JP4258555B2 - Gas appliance monitoring device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for identifying a plurality of gas appliances connected to a gas pipe after passing through a gas meter and individually monitoring the use status of the gas.

  Conventionally, as this type of gas monitoring device, there are a flow rate measuring means for generating a signal in accordance with the amount of gas passing through a gas meter disposed in a gas supply line, and a change in the amount of gas passing through the gas meter by a signal from the flow rate measuring means. Individual gas appliance flow rate calculation means for calculating the flow rate and classifying the gas amount for each individual gas appliance, sensor means for obtaining an input signal other than the change flow rate, for example, outside temperature, calendar information, use start time information, etc., and individual gas An apparatus provided with composite arithmetic means for determining the gas instrument used by combining information obtained from the instrument flow rate arithmetic means and the sensor means (for example, see Patent Document 1), and individual gas flow paths of each gas instrument Each sounding means for generating a monitoring sound of a predetermined frequency corresponding to each gas appliance with strength according to the gas flow rate, and a monitoring sound generated by each sounding means Hazuki that a monitoring means for monitoring the usage of individual gas appliance (for example, see Patent Document 2).

In addition, in order to prevent accidents caused by forgetting to turn off gas appliances, the continuous use time is limited, and the continuous use time is set according to the flow rate, and the gas is shut off when the continuous use time elapses. There exists a thing (for example, patent document 3).
JP-A-3-236513 JP-A-8-178195 JP 7-44239 A

  However, the gas appliance monitoring device disclosed in each of the above patent documents needs to be provided with a gas appliance discriminating means with a complicated control circuit. In particular, in Patent Document 1, an individual gas appliance is detected from the change flow rate of the gas meter passage gas amount. Individual gas appliance flow rate calculation means that classifies each gas amount is provided, and the gas appliance used is estimated by combining various sensor information for specifying the usage environment, requiring a complicated circuit configuration However, there was a problem with certainty in identifying the gas appliances used.

  Moreover, since the thing of the patent document 2 emits the monitoring sound of the frequency according to the magnitude | size of the gas flow volume which flows into each gas appliance, and collects the monitoring sound and specifies the gas appliance to be used, it is individual. Although certainty can be improved in terms of identifying gas appliances to be used based on information emitted from other gas appliances, a whistle device that generates sound according to the flow rate, a microphone that collects sound, and an analysis circuit are required. There is a problem that a very complicated circuit configuration is required.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, regardless of the type of gas appliance, the continuous use time is uniformly set according to the gas flow rate to prevent accidents caused by forgetting to turn off the appliance or leakage. Since each appliance does not have a usage time that corresponds to its own application, for example, if the gas fan heater and gas cooker have the same flow rate range, the same usage time will be used, and the gas fan heater will be the standard. When the use time is limited to this, the time for forgetting to turn off the gas cooker becomes longer and the risk becomes higher. On the other hand, when the use time is limited based on the gas cooker, there is a problem that the gas fan heater is quickly cut off.

Further, in the case of Patent Document 3, when the appliance repeats abnormal combustion due to air shortage or the like, the operation is repeated in a short combustion time, so the concept of continuous use time cannot be detected, and the gas meter side Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to cope with detecting the abnormality of the instrument and stopping the gas supply.

  In addition, when the appliance has been in use for a long time, dust and debris accumulate in the appliance and abnormal combustion is likely to occur, and the situation when abnormal combustion occurs tends to increase the damage. is there. If it is used repeatedly in such a situation, it may fall into a dangerous state.In addition to securing a state that can not be used only by the return operation of the instrument, the abnormality judgment criteria are tightened according to the period of use, and the dangerous state There was a need for a gas appliance monitoring device that could be detected before it became.

  The invention of the present application solves the above-mentioned problems, and is provided with an appliance detection module capable of detecting the start of operation of a gas appliance without receiving a signal from a gas appliance control device, and an appliance radio module capable of transmitting operation start information to a gas meter. Is stored in a gas appliance, and based on the information from the appliance radio module, the operation accumulated time and the number of abnormal ignitions for each appliance are monitored, so that the gas appliance can be used according to different usage patterns and operation accumulated time. It is another object of the present invention to provide a gas appliance monitoring apparatus capable of monitoring an appropriate appliance abnormality.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the gas appliance monitoring apparatus of the present invention monitors the usage status of a plurality of gas appliances connected to a pipe after passing through a gas meter, and other than a plurality of destinations and telephone lines. A gas appliance monitoring device equipped with a wireless module capable of direct transmission / reception using a communication line, the gas meter having a flow rate measuring means for measuring a gas flow rate, a gas shut-off valve for shutting off the gas flow path in the event of an abnormality, A control circuit that performs predetermined processing based on the measurement result of the flow rate measurement means and outputs it as flow rate information, a meter wireless module that transmits / receives information to / from multiple partners, and communication switching that switches the communication frequency band according to the partner Means and a battery power source for driving, and the meter radio module is configured integrally with the control circuit and housed in the gas meter, and at least a communication frequency with the base station. And a plurality of gas appliances having a communication frequency band, wherein the plurality of gas appliances includes an appliance information transmitter that detects the start of operation of the appliance and transmits it to the gas meter as appliance information. Appliance detection means for detecting the operation start of the appliance without receiving a signal from the appliance control device, an appliance radio module for transmitting an appliance operation start signal from the appliance detection means to the gas meter in a predetermined communication frequency band, a driving battery, Is stored in a case and is removable and can be installed in any location. The control circuit stores the cumulative value of operating time for each appliance based on the appliance information and flow rate information sent from the appliance information transmitter. The operation time accumulating means for each appliance to be stored, the abnormal ignition monitoring means for monitoring the abnormal ignition pattern at the start of the operation of the gas appliance within a predetermined time, and the allowable ignition for each appliance. An allowable ignition frequency storage means that stores a preset number of repetitions, corrects the stored value of the allowable ignition frequency storage means in accordance with the accumulated time stored in the operation time accumulating means for each appliance, and performs abnormal ignition. When the number of abnormal ignitions monitored by the monitoring means reaches the corrected stored value of the allowable ignition number storage means, the gas shut-off valve is activated to stop the gas supply, and the abnormal ignition information using the meter radio module Is transmitted to at least the base station.

