JP4889365B2 - Gas appliance management system and gas supply system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for providing a maintenance check and a service in accordance with a used appliance and its usage, such as an operation state grasp for each gas appliance, using a gas meter device for measuring a gas flow rate.

  In each household, a gas meter for measuring the gas flow rate is installed at the entrance of the gas supply pipe. Conventionally, as an example of this type of gas meter device, there is a configuration as shown below (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In general, a gas meter with a gas flow meter is installed at the entrance of a gas supply line in each household.

  When a separate charge is applied to a conventional gas meter, the integrated flow rate when using a plurality of integrating devices connected to the gas meter for a specific time or when a specific range of flow rate is used is calculated. In other words, the flow rate for each time segment and the flow rate for each flow segment are determined, and the charge system is determined based on the integrated value. An example of the fee system will be described based on FIG. A predetermined discount flow rate category and a predetermined discount time zone are set in advance, and the gas rate of the flow rate corresponding to the discount flow rate category and the discount time zone is targeted for discount. That is, the part divided by the oblique lines in FIG. However, with this method, the specific determination of the appliance is ambiguous, and it is difficult to make a convenient and easy-to-understand fee setting such as charging a fee for the specific appliance. Therefore, the following proposal has been made as a method for discriminating a specific instrument.

  The operation of the proposed example will be described. In the gas meter device, as described above, the gas flow rate is measured every 2 seconds, the data is sent to the calculation means, and the flow rate value is differentiated and output as the difference data of the flow rate every 2 seconds.

  The difference data is sequentially sent to the discrimination means and compared with the comparison judgment value registered in the storage means. When the difference value exceeds the comparison determination value, it is determined that the gas appliance has changed state. When a change is detected, in order to further determine which gas appliance is in what state, the discriminating means compares it with the comparative change value of each gas appliance registered in the memory means, Determine the state.

Since the activation of a gas appliance is determined based on the difference in the flow rate values, it is possible to determine the activation of a gas appliance relatively easily even if another gas appliance is activated while another gas appliance is already operating. It is.
JP 2002-71421 A

  By the way, using the gas meter device as described above, not only the used gas appliance is discriminated but also its application development technology is expected from the market.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide maintenance inspections and services in accordance with used instruments and how to use them, such as grasping the operation status of each gas instrument, using a gas meter device that measures a gas flow rate.

Gas appliance management system of the present invention is a gas appliance management system to determine the state of use of the gas appliance connected to the gas flow path, a flow rate measuring unit that measures a flow rate value of the gas flow path, the gas appliance an instrument registration section for storing determination information for determining the operating status of, by comparing the determination information and the measured flow rate value by the flow measuring unit to determine the operating status of the gas appliance, the operation status information It includes an operation determination unit for generating a management information storage unit for storing management information of the gas appliance, and a determination unit for determining the state of use of the gas appliance from the management information and the operation state information, the determination parts are we calculating the gas rates in accordance with the use state determination result of the gas appliance.

  According to the gas appliance management system of the present invention, it is possible to manage a gas appliance after discriminating a single or a plurality of gas appliances to be used, and finely adjust according to the usage situation such as the operating time of the gas appliance. It becomes possible to manage gas appliances. Therefore, it becomes possible to enhance the management system of gas appliances and promote the use of gas.

When a plurality of gas appliances are connected to the gas flow path, the operation determination unit may generate operation status information for each of the determined plurality of gas appliances. Since management is performed for different gas appliances, management according to the gas appliance is possible.

The gas appliance management system further includes a flow rate calculation unit that calculates a flow rate difference value corresponding to a time change rate of the flow rate value based on the flow rate value periodically measured a plurality of times by the flow rate measurement unit, The operation determination unit may be configured to generate the operation status information of the gas appliance by comparing the flow rate difference value and the determination information .

Furthermore, the determination unit compares the using the operation status information to calculate the total operating time of the gas appliance, the life operating time of the gas appliance stored in the management information storage unit and the total operation time it may be determined using state of the gas appliance and. This promotes safe use of gas appliances.

Furthermore, the determining unit discriminates the attribute information of the gas appliance from the operating condition information, the attribute information and the management information the gas appliance by comparing the registration information of the gas appliance stored in the storage unit The usage state may be determined .

It may be provided to further gas appliance management system storage memory for storing the operation status information. This improves usability. Furthermore, the flow rate measurement unit, the appliance registration unit, the operation determination unit, and the storage memory can be integrated into a gas meter device. Moreover, it can process so that the operation | movement of the said operation | movement determination part may be performed in the space | gap time of the operation | movement of the said flow measurement part measured periodically.

