JP2005148795A - Measuring device and its installation structure - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a measuring device of compact and simple structure by which transition of environmental values in a former fixed period can be known, and furthermore, to make it possible to offer an installation structure where the above measuring device can be easily and detachably installed to an object. <P>SOLUTION: The measuring device main body 4 which holds a measuring means 20 is detachably mounted on a communicating section 2 of piping 1. The measuring means 20 is composed of; a sensor section 21 which measures the environmental value inside the piping 1; a storage 22 which stores the environmental value inside the piping 1 measured by the sensor section 21; a transmission section 23 which transmits the environmental value inside the piping 1 stored in the storage 22 to an external communication device 10 by an electromagnetic wave; and a power source section 24 which supplies power so that the measuring means 20 can always perform measurement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a measuring apparatus for measuring and recording environmental values such as pressure and temperature inside an object such as a pipe and a tank, and an installation structure thereof.

  Generally, environmental values such as pressure and temperature in pipes and tanks are measured by an environmental measuring instrument such as a pressure gauge and a thermometer. In addition, in order to measure the transition of the environmental value in a past period, an environmental measuring instrument having a function of transmitting the environmental value as an electrical signal is used, and the output data is continuously input to a recorder and a data collecting device. The method is adopted.

  However, a general environment measuring instrument has a large size and weight. For example, when measuring an environmental value of a piping system having a small diameter, there is a problem that the measuring system becomes larger than the piping system. In particular, in a system using an environment measuring instrument with a transmission function, this problem becomes more prominent and the configuration becomes complicated. In addition, wiring is necessary between the sensor for measuring the environmental value of the object and the measuring apparatus body, which is complicated, and if the target object is in a moving state, the wiring may be disconnected or contact failure may occur. There is also.

  In order to solve these problems, a measuring apparatus using a data carrier with a sensor has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-289297 (Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a data carrier with a pressure sensor is arranged in a tire in order to measure the air pressure of an automobile tire, and an air pressure measurement value is read out in a non-contact manner by an electromagnetic wave to a communication device such as an external reader / writer.

  The data carrier to be used receives electric power from the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the communication device, drives the internal control unit, and transmits the measurement signal of the sensor to the communication device. Therefore, each time measurement is performed, the data carrier is activated and the measurement signal is read out.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-289297

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 described above measures an environmental value when a communication device calls a data carrier, and it is impossible to know the transition of the environmental value in a past fixed period. Moreover, since the data carrier with a sensor is embedded in a tire with the technique of patent document 1, a maintenance etc. are difficult.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a measuring device having a compact and simple configuration that can know the transition of environmental values in a certain period in the past. Furthermore, the present invention is intended to provide an installation structure in which the measurement apparatus can be easily and detachably installed on an object.

  In order to achieve the above object, a measuring apparatus according to the present invention is a measuring apparatus for measuring an environmental value inside an object, wherein the apparatus main body is detachably attached to a communication portion that communicates the inside and outside of the object; A measuring unit housed in the sensor, the measuring unit measuring the environmental value inside the object, a storage unit storing the environmental value inside the object measured by the sensor unit, and the storage unit It has a transmission part which transmits the stored environmental value inside the object to an external communication device by electromagnetic waves, and a power supply part which supplies power so that the measurement means can always measure.

  The environmental value inside the object is at least one of pressure, temperature, vibration, acceleration, and water quality in the object.

  The apparatus main body includes a mounting cylinder that is detachably mounted to a communication portion provided in the object, a storage body that communicates with the mounting cylinder and stores the measurement means therein, and a mounting body that is provided in the storage body. And a lid for closing the opening.

  In addition, the lid may be capable of electromagnetic wave communication between the transmitter and an external communication device via the lid.

  Further, the installation structure of the measuring apparatus according to the present invention is a structure in which the above-described measuring apparatus is installed on an object, and a communication part that communicates the inside and outside of the object is provided, and the apparatus main body is detachably attached to the communication part. It is characterized by wearing.

  In the measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the sensor unit and the storage unit are always in a measurable state by the power supplied from the power supply unit, and the transition of the environmental measurement values measured by the sensor unit is sequentially stored in the storage unit. Therefore, the transition can be read out by electromagnetic communication by an external communication device after a predetermined time has elapsed.

