a recessed groove portion, wherein a sealing ring is provided within the recessed groove portion, and one end of the sealing ring abuts against the lower shell portion; and / or, The annular boss has at least a portion of its peripheral wall protruding outward to form a fixing ear, and the fixing ear has a fixing hole that extends through along the second direction.

[0009] In one embodiment, the electrical component includes a circuit board unit mounted in the electrical mounting cavity. The circuit board unit has a plurality of mounting plates extending along a first direction. The lighting unit is configured as a plurality of units, each of which is mounted on the mounting plate, and the brightness of each lighting unit is adjustable. The shell is made of transparent material.

[0010] This invention also proposes a meter reading control method for an automatic meter reading device, based on the automatic meter reading device, which includes: The housing has an inner cavity formed on its inner side, and a mounting part is formed at one end of the housing. The mounting part is used to connect the instrument structure so that the display information of the instrument structure can be displayed in the inner cavity. An image acquisition component includes a camera unit and an illumination unit, both of which are disposed within the inner cavity and corresponding to the mounting portion, for acquiring display information of the instrument structure; and, A shielding part is mounted on the housing, and the shielding part has a shielding state on the housing. Corresponding to the shielding state, the shielding part is at least partially attached to the housing for shielding external light. The meter reading control method for the automatic meter reading device includes the following steps: The control image acquisition component acquires instrument images and determines the unit angle measurement parameters for the current instrument model based on the instrument images; Separate the pointer image and the digital image on the dial to determine the position of the pointer on the straight line; Based on the instrument image information, the zero point line position of the metering area on the dial is obtained, and the metering angle between the pointer line and the zero point line is determined. Based on the correspondence between the measurement angle and the measurement parameters per unit angle, the final measurement data for the current position of the pointer is obtained.

[0011] In one embodiment, the control image acquisition component acquires instrument images and determines the unit angle measurement parameters for the current instrument model based on the instrument images, including: Determine the dial position in the instrument image and separate the dial position image from the instrument image; Based on the obtained image of the dial position, the dial image is corrected by combining perspective transformation; Determine the dial model based on the corrected dial image; Based on the obtained dial model, the unit angle measurement parameters of the dial measurement area are obtained according to the first mapping relationship, wherein the first mapping relationship includes the correspondence between the dial model category and the unit angle measurement parameter information.

[0012] In one embodiment, after obtaining the final measurement data of the current position of the pointer, the method further includes: Obtain the data increment corresponding to the final measurement data; The data increment and the incremental constraint are compared, and it is determined whether the identification result of the final measurement data is reasonable. The incremental constraint is the measurement constraint range obtained from the historical data increment. If the identification result is unreasonable, an abnormal status will be displayed, and the camera will be controlled to reacquire the instrument image and obtain new final measurement data.

[0013] In one embodiment, before controlling the image acquisition component to acquire instrument images and determining the unit angle measurement parameters for the current instrument model based on the instrument images, the method further includes: Obtain the set scheduling mode and wake up the automatic meter reading device in the corresponding scheduling mode; The scheduling modes include a timing mode and a frequency mode; In timed mode, the system will acquire the set time information and wake up the automatic meter reading device at that time. Corresponding to the frequency mode, the set frequency interval information will be obtained, and the automatic meter reading device will be woken up with the frequency interval information.

[0014] The technical solution of this invention, through the setting of the shielding part, can isolate the interference of unstable external light on the image acquisition process, avoiding overexposure, underexposure, or ghosting problems in the acquired images caused by changes in external lighting and environmental reflections. It eliminates the need for repeated adjustments to shooting parameters and re-acquiring images, ensuring the stability of image acquisition and effectively improving the accuracy of meter reading value recognition. Simultaneously, it reduces energy consumption caused by invalid acquisition, optimizing the working stability and meter reading efficiency of the automatic meter reading equipment. During this process, the lighting unit, in conjunction with the shielding part, forms a stable and controllable internal lighting environment, allowing the camera unit to quickly acquire clear instrument images without significantly adjusting exposure parameters, further shortening image acquisition time and reducing the computational load on the main control unit. The movable installation design of the shielding part also allows for quick adjustment of its position to remove the shield when equipment maintenance or checking the initial state of the instruments is required, facilitating on-site operations without hindering daily maintenance operations, thus balancing the stability of automatic meter reading with the convenience of manual operation. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the automatic meter reading device provided by the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A structural diagram excluding the shielding section; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the automatic meter reading device in the first direction; Figure 4 for Figure 3 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle; Figure 5 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the middle and lower shell structure; Figure 6 For based on Figure 1 The control flowchart of the automatic meter reading control method for automatic meter reading equipment in China.

