Ing. Giuseppe PITTARI and Salvatore Pitrulli




Salvatore PITRULLI
During the presentation of the thesis

On 29 March 2007 was held at the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Messina, the appeal to the degree of Corsican Engineering and Telecommunications. The candidate Salvatore Pitrulli presented the thesis work done at the ISE in the months preceding the event: "Design and development of a system for transmitting data from couters mechanical GPRS network", supervisor prof. Antonio Puliafito, assistent suprvisor company Ing. Giusppe Pittari. The thesis project as an object distance transmission of information through the use of microcontrollers. In particular, it was realized a system capable of acquiring the analogue impetus provided by an analog meter mechanical and transfer information acquired on a MySQL server on the network. The GPRS network allows the microcontroller access to the Internet from any location that is under cover of the service. Two major problems faced in the implementation of the system: the acquisition of analog information and the following storage in digital format, with particular attention to reduced consumption, the creation of stack TCP / IP for data transmission on the Internet. The student used a Microchip PIC for the realization of interfaces low consumption and a system formed of a ST92F120 and a engine GSM / GPRS to data collection from counters and for the subsequent transmission to the server. The work is applicable under the automatic reading of water or gas meters. The reading automatic counters, especially if these are mechanical, involves serious problems. The transfer of information they accumulate is now performed by an operator to delegate this task. In addition, the transport of this information is performed at intervals relatively extended, this poses a billing system other than the one used, for example, the company supplies the electricity. In these circumstances you have a digital counter and obviously opportunity to draw easily to electricity. The implementation of a system to make reading a counter existing and transfer information to distance avoids moving physical, shortening, and then, the time of acquisition. The reading, being automated, can be made at intervals are much narrower than we usually do in these cases. This implies a more constant monitoring of consumption, allowing you to make statistics and forecasts more accurate. The project aims primarily to demonstrate the potential of an integrated system with the possibility of a connection to the Internet. In fact, once constructed the lower levels that offer transport service data (reliably or not), you can build any application, the limits of available resources. A system like this is especially suited whenever there is a need for automatic collection of information located over a vast territory. But this is not the 'only option application. In addition to being the "source" of information, a microcontroller connected to the network can be ready to receive instructions from it, for the active control of mechanical or electronic systems, even thousands of miles away. The presentation of the thesis was attended by two representatives of Kevin Schurter: Umberto Scordamaglia (product maneger) el'Ing. Aldo Del Giudice (agent southern Italy).