阅读说明：本技术 燃气表 (Gas meter ) 是由 白泽忠德 村林信明 田村吉邦 盐田和希 于 2018-06-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：具备：流量测量部(3),其按时间序列测量燃气的流量；以及存储部(9),其将由流量测量部(3)测量出的流量存储为按时间序列的流量数据。还具备：存储条件设定部(7),其决定由存储部(9)存储流量数据的条件；以及通信部(10),其与中心装置(11)进行通信。并且,存储部(9)存储满足由存储条件设定部(7)设定的条件的流量数据。(The disclosed device is provided with: a flow rate measurement unit (3) that measures the flow rate of the gas in a time series manner; and a storage unit (9) that stores the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit (3) as time-series flow rate data. Further provided with: a storage condition setting unit (7) that determines a condition for storing the flow rate data in the storage unit (9); and a communication unit (10) that communicates with the center device (11). The storage unit (9) stores flow rate data that satisfies the conditions set by the storage condition setting unit (7).)

1. A gas meter is characterized by comprising:

a flow rate measurement unit that measures a flow rate of the gas in time series;

a storage unit that stores the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit as flow rate data;

a storage condition setting unit that sets a condition for storing the flow rate data in the storage unit; and

a communication unit which communicates with the center device,

wherein the storage unit stores the flow rate data satisfying the condition set by the storage condition setting unit, and the communication unit transmits the flow rate data stored in the storage unit to the center device via the communication unit based on a data request from the center device.

2. The gas meter of claim 1,

the gas meter includes an operation start detection unit that detects an operation start of a gas appliance based on the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit,

the storage condition setting unit sets the flow rate data stored in the storage unit to at least one of the flow rate data measured by the flow rate measurement unit during a predetermined period before a time point at which the operation start of the gas appliance is detected by the operation start detection unit and the flow rate data measured by the flow rate measurement unit during a predetermined period after the time point.

3. The gas meter of claim 1,

the storage condition setting unit sets a period during which the flow rate data is stored in the storage unit to a predetermined time period in a day.

4. The gas meter of claim 1,

the storage condition setting unit sets a period in which the flow rate data is stored in the storage unit to a predetermined time period in a specific week.

5. The gas meter of claim 1,

the gas meter is provided with an abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality based on the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit,

the storage condition setting unit sets the flow rate data stored in the storage unit to the flow rate measured during a predetermined period before a time point at which the abnormality is determined by the abnormality determination unit.

6. A gas meter according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the storage condition setting unit sets a condition for storing the flow rate data in the storage unit based on a condition specified by the center device.

7. A gas meter according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the gas meter is provided with a temperature detection unit, and the communication unit transmits temperature data together with the flow data.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a gas meter for measuring a flow rate of gas, and more particularly, to a gas meter having a function of transmitting measurement data to a center.

Background

Conventionally, such a gas meter accumulates periodically measured flow data and transmits the flow data to a center in accordance with a time managed by a timer or a trigger from the center. Then, the center determines the type of gas appliance being used based on the received flow rate data (see, for example, patent document 1).

Fig. 7 is a configuration diagram showing the gas appliance determination device disclosed in patent document 1. As shown in the drawing, the gas appliance determination device is composed of a gas meter 101 and an information processing terminal 102. The gas meter 101 includes a flow rate measurement unit, not shown, for measuring a gas flow rate and a communication unit for transmitting flow rate value information output from the flow rate measurement unit, and the information processing terminal 102 is configured to receive the flow rate value information from the communication unit and determine a gas appliance being used.

In addition, by using software of an algorithm for appliance determination to determine a gas appliance in the information processing terminal 102, it is possible to perform appliance determination while minimizing changes in hardware specifications on the gas meter 101 side.

Disclosure of Invention

However, in the conventional configuration, the gas meter 101 stores a periodically measured flow rate as flow rate data. Thus, a method is also disclosed as follows: the amount of data stored is reduced by compressing the data, thereby suppressing the power required for communication. However, even if data compression or the like is performed, a large storage capacity is required, and power required for communication increases, so that a gas meter on the premise of battery driving needs to have a large battery capacity, and an increase in size cannot be avoided.

The invention provides a gas meter which can further reduce the amount of stored data and reduce the power required for communication by limiting the amount of transmitted data to required data.

The gas meter of the present invention comprises: a flow rate measurement unit that measures a flow rate of the gas in time series; and a storage unit that stores the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit as flow rate data. Further provided with: a storage condition setting unit that sets a condition for storing the flow rate data in the storage unit; and a communication unit that communicates with the center device. The storage unit stores flow rate data satisfying the conditions set by the storage condition setting unit, and the communication unit transmits the flow rate data stored in the storage unit to the center device via the communication unit, based on a data request from the center device.