[0017] Explanation of icon numbers: 100. Automatic meter reading equipment; 1. Housing; 11. Upper housing; 111. First housing section; 112. Second housing section; 113. Recessed platform; 114. Annular boss; 1141. Recessed groove; 1142. Sealing ring; 115. Fixing lug; 1151. Fixing hole; 116. Limiting protrusion; 12. Lower housing; 121. Boundary groove; 122. Limiting boss; 2. Internal cavity; 21. Electrical mounting cavity; 22. Image acquisition cavity; 3. Electrical components; 31. Circuit board unit; 311. Mounting plate; 32. Battery unit; 33. Antenna communication module; 4. Image acquisition component; 41. Lighting unit; 42. Camera unit; 5. Shielding section.

[0018] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0021] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the use of "and / or" or "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions. For example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0022] Currently, automatic meter reading devices on the market typically take pictures at fixed time intervals (such as at fixed times every day). The hardware mainly includes a camera module, main control unit, power supply module, and communication module. Its working principle is as follows: the device periodically activates the camera to capture images of the meter dial according to a preset program, and uploads them to the server via the communication module. Users can view the data through a webpage or app. On the software side, existing systems generally include functional modules such as user management, device management, data query, and report generation, and need to support cloud servers and user terminal devices. However, existing automatic meter reading devices suffer from unstable shooting results under different lighting conditions, often exhibiting overexposure or underexposure, affecting the accuracy of meter reading.

[0023] This invention proposes an automatic meter reading device.

[0024] Please see Figures 1 to 3 In one embodiment of the present invention, the automatic meter reading device 100 includes a housing 1, an image acquisition component 4, and a shielding part 5. The housing 1 has an inner cavity 2 formed on its inner side, and a mounting part is formed at one end of the housing 1. The mounting part is used to connect to the meter structure so that the meter display information can be displayed in the inner cavity 2. The image acquisition component 4 includes a camera unit 42 and an illumination unit 41, both of which are disposed within the inner cavity 2 and corresponding to the mounting part, for acquiring the meter display information. The shielding part 5 is mounted on the housing 1 and has a shielding state on the housing 1. Corresponding to the shielding state, the shielding part 5 is at least partially attached to the housing 1 to shield external light.

[0025] When the automatic meter reading device 100 is in use, the housing 1 can be specifically installed on the display structure of the meter structure. It is conceivable that the meter includes, but is not limited to, a water meter structure. Specifically, when the housing 1 and the meter structure are fixedly installed, the mounting end of the housing 1 and the meter structure need to be installed correspondingly, so that the relevant information of the meter's display area can be displayed into the mounting cavity through the mounting part on the mounting end. Inside the mounting cavity, corresponding to the position of the mounting part, is the image acquisition component 4. The camera unit 42 is specifically configured as a camera. When the camera is working, it can acquire relevant image information of the meter's display area, thereby uploading and analyzing the image information to obtain the water consumption information corresponding to the current image.

[0026] It is conceivable that the clarity of the photograph is closely related to the accuracy of the water consumption analysis results. The clarity of the photograph is not only related to the hardware parameters of the camera unit 42, but also affected by the external lighting environment. Typically, the difference between instrument reflection and external light intensity often leads to underexposure or overexposure of the image. In such cases, it is difficult for the control unit to analyze and obtain accurate water consumption data. Considering the above problems, in this embodiment, the shielding part 5 is provided. The shielding part 5 is movably installed on the housing 1. When in the shielding state, it can partially cover the outside of the housing 1. It is made of opaque material, so it can minimize the light entering the housing 1, thereby keeping the lighting environment inside the housing 1 as stable as possible. It is conceivable that the inside of the housing 1 is relatively dark at this time. To ensure the shooting effect of the camera unit 42, the lighting unit 41 can be activated for supplemental lighting to ensure shooting quality at night or in low-light environments. At the same time, the camera unit 42 supports exposure control, and its main control unit can automatically adjust the exposure parameters according to the ambient light intensity to ensure image clarity.

[0027] In the above structure, the shielding part 5 isolates the image acquisition process from interference by unstable external light, avoiding overexposure, underexposure, or ghosting issues caused by changes in external lighting and environmental reflections. This eliminates the need for repeated adjustments to shooting parameters and image re-acquisition, ensuring image acquisition stability and effectively improving the accuracy of meter reading recognition. It also reduces energy consumption from invalid acquisitions, optimizing the operational stability and meter reading efficiency of the automatic meter reading device 100. During this process, the lighting unit 41, in conjunction with the shielding part 5, creates a stable and controllable internal lighting environment, allowing the camera unit 42 to quickly acquire clear instrument images without significant adjustments to exposure parameters. This further shortens image acquisition time and reduces the computational load on the main control unit. The movable installation design of the shielding part 5 also allows for quick adjustment of its position to remove the shield when maintenance or initial meter status checks are required. This facilitates on-site operations without hindering routine maintenance, balancing the stability of automatic meter reading with the convenience of manual operation. To achieve the aforementioned human observation, it is conceivable that the housing 1 is made of a transparent material. Preferably, the housing 1 is made using an injection molding process, and the material is UV-resistant transparent PC (polycarbonate) or ASA (acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymer). In some cases, opening the shielding part 5 allows for a direct observation of the instrument display area through the housing 1, facilitating subsequent manual maintenance.

