Water Meter Multi-Band Remote Antenna RF Coupler

Abstract

The present invention discloses an antenna coupler, which may include an RF coupler, the RF coupler including an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein an internal antenna may be connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and the internal antenna may be partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronic device. The antenna coupler may also include a housing, the housing including a top cover housing. The RF coupler top portion may be located on the top cover housing. In addition, the RF coupler top portion may include a rigid-flexible printed circuit board.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments generally relate to wireless communication technology. Embodiments also relate to radio frequency (RF) couplers and antennas used in remote monitoring devices such as industrial field devices. Embodiments also relate to multi-band remote antenna RF couplers used with remote monitoring devices such as remote water meters and gas meters. Background Art

[0002] Remote water and gas meters, often referred to as smart meters, utilize technologies such as antennas and antenna couplers to enable remote monitoring and data collection of water usage. These technologies are part of the broader concept of the Internet of Things (IoT), which aims to connect physical objects to the Internet for enhanced functionality and data exchange.

[0003] For example, a typical "smart" water meter is a remote metering device equipped with various sensors and measurement mechanisms to accurately monitor water usage. These meters are often designed to measure flow rate, pressure, and other relevant parameters. Remote water meters can be equipped with technology that allows them to transmit data wirelessly, rather than requiring manual reading by utility personnel. This eliminates the need for physical access to the meter and enables real-time monitoring.

[0004] Antennas used with smart meters are designed to transmit and receive electromagnetic waves. In the case of remote water meters, the antenna is integrated into the water meter itself. This antenna is responsible for sending the collected data wirelessly to the remote location. An important component used with the antenna is the antenna coupler, which can connect the antenna inside the smart water meter to the external communication network. The antenna coupler bridges the gap between the internal antenna and the external communication infrastructure.

[0005] Smart water meters use integrated antennas to send information in the form of electromagnetic waves. These waves carry information about water usage, meter readings, and possibly other relevant data. Antenna couplers ensure that the transmitted data is effectively coupled to an external communication network, such as a cellular network or a dedicated IoT network. The data transmitted by the antenna of the smart water meter is acquired by nearby communication infrastructure. The communication infrastructure may include cellular towers, communication gateways, or other types of receivers. The data is then forwarded to the utility company's servers or cloud-based platforms via the communication network.

[0006] Once the data reaches the utility company’s servers, it is processed, analyzed, and stored. Advanced analytical tools can be employed to monitor consumption patterns, identify leaks, and make informed decisions about water allocation and resource management.

[0007] In some cases, a water meter may be installed in a pit and located at a depth of, for example, 3 to 4 feet below the surface. Generally speaking, such endpoints may need to transmit at relatively high power levels to overcome the losses due to their location. When water is added to this situation, the attenuation is even greater. If an external / remote antenna can be positioned closer to the pit cover to re-radiate the RF signal, the attenuation from the water pit and pit depth can be minimized.

[0008] Smart water meter electronics are typically potted or enclosed to protect from harsh environments. Connecting an external / remote antenna cable through potting material may create voids with the potting material and may violate the IP68 rating. It is not recommended to use RF connectors under potting material as their RF performance may be degraded. Soldering antenna cables directly to electronics presents challenges during production, assembly, and shipping due to the permanent connection of the antenna to the electronics board. Coupling between the internal antenna and the remote antenna may reduce the RF power to, for example, 5dBm or more, which is even worse with broadband support (e.g., 790MHZ-1900MHz). Therefore, there is a need to provide an improved antenna device that includes improved antenna components such as an antenna coupler to address these issues. Summary of the invention

[0009] The following summary of the invention is provided to facilitate understanding of some features of the embodiments disclosed in the present invention, and is not intended to be a complete description. A comprehensive understanding of the various aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be obtained by taking the specification, claims, drawings and abstract as a whole.

[0010]

[0011] Accordingly, one aspect of the disclosed embodiments is to provide improved wireless communication techniques.

[0011] Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments is to provide improved RF couplers and antennas for use in remote monitoring devices such as industrial field devices.

