阅读说明：本技术 传感器装置及气体监视系统
(Sensor device and gas monitoring system
) 是由 魏志强
米田慎一
铃木良一
村冈俊作 于 2018-09-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：气体监视系统(1)具备检测气体并输出检测结果的至少一个传感器装置(10)、和接收检测结果的网关(20)；传感器装置(10)具有：传感器模块(100),具有检测气体的气体传感器(105a)；A/D变换器(105c),对从气体传感器(105a)输出的检测结果进行处理；通信模块(110),与传感器模块(100)进行通信,并将由A/D变换器(105c)处理后的信息向传感器装置(10)的外部发送；电源部(106),是传感器模块(100)的电力源；以及电源部(113),是通信模块的电力源。(A gas monitoring system (1) is provided with at least sensor devices (10) that detect gas and output detection results, and a gateway (20) that receives the detection results, wherein the sensor devices (10) are provided with a sensor module (100) that has a gas sensor (105a) that detects gas, an A/D converter (105c) that processes the detection results output from the gas sensor (105a), a communication module (110) that communicates with the sensor module (100) and transmits information processed by the A/D converter (105c) to the outside of the sensor devices (10), a power supply unit (106) that is a power source for the sensor module (100), and a power supply unit (113) that is a power source for the communication module.)
An sensor device for detecting underground gas leakage, comprising:
a sensor module having a 1 st sensor for detecting a gas;
a processing circuit for processing a detection result output from the 1 st sensor;
a communication module that communicates with the sensor module and transmits information processed by the processing circuit to the outside of the sensor device;
a 1 st power supply which is a power source of the sensor module; and
and a 2 nd power supply which is a power source of the communication module.
2. The sensor device of claim 1,
the sensor module includes:
a housing;
the 1 st sensor disposed in the housing;
the processing circuit described above; and
the 1 st power supply supplies power to the 1 st sensor and the processing circuit.
3. The sensor device of claim 1 or 2,
the 1 st sensor is a hydrogen sensor for detecting hydrogen molecules.
4. The sensor device of any of claims 1-3,
there is also a 2 nd sensor, the 2 nd sensor detecting at least parameters relating to the environment surrounding the sensor device.
5. The sensor device of claim 4,
the 2 nd sensor is disposed below the 1 st sensor.
6. The sensor device of claim 4 or 5,
the 2 nd sensor is at least one of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor and a pressure sensor.
7. The sensor device of claim 4 or 5,
the 2 nd sensor is a flooding sensor for detecting flooding of the sensor module.
8. The sensor device of claim 4 or 5,
the 2 nd sensor is a humidity sensor;
the sensor module determines that the sensor module is submerged when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is 90% or more.
9. The sensor device of claim 2,
at least the portion of the housing has a conical or pyramidal shape.
10. The sensor device of claim 2,
the sensor module further has a waterproof filter or a dustproof filter.
11. The sensor device of any of claims 1-10,
the communication module is disposed above the sensor module.
12. The sensor device of any of claims 1-11,
there are of the above-mentioned communication modules and of the above-mentioned sensor modules corresponding to the communication modules.
13. The sensor device of any of claims 1-11,
there are of the above-described communication modules and a plurality of the above-described sensor modules corresponding to the communication modules.
14. The sensor device of any of claims 1-13,
the sensor module and the communication module are configured into an body.
15. The sensor device of any of claims 1-13,
the sensor module is configured separately from the communication module.
16. The sensor device of claim 15,
the sensor module and the communication module are connected through a communication wiring.
17. The sensor device of claim 15,
the sensor module is wirelessly connected with the communication module.
18. The sensor device of any of claims 1-17,
the sensor module sends the detection result to the communication module for a plurality of times.
19. The sensor device of any of claims 1-17,
the sensor module outputs all the detection results to the communication module.
20. The sensor device of any of claims 1-19,
the sensor module outputs only the detection result when gas is detected to the communication module.
21. The sensor device of any of claims 1-20,
the sensor module encrypts the detection result and outputs the encrypted detection result to the communication module.
22. The sensor device of any of claims 1-21,
the sensor module has a detection interval for the gas different from a transmission interval for transmitting the detection result from the sensor module to the communication module.
23. The sensor device of any of claims 1-22,
the sensor module has a 1 st memory for storing the detection result, and encrypts and stores the detection result in the 1 st memory.
24. The sensor device of any of claims 1-23,
the communication module has a 2 nd memory for storing the detection result, and stores the detection result received from the sensor module in the 2 nd memory.
25. The sensor device of any of claims 1-24,
at least of the 1 st power supply and the 2 nd power supply have a power generation device.
26, A gas monitoring system for detecting underground gas leakage, comprising:
at least sensor units for detecting the gas and outputting the detection result, and
the gateway receives the detection result;
the sensor device includes:
a sensor module having a 1 st sensor for detecting a gas;
a processing circuit for processing a detection result output from the 1 st sensor;
a communication module that communicates with the sensor module and transmits information processed by the processing circuit to the outside of the sensor device;
a 1 st power supply which is a power source of the sensor module; and
and a 2 nd power supply which is a power source of the communication module.
