JP2006200802A - Gas meter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To discriminate a used gas appliance by comparing registered data with a measured gas flow. <P>SOLUTION: The gas meter has a a flow-measuring means 3 connected to a gas supply pipe for domestic purpose for measuring the gas flow, an information input means 6, a registration storing means 7 for storing the data registered by the information input means 6, and an appliance determining means 8 for judging the used gas appliance by carrying out comparison of a gas flow value measured by the flow-measuring means 3 on the basis of the data of the registration storing means 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is a gas meter that is installed at the entrance of a gas supply pipe in each home and measures the gas flow rate, and identifies the gas appliance in use in order to provide advanced security functions and services according to each gas appliance. It relates to the technology to detect.

  Conventionally, as an example of this type of gas meter, there is a configuration as shown below (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Generally, as shown in FIG. 11, a gas meter 16 having a built-in gas flow meter is attached to each household at the entrance of the gas supply line.

  At present, many gas meters 16 have a security function of shutting off the gas supply when an abnormality occurs in addition to the basic function of measuring the gas flow rate. For example, a seismoscope is built in for earthquakes to detect vibrations and shut off gas. Also, with respect to gas leakage, there is a mechanism that considers an abnormality when the gas is flowing for a predetermined time for a predetermined amount and shuts off the gas.

However, in order to further evolve this security function, it is necessary to determine the appliance to be used and set a blocking condition according to the appliance, and the following proposals have been made. That is, according to the gas flow rate to be measured, an algorithm for analogizing the gas appliance being used is proposed from the change in the flow rate.
JP-A-3-236513

  However, in the conventional configuration, in the security function, which is an important function of the gas meter 16, when the gas is continuously used after the generation of the gas flow rate is detected, the gas leakage, etc. The gas is shut off for a certain period of time, assuming an abnormal situation, but it is not a judgment based on the use condition of the appliance. Assuming that the amount used is small, the time is set longer.

  However, since the appliance used is not specified, the setting of the shut-off time for the gas flow rate does not have a sufficient role as a safety function for, for example, a stove with a gas flow rate similar to that of a heating appliance. It is difficult to secure in accordance with the gas appliance in the conventional configuration.

  Moreover, in order to determine the gas appliance in use from the gas flow rate detected by the gas meter 16 so far, it has been proposed to discriminate the gas appliance by inference based on information from the flow rate change recognition means of the gas meter 16. The discriminating logic is very vague, it is difficult to determine the gas appliance in use with high accuracy, and it is difficult to use it for providing advanced security functions and optimal services.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gas meter that can identify a tool to be used and has a security function according to the gas tool to be used.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the gas meter of the present invention is connected to a household gas supply pipe, and in addition to the flow rate measuring means for measuring the gas flow rate, the data registered by the appliance information input means and the appliance information input means The apparatus has a registration storage means for storing and an appliance determination means for comparing the gas flow rate value measured by the gas flow rate measurement means based on the data stored in the registration storage means to determine the gas appliance to be used.

  The gas meter of the present invention has a configuration in which the gas appliances in the house are registered in the gas meter individually for each house, and a characteristic flow rate pattern is registered in each apparatus as data to be registered. The number of data to be compared is limited to each registered device in each home, and the flow rate pattern of each device that is a criterion is stored as comparison standard data, improving the reliability of instrument discrimination and simplifying instrument discrimination It is possible to have a high judgment capability with a simple algorithm, and it is possible to provide new services such as optimally changing the security setting value corresponding to the appliance used and setting the gas charge corresponding to the appliance used.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate measuring means for measuring a gas flow rate, an information input means for a gas appliance, a registration storage means for storing data registered by the information input means, and a registration storage means. This is a gas meter that has an appliance judgment means that compares the gas flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement means based on the data and judges the gas appliance to be used, and registers each gas appliance in that house individually. Since it is configured to perform, the reliability of appliance discrimination is improved, and it is possible to provide high judgment capability with an algorithm that makes appliance discrimination simple.