  According to the above invention, the wireless module capable of communicating with the base station using wireless communication means other than the telephone line, and the wireless module capable of receiving instrument information from a plurality of gas appliances are provided in the control circuit in the gas meter. Since it is integrated into the circuit board, it is possible to communicate with the base station without using a telephone line simply by installing a gas meter, and various commands from the base station can be made smoothly without being affected by the congestion of the line. It is possible to obtain information on equipment including usage information from multiple gas equipment connected to the pipe after passing through the gas meter, and communication with the center is possible due to congestion of telephone lines as in the past. In addition to being able to eliminate the problem of being unable to do so, it is possible to acquire information on the type and usage of gas appliances used in the home in real time and reliably Kill.

  In addition, because it is possible to simultaneously obtain the usage information for each gas appliance information obtained, the flow rate value obtained by the flow rate measurement means can be monitored in correspondence with the gas appliance information, and the gas company uses the obtained information. Thus, various services can be provided in the fields of security, charges, and the like.

  Furthermore, it is possible to monitor the cumulative value of the operating time that actually accompanies combustion and the number of abnormal ignitions for each acquired gas appliance information, and correct the preset allowable ignition frequency for each gas appliance using the cumulative value of the operating time. In addition, by comparing with the corrected number of times of allowable ignition, it is possible to determine an abnormal ignition pattern at the start of an appropriate operation according to the different gas appliances used for different purposes and the appliance status changing over time, and Since the judgment result can be notified to the required other party such as a base station, abnormal combustion of the gas appliance due to air shortage etc. can be detected on the gas meter side and the gas supply can be shut off, and the trend of deterioration over time It is possible to detect the abnormal combustion early and to respond before it enters a dangerous state. By conducting the inspection by the gas company, the damage caused by the abnormality of the instrument can be suppressed and safety can be prevented. It is possible to improve the.

  The gas appliance monitoring device of the present invention can communicate with the base station without using a telephone line simply by installing a gas meter, and can smoothly transmit various commands from the base station without being affected by the congestion status of the line. It is possible to acquire equipment information including usage information from multiple gas appliances connected to the pipe after passing through a gas meter, and communication with the center is not possible due to congestion of telephone lines as in the past In addition, it is possible to reliably acquire information on the type of gas appliance used in the home and the usage pattern in real time.

  In addition, because it is possible to simultaneously obtain the usage information for each gas appliance information obtained, the flow rate value obtained by the flow rate measurement means can be monitored in correspondence with the gas appliance information, and the gas company uses the obtained information. Thus, various services can be provided in the fields of security, charges, and the like.

  Furthermore, it is possible to monitor the cumulative value of the operating time that actually accompanies combustion and the number of abnormal ignitions for each acquired gas appliance information, and correct the preset allowable ignition frequency for each gas appliance using the cumulative value of the operating time. In addition, by comparing with the corrected number of times of allowable ignition, it is possible to determine an abnormal ignition pattern at the start of an appropriate operation according to the different gas appliances used for different purposes and the appliance status changing over time, and Since the judgment result can be notified to the required other party such as a base station, abnormal combustion of the gas appliance due to air shortage etc. can be detected on the gas meter side and the gas supply can be shut off, and the trend of deterioration over time It is possible to detect the abnormal combustion early and to respond before it enters a dangerous state. By conducting the inspection by the gas company, the damage caused by the abnormality of the instrument can be suppressed and safety can be prevented. It is possible to improve the.

The first invention is a wireless module capable of monitoring the use status of a plurality of gas appliances connected to piping after passing through a gas meter and directly transmitting / receiving with a plurality of destinations using a communication line other than a telephone line. The gas meter has a flow rate measuring means for measuring the gas flow rate, a gas shut-off valve for shutting off the gas flow path in the event of an abnormality, and a predetermined process based on the measurement result of the flow rate measuring means. Control circuit for performing flow rate information output, a meter wireless module for transmitting / receiving information to / from a plurality of destinations, a communication switching means for switching a communication frequency band according to the destinations, and a driving battery power source The meter radio module is configured integrally with the control circuit and housed in the gas meter, and at least a communication frequency band with a base station and a communication frequency with a plurality of gas appliances. The plurality of gas appliances includes an appliance information transmitter that detects the start of operation of the appliance and transmits the appliance information as appliance information to the gas meter, and the appliance information transmitter receives a signal from the gas appliance controller. A device detecting means for detecting the start of the operation of the device, a device wireless module for transmitting a device operation start signal from the device detecting means to the gas meter in a predetermined communication frequency band, and a driving battery are housed in a case and attached. The control circuit is configured so that it can be freely installed in any place, and the control circuit stores the cumulative value of the operation time for each instrument based on the instrument information transmitted from the instrument information transmitter and the flow rate information. Operating time accumulating means, abnormal ignition monitoring means for monitoring an abnormal ignition pattern at the start of operation of the gas appliance within a predetermined time, and ignition repetition allowable for each appliance An allowable ignition frequency storage means that stores a preset number, and corrects the stored value of the allowable ignition frequency storage means according to the accumulated time stored in the appliance-specific operation time accumulation means, and the abnormal ignition When the number of abnormal ignitions monitored by the monitoring means reaches the corrected stored value of the allowable ignition number storage means, the gas shut-off valve is operated to stop the gas supply, and the abnormal ignition is performed using the meter radio module. The information is transmitted at least to the base station.

  A wireless module capable of communicating with the base station using wireless communication means other than a telephone line and a wireless module capable of receiving instrument information from a plurality of gas appliances are integrated with a control circuit board in the gas meter. Because it is built in, it is possible to communicate with the base station without using a telephone line simply by installing a gas meter, and various commands from the base station can be smoothly transmitted without being affected by the congestion status of the line. It is possible to acquire equipment information including usage information from a plurality of gas appliances connected to piping after passing through a gas meter, and it is impossible to communicate with the center due to congestion of telephone lines as in the past. In addition to being able to solve the problem, it is possible to reliably acquire information on the type and usage pattern of the gas appliance used in the home in real time.