27. The gas monitoring system of claim 26,
the 1 st sensor is a hydrogen sensor for detecting hydrogen molecules.
28. The gas monitoring system of claim 26 or 27,
the part of the sensor module is arranged in the probe hole which is at least part buried underground.
29. The gas monitoring system of claim 28,
the sensor module is disposed in a drain hole formed in the probe hole.
30. The gas monitoring system of claim 26 or 27,
the sensor module is provided with a rivet at least part of which is buried in the ground.
31. A gas monitoring system as claimed in any of claims 26 to 30 wherein,
the sensor module is disposed above a transportation path of the gas in the ground.
32. A gas monitoring system as claimed in any of claims 26 to 31 wherein,
the sensor module includes a plurality of sensor modules, and the plurality of sensor modules are arranged at unequal intervals or in a non- straight line.
33. A gas monitoring system as claimed in any of claims 26 to 32 wherein,
the gas leakage detection device is provided with a plurality of sensor modules, and calculates the leakage position of the gas according to the difference of the detection time of the gas in the plurality of sensor modules.
34. A gas monitoring system as claimed in any of claims 26 to 33 wherein,
the gas leakage detection device is further provided with a GPS module which is a global positioning system module, and the leakage position of the gas is calculated by using the GPS module.
35. The gas monitoring system of claim 34,
the GPS module is configured on the gateway.
36. The gas monitoring system of claim 34 or 35,
the sensor module further comprises a 2 nd sensor, the 2 nd sensor detecting at least parameters relating to the ambient environment of the sensor device;
the sensor module for detecting the parameter by the 2 nd sensor is determined by the GPS module.
37. A gas monitoring system as claimed in any of claims 26 to 36 wherein,
when the sensor module and the communication module cannot communicate for hours, the communication module determines that the sensor module is faulty.
38. The gas monitoring system of claim 37,
and the communication module sends a judgment result to the gateway when judging that the sensor module has the fault.
39. A gas monitoring system as claimed in any of claims 26 to 38 wherein,
when the sensor module and the communication module cannot communicate for hours, the sensor module determines that the communication module is faulty.
40. A gas monitoring system as claimed in any of claims 26 to 39 wherein,
the gas leakage detection device is provided with a plurality of sensor modules, and calculates the leakage position of the gas even if at least sensor modules fail.
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a sensor device and a gas monitoring system for detecting gas leaked underground.
Background
In recent years, efforts to realize a hydrogen energy society have been vigorously made in various fields. In particular, fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen stations using hydrogen as a fuel have been introduced into the market, and accordingly, the infrastructure such as pipelines for supplying hydrogen has been perfected. Under such circumstances, a sensor for detecting hydrogen leakage is becoming more important as a mechanism for ensuring safety and security in a hydrogen energy society.
For example, in the sensor system described in patent document 1, a plurality of sensors are arranged in advance in the ground (in concrete). The plurality of sensors monitor a plurality of parameters relating to the gas and the environment other than the gas, process the monitored parameters, and wirelessly output the processed parameters to the outside of the sensors.
Disclosure of Invention
Problems to be solved by the invention
In the conventional gas detection system, since a sensor is disposed in advance in concrete, replacement and inspection cannot be performed. Therefore, there is a problem that it cannot be applied to gas monitoring that always monitors gas leakage.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide kinds of sensor devices and gas monitoring systems capable of constantly monitoring gas leakage.
Means for solving the problems
To solve the above problem, the sensor device according to of the present invention is a sensor device for detecting underground gas leakage, and includes a sensor module having a 1 st sensor for detecting gas, a processing circuit for processing a detection result output from the 1 st sensor, a communication module for communicating with the sensor module and transmitting information processed by the processing circuit to the outside of the sensor device, a 1 st power supply for supplying power to the sensor module, and a 2 nd power supply for supplying power to the communication module.
The -related gas monitoring system according to the present invention is a gas monitoring system for detecting leakage of underground gas, and includes at least sensor devices for detecting the gas and outputting a detection result, and a gateway for receiving the detection result, wherein the sensor devices include a sensor module having a 1 st sensor for detecting the gas, a processing circuit for processing the detection result output from the 1 st sensor, a communication module for communicating with the sensor module and transmitting information processed by the processing circuit to the outside of the sensor device, a 1 st power supply which is a power source of the sensor module, and a 2 nd power supply which is a power source of the communication module.
Effects of the invention
According to the present invention, kinds of sensor devices and gas monitoring systems capable of constantly monitoring gas leakage can be provided.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is an overall diagram of a gas monitoring system according to embodiment 1.
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sensor device according to embodiment 1.
Fig. 3A is a perspective view showing the structure of the sensor device according to embodiment 1.
FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the sensor assembly shown in FIG. 3A taken along line IIIB-IIIB.
Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sensor circuit according to embodiment 1.
Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication module according to embodiment 1.
Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the sensor module and the communication module according to embodiment 1.
Fig. 7 is a diagram showing connection between the sensor module and the communication module according to embodiment 1.
Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the gas monitoring system according to embodiment 1.
Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure for specifying a leak portion in the gas monitoring system according to embodiment 1.
Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing the structure of a sensor module according to embodiment 2.
Fig. 11 is a diagram showing connection between a sensor module and a communication module according to embodiment 2.
Fig. 12 is an overall diagram of a gas monitoring system according to embodiment 3.
Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a sensor module and a communication module according to embodiment 3.
Fig. 14 is a diagram showing another example of the sensor device according to embodiment 6.
Detailed Description
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the drawings, elements that substantially show the same structure, operation, and effect are given the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. The numerical values, materials, compositions, shapes, film forming methods, connection relationships between constituent elements, and the like described below are merely examples for specifically explaining the embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these. Further, among the components of the following embodiments, components that are not recited in the independent claims indicating the uppermost concept will be described as arbitrary components.
(embodiment mode 1)
[1. Structure of gas monitoring System ]
Fig. 1 is an overall view of a gas monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment, the gas monitoring system 1 is a system for constantly detecting leakage of gas supplied from a pipeline 3 buried in a ground 2, and hereinafter, the gas monitoring system 1 for detecting leakage of hydrogen will be described assuming that the gas supplied from the pipeline 3 is a hydrogen-containing gas, which is a generic name of a gas composed of molecules having hydrogen atoms, and examples of which may include hydrogen, methane, ethanol, and the like.
As shown in fig. 1, the gas monitoring system 1 is constituted by at least sensor devices 10 buried in the ground 2, the sensor devices 10 being disposed, for example, above the pipeline 3 as a transport path of the hydrogen-containing gas, the sensor devices 10 detecting the hydrogen-containing gas leaking from the pipeline 3, and the configuration of the sensor devices 10 will be described in detail later.
The sensor device 10 and the gateway 20 transmit and receive data. For example, information of the leakage of the gas detected by the sensor device 10 and information on the leakage position of the gas are transmitted from the sensor device 10 to the gateway 20.
The gateway 20 is a relay device such as a base station and a router. The gateway 20 is provided with a GPS (global positioning system) module. The gateway 20 detects the location of the gas leak using a GPS module.
Information of the leakage of the gas sent to the gateway 20 is passed from the gateway 20 to the maintenance service 7 via the cloud system 6. Thus, the maintenance service 7 can know the gas leakage and the leakage position, and can take measures against the gas leakage.
[2. Structure of sensor device ]
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sensor device 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the sensor device 10 includes a sensor module 100 and a communication module 110. The structures of the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 will be described in detail later.
As shown in fig. 1, for example, the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 are installed in a hand hole (hand hole)130 buried in the ground 2. The probe hole 130 has a space inside to the extent that a hand can be inserted through the opening and operated. A cover 140 is disposed above the probe hole 130 to cover the opening of the probe hole 130. That is, a structure in which the cover 140 is disposed on the surface of the floor 2.
[ 2-1. Structure of sensor Module ]
The structure of the sensor module 100 will be described below. Fig. 3A is a perspective view showing the structure of the sensor device 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the sensor device 10 taken along line IIIB-IIIB shown in FIG. 3A. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the sensor circuit 102 according to the present embodiment.
As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the sensor module 100 includes a housing 101, a sensor circuit 102, and a filter 103.
The case 101 is made of, for example, an aluminum alloy, and has a conical shape as shown in fig. 3A. Since the sensor device 10 is disposed as a drain plug at the drain hole of the probe hole 130 as described later, the shape of the housing 101 is conical. However, the shape of the case 101 is not limited to this, and may be a pyramid shape or another shape.
Further, a sensor circuit 102 is disposed on the bottom surface of the conical shape of the case 101. As shown in fig. 4, the sensor circuit 102 includes a detection unit 105 and a power supply unit 106. The detection unit 105 includes a gas sensor 105a, a temperature sensor 105b, an a/D converter 105c, a processor 105D, and a memory 105 e.
The gas sensor 105a is a hydrogen sensor that detects hydrogen molecules. In the present embodiment, the gas sensor 105a is the 1 st sensor. The gas sensor 105a includes 2 electrodes facing each other and a metal oxide layer disposed between the 2 electrodes.
The -side electrode of the 2 electrodes is made of a material having a catalytic action of dissociating hydrogen atoms from gas molecules having hydrogen atoms, such as platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), palladium (Pd), or an alloy containing at least 1 of these.
The other side of the 2 electrodes is made of a material having a standard electrode potential lower than that of a metal constituting a metal oxide, such as tungsten (W), nickel (Ni), tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), tantalum nitride (TaN), or titanium nitride (TiN), and the standard electrode potential is more resistant to oxidation as the value thereof is higher, and the other side electrode may be made of a material having a catalytic action of dissociating hydrogen atoms from gas molecules having hydrogen atoms, such as platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), or palladium (Pd), or an alloy containing at least 1 of these.