  Further, since the measuring means can be composed of a data carrier with a sensor, there is no external wiring, and the size and weight are extremely reduced. Further, since the apparatus main body that accommodates the measuring means is detachably attached to the object, maintenance such as replacement of the battery constituting the power supply unit and replacement of the sensor unit can be easily performed.

  Further, when the measuring apparatus main body according to the present invention is constituted by the mounting cylinder, the accommodating body communicating with the mounting cylindrical body as described above, and the lid that closes the opening provided in the accommodating body, the measuring apparatus is Since a plurality of parts can be unitized, attachment / detachment to / from the object, disassembly, and manufacture can be easily performed for each unit.

  Furthermore, when the electromagnetic wave communication is performed between the transmission unit and an external communication device via the lid, the communication unit is brought close to the lid on the front surface of the measuring device to store the storage unit. The stored measurement data can be easily read out.

  Furthermore, the lid can be made of a material that allows the inside of the container to be seen through from the outside. In this case, abnormal conditions such as deformation and discoloration of the measuring means can be monitored from the outside.

  Further, according to the installation structure of the measuring apparatus according to the present invention, the measuring apparatus can be easily attached to and detached from the object.

  An embodiment of a measuring apparatus and its installation structure according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. 1A is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a state in which the measuring device according to the present invention is installed on an object, FIG. 1B is a right side view of FIG. 1A of the measuring device according to the present invention, and FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the measurement means in the measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention, and an external communication apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a pipe as an example of an object for measuring an internal environment value, and reference numeral 2 denotes a communication portion that communicates the inside and outside of the pipe 1. 3 is a measuring device for measuring an environmental value inside the pipe 1, and 4 is a measuring device main body that is detachably attached to a communication part 2 provided in the pipe 1.

  The apparatus main body 4 includes a mounting cylinder 5 that is detachably mounted in a communication portion 2 that communicates with a through hole 11 provided in the pipe 1, and a housing that communicates with the mounting cylinder 5 and accommodates the measuring means 20 therein. 6, a lid body 8 that closes the opening 7 provided in the housing body 6, and a pressing member 9 that holds the lid body 8 and is attached to the housing body 6. Reference numeral 10 denotes an external communication device such as a reader / writer.

  A short cylindrical communication portion 2 is fixed to the peripheral wall of the through-hole 11 formed in the pipe 1 by welding or the like, and a screw portion 2 a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the communication portion 2. On the other hand, a screw portion 5 a that can be screwed into a screw portion 2 a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the communication portion 2 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical mounting cylinder 5. The mounting cylinder 5 can be detachably connected to the communication portion 2 by screwing the formed screw portion 5 a to the screw portion 2 a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the communication portion 2.

  The cylindrical container 6 has a diameter larger than the diameter of the mounting cylinder 5 and is extended from the mounting cylinder 5. A case 12 made of a transparent glass plate, plastic plate or the like containing the measuring means 20 is disposed inside the housing 6 via a sealing material 13 such as an O-ring, and the housing 6 is further outside the case 12. A disc-shaped lid 8 is disposed on the opening side.

  The lid 8 is fitted and supported by a step portion 9 a provided on the peripheral wall surface of the opening 7 having a circular cross section formed in the cap-shaped holding member 9, and closes the opening 7 formed in the holding member 9. A screw portion 6 a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the container 6, and a screw portion 9 b that can be screwed to the screw portion 6 a formed on the container 6 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the holding member 9. Yes.

  Then, the case 12 accommodating the measuring means 20 is accommodated inside the accommodating body 6 via the sealing material 13, the lid body 8 is fitted to the step portion 9 a of the pressing member 9, and the screw portion 9 b of the pressing member 9 is fitted. Is screwed into the threaded portion 6 a of the container 6, and the cover member 8 and the case 12 are pressed by the presser member 9, and the presser member 9 is screwed to the container 6, whereby the pipe is connected by the seal member 13 and the case 12 The presser member 9 can be detachably connected to the container 6 in a state in which the liquid-tightness or airtightness from the inside 1 to the case 12 is secured. In addition, liquid-tightness or airtightness can be ensured by interposing a seal tape or the like between the screw part 2a of the communication part 2 and the screw part 5a of the mounting cylinder 5.

  The outer shape of the presser member 9 is formed in a hexagonal shape as shown in FIG. 1B, and the presser member 9 is fastened to the container 6 by gripping and rotating the hexagonal portion with a hand or a tool such as a wrench. I can do it.