  In particular, the second invention is a gas meter comprising history storage means for recording the usage history of each registered gas appliance in the first invention, wherein the usage amount and usage time for each gas appliance are in real time or after the fact. As a result, it is possible to set up a new fee for each appliance and to set the security conditions for each appliance more precisely, and to provide new services to consumers.

  The third invention, in particular, in the second invention, makes it possible to compare the data of the history storage means and the gas flow rate value measured by the flow rate measurement means, and to determine the end of the use of the determined instrument. It is possible to enhance the equipment discrimination function and provide new services.

  In particular, the fourth invention is a configuration for registering the flow pattern of the installation tool as an input of the information input means according to any one of the first to third inventions, and is actually measured with the registered flow pattern. Since the change of the gas flow rate value is compared to determine which instrument is being used, it is possible to determine which instrument is being used with little misunderstanding.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, in particular, in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the gas meter records the identification code assigned to each gas appliance and the flow rate pattern of the gas appliance corresponding to the recognition code as data. It has a registration storage means, and is used for registering the installed instrument by comparing the gas flow rate value measured by inputting (registering) the recognition code corresponding to the instrument and the gas flow pattern corresponding to the recognition code. By discriminating the gas appliances that are present, it is possible to discriminate the appliances with little misunderstanding.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the information input means of any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, by inputting the recognition code corresponding to the installed instrument, the flow rate pattern corresponding to the recognition code is information. By adopting a configuration that downloads data from the external information database connected to the input means to the registration storage means in the gas meter, the gas meter itself does not need to store and hold the flow patterns of all instruments on the market, and the flow rate Since patterns can be managed collectively, data can be easily updated and modified.

  In the seventh aspect of the invention, in particular, the input information in the instrument information input means of any one of the fourth to sixth aspects is used to extract and select characteristic flow rate change data such as instrument control specifications in the flow pattern of each gas instrument. By using the appliance discrimination information data, the appliance discrimination accuracy can be further improved.

  In the eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, registration of equipment that is no longer used by using information input means having an information correction function for correcting or deleting data information in the registration storage means of any one of the first to seventh aspects of the invention. It is also possible to cope with changes in registration setting information due to erasure or repair or replacement due to equipment failure.

  In particular, the ninth invention relates to individual differences in the comparison between the flow rate pattern registered in the registration storage means of any one of the fourth to eighth inventions and the change in flow rate value determined by the determination means and measured by the flow measurement means. When the difference between the input data and the actual flow rate change value exceeds a predetermined value due to aging, etc., it has a function to correct the data and always corrects the instrument by correcting the registered data with the actual measurement data. It is possible to maintain a high accuracy.

  In the tenth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the flow rate measuring means according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the measurement configuration using ultrasonic waves enables a wide flow rate measurement range and instantaneous flow rate measurement. Thus, it is possible to configure a gas meter that can perform more accurate flow rate measurement and improve the reliability of instrument discrimination.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a gas meter according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a gas meter, which is provided in the middle of a gas supply pipe, and one or more gas appliances installed in each customer's house are connected to the downstream pipe.

  The inside of the gas meter is a display unit that displays the gas flow rate used by arithmetically processing signals from the gas shut-off valve 2, the gas flow rate measuring unit 3, and the gas flow rate measuring unit 3 provided in the gas flow path connected to the gas pipe. 4, the seismic device 5 for detecting vibrations such as earthquakes, and the gas appliance discrimination according to the present invention, the information input means 6, the registration storage means 7, the equipment judgment means 8 and the operation of the seismic instrument and the equipment judgment In addition, a control circuit 9 that performs overall control processing of the security function and the like and a battery (not shown) serving as a power source thereof are incorporated.

  The information input means 6 may be built in the main body of the gas meter 1 or may be connected from the outside. In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, it has a row of input keys 10 for inputting numerical values and symbols and a connection means 11 for connecting to an external device. Normally, the input key 10 is covered with a cover (not shown) so that it cannot be operated carelessly.

  The registration storage means 7 can be a semiconductor memory that stores registered data, or a magnetic recording medium or the like as long as it can add or rewrite recording.

