JP4641909B2 - Piping system identification method and piping system identification system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a piping system identification method and a piping system identification system for identifying individual branch pipes in a plurality of branch pipes branched from a main pipe. More specifically, according to the present invention, in a plurality of branch pipes branched from the main pipe, whether or not the identification target part far from the main pipe belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part near the main pipe. The present invention relates to a piping system identification method and a piping system identification system.

  Gas pipes installed in large buildings (eg, office buildings, commercial facilities, factories, etc.) and apartment houses (eg, condominiums, apartments, etc.) form a piping system consisting of multiple branch pipes and are complicated below the floor. And may be stretched around the walls.

  When constructing gas pipes in such a building, either stop supplying gas to all gas pipes, or identify in advance which branch pipe the location where the work is to be performed belongs to the corresponding pipes. Only the gas supply needs to be stopped.

  However, stopping gas supply to all parts of the building has a significant impact on corporate activities and daily life. Gas pipe work is often performed after confirmation.

  By the way, conventionally, the branch pipe identification work performed prior to the gas pipe construction as described above has been mainly performed by an operator or the like visually confirming the connection state of the pipe. However, gas piping is complicatedly stretched under the floor and inside walls, and it is difficult to accurately confirm the connection state of the piping visually. And if it was going to check the connection state of piping by visual observation or a manual work etc., it would take much time and trouble, and was not efficient.

  Therefore, a pipe connection confirmation method using inspection sound waves has been proposed for such problems. According to this method, in a gas pipe having a plurality of branch pipes, an inspection sound wave is incident from one location, and the inspection sound wave propagating therefrom is detected by two microphones installed in another location, and detected by each microphone. The detection time of the inspection sound wave was compared, and the piping system was identified based on the time difference (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-106288 A

  The piping system identification method of the above-mentioned patent document 1 executes one transmission step for transmitting the inspection sound wave toward the inside of the pipe and one reception step for receiving the incoming inspection sound wave. It was an identification.

  However, in such a single measurement, there is a problem that the distance between the part that transmits the inspection sound wave and the part that receives the incoming sound wave cannot be increased too much. This is because the inspection sound wave is attenuated while being transmitted through the pipe, and if the distance is too large, the inspection sound wave cannot be reliably received by the microphone. For this reason, for example, the distance that can be discriminated in a utility pipe such as gas is usually limited to about 50 to 100 m from the main pipe.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the object thereof is to identify an identification target part far from the main pipe with respect to a reference part near the main pipe in a plurality of branch pipes branched from the main pipe. Provided is a piping system identification method and a piping system identification system capable of accurately identifying whether or not they belong to the same branch pipe even if the distance between the two parts (hereinafter referred to as “identification distance”) is increased. In the point.

The characteristic configuration of the piping system identification method according to the present invention is that a plurality of branch pipes branching from the main pipe have the same branch in the identification target part far from the main pipe with respect to the reference part near the main pipe. A pipe system identification method for identifying whether or not a pipe belongs, wherein a pair of inspection sound waves transmitted toward the inside of a pipe from a sound wave transmitting means arranged at the identification target part are arranged along the pipe axis at the reference part. The first sound wave receiving unit separately identifies whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part from the order of arrival of the inspection sound waves in the pair of sound wave receiving means. When the identification step is executed, and in the first identification step, it is impossible to identify whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, the inspection sound wave, Received by the sound wave receiving means disposed in the same system part that is far from the main pipe and belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, from the first reception level that is the reception level at that time, to the reference part On the other hand, a second identification step is performed for identifying whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe ,
In the second identification step, the first reception level is compared with a threshold value set to a level at which a difference in arrival time of the inspection sound waves separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means can be determined, When the reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold, the identification target part is identified as belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part.

In the present invention, the detection principle employed in extending the identification distance from the same system will be described first.
In the present invention, the inspection sound wave transmitted from the identification target part is received at the reference part or the same system part that has been previously known to be the same system as the reference part, and it is determined whether or not it is the same system from the reception state. I do. Here, when it is possible to detect the inspection sound wave including the arrival direction at the reference part, this is not a problem in the present invention.
On the other hand, the reception state at the reference part is poor (for example, when the identification distance is long), and the case where the identification cannot be sufficiently performed by the determination with only the reference part is an object of the present invention.
Now, if the identification target part and the same system part are in the same system, the inspection sound wave transmitted from the identification target part reaches the same system part directly without passing through the main pipe and the reference part. Therefore, in this case, the reception level at the same system part is less attenuated in view of the transmission level, and the difference between the arrival times of the test sound waves separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means at the reference part cannot be determined. Even when the level cannot be determined, it will be the same level or higher. On the other hand, when the identification target part is not the same system part as the same system part, the inspection sound wave transmitted from the identification target part inevitably reaches the same system part via the main pipe and the reference part. Therefore, in this case, the reception level at the same system part is greatly attenuated in view of the transmission level, and the difference between the arrival times of the test sound waves separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means at the reference part cannot be determined. Sometimes, it becomes less than the same level with respect to the level that cannot be judged. The present invention uses this phenomenon to determine whether or not the part to be identified is in the same system according to the magnitude of the first reception level.
Such upon determination, the threshold value of the first reception level, it is possible level and to Rukoto determining the difference in arrival time of the test sound wave received separately by a pair of wave receiving means. That is, by determining whether the first reception level is higher than the level at which the inspection sound wave transmitted from the identification target part reaches the same system part directly, the difference between the identification target part and the same system part is subtracted. It is determined whether it belongs to the same branch pipe as the reference part.
Specifically, in the piping system identification method of the present configuration, even if it is impossible to identify whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part in the first identification step, By performing the second identification step, it is determined how much the first reception level is the reception level in the same system part that is already known to belong to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, It is possible to identify whether or not the part to be identified belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part. Then, by combining the first identification step and the second identification step, the identification distance can be extended to a range extending farther from the main pipe, which could not be identified by the attenuation of the inspection sound wave in the conventional piping system identification method. Is possible. As a result, it is possible to reliably and easily identify whether or not the part to be identified belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part over a wider range than before.