[0028] Specifically, the entire structure allows the device to be directly fixed to the outside of the existing instrument structure without altering the original instrument structure or requiring power outages for disassembly and assembly. It is compatible with most common fixed instruments, making installation simple, quick, and highly adaptable. The shielding part 5 of the device can slide or flip along the edge of the housing 1 to adjust its position. During normal operation, the shielding part 5 completely covers the periphery of the camera acquisition area, blocking external light interference. When manual data verification or maintenance is required, simply open the shielding part 5 to directly read the original values ​​of the instrument through the transparent housing 1. After verification or adjustment, the shielding part 5 can be returned to its original position without changing the original parameter settings of the device or affecting the normal operation of the subsequent automatic meter reading process.

[0029] In some embodiments, the housing 1 includes an upper shell portion 11, the upper shell portion 11 having a first shell segment 111 and a second shell segment 112 in a first direction, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the first shell segment 111 in the first direction is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second shell segment 112, so that a recessed portion 113 is formed between the first shell segment 111 and the second shell segment 112; when the shielding portion 5 is in the shielding state, the projection of the shielding portion 5 in the first direction is within the outer contour of the recessed portion 113.

[0030] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the upper shell portion 11 specifically comprises two parts, namely the first shell segment 111 and the second shell segment 112. The two shell segments are connected in a first direction, and a stepped structure is formed at their connection point, namely the recessed platform portion 113. The first direction can be referred to in the figure. A hinge assembly is provided on the second shell segment 112 at the position corresponding to the recessed platform portion 113. The movable end of the hinge assembly is connected to the shielding portion 5. The shielding portion 5 can use the hinge assembly as a moving point to achieve fastening and opening on the outside of the first shell segment 111. When the shielding part 5 is in the latched state, i.e., the aforementioned shielding state, the shielding part 5 covers the outside of the first shell segment 111, and the projection of the entire shielding part 5 in the first direction is located inside the recessed platform portion 113. In other words, the entire shielding part 5 is a recessed latching method. When it is in the latched state, the overall size of the first shell segment 111 and the shielding part 5 will not exceed the size limit of the outer peripheral wall of the second shell segment 112, thus achieving a compact structure. Furthermore, this recessed structural design prevents the shielding part 5 from protruding beyond the outer contour of the second shell segment 112 in the shielded state. This not only optimizes the overall shape of the device and reduces the extra space occupied by the device, but also prevents the protruding shielding part 5 from collisions and scratches, reducing the probability of accidental damage to the shielding part 5, improving structural stability, and making the overall appearance of the device simpler and more orderly.

[0031] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the housing further includes a lower shell portion 12, which is mounted on one end of the upper shell portion 11 in a second direction to enclose the inner cavity 2. The inner cavity 2 has an image acquisition cavity 22 corresponding to the inner side of the first shell segment 111. At least a portion of the end face of the lower shell portion 12 corresponding to the upper shell portion 11 is recessed inward to form a boundary groove 121, which is at least partially located within the image acquisition cavity 22. The image acquisition component 4 is disposed on the inner wall of the first shell segment 111 corresponding to the boundary groove 121. The first direction and the second direction intersect.

[0032] The lower shell 12 is a planar shell, installed at the open end of the upper shell 11, thus forming the inner cavity 2 together with the upper shell 11. Simultaneously, the lower shell 12 is also the mounting end of the entire shell 1 structure, and the mounting portion includes the lower shell 12. The boundary groove 121 is located on the side of the lower shell 12 corresponding to the inner cavity 2, and part of it is located within the image acquisition cavity 22. The boundary groove 121 is relatively thinner than other parts of the lower shell 12, and has good overall transparency, allowing instrument information outside the lower shell 12 to be clearly displayed in the inner cavity 2. At the same time, the boundary groove 121 is also the image acquisition boundary of the camera unit 42; therefore, when installing the lower shell 12 on the instrument, the boundary groove 121 needs to be installed and fixed to the display area of ​​the instrument.

