JP2004157117A - Check valve for detecting water leakage and water leakage alarm system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for monitoring water leakage at all time by simple facilities and issuing an alarm for water leakage and to respond not only to very small water leakage naturally occurring in an aging water pipe etc. but also to artificial water leakage due to a faucet left open, failure of facilities such as a hot water supply device, and operation mistakes. <P>SOLUTION: A simple water leakage alarm system comprises both a check valve 1 for detecting water leakage for switching at the detection of a needle 14, which functions similarly to a valving element of a check valve provided for a water conduit, and transmitting the movement of the valving element as a detection signal and a signal processing device for processing the detection signal transmitted from the check valve for detecting water leakage and activating a water leakage alarm. The water leakage check valve 1 comprises the two valving element of a main valve 5 and a subvalve 9. The main valve 5 operates at a large quantity of flow corresponding to artificial water leakage, and the subvalve sensitively operates correspondingly to very small naturally occurring water leakage. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

  The present invention relates to a check valve for detecting a leak and a leak alarm system using the check valve, and more particularly, to a check valve for detecting a leak having a structure for detecting a movement of a valve element of a check valve provided in a water pipe. The present invention also relates to a water leak alarm system including a water leak detection check valve and a signal processing device that receives a detection signal from the water leak detection check valve, analyzes information, and operates a water leak alarm.

  Water leakage from a water pipe in a building not only increases the burden of water charges, but also causes damage to buildings, household goods, and the like depending on the degree of water leakage or, depending on the location, causing great damage to residents. In particular, in apartments and condominiums, hotels, etc., there is a fear that water leakage at one location will cause a great deal of damage to many houses and rooms downstairs. It has occurred. Therefore, especially in apartments where damage is easy to spread and communication between residents is not tight, and in hotels where many unspecified people stay, etc., always monitor for water leakage, and if water leakage is detected, It is necessary to alert residents, guests, building managers, etc. to take measures to prevent the damage from spreading.

  There are two types of leaks that cause damage to buildings and household goods. The first is minute water leakage that occurs spontaneously due to deterioration of water pipes or a considerable amount of water leakage. The second is an artificial leakage due to forgetting to close the faucet or a malfunction or an erroneous operation of the facility using the water supply. In order to prevent damage from water leakage, these two types of water leakage must be detected and alarmed.

  Several methods are already known as methods for constantly monitoring water leakage in a building. For example, a method of detecting water leakage by measuring acoustic vibration transmitted to a water pipe is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). Further, a method of detecting water leakage by ultrasonic waves is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2). However, these require a large-scale device and cannot be detected unless a considerable amount of water leaks. Also, it cannot cope with artificial water leakage such as forgetting to close the faucet.

  Also, the distance that the valve body of the check valve moves in proportion to the flow rate of the fluid passing through the check valve is determined by changing the magnetism of the magnet attached to the check valve to a plurality of magnets attached to the valve casing facing the magnet. A check valve with an opening display function capable of measuring a flow rate by measuring with a detector is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 3).

  Also disclosed is a leak detection method in which a pulse-like signal is extracted by a sensor attached to a rotary flow meter, and this data is collected and analyzed to determine the presence or absence of a leak. The present invention is intended only to detect spontaneous micro-leakage, and determines the presence or absence of water leak by a method of comparing an allowable flow rate when there is no water leak in a water pipe with a flow rate when water is not used ( For example, see Patent Document 4). Therefore, it cannot cope with artificial leakage.

JP-A-2002-122502 JP 2002-131170 A JP 2000-20547 A JP-A-2002-55019

  The present invention monitors water leakage with a principle and purpose different from those of these known techniques, and checks the movements of two valve bodies, a main valve and a sub-valve, of a check valve provided in a water pipe. A check valve for detecting water leakage provided with a sensor for detecting the position of the mover having the same movement, and a signal from the sensor of the check valve for detecting water leakage is received, information is analyzed, and a water leak alarm is operated. The present invention is to provide a water leak alarm system including a signal processing device for causing a water leak.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the water leakage detection check valve according to the present invention, a valve casing constituting a cylindrical fluid passage, a main valve seat provided in the valve casing, and a main valve spring in the fluid passage are provided. A main valve urged toward the main valve seat toward the inlet side and having a large flow opening area provided with a sub-valve seat inside the center, and the sub-valve spring in the fluid passage toward the inlet side by a sub-valve spring. A sub-valve having a small flow opening area urged against a valve seat, and provided on the outlet side of the main valve and the sub-valve in the fluid passage, and provided with a main valve or a sub-valve to the outlet side of the fluid passage. A mover that moves in the fluid passage in conjunction with the movement, and a sensor provided on a valve casing at an outlet side of the fluid passage so as to sense that the mover moves to a predetermined position and transmit a detection signal. And characterized in that:

  In addition, as an embodiment of the present invention, the valve casing is connected to a supply water-side conduit, and an inlet-side casing member provided with the main valve seat, and connected to a water-reception-side conduit, and the main valve includes: An auxiliary valve, which accommodates the mover, and an outlet-side casing member provided with the sensor facing the fluid passage, wherein both casing members are connected to each other, and the auxiliary valve seat spring is It is preferable that the auxiliary valve seat is biased toward the inlet side via the movable element.

  Furthermore, as an embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the sensor is constituted by a proximity switch that switches when the mover approaches.

Further, the water leakage alarm system of the present invention is a water leakage alarm system including a signal processing device that processes a detection signal from a sensor of the water leakage detection check valve in combination with the water leakage detection check valve, A first discriminating circuit for discriminating the opening and closing of the main valve or the sub-valve based on a signal from the sensor, and a second discriminating circuit for discriminating the duration of opening and closing of the main valve or the sub-valve; And extracting a water leakage warning signal from the

  As an embodiment of the present invention, in the water leakage alarm system, an alarm is operated by the water leakage alarm signal, and a main open / close valve on the upstream side of the water leakage detection check valve is provided. It is preferable to have control means for opening and closing control.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide, with simple equipment, a device for issuing an alarm signal in order to know the leakage and prevent the damage from spreading, and in particular, the leakage that occurs spontaneously due to deterioration of the water pipe or the like. In addition, it is possible to cope with human leakage due to forgetting to close the faucet, equipment failure such as a water heater, or an operation error.

  In the check valve for detecting water leakage according to the present invention, the valve element is composed of two valves, a main valve and a sub-valve. Only the sub-valve opens for a small flow rate, and the main valve opens for a large flow rate. With the structure, the valve body operates with high sensitivity even for a minute flow rate. The opening and closing of the valve body can be detected by the movement of the mover that moves in conjunction with the valve body. The water leakage warning system of the present invention includes a signal processing device that compares a valve opening / closing signal sent from a water leakage detection check valve with a predetermined water leakage determination value and transmits a water leakage warning signal under a certain condition. ing. Therefore, it is possible to issue an alarm not only for water leakage that occurs spontaneously due to deterioration of the water pipe, but also for human leakage due to forgetting to close the faucet, equipment failure such as a water heater, or an operation error. In addition, it is possible to determine the size of the water leakage and to issue an alarm.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a check valve for detecting water leakage according to the present invention, in which the valve is closed and no fluid flows. This check valve for detecting water leakage has two valve elements, a main valve and a sub-valve, and a mover that moves in conjunction with the movement of both the main valve and the sub-valve and its movable element. A sensor that senses when the child moves to a predetermined position. The details will be described below.

The non-return valve 1 for detecting water leakage is formed by a valve casing 4 forming a cylindrical fluid passage A, a main valve seat 5 detachably provided in the valve casing 4, and a main valve spring 7 in the fluid passage A. The main valve 6 is urged toward the main valve seat 5 toward the second side and has a large flow opening area provided with a sub-valve seat 8 in the center. A sub-valve 9 having a small flow opening area urged toward the sub-valve seat 8 toward the main valve 6 or the sub-valve 9 in the fluid passage, and the main valve 6 or The mover 14 that moves in conjunction with the movement of the sub-valve 9, and when the mover 14 moves to a predetermined position and enters the sensing area, the mover 14 detects and outputs a detection signal at the outlet 3 side of the fluid passage A A sensor 17 is provided in the valve casing 4 so as to face the fluid passage.
In this embodiment, the main valve 6 and the sub-valve 9 are respectively provided at the portions in contact with the main valve seat 5 and the sub-valve seat 8, and are provided with packings 23 formed of a material such as hard rubber in a tubular shape. Is embedded. Further, the mover 14 is fixed integrally with the sub-valve 9.
The main valve seat 5 is formed integrally with a holding frame 5a that holds the main valve 6 and the sub-valve 9 therein, and the holding frame 5a has a gap for securing a flow opening area when the main valve 6 is opened. Is formed.

