CA1185660A - System for monitoring utility usage - Google Patents
System for monitoring utility usageInfo
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- CA1185660A CA1185660A CA000374651A CA374651A CA1185660A CA 1185660 A CA1185660 A CA 1185660A CA 000374651 A CA000374651 A CA 000374651A CA 374651 A CA374651 A CA 374651A CA 1185660 A CA1185660 A CA 1185660A
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Abstract
SYSTEM FOR MONITORING UTILITY USAGE
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Electronic circuitry monitors the electrical energy consumption of a system and displays the current cost of the energy usage. The projected monthly billing cost is calculated at the current rate of consumption, and an alarm signal and control output are generated if the projected cost is higher than a budget amount. Energy consumption is sensed optically at the electric meter and a proportional number of high frequency pulses are added to the household electrical network. These pulses are remotely sensed at any point within the household electrical network and are fed to a microprocessor for counting and conversion to cost parameters.
Clock pulses are also directed to the microprocessor for calculating the billing period and for displaying time parameters. A keyboard enables initializing and modifying the cost and time parameters in the microprocessor.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Electronic circuitry monitors the electrical energy consumption of a system and displays the current cost of the energy usage. The projected monthly billing cost is calculated at the current rate of consumption, and an alarm signal and control output are generated if the projected cost is higher than a budget amount. Energy consumption is sensed optically at the electric meter and a proportional number of high frequency pulses are added to the household electrical network. These pulses are remotely sensed at any point within the household electrical network and are fed to a microprocessor for counting and conversion to cost parameters.
Clock pulses are also directed to the microprocessor for calculating the billing period and for displaying time parameters. A keyboard enables initializing and modifying the cost and time parameters in the microprocessor.
Description
5~
B CKGRO~ND O~' THE :[NVENTION
This invention is concerned with a utili-ty monitor-ing circuitry and more particularly with electronic circuitry for measuring the amount of energy consumed by a system, "
displaying the cost of the energy and controlling and moni-toring the cost aaainst a predetermined standard.
In the last few years, dramatic increases in the price of natural gas and oil have resulted in sharp rises in the cost of electricity for consumer use. Various incentives and programs have been pursued by state and federal govern-ments and other insti-tutions for the purpose of eliminatinc the waste of energy and developing more efficient energy sources. The consuming public, especially homeowners and industrial users of electrical energy, have become increas-ingly conscientious of the need for energy conservation.
In spite of the foregoing de~elopments, it has been difficult lf not impossible for a consumer of electrical energy to readily and continually monitor the amount of energy he is using. The cost of consumed energy is normally '0 not made available to the user until a monthly statement is ~g received, some time after the electrical energy has been consumed and the charges have been incurred. This delay can be especially damaging during periods of high power consumption or in situations where power consuming appliances or apparatus are inadvertently left running f,or long periods of time.
It is possible for a consumer to manually monitor his electrical energy consumption through periodic readings of his electric meter and to then calculate the charges, but this procedure is difficult and cumbersome and is therefore not practical. Moreover, present systems do not provide for feedback control to reduce, moderate or shut down the electrical power input when the maximum desired energy usage has been reached.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF TE~E INVENTION
In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising means for ~optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk : 20 within an electr:ic meter and for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of electrical energy usage; means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate; microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of electrical energy usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected electrical energy usage for said predetermined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected utility usage exceeding said predetermined amount of electrical energy usage; and keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided for generating and displaying to the consumer the cost of a utility such as electrical energy being used, and for controlling the amount of the utility consumed over a given period of time. The system includes an optical sensor circuit for detecting the rate of utility flow being consumed and for generating a digital pulse 5tream representative of the rate of utility usage. A
counter circuit accumulates the pulse stream and provides a display signal representative of the current energy usage.
-3a~
' A ,clock generator circuit provides a digital pulse stream 'representative o~ real time which is accumulated by a time ; counter circuit and also displayed by the display unit. A
~calculator circuit responsive to the energy usage count ancl ~the time count generates a projected swn representative`of the expected utility usage over a predetermined pexiod of ,time based on the current usage. A comparator circuit ,generates a control signal in response to the projec-ted '~amount being greater than a predetermined amount. This control slgnal is'used to provide an alarm to the user or to ,modify the rate of utility usage.
In a more'speci~ic embodiment of the presen~
invention, optical electronic circultry is provided for I l,,monitoring the amount of electrical energy consumed by ~, ,~ 'system through an electric meter during a given period of , time. The'rotation o~ the rotating disk within an electric ~meter is optically sensed and utilized to control a hi~gh ~ frequency pulse generator which modulates the household ; ~electrical network. These high,frequency modulation pulses ~are remotely sensed at any point within the household elec-trical system and transformed to a pulsed digital signal.
A microprocessor is utilized to process the digital signals ~including accumulating and counting the number of pulse 'diglta1 signals over a given period of time. A display unit 'is provided to display the pulse count in numerical Eorm ; ,during the time period.
~, , , .. . .... ... . ,, ,, _ _,, , _ , In yet another embodiment, the microprocessor ,mentioned above is utilized to count the rate of energy usage, convert the energy usage to a corresponding dollar 'cost, calculate the expected energy cost over a predetermined 'period of time, compare the projected cost to a maximum~
desired cost and generate a control signal if the projected ;cost i5 higher than desired.
The above invention has a number of advantages ~or , the energy consumer. The monitoring system provides up to l'date informatlon to the consumer regarding his energy usage.
Data concerning cumulative energy costs are generated and continually displayed. Projected costs over a given ~illing period are provided to the user at any time during the billing period so that the amount of energy consumptionlcan be modified immediately to correspond with a desired budget amount. Feedback control means can be used to automatically modify the energy consumption during the billing perio'd.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~E D~AWINGS
A more complete understanding of the invention may 'be had by referring to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:
FIGURE la is a schema-tic diagram of an electronic ~circuit ~or modulating the household electrical system with a high frequency pulse corresponding to the optically detected 'output of an electric meter;
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. _ ., . _ .. . , . . . .... ,._ . _.. _._ ,._.. ____~____.__._. _.. _ .. _.. ____.__~___"" ,,~__,___~____, ...... .
6g3 , FIGURE lb is a diagrammatic view of the circuitry of FIGURE la installed completely within a standard electric meter;
' FIGURE lc is a block diagram of the electrical.
,energy monitoring system embodying the present invention`;
FIGURE 2 is a more detailed block diagram of the invention shown in FIGURE lc utilizing a microprocessor;
. FIGURE 3 is a circui.t diagram of the sensing and Idata pulse generating units of FIGURE 2;
" FIGURE 4 is a circuit diagram of the time pulse and interrupt pulse generating circuitry of the system shown in FIGURE 2; and FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are flow chart diagrams de-scriblng the operation of the system shown in FIGURE 2.1 ' ' .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to Fi.gure la, there is depicted a : i schematic diagram of the high frequency modulation circuitry of the present invention. Preferably, the supply voltage for the circuitry shown in Figure la is provided by utilizing ~a power supply coupled to household electric meter 3. Thus, transformer Tl and -the associated filter and rectification circuitry are effectively utili~ed to provide operating voltage to pins 4-and 3 or oscillator 2~ Oscillator 2 is, .in a preferred embodiment, an integrated circuit osci.llator, such as tle Signetics 555 timer.
, ~
.~
, Oscillator 2 is calibrated, utilizing resistors and a capacitor, in the manner well known in the art, to provide high frequency oscilla-tion when enabled. Pin 5 of ; 06cillator 2 is utilized to periodically enable oscillator
B CKGRO~ND O~' THE :[NVENTION
This invention is concerned with a utili-ty monitor-ing circuitry and more particularly with electronic circuitry for measuring the amount of energy consumed by a system, "
displaying the cost of the energy and controlling and moni-toring the cost aaainst a predetermined standard.
In the last few years, dramatic increases in the price of natural gas and oil have resulted in sharp rises in the cost of electricity for consumer use. Various incentives and programs have been pursued by state and federal govern-ments and other insti-tutions for the purpose of eliminatinc the waste of energy and developing more efficient energy sources. The consuming public, especially homeowners and industrial users of electrical energy, have become increas-ingly conscientious of the need for energy conservation.
In spite of the foregoing de~elopments, it has been difficult lf not impossible for a consumer of electrical energy to readily and continually monitor the amount of energy he is using. The cost of consumed energy is normally '0 not made available to the user until a monthly statement is ~g received, some time after the electrical energy has been consumed and the charges have been incurred. This delay can be especially damaging during periods of high power consumption or in situations where power consuming appliances or apparatus are inadvertently left running f,or long periods of time.
