JP2012112710A - Temperature monitoring device and temperature monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology allowing reduction of device size and efficient output of temperature condition of a monitored object.SOLUTION: A thermoelectric element is provided at a position where heat from a monitored object is transferred, and an output voltage of the thermoelectric element generated by the heat from the monitored object is raised by a booster circuit. A capacitor accumulates a charge according to the output voltage of the booster circuit, and the accumulated charge is provided to a control circuit by electric discharge. The control circuit starts when the output terminal voltage of the capacitor is capable of operating the control circuit, generates temperature information according to the electric power generated by the thermoelectric element, and outputs the generated temperature information to the outside via a cable or by radio.

Description

  The present invention relates to a temperature monitoring device and a temperature monitoring system.

  A wireless transmission / reception system in which a wireless terminal driven by a battery is installed in equipment such as a factory and the operation status of each equipment is transmitted from each wireless terminal to a management apparatus is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. Each wireless terminal in this wireless transmission / reception system is provided with each sensor for detecting the operation status of the equipment, and wirelessly transmits the detection result of each sensor using the power of the battery. The wireless terminal charges the battery with electric power generated in a power generation element provided in the wireless terminal.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-191986

The wireless terminal can charge the battery with the power generated by the power generation element, but a sufficient amount of power is required to transmit the detection results of the various sensors. Also, providing a separate sensor complicates the terminal circuit configuration, and the terminal cannot be miniaturized.
The present invention provides a technique capable of downsizing the apparatus and efficiently outputting the temperature state of the monitoring object.

  A temperature monitoring device according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided at a position where heat of a monitoring object is conducted, and generates a power corresponding to the heat of the monitoring object, and an output voltage of the thermoelectric element Boosting means for boosting power, charging / discharging means for charging and discharging electric power output from the boosting means, and using electric power discharged from the charging / discharging means as driving power, the thermoelectric power generated by the heat of the monitored object The generating means for generating temperature information according to the element state and the electric power discharged from the charging / discharging means are used as driving power, and the temperature information generated by the generating means is converted into a signal format to be output to the outside. And an output means for outputting.

  The temperature monitoring device according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that, in the temperature monitoring device, the generating means generates the temperature information based on an output voltage of the thermoelectric element.

  Moreover, the temperature monitoring device according to claim 3 of the present invention includes a detection unit that detects the resistance value of the thermoelectric element using the electric power discharged from the charge / discharge unit as driving power in the temperature monitoring device, The generating means generates the temperature information based on the resistance value detected by the detecting means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the temperature monitoring device according to claim 4, wherein the temperature information generated by the generating means is corrected information corresponding to a predetermined temperature monitoring condition of the monitored object. The temperature information corrected by the correction means is converted into the signal format and output.

  The temperature monitoring system according to claim 5 of the present invention is provided at a position where the heat of the monitoring object is conducted, and generates a power corresponding to the heat of the monitoring object, and the thermoelectric element. Using the boosting means for boosting the output voltage, charging / discharging means for charging and discharging the power output from the boosting means, and using the power discharged from the charging / discharging means as driving power, the heat of the monitoring object A generating unit that generates monitoring information related to the power generated from the thermoelectric element, and a signal format that uses the power discharged from the charging / discharging unit as driving power and outputs the monitoring information generated by the generating unit to the outside Generated from the transmission device having the transmission means for converting to and transmitting, the reception means for receiving the monitoring information output from the transmission device, the temperature of the monitoring object and the thermoelectric element Storage means for storing temperature conversion information that defines a relationship with force in advance, identification means for specifying the temperature of the monitoring object based on the monitoring information and the correction information received by the receiving means, And a receiving device having output means for outputting the temperature specified by the specifying means.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, it is not necessary to separately provide a sensor for detecting the temperature of the monitoring object, and the temperature information of the monitoring object can be output efficiently.

  According to the structure of Claim 2, based on the output voltage of the thermoelectric element by the heat | fever of the monitoring target object, the temperature information of the monitoring target object can be output.

  According to the structure of Claim 3, the temperature information of a monitoring target object can be output based on the resistance value of the thermoelectric element by the heat | fever of a monitoring target object.

  According to the structure of Claim 4, if correction | amendment information is defined according to the monitoring target object and the installation environment of the monitoring target object, the suitable temperature of the monitoring target object can be output.

  According to the configuration of the fifth aspect, it is not necessary to separately provide a sensor for detecting the temperature of the monitoring object, and the temperature of the monitoring object can be efficiently detected and output.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the temperature monitoring apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the control circuit which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure explaining the temperature information output process of embodiment.

