Meter reading device and system

A method for reading a meter that includes a display area covered by a display cover, the method comprising:

• deploying a remote unit, the remote unit including a housing having an electronics assembly retained therein, the electronics assembly including an image sensor, the deploying including passing a top portion of a cover of the housing through a hollow section of a fastening member so as to bring a base member of the housing into communication with the display cover, such that a lens of the image sensor is aligned with an aperture of the housing to view the display area of the meter through the aperture;
• capturing, by the image sensor, at least one image of the display area of the meter;
• receiving image data at a server remotely located from the remote unit, the image data derived from the at least one image captured by the image sensor;
• and
• comparing an identifier of the meter, extracted from the received image data, with a stored identifier associating the remote unit with the meter.

A system for reading a plurality of meters, each meter including a display area covered by a display cover, the system comprising:

• a plurality of remote units, each remote unit corresponding to a different respective meter and including:
• an electronics assembly retained in a housing, the electronics assembly including an image sensor for capturing images of the display area of the meter, and a remote unit communications module configured to transmit, over a broadband communications channel, image data derived from the images captured by the image sensor, and
• a fastening member for coupling the electronics assembly to the meter by passing a top portion of a cover of the housing through a hollow section of the fastening member so as to bring a base member of the housing into communication with the display cover, such that a lens of the image sensor is aligned with an aperture of the housing to view the display area of the meter through the aperture;
• and
• a server remotely located from the remote units, the server configured to:
• receive the transmitted image data from each of the remote unit communications modules over the broadband communications channel, and
• for each of the remote units, compare an identifier of the meter, extracted from the received image data, with a stored identifier associating the remote unit with the meter.