Fluid Meter Drift Detection via Reference Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Detecting abnormal metrological drifts in fluid meters is challenging, leading to potential financial consequences for customers and water distributors, as existing systems lack effective methods to monitor and identify such drifts over time.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring method that analyzes overall consumption measurements to identify operating cycles with constant durations and individual consumptions, detecting abnormal drifts by tracking changes in these cycles and using a reference mechanism to establish baseline measurements, allowing for the detection of drifts without direct monitoring of the measuring device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional water meters are used without direct monitoring of the measuring device, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision deteriorates making it very difficult to detect abnormal metrological drifts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an intermediary approach by introducing a reference mechanism (water-consuming device with known constant consumption characteristics) as a mediator between the measuring device and the monitoring system. Instead of directly monitoring the measuring device for drift, the system monitors the reference mechanism's consumption patterns, which serve as a stable reference point. Any deviation in the measured consumption of the reference mechanism indicates metrological drift in the water meter, enabling detection without direct intervention in the measuring device itself.
2Measurement precision
If the measuring device is directly monitored to detect drift, then the measurement precision improves, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the difficulty of implementing direct monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs self-service by using the reference mechanism's own inherent characteristics (constant water consumption during operation cycles) as the basis for drift detection. The reference mechanism automatically provides the reference data needed for monitoring through its regular operation patterns. The processing unit simply needs to analyze the already-present consumption data from the reference mechanism, eliminating the need for separate direct monitoring equipment or complex intervention in the measuring device's operation.
3Reliability
If no reference mechanism is used, then the device complexity is lower, but the reliability deteriorates as drift detection becomes very difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The reference mechanism serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a water-consuming device for the customer's installation, provides a stable reference for drift detection, and generates operational data that can be analyzed for metrological accuracy. The same measuring device that measures the customer's water consumption also measures the reference mechanism's consumption, eliminating the need for separate measurement systems. This multi-functionality approach increases reliability without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
Method for monitoring a fluid meter arranged to produce measurements of the overall consumption of an installation, comprising the steps of: - identifying, by analyzing the measurements of the overall consumption, a mechanism of the installation which operates according to operating cycles (1) each having a cycle duration (t1-t0) substantially constant and during each of which an individual consumption (V1-V0) of the mechanism is substantially constant; - detecting operating cycles of the mechanism and, for each operating cycle detected, measuring an individual consumption of the mechanism; - detecting, as a function of a time evolution of the individual consumption, an abnormal metrological drift of the measuring device.