In the determination, when it is difficult to detect the reference part, it is determined that the part of the same system is the same system on the condition that the reception level of the arrival direction of the test sound wave is equal to or higher than the reception level. . If identification target region of another system, since through the test sound wave is a main pipe and a reference site, when it can not determine the direction of arrival of the inspection waves at the reference site, in the system region, the first reception level of the test sound wave There is no more than a level that can determine the direction of arrival. In this configuration, it is possible to easily and reliably identify the piping system using such properties.
For example, if the first reception level is greater than the threshold value, it is considered that the inspection sound wave transmitted from the identification target part has directly reached the same system part, so that the same system part and the identification target part belong to the same branch pipe Can be considered. At this time, since it is already known that the same system part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, the reference part, the same system part, and the identification target part all belong to the same branch pipe. . In this way, the piping system can be identified.

The characteristic configuration of the piping system identification method according to the present invention is that a plurality of branch pipes branching from the main pipe have the same branch in the identification target part far from the main pipe with respect to the reference part near the main pipe. A pipe system identification method for identifying whether or not a pipe belongs, wherein a pair of inspection sound waves transmitted toward the inside of a pipe from a sound wave transmitting means arranged at the identification target part are arranged along the pipe axis at the reference part. The first sound wave receiving unit separately identifies whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part from the order of arrival of the inspection sound waves in the pair of sound wave receiving means. When the identification step is executed, and in the first identification step, it is impossible to identify whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, the inspection sound wave, Received by the sound wave receiving means disposed in the same system part that is far from the main pipe and belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, from the first reception level that is the reception level at that time, to the reference part On the other hand, a second identification step is performed for identifying whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe,
Before Symbol reference site or the same test sound wave originated toward the tube from the wave transmission means disposed on one of the lines site received by the wave receiving means disposed at the other, second reception level is a reception level at that time To an attenuation amount calculating step of calculating a reference sound wave attenuation amount that is an attenuation amount of the inspection sound wave between the reference region and the same system region portion, and in the second identification step, the first reception level and , Comparing a level capable of determining a difference in arrival time of the inspection sound wave separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means and a threshold set based on the reference sound wave attenuation amount, and the first reception level is If the threshold value or more, the identification target site is the point identified as belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference site.

In the present invention, as described above, it is determined whether or not the part to be identified is in the same system according to the magnitude of the first reception level.
In such a determination, the threshold value of the first reception level is used, and the reference sound wave attenuation amount, which is the attenuation amount of the inspection sound wave between the reference part and the same system part, is separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means. It is possible to obtain a level obtained by subtracting the difference in arrival time from the level at which it can be determined. That is, by determining whether the first reception level is higher than the level at which the inspection sound wave transmitted from the identification target part reaches the same system part directly, the difference between the identification target part and the same system part is subtracted. It is determined whether it belongs to the same branch pipe as the reference part.
Then, in the determination, when the detection at the reference site is difficult, the reference sound wave attenuation amount, which is the attenuation amount of the test sound wave between the reference region and the same system region, is determined as the arrival direction of the test sound wave. Is determined to be the same system on condition that the level is equal to or higher than the level subtracted from the reception level that can be determined . Because if identification target region of another system, via the test sound wave is a main pipe and a reference site, when it can not determine the direction of arrival of the inspection waves at the reference site, in the system region, the first reception level, the reference wave The amount of attenuation does not exceed the level obtained by subtracting the reception level from which the direction of arrival of the inspection sound wave can be determined. In this configuration, it is possible to reliably identify the piping system even when the distance between the parts is longer by utilizing such a property.

  In the piping system identification method of the present invention, the inspection that the confirmation that the same system part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part is transmitted from the sound wave transmitting means arranged in the same system part toward the inside of the pipe It is also possible to receive sound waves separately by a pair of sound wave receiving means arranged along the tube axis at the reference site, and to execute in advance based on the arrival order of the inspection sound waves in the pair of sound wave receiving means. is there.

  In the piping system identification method of this configuration, the confirmation method using sound waves can reliably confirm that the same system part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part. Can be further enhanced.

  In the piping system identification method of the present invention, a temporary part is provided in the branch pipe, and the inspection sound wave transmitted from the sound wave transmitting means disposed in the temporary part toward the inside of the pipe is disposed along the tube axis in the reference part. A temporary part that is received separately by a pair of sound wave receiving means, and that identifies whether the temporary part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part from the order of arrival of the inspection sound waves in the pair of sound wave receiving means It is also possible to execute the identification step while sequentially changing the temporary part until it is identified as belonging to the same branch pipe, and to make the temporary part identified as belonging to the same branch pipe as the same system part. is there.

  In the piping system identification method of this configuration, a temporary part is provided in the branch pipe to be measured, and the temporary part is sequentially changed with respect to the reference part until the temporary part is identified as belonging to the same branch pipe. Since the part identification step is performed, the same system part specified in this specification is found while moving the temporary part sequentially, and the sound wave receiving means is installed in the part, and whether the identification target part is the same system or not Can be determined.

  In the piping system identification method according to the present invention, a new identification target part is defined with the identification target part identified as belonging to the same branch pipe through the first identification step and the second identification step as a new same system part. Can be identified as belonging to the same branch pipe.

  In the piping system identification method of this configuration, once the identification is completed, the same system part and the identification target part are newly set, and the identification target part is sequentially extended far from the main pipe by repeating the identification again. be able to. In this way, the identification distance that can be identified by the piping system identification method can be increased.

