JP4544218B2 - Gas shut-off device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas cutoff device that ensures safety when the power capacity of a battery power supply unit is consumed, for example, in a cutoff device that monitors the usage state of a gas appliance that uses city gas, LP gas, or the like.

  For example, this type of conventional shut-off device is configured as shown in FIG. 3 in a gas shut-off device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). FIG. 3 shows a control block diagram of a conventional gas shut-off device.

  In the gas shut-off device 1 shown in FIG. 3, reference numeral 2 denotes a battery power source, which supplies power to the entire gas shut-off device. Reference numeral 3 denotes a shut-off valve, which stops or supplies gas in the flow path. Reference numeral 4 denotes a voltage drop detection unit, which detects a battery voltage taking into account a predetermined time that goes back from the operation guarantee voltage in which the capacity of the battery power supply unit 2 capable of operating the gas shut-off device 1 remains. Signal A is output. 5 is an opening acceptance unit that accepts opening of the shut-off valve from the time when the voltage drop signal A is input, and opens when there is an opening request (opening request switch or input of an opening signal by communication). A stopper request signal C is output. A timer unit 6 counts a predetermined operation guarantee time from when the voltage drop signal A is input, and outputs a plug opening completion signal D. Reference numeral 7 denotes an opening function stop unit which outputs a closing stop signal E for stopping the opening according to the opening request signal C when the opening end signal D is input. Reference numeral 8 denotes a gas shut-off control unit which, when the battery voltage drop signal A or the plug stop signal E is input, closes the shut-off valve 3 and when the plug request signal C is input before the input signal of the plug stop signal E. The shut-off valve 3 is opened.

  Next, the operation of the configuration of the conventional example will be described. When the voltage drop detection unit 4 checking the consumption level of the battery power supply unit 2 detects the battery consumption voltage, the battery voltage drop signal A is output to the unplugging reception unit 5, the timer unit 6 and the gas cutoff control unit 8. . The gas cutoff control unit 8 to which the voltage drop signal A has been input outputs the first cutoff command signal B1 to operate the cutoff valve 3 and close the gas passage. When the voltage drop signal A is input, the timer unit 6 starts counting, and until the timer unit 6 finishes counting for a predetermined time, there is an opening request to the opening acceptance unit 5, and the opening request signal C Is output, the gas cutoff control unit 8 opens the cutoff valve 3. When the timer section 6 finishes counting, the plug opening end signal D is output, so the plug opening function stop section 7 outputs the plug opening stop signal E and stops accepting the plug opening request. The gas cutoff device 1 to which the closing stop signal E is inputted outputs the second cutoff command signal B2 to close the cutoff valve 3.

In the gas shut-off device 1 attached to the flow path through which medium gas such as city gas and LP gas flows, the voltage drop detection unit 4 measures the voltage of the battery power supply unit 2 at a predetermined time interval and monitors the degree of battery consumption. ing. A lower limit voltage at which the gas shut-off device 1 can be operated is set in advance as an operation guarantee voltage, and a voltage value when the voltage is reversed for a required number of days from here is set as a battery consumption voltage. The voltage drop detection unit 4 monitors the battery voltage and detects the battery voltage when the battery is consumed. That is, after the battery consumption voltage is detected for the required number of days, the shutoff valve 3 can be opened only during the period when the voltage of the battery power supply unit 2 drops to the operation guarantee voltage, and a grace period is provided until the gas shutoff device 1 is replaced. It is a thing.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-103546

