Hall Effect Meter Sensor Tolerating Magnet Bounce
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Solution Overview
Problem
Metering devices using reed switches are prone to magnet bounce, external magnetic field interference, and misalignment issues, leading to inaccurate resource consumption measurements.
Innovation Solution
A meter reading sensor system employing Hall effect sensors with a dial wheel featuring two orbital magnets and a center magnet, utilizing threshold-based pulsed outputs to detect rotation and tolerate magnet bounce, external fields, and misalignment, while a center sensor detects tampering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If reed switches are used for magnetic field detection, then the device structure is simple, but magnet bounce causes measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical reed switch with a Hall effect sensor that uses the Hall effect (electromagnetic phenomenon) to detect magnetic field changes. This substitution eliminates contact bounce while maintaining detection functionality, resolving the contradiction between simple structure and accurate measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the detection parameter from binary on/off state of reed switch to continuous magnetic field strength measurement by Hall effect sensor. This allows differentiation between magnet bounce (small field changes) and complete rotation (large field changes), improving measurement precision.
2Device complexity
If reed switches are used for magnetic field detection, then the device structure is simple, but external magnetic fields cause false activation
Solution Approach 1:
The Hall effect sensor provides analog output proportional to magnetic field strength, enabling detection of external magnetic field interference that would cause false activation in binary reed switches. This improves reliability while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
3Device complexity
If reed switches are used for magnetic field detection, then the device structure is simple, but misalignment causes erroneous measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The Hall effect sensor measures magnetic field strength continuously, allowing the system to detect and compensate for misalignment conditions. The analog output provides information about magnet position and orientation, enabling accurate rotation measurement even with misalignment that would cause errors in reed switch systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides accurate resource consumption measurements by eliminating magnet bounce errors, detecting external interference, and accommodating misalignment, thereby enhancing the reliability of metering devices.
Implementation Method 1
A meter reading sensor system employing Hall effect sensors with a dial wheel featuring two orbital magnets and a center magnet
Implementation Method 2
Meter reading sensor design using tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors or Hall effect sensors
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include a dial wheel having a first magnet located at a first orbital position of the dial wheel and a second magnet located at a second orbital position of the dial wheel. A polarity of the first magnet at a surface of the dial wheel is opposite a polarity of the second magnet at the surface of the dial wheel. A sensor board includes a first magnetic sensor for sensing a magnetic field and is configured so that the first and second magnets cause the first magnetic sensor to generate an output pulse for each rotation of the dial wheel. The pulsed output is indicative of a volume of resource consumed.