The metal oxide layer is composed of an oxide containing 1 metal selected from the group consisting of, for example, a metal capable of taking a plurality of oxidation states represented by a transition metal, tin, and aluminum. The parent metal of the metal oxide may be at least 1 selected from transition metals such as tantalum (Ta), hafnium (Hf), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), tungsten (W), nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), vanadium (V), cerium (Ce), and copper (Cu), and tin (Sn) and aluminum (Al).
The metal oxide layer may have a structure of 1 layer or 2 layers including 2 metal oxide layers having different oxygen contents. Furthermore, the metal oxide layer may also comprise an oxygen-deficient metal oxide.
The temperature sensor 105b is a sensor that detects the temperature as at least parameters relating to the ambient environment in which the sensor device 10 is disposed, in the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 105b is the 2 nd sensor, for example, a thermocouple is used for the temperature sensor 105b, and the detection unit 105 can detect the leakage of the hydrogen-containing gas or other failures from the temperature change in the ambient environment of the sensor device 10 by including the temperature sensor 105 b.
The 2 nd sensor is not limited to the temperature sensor, and may be constituted by at least of the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor, and the pressure sensor, for example, or may be a combination of the temperature sensor, the humidity sensor, and the pressure sensor, or the 2 nd sensor may be an submergence sensor that detects submergence of the sensor device 10 as described later.
The temperature sensor 105b is disposed below the gas sensor 105 a. Thus, the abnormality can be detected from the temperature change detected by the temperature sensor 105b before the abnormality is detected by the gas sensor 105a, so that the destruction of the gas sensor 105a due to the abnormality can be suppressed. The temperature sensor 105d is not limited to the one, and a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, a flooding sensor, and the like may be disposed below the gas sensor 105a in the same manner as the temperature sensor 105 d. For example, in the case where the flooding sensor is disposed at the lower portion of the gas sensor 105a, the sensor module 100 can be prevented from flooding and the gas sensor 105a flooding and malfunctioning. In the case of flooding the sensor, it is preferably disposed at a position close to the apex of the housing 101.
The a/D converter 105c is a converter that exchanges analog signals and digital signals between the gas sensor 105a and the temperature sensor 105b and the processor. In the present embodiment, the a/D converter 105c is a processing circuit. The a/D converter 105c converts analog data such as the amount of hydrogen detected by the gas sensor 105a and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 105b into digital data, and supplies the digital data to the processor 105D.
The processor 105d processes the detection results of the hydrogen detection amount, the temperature, and the like detected by the gas sensor 105a and the temperature sensor 105b, and outputs the results to the outside of the sensor module 100. The processor 105d encrypts the detection results of the gas sensor 105a and the temperature sensor 105b, and outputs the encrypted detection results to the outside of the sensor module 100. For example, as described later, the sensor module 100 is connected to the communication module 110 via a communication wire, and the processor 105d transmits the encrypted detection result to the communication module 110 via the communication wire. At this time, the processor 105d may transmit the detection result to the communication module 110 only 1 time, or may transmit the detection result a plurality of times.
The memory 105e is a storage unit that stores the detection results of the gas sensor 105a and the temperature sensor 105b output from the processor 105d, in the present embodiment, the memory 105e is the 1 st memory, the memory 105e may store the detection results of the gas sensor 105a and the temperature sensor 105b encrypted by the processor 105d, the detection result stored in the memory 105e may be read by the processor 105d and output to the communication module 110, and in this case, the sensor module 100 may output all the detection results to the communication module 110, or may output only part of the detection results, for example, only the detection result when hydrogen-containing gas is detected to the communication module 110.
In the sensor circuit 102, the power supply unit 106 is a power source for supplying power to the detection unit 105. In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 106 is the 1 st power supply. The power supply unit 106 includes a battery 106a and a DC-DC converter 106 b.
The battery 106a is a battery that supplies electric power. The DC-DC converter 106b converts the DC voltage output from the battery 106a into a predetermined DC voltage and supplies the predetermined DC voltage to the detection unit 105.
Further, the filter 103 is a waterproof filter for preventing water from entering the sensor module 100. The filter 103 is made of, for example, a Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) porous membrane. The filter 103 is disposed at a position lower than the sensor circuit 102 with a predetermined thickness in the sensor module 100. This can prevent water from penetrating into the sensor circuit 102 from the conical apex side of the housing 101 that contacts the ground 2. Therefore, the sensor circuit 102 can be suppressed from malfunctioning. The filter 103 is not limited to a waterproof filter, and may be a dustproof filter.
[ 2-2. Structure of communication Module ]
Next, the structure of the communication module 110 will be described. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communication module 110 according to the present embodiment.
The communication module 110 has a communication section 112 and a power supply section 113.
