JP2012225936A - Flow sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hot-water supply gas usage diagnostic system which measures exact gas usage without changing piping by including a flowmeter as an adapter at a faucet of the existing gas hot-water heater, and measuring temperature of hot-water supply to calculate the gas usage to be consumed by the gas hot-water heater by calculation.SOLUTION: A hot-water supply gas usage diagnostic system 50 is constituted by including: a water supply temperature sensor 3 which detects temperature of water to be supplied to a gas hot-water heater 4; a hot-water supply temperature sensor 5 which detects temperature of hot water to be supplied by the gas hot-water heater 4; a flow sensor 10 which detects a hot-water supply amount from the gas hot-water heater 4; and a control part 9 which calculates the gas usage used by the gas hot-water heater 4 on the basis of water supply temperature data 10 detected by the water supply temperature sensor 3, hot-water supply temperature data 11 detected by the hot-water supply temperature sensor 5, flow data 12 detected by the flow sensor 10, and total gas usage data 13 acquired from a gas meter 7.

Description

  The present invention relates to a hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system and a flow rate sensor, and more particularly, a hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system that calculates and calculates a gas usage consumed by an existing gas water heater based on a hot water supply temperature and a hot water supply amount. And a flow sensor.

In recent years, from the viewpoints of energy saving and safety, an increasing number of households change gas appliances such as water heaters and cookers installed in kitchens and baths to electrical facilities. One of the factors is that with the arrival of an aging society, the number of elderly couples living alone or the elderly living alone increases, and along with this, accidents such as forgetting to turn off gas, fire due to gas leaks, poisoning, etc. increase. It is mentioned that.
Electric power companies are appealing to customers for IH-type kitchen facilities that are less likely to cause such accidents. IH-type kitchen facilities are spread to ordinary homes relatively smoothly, but the supermarket side dish department that uses large amounts of gas, stores that cook food, and medium-sized and large kitchens that cook school meals, restaurants The current situation is that it has not yet spread.
This is based on the fact that the fact that electricity is superior to gas in terms of heating efficiency, fuel cost, etc. is not well known. In other words, in reality, the cost merit of electrifying cooking utensils including hot water supply equipment is superior to that of gas, but it is not in charge unless it actually shows the superiority of electricity in individual kitchens. The reality that people do not understand is a major factor that hinders the spread of electrification. In particular, unlike gas cookers, it was difficult to calculate the amount of gas used by a gas water heater as a numerical value, so the consumers were informed of the superiority of electricity compared to the amount of electricity used by an electric water heater. I could not.

  Therefore, as an electric power company, in order to inform consumers of the superiority of electricity, to accurately grasp the gas usage of gas water heaters used in existing gas kitchen facilities, to obtain the same amount of hot water supply It is necessary to appeal that electricity can be realized cheaper than gas. At present, when measuring the amount of hot water in a gas water heater, it is measured by an ultrasonic flow meter, but there is a problem that it is difficult to install an ultrasonic flow meter and accurate measurement is difficult due to the diameter and shape of the pipe. . In addition, the amount of gas used by the water heater from an existing gas meter varies greatly depending on the hot water supply temperature and flow rate, and thus there is a problem that it cannot be accurately grasped. In addition, in order to measure the flow rate, if the flow meter is attached to the notch formed in the pipe, an application permission from the Waterworks Bureau is required, but at the present time there is a possibility that foreign matter may be mixed in the place where food is handled It is difficult to get permission.

As a conventional technique for detecting this flow rate, Patent Document 1 discloses that a flow rate measurement processing unit acquires pressure data using a Pitot tube arranged inside a pipe, and a temperature measurement processing unit uses a temperature sensor arranged inside the pipe. A flow rate measurement system that acquires temperature data and a flow rate measurement processing unit acquires temperature data via an LON network and calculates accurate flow rate data using the temperature data and pressure data is disclosed.
Patent Document 2 discloses a method for detecting the amount of hot water that is determined based on the output value of the laser sensor that the amount of molten metal supplied to the ladle has reached a predetermined amount.