[0012] Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments is to provide a multi-band remote antenna RF coupler for use with remote monitoring devices such as remote water and gas meters.

[0013] Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments of the present invention is to provide an improved antenna coupler.

[0014] The above aspects and other objectives can now be achieved as described herein. In one embodiment, an antenna coupler may include an RF coupler, the RF coupler including an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein an internal antenna may be connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and the internal antenna may be partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronic device. The antenna coupler may also include a housing, the housing including a top cover housing. The RF coupler top portion may be located on the top cover housing. In addition, the electronic printed circuit board may include a rigid-flexible printed circuit board.

[0015] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion may contain the rigid-flex printed circuit board, which couples RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0016] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion may include, for example, a 50 ohm impedance controlled copper plane that can couple RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0017] In one embodiment, the RF coupler base portion with the internal antenna may be soldered directly to the electronic printed circuit board.

[0018] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion may include a 50 ohm impedance line connected to an RF connector, and the RF connector may be connected to an external antenna via a coaxial cable external to the antenna coupler.

[0019] In one embodiment, the top portion of the RF coupler may be IP68 protected by a sealing medium.

[0020] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion can slide into the RF coupler base portion and couple RF energy through air or a magnetic medium.

[0021] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion can slide into position alongside the RF coupler base portion and couple RF energy through air or a magnetic medium.

[0022] In one embodiment, the RF coupler can couple the internal antenna signal relative to the internal antenna to the external antenna for a wide RF frequency range of about 790 MHz-1900 MHz.

[0023] In one embodiment, the RF coupler loss relative to the RF coupler may be less than 4 dBm over the entire broadband frequency range.

[0024] In one embodiment, an antenna coupler may include an RF coupler including an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein an internal antenna may be connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and wherein the internal antenna may be partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronic device. The electronic printed circuit board may include a rigid-flexible printed circuit board and a housing including a top cover housing. The RF coupler top portion may be located on the top cover housing, and the RF coupler top portion may contain the rigid-flexible printed circuit board, which may couple RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0025] In one embodiment, a method of operating an antenna coupler may include coupling an internal antenna signal relative to an internal antenna to an external antenna via an RF coupler for a wide RF frequency range of about 790 MHz-1900 MHz, wherein the RF coupler may include an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, and the internal antenna may be connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output. The internal antenna may be partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronics.

[0026] In one embodiment of the method, the electronic printed circuit board may include a rigid-flex printed circuit board, and the RF coupler top portion contains the rigid-flex printed circuit board, which couples RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0027] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler top portion may include a 50 ohm impedance controlled copper plane that couples RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0028] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler top portion may include a 50 ohm impedance line connected to an RF connector, wherein the RF connector may be connected to an external antenna via a coaxial cable external to the antenna coupler.

[0029] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler top portion may be slid into position alongside the RF coupler base portion and may couple RF energy through air or a magnetic medium.

[0030] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler can couple the internal antenna signal relative to the internal antenna to the external antenna for a wide RF frequency range of about 790 MHz-1900 MHz.

[0031] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler loss relative to the RF coupler may be less than 4 dBm over the entire broadband frequency range. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings also illustrate the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the present invention, serve to explain the principles of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or functionally similar elements throughout the individual views and are incorporated into and form a part of the specification.

[0033] Figure 1 shows a pictorial diagram of an antenna coupler according to one embodiment;

[0034] Figure 2 shows a pictorial diagram of a cover according to one embodiment;

[0035] Figure 3 shows an exploded view of an antenna coupler according to one embodiment;

[0036] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of an antenna coupler according to one embodiment; and

[0037] Figure 5 A pictorial view of an antenna-coupler according to one embodiment is shown when assembled.

[0038] The same or similar parts or elements in the drawings may be denoted by the same reference numerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The specific values ​​and configurations discussed in these non-limiting examples may vary, and are cited merely to illustrate one or more embodiments, and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.