The communication unit 112 includes an antenna 112a, a communication circuit 112b, and a memory 112 c. The communication circuit 112b transmits and receives signals to and from the gateway 20 via the antenna 112 a. The communication circuit 112b receives the detection results of the gas sensor 105a and the temperature sensor 105b output from the sensor module 100 via the communication wiring described above.
The memory 112c is a memory for storing the detection result received from the sensor module 100. In the present embodiment, the memory 112c is the 2 nd memory. The detection result stored in the memory 112c is read out by the communication circuit 112b and transmitted to the gateway 20.
The power supply unit 113 is a power source for supplying power to the communication unit 112. In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 113 is the 2 nd power supply. The power supply section 113 has a battery 113a and a DC-DC converter 113 b. The configuration of the power supply unit 113 is the same as that of the power supply unit 106 described above, and therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted.
[ 2-3. arrangement of sensor module and communication module ]
Here, the arrangement relationship between the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 according to the present embodiment.
As described above, the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 are disposed inside the borehole 130.
As shown in fig. 6, the probe hole 130 has a space inside. Further, an opening is provided above the probe hole 130. The cover 140 is disposed so as to cover the opening of the probe hole 130. Further, a drain hole 131 for discharging water introduced into the probe hole 130 to the outside is provided at the bottom of the probe hole 130.
The sensor device 10 includes communication modules 110 and sensor modules 100 corresponding to the communication modules 110 in the interior of the manhole 130, and the sensor device 10 may include communication modules 110 and a plurality of sensor modules 100 corresponding to the communication modules 110.
The sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 are configured separately. By separately disposing the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110, when the sensor module 100 or the communication module 110 fails, only the failed sensor module 100 or the communication module 110 can be replaced.
The sensor module 100 is disposed in a drain hole 131 provided in the bottom of the probe hole 130. More specifically, the sensor module 100 is disposed so that the vicinity of the apex of the tapered housing 101 extends from the inside of the probe hole 130 to the outside of the drain hole 131. Thereby, the sensor module 100 can also function as a drain plug for the probe hole 130.
The sensor module 100 may be disposed at a place other than the drain hole 131. For example, a dedicated hole for installing the sensor module 100 may be provided inside the probe hole 130, and the sensor module 100 may be disposed in the hole.
The communication module 110 is disposed above the sensor module 100, for example, as shown in fig. 6, the communication module 110 is provided on the side surface of the cover 140 facing the inside of the probe hole 130. thus, the communication module 110 is disposed above the sensor module 100, and therefore, the sensor module 100 is disposed closer to the line 3 than the communication module 110.
The sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 may be disposed separately, or may be disposed so as to form an body as will be described later.
Fig. 7 is a diagram showing connection between the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 7, the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 are connected by a communication wiring 150. As described above, the sensor module 100 is disposed in the drain hole 131 provided at the bottom of the probe hole 130. The communication module 110 is disposed on the cover 140 facing the bottom of the probe hole 130. As shown in fig. 7, the communication wiring 150 connects the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 and is disposed along the side surface inside the probe hole 130. The communication wiring 150 may be embedded in the wall of the probe hole 130.
As will be described later, the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 may have wireless communication units and may be connected wirelessly.
[3. operation of gas monitoring System ]
Here, the operation of detecting the hydrogen-containing gas using the gas monitoring system 1 will be described, fig. 8 is a diagram for describing the operation of the gas monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment, fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of specifying the leak site in the gas monitoring system 1 according to embodiment 1, and in the present embodiment, a case where 5 sensor devices 10 are associated with 1 gateway 20 as shown in fig. 8 will be described as an example of .
Further, since the plurality of sensor devices 10 are provided, even when at least of the plurality of sensor modules 100 have failed, the leak position of the hydrogen-containing gas can be detected by the other sensor modules 100.
The plurality of sensor devices 10 may be arranged in straight lines at equal intervals along the pipeline 3 above the pipeline 3 arranged on the ground 2 as shown in fig. 1, or may be arranged in straight lines at unequal intervals above the pipeline 3, and hereinafter, as a more general example, the operation of the gas monitoring system 1 will be described in the case where the plurality of sensor devices 10 are arranged in straight lines at unequal intervals, and the arrangement position of the plurality of sensor devices 10 will be described with direction in the horizontal direction as the x direction, a direction orthogonal to the x direction as the horizontal direction as the y direction, a direction orthogonal to the x direction and the y direction as the z direction, and coordinates in the x, y, and z directions, and t is time.
Each sensor device 10 communicates with the gateway 20 and transmits the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas to the gateway 20. For example, the communication between the sensor device 10 and the gateway 20 is performed at intervals of time Δ t. That is, the gateway 20 receives the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas from the sensor device 10 at intervals of Δ t (step S10). In this case, the sensor devices 10 may communicate with the gateway 20 at the same timing, or may communicate sequentially.