It is possible for a consumer to manually monitor his electrical energy consumption through periodic readings of his electric meter and to then calculate the charges, but this procedure is difficult and cumbersome and is therefore not practical. Moreover, present systems do not provide for feedback control to reduce, moderate or shut down the electrical power input when the maximum desired energy usage has been reached.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF TE~E INVENTION
In accordance with an aspect of the invention there is provided electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising means for ~optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk : 20 within an electr:ic meter and for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of electrical energy usage; means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate; microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of electrical energy usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected electrical energy usage for said predetermined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected utility usage exceeding said predetermined amount of electrical energy usage; and keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a system is provided for generating and displaying to the consumer the cost of a utility such as electrical energy being used, and for controlling the amount of the utility consumed over a given period of time. The system includes an optical sensor circuit for detecting the rate of utility flow being consumed and for generating a digital pulse 5tream representative of the rate of utility usage. A
counter circuit accumulates the pulse stream and provides a display signal representative of the current energy usage.
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' A ,clock generator circuit provides a digital pulse stream 'representative o~ real time which is accumulated by a time ; counter circuit and also displayed by the display unit. A
~calculator circuit responsive to the energy usage count ancl ~the time count generates a projected swn representative`of the expected utility usage over a predetermined pexiod of ,time based on the current usage. A comparator circuit ,generates a control signal in response to the projec-ted '~amount being greater than a predetermined amount. This control slgnal is'used to provide an alarm to the user or to ,modify the rate of utility usage.
In a more'speci~ic embodiment of the presen~
invention, optical electronic circultry is provided for I l,,monitoring the amount of electrical energy consumed by ~, ,~ 'system through an electric meter during a given period of , time. The'rotation o~ the rotating disk within an electric ~meter is optically sensed and utilized to control a hi~gh ~ frequency pulse generator which modulates the household ; ~electrical network. These high,frequency modulation pulses ~are remotely sensed at any point within the household elec-trical system and transformed to a pulsed digital signal.
A microprocessor is utilized to process the digital signals ~including accumulating and counting the number of pulse 'diglta1 signals over a given period of time. A display unit 'is provided to display the pulse count in numerical Eorm ; ,during the time period.
~, , , .. . .... ... . ,, ,, _ _,, , _ , In yet another embodiment, the microprocessor ,mentioned above is utilized to count the rate of energy usage, convert the energy usage to a corresponding dollar 'cost, calculate the expected energy cost over a predetermined 'period of time, compare the projected cost to a maximum~
desired cost and generate a control signal if the projected ;cost i5 higher than desired.
The above invention has a number of advantages ~or , the energy consumer. The monitoring system provides up to l'date informatlon to the consumer regarding his energy usage.
Data concerning cumulative energy costs are generated and continually displayed. Projected costs over a given ~illing period are provided to the user at any time during the billing period so that the amount of energy consumptionlcan be modified immediately to correspond with a desired budget amount. Feedback control means can be used to automatically modify the energy consumption during the billing perio'd.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~E D~AWINGS
A more complete understanding of the invention may 'be had by referring to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:
FIGURE la is a schema-tic diagram of an electronic ~circuit ~or modulating the household electrical system with a high frequency pulse corresponding to the optically detected 'output of an electric meter;
.', i !
. _ ., . _ .. . , . . . .... ,._ . _.. _._ ,._.. ____~____.__._. _.. _ .. _.. ____.__~___"" ,,~__,___~____, ...... .
6g3 , FIGURE lb is a diagrammatic view of the circuitry of FIGURE la installed completely within a standard electric meter;
' FIGURE lc is a block diagram of the electrical.
,energy monitoring system embodying the present invention`;
FIGURE 2 is a more detailed block diagram of the invention shown in FIGURE lc utilizing a microprocessor;
. FIGURE 3 is a circui.t diagram of the sensing and Idata pulse generating units of FIGURE 2;
" FIGURE 4 is a circuit diagram of the time pulse and interrupt pulse generating circuitry of the system shown in FIGURE 2; and FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are flow chart diagrams de-scriblng the operation of the system shown in FIGURE 2.1 ' ' .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to Fi.gure la, there is depicted a : i schematic diagram of the high frequency modulation circuitry of the present invention. Preferably, the supply voltage for the circuitry shown in Figure la is provided by utilizing ~a power supply coupled to household electric meter 3. Thus, transformer Tl and -the associated filter and rectification circuitry are effectively utili~ed to provide operating voltage to pins 4-and 3 or oscillator 2~ Oscillator 2 is, .in a preferred embodiment, an integrated circuit osci.llator, such as tle Signetics 555 timer.
, ~
.~
, Oscillator 2 is calibrated, utilizing resistors and a capacitor, in the manner well known in the art, to provide high frequency oscilla-tion when enabled. Pin 5 of ; 06cillator 2 is utilized to periodically enable oscillator
2. The control signa]. applied to pin 5 is generated util-izing a light detecting device (not shown) in conjunction with the rotating member of electric meter 3 (also not shown~.
I The output of oscillator 2 is applied to the , household electrical s~stem through transformer T2, and thus, the household electrical system may be selectively modulated with a high frequency pulse. Of course, t~e - frequency of the generated pulse may be selected as a matter of design choice and will allow selective tunin~ of adjacent systems.
With reference now to Figure lb, there is depicted a diagrammatic view of electric meter 3, including printed , circuit board 4, upon which are mounted the components ~ depicted in Figure la. Electric meter 3 includes a rotating disk 5 mounted on a shaft 6. At a point on the circum-ference of rotating disk 5 is a black section 7. Black section 7 is the calibration mark typically placed upon each rotating disk during the manufacturing process.
In addition to the components depicted in Figure la, printed circuit board 4 also includes a light emitting/
detecting device 8. Light emitting~detecting device ~ is ut~lized, in one embodiment of the present invention, to ':~
. ~ ', de,tect each revolution of rotating disk 5. The light emitted by light emitting/detecting device 8 wil' be reflected from the surface of rotating disk 5 at all points along the circumference of rotating disk 5, except in the vicinity,of ;black section 7. Therefore, it is a simple matter to dètect each revolution of rotating disk 5 by monitoring the output of the detecting circuit of light emitting/detecting device ,-8. In the disclosed embodiment o* the present invention, ~the light detecting side of light emit-ting/detecting device 8 is utilized to control oscillator 2 (See Figure la) and thereby specify the time length of high frequency pulses which will modulate the household electrical system.
Referring now to Figure lc, a block diagram of the electrical energy monitoring system 10 of the present i~vention is shown. Preferably~ pulse detection/conditioner circuit 40 is connected to any power receptacle 14 within the household electrical system. ~ounter circuit 17 counts the inco~ing pulses on line 16 over a given period of time and generates ,signals indicative of the cost of the electrical power being used. These signals are continually fed on line 18 to a display unit 19 which decodes the signals and displays them ' 'in a dollar and cents format.
The pulses are also directed on line 20 to colmters ~,within alarm unit 21. If the counted pulse signals exceed a - desired amount within a predetermined period of timel an alarm signal is generated by the alarm counters to warn the user of the excessive cost being incurred. At the same .
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time, a control signal is directed by a line 22 to a control circuit 23 which can shut down or modify incoming power to a selected appliance 13. Circuit 23 may be any type of conven-tional control circuit, including a simple swi-tch unit. At the end of the desired period of time, a reset circuit Z4 zeros the counters of alarm unit 21 to begin a new period.
The counters of counter circuit 17 may be reset at the same ~time.
l A real-time clock generator circuit 25 provides a ~clock pulse on to a time counter circuit 26, which maintains a calendar and the time of day. This time information is periodically displayed by way oE line 27 on display u~it 19.
i' A next bill projection circuit 28 receives the accumulated cost data from counter circuit 17 on line 2g and the accumulated time and calendar data from circuit 26 on line 30. This data is processed to calculate the expected power bill to be received at the end of a hilling peribd.
This projected billing amount is compared to a stored figure representing the maximum budget amount desired by the consumer.
In the event that the projected billing amount exceeds the budget amount, an alarm signal is output on line 32 to alarm unit 21, initiating alarm and feedback control operations.
The bil~ projection amount may also be displayed at the discretion of the user by display unit 19 by way of line 35.
Circuit 28 also includes storage space for storing one or more of the last months' bills to be recalled and displayed by the user.
, .. . .. . . ~ .... .. ... _~_ ____.___ __. _ I Referring now to Figure 2, one preferred embodiment .; I
of system 10 of -the present invention is shown which utilizes a conventional microprocessor unit -to perform several of the 1' ~unctions of the circuitry diagramed in Figure lC. In this embodiment, counter circui~s 1~ and 26, next bill projection circuit 28, reset circuit 24 and alarm unit 21 are all replaced by the microprocessor 50 of the Figure 2 system.
As shown in U.S. Patent 4,147,978, signals indicative of electrical energy usage may be induced by electromagne-tic sensors clamped around transformer legs in the input of a ,two-phase or three-phase system or such signals may be ,optically generated from the electric meter as depict~ed in i the illustrated embodiment. , The high fre~uency pulses present on the houslehold electrical supply are coupled out from receptacle 14 through pulse detection/conditioner circuit 40, which detects -the high frequency pulses present on the household electriF
supply and generates a data signal.' The resultant data signal is input on line 45 to the microprocessor which will be described in greater detail below.