Thus, by storing only the traffic data set by the storage condition setting unit, it is possible to significantly reduce the traffic data to be stored and to reduce the power consumption associated with the transmission of the traffic data. Therefore, in a gas meter based on battery driving, it is possible to obtain various information that can be obtained by analyzing the gas flow rate, such as appliance determination, in cooperation with a center without increasing the size of the gas meter by preventing the capacity of the battery from increasing.

The present invention can provide a gas meter capable of reducing the memory capacity and reducing the power required for communication by limiting the amount of data to be transmitted to necessary data.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a gas meter according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a graph for explaining the operation of the gas meter according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a gas meter according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a graph for explaining the operation of the gas meter according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a graph for explaining the operation of the gas meter according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the setting contents of the storage condition setting unit of the gas meter according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a structural diagram of a conventional gas meter.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

(first embodiment)

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a gas meter according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

In fig. 1, a gas meter 1 includes an inflow pipe 2a and an outflow pipe 2b of gas, and a flow rate measuring unit 3 is formed on a path from the inflow pipe 2a to the outflow pipe 2 b. Further, a plurality of gas appliances 4, 5, and 6 are connected downstream of the outflow pipe 2 b.

The flow rate measuring unit 3 detects and outputs the flow rate of the gas in time series, and measures the instantaneous flow rate at predetermined intervals (for example, at intervals of 0.5 second). The storage unit 9 stores the flow rate data measured by the flow rate measurement unit 3 based on the conditions set by the storage condition setting unit 7.

The operation start detection unit 8 detects that the gas appliances have started to operate among the gas appliances 4 to 6 by detecting that the flow rate of the gas measured by the flow rate measurement unit 3 has increased by a predetermined flow rate (for example, 51.82L/h), and outputs an operation start signal of the gas appliances.

The storage condition setting unit 7 sets the condition of the flow rate data stored in the storage unit 9, and specifies the flow rate data in a predetermined period before the start point and the flow rate data in a predetermined period after the start point as the flow rate data to be stored, starting from the time point at which the operation start of the gas appliance is detected by the operation start detecting unit 8.

The storage unit 9 has a storage capacity for holding the flow rate of the gas measured by the flow rate measurement unit 3 as flow rate data for a predetermined time, and the storage unit 9 stores the flow rate data sequentially, and if the flow rate data exceeds the storage capacity, the storage unit stores the latest flow rate data by overwriting the flow rate data sequentially. Then, based on the condition set by the storage condition setting unit 7, after the operation start signal of the gas appliance is output from the operation start detection unit 8, past flow rate data included in a predetermined period before the start point and flow rate data measured in a predetermined period after the start point are held from the operation start detection time point.

Fig. 2 is a graph showing an example of the measurement timing of the flow rate measurement unit 3 and the measured flow rate data when the gas appliance is a gas fan heater (gas fan heater), and shows a relationship between the timing at which the operation start detection unit 8 outputs the operation start signal and the flow rate data stored in the storage unit 9. The black dots indicate flow data measured by the flow rate measuring unit 3 every 0.5 seconds.

In the present embodiment, based on the condition set by the storage condition setting unit 7, 5 pieces of flow rate data (data number 1 to data number 5) measured during a period of the past predetermined period Tp and 16 pieces of flow rate data (data number 6 to data number 21) measured during a predetermined period Tf after the start point are stored and held in the storage unit 9, starting from the output time point of the operation start signal (data number 6).

Then, when the communication unit 10 receives a request signal for flow rate data from the center device 11, the flow rate data corresponding to the predetermined periods Tp and Tf out of the flow rate data stored in the storage unit 9 is transmitted to the center device 11. It goes without saying that the flow rate data is transmitted so as to include the serial number of the gas meter 1, the measured time, and the like as additional data.

In the center device 11, various analyses are performed based on the received flow data. For example, a gas appliance is identified from a flow rate pattern at the start of operation, and the gas appliance in use in a house where the gas meter is installed can be grasped, or the deterioration state of the gas appliance can be analyzed by comparing with the past flow rate data.

Further, the storage unit 9 stores flow rate data each time it is detected that one gas appliance is activated, and stores a predetermined number of flow rate data as a set of data sets each time an operation start symbol is output. The storage unit 9 is configured to transmit a plurality of sets of data at the same time, and can reduce the power required for communication by reducing the frequency of communication.

The gas meter 1 includes a temperature detection unit 12 that detects the temperature of the gas or the temperature of the place where the gas meter 1 is installed, and by transmitting the temperature data at the time of storage in the storage unit 9 in a lump, it is possible to improve the accuracy of various analyses in the center device 11.

For example, a heating device such as a gas fan heater as a gas appliance has a high determination accuracy by estimating an air temperature based on a temperature detected by a gas meter and determining an appliance in consideration of a room temperature, in which a combustion amount at the start of operation differs depending on the room temperature, that is, a flow rate pattern of gas differs depending on the room temperature.