When the leakage of the hydrogen-containing gas is detected by at least 1 sensor device 10 (yes in step S11), the gateway 20 receives the positional information of the sensor device 10 and the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas as the leakage information of the hydrogen-containing gas (step S12). the positional information of the sensor device 10 is, for example, information represented by the coordinates in the x, y, and z directions described above, for example, in the case of being arranged at P shown in fig. 81When the sensor device 10 at the position of (2) detects the leakage of the hydrogen-containing gas, the gateway 20 receives P1And the time (x) at which the leak was detected1，y1，z1，t1)。
Further, the sensor device 10 may transmit ID information instead of the position information. In this case, the gateway 20 may store the ID information and the position information of each sensor device 10 in the base station in association with each other in advance.
If the plurality of sensor devices 10 do not detect the leakage of the hydrogen-containing gas (no in step S11), the gateway 20 receives the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas again from the sensor devices 10 at intervals of time Δ t.
In addition, in the other sensor device 10, also in the case where leakage of the hydrogen-containing gas occurs (in step s)Yes in step S13), the gateway 20 receives the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas and the positional information of the sensor device 10 as the leakage information of the hydrogen gas in the other sensor device 10. For example, in P shown in FIG. 8nWhen the sensor device 10 at the position of (2) detects the leakage of the hydrogen-containing gas, the gateway 20 receives PnAnd the time (x) at which the leak was detectedn，yn，zn，tn). And, according to the configuration at P1Time t at which the sensor device 10 at the position of (2) detects the leakage of the hydrogen-containing gas1And is arranged at PnTime t at which the sensor device 10 at the position of (2) detects the leakage of the hydrogen-containing gasnAnd detecting the leak position of the hydrogen-containing gas.
When the time difference t does not exceed a predetermined set time tlimtIn the case of (yes in step S14), the gateway 20 calculates the leak site of the hydrogen-containing gas (step S16). At this time, the gateway 20 detects the leak location of the hydrogen containing gas using the GPS module. In the GPS module, the coordinates of the leak portion P can be calculated from the respective distances between the 4 satellites and the leak portion P of the hydrogen-containing gas. At this time, the leak position is calculated by an iterative successive calculation method (newton method). The specific calculation is omitted because it is a well-known calculation method.
The gateway 20 determines that the distance P is present by calculation using the GPS1Is leaked at a position of the line 3 closer to the position of (b).
Further, the time difference t does not exceed the predetermined set time tlimtIn the case of (no in step S14), the gateway 20 determines that it is at the distance P1The hydrogen-containing gas does not leak, i.e., is false alarm, at the position of the line 3 that is closer to the position of (b) (step S15).
In addition, when the hydrogen-containing gas does not leak even in another sensor device 10 (no in step S13), the gateway 20 determines that the alarm is false (step S15).
Thus, the leakage portion of the hydrogen-containing gas is detected. In turn, the location of the hydrogen containing gas leak is communicated from the gateway 20 to the maintenance service 7 via the cloud system 6.
The communication interval between the sensor device 10 and the gateway 20 may be the same as or different from the detection interval of the hydrogen-containing gas in the sensor module 100. When the communication interval between the sensor device 10 and the gateway 20 is different from the detection interval of the hydrogen-containing gas in the sensor module 100, the sensor module 100 or the communication module 110 in the sensor device 10 may temporarily store the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas in the memory 105e or 112c, read it from the memory 105e or 112c in accordance with the communication timing, and transmit it to the gateway 20.
The sensor device 10 may transmit the detection result of hydrogen-containing gas to the gateway 20 for a predetermined period, or may transmit the detection result to the gateway 20 only when hydrogen-containing gas is detected.
[4. effects, etc. ]
As described above, according to the gas monitoring system 1 and the sensor device 10 of the present embodiment, the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas detected by the sensor module 100 can be transmitted to the gateway 20 using the communication module 110. Further, the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas can be notified from the gateway 20 to the maintenance service 7 via the cloud system 6. Further, since the sensor device 10 is disposed in the manhole 130, the maintenance service 7 can perform inspection and maintenance of the sensor device 10. Furthermore, the maintenance service 7 can replace the sensor device 10 in case of a failure of the sensor device 10. Therefore, the gas monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment enables the maintenance service 7 to always monitor the gas leakage.
(embodiment mode 2)
Next, the gas monitoring system 1 according to embodiment 2 will be described.
The gas monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment differs from the gas monitoring system 1 shown in embodiment 1 in that is a point at which the sensor module 100a has a communication circuit 109 for performing wireless communication with the communication module 110.
Fig. 10 is a sectional view showing the structure of a sensor module 100a according to the present embodiment. As shown in fig. 10, the sensor module 100a according to the present embodiment includes a sensor circuit 102a, power supplies 107 and 108, and a communication circuit 109.