- ~, The clock inpu-ts to the microprocessor 50 are j~initiated by the clock generator 25 which 'comprises a clock . ~ .
`generator 51, a pulse conditioner 52 and first and second ,multivibrators 53 and 54. Clock generator 51 provides a standard fullwave rectified 120 cycle per second output ~signal CLK. This signal is fed to pulse conditioner 52 ,which provides a digitally pulsed signal T1 to the interrupt 1.
input terminal.49 of microprocessor 50. Pulse condition`er 52 also receives a clock input signal from clock output terminal 51 of mi.croprocessor 50.
; In order to control the microprocessor in the ,levent of a power failure, a FAIL signal output is directed from pulse conditioner 52 to the inputs of multivibrators 53 and 5~. Multivibrator 53 provides a first output interrupt ~signal Il which combines with Tl to provide a T2 time signal input at lnterrupt terminal 49 or microprocessor 50. A
second output signal I2 from multivibrator 53 is communicated ~to a power-down reset input terminal 55 of mlcroprocessor 50. Signal Il alerts microprocessor 50 of imminent power failure so that further processi.ng can be terminated.
Multivibrator 54 provides a single output signal I3 alolng line 66 to a power-up reset input terminal 56 of micro-~: ~processor 50.
., ; I The control input to microprocessor 50 is prlovided ,mainly by keyboard matrix unit 70. Manual control data isprovided directly along multiple line input bus 72 to.input :terminals 74 of microprocessor 50. Aclditional keyboard control and data input is fed along bus 76 and is multi-: ,plexed along bus 80 to multiple input terminals 82 of micro-processor 50. 5elected data is also fed for display along bus 84 to a display unit 86. Processed data from micro-processor 50 is output from output terminals 88 along bus 90 to a buffer 92 for selective display by display unit 85 by ~way of bus 94.
The microprocessor unit 50 of Figl1re 2 is preferably a ho. 8048 unit manufactured by In-tel Company of Santa Clara, CaliEornia. This microprocessor unit is especially satisfactory for this application because it has both a programmed read-only memory with the required control functions therein and also a random access memory facilitating data storage and retrieval.
Display unit 86 is preferably a BCD-to-seven segmen-t unit, model TIL 833 made by Texas Instrum~nts, ln Dallas, Texas. Buffer 78 is preferably a power buffer multiplexer comprising a parallel bank of conventional inverter units. Similarly, buffer 92 includes a parallel ~bank of inverter units each being ln series with a conven-tional buffer driver circuit providing high power output to .
~drive the anodes of the display.
Referring now to Figure 3, the circuitry of pulse ~detection/conditioner circuit 40 is shown in greater detail.
The high frequency pulses present on the household electric supply are coupled out from receptacle 14 through transformer ~T3. Transformer T3 includes high pass filter capaci-tors and ~effectively eliminates much of the sixty cycle component of household electricity. Operational amplifie~ 108 is utilized as a high pass filter and quickly saturates when a high frequency pulse is present on the household electrical supply. The output of operational amplifier 108 is applied -to the input of amplifier 120. ~mplifier 120 then provides a data signal, the frequency of which is proportional to the amount of energy utilization.
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~ -12-.. _ .. . . _.. ,,~_,_ _ The data signal output from ampliEier 120 is directed through a pulse conditioner circuit 131 -to provide the DATA signal to the main data input terminal 48 oE micro-processor 50. The pulse conditioner circuitry 131 comprises a transistor 132 having a gate input from amplifier 120~
through resistor 134. The gate input is biased by a plus twelve voltage fed through a bias resistor 136. The gate output is biased by a plus five voltage through a bias resistor l138 and leads directly to the data terminal input 48 of micro-processor 50.
- As an alternative to the circuitry of Figure 3, the input sensing pulses may be provided directly by a :j _ conventional power meter having an alternative pulse initi-ating circuit, made for example by General Electric or ~Westinghouse. The output of said pulse initiating circuit may be connected directly to node 135 and would require only the pulse conditioning of circuit 131 before being directed to the microprocessor 50.
~ Referring now to Figure 4, the circuitry of pulse conditioner 52, multivibrator 53 and multivabrator 54 are shown in greater detail. The real time clock input CLK is fed through a variable resistor 160 and a fixed resistor 162 ~to one input of exclusive OR gate 164. The input of gate 164 is connected through a diode 166 to a plus five voltage ;supply. The other input of gate 164 is connected to ground.
The output of gate 164 feeds to one input of another exclu-sive OR gate 170 having a second input connected to ground.
The output of gate 170 feeds to one input of another exclusive ' ' , 6~3 ~OR gate 172, the other input being provided by the clock output terminal 51 of m:icroprocessor 50. The output of gate 170 also feeds back through a resistor 171 to the ungrounded input of gate 164.
;, The output of gate 172 feeds through an inverter 174 to the interrupt input terminal 49 of microprocessor 50.
The output of gate 172 also provides the FAII, signal to multivibrator units 53 and 54 to indicate a power failure.
Multivibrator unit 53 ls comprised of an OR gate '180 having the FAIL signal as one input and the other input grounded. The output of OR gate lS0 feeds to a flip-flop circuit 182 powered by a plus five voltage supply. The timing terminals of flip-flop 182 are connected to the plus five voltage supply through a resistor 184 and a capacitor 186. The output signal 12 of flip-flop 182 is directed along output line :L88 to power-down reset input terminal 55 1~
of microprocessor 50. Signal 12 is also directed to an ; !inverter 190 having an output bias by a plus five voltage supply through a resistor 192. The output signal 11 of inverter 190 is connected to the interrupt input terminal 49 of microprocessor 50.
Multivibrator 54 is comprised of an OR gate 194 , with the FAIL signal as one input and the other input grounded.
~The output of gate 194 leads to the input of a flip-flop unit 196 powered and timed in the same manner as flip-flop unit 182. The output of unit 196 is directed to the gate of a transistor 200 through a resistor l9S. The collector of .
, ' ; ~
transistor 200 is connected through a resistor 202 to a~
output line 189 which is biased by a plus five voltage suppl~ through a resistor 20~. Output line 189 is isolated jby a capacitor 206 and provides the 13 signal to the power-up reset input terminal 5~ o:E microprocessor 50.
Referring now to Figures 5, 6 and 7, the ~low charts therein describe the operation of the present system.
In particular, the flow charts show the processes occurring in the microprocessor 50 to provide the desired outputs. It ~ is un~erstood that these operational steps could alternately be provided by hardwired circuitry with the same result as .described hereinafter. The main process of the microprocessor 'unit is shown in Figure 5. Figures 6 and 7 show interrupt :processes which run simultaneously with the main program and .,which affect the main program, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
Referring to Figure 5, the microprocessor param-eters are fir.st reset by reset signal 13 ~Fi.gure 2) and the .Iprogram is started. The parameters are initialized and the input/output ports are open. Preferably, the following parameters are manually keyed into the microprocessor memory:
TIME, indicating the current time oE day, D~TE, indicating .the current calendar day, YEAR, indicating the current year, ~ATE, indicating the current cost of energy, BILL DAT~, that is the date on whlch a bill for energy usage is generated, ~DAYS, giving the number of days in the current month, and BUDGET, the maxim ml cost to be incurred for energy usage 61~
during the present billing period. A BILL parameter ind'i-cating current energy usage during the billing period begins at zero and accumulates as described hereinafter.
The next step is to perform a -test to determine whether the TIME UPDATE flag is 0 or 1. If the flag is~0, the program moves on to the next set of sequences. If it is ' 1, the TIME parame-ter is incremented by one minute and is ~sampled to determine whether the day has ended. If not, the system moves on to the next set of sequences. If the end of the day has been reached, the DATE parameter is incremented by one day and the NEXT BILL parameter is computed. Thi's computation is made by projecting the cost oE energy usage ~; over the remainder of the billing period (in this case one ~month) based on the current amount used for the current period of time elapsed. The equation used herein is as follows:
NEXT BILL = BILL x DAYS
DATE - BILL DATE
A comparison is then made hetween the NEXT BILL
parameter'and the BUDGET parameter. If NEXT BILL is greatex than BUDGET the ALARM flag is set. A check is then made to determine whether the DATE parameter is e~ual to the BILL
DATE parameter. If so, it is the end of the month and the ; ' BILL parameter is stored as the LAST BILL parameter and BILL
is reset to 0. If it is the end'of the month, the MONTH
parameter is incremented by one. A test is also made to 'determine whether it is the end of the year and if so the YEAR parameter is incremented as well.