  The mounting cylinder 5, the container 6, and the pressing member 9 can be made of a metal material having rigidity and environmental resistance such as stainless steel or steel. The case 12 and the lid 8 for accommodating the measuring means 20 are preferably made of a material such as a transparent glass plate or a plastic plate that allows the inside of the housing 6 to be seen from the outside. It can also be made from materials.

  A preferable combination is that the mounting cylinder 5, the container 6 and the holding member 9 are made of a metal material, and the case 12 and the lid 8 for housing the measuring means 20 are made of a non-conductive transparent glass plate or a transparent or opaque plastic plate. Is to make. In such a configuration, the portions other than the case 12 and the lid 8 are conductive and shield the electromagnetic wave (specifically, the magnetic flux constituting the electromagnetic wave) from passing therethrough. The electromagnetic wave communication is performed between the measuring means 20 in the container 6 and the external communication device 10 via the body 8.

  When electromagnetic wave communication is performed from the front side of the lid 8, it is desirable to provide a communication position display unit that displays marks, characters, and the like indicating the communication position on the lid 8.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the measuring means 20 and the communication device 10 in the measuring apparatus 3 shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, a measuring means 20 is stored in the sensor unit 21 that measures the environmental value inside the pipe 1, a storage unit 22 that stores the environmental value inside the pipe 1 measured by the sensor unit 21, and the storage unit 22. A transmission unit 23 that transmits an environmental value inside the pipe 1 to an external communication device 10 by electromagnetic waves, and a power supply unit 24 that supplies power so that the measurement means 20 can always measure, The storage unit 22 and the transmission unit 23 are controlled by a control unit 25 configured with a microcomputer.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the sensor unit 21 arranged on the mounting cylinder 5 side selects and uses various commercially available sensors according to the type of environmental value to be measured. As the environmental value inside the object, the pressure, temperature, vibration, acceleration, water quality, etc. in the object can be measured. For example, a pressure sensor of semiconductor type or magnetostriction type is used for pressure measurement, and thermistor type is used for temperature measurement. In this case, a magnetostrictive vibration sensor is used for vibration measurement, a magnetostrictive acceleration sensor is used for measuring acceleration, and an ion electrode sensor or the like according to the purpose is used for water quality measurement.

  The storage unit 22 can use a rewritable EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or the like, and can store environmental measurement values from the sensor unit 21 continuously or intermittently at predetermined intervals by the control program of the control unit 25. To do.

  The power supply unit 24 is preferably composed of a small and relatively large capacity battery such as a lithium battery. When the voltage drops when the measuring device 3 is operated for a long period of time, the lithium battery mounted in the measuring means 20 of the measuring device 3 is charged or the lithium battery of the measuring means 20 is integrated. Replace the data carrier (for example, RFID tag; Radio frequency Identification TAG, etc.) with a new one.

  The transmission unit 23 has a transmission function and a reception function, and includes a transmission / reception circuit 26 and an antenna coil 27 for transmission / reception. And the sensor part 21, the memory | storage part 22, the transmission part 23, the control part 25, and the transmission / reception circuit 26 are comprised by one IC chip.

  The communication device 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 33 including a transmission / reception antenna coil 30 and a transmission / reception circuit 32, a control unit 34, a storage unit 35 for storing a calling code and a measurement value of the measuring means 20, and the storage unit 35. A communication interface 36 for transmitting the measurement data stored in the communication device to an external management device or data collection device, and a power supply unit 37 for supplying power to each part of the communication device 10 constituted by a lithium battery or the like.

  If the lid body 8 is made of a conductive material such as a metal material, greater strength can be obtained. In that case, a uniform minute gap is formed between the lid body 8 and the step portion 9a of the pressing member 9. The magnetic flux leakage path 14 is formed by using the magnetic flux φ leaking through the magnetic flux leakage path 14, and the transmitter 23 housed inside the apparatus main body 4 via the lid 8 and the external communication device 10 Electromagnetic communication can be performed with

  Next, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a state in which non-contact communication is performed between the transmission unit 23 housed inside the apparatus main body 4 and the outside will be described. First, when the communication device 10 is approached to the front side of the lid 8 shown in FIG. 1 and a communication start button (not shown) is pressed, the communication device 10 is configured according to a sequence set in advance in the communication device 10. First, an electromagnetic wave as a calling signal is transmitted from the antenna coil 30.