  In the piping system identification method of the present invention, in order to identify whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part from the arrival order of the inspection sound waves, the pair of sound wave receiving means Among them, when the sound wave receiving means on the side far from the main pipe receives the inspection sound wave after the sound wave receiving means on the side close to the main pipe receives the inspection sound wave, the reference part and the part to be identified are The sound wave receiving means on the side close to the main pipe after the sound wave receiving means far from the main pipe among the pair of sound wave receiving means receives the inspection sound wave. When the inspection sound wave is received, it is possible to identify that the reference part and the identification target part belong to the same branch pipe.

  In the piping system identification method of this configuration, whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part is easily and reliably determined from the reception order of the inspection sound waves received by the pair of sound wave receiving means. can do.

  In the piping system identification method of the present invention, in a pair of sound wave receiving means attached to the reference portion along the pipe axis, the fluid flowing in the branch pipe is determined based on the positional relationship between each sound wave receiving means and the main pipe. It is also possible to obtain from the flow direction of

  In the piping system identification method of this configuration, the positional relationship between each sound wave receiving means constituting the pair of sound wave receiving means and the main pipe can be easily obtained from the flow direction of the fluid flowing in the pipe of the piping system. The arrival direction of the inspection sound wave can be accurately recognized from the obtained positional relationship and the reception order of the inspection sound wave in the pair of sound wave receiving means.

The characteristic configuration of the piping system identification system according to the present invention is that, in a plurality of branch pipes branched from the main pipe, the identification target part far from the main pipe is the same branch with respect to the reference part near the main pipe A piping system identification system for identifying whether or not it belongs to a pipe, and can be disposed at the identification target part, and can transmit a test sound wave toward the inside of the pipe, and the reference part along the pipe axis. A pair of sound wave receiving means capable of separately receiving the inspection sound wave, and a distant part of the main pipe and a part of the same system belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part , A sound wave receiving means capable of receiving the inspection sound wave, determining the arrival order of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means, and information on the arrival order in the reference portion The first identification means for outputting as first identification information for identifying whether or not the part to be identified belongs to the same branch pipe, and the first reception level of the inspection sound wave received by the sound wave reception means And a second identification means for outputting information on the first reception level as second identification information for identifying whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part equipped with a,
In the second identification means, the first reception level is compared with a threshold value set to a level at which a difference in arrival time of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave reception means can be determined. When the reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold, the identification target part is identified as belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part.

The characteristic configuration of the piping system identification system according to the present invention is that, in a plurality of branch pipes branched from the main pipe, the identification target part far from the main pipe is the same branch with respect to the reference part near the main pipe A piping system identification system for identifying whether or not it belongs to a pipe, and can be disposed at the identification target part, and can transmit a test sound wave toward the inside of the pipe, and the reference part along the pipe axis. A pair of sound wave receiving means capable of separately receiving the inspection sound wave, and a distant part of the main pipe and a part of the same system belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part , A sound wave receiving means capable of receiving the inspection sound wave, determining the arrival order of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means, and information on the arrival order in the reference portion The first identification means for outputting as first identification information for identifying whether or not the part to be identified belongs to the same branch pipe, and the first reception level of the inspection sound wave received by the sound wave reception means And a second identification means for outputting information on the first reception level as second identification information for identifying whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part With
The inspection sound wave transmitted toward the inside of the tube from the sound wave transmitting means arranged in one of the reference part or the same system part is received by the sound wave receiving means arranged in the other, and from the second reception level which is the reception level at that time , Calculating a reference sound attenuation amount that is an attenuation amount of the inspection sound wave between the reference portion and the same system portion,
In the second identification unit, the first reception level is set based on the level at which the difference between the arrival times of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave reception units and the reference sound wave attenuation amount can be determined. When the first reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold, the identification target part is identified as belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part.

  In the piping system identification system of this configuration, the first identification means can identify whether or not the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, and the second identification means also identifies the reference part. Thus, it is possible to identify whether or not the part to be identified belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part through the same system part already known to belong to the same branch pipe. In this way, by combining the first identification means and the second identification means, the identification distance is extended to a range extending farther from the main pipe, which could not be identified by the attenuation of the inspection sound wave in the conventional piping system identification system. It becomes possible to do. As a result, it is possible to reliably and easily identify whether or not the part to be identified belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part over a wider range than before.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment relating to a piping system identification method and a piping system identification system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the embodiments and drawings described below, and any modifications within the scope that can be carried out by those skilled in the art as long as the object of the present invention can be achieved. Modification is possible.

<Piping system>
FIG. 1 shows a state in which a main pipe (main pipe) 1 for supplying a utility such as gas is drawn into the building 100 and branch pipes (supply pipes) 2a and 2b are branched from the main pipe 1. 2 is a schematic diagram of a piping system in a building 100. FIG.

The building 100 has, for example, six living rooms A to F and one meter room G. A part of the main pipe 1 buried in the ground is exposed in the meter chamber G. In the meter chamber G, branch pipes 2 a and 2 b are connected to the main pipe 1. The branch pipe 2a is further branched into second branch pipes 2a ₁ , 2a ₂ , and 2a ₃ and drawn into the living rooms A, B, and C, respectively. The branch pipe 2b is further branched into second branch pipes 2b ₁ , 2b ₂ , 2b ₃ and drawn into the living rooms D, E, F, respectively. Further, valves 3a and 3b and meters 4a and 4b are attached to the respective branch pipes 2a and 2b. A gas company or the like can supply gas from the main pipe 1 to the branch pipes 2a and 2b or stop supplying gas by opening and closing the valves 3a and 3b. Further, the gas supply amount from the main pipe 1 to the branch pipes 2a and 2b can be measured by checking the gas meters 4a and 4b. Since these valves 3a and 3b and gas meters 4a and 4b are provided on the branch pipes 2a and 2b exposed in the meter chamber G, the gas company or the like can connect all the valves 3a in the meter chamber G. 3b can be opened and closed, and the gas meter 4a and 4b can be read. On the other hand, the residents in the living rooms A to F can open and close the second valves 5a to 5f provided in the respective living rooms, so that the gas supply operation to the gas devices 6a to 6f is easily performed in the respective living rooms. be able to.