~8~60 The next sequence involves updating the current B~LL parameter. A test is made to determine whether the BILL l.lPDATE flag has been set. If so, this means that one watt-hour of electrici-ty has been used and the cost of that wa-tt-hour is computed and added to the BILL parameter. ~The next step is to determine whether a COMMAND INPUT flag has been set by keyboard activity. If not, the sequence returns to the start. If so, a test is made to determine whether the KEY PRE~SED flag is set and if not, the sequence is returned to start. If -the key has been pressed on the keyboard, the new command input is processed into the micro-processor system. The system then returns -to start and !
proceeds again.
Referring to Figure 6, the clock interrupt process is shown. Preferably, the clock slgnal is comprised of a ! I
120 cycle signal which is continually fed into the micro-processor. Each t:ime a clock pulse T2 (Figure 2) is received a MINUTE counter is incremented and a test is made -to deter-mine whether one minute has elapsed. If so, the TIMF UPDATE
~flag is set and the MINUTE counter is reset. As previously seen in Figure 5, the TIME UPDATE flag initiates a change in the TIME parameter which also lnvolves a BILL parameter update if the end of the day has been reached.
Looking back at Figure 6, the display is multi-~plexed to alternately display both time and current bill ~automatically at five second intervals. The next step is to determine whether the keyboard key has been pressed. If so, .
and if the COMMAND flag is active, the KEY PRESSED flag is set and the process returns to start. If the set key on the keyboard has ~een depressed, then the COMMAND 1ag is activated and the process returns to start. Finally, if the display key has been depressed on the keyboard, the DI~PLAY SELECTED
~flag is set and the process returns to start.
If a keyboard key has not been pressed, the system moves on to the automatic display multiplexing se~uence. A
TIME/BILL timer is incremented each :Eive seconds to alternate ~a display of the TIME parameter and the BILL parameter. If Il .
the current display is the BILL parameter and the ALARM flag has been set, then the display will blink on and off rapidly to warn the user of over extended energy usage.
Looking now a-t Figure 7, a brief bill update ,~ J
interrupt process is shown. This sequence consists entirely of a counting operation performed to reach one kilowatt hour of energy cost. In the present system, this is achievled each 256 DATA pulses received from the power sensing cir-Icuitry as shown in Figure 2. At the end of the pulse count, the BILL UPDATE flag is set and the route beqins countinaagain. As can be seen from Figure 5, if the BILL UPDATE
flag is set, this means that one watt hour of electricity ;has been used and the bill is updated by computing that watt hour by the current rate divided by 1,000 and then by adding that amount to the current bill.
The only other interrupt routine of the present system is a manually generated interrupt when the keyboard , is used. The keyboard interrup-t signals are input along lines 72 and 76 which sets the KEY PRESSED flag.
Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, it is understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can~be ~made therein without departing ~rom the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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I The output of oscillator 2 is applied to the , household electrical s~stem through transformer T2, and thus, the household electrical system may be selectively modulated with a high frequency pulse. Of course, t~e - frequency of the generated pulse may be selected as a matter of design choice and will allow selective tunin~ of adjacent systems.
With reference now to Figure lb, there is depicted a diagrammatic view of electric meter 3, including printed , circuit board 4, upon which are mounted the components ~ depicted in Figure la. Electric meter 3 includes a rotating disk 5 mounted on a shaft 6. At a point on the circum-ference of rotating disk 5 is a black section 7. Black section 7 is the calibration mark typically placed upon each rotating disk during the manufacturing process.
In addition to the components depicted in Figure la, printed circuit board 4 also includes a light emitting/
detecting device 8. Light emitting~detecting device ~ is ut~lized, in one embodiment of the present invention, to ':~
. ~ ', de,tect each revolution of rotating disk 5. The light emitted by light emitting/detecting device 8 wil' be reflected from the surface of rotating disk 5 at all points along the circumference of rotating disk 5, except in the vicinity,of ;black section 7. Therefore, it is a simple matter to dètect each revolution of rotating disk 5 by monitoring the output of the detecting circuit of light emitting/detecting device ,-8. In the disclosed embodiment o* the present invention, ~the light detecting side of light emit-ting/detecting device 8 is utilized to control oscillator 2 (See Figure la) and thereby specify the time length of high frequency pulses which will modulate the household electrical system.
Referring now to Figure lc, a block diagram of the electrical energy monitoring system 10 of the present i~vention is shown. Preferably~ pulse detection/conditioner circuit 40 is connected to any power receptacle 14 within the household electrical system. ~ounter circuit 17 counts the inco~ing pulses on line 16 over a given period of time and generates ,signals indicative of the cost of the electrical power being used. These signals are continually fed on line 18 to a display unit 19 which decodes the signals and displays them ' 'in a dollar and cents format.
The pulses are also directed on line 20 to colmters ~,within alarm unit 21. If the counted pulse signals exceed a - desired amount within a predetermined period of timel an alarm signal is generated by the alarm counters to warn the user of the excessive cost being incurred. At the same .
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time, a control signal is directed by a line 22 to a control circuit 23 which can shut down or modify incoming power to a selected appliance 13. Circuit 23 may be any type of conven-tional control circuit, including a simple swi-tch unit. At the end of the desired period of time, a reset circuit Z4 zeros the counters of alarm unit 21 to begin a new period.
The counters of counter circuit 17 may be reset at the same ~time.
l A real-time clock generator circuit 25 provides a ~clock pulse on to a time counter circuit 26, which maintains a calendar and the time of day. This time information is periodically displayed by way oE line 27 on display u~it 19.
i' A next bill projection circuit 28 receives the accumulated cost data from counter circuit 17 on line 2g and the accumulated time and calendar data from circuit 26 on line 30. This data is processed to calculate the expected power bill to be received at the end of a hilling peribd.
This projected billing amount is compared to a stored figure representing the maximum budget amount desired by the consumer.
In the event that the projected billing amount exceeds the budget amount, an alarm signal is output on line 32 to alarm unit 21, initiating alarm and feedback control operations.
The bil~ projection amount may also be displayed at the discretion of the user by display unit 19 by way of line 35.
Circuit 28 also includes storage space for storing one or more of the last months' bills to be recalled and displayed by the user.
, .. . .. . . ~ .... .. ... _~_ ____.___ __. _ I Referring now to Figure 2, one preferred embodiment .; I
of system 10 of -the present invention is shown which utilizes a conventional microprocessor unit -to perform several of the 1' ~unctions of the circuitry diagramed in Figure lC. In this embodiment, counter circui~s 1~ and 26, next bill projection circuit 28, reset circuit 24 and alarm unit 21 are all replaced by the microprocessor 50 of the Figure 2 system.
As shown in U.S. Patent 4,147,978, signals indicative of electrical energy usage may be induced by electromagne-tic sensors clamped around transformer legs in the input of a ,two-phase or three-phase system or such signals may be ,optically generated from the electric meter as depict~ed in i the illustrated embodiment. , The high fre~uency pulses present on the houslehold electrical supply are coupled out from receptacle 14 through pulse detection/conditioner circuit 40, which detects -the high frequency pulses present on the household electriF
supply and generates a data signal.' The resultant data signal is input on line 45 to the microprocessor which will be described in greater detail below.
- ~, The clock inpu-ts to the microprocessor 50 are j~initiated by the clock generator 25 which 'comprises a clock . ~ .
`generator 51, a pulse conditioner 52 and first and second ,multivibrators 53 and 54. Clock generator 51 provides a standard fullwave rectified 120 cycle per second output ~signal CLK. This signal is fed to pulse conditioner 52 ,which provides a digitally pulsed signal T1 to the interrupt 1.
input terminal.49 of microprocessor 50. Pulse condition`er 52 also receives a clock input signal from clock output terminal 51 of mi.croprocessor 50.
; In order to control the microprocessor in the ,levent of a power failure, a FAIL signal output is directed from pulse conditioner 52 to the inputs of multivibrators 53 and 5~. Multivibrator 53 provides a first output interrupt ~signal Il which combines with Tl to provide a T2 time signal input at lnterrupt terminal 49 or microprocessor 50. A
second output signal I2 from multivibrator 53 is communicated ~to a power-down reset input terminal 55 of mlcroprocessor 50. Signal Il alerts microprocessor 50 of imminent power failure so that further processi.ng can be terminated.
Multivibrator 54 provides a single output signal I3 alolng line 66 to a power-up reset input terminal 56 of micro-~: ~processor 50.
., ; I The control input to microprocessor 50 is prlovided ,mainly by keyboard matrix unit 70. Manual control data isprovided directly along multiple line input bus 72 to.input :terminals 74 of microprocessor 50. Aclditional keyboard control and data input is fed along bus 76 and is multi-: ,plexed along bus 80 to multiple input terminals 82 of micro-processor 50. 5elected data is also fed for display along bus 84 to a display unit 86. Processed data from micro-processor 50 is output from output terminals 88 along bus 90 to a buffer 92 for selective display by display unit 85 by ~way of bus 94.
The microprocessor unit 50 of Figl1re 2 is preferably a ho. 8048 unit manufactured by In-tel Company of Santa Clara, CaliEornia. This microprocessor unit is especially satisfactory for this application because it has both a programmed read-only memory with the required control functions therein and also a random access memory facilitating data storage and retrieval.