  By integrating the processing unit, it is possible to operate with a single microcomputer, and by performing the operation discriminating process during the gap time of the flow rate measuring unit operation, even if the discrimination processing becomes complicated and the processing time is extended, flow measurement The flow rate can be accurately measured without affecting the processing operation of the unit. In addition, the number of clocks of the microcomputer during processing of the flow rate measurement unit and processing of the operation discrimination unit can be changed, and in simple discrimination processing, the current consumption is reduced to reduce the current consumption, thereby extending the battery life. Can be achieved.

  Further, a configuration is adopted in which the flow rate measurement unit is incorporated in a gas meter device, and the instrument registration unit, the operation determination unit, and the storage memory are incorporated in a separate device capable of data communication with the gas meter device. Can do. By providing the appliance registration unit, the operation determination unit, and the storage memory in a separate device, the microcomputer of the gas meter device does not perform calculation processing such as operation determination, and the consumption of the battery can be suppressed. Battery life can be extended. Moreover, it can install in a house by setting it as a separate apparatus, and a user can manage the operation | movement condition of a gas appliance in a house, The convenience improves.

Moreover, you may provide the communication part which acquires the said operation condition information memorize | stored in the said storage memory of the said separate apparatus in at least any one of the said separate apparatus or the said gas meter apparatus. By providing the device registration unit, the operation determination unit, and the storage memory in a separate device, the result of the operation determination is stored in the separate device so that the information can also be obtained from the gas meter device. By configuring, the meter reading can acquire the operation status data for each instrument from outside the house and reflect it in the management of the gas instrument. In addition, in order to obtain the result of operation discrimination from a separate device installed in the house, the operation of each device is performed by transmitting information wirelessly from the separate device and communicating with the collection terminal device of the meter reader who is outdoors. The meter reading of the situation becomes possible.

Further, with the gas meter device is separate, and the gas meter device capable of data communication gas appliance management unit may be provided with the determination unit and the management information storage unit.

Moreover, you may provide the communication part which transmits the operating condition information of the said gas appliance outside via a network. The network connection with the external period further promotes the safe use of gas appliances.

Furthermore, the determination unit can set a gas fee based on the operation status information. Moreover, the said determination part can also set the security function setting value of the said gas appliance based on the said operation condition information.

  When the gas appliance management system described above is used in a gas supply system, it is possible to comprehensively grasp the gas usage status from the gas supply source to the household gas appliance. It can be used as consumer safety confirmation information or used for recovery status management in the event of a disaster. It can be used effectively as a system for realizing a safe gas supply system, not just for gas fee measures. be able to.

  According to the present invention, various gas appliance management systems can be selected, and the accuracy of management such as maintenance and inspection can be promoted when the gas appliance is used.

  FIG. 1 shows a gas appliance management system according to the present invention. The gas appliance management system includes a gas meter device 100, a collection terminal device 200, and a gas appliance management device (gas appliance management unit) 300. The gas meter device 100 is installed at the entrance of a gas supply pipe in each household, and measures the flow rate and amount of gas used as the fluid to be measured used in the gas appliances 400a, 400b, and 400c in the home. Here, the gas appliances 400a, 400b, and 400c are connected to a single gas flow path (one gas flow path from the outside). The collection terminal device 200 is composed of a handy terminal or the like possessed by an employee of a gas company visiting each home for gas meter reading, and receives the gas usage amount recorded in the gas meter device 100 by wireless communication. The gas appliance management device 300 is configured by a computer, a reader / writer, or the like installed in a gas company or the like, and after reading the gas usage amount for each household gas appliance recorded in the collection terminal device 200, the gas appliance To manage the driving situation.

  The gas meter device 100 includes a flow rate measurement unit 10, a flow rate calculation unit 20, an operation determination unit 30, an operation unit 40, a communication unit 60, a display unit 70, an appliance registration unit 80, and a gas flow path 90. Including. Further, the gas meter device 100 is provided in a gas supply pipe that supplies the gas G1 from the outside, and a pipe that supplies the gas G3 to the gas appliances 400a, 400b, and 400c installed in each household is connected to the downstream side thereof. Has been.

  The flow rate measuring unit 10 is provided in the gas flow path 90 in the gas meter device 100 and detects a gas flow rate (instantaneous flow rate). In this embodiment, an ultrasonic flow meter (ultrasonic flow meter) is used as described later. However, as a measurement method, other flow measurement methods can be performed in a constant cycle in a short time such as a fluidic method. Any continuous measurement can be used.