  Specific examples in which the piping system identification method and the piping system identification system of the present invention are applied to the piping system including the branch pipes 2a and 2b as described above will be described below. The piping system identification method of the present invention is a piping system. Since it implements using a system identification system, for convenience of explanation, a piping system identification system is explained first, and a piping system identification method is explained after that.

<Piping system identification system>
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a piping system identification system 200 used to implement the piping system identification method of the present invention. The piping system identification system 200 of the present invention includes a sound wave transmission unit 21, a pair of sound wave reception units 22, and a sound wave reception unit 23, and further includes a first identification unit 30 and a second identification unit 31. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the branch pipe 2a is described, but the branch pipe 2b can be handled in the same manner.

  Here, before describing the piping system identification system 200, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the meanings of main terms used in this specification will be described. The “reference part” is a part that is a reference for determining the identity when the piping system is identified. The “same system part” is a part belonging to the same branch pipe (including the second branch pipe) as the branch pipe to which the reference part belongs. The “identification target part” is a part to be measured provided on the branch pipe (including the second branch pipe) to be identified from now on. “Neighboring” of the main pipe means a state in which the branch state of the branch pipe from the main pipe is known and the arrival direction of the inspection sound wave reaching the position can be identified. The “far” of the main pipe means a state in which the branching state of the branch pipe from the main pipe is not known and the arrival direction of the inspection sound wave reaching the position cannot be identified.

  Moreover, before implementing this invention, it is a premise that it is not confirmed whether all the branch pipes 2a leading to the meter room G, the living room A, and the living room B are the same branch pipe. For this reason, in FIG. 2, the branch pipe on the meter room G side is defined as 2a, the branch pipe on the room A side is defined as 2a ', and the branch pipe on the room B side is defined as 2a ".

Furthermore, the second branch pipe 2a ₂ of the second branch pipe 2a ₁ and room B side of the room A side branch pipes 2a, 2a ', and 2a "pipe length as compared with is very small. Therefore, In the present embodiment, it is assumed that arbitrary portions on the second branch pipes 2a ₁ and 2a _{2 are present} on the branch pipes 2a ′ and 2a ″, respectively. The identification of whether the branch pipe 2a, the branch pipe 2a ′, and the branch pipe 2a ″ are the same branch pipe is far from the main pipe 1 with respect to the reference portion 11 in the vicinity of the main pipe 1. The determination is made based on whether the same system part 12 and the identification target part 13 belong to the same branch pipe.

  The pair of sound wave receiving means 22 includes a first sound wave receiving means 22a and a second sound wave receiving means 22b. The pair of sound wave receiving means 22 is arranged along the tube axis in the reference portion 11 provided on the branch pipe 2a, and the inspection sound wave arriving inside the pipe is separately separated by the first sound wave receiving means 22a and the second sound wave receiving means 22b. Can be received. Specifically, the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 includes a set of two microphones that can be installed in an inspection hole or the like on the side of the meter 4a provided in the branch pipe 2a exposed on the meter chamber G side. A bifurcated microphone can be used.

  Here, in order for the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 to accurately detect the reception order of the inspection sound waves coming into the tube, the first sound wave receiving means 22a and the second sound wave receiving means 22b in the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 and the main sound wave receiving means 22 It is necessary to know the positional relationship with the pipe 1. About this point, it can obtain | require from the flow direction of the fluid which flows through the branch piping 2a, for example.

  Specifically, a temperature sensor is attached to each of the first sound wave receiving means 22a and the second sound wave receiving means 22b, and a heater is installed between them. Then, the heater is heated while the fluid is flowing from the main pipe 1 toward the branch pipe 2a. Then, since the fluid is heated by the heater installed between the first sound wave receiving means 22a and the second sound wave receiving means 22b during the flow, it is detected by the sound wave receiving means corresponding to the upstream side (side closer to the main pipe 1). The temperature of the fluid (the fluid before passing through the heater) is lower than the temperature of the fluid (the fluid after passing through the heater) detected by the sound wave receiving means corresponding to the downstream side (the side far from the main pipe 1). . In this way, the positional relationship between the first sound wave receiving means 22a and the second sound wave receiving means 22b and the main pipe 1 can be easily obtained. The arrival direction of the inspection sound wave can be accurately recognized from the obtained positional relationship and the order of reception of the inspection sound wave in the pair of sound wave receiving means 22. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the first sound wave receiving means 22a is arranged along the tube axis on the side close to the main pipe 1 and the second sound wave receiving means 22b is located on the side far from the main pipe 1.

A first identification unit 30 is connected to the pair of sound wave reception units 22. The first identification unit 30 includes a first calculation unit 30a and a first output unit 30b.
The first calculating means 30a can determine by calculating the arrival order of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means 22.
The 1st output means 30b is the form which displays on the display, for example as the 1st discernment information for discriminating whether information object part 13 belongs to the same branch piping to reference part 11 about the arrival order To output. Information about the arrival order is obtained, for example, by using a chirp wave as an inspection sound wave, as will be described later, and performing pulse compression processing on the chirp waves received by the first sound wave receiving unit 22a and the second sound wave receiving unit 22b, respectively. Can do. The first identification unit 30 including the first calculation unit 30a and the first output unit 30b may be configured as hardware, but may be constructed on software of a computer.

