JP5076506B2 - Flow measuring device and program thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention is installed at the entrance of a gas supply pipe in each home, and is used to provide a new fee and service according to the usage equipment such as a separate fee for gas equipment, etc. in a gas meter for measuring the gas flow rate. The present invention relates to a technology for discriminating and detecting a gas appliance inside.

  Conventionally, as an example of this type of flow rate measuring apparatus, there is a configuration as shown below (for example, see 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 structure 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. Then, the following proposals have been made as a method for discriminating a specific instrument (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP 2002-71421 A JP 2003-149027 A

  However, in the conventional configuration, it is necessary to store and hold a series of gas flow patterns of gas appliances in order to perform appliance discrimination. However, when there are many gas appliances to be used, the amount of data increases and comparison discrimination is performed. Therefore, it takes time, and the apparatus for the determination becomes expensive, and the cost of the gas meter itself is increased. Furthermore, when multiple gas appliances are used at the same time, it is necessary to prepare a gas flow rate pattern assuming the combination, and the amount of the combination becomes enormous, so it is very difficult to distinguish between multiple gas appliances. It had the problem that.

  In addition, even in the case of comparison of only difference values, the flow measurement device must know which difference is calculated for each gas appliance, so this new gas appliance is introduced each time a new gas appliance is introduced to the market. It is necessary to incorporate in the flow measurement device which difference value is applied to the instrument. Then, every time a new gas appliance is put on the market, it is necessary to replace the control board of the flow rate measuring device or rewrite the program written on the control board, which is complicated for the gas company. End up.

  Further, when the flow meter is notified of which difference is to be used, it is necessary for the gas appliance to communicate with the flow meter, and if a communication means is added to the gas appliance, the configuration becomes complicated. When the cost rises and the flow measuring device tries to determine which difference data is to be acquired from the difference data when one gas appliance is operating, the difference of the gas appliance unique to the other gas appliance cannot be obtained. Since the flow measurement device has to judge the feature, the calculation becomes complicated and detailed information on the difference must be registered. This requires a lot of computing resources.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and enables discrimination of a plurality of instruments. Further, even when a new instrument is put on the market, it is not necessary to replace the board or rewrite the program.

In order to solve the conventional problems, the flow measurement device and the program thereof according to the present invention include a flow measurement device that measures a flow rate at a constant time interval, an instrument information storage unit that stores a determination value , A first computing unit that calculates a difference value between the flow rate value output from the flow rate measuring unit and the flow rate value measured by the flow rate measuring unit a predetermined time before each measurement ; and a positive first time than before the predetermined time flow rate becomes larger than the threshold value, the absolute value of the difference value after the first time with the flow rate of the second time is smaller than the positive threshold A second calculating means for calculating a first flow rate difference, and comparing the first flow rate difference with the determination value to determine an appliance connected downstream of the flow rate measuring means and activated at the first time; It is assumed that the device has a device discrimination means Effects can be obtained in the following it.

  That is, it is possible to discriminate an instrument that has been activated within a few seconds after the instrument starts operating. This is applicable not only when one device is operated, but also when two or more devices are operated. Moreover, since the object to be compared can be uniformly maintained in any instrument, it is not necessary to change the difference value to be compared with the instrument, and the activated instrument can be identified with a simple algorithm.

Since the algorithm for specifying the instrument is simpler than the flow rate pattern matching, the flow measuring device of the present invention can reduce the cost of the instrument required for discrimination. Further, since the discrimination when another gas appliance is operated while using the gas appliance is focused on the difference value of the flow rate value, the appliance can be specified even when a plurality of appliances are operated. Furthermore, a specific difference value is
A flow measurement device that determines which difference value is calculated for each instrument in order to determine the instrument using the difference between the flow rate immediately before exceeding a predetermined positive threshold value and the flow rate when it again falls below the positive threshold value Therefore, it is possible to have a high discrimination ability with a simple algorithm for appliance discrimination.

  This improves the reliability of appliance discrimination, enables the provision of new services such as the setting of gas charges corresponding to the equipment used, and the optimal setting of safety settings for equipment used. To do.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate measuring device for measuring a flow rate at regular time intervals, an instrument information storage unit for storing a determination value, a flow rate value output from the flow rate measuring unit, and a predetermined time before said first calculating means for calculating a difference value between the flow rate value measured by the measuring means for each of the measurement, the predetermined time than the first time when the difference value is larger than a predetermined positive threshold the previous flow, and second calculating means for calculating a first flow rate difference between the flow rate of the second time that the absolute value of the difference value after the first time is smaller than the positive threshold, By comparing the first flow rate difference with the determination value, and having a device discrimination unit that is connected to the downstream side of the flow rate measurement unit and that is activated at the first time, the following is provided. An effect can be obtained.