  In addition, because it is possible to simultaneously obtain the usage information for each gas appliance information obtained, the flow rate value obtained by the flow rate measurement means can be monitored in correspondence with the gas appliance information, and the gas company uses the obtained information. Thus, various services can be provided in the fields of security, charges, and the like.

  Furthermore, it is possible to monitor the cumulative value of the operating time that actually accompanies combustion and the number of abnormal ignitions for each acquired gas appliance information, and correct the preset allowable ignition frequency for each gas appliance using the cumulative value of the operating time. In addition, by comparing with the corrected number of times of allowable ignition, it is possible to determine an abnormal ignition pattern at the start of an appropriate operation according to the different gas appliances used for different purposes and the appliance status changing over time, and Since the judgment result can be notified to the required other party such as a base station, abnormal combustion of the gas appliance due to air shortage etc. can be detected on the gas meter side and the gas supply can be shut off, and the trend of deterioration over time It is possible to detect the abnormal combustion early and to respond before it enters a dangerous state. By conducting the inspection by the gas company, the damage caused by the abnormality of the instrument can be suppressed and safety can be prevented. It is possible to improve the.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the meter radio module performs communication using a communication frequency band different from that of the radio module for communication with the base station and the radio module for communication with the gas appliance, and the radio module for communication with the gas appliance is An area communication radio module having a specific low power radio communication frequency band is used, and a radio module for communication with a base station is a wide area communication radio module having a wide communication frequency band.

Then, a wide area communication wireless module capable of communicating directly with a base station by carrier direct and an area communication wireless module capable of communicating within a predetermined range using a specific low power wireless communication frequency band are configured integrally with a control circuit board, Since information is transmitted on base stations and communication lines other than telephone lines, and information is transmitted on multiple gas appliances and specific low-power radio communication frequency bands, the types of gas appliances used at home, Information on usage patterns can be acquired in real time and with certainty, and gas flow management based on this acquired information can be performed accurately, and the management results for each device can be switched by simply switching the meter radio module. It can be transmitted directly to the base station, and a rational communication means can be constructed.

  In the third aspect of the invention, the area communication wireless module enables communication with a specific terminal device in addition to communication with a gas appliance, and transmits the abnormal ignition information to the specific terminal device when the abnormal ignition information is transmitted. It is characterized by.

  Then, by making it possible to communicate with a specific terminal device such as a television or a mobile phone by using an area communication wireless module built in the gas meter, it becomes possible to transmit abnormal ignition information on the gas appliance side. It is possible to display on the screen of the gas appliance that abnormal combustion has occurred due to air shortage, etc., and that the gas shut-off valve has been activated because the return operation has been performed more than the allowable number of times, and urge customers to be alerted Can do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the appliance detection means detects discharge noise for ignition of the gas appliance, and an operation for converting a signal from the discharge noise detection means into an appliance operation start signal and outputting it to the appliance radio module A start signal conversion means is provided.

  And as the appliance information of the gas appliance, without receiving a signal from the gas appliance control device, the discharge noise generated with the discharge operation of the igniter that operates when the gas appliance starts operation is detected. Since it is converted into an operation start signal that informs that the ignition operation has started and is output to the instrument radio module, the instrument detection means can be configured independently of the gas instrument control device. On the other hand, it can be mounted without any change, and the start of use of the instrument can be detected simply by setting it in a place where discharge noise can be detected.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the appliance wireless module is configured to set or change an operation start signal determining means for determining whether or not an operation start signal from the instrument detecting means is normal and a unique identification code for specifying the instrument. When the determination result of the code change means and the operation start signal determination means is normal, it is provided with instrument information transmission means for transmitting the instrument information to which the identification code is added together with the operation start signal to the gas meter.

  A unique identification code is assigned to each type of gas appliance used in the home, and an operation start signal is transmitted together with this identification code, so that it is possible to reliably notify which appliance has started to be used. Because it has an identification code changing means that can arbitrarily change or set the identification code, even if the equipment is changed by replacement, etc., it can be handled by changing the identification code. It can also be turned and can provide extremely effective device information transmitting means.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the abnormal ignition monitoring means includes an appliance determination means for determining which gas appliance is used when the appliance information is transmitted from the appliance information transmitter, and an increased flow rate based on the flow rate information at that time. A flow rate change detecting means for detecting a decrease side flow rate change from a change, an operating time measuring means for measuring the time between them, and an operation time accumulating means for each appliance for accumulating and storing the time as normal ignition when the operating time is a predetermined value or more And an appliance-specific abnormal ignition frequency storage means for counting and storing as abnormal ignition when the operation time is within a predetermined value.

Then, the flow rate information corresponding to the appliance information transmitted from the appliance information transmitter, that is, the time from the increase in the flow rate at the start of the operation of the appliance to the decrease in the flow rate at the stop of the appliance is measured. By monitoring whether the operation time associated with the abnormal combustion or the operation time associated with abnormal combustion for each instrument, it is possible to accurately monitor the operation time during normal use of the instrument actually associated with combustion and the number of abnormal ignitions due to abnormal combustion.

  According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the allowable ignition frequency memory means stores an allowable ignition frequency storage table for each appliance that stores the allowable ignition frequency that varies depending on the type of gas appliance, a determined abnormal ignition frequency for each appliance within a predetermined time, and the storage table. A comparison means for comparing the stored value, and correcting the allowable ignition frequency stored value stored in the appliance-specific allowable ignition frequency storage table according to the accumulated time of the appliance-specific operation time accumulating means; When the stored value after correction is exceeded, a signal is output to the wide area communication wireless module and / or the area communication wireless module.