However, the above conventional configuration has the following problems. Although the battery drop detection unit monitors the battery voltage every predetermined time interval and makes a voltage drop determination when the battery is consumed, it is not described in the conventional example, but generally the voltage drop detection unit is connected to the battery voltage unit. This device can be operated with the battery voltage when the transient change of the voltage of the battery power supply section is stabilized after supplying the battery power supply section with the current equivalent to the current required when the pseudo load operates and the shut-off valve operates. It was judged whether there was. Here, the reason for performing the voltage drop determination by operating the pseudo load will be described. The battery constituting the battery voltage unit has an internal resistance, and the equivalent circuit of the battery is represented by connecting the internal resistance and an ideal battery that retains the original voltage in series. The internal resistance value has a characteristic of gradually increasing with time. If the current is taken out from the battery power supply unit, the internal resistance results in a voltage loss as an IR drop by the product of the resistance value and the extracted current, and the voltage of the battery power supply unit is reduced accordingly. On the other hand, the operating current of the shut-off valve is remarkably larger than the operating currents of the other parts, so that it is most affected by the internal resistance. Therefore, the maximum IR drop is caused by flowing a battery voltage decrease determination current when determining the battery voltage decrease, and it is determined whether or not the present apparatus is operable with the voltage of the battery power source at that time.

  However, the internal resistance of the battery of the battery power supply section increases for a certain time after the transient change of the voltage of the battery power supply section is stabilized by operating the pseudo load, and then shows a characteristic that decreases after repeated increase / decrease There is. The amount of increase in the internal resistance and the time from the increase to the decrease vary depending on the electrolyte and the material of the electrode constituting the battery. For this reason, in the worst case, even if an attempt is made to operate the shut-off valve after a predetermined time from detection of a decrease in battery voltage, it may be impossible to operate due to an increase in the internal resistance of the battery.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gas shut-off device that ensures safety when the power capacity of a battery power supply unit is consumed.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the gas shutoff device of the present invention includes a battery monitoring time counting unit that outputs a signal to the next stage every predetermined time from the start of power supply of the battery power supply unit, and the shutoff valve. A pseudo load having an equivalent load; a waveform stabilization time counting unit that receives a signal from the battery monitoring time counting unit and outputs a signal to the next stage after a predetermined time has elapsed after a current flows through the pseudo load; and the waveform stabilization time counting when the voltage change that has been detected n times is zero or positive direction receives a part of the signal inputted to the output voltage of the battery power supply unit at predetermined time intervals by comparing the previous input value and the current input value The battery minimum voltage determination unit that outputs a signal to the next stage, and the signal of the battery minimum voltage determination unit is compared with a predetermined reference voltage, and when the voltage is lower than the reference voltage, it is determined that the battery voltage has dropped and the interruption is performed after a predetermined time. outputting a blocking signal to the valve That is obtained by a voltage reduction detection unit.

  Then, the pseudo load is actuated by a signal from the battery monitoring time measuring unit, and the battery power supply unit is supplied with a current equivalent to the current required when the shut-off valve operates. At the same time, the signal from the battery monitoring time measuring unit measures the time during which the transient change of the battery of the battery power supply unit stabilizes when the preset load is operated by the waveform stabilization time measuring unit, to the battery minimum voltage determining unit. Output. Then, the battery minimum voltage determination unit compares the previous input value with the current input value, and outputs to the voltage drop detection unit when the voltage change is zero or repeated n times. Based on this signal, the voltage drop detection unit has become lower than the battery consumption voltage that is the reference voltage set in consideration of battery consumption for a predetermined time that goes back from the operation guarantee voltage that is the lower limit value that can operate the shutoff valve. Thus, the battery voltage drop of the battery power supply unit is determined, and a shut-off valve operation signal is output after a predetermined time. As a result, the internal resistance of the battery of the battery power supply unit increases for a certain time even after the transient change of the voltage of the battery power supply unit is stabilized by operating a pseudo load, and then shows a characteristic of decreasing after repeated increase / decrease Even in this case, it is possible to reduce the problem that the shutoff valve cannot be operated after a predetermined time after detecting the battery voltage drop.

