A HEAT METER AND A SYSTEM COMPRISING SUCH METERS FOR SEPARATE,AUTOMATIC REGISTRATION OF HEAT COMSUMPTION

Abstract: A heat meter (1) for registration of heat consumption on the basis of a temperature measured is provided which with a view to obtaining direct recording and/or display of the consumption is arranged as a unit which at least comprises temperature measuring means (20, 21), a time generator (23), an arithmetic unit (22) and a programmable store (25) which is adapted to store at least the registered heat consumption. The arithmetic unit (22) is adapted to receive information from said parts sufficient for it to compute a direct index of the heat consumption, e.g. stated in kWh. A system for separate registration of the heat consumption of a plurality of heat emitting elements, such as radiators, for automatic, specified calculation of the total heat consumption of several heat emitting elements comprises a heat meter (1) of the above-mentioned type mounted in connection with each of the heat emitting elements and comprises a portable data accumulator (14), which is adapted to be temporarily connected to these heat meters (1) in succession to transmit the heat consumption recorded in each heat meter (1) to a store (34) in the data accumulator (14). The data accumulator (14) also comprises coding means (31, 32, 33) to read data into the store (25) of a heat meter (1).

Description: A heat meter and a system comprising such meters for separate, automatic registration of heat consumption The invention relates to a heat meter of the type that is adapted to be mounted in connection with a heat emitting element and which at least comprises a power supply, temperature detector means and an amplifier to generate an electric signal which is proportional to the temperatures of the element. Such meters can typically be used in blocks of dwellings where the individual dwelling is heated by one or more radiators supplied with heat from a district heating plant or a central boiler unit. Each radiator will be provided with a heat meter capable of registering the heat consumption, which forms the basis of the calculation of the heat bill chargeable on each dwelling. Until now heat distribution meters, of the evaporator type have been most used, and it is a relatively new thing to construct a heat distribution meter as a purely electric means, as is known from the German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2363489. The latter prior art comprises an electric temperature sensor mounted on each radiator, the output signal from each temperature sensor being transmitted to a central location through an extensive transmission network. The central location includes electric circuits which are adapted to calculate the heat consumption of each dwelling. However, the heat consumption calculated by this prior art is not specified, and e.g. it cannot be ascertained which radiator of the dwelling has had the largest consumption. W h the increasing heating costs it is very important to a heat consumer to know how the heat coπs -oticn is distributed on the individual radiators to enable him to decide whether and where he should invest in energy saving measures. The object of the invention is to provide a heat distribution meter of the type mentioned which specifies the heat consumption of each radiator and which is not vitiated by the known drawbacks of evaporator meters, such as reading errors and the subsequent conversion of a read value to heat consumption which cannot be made by the individual consumer himself. This object is achieved in that the heat meter is con¬ structed as stated i the characterizing portion of claim 1. The time generator involves integration of the heat consumption, which is currently updated by means of the computator circuit which is dependent upon the temperature measured and the parameters with respect to the heat emission capacity of the element which are contained in the data store. Since the data store is programmable, a universal heat meter can be manufactured which upon mounting on a given heat emitting element can be programmed in accordance with the physical characteristics of precisely that element. The read-out means mentioned may comprise a digit display for the display of the heat consumption. By providing the heat meter with the features stated in claim 2 registration of heat consumption, e.g. caused by incident sunlight, can be avoided. Preferably, the data store includes a plurality of store cells for re¬ cording the heat consumption in predetermined periods. For example, 12 store cells might be provided to record the consumption of their respective onrhs, recording being only effected in the months comprised by a heating season. Another object of the invention is to provide a system for separate registration of the heat consumption from a plurality of heat emitting elements with a view to automatic, specified calculation of the total heat consumption of several heat emitting elements, e.g. in a dwelling. This object is achieved by the system defined in the characterizing portion of claim 4, which presupposes the use of the ' heat meter as defined in any of the claims 1 to 3. The heat meter must be adapted to be able to co¬ operate with the data accumulator to provide for trans¬ mission of information from a large number of heat meters to the accumulator, whose store contents can subsequently be recorded by a general data system which can automati- cally make out an invoice of the heat consumption on the basis of the information received. The latter information typically includes the number of a heat emitting element, its measured heat consumption and information about the user's name and address, which are stored in the data store of the heat meter. In a preferred embodiment the system is arranged as defined in claim 5 so that the data accumulator can also be used for reading data into the heat