  It can discriminate an instrument that has been activated within a few seconds after the instrument has started to operate. This is applicable not only when one device is operated, but also when two or more devices are operated. Moreover, since the object to be compared can be uniformly maintained in any instrument, it is not necessary to change the difference value to be compared with the instrument, and the activated instrument can be identified with a simple algorithm.

  Furthermore, the time from the start of the flow rate change at the start-up to the stabilization varies depending on the instrument. For this reason, it is impossible to measure the activation flow rate of the instrument simply by a difference value from the predetermined time N (fixed value). In addition, if the value of N is variable for each device (for example, 4 seconds, 6 seconds, 8 seconds), it is possible to always respond to the devices with different time until stabilization, 4 seconds, 6 seconds, 8 seconds. Since the previous difference value has to be calculated, it is not efficient just by increasing the amount of calculation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the second calculation means according to claim 1 is configured to determine the flow rate before the predetermined time from the third time when the difference value becomes smaller than a predetermined negative threshold , and the third After the time, the second flow rate difference with the flow rate at the fourth time when the difference value has become larger than the negative threshold is calculated, and the appliance discriminating means calculates the second flow rate difference and the judgment value. The following effects can be obtained by comparing and determining the appliance connected to the downstream side of the flow rate measuring means and stopped at the third time.

That is, when the instrument is stopped, the flow rate changes as in the start of operation. Moreover, a gas table, a gas stove, etc. will use a certain fixed gas (a fixed flow rate will flow), unless a person operates when starting operation. Therefore, the flow rate is stable (the absolute value of the difference value is within a predetermined positive and negative threshold range), and the flow rate changes due to the stop from the flow rate at the third time (the difference value becomes negative). The stopped instrument can be identified by comparing the flow rate difference with the flow rate at the fourth time that has become stable again and the determination value registered in the instrument information storage means. This is applicable not only when one device is operated, but also when two or more devices are operated.

For example, when the operation of another instrument is started or stopped at the start of operation of a certain instrument (the change in flow rate occurs), the difference value indicates the sum of the changes in the flow rates of the two instruments. Depending on how the changes overlap, there is a possibility that the device cannot be identified or erroneously identified. Therefore, by analyzing the flow rate change at the time of stopping the equipment, it is possible not only to specify the starting time of equipment that could not be determined at startup, but also to correct mistakenly determined things. Become.

  Furthermore, instead of simply using the difference value of the predetermined time interval, the change flow rate is calculated in consideration of all the flow rate changes caused by the stop of the device, so even if there are multiple devices operating at close flow rates It is possible to identify an instrument that has stopped accurately.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the second calculation means according to claim 1 is configured to determine the flow rate before the predetermined time from the third time when the difference value becomes smaller than a predetermined negative threshold , and the third After the time , the third flow rate difference with the flow rate at the fourth time, which is the next measurement time of the flow rate measurement at the time when the difference value becomes the minimum value , is calculated. The following effects can be obtained by comparing the difference with the determination value and determining an appliance connected to the downstream side of the flow rate measuring means and stopped at the third time.

  It will be described by taking as an example a case where one instrument using 100 [L / h] gas is stopped. This instrument shall stop at time x. Then, ideally, before time x, the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means is 100 [L / h], and after time x, the flow rate is 0 [L / h]. However, in actuality, the flow rate change at the time of stopping is not instantaneously performed, and it takes some time until the flow rate becomes 0 [L / h]. For example, the measured value at time x is 20 [L / h], and is 0 [L / h] at the next flow rate measurement (time: y) after time x. Then, when trying to wait for the flow rate to stabilize, it waits until the next measurement from time y (time: z), and after confirming that the flow rate has been stabilized, the stopped appliance is specified. In other words, the timing for performing the stop determination may be delayed by several seconds from the time x.

  In addition, if an attempt is made to discriminate a stopped device based only on the difference value at time x, it is determined that the stopped device is operating at 80 [L / h], which contributes to a cause of erroneous determination. .

Therefore, the measured flow rate is stabilized by identifying the stopped device using the flow rate difference between the flow rate at the fourth time, which is the measurement time next to the time at which the difference value is minimum, and the flow rate at the third time. You don't have to wait until you do.

  When the flow rate change resulting from one device is occurring, the device discrimination means of the present invention cannot take into account the flow rate change of other devices until the device that caused the flow rate change is identified. That is, the flow rate change of other instruments is ignored. Therefore, reducing the time required for discrimination as much as possible contributes to reducing the time for ignoring changes in the flow rate of other instruments.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the appliance discriminating means of the flow rate measuring device according to claim 2 or 3 is connected to the downstream side of the flow rate measuring means, and there is no candidate for the appliance activated at the first time. Only in the case, the following effects can be obtained by comparing the second or third flow rate difference with the determination value to determine the appliance.