Further, in this embodiment, the valve casing 4 is connected to the inlet side casing member 18 connected to the water supply side pipe B and the water receiving side pipe C, and houses the holding frame 5a and the movable element 14. The casing 17 includes an outlet-side casing member 16 provided with a sensor 17 facing the passage A. The casing members 16 and 18 are connected to each other by means such as screwing. Further, the sub-valve spring 10 is configured to urge the mover 14 toward the outlet 2 side of the holding frame 5a toward the inlet 2 through the sub-valve 9.
Further, in this embodiment, the shape of the mover 14 is a disk shape perpendicular to the cylindrical fluid passage A, and the fluid passage 15 is provided, and the material is made of a metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, or a copper alloy. . The sensor 17 is a normal proximity switch whose impedance changes and switches when the metal mover 14 approaches, and is embedded in the outlet side casing member 16. The shape and the material of the mover 14 and the proximity switch for detecting the same are not limited to the present embodiment, and various combinations are possible. It is also possible to embed a magnet in the outer peripheral portion of the mover 14 and use a lead sensor that switches as the magnet 17 approaches when the magnet approaches.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows the configuration of a water leakage warning system 24 using the water leakage detection check valve of the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a signal flow of the water leakage warning system 24. In FIG. 5, a signal processing device 30 for processing a detection signal from a sensor in the water leakage detection check valve 29 in combination with the water leakage detection check valve 29 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the signal processing device 30 uses a detection signal from the sensor 34 to determine whether a main valve or a sub-valve of the check valve for detecting water leakage is open or closed, a main discriminating circuit or a sub-valve. A second discriminating circuit 30b for discriminating the duration of opening and closing of the valve, and based on the discrimination results of the discriminating circuits 30a and 30b, the water leakage warning signals S1a and S1b obtained by the discriminating circuit 30a and the main signals obtained by the discriminating circuit 30b. The on-off valve closing signals S2a and S2b are taken out.

  In the signal processing device 30, the alarm 31 is operated by the water leakage warning signals S1a and S1b, and the main unit on the upstream side of the water leakage detection check valve 29 is operated by the water leakage warning signals S2a and S2b. Control means 35 for controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valve 33 is provided. The water leak warning signal is transmitted not only to the alarm 31 but also to, for example, a central control room 32 (having a resident) in the apartment house 25 or the like, so that an immediate response and treatment for the water leak can be performed.

  In the state where the fluid does not flow as shown in FIG. 1, that is, when the pressure of the water supply side pipe B and the pressure of the water reception side pipe C are equal, the main valve spring 7 and the sub valve The main valve 6 comes into contact with the valve seat 5 by the elastic force of the spring 10, the sub-valve 9 comes into contact with the sub-valve seat 8 by the elastic force of the sub-valve spring 10, and the outlet side end face 11 of the main valve 6 is movable. It is in contact with the inlet-side end face 13 of the child.

  Then, when there is a slight water leak in the water receiving side pipe C, the pressure in the water pipe C gradually decreases, and the pressure difference between the water supply side pipe B and the water receiving side pipe C is increased by the auxiliary valve spring 10. When the elastic force is exceeded, as shown in FIG. 2, the sub-valve 9 is pushed to the outlet side, and the fluid passage A is opened with a small flow opening area (the flow of the fluid is indicated by reference numeral 19). The mover 14 integrated with the movable member 14 moves to the outlet side, and moves to the sensing area of the sensor 17 (corresponding position in the longitudinal direction of the water passage A).

  When water is supplied from the water supply side pipe B to the water reception side pipe C via the flowing water passage A by the opening operation of the sub-valve 9, in the case of slight leakage, both the pipes B, C Is opposed to the elastic force of the sub-valve spring 10, the sub-valve 9 contacts the sub-valve seat 8, and the flowing water passage A is closed. This movement of the sub-valve is captured by the sensor 17 in the form of a pulse signal of a fixed length, and received by the first determination circuit 30a.

