Communicating Meter Battery Mode Switching for Data Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communicating objects, such as meters, face challenges in preserving data integrity and extending cell life while minimizing hardware costs, particularly in maintaining essential functionalities as cells reach the end of their life.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method with three operating modes - nominal, degraded, and minimum - that adjusts measurement frequency and actions based on battery capacity, prioritizing functions to conserve energy and ensure data integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the measurement unit operates at nominal frequency to ensure data integrity, then measurement precision is improved, but cell capacity is depleted faster reducing device duration
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement frequency is made dynamic rather than fixed. The control unit adjusts the measurement frequency based on the remaining cell capacity, transitioning between nominal, degraded, and minimum operating modes. This allows the system to maintain high measurement precision when cell capacity is sufficient while reducing measurement frequency to extend cell service life when capacity depletes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter (measurement frequency) based on the state of the cell. When remaining capacity falls below thresholds, the measurement frequency is reduced from nominal to degraded and then to minimum levels. This parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to operate at high precision when possible while conserving energy when necessary.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the measurement frequency is reduced to extend cell life, then device duration is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts measurement frequency based on remaining cell capacity. When capacity is high, the system operates at nominal frequency for precise measurements. When capacity depletes below thresholds, the system transitions to degraded and then minimum modes with reduced measurement frequency, thereby extending cell service life while maintaining acceptable measurement precision for critical periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit periodically evaluates the remaining cell capacity and adjusts the measurement frequency accordingly. This periodic assessment allows the system to maintain high measurement precision during periods of sufficient cell capacity while reducing frequency during capacity-constrained periods, thus extending overall device duration.
3Reliability
If extra hardware is added to preserve data integrity at end-of-life, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The existing measurement unit and control unit are made to serve dual purposes: they not only perform measurements but also monitor cell capacity and automatically adjust operational parameters to preserve data integrity throughout the cell's service life. This self-service approach eliminates the need for additional hardware while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit is given multiple functions: it manages the measurement unit's operations, monitors cell capacity, determines appropriate operating modes, and adjusts measurement frequency. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate hardware components to preserve data integrity, thereby reducing device complexity and manufacturing cost while improving reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing a communicating meter supplied by cell, for measuring consumption of a fluid, the meter including a measurement unit. The meter has three operating modes: a nominal operating mode wherein the measurement unit makes measurements at a predetermined nominal frequency, a degraded operating mode wherein the measurement unit makes measurements at a predetermined degraded frequency lower than the nominal, and a minimum operating mode wherein the measurement unit makes measurements at the predetermined degraded frequency, and a control unit of the meter performs the following steps: making an estimation of the remaining capacity of the meter battery; requesting that the meter passes from the nominal to the degraded operating mode when the estimation is below or equal to a first threshold; and requesting that the meter passes from the degraded to the minimum operating mode when the estimation is below or equal to a second threshold.