  The appliance determination means 8 determines the gas appliance to be used from the registered data and the measured flow rate value, and the operation will be described later.

  Although the flow rate measuring means 3 of the present invention has an ultrasonic measurement unit, other measurement methods can be used as long as they can be continuously measured in a short cycle. is there.

  The operation will be described below.

  First, the ultrasonic flow velocity measurement will be described with reference to FIG. The measurement channel 12 has a rectangular cross section, and a pair of ultrasonic transmitters / receivers 13 and 14 are sandwiched between the measurement channel 12 and a wall surface perpendicular to the gas flow direction of the measurement channel 12. Are mounted obliquely opposite each other at an angle φ on the upstream side and the downstream side. Ultrasonic waves are alternately transmitted and received between the ultrasonic transmitters / receivers 13 and 14, and the difference between the propagation times of the ultrasonic waves in the forward direction and the reverse direction with respect to the flow of the fluid is measured at a constant interval, and output as a propagation time difference signal. Have a job. In response to this propagation time difference signal, the calculation means (not shown) calculates the flow velocity and flow rate of the fluid to be measured.

  The calculation formula is shown below.

In FIG. 3, L is a measurement distance, where t1 is the transmission time from the upstream, t2 is the transmission time from the downstream, and C is the speed of sound, the flow velocity V is V = L / 2cosφ (1 / t1-1 / t2) ( 1)
The measurement time interval can be set within a range where ultrasonic waves can be transmitted / received, but a resolution of 0.1 second is sufficient to perform instrument discrimination.

  Next, a procedure for performing device registration will be described. The flowchart is shown in FIG.

  As information to be registered in the gas meter 1, a flow rate pattern generated when each gas appliance is used as described above (step 1). An example is shown in FIG. As actual registration data, data of a flow rate value every 0.2 seconds from the start of the instrument is stored for a predetermined time. Note that the data time interval does not need to be limited to 0.2 seconds, and can be arbitrarily set depending on the required appliance discrimination capability.

  In the flow rate pattern registration method, the storage unit of the gas meter 1 previously stores and stores the flow rate patterns of the respective gas appliances and the corresponding code numbers (step 2).

  The code numbers of the appliances to be installed are inputted from the input key 10 of the information input means 6 by the necessary number for registration and stored in the registration storage means 7.

  The gas meter 1 measures the gas flow rate at regular intervals, and when the newly measured gas flow rate value increases by more than a predetermined value from the previous value, it is determined that a new instrument has been used (step 3). The flow rate pattern corresponding to the instrument code registered in the registration storage means is compared (steps 4 and 5), and the instrument used is determined (step 6).

  As shown in FIG. 6, the gas meter 1 has a history storage means 15, and the measured value of the gas flow rate is held and stored in time series, thereby comparing the past transition and the newly measured gas flow rate value. Therefore (steps 11 to 13), the reliability of the determination as to whether or not a newer instrument has been used is improved (step 14).

  In addition, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, the flow rate data before use of the appliance remaining in the history storage means 15 is compared with the current use data, and it is detected that the gas flow rate value has returned to the value before use of the appliance. However, it is also possible to have a function for determining the end of use (step 16).

  As a flow rate pattern registration method, the gas meter 1 is connected to an external database as shown in FIG. 8, and an authentication code of a newly registered gas device is registered by key input as shown in FIG. 9 ( Step 21), a flow rate pattern corresponding to the authentication code is downloaded from the database by the data registering means (step 22) and stored in the registration storage means 7 (step 23). The gas meter 1 measures the gas flow rate at regular intervals, and when the newly measured gas flow rate value increases by a predetermined value or more from the previous value, it is determined that a new instrument has been used (step 24). The change is compared with the flow rate pattern corresponding to the code of the instrument registered in the registration storage means (steps 25 and 26), and the used instrument is discriminated (step 27).

  Note that the connection form with the external data may be a wireless type, not a wired connection, or a direct connection with a memory member storing data.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the flow rate pattern is actually measured using characteristic numerical values such as a difference in data at a certain time interval and a maximum value in a table as shown in (Table 1). It can also be used in comparison with flow rate values.