Further, one of the safety functions of the gas meter is a function of shutting off the gas when the maximum flow rate of the gas is exceeded, and a function of learning the maximum flow rate from an installed environment and changing the maximum flow rate. That is, from the viewpoint of ensuring safety as a gas meter, it is possible to quickly determine an abnormality by learning a maximum flow rate that may occur according to an actual usage situation from the maximum flow rate assumed as an initial value and reducing the maximum flow rate.

However, when learning is performed at a time when the air temperature is high, the maximum flow rate is learned to be small accordingly, and when the combustion amount becomes large due to a rapid drop in the air temperature at the time of a change of season, the learned maximum flow rate is exceeded in some cases, and it is determined that there is an abnormality and a shut-off is caused in some cases.

Therefore, although a method of analyzing the transition between the air temperature and the maximum flow rate to set the maximum flow rate as the optimum value is considered, if such processing is to be performed by the gas meter 1 alone, the processing becomes complicated, the load on the microcomputer performing the control becomes large, and the power consumption also becomes large, which is undesirable.

On the other hand, in the gas meter 1 according to the present embodiment, the storage condition setting unit 7 stores the flow rate data and the temperature data at the start of operation only for a gas appliance, such as a water heater, which has a large gas consumption and fluctuates according to the air temperature, in the storage unit 9, and transmits the data to the center device 11. Thus, the center device 11 can observe the change in the maximum consumption amount of the gas while observing the change in the air temperature, and can change the set value of the maximum flow rate of the gas table 1 depending on the situation, and can prevent the occurrence of unnecessary shutoff in advance.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the traffic data to be accumulated is specified to minimize the storage capacity, and the necessary traffic data is collectively transmitted to the center, thereby reducing the power consumption required for communication.

Further, the center device 11 can also perform the following processing and the like: the appliance is determined based on the flow rate data received from the gas meter 1 to grasp what appliance is being used, or the abnormality or deterioration state of the gas appliance being used is detected by continuously accumulating the flow rate data and comparing them.

In the first embodiment, the storage condition set by the storage condition setting unit 7 is set to a period for holding the flow rate data within a predetermined period based on the operation start signal from the operation start detecting unit 8. However, the present invention is not limited to this storage condition, and a specific time period of a day or a specific time period of a specific week may be specified, and the use status of this time period may be analyzed in the center apparatus 11.

The conditions set in the storage condition setting unit 7 may be specified by the center apparatus 11 for the purpose of analysis by the center apparatus 11.

(second embodiment)

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the gas meter 21 in the second embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that an abnormality detection unit 13 is provided instead of the operation start detection unit 8 shown in fig. 1, and a cutting unit 14 is further provided, and the same structure as that of the first embodiment is given the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

Fig. 4 and 5 are timing charts showing the relationship among the measurement timing of the flow rate measuring unit 3, the timing at which an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detecting unit 13 and the gas is shut off by the shut-off unit 14, and the flow rate data stored in the storage unit 9. Black circles in fig. 4 and 5 indicate flow data measured by the flow rate measurement unit 3 at intervals of 0.5 seconds. Fig. 4 shows an example of the maximum flow rate excess shutoff due to the dropping of the gas hose or the like. Fig. 5 shows an example of the interruption of the continuous use time due to forgetting to turn off the gas burner or the like.

Here, the abnormality detection unit 13 detects an abnormality based on the measured flow rate of the flow rate measurement unit 3, and when an abnormality is detected, the shutoff unit 14 shuts off the gas to stop the supply of the gas to the downstream of the gas meter.

As the abnormality detected by the abnormality detection unit 13, there is a long-time use abnormality due to forgetting to turn off or the like, in which the gas continues to be used for a longer time than the use time set for each flow rate range of the gas. In addition, there are cases where it is determined that shutoff is necessary due to an earthquake of a predetermined level or more, such as a maximum flow rate abnormality in which gas exceeding a predetermined assumed value of the gas flow rate flows due to dropping of the gas hose.

The storage unit 9 has a storage capacity for holding the flow rate of the gas measured by the flow rate measurement unit 3 as flow rate data for a predetermined time, and sequentially stores the flow rate data. When an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection unit 13 and the gas is cut off by the cutting unit 14, the storage unit 9 holds flow rate data (data No. 1 to data No. 13 in fig. 4) measured during a predetermined period Tp from the starting point to the starting point, and flow rate data (data No. 14 to data No. 21) measured during a predetermined period Tf from the starting point to the starting point. In addition, the temperature data detected by the temperature detector 12 after the interruption determined by the abnormality detector 13 is also held.

Then, the flow data and the shut-off event stored in the storage unit 9 are transmitted using the communication unit 10 in response to a request signal from the center device 11. Thus, the center device 11 can grasp the occurrence situation by analyzing the data of the gas flow rate at the time of occurrence of the abnormality.

