Patent Publication Number: US-9905920-B2

Title: Smart electric meter

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 101140470, filed on Nov. 1, 2012, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a smart electric meter, and in particular, relates to a smart electric meter with an antenna structure. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Smart electric meters are often mounted near metal, such as an iron frame or iron box, wherein the metal may obstruct the signal transmission of the smart electric meters. When the distance between the smart electric meter and the metal is too small, obstruction occurs, thus changing the impedance matching of the antenna of the smart electric meter, and deteriorating signal transmission. If occurring, the smart electric meter must be remounted. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A smart electric meter is provided. The smart electric meter includes a body, an antenna holder, an antenna structure and a supporting member. The antenna holder is disposed on the body, wherein the antenna holder is annular. The antenna structure is disposed on the antenna holder, wherein the antenna structure is moveable along a circumferential direction of the antenna holder. The supporting member is connected to the antenna structure, wherein the supporting member is moveably disposed on the antenna holder, and the supporting member moves the antenna structure along the circumferential direction of the antenna holder. 
     Utilizing the smart electric meter of the embodiment of the invention, the antenna structure is moveable along the circumferential direction of the antenna holder to modify the orientation of the antenna structure. Therefore, the smart electric meter can be conveniently settled according to the surrounding environment, avoid the interference of the existed metal obstructor (for example, iron frame or iron box), and provide qualified wireless transmission. 
     A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is the exploded view of the smart electric meter of the first embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is the perspective view of the smart electric meter of the first embodiment of the invention, wherein the cover is omitted; 
         FIG. 2A  shows the supporting member being assembled with the antenna structure; 
         FIG. 2B  shows the supporting member hung on the antenna holder; 
         FIG. 3  shows the embodiment of the antenna structure of the invention; and 
         FIG. 4  shows the smart electric meter of the second embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description is of the best-contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appended claims. 
       FIG. 1A  is an exploded view of a smart electric meter of a first embodiment of the invention. The smart electric meter  100  of the first embodiment of the invention comprises a body  110 , an antenna holder  120 , an antenna structure  130 , a supporting member  140  and a cover  150 .  FIG. 1B  is a perspective view of the smart electric meter of the first embodiment of the invention, wherein the cover  150  is omitted for clear illustration. With reference to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the antenna holder  120  is disposed on the body, wherein the antenna holder  120  is annular. The antenna structure  130  is disposed on the antenna holder  120 , wherein the antenna structure  130  is moveable along a circumferential direction of the antenna holder  120 . The supporting member  140  is connected to the antenna structure  130 , wherein the supporting member  140  is moveably disposed on the antenna holder  120 , and the supporting member  140  moves the antenna structure  130  along the circumferential direction of the antenna holder  120 . 
       FIG. 2A  shows the supporting member  140  being assembled with the antenna structure  130 . The supporting member  140  comprises a positioning post  141 . A positioning hole  131  is formed on the antenna structure  130 . The positioning post  141  passes through the positioning hole  131  to connect the supporting member  140  to the antenna structure  130 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 1A , the antenna holder comprises a first surface (outer surface)  121 , a second surface (inner surface)  122  and a first edge (upper edge)  123 . The first surface  121  is opposite to the second surface  122 . The first edge  123  is located between the first surface  121  and the second surface  122 . The antenna structure  130  is sandwiched between the first surface  121  and the supporting member  140 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2B , the supporting member  140  further comprises a hook  142 , and the hook  142  abuts the first edge  123  and the second surface  122  hang the supporting member  140  on the antenna holder  120 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the supporting member  140  further comprises a rod  143 . An extending direction of the rod  143  is opposite to an extending direction of the post  141 . When the rod  143  is pushed, the supporting member  140  pushes the antenna structure  130  to slide along a peripheral direction of the antenna holder  120 . The cover  150  covers the antenna holder  120 , the antenna structure  130  and the supporting member  140 . The cover  150  comprises a groove  151 . The rod  143  passes through the groove  151  and is projected over an outer surface of the cover  150 , which allows a user to push the rod  143 . 
     Utilizing the smart electric meter of the embodiment of the invention, the antenna structure is moveable along the circumferential direction of the antenna holder to modify the orientation of the antenna structure. Therefore, the smart electric meter can be conveniently settled according to the surrounding environment, avoid the interference of the existed metal obstructor (for example, iron frame or iron box), and provide qualified wireless transmission. 
       FIG. 3  shows an embodiment of the antenna structure  130  of the invention. The antenna structure  130  comprises a flexible substrate  132  and a dipole antenna  133 . The dipole antenna  133  is formed on the flexible substrate  132 . The dipole antenna  133  comprises a first radiator  134  and a second radiator  135 , and the first radiator  134  is symmetrical to the second radiator  135  and relative to a central line  136 . In the embodiment of the invention, the antenna structure can be a dipole antenna or other antenna, and the disclosure above does not restrict the invention. 
       FIG. 4  shows a smart electric meter  200  of a second embodiment of the invention. In the second embodiment, manual movement is replaced by an automatic mechanism to modify the orientation of the antenna structure. With reference to  FIG. 4 , the smart electric meter  200  of the second embodiment of the invention comprises an actuator  260  and a transmission mechanism  270 , and the actuator  260  is connected to the transmission mechanism  270 . The transmission mechanism  270  is connected to the antenna holder  120 . The actuator  260  actuates the transmission mechanism  270  to move the supporting member  240  to slide along the peripheral direction of the antenna holder  120 . The transmission mechanism  270  is a gear wheel or other structure. The supporting member  240  comprises a rack  244 . The transmission mechanism (gear wheel)  270  is engaged with the rack  244 . When the transmission mechanism  270  is rotated, the supporting member  240  is moved by the transmission mechanism  270  and slides along the peripheral direction of the antenna holder  120 . 
     The actuator  260  can be an electric motor or other actuators. 
     In this embodiment, the rack  244  is formed between two hooks  242 . The rack corresponds to the second surface  122 , and the antenna holder  120  surrounds the actuator  260  and the transmission mechanism  270 . 
     Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. 
     While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.