[0040] The subject matter will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the subject matter and show specific example embodiments by way of illustration. However, the subject matter can be embodied in a variety of different forms, and thus the subject matter covered or claimed is intended to be construed as not limited to any example embodiments listed herein; the example embodiments are provided for illustration only. Likewise, the subject matter that is intended to be claimed or covered has an appropriately broad scope. Among other things, the subject matter may be embodied as a method, device, component, or system. Thus, the embodiments may, for example, take the form of hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. Therefore, the following specific embodiments are not intended to be construed as having a limiting meaning.

[0041] Throughout the specification and claims, in addition to the meanings explicitly stated, terms may have slightly different meanings suggested or implied by the context. Likewise, phrases such as "in an embodiment" or "in one embodiment" or "in an exemplary embodiment" and variations thereof as used herein may or may not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and phrases "in another embodiment" or "in another exemplary embodiment" and variations thereof as used herein may or may not necessarily refer to different embodiments. For example, the claimed subject matter is intended to include, in whole or in part, a combination of the exemplary embodiments.

[0042] Generally speaking, the term can be understood at least in part from the usage in the context. For example, terms such as "and", "or" or "and / or" as used herein may include multiple meanings that may depend at least in part on the context in which such terms are used. Generally speaking, if "or" is used in an association list, such as A, B or C, it is intended to represent A, B and C used in an inclusive sense here, and A, B or C used in an exclusive sense here. In addition, the term "one or more" as used herein depends at least in part on the context and can be used to describe any feature, structure or characteristic in a singular sense, or can be used to describe a combination of features, structures or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, terms such as "one", "a kind of" or "the" also depend at least in part on the context and can be understood to convey singular usage or express plural usage. In addition, the term "at least one" can refer to "one or more". For example, "at least one widget" can refer to "one or more widgets".

[0043] Additionally, the term "based on" should be understood as not necessarily intended to convey an exclusive set of factors, but rather may depend, at least in part, on the context, allowing for the presence of additional factors that are not necessarily explicitly described again.

[0044] Figure 1 A pictorial diagram of an antenna coupler 10 is shown according to one embodiment. Figure 1 The antenna coupler 10 shown in FIG. 1 may include an external antenna that may be connected to a coaxial cable 14 that may extend through a cover 16 to engage a sealing member 18 and then connect to an RF coupler 20. The antenna coupler 10 may also include an internal antenna 22 and an RF coupler base 23. The antenna coupler 10 may be used as a low-loss RF coupler that may couple an internal antenna signal from the internal antenna 22 to a remote / external antenna such as the external antenna 12 for broadband RF frequencies in the range of, for example, 790 MHz-1900 MHz. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to this particular broadband RF frequency range, which is presented herein for exemplary and illustrative purposes only.

[0045] Figure 2A pictorial diagram of a cover 16 according to one embodiment is shown. The cover 16 can be configured with an indentation in which the RF coupler 20 can be positioned. The cover 16 can cover the RF coupler base 23. In addition, the RF coupler base with the internal antenna 22 can be directly soldered to an electronic printed circuit board (PCB), which is Figure 1 Shown in FIG. 1 is at the top of the RF coupler base 23 .

[0046] Figure 3 An exploded view of the antenna coupler 10 is shown according to one embodiment. The RF coupler base 23 supports an internal antenna 22 which can be engaged with the RF coupler 20. Figure 3 Arrow 25 shown in the figure indicates how the cover is engaged with the RF coupler base 23. The antenna coupler 10 includes an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler bottom portion. That is, the RF coupler top portion may include the RF coupler 20, while the RF coupler bottom portion may include the internal antenna 22.

[0047] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of a top cover housing 29 is shown according to one embodiment. The top portion of the RF coupler including the RF coupler 20 may be located in the top cover housing 29 which in turn may be located on a cover 16 covering the RF coupler base 23 .

[0048] Figure 5 A pictorial view of the antenna coupler 10 when assembled is shown according to one embodiment. The antenna coupler 10 includes the RF coupler base portion 23 discussed above, wherein the internal antenna 22 is directly connected or soldered to the electronic PCB. In some embodiments, the RF coupler base portion 23 can be partially encapsulated to protect the electronics from harsh environments. The RF coupler top portion that may include the RF coupler 20 and other top components such as the top cover housing 29 can contain a PCB or copper plane that can couple RF energy through air or magnetic media.