For example, in the case of an abnormality that causes the maximum flow rate excess shutoff as shown in fig. 4, the occurrence of the abnormality can be grasped as follows. That is, if the gas flow rate is abruptly increased in the cutoff exceeding the maximum flow rate, it can be determined that the hose is detached and a serious abnormality such as damage to the pipe is caused. Further, if the change in the gas flow rate is not so rapid but the maximum flow rate is exceeded so that the rise due to normal combustion is extended, it can be determined that the combustion amount of the water heater rapidly rises and exceeds the maximum flow rate due to a decrease in the temperature of water temporarily caused by a change in season or the like.

It goes without saying that the accuracy of the determination can be improved by including the temperature data detected by the temperature detection unit 12 when the determination is performed.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 5, when the gas burner is shut off due to long-term use in a flow rate range of a slow fire, the following processing can be performed. That is, the center device 11 can estimate the cause of the situation by analysis, and therefore can suggest a gas appliance use method in which the cause is notified to the user. Alternatively, when it can be estimated that the gas burner is used for a long time, it can be determined that the gas burner is in a normal use state, and the use time of the gas meter 21 can be automatically extended from the center device 11.

Fig. 6 shows the storage conditions set by the storage condition setting unit 7, and as shown in the drawing, in the first embodiment, the predetermined period Tf after the start of the detection operation is extended to acquire the flow rate data necessary for appliance determination as shown in the condition a. However, when an abnormality is detected, since it is necessary to analyze the cause of the detected abnormality, the predetermined period Tp before the abnormality is detected is extended as shown in condition B, C, and necessary flow rate data is stored. The predetermined periods Tp and Tf for storing the flow rate data can be determined according to the cause of the abnormality.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. The above-described embodiments are illustrative of the present invention and do not limit the present invention. In addition, the present invention can be implemented by appropriately combining the respective components described in the above embodiments. The present invention can be modified, replaced, added, omitted, and the like within the scope of the claims or the equivalent thereof.

As described above, the gas meter according to the first disclosure includes: a flow rate measurement unit that measures a flow rate of the gas in time series; a storage unit that stores the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit as flow rate data; a storage condition setting unit that sets a condition for storing the flow rate data in the storage unit; and a communication unit that communicates with the center device. The storage unit stores flow rate data satisfying the conditions set by the storage condition setting unit, and the communication unit transmits the flow rate data stored in the storage unit to the center device via the communication unit, based on a data request from the center device.

According to this configuration, by storing only the traffic data set by the storage condition setting unit, it is possible to significantly reduce the traffic data that needs to be stored, and to reduce the power consumption associated with the transmission of the traffic data. Therefore, in a gas meter based on battery driving, it is possible to obtain various information that can be obtained by analyzing the gas flow rate, such as appliance determination, in cooperation with a center without increasing the size of the gas meter by preventing the capacity of the battery from increasing.

The gas meter according to the second disclosure may further include an operation start detection unit that detects an operation start of the gas appliance based on the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit, particularly in the first disclosure. The storage condition setting unit sets the flow rate data stored in the storage unit to at least one of the flow rate data measured by the flow rate measurement unit during a predetermined period before a time point at which the operation start detection unit detects the start of operation of the gas appliance and the flow rate data measured by the flow rate measurement unit during a predetermined period after the time point.

In the gas meter according to the third disclosure, particularly in the first disclosure, the storage condition setting unit may set a period in which the flow rate data is stored in the storage unit to a predetermined time period in one day.

In the gas meter according to the fourth disclosure, particularly in the first disclosure, the storage condition period determination unit may set a period in which the flow rate data is stored in the storage unit to a predetermined time period in a specific week.

The gas meter according to the fifth disclosure may be configured to include, in particular, in the first disclosure, an abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality based on the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit, wherein the storage condition setting unit sets the flow rate data stored in the storage unit to the flow rate measured during a predetermined period before a time point at which the abnormality determination unit determines the abnormality.

In the gas meter according to the sixth disclosure, particularly in any one of the first to fifth disclosures, the storage condition setting unit may set the condition for storing the flow rate data in the storage unit based on a condition specified by the center device.

The gas meter according to the seventh disclosure may be provided with a temperature detection unit, and may transmit temperature data together with flow rate data, particularly in any one of the first to sixth disclosures.

Industrial applicability

As described above, the gas meter according to the present invention can store data necessary for analysis such as flow rate data and transmit the data to a central device while saving power, and can be applied not only to a gas meter for home use but also to a gas meter for business use.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 21: a gas meter; 3: a flow rate measurement unit; 7: a storage condition setting unit; 8: an operation start detection unit; 9: a storage unit; 10: a communication unit; 11: a central device; 12: a temperature detection unit; 13: an abnormality detection unit.