Abstract: A ball valve for use in a hydraulic supply system is described. The ball valve includes a valve body defining a fluid passage including an inlet and an outlet, a ball having an opening therethough and having an open position and a closed position within the fluid passage and a normal operating range between the open position and the closed position, a manual valve operation mechanism, an input shaft connected to the manual valve operation mechanism, and a gearing assembly including an output shaft, the gearing assembly connected to the input shaft and the output shaft connected to the ball. Rotation of the manual valve operation mechanism causes rotation of the ball along a full operating range within the valve body and the gearing assembly includes a feedback mechanism that is actuated after the ball has rotated outside of the normal operating range.

Abstract: A computer implemented method implemented on a computer system includes non-transient memory storing instructions for configuring a plurality of district metering areas within a utility supply network.

Abstract: A utility metering system configured to provide flow rate information is described that includes a utility meter and a utility metering endpoint. The utility meter is configured to generate and report a flow rate as a percentage of the maximum flow rate of the meter.

Abstract: An ultrasonic flow meter configured to measure a flow within a conduit configured for autozeroing during active flow operation of the flow meter. The flow meter includes a printed circuit board including circuitry for conducting ultrasonic transit time flow measurements, the printed circuit board including transducer swap relays and first and second transducer cables connecting the first and second transducers, respectively, to the transducer swap relays. The flow meter further includes a programmable processor configured to generate flow measurement data based on an ultrasonic flow meter calibration performed by the ultrasonic flow meter in situ while measuring flow through the conduit.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for selecting an appropriately sized meter for use in a selected application implemented by a computer processor implementing instructions stored in a non-transient memory is described. The instructions include receiving utility meter data transmitted from a plurality of utility meters, each utility meter being installed at a unique utility monitoring location, identifying incorrectly sized utility meters based on utility meter data for particular utility meters that displays quantization effects, and selecting an appropriate meter based on the identification of the utility meters displaying quantization effects.

Abstract: An ultrasonic flow meter is configured to facilitate replacement of flow measurement electronics. The flow meter includes flow measurement electronics including a plurality of transducer assemblies transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves through a flow for ultrasonic measurement of the flow and a flow meter body. The flow meter body includes a conduit providing a flow passage through the flow meter body, an electronics receptacle configured to receive the flow measurement electronics to form an electronics housing compartment, a plurality of transducer housings configured to receive transducer assemblies and position one or more transducers of the transducer assemblies relative to the conduit, and at least two pass-through apertures directly between the electronics housing into each of the plurality of transducer housings.

Abstract: A computer implemented method implemented on a computer system includes non-transient memory storing instructions for configuring a plurality of district metering areas within a utility supply network. The method includes identifying a plurality of flow measurement devices, wherein each flow measurement device is connected by a directional connection to at least one other flow measurement device, generating a utility supply network representation based on the directional connections between the flow measurement devices, and generating a plurality of district metering areas for the utility supply network representation, each district metering area being a directed acyclic graph based on the directional connections and including a subset of the plurality of flow measuring devices and including at least one flow measurement device designated as a supply meter and at least one flow measurement device designated as a demand meter.

Abstract: An insertion-type flowmeter adapted for removable insertion into a fluid conduit includes an elongate body having a flow opening and a vortex-generating element disposed within the flow opening at distance from the opening entry that is correlated to the size of the flow opening to define a flow conditioning space in the flow opening between the opening entry and the vortex-generating element.

Abstract: An insertion-type flowmeter adapted for removable insertion into a fluid conduit includes an elongate body having a flow opening and a vortex-generating element disposed within the flow opening at distance from the opening entry that is correlated to the size of the flow opening to define a flow conditioning space in the flow opening between the opening entry and the vortex-generating element.

Abstract: A utility flow meter including a valve having a pressure vessel providing a flow path from a meter inlet to a meter outlet through the valve is magnetically driven. The meter includes a valve member positioned within the valve in the pressure vessel for movement between an open position allowing normal flow through the flow meter and a flow restriction position in which flow through the flow meter is limited to less than the normal flow and an electrically operable control device for controlling movement of the valve member including a dry-side magnet assembly and a wet-side magnet assembly. The electrically operable control device receives command signals to rotate the dry-side magnet assembly to move the valve member and thereby increase or decrease flow through the metering chamber.