[0033] In a specific structure, the boundary groove 121 can preferably be set as a circular groove to correspond to the circular dial structure on the market. At the same time, in order to make the entire housing 1 structure more compact and aesthetically pleasing, the wall structure in the first direction of the first housing segment 111 can also be set as an arc-shaped wall structure. For example Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the arc-shaped wall structure is arranged around an axis in the second direction, wherein the first direction and the second direction can be referred to in the accompanying drawings. By setting the first shell segment 111 part as an arc-shaped wall, the outer peripheral wall of the first shell segment 111 can correspond as closely as possible to the contour of the boundary groove 121, thereby allowing the first shell segment 111 to correspond as closely as possible to the shape characteristics of the instrument's display area. In terms of overall structure, this makes the entire shell 1 structure more compact.

[0034] Regarding the above structure, it is conceivable that the camera unit 42 is used to acquire image information at the boundary groove 121. In order to make the image clearer and reduce image distortion, the camera unit 42 is preferably installed in the first shell section 111 and is located on the opposite side of the boundary groove 121 in the second direction. This structure, which sets the camera unit 42 and the target area coaxially, allows the camera unit 42 to acquire clearer and more complete image information, thereby providing a good foundation for subsequent image analysis and processing.

[0035] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the housing 1 includes an upper shell portion 11 and a lower shell portion 12. An annular boss 114 extends outward from the edge of the upper shell portion 11, and the annular boss 114 and the lower shell portion 12 are fixedly connected.

[0036] Specifically, the annular boss 114 extends its mounting reference outward from the opening of the upper shell 11, further increasing the contact surface between the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12. Specifically, the annular boss 114 and the lower shell 12 are provided with multiple sets of corresponding threaded holes, allowing the upper and lower shell structures to be locked together using bolts during installation.

[0037] Meanwhile, to ensure the dryness of the inner cavity 2 and prevent dust from entering it, thereby ensuring the clarity of the images acquired by the camera unit 42, a sealing structure is also provided between the mounting structures of the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12. Specifically, as shown... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the annular boss 114 has one end facing the lower shell portion 12 recessed inward to form a recessed groove 1141. A sealing ring 1142 is provided within the recessed groove 1141, and one end of the sealing ring 1142 abuts against the lower shell portion 12. The sealing ring 1142 effectively improves the sealing performance between the upper shell portion 11 and the lower shell portion 12. In actual use, dust and moisture are difficult to enter the inner cavity 2, thus ensuring the overall performance and lifespan of the structure.

[0038] Furthermore, as described above, the entire housing 1 can form a fixed connection with an external instrument. To achieve the aforementioned connection effect, a corresponding mounting structure is provided on the housing 1. Specifically, at least a portion of the peripheral wall of the annular boss 114 protrudes outward to form a fixing ear 115, and the fixing ear 115 is provided with a fixing hole 1151 that extends through along the second direction.

[0039] The above structure allows for various installation options. For example, flat plastic cable ties can be used for installation via the fixing holes 1151 on the fixing ears 115; or bolts or wire cable ties can be used to install via the threaded holes on the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12. These installation methods are all portable and convenient for maintenance and disassembly during use.

[0040] In some embodiments, the upper shell 11 further includes a first shell segment 111 and a second shell segment 112 in a first direction. An image acquisition cavity 22 is formed inside the first shell segment 111. The inner cavity 2 includes an electrical mounting cavity 21. The automatic meter reading device 100 further includes an electrical component 3, which is disposed in the electrical mounting cavity 21.

[0041] like Figure 3 As shown, in the specific structure, the electrical mounting cavity 21 is located on one side of the image acquisition cavity 22 in the first direction, which corresponds to the partial cavity position within the second shell section 112. Arranging the two cavities sequentially in the first direction minimizes the impact of the electrical components 3 within the electrical mounting cavity 21 on the instrument's image acquisition.

[0042] The electrical components 3 include a circuit board unit 31, a battery unit 32, and an antenna communication module 33. The circuit board unit 31 integrates a main control unit, preferably a low-power microcontroller, which is responsible for system scheduling, image acquisition control, communication protocol processing, and power management. The main control unit is connected to the camera unit 42, the lighting unit 41, and the battery unit 32, and can achieve low-power operation of the entire automatic meter reading device 100 through a sleep-wake mechanism. In the specific installation structure, the lower shell 12 extends from one side of the electrical mounting cavity 21 with multiple mounting posts to support and fix the circuit board unit 31. Simultaneously, the inner wall of the upper shell 11 is provided with multiple limiting protrusions 116, all extending along a second direction. The circuit board unit 31 is snapped into place between the multiple limiting protrusions 116 for peripheral positioning of the circuit board unit 31.

[0043] In order to improve the continuous use time of the entire device, the battery unit 32 is preferably set as a high-efficiency lithium-ion battery. In conjunction with the power management strategy of the main control unit (such as deep sleep, timed wake-up, and on-demand communication), it can achieve ultra-low power consumption operation. The battery unit 32 is electrically connected to the circuit board unit 31, and the power supply is stable.