  Then, the allowable number of repeated return operations at the time of abnormal ignition for each type of gas appliance is stored as a per-appliance allowable ignition count storage table, and the stored value is corrected according to the operation accumulated time of the appliance, and the corrected stored value By comparing the actual number of abnormal ignitions with the actual number of abnormal ignitions, it is possible to monitor the number of abnormal ignitions associated with abnormal combustion for each instrument, and the wide-area communication wireless module and the area communication wireless module built into the gas meter The gas appliance causes abnormal combustion due to air shortage or the like at a required place using the, and since the return operation has been performed more than the allowable number of times, information on the operation of the gas shut-off valve can be transmitted.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a communication mode between a gas meter, a base station, and a customer's house in Embodiment 1 of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a communication mode with various gas appliances in the home in the gas appliance monitoring device; FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the appliance wireless module in the gas appliance monitoring device, FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the appliance detection means in the gas appliance monitoring device, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an appliance wireless module in the gas appliance monitoring device attached to a water heater. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the appearance and components of the gas appliance monitoring device, FIG. 7 is an internal configuration diagram of the gas appliance monitoring device, and FIG. 8 is a configuration block diagram of a control circuit board of the gas appliance monitoring device. is there.

  In FIG. 1, a plurality of gas appliances connected to piping after passing through the gas meter 2 and a communication function possessed by the gas meter 2 will be described first.

  A gas meter 2 is installed at the entrance of the gas supply pipe 1 of each household, and the gas is branched from the gas pipe 3 after passing through the gas meter 2 to a place where various gas appliances used at home are installed. Supplied. For example, a gas water heater 4 is installed outdoors, and hot water generated by the gas water heater 4 is installed in a kitchen hot water tap 5, a bath 6 in which a bathtub and a shower device are installed, a living room and the like through a water pipe. The floor heating 7 is supplied to form various usage forms.

  In addition, when indoors, gas is supplied to a gas table 8 installed in a kitchen, a gas fan heater 9 installed in a living room, a bedroom, or the like, and is used as needed.

  When the installed gas appliance is used and gas consumption occurs, the amount of use is measured by the gas meter 2, and the data is accumulated and stored every predetermined period. The data stored in the gas meter 2 is subjected to predetermined information processing based on a periodic data request command from the gas company 15, and then the gas fee, gas usage, discount service provided by the gas company 15, etc. Is transmitted to the consumer 13 and the gas business operator 15 as the information.

As the transmission means, as shown in FIG. 6, a wireless module 11 integrated with a control circuit board 10 constituting a control device built in the gas meter 2 is used, and this wireless module 11 is connected by a connector 10d. A gas meter that is detachably mounted on the control circuit board 10 and that does not have the wireless module 11 and does not have a communication function and a gas meter that has the communication function that has the wireless module 11 can be arbitrarily selected. Therefore, it can be used regardless of the presence or absence of the communication function.

  In addition, since the wireless module 11 is detachable, even if it has a communication function, it is not necessary to acquire the standard as a communication device in the gas meter body if the wireless module that has acquired the communication standard is installed. In the case of changing the gas meter, etc., it can be changed relatively freely without being restricted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the wireless module 11 is different from the telephone line for communicating with the base station 14, for example, a wide area communication wireless module 11a having a communication frequency band of 200 MHz, a television 12a in the customer's house 13, An area communication wireless module having a specific low power wireless communication frequency band of, for example, 429 MHz, for communicating with a specific terminal device 12 such as a personal computer or a mobile phone 12b, an adjacent gas meter, and a plurality of gas appliances installed in the home 11b, data from the control circuit 10a for calculating the amount of gas used or detecting an abnormality such as an earthquake or gas leak based on the flow rate signal or sensor signal, and further transmitted from the gas operator 15 via the base station 14 Information, further information transmitted from adjacent gas meters, and multiple gas devices In response to the received data, for example, the gas shutoff valve is activated due to an abnormality such as gas charge, gas usage or earthquake, gas leakage, etc., and the pulsation phenomenon is generated from the adjacent gas meter. In the case of contents to be notified to the consumer, such as change of the measurement mode corresponding to the information to be notified, gas supply management for each appliance, etc., the television 12a or the mobile phone 12b in the consumer's house 13 using the area communication wireless module 11b When data is transmitted to the specific terminal device 12 and instrument information is transmitted from the gas instrument, the information is received and input to the control circuit 10a.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the gas meter 2 is installed in a specific terminal device 12 by incorporating a radio module 11 c having the same communication frequency band as the area communication radio module 11 b built in the gas meter 2. Data can be received, and this data can be displayed on the screen of the television 12a or the mobile phone 12b, so that information can be transmitted directly to the consumer from the gas meter. It is necessary to adopt an information transmission method in which data is transmitted from the gas meter 2 to the gas company 15, and information processed by the gas company 15, such as postcards such as a charge notice, is sent to the customer by mail or the like. Therefore, the number of man-hours required for the notification work can be reduced, and postage costs such as postcards for notifications can be eliminated. It is intended to contribute to a reduction in gas rates to achieve the reduction.

  When various information is transmitted from the gas meter 2 to the specific terminal device 12, a notification completion signal is sent from the area communication wireless module 11b to the wide area communication wireless module 11a, and the wide area communication wireless module 11a sends the notification completion signal to the base station. 14 to notify the gas company 15 that the information transmission to the consumer has been completed. In this case, it is preferable that a response signal from a specific terminal device 12 is received and a notification completion signal is transmitted, information can be more reliably transmitted to a consumer, and a rational information transmission system can be provided. Can be built.

Next, the flow rate measurement processing means for measuring the gas flow rate built in the control circuit 10a, performing a predetermined process and outputting it as flow rate information will be briefly described. As shown in FIGS. A gas valve 2c having a gas inlet 2a and a gas outlet 2b is provided with a shutoff valve 2c for shutting off the gas in the event of an abnormality and a pair of ultrasonic sensors 17 for measuring the gas flow rate. A pressure sensor 2d for detection is arranged. A control circuit board 10 equipped with a control circuit 10a for calculating a gas flow rate based on a signal from the ultrasonic sensor 17 is disposed so as to face the liquid crystal display 10e on the display unit 2e of the gas meter 2, and further, the control circuit 10a. A battery 2f for driving is stored. Further, a return button 2g is arranged as means for manually performing a return operation after the shutoff valve 2c is activated.