[0049] In some embodiments, the RF coupler top portion may include an impedance network that can tune the transmission frequency and a coaxial cable connected to the external antenna 12. The RF coupler top portion may be IP68 protected using a sealing ring (e.g., see sealing mechanism 18) and may be slid into the RF coupler base member (e.g., see Figure 3 Arrow 25 in the figure) and couple RF energy through air or the magnetic medium described previously. In some embodiments, the RF coupler loss will be less than 4dBm over the entire broadband frequency range.

[0050] Based on the foregoing, it should be understood that multiple embodiments including preferred embodiments and alternative embodiments are disclosed herein. For example, in one embodiment, the antenna coupler 10 may include an RF coupler including an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein the internal antenna 22 is connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and wherein the internal antenna is partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronic device. The antenna coupler 10 may also include a housing serving as a top cover housing 29. The RF coupler top portion may be located on the top cover housing 29. In addition, the electronic printed circuit board discussed above may include a rigid-flexible printed circuit board.

[0051] In one embodiment, the top portion of the RF coupler may include the rigid-flex printed circuit board, wherein the flexible portion of the flexible portion of the rigid-flex printed circuit board (PCB) can be easily assembled into the top cover housing 29 and can be used to form an irregular flexible shaped copper plane to couple maximum RF energy from the internal antenna through air or magnetic media. In some embodiments, the rigid portion of the rigid-flex PCB can be used for 50 ohm impedance lines and for mounting RF connectors or soldering external antennas 12 / coaxial cables 14.

[0052] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion may contain a 50 ohm impedance controlled copper plane that couples RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0053] In one embodiment, the RF coupler base portion 23 with the internal antenna 22 may be soldered directly to the electronic printed circuit board.

[0054] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion may include a 50 ohm impedance line connected to an RF connector that is connected to an external antenna via a coaxial cable such as cable 14 .

[0055] In one embodiment, the top portion of the RF coupler may be IP68 protected by a sealing medium.

[0056] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion can slide into the RF coupler base portion and couple RF energy through air or a magnetic medium.

[0057] In one embodiment, the RF coupler top portion can slide into position alongside the RF coupler base portion and couple RF energy through air or a magnetic medium.

[0058] In one embodiment, the RF coupler is comprised of an RF coupler 24 and the RF coupler 24 can couple the internal antenna signal relative to the internal antenna 22 to the external antenna 12 for a wide RF frequency range of about 790 MHz-1900 MHz.

[0059] In one embodiment, the RF coupler loss relative to the RF coupler can be less than 4 dBm over the entire broadband frequency range. Note that the RF coupler discussed herein may include the RF coupler 20 and the RF coupler 24. In some embodiments, the internal antenna 22 and the RF coupler 24 may be the same component and may be used as an internal antenna and may be used together as an RF coupler base component.

[0060] In one embodiment, an antenna coupler may include an RF coupler including an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein an internal antenna may be connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and the internal antenna may be partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronic device. In addition, the RF coupler 20 may include a rigid-flexible printed circuit board. The housing may include a top cover housing, wherein the RF coupler top portion may be located on the top cover housing, and the RF coupler top portion may contain the rigid-flexible printed circuit board, which may couple RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0061] In one embodiment, a method of operating an antenna coupler may include: for a wide RF frequency range within about 790 MHz-1900 MHz, coupling an internal antenna signal relative to an internal antenna to an external antenna via an RF coupler, wherein the RF coupler includes an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein the internal antenna is connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and wherein the internal antenna is partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronic device.

[0062] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler top portion may include the rigid-flex printed circuit board, which couples RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0063] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler top portion may include a 50 ohm impedance controlled copper plane that can couple RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

[0064] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler top portion may include a 50 ohm impedance line connected to an RF connector, wherein the RF connector may be connected to an external antenna via a coaxial cable external to the antenna coupler.