  In addition, registration data registered in the registration storage means 7 can be corrected and deleted by a key operation by the information input means 6, so that useless data or data that may cause a malfunction is stored. Therefore, it is possible to always construct optimum judgment data in the gas meter 1, and it is possible to reduce memory and power consumption.

  Note that if there is a difference in the flow rate change pattern of the instrument in actual use with respect to the initially registered flow rate pattern, or if there is a difference due to changes over time, the difference is actually greater than or equal to the predetermined value. The control means has a function of correcting data corresponding to the difference from the flow rate value and updating / correcting the data, so that the accuracy of appliance discrimination can be further improved.

  The data stored in the history storage means 15 is taken out from the connection terminal, the gas charge settings and the usage state of the equipment are grasped based on the data, and the management service etc. so that the gas appliance can be used efficiently. Various utilization methods are possible.

  As described above, since the gas meter according to the present invention registers a characteristic flow rate pattern for each device as data to be registered, the number of devices to be determined is limited to the devices in each home and the number of data to be compared. The flow rate pattern of each device, which is a criterion for judgment, is registered and the reliability is high, and it is possible to have a high judgment capability with a simple algorithm for appliance discrimination, and the security setting corresponding to the appliance used It will be possible to provide new services, such as changing values optimally and setting gas charges corresponding to the equipment used.

Configuration diagram of a gas meter in an embodiment of the present invention The information input part front view of the gas meter in embodiment of this invention Flow meter configuration diagram of a gas meter in an embodiment of the present invention Flow chart of gas meter instrument registration in an embodiment of the present invention Characteristic diagram of registered flow rate of gas meter in embodiment of the present invention Configuration diagram of a gas meter in an embodiment of the present invention Flowchart of gas meter end determination in the embodiment of the present invention Connection diagram with external data of gas meter in the embodiment of the present invention Flow chart of gas meter instrument registration in an embodiment of the present invention Characteristic diagram of registered flow rate of gas meter in embodiment of the present invention Conventional gas meter layout

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Gas meter 2 Gas shut-off valve 3 Flow rate measurement means 4 Display part 5 Seismic device 6 Information input means 7 Registration storage means 8 Instrument determination means 9 Control circuit 10 Input key 11 Connection means 12 Measurement flow path 13, 14 Ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 15 History storage means

Claims (10)

A flow rate measuring unit connected to a household gas supply pipe for measuring a gas flow rate, an information input unit for inputting registration data of a gas appliance to be used, and a registration storage unit for storing the registration data input by the information input unit; A gas meter having an appliance determination unit that compares the registration data of the registration storage unit with the gas flow rate value measured by the flow rate measurement unit to determine a gas appliance to be used. The gas meter according to claim 1, further comprising history storage means for recording a use history of each registered gas appliance. The gas meter according to claim 2, wherein the data of the history storage means and the gas flow rate value measured by the flow rate measurement means are compared to determine the end of the use of the determined appliance. The gas meter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information input means inputs a flow pattern of the gas appliance used as registration data. 4. The gas storage device according to claim 1, further comprising: a registration storage unit in which a gas appliance recognition code and a flow rate pattern corresponding to the recognition code are recorded in advance, and the information input unit inputs the installation gas appliance recognition code as registration data. The gas meter according to any one of claims. The information input means includes connection means for acquiring a flow rate pattern corresponding to the input recognition code from an external database, using the recognition code of the installed gas appliance as registration data. Gas meter. The gas flow meter according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the flow rate pattern is extracted data of a portion where a flow rate value forms a characteristic waveform over time. The gas meter according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information input means has an information correction function for correcting and deleting registration data in the registration storage means. The registration storage means has a data correction function for correcting the difference between the flow rate pattern of the registered registration storage means data and the flow rate change pattern during use of the determined appliance, and updating the data of the registration storage means. The gas meter of any one of -8. The gas meter according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a flow rate measuring unit configured by ultrasonic flow rate measurement.

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