  Here, the pulse signal and the pulse signal width are detected. Further, when the above-described water leakage continues, when the next pulse signal is received within a required reset time set at an interval longer than the pulse signal width, the counter counts up the number of pulse signals. Then, when the counted number exceeds a predetermined value, a warning (small) water leakage signal S1a is issued to the alarm 31 (naturally small water leakage or artificial water leakage, for example, incomplete closing of the faucet). Operation state). In the second determination circuit 30b, if this information continues for a longer time after the alarm, the operation signal S2a is sent to the control means 35 so that the main on-off valve 33 is closed for a predetermined duration. . Actually, when the alarm signal is recognized in the central control room 32 or the like and the presence or absence of an abnormality is confirmed, an operation signal (reset signal) for resetting the counter or opening the main on-off valve 33 is transmitted. Become.

  Further, if there is a considerable amount of water leakage in the water receiving side pipe C, the pressure in the pipe C sharply drops, and the differential pressure cannot be eliminated only by opening the sub-valve 9. That is, when the flow rate increases and the pressure difference between the inlet side and the outlet side of the sub-valve 9 is always larger than the urging pressure of the sub-valve spring 10 for urging the sub-valve 9 to the sub-valve seat 8, the sub-valve 9 remains open. In this case, when the pressure difference between the water supply side pipe B and the water reception side pipe C exceeds the combined elastic force of the main valve spring 7 and the sub-valve spring 10, as shown in FIG. Side, the fluid passage A is opened with a large flow opening area (the fluid flow is indicated by reference numeral 20), and the movement of the main valve 6 moves the mover 14 to the outlet side. It moves to the area (corresponding position in the longitudinal direction of the flowing water passage A).

  When the water is supplied from the water supply side pipe B to the water reception side pipe C via the flowing water passage A by the opening operation of the main valve 6, depending on the degree of the case of a considerably large leak, the time is longer than the above-mentioned time. In a considerably long time, the pressure difference between the two pipes B and C antagonizes the combined elastic force of the main valve spring 7 and the auxiliary valve spring 10, and the main valve 6 contacts the valve seat 5 and is closed. This movement of the main valve is captured by the sensor 17 in the form of a pulse signal having a length equal to or longer than a predetermined value, and is received by the first determination circuit 30a.

  Here, the pulse signal and the pulse signal width are detected. Further, when the above-described water leakage continues, when the next pulse signal is received within a required reset time set at an interval longer than the pulse signal width, the counter counts up the number of pulse signals. When the counted number exceeds a predetermined value, an alarm signal S1b for a water leak (large) is issued to the alarm device 31 (a spontaneously occurring and a large amount of water leak and an artificial water leak, for example, forgetting to close a faucet). ). The second discriminating circuit 30b sends an operation signal S2b to the control means 35 so that if the information continues for a longer time after the alarm, the main on-off valve 33 is closed for a predetermined duration. . Actually, when the alarm signal is recognized in the central control room 32 or the like and the presence or absence of an abnormality is confirmed, an operation signal (reset signal) for resetting the counter or opening the main on-off valve 33 is transmitted. Become.

  As described above, the water leakage detection check valve of the present invention can output a pulse signal in response to spontaneous water leakage and artificial water leakage. In addition, it is possible to automatically issue a warning signal determined in accordance with the degree of water leakage, and to automatically prevent water leakage such as closing the main on-off valve 33 in an emergency.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, in the water leakage detection check valve 1 of the present invention having the main valve 6 and the sub-valve 9, the sub-valve 9 is opened if the flow rate is small, and the main valve is opened if the flow rate is increased. The valve 6 is opened, and the operation shifts from a pulse-like opening / closing operation to a continuous opening operation according to the flow rate. However, the flow rate at which the main valve opens, or the flow rate at which the pulse-like opening / closing operation shifts to the continuous opening operation depends on the spring constants of the main valve spring 7 and the sub-valve spring 10, and the path. 19. By adjusting the flow opening area of the path 20, the desired value can be set. However, when it is intended to detect a minute flow rate with high sensitivity, the flow opening area of the flow path 19 when the sub-valve 9 is opened is considerably larger than the flow opening area of the flow path 21 when the main valve 6 is opened. Need to be smaller.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the check valve 1 for detecting a water leak, which is a component of the water leak alarm system of the present invention, showing a state in which the valve is closed and no fluid flows. Only parts different from FIG. 1 will be described. In FIG. 1, since the mover 14 is formed integrally with the sub-valve 9, the mover 14 indirectly receives the elastic force of the sub-valve spring 10 via the sub-valve 9, and It is biased toward the side. On the other hand, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the mover 14 is separated from the sub-valve 9 and is urged toward the inlet side of the valve casing 4 by the mover spring 21.