[0044] In terms of specific installation structure, such as Figure 3 and Figure 5As shown, the two inner sidewalls of the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12, which are opposite each other in the second direction, extend into limiting bosses 122 toward the middle position of the electrical mounting cavity 21. The opposite ends of the two limiting bosses 122 are arc-shaped concave structures to adapt to the outer arc-shaped contour of the battery unit 32, thereby improving the actual fixing effect on the battery unit 32.

[0045] The antenna communication module 33 includes an SMA (Sub-Miniature A connector) waterproof antenna adapter and a 4G communication module, supporting remote data transmission and OTA (Over-The-Air) firmware upgrades. The antenna interface features a waterproof design to ensure reliability for long-term outdoor use. Specifically, the 4G communication module is integrated onto the circuit board unit 31, and the SMA waterproof antenna adapter is mounted on the upper housing 11, with one end connected to the 4G communication module and the other end located outside the electrical mounting cavity 21 for connecting to an external communication module.

[0046] Multiple lighting units 41 are configured, and each lighting unit 41 is respectively mounted on multiple mounting plates 311 on the circuit board unit 31. Specifically, the circuit board unit 31 is located within the electrical mounting cavity 21, specifically on one side of the image acquisition cavity 22 in the first direction. Multiple mounting plates 311 extend outwards from the circuit board unit 31 along the second direction by a certain height, allowing the lighting units 41 to illuminate the boundary groove 121. This mounting structure forms a side-lighting structure relative to the camera unit 42 within the image acquisition cavity 22. This side-lighting structure effectively avoids reflections from the dial mirror, helping to improve the clarity of the acquired image. The lighting unit 41 is configured as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) fill light, with two LED fill lights respectively mounted on multiple mounting plates 311. The luminous effect of each LED fill light is adjustable to adapt to different lighting environments, ensuring the clarity of the acquired display image.

[0047] The image acquisition unit includes a lens and an image sensor. The lens is fixedly mounted on a lens mounting bracket, and the image sensor is connected to the circuit board unit 31. During assembly, the lens and image sensor are aligned and fixed to clearly image the meter's display panel. After acquiring the meter display image information, it is transmitted to the circuit board unit 31 for processing. The circuit board unit 31 integrates a main control module, which is electrically connected to the image acquisition component 4, the lighting unit 41, the antenna communication module 33, and the battery unit 32. It can trigger the acquisition action according to the set meter reading cycle, control the lighting unit 41 to adjust the brightness to suit the current environment, control the image acquisition unit to complete the meter display image acquisition, and then upload the acquired image to the management platform. The management platform processes and identifies the acquired image to obtain the meter reading, completing the automatic meter reading process.

[0048] This invention also proposes a meter reading control method for automatic meter reading equipment, further combining... Figure 6 The meter reading control method of the automatic meter reading device 100 includes the automatic meter reading device 100. The specific structure of the automatic meter reading device 100 is as described in the above embodiments. Since this meter reading control method is based on all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here. The meter reading control method of the automatic meter reading device 100 includes the following steps: Adjust the output power of the lighting unit 41 according to the brightness inside the housing 1; A photosensitive unit is integrated within the housing 1. This unit can sense the brightness levels within the housing 1. In the control program, to achieve the self-adjustment effect of the illumination unit 41, a light intensity mapping relationship is pre-established between different brightness levels and the output power of the illumination unit 41. Before the camera unit 42 takes a picture, the photosensitive unit inside the housing 1 acquires the corresponding light information and transmits this information to the circuit board unit 31. The corresponding main control unit then adjusts the photosensitive unit to the corresponding output power based on the aforementioned light intensity mapping relationship. This adjustment method meets the brightness requirements for shooting within the housing 1 while ensuring the quality of the captured image.

[0049] When the aforementioned lighting unit 41 is turned on, it controls the image acquisition component 4 to acquire instrument images and determines the unit angle measurement parameters for the current instrument model based on the instrument images. This is the first step in converting image information into output digital information. Specifically, In some embodiments, the above-described method for obtaining the unit angle measurement parameters of the instrument based on image information includes the following implementation steps: Determine the dial position in the instrument image and separate the dial position image from the instrument image; To ensure the integrity of the acquired image information, the image information acquired by the camera unit 42 may include not only the image of the dial area but also the external structural features of the instrument display. To avoid the influence of irrelevant external features during image analysis, the image of the dial position is first separated from the entire image area to obtain a single image of the dial position.