  The flow rate calculation unit 20 calculates a flow rate difference value corresponding to a change in gas flow rate based on the gas flow rate detection signal from the flow rate measurement unit 10. Further, the operation discriminating unit 30 discriminates specific values such as activated gas appliances, stopped gas appliances, etc. for each gas appliance based on the discrimination signal corresponding to the flow rate difference value from the flow rate calculating unit 20, Generate the operating status information for each appliance.

  The operation unit 40 includes an operation mechanism such as a switch, a button, and a touch panel provided outside the gas meter device 100. The operation unit 40 is a part for inputting a user operation, and a signal corresponding to the input operation is an operation determination unit. In response to this, the operation discriminating unit 30 discriminates information desired by the user.

  The storage memory 50 is a memory for storing operation status information (usage flow rate, operation time, etc.) corresponding to the operation status of each gas appliance generated by the operation determination unit 30. The communication unit 60 transmits the operation status information stored in the storage memory 50 to the external collection terminal device 200. The display unit 70 includes a liquid crystal panel that displays the operation status.

  The gas appliance registration unit 80 includes a storage device and a memory for registering identification information of gas appliances installed in the home. Although not shown, the gas meter device 100 further includes a seismic device, a battery serving as a power source for the entire gas meter device, and the like as necessary.

  Next, the gas flow measurement operation in the gas meter device 100 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of ultrasonic flow velocity measurement employed in the flow rate measurement unit 10 of the present embodiment. The gas channel 90 has a rectangular cross section, and a pair of ultrasonic transmitters / receivers 10a and 10b flows on the wall surface of the gas channel 90 that is perpendicular to the direction in which the gases G1 and G2 flow. They are mounted diagonally opposite each other at an angle φ on the upstream and downstream sides of the road. Ultrasonic waves are alternately transmitted and received between the ultrasonic transmitters / receivers 10a and 10b, and the difference between the propagation times of the ultrasonic waves in the forward direction and the reverse direction with respect to the flow of the fluid is measured at regular intervals to generate a propagation time difference signal. . Based on this propagation time difference signal, the instantaneous gas flow rate is detected.

In FIG. 2, L is a measurement distance defined between the ultrasonic transmitters and receivers, where t1 is the transmission time from the upstream, t2 is the transmission time from the downstream, and C is the speed of sound.
(Expression 1) V = L / 2 cos φ ((1 / t1) − (1 / t2)).

  The measurement time interval can be set within a range where ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received. Since the time that varies depending on the activation and control differs depending on the gas appliance, reducing the measurement time interval is advantageous in that the appliance discrimination is performed instantaneously, but if the measurement interval is shortened, battery consumption increases. Further, when the measurement interval is a two-digit order interval equivalent to the membrane type used in the conventional gas meter, it is difficult to judge by looking at the difference in flow rate change. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, when a normal gas appliance is not used, periodic measurement is performed at intervals of 2 seconds, the difference value is taken to determine the activation of the gas appliance, and the measurement interval is started after the gas appliance is activated. Control to shorten the time. It is possible to further reduce the time interval.

  Next, a basic procedure for determining the operating state of the gas appliance will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing basic processing relating to determination of use of a gas appliance.

  The flow rate measurement unit 10 of the gas meter device 100 measures the gas flow rate value every 2 seconds as described above (step S101). The measured flow rate value is a so-called instantaneous flow rate (amount passing through the measurement point in a short time), but the flow rate measurement unit 10 sends the flow rate value measured every 2 seconds to the flow rate calculation unit 20. And the flow volume calculating part 20 calculates the difference value of the variation | change_quantity of the flow volume value after 2 second (step S102). That is, the flow rate calculation unit 20 differentiates the plurality of measured flow rate values and calculates a flow rate difference value (difference data) every 2 seconds.

  Next, the operation determination unit 30 compares the calculated flow rate difference value with the comparison determination value (determination information) for each gas appliance registered in the appliance registration unit 80 (step S103). And when it determines with a flow volume difference value being larger than a comparison determination value (step S103; YES), the operation | movement discrimination | determination part 30 determines that the gas appliance started (step S104). On the other hand, when it determines with a flow volume difference value being smaller than a comparison determination value (step S103; NO), the process after step S102 is performed again.