JP 2003-240616 A JP 2002-273563 A

However, the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the calculation processing for detecting pressure by a Pitot tube and converting it into a flow rate is complicated.
Further, the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 constantly monitors the molten metal on the reference surface provided in advance by the laser sensor, and determines that the predetermined amount is reached when the molten metal exceeds the reference value. There is a problem that this technology cannot be applied to typical equipment.
In view of such a problem, the present invention includes a flow meter as an adapter at the faucet of an existing gas water heater, and changes the piping by measuring the temperature of the hot water and calculating the amount of gas consumed by the water heater by calculation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system capable of measuring an accurate gas usage without performing it.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a hot water gas usage diagnostic system for diagnosing a gas usage during hot water supply by a gas water heater provided in a gas facility, the gas water heater being A water temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of water before supplying water, a hot water temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of hot water supplied by the gas water heater, a flow rate sensor for detecting the amount of hot water supplied from the gas water heater, A gas meter that measures the total amount of gas used by the gas equipment, feed water temperature data detected by the feed water temperature sensor, hot water temperature data detected by the hot water temperature sensor, flow rate data detected by the flow sensor, and measurement by the gas meter And a control unit that calculates the gas usage of the gas water heater based on the total gas usage data.
The gas meter provided in the existing gas equipment measures the total amount of gas used in the water heater and other gas equipment. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the amount of gas used by the water heater from only the measured value of the gas meter. Therefore, in the present invention, the amount of heat supplied by the hot water heater is calculated from the difference between the hot water temperature and the hot water temperature, and the hot water amount is detected by a flow sensor, and the controller calculates based on the data and uses the hot water heater. The amount of gas used is calculated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the control unit detects that the flow rate sensor is operated, the flow rate data Q1 obtained from the flow rate sensor is stored, and the hot water supply temperature data detected by the hot water supply temperature sensor and the feed water temperature sensor are stored. The temperature difference T with the detected water temperature data is calculated, and when the flow rate sensor stops operating, the flow rate data Q1, the temperature difference T and the total gas usage obtained by the gas meter at the present time are calculated. The amount of gas used by the gas water heater is calculated based on the data.
The specific operation in which the control unit of the present invention obtains the gas usage amount starts when the flow sensor starts operation. That is, since the operation of the flow sensor means that hot water has been supplied, the flow data Q1 output from the flow sensor is stored, and at the same time, what is the temperature of the hot water supplied from the water heater Calculate what. The calculation can be easily obtained by calculating the difference between the hot water temperature and the hot water temperature. The control unit calculates the amount of gas used based on the flow rate from the water heater and the temperature difference.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the hot water supply gas usage amount is G, the gas heat generation amount is Q2, and the efficiency of the hot water heater is P, the control unit sets the hot water supply gas usage amount to G = {(Q1 × T) / Q2} × P is obtained.
The calculation formula for the controller to calculate the gas consumption of the hot water supply from the actual hot water supply amount and temperature difference is as follows: the hot water supply gas usage is G, the gas heating value is Q2, and the efficiency of the hot water supply is P. The gas usage amount G can be obtained by G = {(Q1 × T) / Q2} × P.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the control unit compares the calculated hot water supply gas usage amount G with the total gas usage amount obtained by the gas meter, and corrects the value of the hot water supply gas usage amount G.
In order to confirm whether the hot water supply gas usage amount G obtained by calculation is correct, the control unit compares it with the actual total gas usage amount. That is, since the hot water supply gas usage G cannot be larger than the total gas usage, it is first checked whether this relationship is maintained. That is, the measurement error is calculated and corrected using the transition coefficient on the assumption that a certain amount of error always occurs in the same measurement method.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the flow rate sensor is always in communication with a casing connected to the faucet of the water heater, a large-diameter common channel located upstream of the casing, and a downstream end of the common channel. A central flow path having a minimum diameter located at the center of the casing; an outer flow path defined by an annular partition concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the central flow path; and an upstream side of the annular partition A shielding plate that partitions between the end portion and the inner wall of the casing; a communication hole that is formed through the shielding plate to communicate the common flow channel and the outer flow channel; and the communication hole is formed in the common flow channel. It is characterized by comprising a valve that opens and closes in response to a change in water pressure, and a sensor that individually detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out from each flow path.
Since the flow sensor of the present invention is basically composed of an adapter type, it can be attached to and detached from the faucet. A plurality of flow paths are concentrically formed so that the diameter of water changes in proportion to the flow rate of each flow path, and each flow path is provided with a valve that opens and closes in response to a change in water pressure. is there.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the flow sensor includes another outer flow path defined by another annular partition disposed concentrically on the outer diameter side of the outer flow path, and an upstream end of the other annular partition. A shielding plate for partitioning a portion and the inner wall of the casing, and another communication hole provided in the shielding plate for communicating the common channel and the other outer channel, and the other communication Another valve that opens and closes the hole according to a change in water pressure in the common flow path, and another sensor that detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out of the other outer flow path. .
In the present invention, by forming more channels in a concentric manner, the amount of water can be understood in more detail as a change in diameter.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the flow rate sensor includes a casing connected to the faucet of the water heater, a common channel located upstream of the casing, and a first end that is always in communication with a downstream end of the common channel. A flow path, a second flow path partitioned by a partition wall between the first flow path, a shielding plate partitioning the upstream end of the partition wall and the casing inner wall, and the shielding plate A communication hole that is formed to penetrate and communicates the common flow path and the second flow path, a valve that opens and closes the communication hole according to a change in water pressure in the common flow path, and an outflow from each flow path And a sensor for individually detecting the presence or absence of hot water to be supplied.
The present invention includes a first flow path that is always in communication with the downstream end of the common flow path in the casing, and a second flow path that is defined by a partition wall.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the flow sensor is provided between another flow path partitioned by the other partition wall from the second flow path, and between an upstream end of the other partition wall and the casing inner wall. The shielding plate for partitioning, the other communication hole provided in the shielding plate for communicating the common flow channel with the other flow channel, and the other communication hole for the hydraulic pressure in the common flow channel. It is provided with the other valve which opens and closes according to a change, and the other sensor which detects the presence or absence of the hot water flowing out from the said other flow path.
In the present invention, by forming a plurality of flow paths, the amount of water can be understood as a change in diameter in more detail. Here, the other channel means that the third and fourth channels and other channels can be used.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the valve located on the outer diameter side among the valves is configured such that the water pressure required to open the valve becomes stronger.
The valve provided in the flow sensor of the present invention is configured to open and close in response to a change in water pressure, and the valve located concentrically outside the casing is configured to increase the water pressure required to open the valve. ing. Thereby, it operates so that the diameter of a water column becomes thick, so that there are many flow rates (water pressure).