[0050] Based on the obtained image of the dial position, the dial image is corrected by combining perspective transformation; Specifically, the image information of the acquired dial position image is affected by the relative positional relationship between the camera unit 42 and the dial display area. For example, in some cases, when the dial display area is located to the side of the output end of the camera unit 42, the pointer and digital information displayed in the acquired image may appear tilted. To eliminate the influence of this image distortion on the analysis process, after the dial position image is acquired, it needs to be preprocessed by perspective transformation to correct the dial position image to a standard display image.

[0051] In a specific structure, it is preferable to keep the output end of the camera unit 42 and the axis of the boundary groove 121 on the same axis as much as possible, thereby reducing the impact on the image acquisition.

[0052] After correcting the dial position image, the dial model needs to be determined based on the corrected dial image; Specifically, a correspondence between dial position image information and dial model is pre-established to form a comparison reference. After obtaining the dial position image, the main control unit will find the dial image in the database for comparison, and finally obtain the corresponding dial model based on the display characteristics on the dial position image. Different instrument dials may have certain differences in the measurement units and travel of the display area. In order to obtain accurate numerical information, it is necessary to first determine the corresponding dial model.

[0053] Once the dial model is determined, the unit angle measurement parameters of the dial measurement area can be obtained based on the acquired dial model and according to the first mapping relationship. The first mapping relationship includes the correspondence between the dial model category and the unit angle measurement parameter information.

[0054] The first mapping relationship is data information pre-stored in the main control unit, which mainly consists of measurement parameter information per unit angle corresponding to the dial model type. Based on the dial model, the magnitude of parameter change per unit angle of the pointer in the pointer area of ​​the dial can be determined, thus providing a basis for subsequently converting the pointer deflection into numerical information.

[0055] To accurately obtain the pointer position in the dial image, the entire pointer structure is preferably used as the basis for acquiring pointer image information. This involves separating the pointer image and the digital image on the dial to determine the straight-line position of the pointer. Specifically, a segmentation model is used to segment the bar pointer and the stem pointer to determine the straight-line position of the relevant pointers. This method changes the traditional approach of obtaining the relative position based on the pointer tip position. The pointer tip position is relatively small and difficult to detect in actual operation, often resulting in position detection errors and regressions. Using the above method, the entire pointer structure is used as the basis for determining the pointer's relative position within the dial, emphasizing the pointer structure and effectively improving the stability and accuracy of the system's detection process. Based on the instrument image information, the zero point line position of the metering area on the dial is obtained, and the metering angle between the pointer line and the zero point line is determined. The aforementioned determination of the instrument model can be combined with the image information from the instrument to find the zero-point line position of the dial display measurement area. By projecting the line where the pointer is located onto the dial display measurement area, the deflection angle of the pointer structure relative to the zero-point line can be obtained.

[0056] Based on the correspondence between the measurement angle and the unit angle measurement parameter, the final measurement data of the pointer's current position is obtained. The unit measurement parameter within the dial is known, meaning the numerical change per unit angle is known. By determining the relationship between the pointer's rotation angle and the unit offset angle, the actual measurement value of the current pointer can be determined. After completing the above process, the pointer's position image can be converted into a numerical signal for output. The relevant numerical signal can be sent to the user terminal for viewing and storage.

[0057] Generally, its storage format includes time points, image information, numerical information, and corresponding communication information. In the event of communication failure, the relevant data can be stored locally and retransmitted after communication is restored.

[0058] In addition, during image acquisition, if the camera unit 42 malfunctions, it can report a status code and stop the shooting task. When the battery unit 32 has low power, it can automatically reduce its operating frequency or enter protection mode. Through this fault degradation strategy, the stability of the entire system can be guaranteed as much as possible.

[0059] In some embodiments, to verify the accuracy of the acquired final measurement data, the following specific steps are further included after obtaining the final measurement data at the current position of the pointer: Obtain the data increment corresponding to the final measurement data; After obtaining the final measurement data displayed based on the current image information, the previous measurement value will be found in the storage unit, and the corresponding data increment of the final measurement data will be obtained.

[0060] The data increment and the incremental constraint are compared, and it is determined whether the identification result of the final measurement data is reasonable. The incremental constraint is the measurement constraint range obtained from the historical data increment. The storage unit also stores historical data increments, which can form an incremental measurement constraint range. This measurement constraint range can be derived by integrating historical incremental data under normal user usage conditions. The data increment of the final measurement data is compared with the incremental constraint to determine whether the data increment of the final measurement data is within the acceptable normal range of the incremental constraint.

[0061] If the identification result is not within the range of the incremental constraint, the final measurement data is determined to be unreasonable, and an abnormal state is displayed. After the abnormal state is determined, the value will also be marked as abnormal on the terminal using a specific identifier. Simultaneously, the main control unit will control the camera unit 42 to reacquire the relevant images from the instrument and repeat the above steps to obtain new final measurement data.