(Overview)
The temperature monitoring device according to the present embodiment converts, for example, the heat conducted to the pipe according to the temperature of the liquid flowing in the pipe installed in a factory or the like into electricity, and charges the pipe using the charged power. Etc. are output to the outside wirelessly. Hereinafter, details of the temperature monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a temperature monitoring device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the temperature monitoring device 1 includes a thermoelectric element 10, a booster circuit 11, a capacitor 12, and a control circuit 13 having an antenna 14.

  The thermoelectric element 10 is a thermoelectric element such as a Peltier element or a Seebeck element that joins both ends of dissimilar metals or semiconductors and generates electric power when a temperature difference occurs at the junction. The thermoelectric element 10 is provided such that heat of an object whose temperature is to be monitored (hereinafter referred to as a monitoring object) such as a pipe in a factory is conducted. For example, when the thermoelectric element 10 is installed in a pipe, the heat absorption side of the thermoelectric element 10 is brought into contact with the surface of the pipe, and the heat radiation side is arranged away from the pipe so as not to contact the pipe. The thermoelectric element 10 generates an electromotive force according to the temperature difference between the temperature of the pipe surface and the temperature of the space where the pipe is installed.

  The booster circuit 11 is composed of a charge pump circuit, for example, and boosts the voltage output from the thermoelectric element 10 to a predetermined voltage. The capacitor 12 (charging / discharging means) accumulates electric charge according to the output voltage boosted by the booster circuit 11. The electric charge accumulated in the capacitor 12 is used in the control circuit 13 by discharging.

  The control circuit 13 is started when the voltage value at the output terminal of the capacitor 12 becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value that can be driven by the control circuit 13, and is stopped when the voltage value falls below the predetermined value. The control circuit 13 transmits temperature information corresponding to the state of the thermoelectric element 10, that is, the output voltage of the thermoelectric element 10 from the antenna 14. Here, the configuration of the control circuit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the booster circuit 11 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control circuit 13 includes an amplification circuit 131 that amplifies the voltage signal generated from the thermoelectric element 10, an A / D conversion circuit 132 that A / D converts the voltage signal, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 133. , A transmission circuit 134, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory) memory (not shown). The CPU 133 uses the RAM as a working area and executes a control program stored in a ROM (not shown), thereby performing an output process of controlling each unit and outputting the temperature of the monitored object to the outside.

Specifically, the CPU 133 executes A / D conversion on the voltage signal output from the thermoelectric element 10 using a preset first arithmetic expression for converting the voltage value into temperature by executing a control program. It has the function as the production | generation part 133a which produces | generates the temperature information corresponding to the performed voltage value. In addition, the CPU 133 has a function as a correction unit 133b that corrects the temperature information using a preset second arithmetic expression (correction information) for correcting the generated temperature information. This second arithmetic expression is determined according to the temperature monitoring condition of the monitoring object, such as the type and material of the monitoring object on which the thermoelectric element 10 is provided, or the installation environment of the monitoring object or the thermoelectric element 10, for example. In the embodiment, the calculation formula is set based on the result of previously measuring the output voltage and temperature from the thermoelectric element 10 according to the temperature monitoring condition. The CPU 133 corrects the temperature information by substituting the output voltage of the thermoelectric element 10 and the temperature of the temperature information into the second arithmetic expression. In addition, the CPU 133 has a function as an output unit 133c that outputs the corrected temperature information from the transmission circuit 134 at regular intervals.
The transmission circuit 134 transmits the temperature information output from the CPU 133 via the antenna 14 under the control of the CPU 133.

(Operation)
When the heat of the monitoring object is conducted to the thermoelectric element 10, the thermoelectric element 10 generates electric power according to the heat. The booster circuit 11 boosts the output voltage of the thermoelectric element 10 to a predetermined voltage, and the capacitor 12 accumulates charges according to the output voltage of the booster circuit 11.

  When the output terminal voltage of the capacitor 12 becomes a voltage that can be driven by the control circuit 13, the control circuit 13 is activated. The control circuit 13 amplifies the voltage signal of power generated from the thermoelectric element 10 in the amplifier circuit 131 and A / D converts the voltage signal amplified in the A / D conversion circuit 132.

  The CPU 133 of the control circuit 13 substitutes the A / D converted voltage value into the first arithmetic expression, converts the voltage value into a temperature to generate temperature information, and generates the temperature information in the second arithmetic expression. And the voltage value are substituted to correct the temperature information. The CPU 133 converts the corrected temperature information into a signal format for wireless transmission and outputs it to the transmission circuit 134 at regular intervals, and transmits the temperature information from the transmission circuit 134 via the antenna 14.