The flow rate sensor is a casing provided in a faucet of the water heater, and a rotating body that rotates by hot water supplied from the casing, and a tachometer that detects the number of rotations of the rotating body. And.
The flow rate is substantially proportional to the speed of hot water supplied from the casing. Therefore, in the present invention, a rotating body is provided inside or at the outlet of the casing, a tachometer is provided on the shaft of the rotating body, and the speed (flow rate) of hot water supplied from the casing is measured.
Claim 11 is a casing connected to a faucet of a water heater, a large-diameter common channel located upstream in the casing, and a central portion of the casing that is always in communication with the downstream end of the common channel. A central flow path having a minimum diameter located at the outer periphery, an outer flow path defined by an annular partition concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the central flow path, an upstream end of the annular partition, and the inner wall of the casing A communication plate that is formed through the shield plate and communicates with the common flow path and the outer flow path, and the communication hole is formed in accordance with a change in water pressure in the common flow path. It is characterized by comprising a valve for opening and closing and a sensor for individually detecting the presence or absence of hot water flowing out from each flow path.
The present invention has the same effect as that of the seventh aspect.

Claim 12 is another outer flow path defined by another annular partition wall concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the outer flow path, an upstream end portion of the other annular partition wall, and the inner wall of the casing. A shielding plate that divides the flow path between the common flow path and the other outer flow path, and the other communication hole is connected to the common flow path. It is characterized by comprising another valve that opens and closes in response to a change in water pressure in the passage, and another sensor that detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out from the other outer flow path.
The present invention has the same effect as that of the eighth aspect.
A thirteenth aspect of the present invention provides a casing connected to a faucet of a water heater, a common channel located on the upstream side in the casing, a first channel always communicating with a downstream end of the common channel, A second flow path partitioned by a partition wall from the first flow path, a shielding plate partitioning between the upstream end of the partition wall and the inner wall of the casing, and penetratingly formed in the shielding plate, the common A communication hole for communicating the flow path and the second flow path, a valve for opening and closing the communication hole in accordance with a change in water pressure in the common flow path, and presence / absence of hot water flowing out from each flow path And a sensor for detecting each of them individually.
The present invention has the same effect as that of the seventh aspect.

A fourteenth aspect of the present invention relates to another flow path that is partitioned from the second flow path by another partition, and the shielding plate that partitions the upstream end of the other partition and the inner wall of the casing. Provided in the shielding plate to communicate the common flow channel with the other flow channel, and open and close the other communication hole according to a change in water pressure in the common flow channel. And another sensor for detecting the presence or absence of hot water flowing out of the other flow path.
The present invention has the same effect as that of the eighth aspect.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the valve located on the outer diameter side among the valves is configured such that the water pressure required to open the valve becomes stronger.
The present invention has the same effect as that of the ninth aspect.
Claim 16 is a casing provided in a faucet of a water heater, and includes a rotating body that rotates by hot water supplied from the casing, and a tachometer that detects the number of rotations of the rotating body. It is characterized by.
The present invention has the same effect as that of the tenth aspect.

  According to the present invention, when the control unit detects that the flow rate sensor has been operated, the flow rate data Q1 output from the flow rate sensor is stored, and the hot water supply temperature data detected by the hot water supply temperature sensor and the supply water temperature sensor detect the flow rate data. The gas water heater is calculated based on the flow rate data Q1, the temperature difference T, and the total gas usage data obtained by the current gas meter when the temperature difference T of the supplied water temperature data is calculated and the flow sensor stops operating. Therefore, the amount of gas used by the water heater can be determined accurately and easily.