The sound wave receiving means 23 is disposed in the same system part 12 which is located far from the main pipe 1 and belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part 11, and can receive the inspection sound wave arriving inside the pipe. The same-system site | part 12 can be confirmed previously by the method mentioned later. The sound wave receiving means 23 may be, for example, a microphone that can be installed in the same system part 12 such as a gas stopper provided in the branch pipe 2a ′ (second branch pipe 2a ₁ on the side of the living room A). In this embodiment, since the microphone as the sound wave receiving means 23 is installed in the gas stopper that is the same system part 12, the gas device 6a shown in FIG. 1 is removed.

A second identification unit 31 is connected to the sound wave reception unit 23. The second identification unit 31 includes a second calculation unit 31a and a second output unit 31b.
The second calculation means 31a detects the first reception level of the inspection sound wave received by the sound wave reception means 23, performs an operation for comparing the first reception level with a predetermined threshold value to be described later, On the other hand, it is identified whether or not the identification target portion 13 belongs to the same branch pipe.
The 2nd output means 31b outputs the said identification result as a 2nd identification information in the form displayed, for example on a display. The second identification means 31 including the second calculation means 31a and the second output means 31b may be configured as hardware, but can be constructed on computer software.

The sound wave transmitting means 21 is disposed in the identification target portion 13 provided on the branch pipe 2a ″ (second branch pipe 2a ₂ on the room B side), and transmits the inspection sound wave toward the inside of the pipe. transmitting means 21 may be a room B side second branch pipe 2a ₂ attachable to identify target region 13 of the gas cock or the like provided on the ultrasonic transmitter or audio speakers, etc.. the embodiment Then, in order to install the sound speaker as the sound wave transmission means 21 in the gas stopper which is the identification target part 13, the gas apparatus 6b shown in FIG. 1 is removed.
As the inspection sound wave, for example, a sound wave including a plurality of frequency components can be used. The inspection sound wave is particularly preferably a chirp wave illustrated in FIG. The chirp wave is a sound wave having a waveform whose frequency changes with time, and includes, for example, a time-stretched pulse wave (TSP wave). The chirp wave illustrated in FIG. 3 is a typical TSP wave whose frequency increases with time, but it is of course possible to employ a chirp wave having a waveform whose frequency decreases with time. Advantages of using the chirp wave as the inspection sound wave include that the inspection sound wave becomes easier to be impulsed and the branch piping system is more easily identified.

<Piping system identification method: first embodiment>
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a series of procedures of the piping system identification method according to the first embodiment using the piping system identification system 200 of FIG. In the piping system identification method of the present invention, N (N is a natural number) identification target portions 13 are provided on the branch piping. As a result, the identification distance from the reference part 11 to the identification target part 13 can be increased to N times when the number of the identification target parts 13 is one. Note that the piping system identification system 200 in FIG. 2 represents a case where the total number of identification target parts, which is the simplest model, is 1 (N = 1) for ease of explanation. Hereinafter, the piping system identification method by a present Example is demonstrated for every step based on a flowchart.

  After starting the piping system identification method, an appropriate location (for example, a gas plug) on the branch piping 2a 'is first selected as a temporary location in order to set the same location. In this embodiment, the part 12 in FIG. 2 is a temporary part. An inspection sound wave (for example, a chirp wave) is transmitted from the temporary portion 12 toward the inside of the tube by an arbitrary sound wave transmitting means (not shown) (S1), and a pair of sound waves received at the reference portion 11 along the tube axis. The order of arrival of inspection sound waves is determined by detection by means 22 (S2). For example, in the case where a chirp wave is used, the arrival order of the inspection sound waves can be accurately obtained from calculation using a pulse compression process of the chirp wave.

  When detecting the inspection sound wave, when the sound wave receiving means far from the main pipe 1 of the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 detects the inspection sound wave first (that is, the second sound wave receiving means 22b first detects the inspection sound wave). When the inspection sound wave is received by the first sound wave receiving means 22a and then the inspection sound wave transmitted from the temporary part 12 is branched pipe on the opposite side to the main pipe 1 as shown by the arrow P in FIG. It is thought that it came from 2a and 2a ′. Therefore, the temporary part 12 in this case can be regarded as belonging to the same branch pipe as the branch pipe to which the reference part 11 belongs (hereinafter, this state is referred to as “same system”). The temporary part 12 belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to such a reference part 11 is set as the same system part 12 (S3).

  On the other hand, when the sound wave receiving means closer to the main pipe 1 of the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 detects the inspection sound wave first (that is, the first sound wave receiving means 22a receives the inspection sound wave first, and then When the inspection sound wave is received by the two sound wave receiving means 22b), it is considered that the inspection sound wave transmitted from the temporary portion 12 has arrived through the main pipe 1 as indicated by the arrow Q in FIG. Therefore, the temporary part 12 in this case can be regarded as belonging to a branch pipe different from the branch pipe to which the reference part 11 belongs (hereinafter, this state is referred to as “different system”). Therefore, the position of the temporary region 12 is sequentially changed (S4), and the inspection sound wave is transmitted again.

  Even when the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 cannot detect the inspection sound wave due to insufficient intensity of the inspection sound wave, the position of the temporary region 12 is sequentially changed (S4), and the inspection sound wave is transmitted again. . Then, the operations of Step 1, Step 2, and Step 4 in FIG. 4 are repeated until it is determined that the temporary portion 12 is the same system as the reference portion 11. Thereby, the setting of the same system | strain part 12 required in order to expand the identification distance in branch piping can be performed reliably.