[0065] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler top portion may be slid into position alongside the RF coupler base portion and may couple RF energy through air or a magnetic medium.

[0066] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler can couple the internal antenna signal relative to the internal antenna to the external antenna for a wide RF frequency range of about 790 MHz-1900 MHz.

[0067] In one embodiment of the method, the RF coupler loss relative to the RF coupler may be less than 4 dBm over the entire broadband frequency range.

[0068] In some embodiments, the various functions described above can be implemented or supported by a computer program, which is formed by a computer-readable program code and is embodied in a computer-readable medium. The phrase "computer-readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase "computer-readable medium" includes any type of medium that can be accessed by a computer, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of memory. "Non-transient" computer-readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transmit instantaneous electrical signals or other signals. Non-transient computer-readable media include media that can permanently store data and media that can store and rewrite data afterwards, such as rewritable optical discs or erasable memory devices.

[0069] It may be advantageous to set forth the definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, processes, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data or a portion thereof that are suitable for implementation with suitable computer code (including source code, object code or executable code). The terms "send", "receive", and "communication" and their derivatives cover both direct and indirect communication. The terms "include" and "comprises" and their derivatives mean to include but are not limited to this. The term "or" is inclusive, meaning and / or. The phrase "associated with..." and its derivatives may mean including, included within, interconnected with, included within, connected to or connected with, coupled to or coupled with, communicable with, collaborate with, interlace, juxtapose, close to, coupled to or coupled with, have, have the property of, have a relationship with, or have a relationship with. The term "controller" means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation. A controller may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software / firmware. Whether deployed locally or remotely, the functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed.

[0070] It will be appreciated that the variations disclosed above and other features and functions or their alternatives may be advantageously combined into many other different systems or applications. It will also be appreciated that various currently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art, which are also intended to be covered by the following claims.

Claims

1. An antenna coupler, comprising: an RF coupler comprising an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein an internal antenna is connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and wherein the internal antenna is partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronics; and The housing comprises a top cover housing, wherein the top portion of the RF coupler is located on the top cover housing.

2. The antenna-coupler of claim 1, wherein the RF coupler comprises a rigid-flex printed circuit board.

3. The antenna coupler of claim 2, wherein the RF coupler top portion comprises the rigid-flexible printed circuit board, the rigid-flexible printed circuit board couples RF energy from the internal antenna through air or magnetic media.

4. The antenna-coupler of claim 1, wherein the RF coupler top portion comprises an impedance-controlled copper plane that couples RF energy from the internal antenna through air or a magnetic medium.

5. The antenna coupler of claim 1, wherein the RF coupler base portion with the internal antenna is directly soldered to the electronic printed circuit board.

6. The antenna coupler of claim 1, wherein the RF coupler top portion includes a 50 ohm impedance line connected to an RF connector, wherein the RF connector is connected to an external antenna through a coaxial cable external to the antenna coupler.

7. The antenna coupler according to claim 1, wherein the top portion of the RF coupler is sealed with a sealing medium to achieve IP68 protection.

8. The antenna coupler of claim 1, wherein the RF coupler top portion slides into the RF coupler base portion and couples RF energy through air or a magnetic medium.

9. An antenna coupler, comprising: an RF coupler comprising an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein an internal antenna is connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and wherein the internal antenna is partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronics, the electronic printed circuit board comprising a rigid-flex printed circuit board; and A housing comprising a top cover housing, wherein the RF coupler top portion is located on the top cover housing, wherein the RF coupler top portion contains the rigid-flexible printed circuit board, and the rigid-flexible printed circuit board couples RF energy from the internal antenna through air or magnetic media.

10. A method of operating an antenna coupler, the method comprising: For a wide RF frequency range of about 790 MHz-1900 MHz, an internal antenna signal relative to the internal antenna is coupled to an external antenna via an RF coupler, wherein the RF coupler includes an RF coupler top portion and an RF coupler base portion, wherein the internal antenna is connected to an electronic printed circuit board for RF signal output, and wherein the internal antenna is partially encapsulated relative to the electronic printed circuit board for environmental protection of the electronic device.

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