  Note that the comparison determination value (determination information) here is a flow rate difference value specific to the gas appliance that is obtained in advance, and is registered in the appliance registration unit 80 by input from the operation unit 40 when the gas appliance is installed. The

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S104 that an arbitrary gas appliance has been activated, the operation determination unit 30 further compares the flow rate difference value for each gas appliance registered in the appliance registration unit 80, and the activated gas appliance is activated. (Step S105), and operation status information is generated. Thereafter, the determination ends in a special case such as when the power of the gas meter device 100 is turned off (step S106; NO), and in the normal case, the determination continues (step S106; YES).

  During the gap time of the periodic measurement operation (2-second interval) in step S101, the flow rate calculation unit 20 and the operation determination unit 30 can perform the processing of step S102 to step S106. Even if the discrimination process becomes complicated and the processing time is extended, the flow rate measurement can be performed with high accuracy without affecting the processing operation of the flow rate measurement unit 10. In addition, the number of clocks of the microcomputer during the processing of the flow rate measuring unit 10 and the processing of the operation discriminating unit 30 can be changed. In simple discrimination processing, the current consumption is reduced by reducing the current consumption by reducing the clock current. Life can be extended.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing a change in gas flow rate (instantaneous flow rate) and difference value with the passage of time when an actual gas appliance is used. A solid line indicates the flow rate value of the gas measured by the flow rate measuring unit 10, and a broken line indicates a differential value at that time, that is, a flow rate difference value obtained every 2 seconds. The difference value is expressed with a peak on the plus side when the gas appliance is started, and is expressed with a peak on the minus side when the gas appliance is stopped.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing the flow rate value and the flow rate difference value when the three gas appliances A, B, and C (corresponding to the gas appliances 400a, 400b, and 400c) are used at the same time. It can be confirmed that the change at the stop is read.

  Next, a specific example of gas appliance discrimination will be described with reference to FIGS.

  For example, when the flow rate used is in a low flow rate range, there are many gas appliances used. Therefore, it is difficult to identify a gas appliance only by a differential flow rate corresponding to the absolute amount of gas used by a specific gas appliance. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the gas appliance to be used is determined based on the behavior of the differential flow rate. As a specific example, an example of using a gas having the flow rate change characteristic of FIG. 6 is shown. In this example, the use of the gas fan heater as the gas appliance 400a is started at time T1, and thereafter the use of the gas stove as the gas appliance 400b is started at time T2. At time T3, the heating power of the gas stove is adjusted to the low flow rate side, the gas fan heater 400a is stopped at time T4, and the gas stove 400b is stopped at time T5. Such a flow value is detected by the flow measuring unit 10.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the change of the flow rate difference value calculated by the flow rate calculation unit 20 is shown in FIG. In this figure, the flow rate difference value Qs is a gas appliance activation condition value, and when the absolute value of the flow rate difference value at a predetermined time is greater than Qs, the operation determination unit 30 determines that some gas appliance has been activated. The flow rate difference value Qe is a gas appliance stop condition value. When the absolute value of the flow rate difference value at a predetermined time is greater than Qe, the operation determination unit 30 determines that some gas appliance has stopped.

  In this example, at time T1, based on the fact that the flow rate difference value is larger than the gas appliance activation condition value Qs and the rise is gentle, the operation determination unit 30 determines that the activation gas appliance is a gas fan heater. Further, at time T2, based on the fact that the flow rate difference value is larger than the gas appliance activation condition value Qs and the rise is abrupt, the operation determination unit 30 determines that the activation gas appliance is a gas stove.

  That is, the operation discriminating unit 30 uses the flow rate difference value calculated by the flow rate calculating unit 20 based on the flow rate value and the gas appliances (a) and (b) (gas fan heater and gas stove) registered in advance in the appliance registration unit 80. Is compared with the flow rate difference value at the time of starting, and by confirming that it matches any of the values, it is determined whether the started gas appliance is a fan heater or a gas stove. The value (flow rate difference value) registered in the appliance registration unit 80 is a condition stored in advance in the appliance registration unit 80, and the degree of rise (gradual adjustment) of the flow rate difference value is set numerically. It is what. These conditions are rewritten and used as appropriate conditions in each home.

  Moreover, although it is detected that the flow rate difference value falls at time T3, since the absolute value of the flow rate difference value is smaller than the gas appliance stop condition value Qe, the operation determination unit 30 does not determine that the appliance is stopped.

  At time T4, since the absolute value of the flow rate difference value exceeds the gas appliance stop condition value Qe, it is determined that one of the gas appliances has stopped. Here, it is determined which device has stopped from the gas fan heater and the gas stove, which are the use starting devices that have been determined to be used first.

