| 摘要 |
In a metering system comprising battery powered metering apparatus (1), the apparatus includes control means (19, 14) arranged to record battery usage data comprising at least data (25, 30) indicating the operating time of the apparatus since insertion of the battery. Data output means (17, 20, 15) of the apparatus outputs the battery usage data under control of the control means (19, 14) for communication to external data processing means (5, 10). The external data processing means may be a hand-held unit (5) used by a service engineer or a central controller (10) of the metering system, the battery usage data being communicated to the central controller (10) via a memory card used for credit purchase operations. The external data processing means performs the necessary processing to determine if the battery should be replaced. |