meter, and this input may comprise resetting of the store cell which contains the accumulated heat consumption, or is used in connection with e.g. change of owners or changes in the heat emitting capacity of the respective element. In connection with the provision for selective data transport between the heat meter and the data accumulator, it is moreover advantageous to provide means for protecting certain store cells, as is stated in claim 6. / The interconnection of the heat meter and the data accumulator can e.g. be performed in that at least a part of the heat meter, which contains its data store, is removable from the heat emitting element, while the data accumulator is adapted to receive this removable part while providing a connection for transmission of data. When the meter is to be read, this can be done by briefly applying the removable part of a plurality of heat meters and successively introducing them in the data accumulator, to thereby provide for a rapid and human error-proof reading. The invention will be explained more fully by the following description of an embodiment with reference to the drawing, in which fig. 1 is a front and side view of an embodiment of the heat meter of the invention, fig. 2 is a front and sectional view of the heat meter of fig. 1 mounted in a holder on a heat emitting element, fig. 3 shows a radiator provided with the parts shown in figs. 1 and 2, fig. 4 shows the same as fig. 3, but with the heat meter temporarily removed from the holder for cooperation with a portable data accumulator, while fig. 5 schematically shows a block diagram of a heat meter operatively connected to a data accumulator. The embodiment shown in fig. 1 of the heat meter (1) of the invention comprises a digit display (2), a temperature sensitive means (5), such as a thermistor, electronic circuits (6) driven by a source of energy (7) in the form of a battery or accumulator, and electric connector terminals (8), which together with the above-mentioned components will be described later. The heat meter shown in fig. 1 may be adapted to be fitted in a holder, which is shown partly from the front and partly in section in fig. 2. The holder comprises a rear plate (10) and a front plate (11), which may be locked to the rear plate (10) e.g. by means of a seal (12), so that only an authorized person has direct access to the heat meter. The meter assembly (4) shown in fig. 2 is mounted on a carrier plate (3) by means of a screw (9) ; the carrier plate (3) may either be the heat emitting element, e.g. in the form of a radiator, or may be a wall near the radiator. In the second case, the temperature sensitive means (5, fig. 1) is adapted to be mounted on the radiator and is connected to the heat meter (1) through a line. Fig. 3 shows the meter assembly (4) mounted on a radiator. It is schematically indicated in fig. 4 how provision is made for reading of the meter in the system of the invention. An authorized person breaks the seal (12, fig. 2) and removes the front plate (11), and then the meter (1) can be taken out and introduced into a slot (13) in a data accumulator (14) according to the invention. The slot (13) contains electric connector plugs which are complementary to the connector terminals (8, fig. 1) so that electric connection can be established between the meter (1) and the data accumulator (14). Thus, data can be briefly exchanged between the meter (1) and the data accumulator (14), as explained in greater detail below, and subsequently the meter (1) is repositioned in the holder, which is then sealed. For a more detailed explanation of the operation of the heat meter and data accumulator of the invention reference is made to the fig. 5, which shows a schematic block diagram of these parts. The blocks shown in the figure represent circuits which are known per se and will accordingly not be described in detail since a skilled person will be able to readily provide the functions described below by means of commercially available circuit components. The heat meter (1) contains a temperature sensor (20), which may be a temperature dependent resistor/transistor which connected to an amplifier (21) applies an output signal a.Δt to an arithmetic unit (22). Alternatively, the temperature sensor (20) and the amplifier (21) may be connected in a bridge coupling, and the amplifier (21) can be arranged, in a manner known per -se, to exhibit a dead zone, so that no output signal is generated if the temperature sensor (20) detects a temperature below e.g. 23°C. This ensures that the heat meter does not erroneously register a heat consumption, e.g. if an excess temperature of 22°C is brought about by e.g. . incident sunlight or by a fireplace, etc. The arithmetic unit (22) is moreover adapted to receive a timing pulse signal b.^ from a time generator (23) and an associated amplifier (24) and to receive information from a store generally designated by 25. The latter information may contain information about e.g. the heat transfer capacity and position of the radiator as well as other quantities which are important to the calculation of the heat consumption on the basis of the temperature measured by the temperature sensor (20). The arithmetic unit (22) is adapted -co combine these signals to provide C:.:FI a signal which represents the heat consumption of the associated radiator and is used for the control of a pulse generator (26), which is adapted to integrate the consumption by updating one or more registers in the store (25). Moreover, the heat meter contains a power supply (27), and a digit display (28) for the display of a value recorded in a store cell. In the event that the contents of several different store cells are to be read out, the meter (1, fig. 1) may be provided with push-buttons (not shown) for selection of the display of information. In addition to the selective display of information about the heat consumption