FEATURE SWITCHES & RELAYS
NOW THE SMART METER IS GETTING SMARTER
Lou Zajac, Director of Product Management at C&K Components considers how the modern trend for smart & industrial meter applications is being addressed by the latest in smart components
S
mart and industrial meter applications require consistent
improvements to be made upon existing technologies integrated within current systems. Tamperproof components that meet IP67 rating standards are crucial to proper operation of smart meters. In order to keep consumer costs low,
smart meter designers only work with standard offering components from trusted manufacturers. Components designed into smart meter applications must meet regulatory standards set by national safety boards across the world, causing designers to create switches that are safe for international use. Low profile, economical switches suited
for harsh military and industrial environments are becoming more commonplace in smart meter applications as they are tested adequately before production for intended use in extreme conditions. Switches and interconnect devices used within smart meters must maintain peak performance characteristics for a long duration of approximately ten years. Smart meters typically engage in multi- utility metering (electricity, gas, heat and water) while calculating and monitoring power quality characteristics. Automatic reading of consumption measurements help in analysis of energy end use as well as providing real time consumption data to management systems. Automated electronic smart meters
offer the utility market the benefits of improved reliability and accuracy with ease of calibration set forth once initially installed by qualified technicians.
ANTI-TAMPERING MECHANISM Utility companies require their smart meters to offer the best anti-tampering protection available. A large percentage of overall power usage is attributed to theft via meter fraud. Solid-state electricity meters must be able to detect and prevent tampering, which in turn significantly improves control and cost recovery for utility companies. To ensure
24 MARCH 2014 | ELECTRONICS
under-registering, which effectively allows power use without payment. Smart meter designers favour switches
with low profiles and advanced tilts that can provide movement detection, tamper protection, and theft detection. In addition, rugged smart card connectors are manufactured with a built-in card detection switch for added security. Smart grids need to secure all elements
that may interact with smart meters— like data concentrators, intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) and secure gateways. High-performance smart meter reference designs must be constructed with physical security measures in the design’s frame as well as the most robust, rugged components available in order to ensure safety of the data and its communication with other parts of the overall system. Smart meter components must have an
Ingress Protection Security rating of 67 (IP67-rated), which signifies that the unit is dust-proof and water resistant.
SWITCH DESIGN BENEFITS Switches that can be used in either multi-converter or single-converter designs benefit product design. Miniature switches are well suited to
system integrity, components, even down to the chip level, must have some sort of anti-tampering measure built into their design, such as key-code protection within the unit itself. As smart meters become more
commonplace for consumer use, added benefits such as utility management and reduced energy consumption patterns offer new solutions for all utility customers. With the right capabilities built into chip-level solutions, smart meter deployments can effectively lay the groundwork for expanded customer- service functions, such as wireless integration with thermostats to automatically adjust usage during peak-demand periods. Advanced switches and interconnect devices can also help prevent meter tempering and manipulation such as
Figure 1: The KSE Series from C&K Components is rated to IP67 and is a tactile switch suited to smart metering applications
deliver permanent detect condition at extreme temperatures with fast recovery times below 250ms. For pairing and coding functions, ultra-miniature half- pitch switches with side-actuation and bifurcated contacts mean increased electrical reliability, providing rotary, binary-decimal and hexadecimal coding. Smart and industrial meter applications
“As smart meters become more
commonplace, added benefits such as utility
management and reduced energy consumption offers new solutions for all customers...."
are often subjected to harsh environments, including high temperatures, vibration, dust, moisture and other contaminants, not to mention human tampering. It is important to design systems with these varying environmental conditions in mind. Advanced smart and industrial meter components must combine rugged sealing, reliability and a long-
operating life with a new optimised and economical design.
C&K Components
www.ck-components.com +49 30 814 539 250
Enter 208 / ELECTRONICS
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