It is a lineblock diagram of the hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the hot water supply gas usage-amount diagnostic system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the flow sensor which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a sectional side view, (b) is B view of (a), (c) is A view of (a). FIGS. 4 (d), (e), and (f) are diagrams for explaining the operation of each valve when the water pressure P (flow rate) is different. It is a figure which shows the structure of the flow sensor which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the flow sensor which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (a) is an internal perspective view, (b) is a schematic diagram explaining rotation operation | movement.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. However, the components, types, combinations, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like described in this embodiment are merely illustrative examples and not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only unless otherwise specified. .
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system 50 includes a water supply temperature sensor 3 that detects the temperature of water supplied to the gas water heater 4, a hot water temperature sensor 5 that detects the temperature of hot water supplied by the gas water heater 4, and a gas hot water supply. The flow rate sensor 10 for detecting the amount of hot water supplied from the vessel 4, the feed water temperature data 14 detected by the feed water temperature sensor 3, the hot water temperature data 11 detected by the hot water temperature sensor 5, the flow rate data 12 detected by the flow sensor 10, and all And a control unit 9 that calculates the amount of gas used by the gas water heater 4 based on the total gas usage data 13 acquired from the gas meter 7 that measures the total amount of gas used by the gas equipment. ing.
The flow sensor 10 is detachably attached to the faucet 8 in this embodiment. Water supplied to the gas water heater 4 is directly connected to the water pipe 1 and is supplied by opening the valve 2. Further, the gas meter 7 is directly connected to the gas pipe 6 and can also measure the amount of gas used by other gas equipment (not shown) in addition to the gas water heater 4. The measured data is output as a digital value. The water supply temperature sensor 3 and the hot water supply temperature sensor 5 are composed of, for example, a thermistor, a thermocouple, etc., and the resistance value and the electromotive force change depending on the temperature. By inputting these temperature data to the control unit 9, , Converted to a digital value. The flow sensor 10 may have any configuration as long as it can detect a flow rate per unit time (details will be described later). Moreover, the control part 9 is comprised by CPU and memory, and operate | moves according to the program memorize | stored in memory (ROM). Or you may comprise by hardware, without using CPU.

As shown in FIG. 1, a gas meter 7 provided in an existing gas facility measures the total amount of gas used in the gas water heater 4 and other gas facilities. Therefore, it is difficult to measure the amount of gas used by the gas water heater 4 based only on the measured value of the gas meter 7. Thus, in the present embodiment, the amount of heat supplied by the gas water heater 4 is calculated from the difference between the water supply temperature data 14 and the hot water supply temperature data 11, and the hot water supply amount is detected by the flow sensor 10, and the control unit 9 is based on the data. To calculate the amount of gas used by the gas water heater 4.
Therefore, when the control unit 9 detects that the flow rate sensor 10 has been operated, the flow rate data Q1 output from the flow rate sensor 10 is stored, and the hot water supply temperature data 11 and the feed water temperature sensor 3 detected by the hot water supply temperature sensor 5 are stored. The temperature difference T of the feed water temperature data 14 detected is calculated, and when the flow sensor 10 stops operating, the flow data Q1, the temperature difference T, and the total gas usage data 13 obtained by the gas meter 7 at the present time are calculated. Based on this, the amount of gas used by the gas water heater 4 is calculated.