[0062] This process also includes further judgment actions. For example, during a second judgment, if the data increment of the new final metering data is within the incremental constraint range, then the new final metering data is output as normal data. If multiple judgments indicate an anomaly (e.g., more than three times), the user needs to be notified not only via SMS or phone call, but also a human operator needs to be dispatched to verify the meter's condition.

[0063] In some embodiments, the data transmission process further includes a timeout handling mechanism. Specifically, if the device does not respond to the debugging command within a specified time, a timeout is automatically determined; the terminal or platform will record a failure log and notify the user; wherein, a command retransmission mechanism is supported to improve the timely response of the entire device.

[0064] In some embodiments, before adjusting the output power of the lighting unit 41 according to the brightness level inside the housing 1, the following steps are further included: Obtain the set scheduling mode and wake up the automatic meter reading device 100 according to the corresponding scheduling mode; As mentioned above, the entire automatic meter reading device 100 has a sleep-wake mode. Specifically, the device is in a deep sleep state by default. It is woken up by triggering the RTC (Real-Time Clock) timer or an external interrupt. After waking up, it completes the taking of pictures, identification and data uploading. After the upload is completed, it quickly returns to the sleep state.

[0065] The scheduling modes include a timing mode and a frequency mode; Specifically, in timed mode, the main control unit will acquire the set time point information and wake up the automatic meter reading device 100 at that time point; in frequency mode, the active unit will acquire the set frequency interval information and wake up the automatic meter reading device 100 with the frequency interval information, and automatically generate periodic tasks.

[0066] By implementing the above-described methods, the automatic meter reading device 100 can remain in deep sleep mode during periods when it is not in use, significantly reducing the overall power consumption of the device. This solves the problems of excessive power consumption and insufficient battery life in traditional meter reading devices during continuous standby, making it suitable for outdoor meter reading scenarios without external power supply. Furthermore, different scheduling modes can adapt to different meter reading needs, making the planning of meter reading tasks more flexible and meeting the meter reading frequency requirements of different users and scenarios, thus improving the versatility and practicality of the automatic meter reading device 100. Through optimized circuit design, sleep-wake mechanism, and power consumption control algorithm, the device can operate continuously for more than five years with daily image capture.

[0067] In some embodiments, to prevent device malfunctions from being ignored, the meter reading control method of the automatic meter reading device also includes a device heartbeat detection mechanism. Specifically, the device needs to send heartbeat packets to the server at set intervals (e.g., 12 hours / 24 hours); the platform maintains heartbeat timestamps; if no heartbeat is received for more than a threshold (e.g., twice the period), the device is determined to be malfunctioning; at this time, an alarm (SMS / platform notification) will be automatically triggered.

[0068] Through the heartbeat detection mechanism, operators can detect abnormal situations such as equipment offline or malfunctions in a timely manner, and carry out maintenance work such as equipment inspection and reset in a timely manner. This avoids the problem of missing meter reading data due to long-term undetected equipment failure, which affects the normal operation of metering work. It improves the stability and reliability of the automatic meter reading equipment, reduces the workload of manual inspection and troubleshooting of equipment failures, and improves operation and maintenance efficiency.

[0069] Furthermore, the meter reading control method of the automatic meter reading device also includes a data interaction and security mechanism, which specifically includes three parts: an OTA upgrade mechanism, a data interface specification, and an access control mechanism.

[0070] Specifically, for the corresponding OTA upgrade mechanism, the firmware uses asymmetric encryption signature (such as RSA / ECC); the device can only perform the upgrade after the signature is verified; it supports packet download and breakpoint resume mechanism; and it uses dual partition backup during the upgrade process to avoid device failure due to upgrade failure.

[0071] In accordance with the corresponding data interface specifications, all interfaces adopt a unified JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format; define standard parameter fields (device ID, timestamp, data value, signature, etc.); and support HTTPS (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure) or private encrypted protocol transmission.

[0072] The corresponding access control mechanism uses a token authentication mechanism for interface access; different roles (administrators / users) have different operation permissions; sensitive operations require secondary verification.

[0073] Through a robust data interaction and security mechanism, the upgrade process can be effectively guaranteed to be stable and reliable, avoiding the risk of device failure. At the same time, it standardizes data transmission formats, blocks unauthorized access, ensures the security of meter reading data and device operation, and reduces the risk of data leakage and malicious tampering.

[0074] The above-mentioned control steps not only enable the entire automatic meter reading device 100 to have more stable meter reading performance, but also reduce the energy consumption caused by invalid device wake-ups and frequent network connections, extend the device's battery life, and, relying on a stable security mechanism, reduce the frequency of on-site manual maintenance, reduce the cost of later equipment maintenance, and ensure stable operation of the device in long-term outdoor unattended scenarios, thus having good application prospects.

