Verifying interconnection between media devices and meters using touch sensing integrated circuits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11537486-B2
Application number	US-202117353293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 21, 2021
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

A disclosed example meter to monitor a media device includes a touch sense circuit including a circuit input and a circuit output, the circuit input to electrically couple with a first power line of the meter and a capacitor, the circuit output to provide a first value based on the capacitor when the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with a second power line of the media device, the circuit output to provide a second value different from the first value when the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device. The disclosed example meter also includes at least one processor to detect the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the first value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A meter to monitor a media device, the meter comprising:
a touch sense circuit including a circuit input and a circuit output, the circuit input to electrically couple with a first power line of the meter and a capacitor, the first power line of the meter to electrically couple with a second power line of the media device, the circuit output to provide a first value based on the capacitor when the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device, the circuit output to provide a second value different from the first value when the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device, the second value associated with an error indication, the first value not associated with the error indication;
at least one memory;
computer readable instructions; and
at least one processor to execute the instructions to at least:
detect the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the first value; and
detect the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the second value.

2. The meter of claim 1 , further including a power detection circuit to detect whether power is present on the first power line of the meter.

3. The meter of claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is to determine the media device is powered on when power is detected on the first power line of the meter.

4. The meter of claim 2 , wherein the at least one processor is to control a switch to:
couple a battery to the first power line of the meter when power is detected on the first power line of the meter; and
uncouple the battery from the first power line of the meter when power is not detected on the first power line of the meter, the battery to power the meter when power is not detected on the first power line of the meter.

5. A meter to monitor a media device, the meter comprising:
a touch sense circuit including a circuit input and a circuit output, the circuit input to electrically couple with a first power line of the meter and a capacitor, the first power line of the meter to electrically couple with a second power line of the media device, the circuit output to provide a first value based on the capacitor when the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device, the circuit output to provide a second value different from the first value when the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device;
a power detection circuit to detect whether power is present on the first power line of the meter;
at least one memory;
computer readable instructions; and
at least one processor to execute the instructions to at least:
detect the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the first value;
detect the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the second value; and
control a switch to couple the circuit input with the first power line of the meter when power is not detected on the first power line of the meter.

6. The meter of claim 5 , wherein the at least one processor is to control the switch to uncouple the circuit input from the first power line of the meter when power is detected on the first power line of the meter.

7. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause at least processor to at least:
access a circuit output of a touch sense circuit, the touch sense circuit including a circuit input to electrically couple with a first power line of a meter and a capacitor, the first power line of the meter to electrically couple with a second power line of a media device, the circuit output to provide a first value based on the capacitor when the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device, the circuit output to provide a second value different from the first value when the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device, the second value associated with an error indication, the first value not associated with the error indication;
detect the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the first value; and
detect the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the second value.

8. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to detect, in combination with a power detection circuit, whether power is present on the first power line of the meter.

9. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to determine the media device is powered on when power is detected on the first power line of the meter.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to control a switch to:
couple a battery to the first power line of the meter when power is detected on the first power line of the meter; and
uncouple the battery from the first power line of the meter when power is not detected on the first power line of the meter, the battery to power the meter when power is not detected on the first power line of the meter.

11. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to:
access a circuit output of a touch sense circuit, the touch sense circuit including a circuit input to electrically couple with a first power line of a meter and a capacitor, the first power line of the meter to electrically couple with a second power line of a media device, the circuit output to provide a first value based on the capacitor when the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device, the circuit output to provide a second value different from the first value when the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device;
detect the first power line of the meter is not electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the first value;
detect the first power line of the meter is electrically coupled with the second power line of the media device when the circuit output of the touch sense circuit provides the second value;
detect, in combination with a power detection circuit, whether power is present on the first power line of the meter; and
control a switch to couple the circuit input with the first power line of the meter when power is not detected on the first power line of the meter.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions cause the at least one processor to control the switch to uncouple the circuit input from the first power line of t

Assignees

• Nielsen Co Us Llc

Inventors

• Barbis Andrej

Classifications

• H04H60/32 Primary

  Arrangements for monitoring conditions of receiving stations, e.g. malfunction or breakdown of receiving stations · CPC title

• G06F11/0772

  Means for error signaling, e.g. using interrupts, exception flags, dedicated error registers · CPC title

• G06F11/0736

  in functional embedded systems, i.e. in a data processing system designed as a combination of hardware and software dedicated to performing a certain function (testing or monitoring of automated control systems G05B23/02) · CPC title

• G06F11/3051 Primary

  Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the configuration of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring the presence of processing resources, peripherals, I/O links, software programs (verification or detection of system hardware configuration G06F11/2247) · CPC title

• G06F11/0751

  Error or fault detection not based on redundancy (power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06) · CPC title