Many of the appliances perform temperature adjustment and thermal power adjustment, and few appliances continue the flow rate at the point where the operation is started. In addition, when the instrument is stopped, the gas is only shut off on the instrument side, so that it is difficult to find the characteristics of each instrument. Therefore, there is a possibility of erroneous determination if the appliance is specified by the flow rate when the appliance is stopped. Therefore, limiting the discrimination at the time of stopping to only the flow rate change that could not be discriminated at startup increases the opportunity to identify the appliance, and it can discriminate if it is an appliance that does not change the flow rate from the startup. Can be improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the appliance discriminating unit according to claim 2 or 3 performs only the stop discrimination of the specific appliance when the operation of the specific appliance is discriminated, and before and after starting the specific appliance. When the latter is larger, it is determined that another device has been activated while the specific device is operating, and the second or third flow difference calculated after the specific device is stopped The following effects can be obtained by comparing the judgment value and discriminating the instrument activated during the operation of the specific instrument.

  That is, when a water heater or the like is a specific instrument, the water heater is a device having a large flow rate change after activation. The change in the flow rate may erroneously determine that another device has been started or stopped by mistake. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary misidentification by determining only the stop of the specific instrument while the specific instrument is operating. On the other hand, however, the accuracy of discrimination is deteriorated by ignoring the flow rate change of other instruments while the specific instrument is operating. Therefore, for instruments that may have been activated during the period when the flow rate change is ignored, by identifying the instrument using the flow rate change when the instrument stops, increasing the opportunity to identify the instrument and improving the discrimination accuracy Can do.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the flow rate measuring device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, the second flow rate difference, the third flow rate difference, and the first flow rate difference are By providing a registration means for registering as a determination value, the following effects can be obtained.

  Even if a new appliance is put on the market by registering it as the determination value from the appliance to be used and the appliance discriminating means discriminating it using the value, the control board replacement and program of the flow rate measuring device There is no need to rewrite. Moreover, it is possible to deal with different types of appliances, the number of appliances, and appliance manufacturers.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the flow rate measuring means of the flow rate measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is an instrument at the moment when the flow rate changes due to the configuration using the ultrasonic flowmeter as the instantaneous flow rate measuring means. The discrimination operation and the learning operation can be activated, and the appliance discrimination accuracy can be improved by capturing the flow rate change finely.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, a program for causing a computer to execute at least a part of the flow rate measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 can be easily realized by a personal computer or the like. The use of a recording medium on which the software is recorded makes it easy to install software at the home of each user.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a flow rate measuring apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a flow rate measuring device, which is provided in the middle of a gas supply pipe, and one or more gas appliances installed in each customer's house are connected to the downstream pipe. Inside the flow rate measuring device, a gas shut-off valve 2 provided in a gas flow path connected to a gas pipe, a flow rate measuring means 3, a display means 4 for displaying the used gas flow rate, and vibrations such as earthquakes are detected. The seismic instrument 5, the instrument discriminating means 6 for discriminating the instrument according to the present invention, the first computing means 7, the second computing means 8, the registering means 10, A control circuit 11 that performs overall control of the appliance discriminating function and the security function and a battery (not shown) that serves as a power source for the control circuit 11 are incorporated.

  Here, the operation of the flow rate measuring means 3 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the measurement channel 12 has a rectangular cross section, and a pair of ultrasonic transmitters and receivers 13, 14 are sandwiched between the measurement channel 12 and a wall surface perpendicular to the gas flow direction of the measurement channel 12. The upstream side and the downstream side of the flow path are mounted to face each other at an angle φ. The function of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves alternately between the ultrasonic transmitters / receivers 13 and 14, measuring the difference in the propagation time of ultrasonic waves in the forward direction and the reverse direction with respect to the flow of the fluid, and outputting the difference as a propagation time difference signal. have. In response to this propagation time difference signal, the calculation means (not shown) calculates the flow velocity and flow rate of the fluid to be measured.

  The calculation formula is shown below.

In FIG. 2, L is a measurement distance, where t1 is the transmission time from the upstream, t2 is the transmission time from the downstream, and C is the sound velocity, the flow velocity V at time T of the measurement point is
Formula (1) V = (L / 2 cosφ) ((1 / t1) − (1 / t2))
It is. In addition, the gas flowing in the measurement flow path suddenly changes depending on the point at which the flow velocity is measured, so it may be larger or smaller than the flow velocity seen from the entire flow path. The average of the measured flow velocity V is a measured flow rate (hereinafter referred to as a flow rate) measured by the flow rate measuring means 3. In addition, regarding the flow rate measuring means 3 of the present invention, an ultrasonic type measuring means is used, but as a measuring method, other flow rate measuring methods can be continuously measured in a constant cycle in a short time such as a full dick method. Can be used.

