| 摘要 |
Utility meter assembly (10) includes a utility meter (11) having an external housing (12) adjacent to which is mounted a remote meter reading module housing (25) that preferably is mounted to a pair of upstanding cylindrical posts (15 and 16) that rise from the utility meter housing (12). Preferably, flexible pins (32), which preferably are part of the module housing (25), bias the module housing (25), and a ground plane plate (26) within the module housing, towards a conductive surface (14) of the utility meter housing (12). The ground plane plate (26) coupled to the meter housing (12) and to the conductive surface (14) takes advantage of the meter as an extended ground plane or a counterpoise and thus increases the radiation efficiency of the antenna. This configuration permits the use of a shorter antenna (23) for power efficient transmission of meter data. Also, the configuration of the module housing (25) provides an improved snap on assembly for mounting a module housing ( 25) to a pair of posts (15,16).
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