ANSI Modular Electricity Meter With Hot-Pluggable Field Upgrades
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Utility meters, such as electricity meters, are difficult to upgrade or update in the field due to the need for uninstallation and reinstallation, leading to sporadic updates and a lack of integration with the latest technological improvements.
Innovation Solution
An American National Standards Institute (ANSI) electricity meter design featuring a module assembly that is hot-pluggable and field-removable, allowing for the upgrade of processing, power supply, and communication modules without uninstalling the meter, with a module compartment isolated from the meter cavity and secured through snap-fit connections or other mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the electricity meter components are upgraded or updated, then the meter technology is improved, but the meter must be uninstalled and reinstalled which increases time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The electricity meter is divided into a permanent meter body and removable module assemblies. Each module assembly (processing module, power supply module, communication module) can be independently removed and replaced without uninstalling the entire meter, enabling field upgrades without time-consuming complete uninstallation and reinstallation.
Solution Approach 2:
The functional components are extracted from the traditional integrated meter structure and placed into separate removable module assemblies that can be independently handled. This allows the module assemblies to be removed and replaced while the meter body remains installed, eliminating the need to uninstall the entire meter for component upgrades.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the electricity meter components are upgraded or updated, then the meter technology is improved, but the upgrade process requires technician intervention which increases cost
Solution Approach 1:
The electricity meter is divided into a permanent meter body and removable module assemblies. Each module assembly (processing module, power supply module, communication module) can be independently removed and replaced without uninstalling the entire meter, enabling field upgrades without time-consuming complete uninstallation and reinstallation.
Solution Approach 2:
The module assemblies are designed with user-friendly features including visible status indicators, intuitive replacement procedures, and hot-pluggable connectors that allow customers to perform upgrades themselves without requiring technician intervention, thereby reducing service costs.
3Productivity
If the module assembly is made hot pluggable, then field upgrades are enabled without disrupting operation, but the sealing and connection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electricity meter is divided into a permanent meter body and removable module assemblies. Each module assembly (processing module, power supply module, communication module) can be independently removed and replaced without uninstalling the entire meter, enabling field upgrades without time-consuming complete uninstallation and reinstallation.
Solution Approach 2:
Hot-pluggable connectors serve as intermediaries between the meter body and module assemblies, enabling seamless electrical and data connections during module replacement. These connectors maintain power and communication signals throughout the replacement process, allowing field upgrades without operational disruption.
4Ease of operation
If the module compartment is isolated from the meter cavity, then module replacement is simplified, but the internal structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electricity meter is divided into a permanent meter body and removable module assemblies. Each module assembly (processing module, power supply module, communication module) can be independently removed and replaced without uninstalling the entire meter, enabling field upgrades without time-consuming complete uninstallation and reinstallation.
Solution Approach 2:
The functional components are extracted from the traditional integrated meter structure and placed into separate removable module assemblies that can be independently handled. This allows the module assemblies to be removed and replaced while the meter body remains installed, eliminating the need to uninstall the entire meter for component upgrades.
Data Source
AI summary
An electricity meter assembly includes a meter and a module assembly. The meter includes a meter cavity, at least one electrical component within the meter cavity, and a module compartment having a module cavity. The module compartment is within the meter cavity and the meter cavity is isolated from the module cavity. The module assembly includes at least one supplemental board configured to supplement the at least one electrical component. The module assembly is removably positioned within the module cavity such that the module assembly is field-removable, and wherein the module assembly is hot pluggable with the meter.