Reduction of Chattering Error of Reed Switch Sensor for Remote Measurement of Water Flow Meter

To reduce the chattering errors of reed switch sensors in the automatic remote measurement of water meter a reed switch sensor was analyzed and improved. The operation of reed switch sensors can be described as a mechanical contact switch by approximation of permanent magnet piece to generate an electrical pulse. The reed switch sensors are used mostly in measurement application to detect the rotational or translational displacement. To apply for water flow measurement devices, the reed switch sensors should keep high reliability. They are applied for the electronic digital type of water flow meters. The reed switch sensor is just mounted simply on the conventional mechanical type flow meter. A small magnet is attached on a pointer of the water meter counter rotor. Inside the reed sensor two steel leaf springs make mechanical contact and apart repeatedly as rotation of flow meter counter. The counting electrical contact pulses can be converted as the water flow amount. The MCU sends the digital flow rate data to the server using the wireless communication network. But the digital data is occurred difference or won by chattering noise. The reed switch sensor contains chattering error by it self at the force equivalent position. The vibrations such as passing vehicle near to the switch sensor installed location causes chattering. In order to reduce chattering error, most system uses just software methods, for example using filter algorithm and also statistical calibration methods. The chattering errors were reduced by changing leaf spring structure using mechanical characteristics.