[0075] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic meter reading device, characterized in that, include: The housing has an inner cavity formed on its inner side, and a mounting part is formed at one end of the housing. The mounting part is used to connect the instrument structure so that the display information of the instrument structure can be displayed in the inner cavity. The image acquisition component includes a camera unit and an illumination unit, both of which are located within the inner cavity and are positioned corresponding to the mounting portion, for acquiring the display information of the instrument structure; as well as, A shielding part is mounted on the housing and has a shielding state on the housing. Corresponding to the shielding state, the shielding part is at least partially attached to the housing for shielding external light.

2. The automatic meter reading device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The shell includes an upper shell portion, the upper shell portion having a first shell segment and a second shell segment in a first direction, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the first shell segment in the first direction is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the second shell segment, so that a recessed portion is formed between the first shell segment and the second shell segment; When the shielding part is in the shielding state, the projection of the shielding part in the first direction is within the outer contour of the recessed platform.

3. The automatic meter reading device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The housing also includes a lower shell portion, which is installed at one end of the upper shell portion in a second direction to form the inner cavity, and the inner cavity has an image acquisition cavity corresponding to the inner side of the first shell segment; The lower shell portion is at least partially recessed inward on one end face corresponding to the upper shell portion to form a boundary groove, and the boundary groove is at least partially located inside the image acquisition cavity; The camera unit is disposed on the inner wall of the first shell section corresponding to the boundary groove; The first direction and the second direction are intersecting.

4. The automatic meter reading device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The housing includes an upper shell portion and a lower shell portion. An annular boss extends outward from the edge of the upper shell portion, and the annular boss is fixedly connected to the lower shell portion; and / or... The upper shell also includes a first shell section and a second shell section in a first direction. An image acquisition cavity is formed inside the first shell section, and an electrical mounting cavity is formed inside the second shell section. The automatic meter reading device also includes an electrical component, which is disposed in the electrical mounting cavity.

5. The automatic meter reading device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The annular boss has one end facing the lower shell portion recessed inward to form a recessed groove portion, and a sealing ring is provided in the recessed groove portion, with one end of the sealing ring abutting against the lower shell portion; and / or, The annular boss has at least a portion of its peripheral wall protruding outward to form a fixing ear, and the fixing ear has a fixing hole that extends through along the second direction.

6. The automatic meter reading device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The electrical component includes a circuit board unit installed in the electrical mounting cavity. The circuit board unit is provided with a plurality of mounting plates extending along a first direction. The lighting unit is configured as a plurality of units, each of which is mounted on the mounting plate, and the brightness of each lighting unit is adjustable. And / or, The shell is made of transparent material.

7. A meter reading control method for an automatic meter reading device, based on the automatic meter reading device as described in any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The meter reading control method includes the following steps: The control image acquisition component acquires instrument images and determines the unit angle measurement parameters for the current instrument model based on the instrument images; Separate the pointer image and the digital image on the dial to determine the position of the pointer on the straight line; Based on the instrument image information, the zero point line position of the metering area on the dial is obtained, and the metering angle between the pointer line and the zero point line is determined. Based on the correspondence between the measurement angle and the measurement parameters per unit angle, the final measurement data for the current position of the pointer is obtained.

8. The meter reading control method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The control image acquisition component acquires instrument images and determines the unit angle measurement parameters for the current instrument model based on the instrument images, including: Determine the dial position in the instrument image and separate the dial position image from the instrument image; Based on the obtained image of the dial position, the dial image is corrected by combining perspective transformation; Determine the dial model based on the corrected dial image; Based on the obtained dial model, the unit angle measurement parameters of the dial measurement area are obtained according to the first mapping relationship, wherein the first mapping relationship includes the correspondence between the dial model category and the unit angle measurement parameter information.

9. The meter reading control method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, After obtaining the final measurement data for the current pointer position, the following is also included: Obtain the data increment corresponding to the final measurement data; The data increment and the incremental constraint are compared, and it is determined whether the identification result of the final measurement data is reasonable. The incremental constraint is the measurement constraint range obtained from the historical data increment. If the identification result is unreasonable, an abnormal status will be displayed, and the camera will be controlled to reacquire the instrument image and obtain new final measurement data.

10. The meter reading control method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Before controlling the image acquisition component to acquire instrument images and determining the unit angle measurement parameters for the current instrument model based on the instrument images, the process also includes: Obtain the set scheduling mode and wake up the automatic meter reading device in the corresponding scheduling mode; The scheduling modes include a timing mode and a frequency mode; In timed mode, the system will acquire the set time information and wake up the automatic meter reading device at that time. Corresponding to the frequency mode, the set frequency interval information will be obtained, and the automatic meter reading device will be woken up with the frequency interval information.

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