For example, when the output terminal voltage of the capacitor 12 is changing as shown in FIG. 3, the control circuit 13 starts at the timing t <b> 1 when the output terminal voltage of the capacitor 12 becomes the voltage value Vth that can be driven by the control circuit 13. To do. The control circuit 13 generates temperature information from the voltage signal output from the thermoelectric element 10 between t1 and t2, and transmits the temperature information at regular time intervals (for example, every 10 seconds).
In the example of FIG. 3, the output terminal voltage of the capacitor 12 becomes less than Vth after the timing t2. The control circuit 13 stops at the timing when the voltage value becomes less than Vth. Then, the control circuit 13 is activated at the timing t3 when the output terminal voltage of the capacitor 12 becomes equal to or higher than Vth again. The control circuit 13 generates temperature information from the voltage of the electric power generated by the thermoelectric element 10 from t3 to t4, and transmits the temperature information at regular time intervals. Moreover, temperature information can also be generated by detecting the resistance value of the thermoelectric element 10 as the state of the thermoelectric element 10. In that case, the control circuit 13 may apply a weak constant current to detect a resistance value from the voltage value and the current value, and output the detected resistance value as temperature information. In addition, the control circuit 13 specifies a temperature corresponding to the resistance value by using a preset arithmetic expression or conversion table for converting the detected resistance value into a temperature, and outputs the specified temperature as temperature information. Also good.

  In the said embodiment, by installing the thermoelectric element 10 in the monitoring target object, it can accumulate | store according to the temperature of the monitoring target object, and can transmit the temperature of the monitoring target object outside using the electric power. Therefore, there is no need to replace the sensor or battery to measure the temperature of the monitored object, and there are many monitored objects in the place where it is difficult to measure the temperature. For example, the temperature of the monitoring object can be monitored safely and efficiently. Moreover, since the temperature converted from the voltage value is corrected based on the correction information corresponding to the monitoring object and the installation environment of the monitoring object, a more accurate temperature of the monitoring object can be obtained. In addition, since the temperature information is transmitted to the outside at regular intervals, it is possible to save power for transmitting the temperature information. In the above embodiment, the control circuit 13 may be stopped every time the temperature information is transmitted, and the control circuit 13 may be activated to generate and transmit the temperature information when a certain time has elapsed after transmission. That is, the control circuit 13 may be driven intermittently. In this way, the power of the capacitor 12 can be further saved. In this case, the control circuit 13 has a timer circuit for measuring a certain time, and only the timer circuit receives power and measures time while the operation is stopped. Since the power consumption of the timer circuit can be reduced, a significant reduction in power consumption can be obtained.

<Modification>
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not restricted to embodiment mentioned above, The following modifications are also contained.

(1) Although the temperature monitoring device 1 has been described in the above-described embodiment, the temperature monitoring system includes the temperature monitoring device 1 (transmission device) and a receiving device such as a personal computer connected to the temperature monitoring device 1 by wire or wirelessly. You may comprise as. In this case, the temperature monitoring device 1 generates a voltage value, a resistance value, or the like output from the thermoelectric element 10 as monitoring information, and transmits the monitoring information to the receiving device. The receiving device receives the monitoring information transmitted from the temperature monitoring device 1, and obtains the temperature of the monitoring object from the received monitoring information. For example, when the voltage value of the electric power generated from the thermoelectric element 10 is received as monitoring information, the receiving device specifies the temperature corresponding to the voltage value of the monitoring information using the first arithmetic expression. Further, the receiving device corrects the temperature by substituting the temperature obtained by the first arithmetic expression and the voltage value of the monitoring information into the second arithmetic expression corresponding to the temperature monitoring condition of the monitoring target. Note that, similarly to the embodiment, the temperature monitoring device 1 may transmit, as monitoring information, temperature information obtained by converting a voltage value into a temperature using the first arithmetic expression to the receiving device. In this case, in the receiving apparatus, the temperature of the monitoring information may be corrected using the second arithmetic expression, as in the embodiment.

