# US 11,079,256 B2 · Device for determining the movement of a rotary element, particularly for readings of water and/or gas meters > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,079,256 B2 - Document ID: US11079256B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/838,337 - Filed: 2020-04-02 - Published: 2020-07-16 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-07 - Assignees: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS - Applicants: STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS - Inventors: Vincent Onde - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079256B2 ## CPC - G01D 4/008: {Modifications to installed utility meters to enable remote reading} - G01D 5/249: using pulse code - G01D 5/2497: {Absolute encoders (G01D5/2454 takes precedence)} - G01D 5/34792: {with only digital scales or both digital and incremental scales} - Y02B 90/20: Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector (smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00) - Y04S 20/30: Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading - G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A rotary element is equipped with a pattern representing a reflected binary code on at least three bits. A detection circuit is configured to sense the pattern and deliver an incident signal encoded in reflected binary code on at least three bits. The incident signal is converted by a transcoding circuit into an intermediate signal encoded in reflected binary code on two bits. A decoding stage decodes the intermediate signal and outputs at least one clock signal representing the amount of rotation of the rotary element and a direction signal representing the direction of rotation. A processing circuit determines the movement of the rotary element, and has at least one general purpose timer designed to receive the at least one clock signal and direction signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A circuit, comprising: an input configured to receive an incident signal comprised of a series of binary code words, wherein said binary code words have at least three bits and one or more prohibited states; a transcoding circuit configured to convert each binary code word of the incident signal into an intermediate binary code word on two bits; a decoding circuit configured to decode the intermediate binary code words from the transcoding circuit to generate a clock signal and a data signal; and wherein the transcoding circuit is further configured to generate an error signal in the response to either a prohibited transition between two consecutive binary code words of the incident signal or if the binary code word of the incident signal has one of said one or more prohibited states. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein each binary code word of the incident signal is a 3-bit Gray code and each intermediate binary code word is a 2-bit Gray code. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein the clock signal is indicative of an amount of change in the incident signal and the data signal is indicative of a direction of change in the incident signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The circuit of claim 3, wherein the incident signal is generated in response to rotation of a measuring device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The circuit of claim 4, wherein the measuring device is a utility meter including a rotary element equipped with a pattern representing a reflected binary code. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The circuit of claim 5, further comprising a detection circuit comprising at least three sensors interacting with the rotary element and configured to generate the incident signal wherein the series of binary code words represent the reflected binary code. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The circuit of claim 6, wherein the number of sensors is equal to three. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The circuit of claim 7, wherein the sensors are offset by 120 degrees from each other. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The circuit of claim 5, wherein the utility meter is one of a gas meter or a water meter. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, further comprising a general purpose timer circuit designed to receive said clock signal and said data signal. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The circuit of claim 1, wherein said general purpose timer circuit is a synchronous timer having at least one clock synchronization circuit containing D flip-flops receiving said clock signal and timed by a timing clock signal, and wherein the decoding circuit further comprises a clock gating circuit configured to generate a clock gating signal and to output the timing clock signal on the basis of a base clock signal only if the clock gating signal is present. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The circuit of claim 11, wherein the clock gating circuit is further configured to allow the delivery of the intermediate binary code word for decoding only if the clock gating signal has been generated. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The circuit of claim 12, wherein the clock gating circuit comprises: a sequence of D flip-flops wherein: a first flip-flop is timed by the base clock signal, a non-complemented output of a penultimate flip-flop in the sequence of D flip-flops delivers an auxiliary timing signal, a complemented output of a last flip-flop in the sequence of D flip-flops delivers said clock gating signal, and a data input of each successive flip-flop in the sequence of D flip-flops from a second flip-flop to a last flip-flop is connected to the complemented output of the preceding flip-flop; and two auxiliary D flip-flops which are timed by the auxiliary clock signal and whose respective data inputs are configured to receive the two bits of the intermediate binary code word, and whose two non-complemented outputs are input to the decoding circuit.