  Here, since the heating power of the gas stove is adjusted in the middle, it is very difficult to determine which gas appliance is based only on the differential flow rate at the fall. Accordingly, when the flow rate value measured at the next measurement time (detected by the flow rate measurement unit 10) is seen, it can be seen that the absolute flow rate value flows at a very low flow rate of Q4. Since this flow rate is a small flow rate that is generated only when the heating power of the gas stove is reduced (this value is also set as a determination condition), it can be seen that the gas stove is used between times T4 and T5.

  Therefore, the operation stopped at the time T4 removes the gas stove that has moved from the start determined to the end, so that the operation determination unit 30 determines that the stopped device is a gas fan heater. be able to.

  Further, at time T5, the flow rate difference value falls small, but since it does not exceed the gas appliance stop condition value Qe, it is not determined as a stop appliance. However, since the subsequent measured flow rate is zero, the operation determination unit 30 determines that all the gas appliances that have started operation have stopped. And it determines with the gas stove having stopped at time T5 from the remaining starting gas appliances.

  As described above, the operation determination unit 30 can specify the appliance based on the measured flow rate value after the stop, and can select the start gas appliance to determine the stop gas appliance.

  Moreover, the operation | movement discrimination | determination part 30 can specify how each gas appliance was used. In this example, the operation discriminating unit 30 associates that the use time zone of the gas fan heater is from time T1 to time T4 and that the use time zone of the gas stove is from time T2 to time T5.

  And the operation | movement discrimination | determination part 30 is by multiplying the difference flow rate Q1 at the time of start, the average flow value of the difference flow rate at the time of a stop (Q3-Q4), and the time when the instrument was used, ie, the time of T4-T1. Thus, the flow rate of the gas fan heater can be obtained approximately. That is, the use flow rate Q of the gas fan heater is obtained from Q = (Q1 + Q3-Q4) / 2 * (T4-T1).

  Moreover, in the case of a gas stove, it can obtain | require by the value which deducted the flow value of the gas fan heater from the total integrated flow from the condition that the flow volume is changing in the middle and that two gas appliances were operating. .

  Thus, the operation determination unit 30 can calculate the gas flow rate used by each gas appliance individually by clarifying the usage time of each gas appliance.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the contents stored in the storage memory 50. The storage memory 50 stores the flow rate used (m ³ ), the operation time (h), and the number of operations as the operation status information of each gas appliance in January. Such operation status information is determined and stored in the storage memory 50 every time the gas appliance activated by the operation determination unit 30 is specified, as described above.

  Next, a configuration of the gas appliance management apparatus 300 and a gas appliance management method using the gas appliance management system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The gas charge calculation device 300 includes a communication unit 310, a determination unit 320, a display unit 330, and a management information storage unit 340. Although the communication part 310 is a part which acquires the information (especially operation status information shown in FIG. 8) of the gas meter apparatus 100 from the collection terminal apparatus 200, it is not essential to go through the collection terminal apparatus 200, for example, the gas meter apparatus 100 Information can be obtained directly from the communication unit 60 of the above. The determination unit 320 is a part for determining the operation state and state of the gas appliance based on the acquired information, and the display unit 330 displays determination result information regarding the state of the gas appliance. The management information storage unit 340 is a part that stores information necessary for determining the state of the gas appliance. This will be described later.

  Various determination modes related to the state of the gas appliance determined by the gas appliance management apparatus 300 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 13. The state of the gas appliance obtained in the present invention is information for determining whether or not the gas appliance can be further operated and used (operation availability information). Such information includes maintenance management, replacement of the gas appliance, and the like. Application to security such as notification is possible. However, the application field is not particularly limited to security, and can be applied to a user's preference survey by grasping the use state.

  FIG. 9 shows an example in which the total operation time is determined for each gas appliance, and the state of the gas appliance is determined for each gas appliance with reference to the total operation time. Here, the total operation time of each of the gas appliance a, the gas appliance b, and the gas appliance c is determined to be 900 hours, 9720 hours, and 1416 hours.

  When acquiring the operation status information from the communication unit 310, the determination unit 320 refers to the past operation time of each gas appliance stored in the management information storage unit 340, and calculates the total operation time. Furthermore, the management information storage unit 340 stores the lifetime operation time of each gas appliance in advance. And the determination part 320 compares the total operation time and lifetime operation time, and determines the state of each gas appliance. Here, the states of the gas appliance a, the gas appliance b, and the gas appliance c are determined as good (◯), replacement period (Δ), and immediately after replacement (交換), respectively. Such a determination is made based on the difference between the total operation time and the lifetime operation time. With such a configuration, it is possible to quickly determine whether the operation is possible for each gas appliance.