Display unit 86 is preferably a BCD-to-seven segmen-t unit, model TIL 833 made by Texas Instrum~nts, ln Dallas, Texas. Buffer 78 is preferably a power buffer multiplexer comprising a parallel bank of conventional inverter units. Similarly, buffer 92 includes a parallel ~bank of inverter units each being ln series with a conven-tional buffer driver circuit providing high power output to .
~drive the anodes of the display.
Referring now to Figure 3, the circuitry of pulse ~detection/conditioner circuit 40 is shown in greater detail.
The high frequency pulses present on the household electric supply are coupled out from receptacle 14 through transformer ~T3. Transformer T3 includes high pass filter capaci-tors and ~effectively eliminates much of the sixty cycle component of household electricity. Operational amplifie~ 108 is utilized as a high pass filter and quickly saturates when a high frequency pulse is present on the household electrical supply. The output of operational amplifier 108 is applied -to the input of amplifier 120. ~mplifier 120 then provides a data signal, the frequency of which is proportional to the amount of energy utilization.
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~ -12-.. _ .. . . _.. ,,~_,_ _ The data signal output from ampliEier 120 is directed through a pulse conditioner circuit 131 -to provide the DATA signal to the main data input terminal 48 oE micro-processor 50. The pulse conditioner circuitry 131 comprises a transistor 132 having a gate input from amplifier 120~
through resistor 134. The gate input is biased by a plus twelve voltage fed through a bias resistor 136. The gate output is biased by a plus five voltage through a bias resistor l138 and leads directly to the data terminal input 48 of micro-processor 50.
- As an alternative to the circuitry of Figure 3, the input sensing pulses may be provided directly by a :j _ conventional power meter having an alternative pulse initi-ating circuit, made for example by General Electric or ~Westinghouse. The output of said pulse initiating circuit may be connected directly to node 135 and would require only the pulse conditioning of circuit 131 before being directed to the microprocessor 50.
~ Referring now to Figure 4, the circuitry of pulse conditioner 52, multivibrator 53 and multivabrator 54 are shown in greater detail. The real time clock input CLK is fed through a variable resistor 160 and a fixed resistor 162 ~to one input of exclusive OR gate 164. The input of gate 164 is connected through a diode 166 to a plus five voltage ;supply. The other input of gate 164 is connected to ground.
The output of gate 164 feeds to one input of another exclu-sive OR gate 170 having a second input connected to ground.
The output of gate 170 feeds to one input of another exclusive ' ' , 6~3 ~OR gate 172, the other input being provided by the clock output terminal 51 of m:icroprocessor 50. The output of gate 170 also feeds back through a resistor 171 to the ungrounded input of gate 164.
;, The output of gate 172 feeds through an inverter 174 to the interrupt input terminal 49 of microprocessor 50.
The output of gate 172 also provides the FAII, signal to multivibrator units 53 and 54 to indicate a power failure.
Multivibrator unit 53 ls comprised of an OR gate '180 having the FAIL signal as one input and the other input grounded. The output of OR gate lS0 feeds to a flip-flop circuit 182 powered by a plus five voltage supply. The timing terminals of flip-flop 182 are connected to the plus five voltage supply through a resistor 184 and a capacitor 186. The output signal 12 of flip-flop 182 is directed along output line :L88 to power-down reset input terminal 55 1~
of microprocessor 50. Signal 12 is also directed to an ; !inverter 190 having an output bias by a plus five voltage supply through a resistor 192. The output signal 11 of inverter 190 is connected to the interrupt input terminal 49 of microprocessor 50.
Multivibrator 54 is comprised of an OR gate 194 , with the FAIL signal as one input and the other input grounded.
~The output of gate 194 leads to the input of a flip-flop unit 196 powered and timed in the same manner as flip-flop unit 182. The output of unit 196 is directed to the gate of a transistor 200 through a resistor l9S. The collector of .
, ' ; ~
transistor 200 is connected through a resistor 202 to a~
output line 189 which is biased by a plus five voltage suppl~ through a resistor 20~. Output line 189 is isolated jby a capacitor 206 and provides the 13 signal to the power-up reset input terminal 5~ o:E microprocessor 50.
Referring now to Figures 5, 6 and 7, the ~low charts therein describe the operation of the present system.
In particular, the flow charts show the processes occurring in the microprocessor 50 to provide the desired outputs. It ~ is un~erstood that these operational steps could alternately be provided by hardwired circuitry with the same result as .described hereinafter. The main process of the microprocessor 'unit is shown in Figure 5. Figures 6 and 7 show interrupt :processes which run simultaneously with the main program and .,which affect the main program, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.
Referring to Figure 5, the microprocessor param-eters are fir.st reset by reset signal 13 ~Fi.gure 2) and the .Iprogram is started. The parameters are initialized and the input/output ports are open. Preferably, the following parameters are manually keyed into the microprocessor memory:
TIME, indicating the current time oE day, D~TE, indicating .the current calendar day, YEAR, indicating the current year, ~ATE, indicating the current cost of energy, BILL DAT~, that is the date on whlch a bill for energy usage is generated, ~DAYS, giving the number of days in the current month, and BUDGET, the maxim ml cost to be incurred for energy usage 61~
during the present billing period. A BILL parameter ind'i-cating current energy usage during the billing period begins at zero and accumulates as described hereinafter.
The next step is to perform a -test to determine whether the TIME UPDATE flag is 0 or 1. If the flag is~0, the program moves on to the next set of sequences. If it is ' 1, the TIME parame-ter is incremented by one minute and is ~sampled to determine whether the day has ended. If not, the system moves on to the next set of sequences. If the end of the day has been reached, the DATE parameter is incremented by one day and the NEXT BILL parameter is computed. Thi's computation is made by projecting the cost oE energy usage ~; over the remainder of the billing period (in this case one ~month) based on the current amount used for the current period of time elapsed. The equation used herein is as follows:
NEXT BILL = BILL x DAYS
DATE - BILL DATE
A comparison is then made hetween the NEXT BILL
parameter'and the BUDGET parameter. If NEXT BILL is greatex than BUDGET the ALARM flag is set. A check is then made to determine whether the DATE parameter is e~ual to the BILL
DATE parameter. If so, it is the end of the month and the ; ' BILL parameter is stored as the LAST BILL parameter and BILL
is reset to 0. If it is the end'of the month, the MONTH
parameter is incremented by one. A test is also made to 'determine whether it is the end of the year and if so the YEAR parameter is incremented as well.
~8~60 The next sequence involves updating the current B~LL parameter. A test is made to determine whether the BILL l.lPDATE flag has been set. If so, this means that one watt-hour of electrici-ty has been used and the cost of that wa-tt-hour is computed and added to the BILL parameter. ~The next step is to determine whether a COMMAND INPUT flag has been set by keyboard activity. If not, the sequence returns to the start. If so, a test is made to determine whether the KEY PRE~SED flag is set and if not, the sequence is returned to start. If -the key has been pressed on the keyboard, the new command input is processed into the micro-processor system. The system then returns -to start and !
proceeds again.
Referring to Figure 6, the clock interrupt process is shown. Preferably, the clock slgnal is comprised of a ! I
120 cycle signal which is continually fed into the micro-processor. Each t:ime a clock pulse T2 (Figure 2) is received a MINUTE counter is incremented and a test is made -to deter-mine whether one minute has elapsed. If so, the TIMF UPDATE
~flag is set and the MINUTE counter is reset. As previously seen in Figure 5, the TIME UPDATE flag initiates a change in the TIME parameter which also lnvolves a BILL parameter update if the end of the day has been reached.
Looking back at Figure 6, the display is multi-~plexed to alternately display both time and current bill ~automatically at five second intervals. The next step is to determine whether the keyboard key has been pressed. If so, .
and if the COMMAND flag is active, the KEY PRESSED flag is set and the process returns to start. If the set key on the keyboard has ~een depressed, then the COMMAND 1ag is activated and the process returns to start. Finally, if the display key has been depressed on the keyboard, the DI~PLAY SELECTED
~flag is set and the process returns to start.
If a keyboard key has not been pressed, the system moves on to the automatic display multiplexing se~uence. A
TIME/BILL timer is incremented each :Eive seconds to alternate ~a display of the TIME parameter and the BILL parameter. If Il .
the current display is the BILL parameter and the ALARM flag has been set, then the display will blink on and off rapidly to warn the user of over extended energy usage.
Looking now a-t Figure 7, a brief bill update ,~ J
interrupt process is shown. This sequence consists entirely of a counting operation performed to reach one kilowatt hour of energy cost. In the present system, this is achievled each 256 DATA pulses received from the power sensing cir-Icuitry as shown in Figure 2. At the end of the pulse count, the BILL UPDATE flag is set and the route beqins countinaagain. As can be seen from Figure 5, if the BILL UPDATE
flag is set, this means that one watt hour of electricity ;has been used and the bill is updated by computing that watt hour by the current rate divided by 1,000 and then by adding that amount to the current bill.