As described above, the specific operation in which the control unit 9 of the present embodiment obtains the gas usage amount starts when the flow sensor 10 starts the operation. That is, when the flow sensor 10 starts operating, the tap of the faucet 8 is opened and hot water is supplied. Therefore, the flow data 12 (Q1) output from the flow sensor 10 is counted, and at the same time. The temperature of hot water supplied from the gas water heater 4 is calculated. The calculation is easily obtained by calculating the difference between the feed water temperature data 14 and the hot water temperature data.
That is, when the hot water supply gas usage amount is G, the gas heat generation amount is Q2, and the efficiency of the gas water heater 4 is P, the hot water supply gas usage amount G can be obtained by the following equation (1).
G = {(Q1 × T) / Q2} × P (1)
In addition, the control unit 9 compares the actual hot gas use amount data 13 with the hot water supply gas use amount G obtained by the calculation in order to confirm whether it is correct. That is, since the hot water supply gas usage G cannot be larger than the total gas usage 13, it is first checked whether this relationship is maintained. That is, the measurement error is calculated and corrected using the transition coefficient on the assumption that a certain amount of error always occurs in the same measurement method.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system according to an embodiment of the present invention. A description will be given with reference to FIG.
First, the controller 9 constantly monitors the flow sensor 10 to monitor whether or not the flow sensor 10 has been operated (S1). When the faucet 8 is opened and the flow rate sensor 10 operates (YES route in S1), for example, the number of pulses of the flow rate data 12 is measured (S2). While continuing the operation, the feed water temperature data 10 output from the feed water temperature sensor 3 is measured (S3), and then the hot water supply temperature data 11 output from the hot water supply temperature sensor 5 is measured (S4). These data are temporarily stored in a memory in the control unit 9. Next, the difference between the hot water temperature data 11 and the hot water temperature data 14 stored in the memory is calculated, and the result is stored in the memory (S6). At this time, since the temperature difference varies depending on the opening amount of the faucet and the thermal power, the control unit 9 newly stores only when the temperature changes beyond a predetermined range, and associates the temperature with the duration. Remember. Next, it is monitored whether or not the flow sensor 10 has stopped (S7). If the flow rate sensor 10 remains in operation (NO route in S7), the process returns to step S2 and continues. On the other hand, when the flow sensor 10 stops in step S7 (YES route in S7), the operation continuously measured in step S2 is stopped and the total flow rate is calculated (S8). Then, average temperature difference data is calculated from the temperature difference data stored in the memory and the duration, and based on the temperature difference data and the total flow rate, the hot water supply gas use amount G is calculated by the above-described equation (1) (S9). ). Next, in order to verify whether or not the calculated hot water supply gas usage G is correct, the total gas usage data 13 is compared with the calculated hot water supply gas usage G, and the hot water supply gas usage G is calculated from the total gas usage. Since it never grows, first check if this relationship is maintained, and then check if it is significantly different from past data. If there is a large difference, correction is made with a predetermined coefficient (S10).
If the gas meter 7 is not configured to output digital data, it may be confirmed by visual inspection.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the flow sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3A is a side sectional view, FIG. 3B is a B view of FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3C is a view A of FIG. The same components will be described with the same reference numerals. The flow rate sensor 20 includes a cylindrical body (casing) 20a connected to the faucet 8 of the gas water heater 4, a large-diameter common channel 21 located upstream in the cylindrical body 20a, and a common channel 21. Defined by a minimum-diameter central flow path 26 that is always in communication with the downstream end of the cylindrical body 20a and located at the center of the cylindrical body 20a, and annular partition walls 26a and 26b that are concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the central flow path 26. Outer flow paths 25 and 24, a shielding plate 36 that partitions the upstream end of the annular partition walls 26a and 26b, and the cylindrical body wall, and a through-hole formed in the shielding plate 36 so that the common flow path 21 and the outer flow Communication holes 37 and 38 for communicating the passages 25 and 24, valves 23 and 22 for opening and closing the communication holes 37 and 38 according to a change in water pressure in the common flow path 21, and hot water flowing out from each flow path Sensor 27, 28, 29 for individually detecting the presence or absence of It has been. In the present embodiment, the sensors 27, 28, and 29 are opposed optical sensors, and include light emitting elements 27a, 28a, and 29a and light receiving elements 27b, 28b, and 29b. In the present embodiment, the case where the number of flow paths is three has been described. Moreover, although the case where the shape of the cylindrical body 20a was a concentric circle was demonstrated, as long as it is concentric, a shape is not limited to a circle, A rectangle may be sufficient.