in some pre¬ ceding, individual months, it is e.g. also conceivable that the digit display (28) shows the time in dependence upon a quartz controlled time generator (23). The data accumulator of the invention, in the embodiment shown in fig. 5, comprises a power supply (30), a keyboard (31) and associated coding units (32, 33), a data collector store (34) and a circuit (35) for controlling and resetting a heat meter. The part of the store (25) in the heat meter which contains parameters for the heat emission capacity of a given radiator may be provided with information corresponding to the heat emission capacity when the heat meter is manufactured, but it is preferred, as shown in fig. 5, that a parameter store (36) can receive information from the coding unit (32). In case of a newly installed heat system each heat meter in cooperation with the data accumulator as shown in fig. 4 can be supplied with exactly those parameters which correspond to the radiator on which the heat meter is mounted after the parameters have been read in. Kith a view to the subsequent recording of the heat consumption each heat meter must also contain administrative information about the consumer's address, name, optionally the radiator number, etc., and this information, too, can be read into an administrative store (37) in the heat meter by means of the keyboard (31) via the coding unit (33). In addition to the mentioned possibilities of coding of the heat meter by means of the keyboard (31) of the data accumulator, it is also possible to read in information about a limit temperature below which no consumption is to be registered, or information specificing a period of time for the registration of heat consumption, e.g. from September to May. This significantly reduces the power consumption of the heat meter. The heat consumption is regularly registered, e.g. once a year where an authorized person successively performs the operation explained in connection with fig. 4 for all heat meters in e.g. a block of dwellings. When a heat meter (1) is mounted in a data collector as explained in connection with fig. 4, in addition to the data communication connections mentioned above, further connections are established between both the administrative store (37) and a consumption store (38) and the data collector store . (34). Thus, information is transmitted to the data collector store about the consumer data (name, address, etc.) associated with the respective radiator, and information about the heat consumption, e.g. in kWh. Accordingly, the data collector store (34) contains a human error-proof recording of the heat consumption from each individual radiator in the block of dwellings, and when the portable data accumulator is connected to a central data system, the latter can automatically make out specified invoices for each dwelling in the block. The invoice may specify the heat consumption of each individual radiator in a dwelling, but it may also specify the distribution of the heat consumption on each individual month in the heating season because the consumption store (38) may comprise a plurality of registers (indicated by A, B, C in the figure) which are adapted to contain information about the heat consumption in the respective months of the year. The latter registers may be reset by means of the control circuit (35) simultaneously with a reading of the registered heat consumption, but it is also conceivable that the consumption store (38) can contain so manyregisters that last year's heat consumption in the individual months can be stored and read out on the display (28) for comparison with the corresponding heat consumption in the following heating season.

Claims: P a t e n t C l a i m s : 1. A heat meter of the type that is adapted to be mounted in connection with a heat emitting element and which at least comprises a power supply, temperature detector means and an amplifier to generate an electric signal which is proportional to the temperature of the element, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it further comprises a time generator (23), a programmable data store (25) and a computator circuit (22) which is dependent upon the temperature detector means (20, 21), the time generator (23) and the data store (25) to generate an index of the heat emission, and means (8, 28) for reading out data from the meter (1) . 2. A heat meter according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r - i z e d in that the temperature detector means (20, 21) have a dead zone and are adapted to register measurements only above a predetermined temperature. 3. A heat meter according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the data store (25) comprises a plurality of store cells (A,B,C) which are adapted to contain heat consumption data for respective, predetermined periods of time. 4. A system for separate registration of the heat consumption of a plurality of heat emitting elements, such as radiators which are each provided with a heat meter according to claim 1, 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by a portable data accumulator (14) which has a recordable store (34) and coupling means (13) adapced to be releasably connected to read-out means (8) of a heat meter (1) to transmit data from the store (25) of the heat meter to the recording store (34). 5. A system according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r ¬ i z e d in that the coupling means (13) are adapted to transmit data from the data accumulator (14) to the store (25) of the meter. 6. A system according to claim 4 or 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by means to protect pre¬ determined store cells in the heat meter from being erased. ■ fi x A- mA * /

Inventors: DOBRONYI ISTVAN, LARSEN EGON C
Applicants: DOBRONYI ISTVAN, ISS CLORIUS INT AS, LARSEN EGON C
Application year: 1981
Main classification: G01K17
IPC codes: G01K17