(2) In the embodiment and the modification example (1) described above, an example in which a voltage value is converted to a temperature using the first arithmetic expression, and a temperature obtained by the first arithmetic expression is corrected using the second arithmetic expression. Although demonstrated, the method of calculating | requiring the temperature of the monitoring target object from the voltage value of the electric power which the thermoelectric element 10 generated is not restricted to this. For example, an arithmetic expression that combines the first arithmetic expression and the second arithmetic expression, that is, an arithmetic expression for converting the electric power generated from the thermoelectric element 10 determined according to the temperature monitoring condition of the monitoring object into the temperature. It may be used to obtain the temperature. In addition, a table that defines the correspondence between power and temperature, not an arithmetic expression, is stored in advance in the temperature monitoring device 1 or the receiving device, and the temperature monitoring device 1 or the receiving device specifies the temperature based on the table. May be.

(3) The embodiment described above is an example in which one piece of correction information is set in advance. For example, any one of a plurality of pieces of correction information according to the material of the monitoring object and the usage environment is stored in the temperature monitoring device 1. You may comprise so that a user can select. In this case, for example, a plurality of correction information is stored in the temperature monitoring device 1 and an operation unit for selecting the correction information is provided. The user selects correction information corresponding to the monitoring object before setting the temperature monitoring device 1 as the monitoring object. The control circuit 13 reads the correction information selected at the time of activation, and corrects the temperature based on the voltage signal output from the thermoelectric element 10 based on the correction information. Further, in the case of the modification (1), a plurality of correction information is stored in the receiving device, and depending on the environment where the temperature monitoring device 1 is installed and the monitoring object monitored by the temperature monitoring device 1, The user selects correction information. The receiving device corrects the temperature information received from the temperature monitoring device 1 using the selected correction information.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the thermoelectric element 10 is used to output the temperature information of the monitoring target has been described. A sensor for detecting the information may be provided, and the output value of each sensor may be transmitted to the outside together with the temperature information.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the temperature information is transmitted to the outside at regular intervals has been described. However, the temperature information may not be transmitted at regular intervals, or while the temperature information is not transmitted. In addition, the temperature information of the thermoelectric element 10 may be generated and transmitted.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the booster circuit 11 is provided between the thermoelectric element 10 and the capacitor 12 has been described. However, the power generated from the thermoelectric element 10 is charged in the capacitor 12, and the output voltage of the capacitor 12 is output. May be boosted by the booster circuit 11 and output to the control circuit 13.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Temperature monitoring apparatus, 10 ... Thermoelectric element, 11 ... Boost circuit, 12 ... Capacitor, 13 ... Control circuit, 14 ... Antenna, 131 ... Amplifier circuit, 132 ... A / D conversion circuit, 133 ... CPU, 133a ... Generation part 133b: Correction unit, 133c: Output unit, 134: Transmission circuit

Claims (5)

A thermoelectric element that is provided at a position where the heat of the monitoring object is conducted and generates electric power according to the heat of the monitoring object;
Boosting means for boosting the output voltage of the thermoelectric element;
Charging / discharging means for charging and discharging electric power output from the boosting means;
Using the power discharged from the charging / discharging means as driving power, generating means for generating temperature information according to the state of the thermoelectric element due to the heat of the monitoring object;
Output temperature means comprising: an output means for converting the temperature information generated by the generating means into a signal format to be output to the outside using the electric power discharged from the charging / discharging means as driving power; apparatus.   The temperature monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates the temperature information based on an output voltage of the thermoelectric element. Using electric power discharged from the charging / discharging means as driving electric power, comprising detecting means for detecting a resistance value of the thermoelectric element;
The temperature monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates the temperature information based on a resistance value detected by the detection unit. A correction unit that corrects the temperature information generated by the generation unit based on correction information corresponding to a predetermined temperature monitoring condition of the monitoring object;
4. The temperature monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output unit converts the temperature information corrected by the correction unit into the signal format and outputs the signal format. 5. A thermoelectric element that is provided at a position where the heat of the monitoring object is conducted and generates electric power according to the heat of the monitoring object;
Boosting means for boosting the output voltage of the thermoelectric element;
Charging / discharging means for charging and discharging electric power output from the boosting means;
Using the power discharged from the charging / discharging means as driving power, generating means for generating monitoring information relating to the power generated from the thermoelectric element by the heat of the monitoring object;
A transmission device having transmission means that uses electric power discharged from the charge / discharge means as drive power, converts the monitoring information generated by the generation means into a signal format to be output to the outside, and transmits the signal information;
Receiving means for receiving the monitoring information output from the transmitting device;
Storage means for storing temperature conversion information that predefines the relationship between the temperature of the monitoring object and the electric power generated from the thermoelectric element;
Based on the monitoring information and the correction information received by the receiving means, specifying means for specifying the temperature of the monitoring object;
A temperature monitoring system comprising: a receiving device having an output unit that outputs the temperature specified by the specifying unit.

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