The sensor circuit 102a has the same configuration as the detection unit 105 of the sensor circuit 102 shown in embodiment 1. The sensor circuit 102a does not include the power supply unit 106, and operates by being supplied with power from a power supply 107 disposed outside the sensor circuit 102 a. That is, in the present embodiment, the power supply 107 is the 1 st power supply. The sensor circuit 102a is connected to a power supply 107 via a wiring. The configuration of the power supply 107 is the same as that of the power supply unit 106 shown in embodiment 1, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.
The sensor module 100a includes a communication circuit 109 instead of a communication wire for communicating with the communication module 110. The communication circuit 109 is a communication circuit used by the sensor module 100a to wirelessly communicate with the communication module 110. The communication circuit 109 receives the detection result transmitted from the sensor module 100a by an antenna (not shown), and further outputs the result to the communication module 110.
The communication circuit 109 does not include the communication circuit 109 as in the communication module 110 shown in embodiment 1, and operates by being supplied with power from the power supply 108 disposed outside the communication circuit 109. That is, in the present embodiment, the power supply 108 is the 2 nd power supply. The communication circuit 109 is connected to the power supply 108 through a wiring. The configuration of the power supply 108 is the same as that of the power supply 107, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.
Fig. 11 is a diagram showing connection between the sensor module 100a and the communication module 110 according to the present embodiment. As described above, the sensor module 100a is disposed in the drain hole 131 provided at the bottom of the probe hole 130. The communication module 110 is disposed on the cover 140 facing the bottom of the probe hole 130. In this case, the distance between the sensor module 100a and the communication module 110 may be any distance as long as the sensor module 100a and the communication module 110 can perform wireless communication.
Thus, the communication between the sensor module 100a and the communication module 110 may also be performed as wireless communication. This eliminates the need to prepare communication wiring, and thus the degree of freedom in the arrangement positions of the sensor module 100a and the communication module 110 can be improved.
(embodiment mode 3)
Next, the gas monitoring system 1 according to embodiment 3 will be described.
The gas monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment differs from the gas monitoring system 1 shown in embodiment 1 in that the sensor device 10 is disposed at of the spike (road rivet) 240.
Fig. 12 is an overall diagram of the gas monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 according to the present embodiment.
In the gas monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment, the sensor device 10 is disposed in the spike 240, the spike 240 is a rivet for indicating a road section or the like, and is partially embedded in the ground 2, for example, the spike 240 is disposed at a predetermined interval on a center line of a lane, a boundary line between the lane and a side road, and the spike 240 is formed of metal, polycarbonate resin, or the like, and the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 constituting the sensor device 10 are disposed in the portion of the spike 240 embedded in the ground 2 as shown in fig. 12.
As shown in fig. 13, the spike 240 includes a body 241, a leg 242, and a reflector 243. The leg 242 is provided below the body 241 and buried in the floor 2. The main body 241 is disposed on the surface of the floor 2. The reflector 243 is disposed at a position in the body portion 241 that is easily visible from a driver or a pedestrian who travels and walks on a lane or a side road.
The sensor module 100 is provided at the tip of the leg 242 of the spike 240 so that the tapered tip portion protrudes from the leg 242. Thus, the front end portion of the sensor module 100 is configured to be in contact with the ground 2 when buried in the ground 2. The communication module 110 of the sensor device 10 is disposed at the leg 242 on the ground side of the sensor module 100. The communication module 110 may be disposed on the main body 241.
Thereby, the sensor module 100 is disposed closer to the line 3 through which the hydrogen-containing gas is fed than the communication module 110. The communication module 110 is arranged on the ground side of the sensor module 100, and therefore is configured to facilitate communication with the gateway 20. The sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 may be connected by a communication wire and communicate with each other through a communication wire as in the sensor device 10 shown in embodiment 1, or may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly.
The sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 may be both disposed on the spike 240, or only the sensor module may be disposed on the spike 240. further, the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 may be disposed on the spike 240 as an -body, or may be disposed separately on the front end side of the leg portion 242 and the ground surface side of the leg portion 242 of the spike 240 or the body portion 241 as shown in fig. 13. the shape of the spike 240 is not limited to that shown in fig. 13, and may have other shapes.
(embodiment mode 4)
Next, the gas monitoring system 1 according to embodiment 4 will be described.
The gas monitoring system 1 according to the present embodiment differs from the gas monitoring system 1 shown in embodiment 1 in that it is which detects a failure of at least of the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110.
The sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 communicate at predetermined time intervals, and a detection result of whether the hydrogen-containing gas is detected by the sensor module 100 is transmitted from the sensor module 100 to the communication module 110.
Here, the sensor module 100 determines that the communication module 110 has failed when the communication module 110 cannot communicate with the sensor module 100 for hours, stores the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas in the memory 105e when the communication module 110 has determined that the communication module 110 has failed, and transmits the detection result of the hydrogen-containing gas stored in the memory 105e to the communication module 110 when the communication between the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 is restored by the failure of the communication module 110 being resolved, in this case, the sensor module 100 may transmit only the detection result information when the hydrogen-containing gas has been detected to the communication module 110, or may transmit all the detection results to the communication module 110.