  Then, the flow rate measurement unit 17 and the control circuit 10a that measure the gas flow rate, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, arrange a pair of ultrasonic sensors in the gas flow path, and change the propagation time that changes according to the flow rate that flows through the flow path. Some measure the flow rate by measuring. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described. A measurement control unit having a switching means that constitutes a control circuit 10a, in which a first transmitter / receiver 17A for transmitting or receiving ultrasonic waves and a second transmitter / receiver 17B for receiving or transmitting ultrasonic waves are arranged in the flow direction. Switching between transmission and reception is possible by 18 and the flow state of fluid such as gas is detected. The flow rate is measured by processing the signals of the first transmitter / receiver 17A and the second transmitter / receiver 17B. Specifically, the first transmitter / receiver 17A is first driven by the measurement control unit 18 and the second transmitter / receiver 17B is then driven. The ultrasonic wave is transmitted toward the upstream, that is, from the upstream to the downstream. Then, the signal received by the second transmitter / receiver 17B is amplified by the amplifying means provided in the measurement control unit 18, the amplified signal is compared with the reference signal, and after the signal equal to or higher than the reference signal is detected, the measurement control unit The above-described transmission / reception is repeated a predetermined number of times by the repeating means provided at 18, and each time value is measured by a time measuring means such as a timer counter provided at the measurement control unit 18.

  Next, transmission / reception of the first transmitter / receiver 17A and the second transmitter / receiver 17B is switched by the measurement control unit 18 having switching means, and the ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the second transmitter / receiver 17B to the first transmitter / receiver 17A, that is, from downstream to upstream. A signal is transmitted, this transmission is repeated as described above, and each time value is measured. Then, the flow rate value is obtained by the signal processing unit 19 in consideration of the size of the flow path 16 and the flow state of the fluid from the ultrasonic propagation time difference between the first transceiver 17A and the second transceiver 17B. The obtained flow rate data is accumulated in the information storage means 10b and stored as accumulated data for each predetermined period.

  Further, the flow path 16 in which the flow rate measuring unit 17 is disposed is provided with a shutoff valve 2c that shuts off the gas flow in the event of an abnormality or the like. When the flow rate value is detected beyond a certain usage time, it is determined that there is an abnormality, and the shutoff valve 2c is operated to shut off the gas flow path 16.

  Further, when an earthquake or shock signal is input from the seismic sensing device 21 or an abnormal gas pressure signal is input from the pressure sensor 2d, the shutoff valve 2c is operated via the control circuit 10a to shut off the gas flow path 16, and Report to the center.

Next, an example of information transmission using the wireless module 11 built in the gas meter 2 will be described. First, a meter reading instruction from the gas operator 15 is transmitted in the wide communication frequency band (200 MHz) via the base station 14. The wide-area communication wireless module 11a built in the gas meter 2 receives and the meter reading instruction information is sent to the control circuit 10a mounted on the same substrate. In the control circuit 10a, the flow rate data measured by the flow rate measuring means is accumulated every predetermined period, and the accumulated data or information converted into charge data is stored in the information storage means 10b. When the meter reading instruction information is input, the control circuit 10a sends the flow rate accumulated data in the information storage means 10b or the information converted into the charge data to the area communication wireless module 11b and the wide area communication wireless module 11a via the communication switching means 10c. The wide area communication wireless module 11a transmits to the base station 14 in the wide area communication frequency band (200 MHz), and the meter reading information is transmitted from the base station 14 to the gas company 15 using a dedicated line. Further, the area communication wireless module 11b transmits to the wireless module 11c integrally attached to the specific terminal device 12 such as the television 12a in the specific low power wireless communication frequency band (429 MHz), and, for example, FIG. ) Display charge information and usage as shown in Then, when transmission to the specific terminal device 12 is completed, as described above, a notification completion signal is transmitted to the gas company 15 to notify that information transmission to the consumer is completed.

  Further, when the shutoff valve 2c is operated due to an earthquake or impact, the cause is investigated, and when the return instruction from the gas operator 15 is transmitted in the wide communication frequency band (200 MHz) via the base station 14, the gas meter 2 Is received by the wide-area communication wireless module 11a, and the return instruction information is sent to the control circuit 10a mounted on the same board. When the return instruction information is input, the control circuit 10a sends information related to the return work stored in the information storage means 10b to the area communication wireless module 11b via the communication switching means 10c, and the area communication wireless module 11b In the power wireless communication frequency band (429 MHz), the data is transmitted to the wireless module 11c integrally attached to the display terminal device 12 such as the television 12a, and the procedure of the return operation as shown in FIG. 10B is displayed on the screen, for example. To do. Then, when the transmission to the display terminal device 12 is completed, as described above, a notification completion signal is transmitted to the gas company 15 to notify the completion of information transmission to the consumer.

  As described above, the control circuit 10a has the communication switching means 10c to select the radio module having a different communication frequency band corresponding to the other party to communicate according to the information to be transmitted. 15, it is necessary to transmit the information stored in the information storage means 10b to the gas operator 15 and the specific terminal device 12 based on the information received by the wide area communication wireless module 11a. When the wide area communication wireless module 11a having the communication frequency band and the area communication wireless module 11b having the specific low power wireless communication frequency band of 429 MHz, for example, are selected and the return instruction from the gas company 15 is given, the display terminal device 12 It is only necessary to transmit the storage information of the information storage means 10b. In this case, for example, a specific low power wireless communication of 429 MHz It may be selected area communication wireless module 11b having a waveband.

  Note that the wide area communication radio module 11a and the area communication radio module 11b may be provided separately, or may be configured as a common radio module, and the communication frequency band may be switched between the wide area communication frequency band and the specific low power radio communication frequency band. However, in the former case, the communication switching means 10c needs to select the wide area communication wireless module 11a and the area communication wireless module 11b, and there is a merit that simultaneous communication is possible, but there are demerits such as a large installation space and high cost. is doing. In the latter case, the communication switching means 10c needs to switch the communication frequency band according to the communication partner, and has the demerit that the simultaneous communication cannot be performed and the alternate communication is possible while having the advantages of small installation space and low cost. ing.

  Next, in the gas meter having the communication function as described above, a plurality of types of gas appliances installed in the home, operation start information indicating whether or not the gas appliances are used, and usage forms of the gas appliances, for example, hot water supply Information on whether floor heating is being used using an appliance, so-called appliance discrimination information acquisition means will be described.

