Accelerometer based removal and inversion tamper detection and tap switch feature

A method for determining the occurrence of a meter tap, comprising:

• providing an electric meter including at least a register;
• associating an accelerometer with the register, where the accelerometer is capable of providing signals representative of acceleration in the Y plane relative to a front view of the electric meter;
• reading signals representative of acceleration in the Y plane from the accelerometer;
• averaging the signals representative of acceleration in the Y plane for a predetermined time period;
• comparing the average to a predetermined threshold value;
• identifying occurrence of a potential tap if the average exceeds the predetermined threshold;
• and
• identifying occurrence of a tap if the average drops below the predetermined threshold value within a predetermined time.

An electric meter, comprising:

• a housing;
• a register;
• a display;
• and
• a three-axes accelerometer,
• wherein the accelerometer is associated with the register, mounted in the housing, and configured to providing signals representative of acceleration in X, Y, and Z planes relative to a front view of the electric meter;
• and
• wherein the register is configured to monitor for change in acceleration in the X plane to detect inversion tamper, monitor for change in acceleration in the Y plane to detect tap, and monitor for change in acceleration in the X and Z planes to detect removal tamper.