The only other interrupt routine of the present system is a manually generated interrupt when the keyboard , is used. The keyboard interrup-t signals are input along lines 72 and 76 which sets the KEY PRESSED flag.
Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail, it is understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can~be ~made therein without departing ~rom the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising:
pulse means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating a data digital pulse signal at a frequency representative of the rate of usage of electrical energy;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of accumulated usage of electrical energy for said time period;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating an accumulated signal representative of the current amount of accumulated electrical energy usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
calculator means responsive to said first signal, said time signal and said accumulated signal for generating a projected signal repre-sentative of the projected amount of accumulated electrical energy usage of said system for said predetermined time period; and comparator means responsive to said projected signal and said second signal for generating a control signal in response to said projected signal being greater than said second signal.
2. Electrical circuitry according to Claim 1 wherein said pulse means includes a light emitting diode and a light detecting device in proximity to said rotating disk.
3. Electrical circuitry according to Claim 1 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means, calculator means and comparator means comprise microprocessor means having a program storage unit, a data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
4. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of cost for usage of electrical energy comprising:
pulse means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating a data digital pulse signal at a frequency representative of the rate of usage of electrical energy;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of accumulated cost of electrical energy for said time period;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating an accumulated signal representative of the current accumulated electrical energy usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
calculator means responsive to said first signal, said time signal and said accumulated signal for generating a projected signal repre-sentative of the projected amount of accumulated cost of electrical energy for said predetermined time period; and comparator means responsive to said projected signal and said second signal for generating a control signal in response to said projected signal being greater than said second signal.
5. The electrical circuitry according to Claim 4 and further comprising display means for displaying said accumulated signal in numerical form to indicate said current cost.
6. The electrical circuitry according to Claim 5 wherein said display means alternately displays the time signal and the accumulated signal in numerical form.
7. The electrical circuitry according to Claim 5 wherein said display means optionally displays said projected signal in numerical form to indicate projected cost.
8. The electrical circuitry according to Claim 4 and further comprising second storage means for storing a signal representative of accumulated electrical energy usage for a previous said time period.
I 9. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising:
means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a pre-determined time period and a second signal repre-sentative of a predetermined amount of electrical energy usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected electrical energy usage for said pre-determined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected utility usage exceeding said predetermined amount of electrical energy usage; and keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals.
10. The electrical circuitry of Claim 9 and further comprising control means responsive to said control signal for modifying the amount of usage of said utility.
11. The electrical circuitry of Claim 9 and further comprising alarm means for generating an alerting signal to the user in response to said control signal.
12. The electrical circuitry of Claim 9 and further comprising display means for numerically displaying the accumulated electrical energy usage of said system.
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' 13. The electrical circuitry of Claim 9 wherein said calculating means comprises means for determining the cost of said projected electrical energy usage.
, 14. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of electrical energy consumed by an electrical system, comprising:
means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating digital pulses at a frequency representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
first means for counting said digital pulses and for generating a sum signal representative of the cumulative amount of electrical energy used over a predetermined time period;
clock means for generating real time clock signal pulses;
second means for counting said clock signal pulses and for generating day signals and time signals representative of the calendar day and time of clay;
storage means for storing a signal repre-sentative of the billing period and a signal representative of the maximum desired electrical energy usage during said billing period;
calculator means in communication with said storage means and said first and second counting means for generating signals representative of the present rate of electrical energy usage and the projected amount of electrical energy usage for said billing period;
comparator means for comparing the signal representative of the projected amount of elec-trical energy usage for said billing period to the signal representative of said maximum desired electrical energy usage; and means for generating an alarm signal in response to said signal representative of the projected amount of electrical energy usage being greater than said signal representative of said maximum desired electrical energy usage.
15. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the cost of electrical energy consumed by an electrical system, comprising:
means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating digital pulses at a frequency representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
first means for counting said digital pulses and for generating a sum signal representative of the cumulative cost of electrical energy used over a predetermined time period;
clock means for generating real time clock signal pulses;
second means for counting said clock signal pulses and for generating day signals and time signals representative of the calendar day and the time of day;
storage means for storing a signal repre-sentative of the billing period and a signal representative of the maximum desired electrical energy cost during said billing period;
calculator means in communication with said storage means and said first and second counting means for generating signals representative of the present rate of the electrical energy cost and the projected amount of electrical energy cost for said billing period;
comparator means for comparing the signal representative of the projected amount of elec-trical energy cost for said billing period to the signal representative of said maximum desired electrical energy cost; and means for generating an alarm signal in response to said signal representative of the projected amount of electrical energy cost being greater than said signal representative of said maximum desired electrical energy cost.
16. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy, comprising:
pulse generator for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for providing a data digital pulse signal at a frequency representative of the rate of usage of electrical energy;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating a usage signal representative of the current amount of accumulated electrical energy usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
storage means for storing a time period signal representative of a predetermined time period, and for storing said usage signal and said time signal;
calculator means responsive to said time period signal, said time signal and said usage signal for generating a projected signal repre-sentative of the projected amount of accumulated electrical energy usage of said system for said predetermined time period, and display means in communication with said calculator means for displaying said projected signal.
17. The electrical circuitry of Claim 16 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means and calculator means comprise a microprocessor having a program storage unit, a data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
, 18. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the cost of usage of electrical energy, comprising:
pulse generator for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for providing a data digital pulse signal at a frequency representative of the rate of usage of electrical energy;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating a cost repre-sentative of the current cost of accumulated electrical energy usage;
second counting means responsive to said!
clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
storage means for storing a time period signal representative of a predetermined time period, and for storing said cost signal and said time signal;
calculator means responsive to said time period signal, said time signal and said cost signal for generating a projected signal repre-sentative of the projected amount of accumulated electrical energy cost of said system for said predetermined time period; and display means in communication with said calculator means for displaying said projected signal.
19. The electrical circuitry of Claim 18 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means and calculator means comprise a microprocessor having a program storage unit and data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
, 20. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising:
first means for optically sensing each revolution of a disk within an electric meter and for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
second generating means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period;
counting means responsive to the first and second pulse trains for counting the first and second pulse trains;
calculating means responsive to the storage means and the counting means for generating a projection signal representative of the projected electrical energy usage for said predetermined time period; and means for displaying said projection signal to indicate the projected amount of electrical energy during said predetermined time period.
, 21. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising:
means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a pre-determined time period and a second signal repre-sentative of a predetermined amount of electrical energy usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected electrical energy usage for said pre-determined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected electrical energy usage exceeding said predeter-mined amount of electrical energy;
keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals; and control means responsive to said control signal for modifying the amount of usage of electrical energy.
22. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of a utility, comprising:
pulse means for generating a data digital pulse signal having a frequency representative of the rate of usage of said utility;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of accumulated usage of said utility for said time period;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating an accumulated signal representative of the current amount of accumulated utility usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
calculator means responsive to said first signal, said time signal and said accumulated signal for generating a projected signal representative of the projected amount of accumulated utility usage of said system for said predetermined time period;
and comparator means responsive to said projected signal and said second signal for generating a control signal in response to said projected signal being greater than said second signal.
23. The circuitry of Claim 22 wherein said pulse means comprises means for sensing the flow of said utility, means for generating a signal representative of said flow, and means for generating said data digital pulse signal in response to said signal.
24. The circuitry of Claim 22 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means, calculator means and comparator means comprise microprocessor means having a program storage unit, a data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
25. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of cost for usage of a utility, comprising:
pulse means for generating a data digital pulse signal having a frequency representative of the rate of usage of said utility;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time, storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of accumulated cost of said utility for said time period;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating an accumulated signal representative of the current accumulated utility usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
calculator means responsive to said first signal, said time signal and said accumulated signal for generating a projected signal representative of the projected amount of accumulated utility cost of said system for said predetermined time period; and comparator means responsive to said projected signal and said second signal for generating a control signal in response to said projected signal being greater than said second signal.
26. The circuitry of Claim 25 and further comprising display means for displaying said accumulated signal in numerical form to indicate said current cost.
27. The circuitry of Claim 26 wherein said display means alternately displays the time signal and the accumulated signal in numerical form.
28. The circuitry of Claim 26 wherein said display means optionally displays said projected signal in numerical form to indicate projected cost.
29. The circuitry of Claim 25 and further comprising second storage means for storing a signal representative of accumulated utility usage for a previous said time period.
30. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of a utility comprising:
means for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of utility usage;
means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of utility usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected utility usage for said predetermined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected utility usage exceeding said predetermined amount of utility usage; and keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals.
31. The circuitry of Claim 30 and further comprising control means responsive to said control signal for modifying the amount of usage of said utility.
32. The circuitry of Claim 30 and further comprising alarm means for generating an alerting signal to the user in response to said control signal.