  Conventional means for acquiring instrument discrimination information uses flow rate information or acoustic information as disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, and has low reliability and requires a complicated device. . The present embodiment solves this conventional problem and provides an instrument discriminating means that has a simple configuration and high reliability. Equipment information can be acquired by simply attaching it, making it easy to use.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the appliance radio module 11d having the same communication frequency band as the area communication radio module 11b built in the gas meter 2 and the ignition operation always executed at the start of the operation of the gas appliance are ignited. An appliance detection means 22 that detects the occurrence of discharge noise accompanying the high-voltage discharge operation of the vessel, converts it into an appliance operation start signal and outputs it to the appliance radio module 11d, and a driving battery power source 23. The appliance radio module 11d and the appliance The detection means 22 is configured integrally with the instrument wireless module substrate 24 and housed in a case 25 to constitute the instrument information transmitter 26.

  Then, the appliance information transmitter 26 is housed inside the gas appliance or attached to a suitable location on the exterior. At this time, it is necessary to set at a position where discharge noise of the igniter can be detected. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in the case of the water heater 4, the discharge noise of the igniter 4 a can be detected simply by attaching the appliance information transmitter 26 to the side surface inside the appliance. The start of operation of the water heater 4 can be detected without connecting to the apparatus and receiving a signal. That is, it is possible to detect the start of the operation of the appliance simply by placing the appliance information transmitter 26 in a place that is affected by the discharge noise of the igniter 4a. Therefore, since it can be set in any place and can be detachably stored, it can be removed for gas appliances that do not require transmission of instrument information, and can be easily set in the case of replacement, etc. It is something that can be done.

  In addition, since the ignition method of the gas appliance is almost a high-pressure discharge type regardless of the type of the appliance, the appliance detection means 22 for detecting this discharge noise ignites the gas fan heater 9 and the gas cooker 8 other than the water heater 4. That is, the start of operation of most gas appliances can be detected.

  Further, in detail with reference to the control block diagram of FIG. 4, when the water heater 4 starts an ignition operation, the igniter 4a is activated and discharge is started between the electrodes connected to the high-voltage output side, and supplied. The gas is ignited and combustion begins. At this time, discharge noise is radiated to the surroundings along with the discharge phenomenon between the electrodes. This discharge noise is detected by the discharge noise detection means 22a, and when detected, it is converted into a predetermined operation start signal by the operation start signal conversion means 22b, and is input to the operation start signal determination means 11e of the appliance wireless module 11d to be normal. It is determined whether it is an operation start signal. If this determination result is normal, a signal is sent to the appliance information transmitting means 11f, and a unique identification code of the water heater 4 set by the identification code changing means 27 is given to the area communication radio module 11b of the gas meter 2 as appliance information. Send. By this series of operations, it is possible to detect the start of operation of the instrument without receiving a signal from the control device of the gas instrument, and to transmit the signal to the gas meter 2.

  In the present embodiment, the hot water heater 4 has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the same detection is possible in other gas appliances.

  In addition to the security function such as gas leakage using the instrument information acquired in this way and the instantaneous flow rate measurement function using the ultrasonic sensor, various services can be provided using the instrument discrimination function. As an example, a case will be described in which a gas rate discount rate is set according to the appliance used and the application.

  Based on the appliance information transmitted from the appliance information transmission means 11f of the appliance information transmitter 26, the gas appliance or usage to be used is specified, the usage amount is obtained for each appliance or usage, and the gas is applied by applying a predetermined discount rate. By calculating the charge, gas usage is promoted and services are provided to consumers.

  As an example of the specific means, an appliance signal registration means 29 for setting and registering an appliance signal for specifying the type of gas appliance to be used, and an application-specific signal registration means 30 for specifying a usage form for each usage of the gas appliance to be used; There is provided appliance discriminating means 32 having appliance classification means 31 for classifying gas appliances used in the home for each predetermined classification based on the registration information of appliance signal registration means 29 and application-specific signal registration means 30.

  Here, the appliance signal registration means 29 sets and registers a signal according to the type of appliance, for example, as shown in the following table (Table 1).

  In addition, the application-specific signal registration unit 30 sets and registers a signal for specifying a use form for each application of the appliance as shown in the following table (Table 2), for example.

  In addition, the appliance classification means 31 is information obtained by the above (Table 1) and (Table 2), in which the gas business operator presets and classifies the discount target field of the gas fee based on the type and usage pattern of the gas appliance. For example, as shown in the following table (Table 3), if floor heating is performed using a water heater, discount A is used, and hot air is supplied by a gas fan heater or the like. When heating is performed, the discount is set to B, and the others are classified as standard, and the gas appliances used in the home are set and registered.

  Information storage for monitoring the amount of gas used according to the usage status of the gas appliance based on the registration signal from the appliance discriminating means 32 comprising the appliance signal registration means 29, the application-specific signal registration means 30, and the appliance classification means 31. Means 10b are provided. This information storage means 10b receives the gas flow rate value obtained by the signal processing means 19 of the flow rate measurement unit 17, is managed together with the registration information of the gas appliances corresponding to the field classified by the appliance classification means 31, and When the wireless module 11 receives the meter reading instruction information periodically requested from 15, specifically, the wide area communication wireless module 11 a, the accumulated flow data for each predetermined period of the information storage means 10 b, the charge data reflecting the discount rate, etc. Information is taken out and transmitted to the base station 14 and the display terminal device 12 from the wireless module 11, more specifically, the wide area communication wireless module 11a and the area communication wireless module 11b, and notified to the gas company 15 from the base station 14 using a dedicated line. At the same time, the gas price information for a predetermined period is notified to the consumer using the screen of the display terminal device 12.

The appliance discrimination performed by the information storage means 10b will be described. When the area communication wireless module 11b built in the gas meter 2 receives appliance information transmitted from the gas appliance to be used, for example, the water heater 4, the information is used. It outputs to the discrimination means 28. The usage pattern determination means 28 has a usage pattern determination pattern for specifying the usage pattern according to the generation pattern of the operation start signal for each appliance, and the usage pattern is specified by comparing with the input pattern of the input operation start signal. ing. For example, when appliance information is input from the water heater 4, a pattern in which it is determined by the identification code that the water heater 4 has started operation and an operation start signal is input at a predetermined interval after a predetermined time has elapsed. In the case of the case, it is determined that floor heating is used, and in the case of a pattern in which the operation start signal is frequently input within a predetermined time after the operation start signal is input, it is determined that the hot water supply is used. Thus, the usage pattern is determined based on the input pattern of the appliance information transmitted from the appliance.

