Smart Power Supply for Gas Meter Battery Life Extension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing metrology hardware, such as gas meters, face challenges in extending battery life and managing power supply issues effectively, leading to potential disruptions and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a 'smart' power supply into metrology hardware, which enables data exchange with the device's electronics, allowing for diagnostics, alerts, and scheduled maintenance to optimize power usage and extend battery life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a traditional battery power supply is used in metrology hardware, then the device can operate autonomously, but the battery life is limited and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The smart power supply performs preliminary diagnostics and monitoring of battery status, predicting remaining life and scheduling maintenance before battery failure occurs. This prevents disruptions and allows planned maintenance during non-critical periods, reducing emergency maintenance costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors battery parameters (voltage, current, temperature, charge cycles) and provides feedback to optimize power consumption. The electronics unit adjusts its operation based on battery status information, extending battery life while maintaining measurement accuracy.
2Reliability
If a smart power supply with data exchange capability is integrated, then diagnostics and maintenance optimization are enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The smart power supply performs multiple functions: power delivery, battery monitoring, diagnostics, and communication. This multi-functionality is achieved through integrated circuitry that combines power management with microcontroller-based monitoring and communication capabilities, adding reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The power supply circuitry and monitoring/diagnostic functions are merged into a single integrated unit. The electronics unit that communicates with the meter also handles power management tasks, consolidating functions rather than adding separate independent systems.
3Duration of action of moving object
If continuous monitoring and diagnostics are performed, then battery life extension is achieved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The smart power supply performs monitoring and diagnostics at periodic intervals rather than continuously. Battery parameters are sampled at optimized frequencies that provide sufficient data for life prediction while minimizing power consumption during monitoring operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing operational power of the meter to perform monitoring and diagnostics, rather than requiring separate power sources. The electronics unit that is already powered for meter operation also handles the additional monitoring tasks, and the system optimizes its own power consumption based on battery status.
Data Source
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AI summary
A power supply 100 is configured with "smart" technology compatible with functionality on metrology hardware 102, like gas meters. This technology enables functions on the power supply 100 to retain and generate data. The data may characterize discharge of an energy source 114, like batteries 148, that is resident on the power supply 100. Other data may indicate charge levels that are commensurate with ambient storage and use conditions, for example, to identify effects of "self-discharge" that may occur on the power supply 100 after manufacture but before use on the gas meter 102. In one implementation, the gas meter 102 may process the data from the power supply 100 to track connection (and disconnection) of the power supply 100, set life expectancy of the power supply 100, and manage maintenance on the device as necessary to pre-empt issues that may occur at the end-of-usable life for the power supply 100, among other favorable functions.