  The electromagnetic wave is received by the antenna coil 27 of the transmitter 23 of the measuring means 20 via the lid 8 (or the magnetic flux leakage path 14 when the lid 8 is made of metal), and the antenna coil 27 receives a current caused by electromagnetic induction. And a signal based on the current is input to the control unit 25 via the transmission / reception circuit 26, and the control unit 25 enters a receiving state.

  Next, the electromagnetic wave of the response signal is transmitted from the antenna coil 27 of the transmission unit 23 to the communication device 10 via the lid body 8 (or the magnetic flux leakage path 14 when the lid body 8 is made of metal). Next, a read signal or a write signal is transmitted to the transmission unit 23.

  The read signal is a read command signal of the measured value stored in the measuring means 20 that is output when the read button provided on the communication device 10 is pressed, and the write signal is a press of the write button provided on the communication device 10. Is a signal for instructing the measurement means 20 to set the measurement conditions such as the measurement interval and the serial number.

  The transmitter 23 receives the signal, and the controller 25 performs read control or write control. In the case of read control, information corresponding to the read signal is read from the storage unit 22 and transmitted from the antenna coil 27 to the communication device 10. The write information transmitted from the communication device 10 is stored in the storage unit 22.

  Note that the communication device 10 is well known in this field, and the sequence such as the power transmission electromagnetic wave transmission, response electromagnetic wave transmission, and reception control from the transmission unit 23 is automatically performed by pressing the communication start button or the like. Executed.

  And the environmental value inside the piping 1 memorize | stored in the memory | storage part 22 can be read at any time by the read command from the communication apparatus 10. FIG.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the device main body 4 of the measuring device 3 is detachably attached from the outside of the pipe 1 as an example of the object has been described. However, in the case of a large pressure tank or reaction tank, the measuring device 3 It can also be set as the structure which attaches the apparatus main body 4 so that attachment or detachment is possible.

  As an application example of the present invention, it can be applied to a measuring device that measures and records environmental values such as pressure, temperature, humidity, vibration, acceleration, water quality, or gas quality in a pipe, tank, or sealed container, When measuring and recording an environmental value inside an object when the object is in a moving state, the object can be effectively used for measurement and recording in an environment where lead wires from various sensors cannot be drawn.

(A) is sectional explanatory drawing which shows the state which installed the measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention in the object, (b) is a right view in (a) of the measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the measurement means in the measuring apparatus which concerns on this invention, and an external communication apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Piping 2 ... Communication part 2a ... Screw part 3 ... Measuring apparatus 4 ... Apparatus main body 5 ... Mounting cylinder 5a ... Screw part 6 ... Container 6a ... Screw part 7 ... Opening part 8 ... Lid body 9 ... Holding member 9a ... Step 9b ... Screw part
10 ... Communication equipment
11 ... through hole
12 ... Case
13 ... Sealing material
14 ... Magnetic flux leakage path
20 ... Measurement means
21 ... Sensor part
22… Memory part
23: Transmitter
24… Power supply
25 ... Control unit
26 ... Transceiver circuit
27 ... Antenna coil
30 ... Antenna coil
32 ... Transceiver circuit
33 ... Transceiver
34 ... Control unit
35 ... Memory part
36… Interface
37… Power supply

Claims (5)

In a measuring device that measures environmental values inside an object,
An apparatus main body that is detachably attached to a communication portion that communicates the inside and outside of the object;
Measuring means housed inside the apparatus body;
With
The measurement means includes a sensor unit that measures an environmental value inside the object;
A storage unit for storing an environmental value inside the object measured by the sensor unit;
A transmission unit that transmits the environmental value inside the object stored in the storage unit to an external communication device by electromagnetic waves;
A power supply unit for supplying power so that the measurement means can always measure;
A measuring apparatus comprising: The measurement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the environmental value inside the object is at least one of pressure, temperature, vibration, acceleration, and water quality in the object. The apparatus main body is
A mounting cylinder that is detachably mounted to a communicating portion provided in the object;
A housing that communicates with the mounting cylinder and houses the measuring means therein;
A lid for closing an opening provided in the container;
The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring apparatus includes: The measurement apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the lid is capable of electromagnetic wave communication between the transmitter and an external communication device via the lid. A structure in which the measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is installed on an object,
An installation structure of a measuring apparatus, wherein a communication part that communicates the inside and outside of the object is provided, and the apparatus main body is detachably attached to the communication part.

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