33. The circuitry of Claim 30 and further comprising display means for numerically displaying the accumulated utility usage.
34. The circuitry of Claim 30 wherein said calculating means comprises means for determining the cost of said projected utility usage.
35. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of electrical energy consumed by an electrical system, comprising:
means for sensing the flow of electrical power in the input of said system and generating digital pulses having a frequency representative of the amplitude of said power flow;
first means for counting said digital pulses and for generating a sum signal representative of the cumulative amount of energy used over a predetermined time period;
clock means for generating real time clock signal pulses;
second means for counting said clock signal pulses and for generating day signals and time signals representative of the calendar day and the time of day;
storage means for storing a signal representative of the billing period and a signal representative of the maximum desired energy usage during said billing period:
calculator means in communication with said storage means and said first and second counting means for generating signals representative of the present rate of the energy usage and the projected amount of energy usage for said billing period;
comparator means for comparing the signal representative of the projected amount of energy usage for said billing period to the signal representative of said maximum desired energy usage; and means for generating an alarm signal in response to said signal representative of the projected amount of energy usage being greater than said signal representative of said maximum desired energy usage.
36. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the cost of electrical energy consumed by an electrical system, comprising:
means for sensing the flow of electrical power in the input of said system and generating digital pulses having a frequency representative of the amplitude of said power flow;
first means for counting said digital pulses and for generating a sum signal representative of the cumulative cost of energy used over a predetermined time period.
clock means for generating real time clock signal pulses;
, second means for counting said clock signal pulses and for generating day signals and time signals representative of the calendar day and the time of day;
storage means for storing a signal representative of the billing period and a signal representative of the maximum desired energy cost during said billing period;
calculator means in communication with said storage means and said first and second counting means for generating signals representative of the present rate of the energy cost and the projected amount of energy cost for said billing period;
comparator means for comparing the signal representative of the projected amount of energy cost for said billing period to the signal representative of said maximum desired energy cost;
and means for generating an alarm signal in response to said signal representative of the projected amount of energy cost being greater than said signal representative of said maximum desired energy cost.
37. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of a utility on a utility line, said line having a pulse generator for providing a data digital pulse signal with a frequency representative of the rate of usage of said utility comprising:
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse representative of real time;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating a usage signal representative of the current amount of accumulated utility usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
storage means for storing a time period signal representative of a predetermined time period, and for storing said usage signal and said time signal;
calculator means responsive to said time period signal, said time signal and said usage signal for generating a projected signal representative of the projected amount of accumulated utility usage of said system for said predetermined time period;
and display means in communication with said calculator means for displaying said projected signal.
38. The circuitry of Claim 37 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means and calculator means comprise a microprocessor having a program storage unit, a data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
39. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the cost of usage of a utility on a utility line, said line having a pulse generator for providing a data digital pulse signal with a frequency representative of the rate of usage of said utility, comprising;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating a cost representative of the current cost of accumulated utility usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
storage means for storing a time period signal repre-sentative of a predetermined time period, and for storing said cost signal and said time signal;
calculator means responsive to said time period signal, said time signal and said cost signal for generating a projected signal representative of the projected amount of accumulated utility cost of said signal for said predetermined time period;
and display means in communication with said calculator means for displaying said projected signal.
-46- .
40. The circuitry of Claim 39 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means and calculator means comprise a microprocessor having a program storage unit and data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
41. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of a utility comprising;
first generating means for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of utility usage;
second generating means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period;
counting means responsive to the first and second pulse trains for counting the first and second pulse trains;
calculating means responsive to the storage means and the counting means for generating a projection signal representative of the projected utility usage for said pre-determined time period; and means for displaying said projection signal to indicate the projected amount of utility usage during said predetermined time period.
42. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of a utility comprising;
means for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of utility usage;
means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of utility usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected utility usage for said predetermined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected utility usage exceeding said predetermined amount of utility usage;
keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals; and control means responsive to said control signal for modifying the amount of usage of said utility.
1. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising:
pulse means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating a data digital pulse signal at a frequency representative of the rate of usage of electrical energy;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of accumulated usage of electrical energy for said time period;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating an accumulated signal representative of the current amount of accumulated electrical energy usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
calculator means responsive to said first signal, said time signal and said accumulated signal for generating a projected signal repre-sentative of the projected amount of accumulated electrical energy usage of said system for said predetermined time period; and comparator means responsive to said projected signal and said second signal for generating a control signal in response to said projected signal being greater than said second signal.
2. Electrical circuitry according to Claim 1 wherein said pulse means includes a light emitting diode and a light detecting device in proximity to said rotating disk.
3. Electrical circuitry according to Claim 1 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means, calculator means and comparator means comprise microprocessor means having a program storage unit, a data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
4. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of cost for usage of electrical energy comprising:
pulse means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating a data digital pulse signal at a frequency representative of the rate of usage of electrical energy;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of accumulated cost of electrical energy for said time period;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating an accumulated signal representative of the current accumulated electrical energy usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
calculator means responsive to said first signal, said time signal and said accumulated signal for generating a projected signal repre-sentative of the projected amount of accumulated cost of electrical energy for said predetermined time period; and comparator means responsive to said projected signal and said second signal for generating a control signal in response to said projected signal being greater than said second signal.
5. The electrical circuitry according to Claim 4 and further comprising display means for displaying said accumulated signal in numerical form to indicate said current cost.
6. The electrical circuitry according to Claim 5 wherein said display means alternately displays the time signal and the accumulated signal in numerical form.
7. The electrical circuitry according to Claim 5 wherein said display means optionally displays said projected signal in numerical form to indicate projected cost.
8. The electrical circuitry according to Claim 4 and further comprising second storage means for storing a signal representative of accumulated electrical energy usage for a previous said time period.
I 9. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising:
means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a pre-determined time period and a second signal repre-sentative of a predetermined amount of electrical energy usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected electrical energy usage for said pre-determined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected utility usage exceeding said predetermined amount of electrical energy usage; and keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals.
10. The electrical circuitry of Claim 9 and further comprising control means responsive to said control signal for modifying the amount of usage of said utility.
11. The electrical circuitry of Claim 9 and further comprising alarm means for generating an alerting signal to the user in response to said control signal.
12. The electrical circuitry of Claim 9 and further comprising display means for numerically displaying the accumulated electrical energy usage of said system.
. .
' 13. The electrical circuitry of Claim 9 wherein said calculating means comprises means for determining the cost of said projected electrical energy usage.
, 14. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of electrical energy consumed by an electrical system, comprising:
means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating digital pulses at a frequency representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
first means for counting said digital pulses and for generating a sum signal representative of the cumulative amount of electrical energy used over a predetermined time period;
clock means for generating real time clock signal pulses;
second means for counting said clock signal pulses and for generating day signals and time signals representative of the calendar day and time of clay;
storage means for storing a signal repre-sentative of the billing period and a signal representative of the maximum desired electrical energy usage during said billing period;
calculator means in communication with said storage means and said first and second counting means for generating signals representative of the present rate of electrical energy usage and the projected amount of electrical energy usage for said billing period;
comparator means for comparing the signal representative of the projected amount of elec-trical energy usage for said billing period to the signal representative of said maximum desired electrical energy usage; and means for generating an alarm signal in response to said signal representative of the projected amount of electrical energy usage being greater than said signal representative of said maximum desired electrical energy usage.
15. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the cost of electrical energy consumed by an electrical system, comprising:
means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating digital pulses at a frequency representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
first means for counting said digital pulses and for generating a sum signal representative of the cumulative cost of electrical energy used over a predetermined time period;
clock means for generating real time clock signal pulses;
second means for counting said clock signal pulses and for generating day signals and time signals representative of the calendar day and the time of day;
storage means for storing a signal repre-sentative of the billing period and a signal representative of the maximum desired electrical energy cost during said billing period;
calculator means in communication with said storage means and said first and second counting means for generating signals representative of the present rate of the electrical energy cost and the projected amount of electrical energy cost for said billing period;
comparator means for comparing the signal representative of the projected amount of elec-trical energy cost for said billing period to the signal representative of said maximum desired electrical energy cost; and means for generating an alarm signal in response to said signal representative of the projected amount of electrical energy cost being greater than said signal representative of said maximum desired electrical energy cost.
16. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy, comprising:
pulse generator for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for providing a data digital pulse signal at a frequency representative of the rate of usage of electrical energy;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating a usage signal representative of the current amount of accumulated electrical energy usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
storage means for storing a time period signal representative of a predetermined time period, and for storing said usage signal and said time signal;
calculator means responsive to said time period signal, said time signal and said usage signal for generating a projected signal repre-sentative of the projected amount of accumulated electrical energy usage of said system for said predetermined time period, and display means in communication with said calculator means for displaying said projected signal.