  In the gas shut-off device of the present invention, the voltage of the battery power supply unit is further input at predetermined intervals after the initial transient change in which the pseudo load has been operated has been completed. Then, the previous input value is compared with the current input value, and it is determined based on the voltage when the voltage change is zero or repeated n times. As a result, even if the battery voltage increases stably for a certain time after the transient change of the battery power supply stabilizes and then decreases and then increases and decreases, the battery voltage rises stably when the battery voltage rises stably. It is possible to perform a decrease determination, and it is possible to reduce the problem that the battery voltage is lowered before the shutoff operation is performed and the shutoff valve cannot be operated.

A first invention is a gas shut-off device comprising a shut-off valve that shuts off a gas passage in the event of an abnormality, and a battery power supply unit that supplies operating power to a device including the shut-off valve.
A battery monitoring time measuring unit that outputs a signal to the next stage at predetermined intervals from the start of power supply of the battery power supply unit, a pseudo load having a load equivalent to the shutoff valve, and a battery monitoring time measuring unit a waveform stabilization time measuring unit for the signal output to the next stage after a predetermined time has elapsed after the current in the receiving signal dummy load flows, the waveform stabilizing time counting unit a predetermined time an output voltage of the battery power supply unit receives a signal A battery minimum voltage determining unit that outputs a signal to the next stage when the input value is compared with the previous input value and the current input value and the voltage change is detected to be zero or n times n times. A voltage drop detection unit that receives a signal from the lowest voltage determination unit and compares it with a predetermined reference voltage to determine that the battery voltage has dropped when it falls below the reference voltage and outputs a shut-off signal to the shut- off valve after a predetermined time It is.

  Then, the voltage drop of the battery power supply unit is input at predetermined intervals after the initial transient change when the pseudo load is operated is finished and the voltage input of the battery power supply unit is further started. Then, the previous input value and the current input value are compared, and it is determined when the voltage change is zero or in the positive direction for n consecutive times, and output is performed to the voltage drop detection unit. This makes it possible to perform a battery drop determination when the battery voltage of the battery power supply section has risen stably, thereby reducing the problem that the shutoff valve cannot be operated when performing the shutoff operation.

In the second aspect of the invention, the battery minimum voltage determination unit compares the previous input value with the current input value and outputs a signal to the next stage when the voltage change is zero or positive for n consecutive times. It is what.

  Then, after the initial transient change in which the pseudo load has been operated ends the voltage drop of the battery power supply unit, voltage input to the battery power supply unit is further started and input every predetermined time. Then, the previous input value is compared with the current input value, and it is determined when the voltage change is zero or in the positive direction when it is integrated n times and output to the voltage drop detection unit. As a result, even if the voltage of the battery power supply part falls while repeating a vertical change in the short term, or even if there is a transient voltage vertical change due to noise or the like, the voltage change may be zero or positive. Judgment is made when integrating n times, and output to the voltage drop detection unit. As a result, it is possible to perform the battery drop determination regardless of short-term voltage fluctuations of the input voltage, and the problem that the shut-off valve cannot be operated when performing the shut-off operation can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Further, although the embodiment of the present invention will be described using a gas shut-off device, the present invention is not limited to gas, and may be a battery voltage determination device such as water supply, electric power, or combustion fuel.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a control block diagram of the gas shut-off device in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a timing chart of voltage change when a pseudo load is operated in the gas shutoff device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, 9 is a power supply voltage unit. Reference numeral 10 denotes a battery monitoring time counter, which measures the usage time from the start of supply of the battery power supply unit 9 and outputs it to the next stage at regular intervals. Reference numeral 11 denotes a pseudo load, which supplies the battery power supply unit 9 with a current equivalent to the current required when the shutoff valve operates. Reference numeral 12 denotes a waveform stabilization time measuring unit, which presets a time in consideration of a transient voltage change when the pseudo load 11 is operated. Reference numeral 13 denotes a battery minimum voltage determination unit which starts input of the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 in response to a signal from the waveform stabilization time counting unit 12 and inputs the voltage every predetermined time. Then, the previous input value is compared with the current input value, and when the voltage change is zero or in the positive direction continues n times or when it is repeated n times and integrated, output is performed. Reference numeral 14 denotes a voltage drop detection unit that monitors the battery voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 at regular time intervals. Reference numeral 15 denotes a display unit which displays a time signal if it is present. A shut-off valve 16 is configured to shut off the gas passage when an abnormality occurs.