  FIG. 10 shows an example in which the state of the gas appliance is determined for each gas appliance based on a predetermined registration condition for discrimination. Here, four registration conditions (1) to (4) are stored in the management information storage unit 340, and the state of the gas appliance is determined based on whether or not the registration conditions are satisfied. In the gas appliance a, since all the conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, the state is determined as “good”. In the gas appliance b, the conditions (1), (3), and (4) are satisfied, but since the condition (2) is not satisfied, the state is determined to be “abnormal”. Further, in the gas appliance c, since only the two conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, it is doubtful whether the target appliance is the gas appliance c, but the state is determined as “abnormal”. This indicates that the flow rate pattern of the gas appliance has become different from the initial flow rate registration information, and because the gas appliance has become old, it is estimated that the difference has occurred, and is judged to be abnormal. It is doing. This is an example of determining the age when information different from registered information is obtained.

  FIG. 11 shows an example in which the setting function of the security function setting value of the gas appliance is changed for each gas appliance based on a predetermined registration condition for determination. In this example, the continuous use time as the security function set value of the gas appliance is changed based on the determination results (operation time and four registration conditions) of FIGS. 9 and 10. In the gas appliance a, the continuous use time is not changed for 1 hour because the state of the gas appliance is determined to be “good”, but the continuous use time of each of the gas appliance b and the gas appliance c is the same as that of the gas appliance. Since the state is determined as “abnormal”, the time is changed from 2 hours and 5 hours to 1 hour and 2 hours, respectively. With such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably improve the security of the gas appliance that is determined to be abnormal.

  In addition, when it was judged as “abnormal”, we explained the mechanism to shorten the continuous use time, but instead of shutting off the gas immediately, we notify the management center, inform the gas user, It can also be displayed on the display part of the gas meter. If the continuous use time is limited and the gas is shut off, it can be automatically restored. For example, when one condition such as the instrument b is different from the judgment, the gas is automatically restored, and when two conditions are different as the instrument c, the gas is shut off so that the manual reset is performed. You can also choose how to return.

  FIG. 12A shows an example in which a discount rate is set for each gas appliance, and a gas fee is calculated for each gas appliance with reference to the discount rate. Here, the discount rates for the gas appliance a, the gas appliance b, and the gas appliance c are set to 20%, 50%, and 0%. Such a discount rate is stored in the management information storage unit 340 for each gas appliance. Is remembered.

  When the determination unit 320 obtains the operation status information from the communication unit 310, the determination unit 320 refers to the discount rate of each gas appliance stored in the management information storage unit 340, and as shown in FIG. Is calculated. In such a configuration, it is possible to discount the gas charge for each gas appliance, and it is possible to construct a fine charge system.

  FIG. 12B shows an example in which a discount rate is set for each operating time of each gas appliance, and a gas fee is calculated for each gas appliance with reference to the discount rate. Here, the discount rates for the gas appliance a, the gas appliance b, and the gas appliance c are set to 10%, 50%, and 30%, respectively. Such discount rates are stored in the management information storage unit 340. Is calculated from the discount rate. That is, the management information storage unit 340 stores a discount rate of 50% discount if the operation time exceeds 100 hours, 30% discount for 50 to 100 hours, and 10% discount for 50 hours or less.

  When the determination unit 320 acquires the operation status information from the communication unit 310, the determination unit 320 refers to the discount rate for each operation time described above stored in the management information storage unit 340, and after discounting as illustrated in FIG. Calculate gas charges. In such a configuration, the use of gas is promoted by discounting the gas fee according to the operation time, and in particular, the discount rate increases as the operation time increases.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 9 to FIG. 11, when the replacement period (Δ) or “abnormal” is judged, the user can not replace or repair the user by not applying the gas fee discount. Can raise awareness. And by using a safe gas appliance, it can recognize that it can be made a low gas charge, and it can be set as the mechanism which can perform exchange of a gas appliance smoothly. Furthermore, if the discount rate is increased by replacing the gas appliance with a new one, the replacement of the gas appliance is further promoted, and a gas supply system with less accidents can be achieved with the new gas appliance.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 1, the gas appliance management apparatus 300 transmits the operation status information of a gas appliance to the exterior from the communication part 310 via the internet 500 as a network. The other terminals 600a and 600b receive the operation status information via the Internet 500. These other terminals are installed at gas appliance manufacturers, public organizations such as various industrial associations, and other organizations, and operating status information is also sent to such organizations for maintenance and development of gas appliances. Used.