  Since the flow sensor 20 of the present embodiment is basically composed of an adapter type, it is a cylindrical body (casing) 20a provided in the faucet 8. In addition, a plurality of flow paths 24, 25, and 26 are provided so that the diameter of water changes in proportion to the flow rate, and valves 22 and 23 that are provided in the flow paths 24 and 25 and that open and close according to changes in water pressure are provided. Is. That is, the valves 22 and 23 provided in the flow sensor 20 of the present embodiment are configured to open and close according to changes in water pressure, and the valves 22 that are located on the outer diameter side of the cylindrical body are opened. It is comprised so that the water pressure required to make it become strong. Thereby, it operates so that the diameter of a water column becomes thick, so that there are many flow rates (water pressure). FIGS. 3D, 3E and 3F are diagrams for explaining the operation of each valve when the water pressure P (flow rate) is different. FIG. 3D shows the case of the weakest water pressure P1. In this case, the hot water supply flows only through the flow path 26 while the valves 22 and 23 remain closed. At this time, it can be detected that only the sensor 27 operates and the flow rate is the smallest. FIG. 3E shows the case of an intermediate water pressure P2. In this case, the valve 23 remains open, the valve 22 is opened, and hot water flows into the flow paths 25 and 26. At this time, it is possible to detect that the sensors 27 and 28 operate and the flow rate is intermediate. FIG. 3F shows the case of the strongest water pressure P3. In this case, the valves 22 and 23 are opened, and hot water is supplied to all the flow paths 24, 25 and 26. At this time, it is possible to detect that all of the sensors 27, 28 and 29 are operated and the flow rate is the highest. That is, the relationship between the water pressures is P1 <P2 <P3. In the present embodiment, three flow paths are provided, but the number may be more or less.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a flow sensor according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The flow rate sensor 60 includes a cylindrical body (casing) 60 a connected to the faucet 8 of the gas water heater 4, a common channel 61 located on the upstream side in the cylindrical body 60 a, and a downstream side of the common channel 61. A first flow path 62 that is always in communication with the end, a second flow path 63 that is partitioned between the first flow path 62 by a partition wall 70, and a partition wall 73 that is between the second flow path 63. A partitioned third flow path 64, a shielding plate 72 for partitioning the upstream end of each partition wall 70, 73 and the cylindrical body wall, and a common flow path 61 formed through the shielding plate 72 so as to penetrate therethrough A communication hole 71 that communicates with the second flow path 63, a valve 66 that opens and closes the communication hole 71 according to a change in water pressure in the common flow path 61, and a common flow path 61 that is formed through the shielding plate 72. A communication hole 74 that communicates with the third flow path 64, and the communication hole 74 according to a change in water pressure in the common flow path 61. And closes valve 65 is configured to include a sensor 67, 68, 69 for detecting each individual the presence or absence of hot water flowing out of the flow paths. In the present embodiment, the case where the number of flow paths is 3 has been described. Further, the operation of the flow sensor 60 of the present embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a flow sensor according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is an internal perspective view, and FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram for explaining a rotation operation. The same components will be described with the same reference numerals. The flow sensor 40 is a cylindrical body (casing) 30 provided in the faucet 8 of the gas water heater 4, and includes a rotating body 32 that rotates by a fluid flowing through the cylindrical body 30, and a shaft 31 of the rotating body 32. And a tachometer 33 for detecting the number of rotations.
That is, the flow rate is substantially proportional to the speed of the fluid supplied from the cylindrical body 30. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a rotating body 32 is provided inside the cylindrical body 30, and a rotation meter is provided on the shaft 31 of the rotating body 32 to measure the speed (flow rate) of the fluid supplied from the cylindrical body 30. It is. In this embodiment, the rotating body 32 is provided inside the cylindrical body 30, but may be provided at the outlet of the cylindrical body 30.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the control unit 9 detects that the flow rate sensor 10 is operated, the control unit 9 stores the flow rate data 12 (Q1) output from the flow rate sensor 10 and the hot water supply temperature sensor 5 detects it. When the temperature difference T between the hot water supply temperature data 11 and the feed water temperature data 14 detected by the feed water temperature sensor 3 is calculated and the flow sensor 10 stops operating, the flow rate data Q1, the temperature difference T, and the current gas meter 7 Since the gas usage amount used by the gas water heater 4 is calculated based on the obtained total gas usage amount data 13, the gas usage amount used by the gas water heater 4 can be accurately and easily obtained.
Further, the controller 9 uses the hot water supply gas usage amount G as G = {(Q1 × T) / Q2} × P, where G is the hot water supply gas usage amount G, the gas heat generation amount is Q2, and the hot water heater efficiency is P. Therefore, even when the type of the gas water heater is changed, the amount of hot water supply gas used can be obtained in the same manner.
Further, the controller 9 compares the obtained hot water supply gas usage G with the total gas usage obtained by the gas meter 7 and corrects the value of the hot water supply gas usage G, so that more accurate data can be obtained. Can do.

The flow rate sensor 20 is a cylindrical body provided at the faucet 8 of the gas water heater 4, and a plurality of flow paths 24, 25, 26 formed concentrically with respect to the central axis of the cylindrical body. And valves 22 and 23 that are provided in each flow path and open and close in response to a change in water pressure, and sensors 27, 28, and 29 that detect hot water flowing through each flow path. It can be detected by the presence or absence of hot water flowing through the road, and the configuration can be simplified.
In addition, among the valves, the valve 22 located on the outer diameter side is configured such that the water pressure required to open the valve becomes stronger, so the width of the flow path can be increased in proportion to the flow rate. it can.
The flow rate sensor 40 is a cylindrical body provided in the faucet 8 of the gas water heater 4, and detects a rotating body 32 that is rotated by hot water flowing through the cylindrical body and the number of rotations of the rotating body 32. Therefore, the flow rate of the hot water can be detected only by detecting the rotational speed of the tachometer 33.

  1 water pipe, 2 valve, 3 water supply temperature sensor, 4 gas water heater, 5 hot water temperature sensor, 6 gas pipe, 7 gas meter, 8 faucet, 9 control unit, 10 flow sensor, 11 hot water temperature data, 12 flow data, 13 Total gas usage data, 14 Water temperature data, 50 Hot water gas usage diagnostic system

The present invention relates to a flow rate sensor, and more particularly, relates to suitable flow sensor in the hot water supply gas consumption diagnosis system to calculate by calculating on the basis of gas usage existing gas water heater is consumed hot water supply temperature and the hot water supply amount Is.

