Aquiba - truly smart residential water meters
Sentec is working with partner Takahata precision of Japan to produce truly smart water meters for the Australian market under a joint venture agreement, branded Aquiba.
Initially, Takahata Precision, a Japanese engineering and water meter company, engaged with Sentec to licence the Sterling sensor for a water meter for the Japanese market. However, after initial discussions, Sentec assisted Takahata by researching a new market for smart water meters. The market research project highlighted the Australian situation with water scarcity increasing as a target market and the two companies agreed to pool resources to specify and produce a smart water meter to suit the Australian conditions. A joint venture was born, soon to be branded ‘Aquiba’.
A prototype flow tube utilising the Sterling solid state sensor had been produced by Sentec. Further to this a whole new electronics layout was produced. As the water meters would be battery operated, Sentec sought the battery with highest longevity to allow for a lifetime of at least 15 years.
"Aquiba smart water meters will be a valuable resource, especially in countries predicting water scarcity, where managing supplies is vital"
In line with the Sentec ethos of ’future proofing’ the design included sufficient memory space to add new or upgraded functionally when available. In addition the software has the ability to go into a very low power sleep mode when not in use, and to be awoken when operation is required, allowing battery lifetime to be extended to the maximum increasing longevity.
Sentec designed and produced an operating system for the smart water meter, ensuring again the utilisation of the microchip’s sleep mode and ring-fencing the main operating system so that new applications could be added remotely in future without affecting the existing systems.
In conjunction with this, Takahata investigated and prototyped the meter housing, ensuring it could be completely sealed as per market requirementsand was as small and light as possible. They made a further leap in innovation for water meters, housing it in plastics which were rugged enough to survive the harsh environments the meters would be exposed to outside Australian properties, with potentially high temperatures and high UV exposure.
As well as having ‘smart’ functionality and two-way communications, the team aimed to produce the best meter on the market. To this end the metrology, provided by Sentec’s Sterling sensor, is able to detect extremely low flow rates, far lower than in conventional mechanical meters, with good accuracy across a wide range of flows. The lack of moving parts means no jamming or wear, adding to the claims of longevity and providing a further advantage over mechanical meters.
In addition, costs are aimed to be in line with mechanical smart meters and potentially lower cost than other technologies such ultrasonic detection. The cost will be kept low by careful sourcing, design for manufacture and assembly, and using CEMs to produce the PCBs.
Although Sentec is able to include any communication protocol, the Australian market requires ZigBee, and this has been designed into the initial Aquiba product, the A200-Z smart water meter.
This joint development would be impressive anyway, but even more so when you realise this has all been achieved in the space of a year.
Sentec’s contribution
- Sterling high accuracy solid state flow sensor
- Complete electronic design and implementation
- Firmware and operating system
- Sourcing of the most advanced and appropriate battery, microprocessor and other components
- 2-way communications protocols and technology
- Trials management software suite
- Branding and marketing of the Joint Venture and product range
Result
The Sentec and Takahata team have produced a truly smart water meter, specified for the Australian market, but also applicable or easily adaptable to other regions.
Mr Yamamoto, CEO of Takahata Group says, “We are delighted with the progress our partnership with Sentec is making. This smart water meter and the future upgrades the technology allows opens up new, exciting markets. Aquiba smart water meters will be a valuable resource, especially in countries predicting water scarcity, where managing supplies is vital"
The Aquiba meter provides:
- Low flow measurement (down to 1L/h)
- Leak detection capability
- High accuracy across the full flow range and lifetime
- No moving parts, hence no jamming or wear
- Longevity – at least 15 years+
- Customisable and field-upgradeable application firmware
- Data retrieval by radio or optical port
Sentec expects the A200 to be deployed in small scale trials in Q3 of 2011.
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