  As described above, FIG. 5 is a view showing the water leakage warning system 24 of the present invention, assuming a water pipe in an apartment house. In the apartment house 25, tap water is supplied from the water supply pipe 26 to the individual management area 28 (each house) via the water meter 27. The water leak detection check valve 29 is provided on the supply water side of the water meter 27, and tap water for each tap water use facility is supplied from the supply water side of the water leak detection check valve 29. The flow rate of tap water in the individual management area 28 is always detected by the sensor of the check valve 29 for detecting water leakage as the opening / closing of the main valve or the sub-valve, and the signal is sent to the signal processing device 30. The signal processing device 30 analyzes the signal sent from the water leakage detection check valve 29 and, when it is determined that there is a possibility of water leakage, activates the alarm 31 and also issues an alarm to the central control room 32. Outgoing. In this embodiment, the signal processing device 30 is provided in the individual management area. However, the signal processing device 30 may be provided in the central management room 32.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the water leakage detection check valve according to the present invention when there is no fluid flow rate. It is sectional drawing at the time of the flow volume of the fluid of the check valve for leak detection which concerns on this invention being small. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the water leakage detection check valve according to the present invention when the flow rate of the fluid is large. It is sectional drawing of another form of the check valve for water leak detection which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram of a water leak warning system concerning the present invention. It is a figure showing the flow of the signal of the water leak warning system concerning the present invention.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Check valve for water leak detection 4 Valve casing 5 Main valve seat 6 Main valve 7 Main valve spring 8 Sub valve seat 9 Sub valve 10 Sub valve spring 14 Mover 16 Outlet casing member 17 Sensor 18 Inlet casing member 24 Leakage alarm System 29 Check valve for water leakage detection 30 Signal processor 31 Alarm

Claims (7)

A valve casing constituting a cylindrical fluid passage;
A main valve seat provided in the valve casing;
A main valve having a large flow opening area provided with a sub-valve seat in the center thereof, being biased toward the inlet side by a main valve spring in the fluid passage toward the inlet side;
A sub-valve having a small flow opening area urged against the sub-valve seat toward the inlet side by a sub-valve spring in the fluid passage;
A mover that is provided on the outlet side of the main valve and the sub-valve in the fluid passage, and moves in the fluid passage in conjunction with movement of the main valve or the sub-valve to the outlet side of the fluid passage;
A sensor provided on the valve casing on the outlet side of the fluid passage so as to sense that the mover has moved to a predetermined position and transmit a detection signal;
A non-return valve for detecting water leakage. The valve casing is
An inlet-side casing member connected to the feed-water-side conduit and provided with the main valve seat,
An outlet-side casing member connected to the water-receiving-side conduit, accommodating the main valve, the sub-valve, and the mover, and provided with the sensor facing the fluid passage;
The check valve according to claim 1, wherein the two casing members are connected to each other.   3. The check valve according to claim 1, wherein the sub-valve spring is configured to urge the sub-valve seat toward the inlet side via the mover. 4.   4. The check valve according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a proximity switch that switches when the mover approaches. 5.   A water leakage alarm system comprising a signal processing device for processing a detection signal from a sensor of the water leakage detection check valve in combination with the water leakage detection check valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A first discriminating circuit for discriminating the opening and closing of the main valve or the sub-valve based on a detection signal from the sensor; and a second discriminating circuit for discriminating the duration of opening and closing of the main valve or the sub-valve. A water leak warning system, wherein a water leak warning signal is taken out from a result of the judgment of the circuit.   The water leak alarm system according to claim 5, wherein an alarm is operated by the water leak alarm signal.   The water leak alarm system according to claim 5, further comprising a control unit that controls opening and closing of a main open / close valve on an upstream side of the water leak detection check valve in accordance with the water leak alarm signal.

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