  In addition, in the determination of the usage pattern, if the determination is made in consideration of the flow rate data at that time in addition to the input pattern of the appliance information, the usage pattern can be determined with higher accuracy, and the usage pattern discrimination means By updating the 28 usage pattern determination patterns while learning, an appropriate determination pattern corresponding to each home can be formed, and the usage pattern can be determined with higher accuracy.

  In the present embodiment, the information storage means 10b manages the information on whether or not there is a gas appliance use registration for each classified item and the total gas use amount for each predetermined period, for example, During the heating period in winter, as shown in Table 3, the amount of gas used is managed with the equipment used for floor heating and hot air heating registered, and in summer the gas is used without any equipment used for discounting. The amount is managed, but besides this, for example, by adding a function for obtaining the amount of gas used for each gas appliance classified by the appliance discriminating means 32 to the information storage means 10b, a finer classification It is possible to provide a variety of services and enhance security.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the discount item is targeted as a classification item of the appliance discriminating means 24. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is intended for a service that a gas company or the like considers necessary, such as a security service. A monitoring method for each device can be adopted.

  Next, another embodiment using the appliance information transmitted from the gas appliance will be described. Using the appliance information, the cumulative value of the operation time for each appliance and the number of abnormal ignitions for each appliance are monitored and determined in advance. When the allowable ignition frequency is corrected by the cumulative value of the operation time for each appliance, and the corrected allowable ignition frequency is exceeded, the gas cutoff valve 2c is operated to cut off the gas supply, and abnormal ignition information is sent to the base station 14 or a specific Notify the terminal device 12 and alert the consumer by notifying the gas appliance that abnormal combustion has occurred due to lack of air, etc., and that the gas shutoff valve has been activated because the return operation has been performed more than the allowable number of times. And informs the gas company 14 that a situation requiring inspection has occurred.

  As specific means, when the area communication wireless module 11b receives the appliance information transmitted from the appliance information transmitting means 11f of the appliance information transmitter 26, the operation of the abnormal ignition monitoring means 10f of the control circuit 10a transmitted from which gas appliance. Whether the signal is a start signal is determined by the appliance determination means 33, and the change in flow rate is detected from the moment when the flow rate changes to the increasing side to the time when the flow rate changes to the decreasing side from the instantaneous flow rate value measured by the flow rate measuring means 17 at that time. Detected by the means 34, the time between them is measured by the operating time measuring means 35, and the result is sent to the appliance usage status detecting means 41. The appliance usage status detection means 41 is set for each reference time set in advance, for example, for each appliance, whether the operation time sent from the operation time measurement means 35 is for normal use or forcibly stopped due to abnormal combustion. When the operation time equal to or greater than the reference time is measured, it is determined that the device has been used normally. The operation time is sent to the device-specific operation time accumulating means 42 and stored as the accumulated time.

When the operation time sent from the operation time measuring means 35 is within the reference time, it is determined that the operation has stopped due to abnormal combustion, and the number of abnormal ignitions is counted and sent to the device-specific abnormal ignition number storage means 36 for storage.

  At the same time, when the appliance determination means 33 determines the gas appliance to be used, the timer means 40 is operated to measure a predetermined time. The count value stored in the appliance-specific abnormal ignition count storage means 36 at the time when the timer means 40 finishes counting the predetermined time is determined as the abnormal ignition count and is sent to the appliance-specific abnormal ignition count determination means 37.

  At this time, the allowable ignition frequency for each appliance stored in advance in the appliance-specific allowable ignition frequency storage table 39 of the appliance-specific allowable ignition frequency storage means 10g is corrected according to the accumulated time stored in the appliance-specific operation time accumulating means 42. To do. This correction process enables early detection of abnormal combustion that tends to deteriorate due to aging, and copes with it before falling into a dangerous state. In other words, as the cumulative usage time of the instrument becomes longer, the allowable number of ignitions is corrected to be reduced, and the repeated return operation is limited so that abnormal combustion is quickly detected. For example, the initial value of the allowable number of ignitions is set to allow repeated return operations of about 4 times, and when the accumulated usage time exceeds 1500 hours, the allowable number of ignition times is 3 times, and when it exceeds 2500 hours, the cumulative value is accumulated. Correct according to the usage time.

  The corrected allowable ignition frequency is compared with the comparison means 38, and when the abnormal ignition frequency exceeds the allowable ignition frequency, an operation signal is sent to the gas cutoff valve 2c to execute the cutoff operation, and the wide area communication wireless module 11a and A signal is transmitted to the area communication wireless module 11b to transmit abnormal ignition information to the base station 14 and the specific terminal device 12.

  The correction process based on the accumulated usage time is performed by changing the conditions for each gas appliance and for each application, so that it is possible to detect an abnormality with high accuracy in accordance with actual use.

  As a result, it is possible to monitor the cumulative value of the operation time that actually involves combustion and the number of abnormal ignitions for each acquired gas appliance information, and set the allowable number of times of ignition for each gas appliance that is preset using the cumulative value of the operation time. By correcting and comparing with the allowable number of ignition after this correction, it is possible to determine the abnormal ignition pattern at the start of proper operation according to the different gas appliances for different applications and the appliance status changing over time, And the judgment result can be notified to the necessary other party such as a base station, so that abnormal combustion of gas appliances due to air shortage etc. can be detected on the gas meter side and the gas supply can be cut off, and it deteriorates over time Early detection is possible for abnormal combustion that tends to occur, it is possible to respond before falling into a dangerous state, and by carrying out the inspection by the gas company reliably, the expansion damage due to equipment abnormality is suppressed, It is possible to improve the total resistance.

  According to the gas appliance monitoring device of the present invention, the operation start of the gas appliance can be detected without receiving a signal from the gas appliance control device, and the abnormality of the appliance can be determined using the information. Various services using can be made possible and can be applied to combustion apparatuses other than gas.