  The operation and action of the gas shut-off device configured as described above will be described below with reference to FIG.

  First, at a point A, the pseudo load 11 is activated by a signal from the battery monitoring time measuring unit 9 and the battery power supply unit 9 is supplied with a current equivalent to that required when the shutoff valve 16 operates. Next, at point B, the transient change of the battery of the battery power supply unit 9 is stabilized when the simulated load 11 preset by the waveform stabilization time measuring unit 12 is operated by the same signal from the battery monitoring time measuring unit 9 as point A. Time t1, which is time, is counted and output to the battery minimum voltage determination unit 13. The battery minimum voltage determination unit 13 receives the signal from the waveform stabilization time counter 12 and sequentially inputs t1, t2,... At predetermined time intervals. The voltage change is calculated by, for example, (current input value: voltage at time t2) − (previous input value: voltage at time t1), and the voltage change is positive from time tn when the voltage change becomes zero. When the calculation is continued: tn + 1,..., And the voltage change is zero or the positive direction is continued n times. The time when the battery voltage is detected at tm is output to the next stage.

  Individually, the minimum battery voltage determination unit 13 detects the minimum battery voltage because the voltage difference has turned to zero or in the positive direction, and the transient voltage change of the battery power source unit 9 when the pseudo load 11 is operated. Since the battery voltage is not determined, the waveform stabilization time measuring unit 12 can be deleted. Based on this signal, the voltage drop detection unit 14 is less than the battery consumption voltage set in consideration of battery consumption for a predetermined time that goes back from the operation guarantee voltage that is the lower limit value at which the shutoff valve 16 can be operated. The battery voltage drop determination of the battery power supply unit 9 is performed, and a shut-off valve operation signal is output after a predetermined time thereafter.

  Thus, even when the internal resistance of the battery of the battery power supply unit 9 exhibits a characteristic that increases for a certain time and then decreases after the pseudo load 11 is activated and the transient change of the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 is stabilized, Problems that cannot be achieved even if the shutoff valve 16 is operated after a predetermined time from the voltage drop detection can be reduced.

  Further, when the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 is inputted at predetermined intervals and the previous input value is compared with the current input value and the voltage change is zero or positive is integrated n times, the next stage is obtained. By setting the battery minimum voltage determination unit 13 to output, the voltage drop of the battery power source unit 9 is started after the initial transient change when the pseudo load 11 is operated, and the voltage input of the battery power source unit 9 is further started and predetermined. Input at regular intervals. Then, the previous input value is compared with the current input value, and it is determined when the voltage change is zero or positive and integrated n times, and an output is made to the voltage drop detection unit 14. As a result, even if the voltage of the battery power supply 9 drops while repeating a vertical change in the short term, or even if there is a transient voltage vertical change due to noise or the like, the voltage change should be zero or positive. Is determined n times and output to the voltage drop detection unit 14. This makes it possible to make a battery drop determination regardless of short-term voltage fluctuations of the input voltage, and to reduce the problem of being unable to operate the shutoff valve 16 when performing the shutoff operation.

In addition, the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 is input at predetermined intervals, the previous input value is compared with the current input value, and it is determined that the voltage change is zero or positive in n times. By using the battery minimum voltage determination unit 13 that can change the number of determinations from the outside, it is possible to switch the determination value in consideration of the repetition frequency of the voltage drop / rise of the battery power supply unit 9 from outside the device, and manufacture the device. In doing so, a judgment value can be set according to the type of battery to be mounted. In addition, even when there is a change in the material constituting the battery, it is possible to set a determination value in consideration of the battery change condition. As a result, the shut-off valve operation according to the increase in the internal resistance of the battery can be performed more reliably.