  In the above-described example, the flow rate calculation unit 20, the operation determination unit 30, the operation unit 40, the communication unit 60, the display unit 70, and the appliance registration unit 80 are connected to the flow rate measurement unit 10, the gas flow path 90, and the like. In addition, the gas meter device 100 is integrally provided. However, the flow rate calculation unit 20, the operation determination unit 30, the operation unit 40, the communication unit 60, the display unit 70, and the instrument registration unit 80 are provided in a device (such as a PC) that is separate from the gas meter device 100. In addition, it is not always necessary to provide everything in the gas meter device 100 as in this embodiment.

  FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the gas appliance management system of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the flow rate measurement unit 10 is incorporated in the gas meter device 100, and the instrument registration unit 80, the operation determination unit 30, and the separate device 700 capable of data communication with the gas meter device 100 by wired or wireless communication. The configuration in which the storage memory 50 is incorporated is adopted. By providing the device registration unit 80, the operation determination unit 30, and the storage memory 50 in the separate device 700, the microcomputer of the gas meter device 100 does not perform operation processing such as operation determination, and the consumption of the battery can be suppressed. The battery life of the gas meter device 100 can be extended. Moreover, it can install in a house by setting it as a separate apparatus, and a user can confirm the operation condition of a gas appliance in a house, and the convenience improves.

  FIG. 14 shows still another embodiment of the gas charge calculation system of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the memory device 110 and the communication unit 120 are also provided in the gas meter device 100. Then, the operation status information stored in the storage memory 50 of the separate device 700 can be stored in the storage memory 110. With this configuration, the operation status information can also be acquired from the gas meter device 100 via the communication unit 120, and the meter reader acquires the operation status data for each instrument from outside the house and reflects it in the management of the gas instrument. Can be made. In addition, in order to obtain the result of the operation determination from the separate device 700 installed in the home, information is transmitted from the separate device wirelessly and communicated to the collection terminal device of the meter reader who is outdoors. The meter reading of the operation status becomes possible.

  In addition, by registering the device model number, manufacturing serial number, etc., as device registration information, device management can be performed more reliably, and even if an accident occurs, the location of the device is clear. So you can take action quickly.

  Moreover, it is also possible to charge these management information as a device management business. Gas operators and gas appliance manufacturers have to constantly perform road surveys on where and what appliances are used, and it is very difficult. It is the actual situation that it corresponds each time. And even if it corresponded each time, only a part of information could be accumulated as data, and a wide range of analysis such as national level and multi-model level could not be done. If such a gas appliance management system can be made, it can be used for analysis of accidents and analysis of sales activities based on such information, and it will be very meaningful information and will be worth paying for.

  By incorporating the gas appliance management system of the present invention into the gas supply system corresponding to the configuration from the gas supply source to the home gas appliance, the gas appliance information can be comprehensively grasped on the gas supply side, for example, by appliance It can expand the use of gas and maintain the safe use, such as a gas fee system and a security system for each gas appliance. In addition to maintaining the safety of gas supply, it can be used as safety confirmation information for domestic consumers and used for recovery status management in the event of a disaster. It can be effectively used as a system for realizing a simple gas supply system.

  Moreover, since the magnitude of the difference value due to the change in the state of the gas appliance is changed by changing the measurement interval of the flow rate measurement unit 10, a plurality of comparison judgment values are prepared in advance to change the measurement interval of the flow rate measurement unit. Correspondingly, by changing the comparison determination value, it is possible to reduce misidentification of determination as much as possible by changing the measurement time.

  Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, the present invention is not limited to the matters shown in the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art may modify or apply the description based on the description of the specification and well-known techniques. The present invention is intended to be included in the scope for which protection is sought.

  According to the gas appliance management system of the present invention, it becomes possible to manage the gas appliance after determining the use gas appliance and the usage state of the gas appliance, and it is possible to respond to various requests of the user. Use promotion is planned.

