Design and Implementation of A Gsm-Based Prepaid Meter with Tamper Proof and Anti-Meter Theft Feature

摘要

Utility companies have not been achieving maximum profit due to electricity and meter thefts. Prepaid energy metering system with GSM interface being proposed in this work will help to improve the profit margin of the utility companies. Detection of electricity and meter thefts by the utility companies will enhance efficiency in transaction and communication with their customers. This is achieved through the use of tamper and meter theft detection units (TDU & MTDU) with GSM Module/Modem. The detection switches are connected at the back and the cover of the meter to prevent meter theft and tampering. When the cover of the meter is tampered with, the microcontroller sends appropriate signal to the server via GSM interface and the server in turn sends a signal that disconnects the meter and an alert to the customer?s phone notifying the customer of the incident. Power is restored automatically, when the anomaly is cleared. A back-up battery is incorporated to keep the circuit active, when there is power failure so that the utility company will be notified, if there is an attempt to tamper or by-pass the supply cable..