  Next, an inspection sound wave is transmitted from the nth identification target region 13 toward the inside of the tube. Here, n is a number indicating the order of the identification target parts 13 counted from the side close to the main pipe 1 for N identification target parts 13 set on the branch pipes 2a and the like. Therefore, n is a natural number that satisfies N ≧ n. Therefore, first, an inspection sound wave is transmitted from the first identification target part (for example, the identification target part 13 in FIG. 2) toward the inside of the tube (S6). Then, the inspection sound wave is received by the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 installed in the reference region 11 and the arrival order of the inspection sound wave is determined from the reception result (S7), so that the identification target region 13 is compared with the reference region 11. A first identification step is performed for identifying whether or not belong to the same branch pipe.

  In the first identification step, when receiving the inspection sound wave, the sound wave receiving means far from the main pipe 1 among the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 detects the inspection sound wave first (that is, the second sound wave receiving means 22b). When the inspection sound wave is received first and then the first sound wave receiving means 22a receives the inspection sound wave), the inspection sound wave transmitted from the identification target portion 13 is the main pipe 1 as shown by the arrow P in FIG. It is considered that they have arrived from the branch pipes 2a, 2a ′ and 2a ″ on the opposite side from the above. Therefore, the reference part 11 and the first identification target part 13 are identified as being of the same system (S10).

  On the other hand, when the sound wave receiving means closer to the main pipe 1 of the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 detects the inspection sound wave first (that is, the first sound wave receiving means 22a receives the inspection sound wave first, and then When the inspection sound wave is received by the two sound wave receiving means 22b), it is considered that the inspection sound wave transmitted from the identification target portion 13 has arrived through the main pipe 1 as indicated by the arrow Q in FIG. Therefore, the identification target part 13 and the reference part 11 in this case are identified as different systems, and cannot be counted as N identification target parts 13. Therefore, the position of the identification target portion 13 is sequentially changed (S9), and the inspection sound wave is transmitted again. Then, the operations of Step 6, Step 7, and Step 9 in FIG. 4 are repeated until it is determined that the first identification target portion 13 and the reference portion 11 are of the same system or unknown.

  By the way, when the transmission intensity of the inspection sound wave is not sufficient or the background noise is too strong, the inspection sound wave that arrives by the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 installed in the reference portion 11 may not be received correctly. is there. Thus, even when the situation which becomes unclear in the first identification step occurs, the branch pipe can be accurately identified by executing the second identification step shown in the next step 8.

In the second identification step, the reception level of the inspection sound wave transmitted from the first identification target region 13 is detected by the same-system region 12 and compared with a predetermined threshold as the first reception level (S8). This threshold value can be set to a level at which it is possible to determine the difference in arrival time of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means 22, for example.
When the first reception level is larger than the threshold value, it is considered that the identification target part 13 is in a position close to the same system part 12, and the inspection sound wave is on the main pipe 1 side with respect to the same system part 12 as indicated by an arrow R. Therefore, it can be determined that the first identification target site 13 is the same system as the same system site 12 and the same system site. Since 12 is already known to be the same system as the reference part 11, the first identification target part 13, the same system part 12, and the reference part 11 can all be determined to be the same system. In this way, the first identification target region 13 can be identified as having the same system as the reference region 11 via the same system region 12 (S10).

  On the other hand, when the first reception level is smaller than the threshold value, the first identification target part 13 and the same system part 12 are more distant from each other as the inspection sound wave becomes considerably weaker. (S9), and the inspection sound wave is transmitted again. Then, the operations from step 6 to step 9 in FIG. 4 are repeated until it is determined that the first identification target portion 13 is in the same system as the reference portion 11.

  Finally, it is determined whether or not the order (n) of the identification target parts 13 has reached the set total number (N) of the identification target parts 13 (S11). If n = N, the piping system identification method ends. On the other hand, when the order (n) of the identification target parts 13 has not yet reached the total number (N) of the identification target parts 13, the identified nth identification target part 13 is reset as the same system part 12 and the n + 1th A new identification target site 13 is set, and the (n + 1) th identification target site is regarded as the nth identification target site 13 (S12), and the process returns to step 6. Then, Step 6 to Step 12 in FIG. 4 are repeated until n = N is reached.

  As described above, in the piping system identification method according to the first embodiment, even when it is impossible to identify whether the identification target part 13 belongs to the same piping system with respect to the reference part 11 in the first identification step. By executing the second identification step, the identification target part 13 is the same branch with respect to the reference part 11 through the same system part 12 that is already known to belong to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part 11. It is possible to identify whether it belongs to a pipe. In this way, by combining the first identification step and the second identification step, the identification distance can be increased to a range extending farther than the main pipe 1 that could not be identified by the attenuation of the inspection sound wave in the conventional piping system identification method. It becomes possible to enlarge. As a result, it is possible to identify whether or not the identification target portion 13 belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference portion 11 reliably and easily over a wider range than before.

<Piping system identification method: second embodiment>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a series of procedures of the piping system identification method according to the second embodiment, in which the piping system identification method according to the first embodiment is partially modified. The flowchart of FIG. 5 differs from the flowchart of FIG. 4 only in some steps. Therefore, only the different steps are described in the second embodiment, and the description of the same steps as the first embodiment is omitted.

  The characteristic of the piping system identification method according to the second embodiment is that the inspection sound wave (for example, set to a predetermined transmission level) transmitted from the sound wave transmitting means arranged in one of the reference part 11 or the same part 12 to the inside of the pipe. Is received by the sound wave receiving means (this is not limited to the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 and can be any sound wave receiving means), and the second is the reception level at that time. Attenuation amount calculating step for calculating a reference sound wave attenuation amount that is an attenuation amount of the inspection sound wave between the reference region 11 and the same system region part 12 is performed from the reception level, and in the second identification step, the first reception level; A level at which the difference in arrival time of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means can be determined and a threshold value set based on the reference sound wave attenuation amount are compared, and the first reception level Is greater than or equal to the threshold, the identification target region 13 with respect to reference part 11 is at the point identified as belonging to the same branch pipe.