However, the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the calculation processing for detecting pressure by a Pitot tube and converting it into a flow rate is complicated.
Further, the conventional technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 constantly monitors the molten metal on the reference surface provided in advance by the laser sensor, and determines that the predetermined amount is reached when the molten metal exceeds the reference value. There is a problem that this technology cannot be applied to typical equipment.
In view of this problem, the present invention can be attached as an adapter to a faucet of an existing gas water heater, and changes the piping by measuring the temperature of the hot water and calculating the amount of gas consumed by the water heater by calculation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a flow rate sensor suitable for a hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system capable of measuring an accurate gas usage without any problem.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a casing connected to a faucet of a water heater, a large-diameter common channel located upstream of the casing, and a downstream of the common channel. A central flow path having a minimum diameter that is always in communication with the end and located at the center of the casing; an outer flow path defined by an annular partition concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the central flow path; and A shielding plate for partitioning between the upstream end of the annular partition wall and the inner wall of the casing; a communication hole penetratingly formed in the shielding plate to communicate the common flow channel and the outer flow channel; and A valve that opens and closes in response to a change in water pressure in the common flow path and a sensor that individually detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out from each flow path are provided.
Since the flow sensor of the present invention is basically composed of an adapter type, it can be attached to and detached from the faucet. A plurality of flow paths are concentrically formed so that the diameter of water changes in proportion to the flow rate of each flow path, and each flow path is provided with a valve that opens and closes in response to a change in water pressure. is there.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, another outer flow path defined by another annular partition wall concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the outer flow path, an upstream end portion of the other annular partition wall, and the inner wall of the casing A shielding plate that divides the flow path between the common flow path and the other outer flow path, and the other communication hole is connected to the common flow path. It is characterized by comprising another valve that opens and closes in response to a change in water pressure in the passage, and another sensor that detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out from the other outer flow path.
In the present invention, by forming more channels in a concentric manner, the amount of water can be understood in more detail as a change in diameter.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a casing connected to the faucet of the water heater, a common channel located upstream in the casing, a first channel always communicating with the downstream end of the common channel, A second flow path partitioned by a partition wall from the first flow path, a shielding plate partitioning between the upstream end of the partition wall and the inner wall of the casing, and penetratingly formed in the shielding plate, the common A communication hole for communicating the flow path and the second flow path, a valve for opening and closing the communication hole in accordance with a change in water pressure in the common flow path, and presence / absence of hot water flowing out from each flow path And a sensor for detecting each of them individually.
The present invention includes a first flow path that is always in communication with the downstream end of the common flow path in the casing, and a second flow path that is defined by a partition wall.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided another flow path that is partitioned from the second flow path by another partition, and the shielding plate that partitions the upstream end of the other partition and the casing inner wall. Provided in the shielding plate to communicate the common flow channel with the other flow channel, and open and close the other communication hole according to a change in water pressure in the common flow channel. And another sensor for detecting the presence or absence of hot water flowing out of the other flow path.
In the present invention, by forming a plurality of flow paths, the amount of water can be understood as a change in diameter in more detail. Here, the other channel means that the third and fourth channels and other channels can be used.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the valve located on the outer diameter side among the valves is configured such that the water pressure required to open the valve increases.
The valve provided in the flow sensor of the present invention is configured to open and close in response to a change in water pressure, and the valve located concentrically outside the casing is configured to increase the water pressure required to open the valve. ing. Thereby, it operates so that the diameter of the water column becomes thicker as the flow rate (water pressure) increases.

  Since the flow sensor of the present invention is basically composed of an adapter type, it can be attached to and detached from the faucet. And since a plurality of channels are concentrically formed so that the diameter of water changes in proportion to the flow rate of each channel, and each channel has a valve that opens and closes according to a change in water pressure. The flow rate can be detected based on the presence or absence of hot water flowing in the flow path, and the configuration can be simplified.

Claims (16)

A hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system for diagnosing gas usage during hot water supply by a gas water heater provided in a gas facility,
A water temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of water before water is supplied to the gas water heater;
A hot water supply temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of hot water supplied by the gas water heater;
A flow rate sensor for detecting the amount of hot water supplied from the gas water heater;
A gas meter for measuring the total amount of gas used by the gas equipment;
Gas of the gas water heater based on the feed water temperature data detected by the feed water temperature sensor, the hot water supply temperature data detected by the hot water temperature sensor, the flow rate data detected by the flow sensor, and the total gas usage data measured by the gas meter A control unit for calculating the usage amount;
A hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system characterized by comprising:   When the control unit detects that the flow rate sensor has been operated, the control unit stores flow rate data Q1 obtained from the flow rate sensor, and also supplies hot water temperature data detected by the hot water supply temperature sensor and feed water temperature detected by the feed water temperature sensor. When the temperature difference T with the data is calculated and the flow rate sensor stops operating, the flow rate data Q1, the temperature difference T, and the total gas usage data obtained by the gas meter at the present time are used. The hot water supply gas usage diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the gas usage used by the gas water heater is calculated.   When the hot water supply gas usage amount is G, the gas heating value is Q2, and the efficiency of the water heater is P, the control unit sets the hot water supply gas usage amount as G = {(Q1 × T) / Q2} × P. The hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is obtained.   The said control part compares the calculated hot water supply gas usage-amount G with the total gas usage obtained by the said gas meter, and correct | amends the value of the said hot-water supply gas usage-amount G The hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system according to 3.   The flow sensor includes a casing connected to the faucet of the water heater, a large-diameter common flow channel located upstream in the casing, and a continuous center of the casing and the downstream end of the common flow channel. A central flow path having a minimum diameter located at the center, an outer flow path defined by an annular partition concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the central flow path, an upstream end of the annular partition, and the casing A shielding plate that partitions the inner wall, a communication hole that is formed through the shielding plate to communicate the common flow channel and the outer flow channel, and the communication hole is adapted to change in water pressure in the common flow channel. The hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system according to claim 1, further comprising: a valve that opens and closes and a sensor that individually detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out of each flow path.   The flow sensor includes another outer flow path defined by another annular partition wall concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the outer flow path, an upstream end portion of the other annular partition wall, and the inner wall of the casing. A shielding plate that divides the flow path between the common flow path and the other outer flow path, and the other communication hole is connected to the common flow path. 6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: another valve that opens and closes in response to a change in water pressure in the passage; and another sensor that detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out of the other outer flow path. Hot water gas usage diagnostic system.   The flow sensor includes a casing connected to the faucet of the water heater, a common channel located upstream in the casing, a first channel always communicating with the downstream end of the common channel, A second flow path partitioned by a partition wall from the first flow path, a shielding plate partitioning the upstream end of the partition wall and the inner wall of the casing, and penetratingly formed in the shielding plate, A communication hole for communicating the common flow path with the second flow path, a valve for opening and closing the communication hole in response to a change in water pressure in the common flow path, and presence / absence of hot water flowing out from each flow path The hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system according to claim 1, further comprising: a sensor that individually detects the water temperature.   The flow rate sensor includes another flow path partitioned by the other partition wall from the second flow path, and the shielding plate partitioning between the upstream end of the other partition wall and the casing inner wall. Provided in the shielding plate to communicate the common flow channel with the other flow channel, and open and close the other communication hole according to a change in water pressure in the common flow channel. The hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system according to claim 7, further comprising: another valve that detects and the presence or absence of another sensor that detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out of the other flow path.   9. The hot water supply gas usage diagnosis according to claim 6, wherein, among the valves, the valve located on the outer diameter side is configured such that the water pressure required to open the valve becomes stronger. system.   The flow sensor is a casing provided in a faucet of the water heater, and includes a rotating body that rotates by hot water supplied from the casing, and a tachometer that detects the number of rotations of the rotating body. The hot water supply gas usage diagnostic system according to claim 1 or 2.   A casing connected to the faucet of the water heater, a large-diameter common flow channel located upstream in the casing, a minimum diameter located in the center of the casing and always in communication with the downstream end of the common flow channel A center channel, an outer channel defined by an annular partition concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the center channel, and an upstream end of the annular partition and the inner wall of the casing are partitioned A shield plate, a communication hole formed through the shield plate to communicate the common channel and the outer channel, and a valve that opens and closes the communication hole according to a change in water pressure in the common channel; And a sensor for individually detecting the presence or absence of hot water flowing out from each flow path.   Partitioning is performed between another outer flow path defined by another annular partition wall concentrically disposed on the outer diameter side of the outer flow path, and an upstream end of the other annular partition wall and the casing inner wall. Another communication hole provided on the shield plate for communicating the common flow channel with the other outer flow channel, and the other communication hole for controlling the water pressure in the common flow channel. The flow sensor according to claim 11, further comprising: another valve that opens and closes in response to a change; and another sensor that detects the presence or absence of hot water flowing out of the other outer flow path.   A casing connected to the faucet of the water heater, a common channel located upstream in the casing, a first channel always communicating with a downstream end of the common channel, and the first channel A second flow path partitioned by a partition wall, a shielding plate partitioning the upstream end of the partition wall and the inner wall of the casing, and penetratingly formed in the shielding plate to form the common flow path and the first flow path. A communication hole that communicates with the two flow paths, a valve that opens and closes the communication hole in response to a change in water pressure in the common flow path, and the presence or absence of hot water flowing out from each flow path. A flow sensor comprising: a sensor;   Another flow path partitioned by another partition wall from the second flow path, and the shielding plate partitioning between the upstream end of the other partition wall and the casing inner wall, Another communication hole provided in the shielding plate for communicating the common flow path with the other flow path, and another valve for opening and closing the other communication hole in accordance with a change in water pressure in the common flow path. The flow rate sensor according to claim 13, further comprising: another sensor that detects presence or absence of hot water flowing out of the other flow path.   The flow rate sensor according to claim 12 or 14, wherein the water pressure required to open the valve increases as the valve located on the outer diameter side among the valves.   A casing provided in a faucet of a water heater, comprising: a rotating body that is rotated by hot water supplied from the casing; and a tachometer that detects the number of rotations of the rotating body. Sensor.

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