The block diagram which shows the communication form of the gas appliance monitoring apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention The figure which shows the communication form with the various gas appliances in the gas appliance monitoring apparatus Configuration diagram of appliance radio module in the gas appliance monitoring device Control block diagram of appliance detection means in the gas appliance monitoring device The figure which attached the appliance wireless module in the gas appliance monitoring device to the water heater The figure which shows the external appearance and component of the gas appliance monitoring device Internal configuration diagram of the gas appliance monitoring device Configuration block diagram of the control circuit board of the gas appliance monitoring device The figure which shows the communication form of the same gas appliance monitoring apparatus and a specific terminal device (A) The figure which shows the charge information display form in the same specific terminal device (b) The figure which shows the return information display form in the same specific terminal device Control block diagram of the gas appliance monitoring device Configuration block diagram of control circuit of gas appliance monitoring device

Explanation of symbols

2 Gas meter 2c Gas shut-off valve 10 Control circuit board 10a Control circuit 10b Information storage means 10c Communication switching means 10f Abnormal ignition frequency monitoring means 10g Allowable ignition frequency storage means 11 Wireless module 11a Wide area communication wireless module 11b Area communication wireless module 11d Instrument wireless module 12 specific terminal device 12a television 12b mobile phone 14 base station 17 flow rate measuring means (flow rate measuring processing means)
22 appliance detection means 26 appliance information transmitter 27 identification code change means 28 usage pattern discrimination means 33 appliance determination means 34 flow rate change detection means 35 operating time measurement means 36 appliance abnormal ignition count storage means 37 appliance abnormal ignition count determination means 38 Comparison means 39 Permissible ignition frequency storage table for each appliance 40 Timer means 41 Usage status detection means for each appliance 42 Operating time accumulation means for each appliance

Claims (7)

Gas appliance monitoring equipped with a wireless module that can monitor the usage status of multiple gas appliances connected to piping after passing through a gas meter, and can directly transmit and receive data using multiple communication lines other than telephone lines. A device,
The gas meter includes a flow rate measuring unit that measures a gas flow rate, a gas shut-off valve that shuts off the gas flow path in the event of an abnormality, a control circuit that performs predetermined processing based on the measurement result of the flow rate measuring unit and outputs the flow rate information. A meter wireless module that transmits / receives information to / from a plurality of counterparts, a communication switching unit that switches a communication frequency band according to the counterparts, and a battery power source for driving,
The meter radio module is configured integrally with the control circuit and housed in the gas meter, and has at least a communication frequency band with a base station and a communication frequency band with a plurality of gas appliances,
The plurality of gas appliances includes an appliance information transmitter that detects the start of operation of the appliance and transmits it to the gas meter as appliance information,
The instrument information transmitter detects instrument operation start without receiving a signal from the gas instrument control device, and transmits an instrument operation start signal from the instrument detection unit to the gas meter in a predetermined communication frequency band. The device radio module and the drive battery are housed in a case and are detachable and can be installed anywhere.
The control circuit includes a device-specific operation time accumulating unit for storing a cumulative value of the operation time for each device based on the device information transmitted from the device information transmitter and the flow rate information, and a predetermined time period. An abnormal ignition monitoring means for monitoring an abnormal ignition pattern at the start of operation of the gas appliance, and an allowable ignition number storage means for presetting and storing an allowable number of ignition repetitions for each appliance,
Correcting the stored value of the allowable ignition number storage means according to the accumulated time stored in the appliance-specific operation time accumulation means,
When the number of abnormal ignitions monitored by the abnormal ignition monitoring unit reaches the corrected stored value of the allowable ignition number storage unit, the gas shut-off valve is operated to stop the gas supply, and a meter wireless module is used. A gas appliance monitoring device that transmits abnormal ignition information to at least the base station. The meter radio module communicates using a communication frequency band different from the radio module for communication with the base station and the radio module for communication with the gas appliance,
The wireless module for communication with a gas appliance is an area communication wireless module having a specific low power wireless communication frequency band, and the wireless module for communication with a base station is a wide area communication wireless module having a wide communication frequency band. Gas appliance monitoring device. The area communication wireless module enables communication with a specific terminal device in addition to communication with a gas appliance, and transmits abnormal ignition information to a specific terminal device when the abnormal ignition information is transmitted. Gas appliance monitoring device. The appliance detection means includes discharge noise detection means for detecting discharge noise for ignition of a gas appliance, and operation start signal conversion means for converting a signal from the discharge noise detection means into an appliance operation start signal and outputting it to the appliance radio module. The gas appliance monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The instrument radio module includes an operation start signal determining means for determining whether or not the operation start signal from the instrument detecting means is normal, an identification code changing means for setting or changing a unique identification code for identifying the instrument, and an operation The gas appliance monitoring according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising appliance information transmitting means for transmitting instrument information to which an identification code is added together with an operation start signal to a gas meter when the determination result of the start signal determining means is normal. apparatus. The abnormal ignition monitoring means is an appliance determination means for determining which gas appliance is used when the appliance information is transmitted from the appliance information transmitter, and a change in the decrease side flow rate from the increase side flow rate change based on the flow rate information at that time. A flow rate change detecting means for detecting the operation time, an operation time measuring means for measuring the time between them, an operation time accumulating means for each appliance for accumulating and storing the time as normal ignition when the operation time is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and an operation time being predetermined The gas appliance monitoring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising an appliance-specific abnormal ignition frequency storage means for counting and storing as abnormal ignition when the value is within the value. The allowable ignition frequency memory means stores a per-apparatus permissible ignition count storage table that stores a permissible ignition count that varies depending on the type of gas appliance, and a comparison that compares a fixed value per-appliances abnormal ignition count within a predetermined time with a stored value of the storage table. And correcting the allowable ignition frequency stored value stored in the appliance-specific allowable ignition frequency storage table according to the accumulated time of the appliance-specific operation time accumulating unit, and the abnormal ignition frequency fixed value is the corrected stored value. The gas appliance monitoring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a signal is output to the wide-area communication wireless module and / or the area communication wireless module when exceeding.