Abstract: A transmitter assembly for transmitting data from a utility meter to a remote location for disposition in a subsurface utility enclosure is described. The assembly includes a printed circuit board, including a transmitter portion receiving the data from the utility meter and configured to generate a meter data message for transmission to the remote location, an antenna portion including a board mounted antenna receiving the generated meter data message and using the boarding mounted antenna to propagate the generated meter data message to a remote location, and a seal mount portion configured to receive a seal affixed to the printed circuit board.

Abstract: Systems and methods for powering a measurement system are provided. In some aspects, a system includes a high energy density electric cell, storing energy for powering the measurement system; a rechargeable electric cell, being charged by the high energy density electric cell and providing high current bursts to the measurement system; and a charging control device, coupled between the high energy density electric cell and the rechargeable electric cell, and enabling the high energy density electric cell to charge the rechargeable electric cell. The high energy density electric cell operates at a current which allows the high energy density electric cell to be in its optimal zone of chemical efficiency.

Abstract: A flow conditioning device for insertion in a flow conduit transporting a flow stream includes a top flange defining a flow conditioning opening having an opening area size and receiving the flow stream, a bottom base receiving the flow stream after the flow stream passes through the top flange having a base area size, and a conditioning wall joining the top flange to the bottom base, where the opening area size is greater than the base area size.

Abstract: A control valve positioner mounting system is configured to include a control valve, a control valve positioner, an attachment lever translating movement of the control valve to the control valve positioner, and a control valve attachment system for attaching the control valve to the attachment lever using a spring loaded attachment affixed to the control valve and applying spring force to the attachment lever.

Abstract: A method and a system for collection of meter readings from meter reading and transmitting devices (12, 14) and for viewing on a web-enabled wireless communication device (28) comprises addressing at least one receiver (15) through the Internet (21) and obtaining a data file of meter data for a plurality of meter reading devices (12, 14) that have previously communicated with the receiver (15). The receiver (15) can then re-transmit the meter data through a wide area network such as the Internet (21) to a web site (10) operated by an organization marketing AMR systems. The meter data is then accessed and displayed at a customer demonstration site using a handheld wireless smart phone (28) which receives a web page (22) that is reduced in size for transmission through the cellular network to the smart phone (28).

Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods for interaction with water usage information are provided. In various embodiments, a method comprises receiving water usage data from a meter device, receiving an identifier from a user associated with the meter device, providing an interactive interface to the user, the interactive interface conveying at least some water usage information based on the water usage data, receiving a first characterization of a first water activity from the user, generating a visualization based on the water usage information and the first characterization of the first water activity, and displaying the visualization.

Abstract: The invention provides a method and several types of devices for converting meter reading signals into data messages including a first message (40) having meter data (44) representing consumption of a utility, and meter diagnostic status data (43), and a second message (60) having meter reverse flow data (63-65) and meter diagnostic data (66) particular to an electronic flow meter, and receiving, said first message (40) and said second message (60) and converting first message and said second message to radio frequency signals (25) and transmitting said radio frequency signals (25) to a receiver (22, 24).

Abstract: A control valve positioner mounting system is configured to include a control valve, a control valve positioner, an attachment lever translating movement of the control valve to the control valve positioner, and a control valve attachment system for attaching the control valve to the attachment lever using a spring loaded attachment affixed to the control valve and applying spring force to the attachment lever.

Abstract: A concrete vibrator for a hopper which feeds concrete to a slip form is mounted to the outer surface of the hopper wall. The vibrator is fixed to the end of a tube which extends into the hopper through a hole in the hopper wall. A rubber isolator molded on the tube is clamped between flanges one of which is welded to the outer surface of the hopper wall.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for prioritizing the processing of messages sent between site transceivers (12, 15) at utility meter data origination sites (10) and gateway transceivers (20, 30, 40) in a fixed meter data collection network. To reduce message processing time, priorities are assigned for processing messages destined for mobile gateways, messages sent to assigned gateways, and messages sent to any gateway after not receiving an acknowledge signal from an assigned gateway. The gateway transceiver also has four receivers for processing four respective messages on four different frequency channels to further reduce processing time and to conserve power usage at the site transceivers.