  Specifically, when the temporary part 12 is identified as the same system part in Step 3, the attenuation amount calculating step is executed, and the reference sound wave attenuation amount is recorded (S3-2). The recording performed at this time may be recorded by providing storage means (not shown) such as a memory in the piping system identification system 200, or may be recorded manually by an operator.

  Next, as a second identification step, based on the first reception level in the same-system region 12, the level at which the arrival time of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means can be determined, and the reference sound wave attenuation amount And the threshold value (attenuation amount threshold value) set in step S8 ′. Here, as the attenuation threshold, a simple attenuation value that is a difference between a level at which the arrival time of the inspection sound wave separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving units can be determined and the reference sound wave attenuation amount may be used as the threshold value. However, an allowable attenuation value obtained by adding or subtracting a predetermined allowable value to the simple attenuation value may be used. In step 8 ′, if the first reception level is greater than the attenuation threshold, the inspection sound wave transmitted from the nth identification target part 13 reaches the same system part 12 directly without passing through the main pipe 1 and the reference part 11. Therefore, the identification target part 13 and the system part 12 can be regarded as belonging to the same branch pipe. At this time, since it is already known that the reference part 11 and the system part 12 are of the same system, the reference part 11, the system part 12 and the identification target part 13 all belong to the same branch pipe. Become. Thus, in the piping system identification method of the second embodiment, the first reception level, the level at which the difference in arrival time of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means, and the reference sound wave attenuation amount can be determined. By comparing the threshold value set based on this, it is possible to identify whether or not the identification target portion 13 belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference portion 11 even at a longer distance between the portions.

<Pulse compression of chirp wave>
In the piping system identification system 200 of the present invention, a chirp wave pulse compression process, which is one of the effective means for obtaining “information on arrival order” output as the first identification information by the first identification means 30, This will be described below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a series of processes related to the chirp wave pulse compression processing. First, a chirp wave is transmitted from the sound wave transmitting means 21 (S21), and this is separately received by the first sound wave receiving means 22a and the second sound wave receiving means 22b of the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 (S22). Each chirp wave received separately is subjected to pulse compression processing by the first computing means 30a. This pulse compression process is performed by impulseizing each received chirp wave (S23). General sound waves such as hammering sound have a narrow band, so it is difficult to make an impulse even if pulse compression processing is performed, but a chirp wave has a wide band and can be impulsed. Since the impulse can be generated even if the S / N ratio is low, it is suitable as the inspection sound wave used in the piping system identification method and the piping system identification system of the present invention.

  Next, with respect to the data obtained by making each chirp wave received by the pair of sound wave receiving means 22 into impulses, a point where the impulse intensity intersects with zero (zero crossing) is obtained (S24), and each chirp wave is received from the zero crossing. Time is obtained (S25). Note that the reception time of each chirp wave may be obtained from a point where the impulse intensity is maximum (peak value) or a point where the impulse rises.

  The arrival direction of the chirp wave can be determined from the reception order of the chirp wave in each of the first sound wave receiving means 22a and the second sound wave receiving means 22b recognized from the reception time of these chirp waves (S26). This determination is as described above. If the second sound wave receiving means 22b has received the chirp wave first, it can be determined that they are the same piping system (S27), and the first sound wave receiving means 22a has the chirp wave first. Can be determined as a different piping system (S28).

  The pulse compression processing of the chirp wave has a great effect of improving the S / N ratio of the signal, so it is desirable to apply it to the reception waveform of the inspection sound wave in the sound wave receiving means 23.

  The piping system identification method and the piping system identification system of the present invention can be applied to various scenes in addition to the identification of the gas piping embedded in the wall of the building described in the above embodiment. For example, it can also be used when branch pipes are identified for gas pipes, water and sewage pipes, various cable pipes and the like buried in the ground.

Schematic diagram of the piping system in the building showing the state where the main piping for supplying utilities such as gas is drawn into the building and the branch piping is branched from this main piping The schematic diagram of the piping system identification system used in order to implement the piping system identification method of this invention The figure which shows the waveform of a typical chirp wave (TSP wave) The flowchart which shows a series of procedures of the piping system identification method by 1st Example using the piping system identification system of FIG. The flowchart which shows a series of procedures of the piping system identification method by 2nd Example which modified the piping system identification method by 1st Example partially. Flowchart explaining a series of processes related to chirp wave pulse compression

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main piping 2a Branch piping 2b Branch piping 11 Reference | standard site | part 12 Same system | strain site | part 13 Identification | identification object site | part 21 Sound wave transmission means 22 A pair of sound wave reception means 23 Sound wave reception means 30 1st identification means 31 2nd identification means 200 Piping system identification system

Claims (9)