Further, when communication with the sensor module 100 is not possible at for a certain time, the communication module 110 determines that the sensor module 100 is faulty, and the communication module 110 transmits the determination result to the gateway 20, and further, communicates the determination result from the gateway 20 to the maintenance service 7 via the cloud system 6, whereby the maintenance service 7 can detect an abnormality of the sensor module 100.
(embodiment 5)
Next, the gas monitoring system 1 according to embodiment 5 will be described.
The gas monitoring system according to the present embodiment differs from the gas monitoring system 1 shown in embodiment 1 in that the sensor module 100 includes a humidity sensor as the 2 nd sensor at point .
The humidity sensor is not shown, but is provided near the apex of the conical housing 101 of the sensor module 100. Since the vicinity of the apex of the housing 101 of the sensor module 100 contacts the ground 2, the humidity of the ground 2 can be detected.
Here, when the detected humidity by the humidity sensor is 90% or more, the sensor module 100 determines that the sensor module 100 is submerged. Thereby, the sensor module 100 can detect an abnormality of the sensor module 100 before the sensor module 100 is completely submerged (humidity 100%). Thus, the maintenance service 7 can detect flooding of the sensor module 100 in advance, so that malfunction of the sensor module 100 can be prevented in advance.
In the present embodiment, the case where the detected humidity obtained by the humidity sensor is 90% or more is determined as flooding, but the determination of the flooding humidity is not limited to 90%, and may be appropriately changed depending on the environment in which the sensor module 100 is disposed.
(embodiment mode 6)
Next, the gas monitoring system 1 according to embodiment 6 will be described.
The gas monitoring system according to the present embodiment differs from the gas monitoring system 1 shown in embodiment 1 in that the gas monitoring system includes a power generation device as a power source for the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110.
Fig. 14 is a diagram showing another example of the sensor device 10 according to the present embodiment, the sensor device 10 according to the present embodiment has a plurality of panels 140a for solar power generation on the upper surface of the cover 140 as shown in fig. 14, and the plurality of panels 140a store power in the battery 113a of the communication module 110 disposed on the lower surface of the cover 140, that is, on the inside of the manhole 130, and thereby the communication module 110 can perform communication with the gateway 20 using power generated by solar power generation, and the communication module 110 may use power generated by solar power generation for communication with the sensor module 100.
The electric power generated by the solar power generation is not limited to being stored in the battery 113a of the communication module 110, and may be stored in the battery 106a of the sensor module 100. In addition, instead of the battery 106a and the battery 113a, another power storage device for storing electric power generated by solar power generation may be provided.
The power source of the sensor module and the communication module is not limited to the solar power generator, and may be another power generator such as a power generator utilizing vibration.
Further, the power sources of both the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 may have power generators, and of the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 may have power generators, and the sensor module 100 and the communication module 110 may share the same power generator, or may have different power generators.
(other embodiments)
The gas sensor and the gas detection system according to the several aspects of the present invention have been described above based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and combinations of the components of the embodiments described above may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
For example, the gas sensor described above is provided as a hydrogen sensor for detecting a hydrogen-containing gas, but may be a gas sensor for detecting a gas other than the hydrogen-containing gas.
The sensor device is not limited to being disposed in the manhole, and may be disposed in a manhole into which a person can enter, for example.
The 2 nd sensor device is not limited to a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, and a flooding sensor, and may be a sensor that detects other parameters useful for preventing the sensor device from being damaged.
In addition, the gateway has a GPS module, so the gas monitoring system can also determine the sensor module for which the 2 nd sensor detects the parameter by GPS.
The shape of the sensor device is not limited to the shape of the cone or pyramid described above, and may be other shapes.
Industrial applicability
The gas sensor according to the present invention is useful as a hydrogen sensor for detecting leakage of hydrogen from a hydrogen transport path, for example, a line for supplying hydrogen gas, through which leakage of gas needs to be always detected.
Description of the reference symbols
1 gas monitoring system
2 ground
3 pipeline (conveying path)
6 cloud system
7 maintenance service
10 sensor device
20 gateway
100. 100a sensor module
101 casing
102. 102a sensor circuit
103 filter
105 detection part
105a gas sensor (the 1 st sensor)
105b temperature sensor (No. 2 sensor)
105c A/D converter (processing circuit)
105d processor
105e memory (1 st memory)
106 power supply part (1 st power supply)
106a, 113a battery
106b DC-DC converter
107 power supply circuit (1 st power supply)
108 power supply circuit (2 nd power supply)
109. 112b communication circuit
110 communication module
112 communication part
112a antenna
112c memory (2 nd memory)
113 power supply (No. 2 power supply)
113b DC-DC converter
130 probe hole
131 drain hole
150 communication wiring
140 cover
140a panel (generating set)
240 spike (rivet)
241 main body part
242 feet
243 reflecting board
