AMR Device Mounting with Rod, Wall, and Tie Provisions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic meter reading (AMR) devices face challenges in mounting within utility meter pits due to varying pit materials and configurations, often requiring user adaptation and risking damage to cables or devices during installation and removal.
Innovation Solution
An AMR system device with a housing featuring multiple integral mounting members: a rod mounting member, a wall mounting member, a tie mounting member, and a lid mounting portion, allowing secure attachment to different pit components without straining cables, and a detachable lid mounting assembly that breaks away from the lid with less force than the cable's breaking strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If an AMR device is mounted directly to heavy pit lids, then secure mounting is achieved, but excessive strain and damage risk to cables and connections occurs during installation and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system is divided into separate components: a mounting plate attached to the device, a rod inserted through the pit lid, and a retention mechanism that engages the rod. This segmentation allows the device to be securely mounted to the lid without directly attaching cables to the lid itself, thereby reducing strain on cable connections during installation and removal operations.
2Device complexity
If a single mounting accessory is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to various pit configurations becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate is designed with multiple mounting provisions including a rod receiving port, wall mounting openings, and tie wrap attachment points. This multi-functional design allows a single standardized accessory to adapt to various pit configurations (metal pits requiring elevation, concrete pits allowing wall attachment, plastic pits accommodating tie wraps), thereby achieving versatility without significantly increasing device complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If AMR devices are elevated away from pit walls in metal pits, then communication interference is reduced, but mounting complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A rod serves as an intermediary element that is inserted through the pit lid to provide an elevation and mounting point for the AMR device. This intermediary structure allows the device to be positioned away from metal pit walls to reduce communication interference while providing a simple, standardized mounting mechanism that does not significantly increase overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic meter reading (AMR) system device is adapted to be mounted in a utility meter pit. The device includes a housing constructed to at least partially enclose at least one portion of an AMR system device. The housing is integrally formed with at least two different mounting members selected from among: a rod mounting member that includes a port sized and shaped to receive a rod to facilitate mounting of the device in the pit, a wall mounting member that includes a wall-mount provision that facilitates mounting of the device to a wall of the pit, a tie mounting member constructed to receive at least one tie fastener that facilitates mounting of the device to a structure in the pit, and a lid mounting portion constructed to facilitate mounting of the device to a lid of the pit.