Piping system identification method for identifying whether or not an identification target part far from the main pipe belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to a reference part near the main pipe in a plurality of branch pipes branched from the main pipe Because
The inspection sound wave transmitted toward the inside of the tube from the sound wave transmitting means arranged at the identification target part is separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means arranged along the tube axis at the reference part, and the pair of sound wave receiving means From the arrival order of the inspection sound waves, a first identification step is performed for identifying whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part,
In the first identification step, when it is impossible to identify whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, the inspection sound wave is far from the main pipe and the Received by the sound wave receiving means arranged in the same system part belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, from the first reception level that is the reception level at that time, the identification target part is the same with respect to the reference part Performing a second identification step for identifying whether the pipe belongs to a branch pipe ;
In the second identification step, the first reception level is compared with a threshold value set to a level at which a difference in arrival time of the inspection sound waves separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means can be determined, A piping system identification method for identifying that the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part when the reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold.   Piping system identification method for identifying whether or not an identification target part far from the main pipe belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to a reference part near the main pipe in a plurality of branch pipes branched from the main pipe Because
  The inspection sound wave transmitted toward the inside of the tube from the sound wave transmitting means arranged at the identification target part is separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means arranged along the tube axis at the reference part, and the pair of sound wave receiving means From the arrival order of the inspection sound waves, a first identification step is performed for identifying whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part,
  In the first identification step, when it is impossible to identify whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, the inspection sound wave is far from the main pipe and the Received by the sound wave receiving means arranged in the same system part belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, from the first reception level that is the reception level at that time, the identification target part is the same with respect to the reference part Performing a second identification step for identifying whether the pipe belongs to a branch pipe;
The inspection sound wave transmitted toward the inside of the tube from the sound wave transmitting means arranged in one of the reference part or the same system part is received by the sound wave receiving means arranged in the other, and from the second reception level which is the reception level at that time Performing an attenuation amount calculating step of calculating a reference sound wave attenuation amount that is an attenuation amount of the inspection sound wave between the reference region and the same system region part;
  In the second identification step, the first reception level is set based on a level at which a difference in arrival time of the inspection sound wave separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means can be determined and the reference sound wave attenuation amount. A piping system identification method for comparing with a threshold value and identifying that the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part when the first reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold value. Confirmation that the same-system part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, an inspection sound wave transmitted from the sound wave transmitting means arranged in the same-system part toward the inside of the pipe, to the reference part to the tube axis The piping system identification method according to claim 1, wherein the pipe system identification method is received separately by a pair of sound wave receiving units arranged along the line, and is executed in advance based on the arrival order of the inspection sound waves in the pair of sound wave receiving units.   A temporary part is provided in the branch pipe, and the inspection sound wave transmitted from the sound wave transmitting means arranged in the temporary part toward the inside of the pipe is separately received by the pair of sound wave receiving means arranged along the pipe axis in the reference part. And a temporary part identification step for identifying whether or not the temporary part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part from the arrival order of the inspection sound waves in the pair of sound wave receiving means belongs to the same branch pipe The piping system identification method according to claim 1, wherein the temporary part is executed while sequentially changing the temporary part until it is identified, and the temporary part that is identified as belonging to the same branch pipe is the same system part.   Whether the identification target part identified as belonging to the same branch pipe through the first identification step and the second identification step is a new same system part, and whether the new identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe or not The piping system identification method as described in any one of Claims 1-4 which identifies.   To identify whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part from the arrival order of the inspection sound waves,
  When the sound wave receiving means on the side far from the main pipe receives the inspection sound wave after the sound wave receiving means on the side close to the main pipe among the pair of sound wave receiving means receives the inspection sound wave, the reference portion And the part to be identified do not belong to the same branch pipe,
  Of the pair of sound wave receiving means, after the sound wave receiving means on the side far from the main pipe receives the inspection sound wave, the sound wave receiving means on the side close to the main pipe receives the inspection sound wave, and the reference portion The piping system identification method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the identification target part and the identification target part are identified as belonging to the same branch pipe.   7. A pair of sound wave receiving means attached to the reference portion along a tube axis, wherein a positional relationship between each sound wave receiving means and the main pipe is obtained from a flow direction of a fluid flowing in the branch pipe. The piping system identification method according to any one of the above.   In a plurality of branch pipes branched from the main pipe, a piping system identification system for identifying whether or not an identification target part far from the main pipe belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to a reference part near the main pipe Because
  Sound wave transmitting means that can be arranged in the identification target part and can transmit a test sound wave toward the inside of the tube;
  A pair of sound wave receiving means that can be arranged along the tube axis at the reference site and can receive the inspection sound wave separately;
  Sound wave receiving means that is distant from the main pipe and can be arranged in the same system part belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, and capable of receiving the inspection sound wave,
  The arrival order of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means is determined, and information on the arrival order is determined based on whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part. First identification means for outputting as first identification information for identification;
  The first reception level of the inspection sound wave received by the sound wave receiving means is detected, and information on the first reception level is determined based on whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part. Second identification means for outputting as second identification information for identification,
In the second identification means, the first reception level is compared with a threshold value set to a level at which a difference in arrival time of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave reception means can be determined. A piping system identification system that identifies that the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part when the reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold value. In a plurality of branch pipes branched from the main pipe, a piping system identification system for identifying whether or not an identification target part far from the main pipe belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to a reference part near the main pipe Because
Sound wave transmitting means that can be arranged in the identification target part and can transmit a test sound wave toward the inside of the tube;
A pair of sound wave receiving means that can be arranged along the tube axis at the reference site and can receive the inspection sound wave separately;
Sound wave receiving means that is distant from the main pipe and can be arranged in the same system part belonging to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part, and capable of receiving the inspection sound wave,
The arrival order of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave receiving means is determined, and information on the arrival order is determined based on whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part. First identification means for outputting as first identification information for identification;
The first reception level of the inspection sound wave received by the sound wave receiving means is detected, and information on the first reception level is determined based on whether the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part. Second identification means for outputting as second identification information for identification ,
The inspection sound wave transmitted toward the inside of the tube from the sound wave transmitting means arranged in one of the reference part or the same system part is received by the sound wave receiving means arranged in the other, and from the second reception level which is the reception level at that time , Calculating a reference sound attenuation amount that is an attenuation amount of the inspection sound wave between the reference portion and the same system portion,
In the second identification unit, the first reception level is set based on the level at which the difference between the arrival times of the inspection sound waves received separately by the pair of sound wave reception units and the reference sound wave attenuation amount can be determined. A piping system identification system that compares a threshold value and identifies that the identification target part belongs to the same branch pipe with respect to the reference part when the first reception level is equal to or higher than the threshold value.

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