The block diagram of the gas appliance management system containing the gas meter apparatus in embodiment of this invention Configuration diagram of a flow rate measurement unit in an embodiment of the present invention The flowchart of the gas appliance discrimination | determination operation | movement in embodiment of this invention Characteristics of flow rate and calculated value in the embodiment of the present invention Characteristics of flow rate and calculated value in the embodiment of the present invention Example of time change of gas flow rate detected by flow measurement unit The figure which shows the flow volume difference value calculated in the flow volume calculating part based on the gas flow volume shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example of the operation condition information memorize | stored in the memory | storage memory in embodiment of this invention The figure which shows embodiment which discriminate | determines the state of a gas appliance by comparing a total operation time and lifetime operation time. The figure which shows embodiment which discriminates the state of a gas appliance by discriminating predetermined registration conditions. The figure which shows embodiment which changes the setting value (continuous use time) of a safety function from an operation time and the state of a gas appliance. FIG. 12A is a diagram showing an example in which a discount rate is set for each gas appliance and the gas fee is calculated, and FIG. 12B is a diagram in which a discount rate is set for each operation time of the gas appliance and the gas fee is calculated. Figure showing an example of calculating The figure which shows other embodiment of a gas appliance management system The figure which shows other embodiment of a gas appliance management system. Discrimination method conceptual diagram of a conventional gas meter device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Flow measurement part 20 Operation | movement discrimination | determination part 30 Flow calculation part 40 Operation part 50 Memory | storage memory 60 Communication part 70 Display part 80 Instrument registration part 90 Gas flow path 100 Gas meter apparatus 200 Collection terminal apparatus 300 Gas appliance management apparatus 310 Communication part 320 Determination part 330 Display Unit 340 Management Information Storage Unit 700 Separate Device

Claims (15)

A gas appliance management system to determine the use states of the connected gas appliances in the gas flow path,
A flow rate measuring unit for measuring a flow rate value of the gas flow path;
An instrument registration section for storing determination information for determining the operating status of the gas appliance,
By comparing the determination information and rate value measured by the flow measuring unit to determine the operating status of the gas appliance, the operation determination unit for generating an operation status information,
A management information storage unit for storing the management information of the gas appliance;
A determination unit determining a use state of the gas appliance from the management information and the operation status information,
Equipped with a,
The determination unit, the gas appliance management system that calculates the gas fee in accordance with the use state determination result of the gas appliance. The gas appliance management system according to claim 1,
When a plurality of gas appliances are connected to the gas flow path, the operation determination unit is a gas appliance management system that generates operation status information of each of the determined plurality of gas appliances. The gas appliance management system according to claim 1 or 2,
A flow rate calculation unit that calculates a flow rate difference value corresponding to a time change rate of the flow rate value based on a flow rate value periodically measured by the flow rate measurement unit a plurality of times,
The said operation determination part is a gas appliance management system which compares the said flow volume difference value and the said determination information, and produces | generates the operation status information of a gas appliance. A gas appliance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The determination unit
Calculate the total operation time of the gas appliance using the operation status information,
Gas appliance management system to determine the use states of the total operation time and the management information by comparing the life operating time of the gas appliance stored in the storage unit the gas appliance. A gas appliance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The determination unit
Determine the attribute information of the gas appliance from the operation status information,
Gas appliance management system to determine the state of use of the gas appliance by comparing the registration information of the gas appliance stored in the management information storage unit and the attribute information. A gas appliance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A gas appliance management system further comprising a storage memory for storing the operation status information. The gas appliance management system according to claim 6,
A gas appliance management system in which the flow rate measurement unit, the appliance registration unit, the operation determination unit, and the storage memory are integrated in a gas meter device. The gas appliance management system according to claim 7,
A gas appliance management system that performs processing so that the operation of the operation determination unit is performed during the gap time of the operation of the flow rate measurement unit that is periodically measured. The gas appliance management system according to claim 6,
A gas appliance management system in which the flow rate measurement unit is incorporated in a gas meter device, and the appliance registration unit, the operation determination unit, and the storage memory are incorporated in a separate device capable of data communication with the gas meter device. A gas appliance management system according to claim 9, wherein
At least one is gas appliance management system comprising a communication unit configured to acquire the operation status information stored in the storage memory of the further body apparatus of the further body apparatus or the gas meter device. The gas appliance management system according to claim 7,
Wherein the gas meter device is separate, and the gas meter device capable of data communication gas appliance management apparatus, the management information accumulating section and the determination section has gas appliance management system comprising a. A gas appliance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A gas appliance management system comprising a communication unit that transmits operation status information of the gas appliance to the outside via a network. A gas appliance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The determination unit is a gas appliance management system that sets a gas fee based on the operation status information. A gas appliance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
The said determination part is a gas appliance management system which sets the security function setting value of the said gas appliance based on the said operation condition information.   A gas supply system using the gas appliance management system according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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