17. The electrical circuitry of Claim 16 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means and calculator means comprise a microprocessor having a program storage unit, a data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
, 18. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the cost of usage of electrical energy, comprising:
pulse generator for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for providing a data digital pulse signal at a frequency representative of the rate of usage of electrical energy;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating a cost repre-sentative of the current cost of accumulated electrical energy usage;
second counting means responsive to said!
clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
storage means for storing a time period signal representative of a predetermined time period, and for storing said cost signal and said time signal;
calculator means responsive to said time period signal, said time signal and said cost signal for generating a projected signal repre-sentative of the projected amount of accumulated electrical energy cost of said system for said predetermined time period; and display means in communication with said calculator means for displaying said projected signal.
19. The electrical circuitry of Claim 18 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means and calculator means comprise a microprocessor having a program storage unit and data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
, 20. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising:
first means for optically sensing each revolution of a disk within an electric meter and for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
second generating means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period;
counting means responsive to the first and second pulse trains for counting the first and second pulse trains;
calculating means responsive to the storage means and the counting means for generating a projection signal representative of the projected electrical energy usage for said predetermined time period; and means for displaying said projection signal to indicate the projected amount of electrical energy during said predetermined time period.
, 21. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of electrical energy comprising:
means for optically sensing each revolution of a rotating disk within an electric meter and for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of electrical energy usage;
means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a pre-determined time period and a second signal repre-sentative of a predetermined amount of electrical energy usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected electrical energy usage for said pre-determined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected electrical energy usage exceeding said predeter-mined amount of electrical energy;
keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals; and control means responsive to said control signal for modifying the amount of usage of electrical energy.
22. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of a utility, comprising:
pulse means for generating a data digital pulse signal having a frequency representative of the rate of usage of said utility;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of accumulated usage of said utility for said time period;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating an accumulated signal representative of the current amount of accumulated utility usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
calculator means responsive to said first signal, said time signal and said accumulated signal for generating a projected signal representative of the projected amount of accumulated utility usage of said system for said predetermined time period;
and comparator means responsive to said projected signal and said second signal for generating a control signal in response to said projected signal being greater than said second signal.
23. The circuitry of Claim 22 wherein said pulse means comprises means for sensing the flow of said utility, means for generating a signal representative of said flow, and means for generating said data digital pulse signal in response to said signal.
24. The circuitry of Claim 22 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means, calculator means and comparator means comprise microprocessor means having a program storage unit, a data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
25. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of cost for usage of a utility, comprising:
pulse means for generating a data digital pulse signal having a frequency representative of the rate of usage of said utility;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time, storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of accumulated cost of said utility for said time period;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating an accumulated signal representative of the current accumulated utility usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
calculator means responsive to said first signal, said time signal and said accumulated signal for generating a projected signal representative of the projected amount of accumulated utility cost of said system for said predetermined time period; and comparator means responsive to said projected signal and said second signal for generating a control signal in response to said projected signal being greater than said second signal.
26. The circuitry of Claim 25 and further comprising display means for displaying said accumulated signal in numerical form to indicate said current cost.
27. The circuitry of Claim 26 wherein said display means alternately displays the time signal and the accumulated signal in numerical form.
28. The circuitry of Claim 26 wherein said display means optionally displays said projected signal in numerical form to indicate projected cost.
29. The circuitry of Claim 25 and further comprising second storage means for storing a signal representative of accumulated utility usage for a previous said time period.
30. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of a utility comprising:
means for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of utility usage;
means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of utility usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected utility usage for said predetermined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected utility usage exceeding said predetermined amount of utility usage; and keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals.
31. The circuitry of Claim 30 and further comprising control means responsive to said control signal for modifying the amount of usage of said utility.
32. The circuitry of Claim 30 and further comprising alarm means for generating an alerting signal to the user in response to said control signal.
33. The circuitry of Claim 30 and further comprising display means for numerically displaying the accumulated utility usage.
34. The circuitry of Claim 30 wherein said calculating means comprises means for determining the cost of said projected utility usage.
35. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of electrical energy consumed by an electrical system, comprising:
means for sensing the flow of electrical power in the input of said system and generating digital pulses having a frequency representative of the amplitude of said power flow;
first means for counting said digital pulses and for generating a sum signal representative of the cumulative amount of energy used over a predetermined time period;
clock means for generating real time clock signal pulses;
second means for counting said clock signal pulses and for generating day signals and time signals representative of the calendar day and the time of day;
storage means for storing a signal representative of the billing period and a signal representative of the maximum desired energy usage during said billing period:
calculator means in communication with said storage means and said first and second counting means for generating signals representative of the present rate of the energy usage and the projected amount of energy usage for said billing period;
comparator means for comparing the signal representative of the projected amount of energy usage for said billing period to the signal representative of said maximum desired energy usage; and means for generating an alarm signal in response to said signal representative of the projected amount of energy usage being greater than said signal representative of said maximum desired energy usage.
36. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the cost of electrical energy consumed by an electrical system, comprising:
means for sensing the flow of electrical power in the input of said system and generating digital pulses having a frequency representative of the amplitude of said power flow;
first means for counting said digital pulses and for generating a sum signal representative of the cumulative cost of energy used over a predetermined time period.
clock means for generating real time clock signal pulses;
, second means for counting said clock signal pulses and for generating day signals and time signals representative of the calendar day and the time of day;
storage means for storing a signal representative of the billing period and a signal representative of the maximum desired energy cost during said billing period;
calculator means in communication with said storage means and said first and second counting means for generating signals representative of the present rate of the energy cost and the projected amount of energy cost for said billing period;
comparator means for comparing the signal representative of the projected amount of energy cost for said billing period to the signal representative of said maximum desired energy cost;
and means for generating an alarm signal in response to said signal representative of the projected amount of energy cost being greater than said signal representative of said maximum desired energy cost.
37. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of a utility on a utility line, said line having a pulse generator for providing a data digital pulse signal with a frequency representative of the rate of usage of said utility comprising:
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse representative of real time;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating a usage signal representative of the current amount of accumulated utility usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
storage means for storing a time period signal representative of a predetermined time period, and for storing said usage signal and said time signal;
calculator means responsive to said time period signal, said time signal and said usage signal for generating a projected signal representative of the projected amount of accumulated utility usage of said system for said predetermined time period;
and display means in communication with said calculator means for displaying said projected signal.
38. The circuitry of Claim 37 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means and calculator means comprise a microprocessor having a program storage unit, a data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
39. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the cost of usage of a utility on a utility line, said line having a pulse generator for providing a data digital pulse signal with a frequency representative of the rate of usage of said utility, comprising;
clock means for generating a clock digital pulse signal representative of real time;
first counting means responsive to said data digital pulse signal for generating a cost representative of the current cost of accumulated utility usage;
second counting means responsive to said clock digital pulse signal for generating a time signal representative of the current expired time;
storage means for storing a time period signal repre-sentative of a predetermined time period, and for storing said cost signal and said time signal;
calculator means responsive to said time period signal, said time signal and said cost signal for generating a projected signal representative of the projected amount of accumulated utility cost of said signal for said predetermined time period;
and display means in communication with said calculator means for displaying said projected signal.
-46- .
40. The circuitry of Claim 39 wherein said storage means, first and second counting means and calculator means comprise a microprocessor having a program storage unit and data storage unit and an accumulator unit.
41. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of a utility comprising;
first generating means for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of utility usage;
second generating means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
storage means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period;
counting means responsive to the first and second pulse trains for counting the first and second pulse trains;
calculating means responsive to the storage means and the counting means for generating a projection signal representative of the projected utility usage for said pre-determined time period; and means for displaying said projection signal to indicate the projected amount of utility usage during said predetermined time period.
42. Electrical circuitry for monitoring the amount of usage of a utility comprising;
means for generating a first pulse train representative of the rate of utility usage;
means for generating a second pulse train representative of the real time rate;
microprocessor means, including means for storing a first signal representative of a predetermined time period and a second signal representative of a predetermined amount of utility usage, means for counting the first and second pulse trains, means for calculating the projected utility usage for said predetermined time period and means for generating a control signal in response to said projected utility usage exceeding said predetermined amount of utility usage;
keyboard means for inputting said first and second signals; and control means responsive to said control signal for modifying the amount of usage of said utility.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000374651A CA1185660A (en) | 1981-04-03 | 1981-04-03 | System for monitoring utility usage |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000374651A CA1185660A (en) | 1981-04-03 | 1981-04-03 | System for monitoring utility usage |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1185660A true CA1185660A (en) | 1985-04-16 |
Family
ID=4119638
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000374651A Expired CA1185660A (en) | 1981-04-03 | 1981-04-03 | System for monitoring utility usage |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1185660A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN113345292A (en) * | 2021-06-28 | 2021-09-03 | 广东电网有限责任公司 | Electric energy metering training device and control method thereof |
-
1981
- 1981-04-03 CA CA000374651A patent/CA1185660A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN113345292A (en) * | 2021-06-28 | 2021-09-03 | 广东电网有限责任公司 | Electric energy metering training device and control method thereof |
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