  In addition, the battery power supply in consideration of the speed of change of the voltage drop of the battery power supply unit 9 by using the battery minimum voltage determination unit 13 that can be changed from the outside for a predetermined time for inputting the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 The fixed time for inputting the voltage of the unit 9 can be switched from outside the apparatus, and can be set according to the type of battery to be mounted in manufacturing the apparatus. Moreover, even when there is a change in the material constituting the battery, it is possible to set a certain time for inputting the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 in consideration of the battery change condition. As a result, the shut-off valve operation according to the increase in the internal resistance of the battery can be performed more reliably.

  Further, the information of a predetermined time for inputting the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 is compared with the previous input value and the current input value, and it is determined if the voltage change is zero or n times in the positive direction. The battery minimum voltage determination unit 13 that outputs n times of information to the outside compares the input value of the battery power supply unit 9 of the apparatus with a predetermined time or a previous input value and a current input value. Thus, if the voltage change is zero or n times, it is possible to remotely know the value of n times to be determined. For this reason, for example, when the same type of battery is used and the voltage of the different battery power supply unit 9 is input for a predetermined time period or the previous input value is compared with the current input value, the voltage change is zero or positive. If there are n times, set the value of n times to judge, and even when monitoring the actual use status and battery variations, increase the amount of information to facilitate the collection of information. Therefore, accurate analysis is possible based on this. You may notify outside of gas shut-off devices, such as a gas supplier's information device (not shown), via a communication line network, such as a telephone line.

  Further, the information of a predetermined time for inputting the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 is compared with the previous input value and the current input value, and it is determined if the voltage change is zero or n times in the positive direction. By using the battery minimum voltage determination unit 13 that displays n times of information, a third party can easily input the voltage of the battery power supply unit 9 of the device just by looking at the device. When the input value is compared with the current input value and the voltage change is zero or the positive direction is n times, the value of n times is determined. For example, different batteries using the same type of battery Even when the judgment value in consideration of the voltage drop of the power supply unit 9 is set and the actual use state or the variation of the battery is monitored, it is possible to easily investigate.

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of the gas cutoff device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Voltage change timing chart during simulated load operation of the gas shutoff device Control block diagram of a conventional gas shut-off device

2, 9 Battery power supply unit 3, 16 Shut-off valve 10 Battery monitoring time measuring unit 11 Pseudo load 12 Waveform stabilization time measuring unit 13 Battery minimum voltage determining unit 14 Voltage drop detecting unit 15 Display unit

Claims (2)

In a gas shut-off device comprising a shut-off valve that shuts off the gas passage at the time of an abnormality, and a battery power supply unit that supplies operating power to a device including the shut-off valve,
A battery monitoring time measuring unit that outputs a signal to the next stage at predetermined intervals from the start of power supply of the battery power supply unit, a pseudo load having a load equivalent to the shutoff valve, and a battery monitoring time measuring unit a waveform stabilization time measuring unit for the signal output to the next stage after a predetermined time has elapsed after the current in the receiving signal dummy load flows, the waveform stabilizing time counting unit a predetermined time an output voltage of the battery power supply unit receives a signal A battery minimum voltage determining unit that outputs a signal to the next stage when the input value is compared with the previous input value and the current input value and the voltage change is detected to be zero or n times n times. A gas having a voltage drop detection unit that receives a signal from the lowest voltage judgment unit and compares it with a predetermined reference voltage to determine that the battery voltage has fallen and outputs a shut-off signal to the shut- off valve after a predetermined time. Shut-off device. The battery minimum voltage determination unit compares a previous input value with a current input value and outputs a signal to the next stage when the voltage change is zero or positive for n consecutive times. Gas shut-off device.

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