  Although the measurement time interval in this embodiment can be set within a range in which ultrasonic waves can be transmitted and received, in the present invention, measurement is performed at intervals of 2 seconds. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the time interval in terms of the measurement principle. Depending on the gas instrument, there are instruments that start up in less than 2 seconds, so reducing the measurement time interval is advantageous in terms of instantaneous instrument discrimination. However, if the measurement interval is shortened, there is a problem that the battery consumption increases, and the measurement interval equivalent to the membrane type used in the conventional gas meter is a second digit order interval. Therefore, it becomes difficult to make a judgment by looking at the difference in flow rate change of the algorithm of the present invention, and in the present invention, it is performed by measuring at intervals of 2 seconds as a well-balanced time from the viewpoint of cost and instrument discrimination performance.

FIG. 3 shows a semiconductor memory (appliance information storage means) that stores the maximum flow rate when the instrument is operated and the minimum flow rate when the instrument is operated as a discrimination value for each instrument . This discrimination value is registered by the registration means 10. The method by which the registration means 10 registers the discriminant value is registered by the user manually inputting a numerical value or by actually operating the instrument and collecting the numerical value.

  Here, the maximum flow rate is equal to the amount of gas consumed by the fan heater when the switch is turned on to operate the fan heater. If it is a gas stove, it is equal to the amount of gas used when operating in the fully open setting. In the case of a gas table (a gas table for push-type ignition), it is equal to the amount of gas used when ignition is performed and the heating power adjustment lever is not moved.

  In addition, the minimum flow rate is equal to the gas consumption when the gas consumption is the lowest when the energy saving operation (pressing operation) is performed for several hours in terms of the fan heater. In the case of a gas stove, it is equal to the gas consumption used when operating in a half-open setting. In terms of the gas table, after ignition, it is equal to the amount of gas consumed when the thermal power adjustment lever is set to the minimum. In the case of a gas table, the number of gas tables is registered. In the case of fan heaters and gas stoves, the number of units to be used shall be registered. A magnetic storage medium or the like may be used as long as recording can be added or rewritten.

The appliance discriminating means 6 monitors the difference value calculated by the first calculating means 7, and obtains the flow rate difference calculated by the second calculating means 8 when necessary and the judgment value stored in the appliance information storing means. It is a processing unit that determines the appliance that has started to operate in comparison. In addition, for the determined appliance, the amount of gas used for each appliance operating every 2 seconds is calculated. Further, even when the operating instrument stops, the difference value calculated by the first calculation means 7 is monitored, and when necessary, the flow rate difference calculated by the second calculation means 8 and the amount of gas used for each instrument. Is used to identify the stopped device. Moreover, it is a process part which manages the flow volume which the instrument which is operate | moving is using.

  Based on the above, the operation of the flow rate measuring device 1 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the change over time of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 when the fan heater is operated at time T01 and the gas stove is operated at time T11. Since it takes some time to start up and the flow rate is obtained from the average of the flow rate 2 seconds before the current flow rate and the current flow rate, it takes time until the flow rate is stabilized as can be seen from the graph. Further, since the time required for activation differs for each instrument, the time required for the flow rate to stabilize varies for each instrument.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that the gas stove has an overshoot that decreases until the flow rate increased at the start of operation stabilizes. At the start of the operation of the gas stove, the gas is ignited by using a gas of about several [L / h] separately from the amount of gas necessary for the subsequent operation. Therefore, it occurs because the flow rate measuring means 3 captures a change in gas necessary at the time of ignition.

First, when the flow rate measuring means 3 measures the flow rate of the gas flowing downstream from the flow rate measuring device 1 at time T00 (S501), since nothing is operating, the flow rate is 0 [L / h], and it has been operating previously. Since there is no change in flow rate with no appliance being present, the difference value calculated by the first calculation means 7 is also 3 [L / h] or less (S502), and the gas appliance in which the appliance discrimination means 6 is operating is discriminated. There is no need (S503). Here, in the present embodiment, the difference value calculated by the first calculation means is a difference value 4 seconds before the current time.

Here, if the fan heater starts operating between time T01 and time T05, the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 at time T01 is 40 [L / h] (S501), and the first calculating means 7 Is calculated to be 40 [L / h] and larger than 3 [L / h] (S502). Therefore, the flow rate change is performed at the time when the appliance discriminating means 6 subsequently becomes 3 [L / h] or less for the first time. It is determined to determine the instrument that generated the (S521). Further, since the difference value is positive (S522), it is determined that the appliance that has started the operation is specified (S52 4 ).

From time T02 to T05, the flow rate measuring means 3 measures the start of the fan heater operation (S501). The flow rate gradually increases and the difference value is 3 [L / h] or more (S502). Since it is also determined that the means 6 determines (S521), the next measurement (after 2 seconds) is awaited. The flow rate measurement means 3 also measures the time T06 (S501). The flow rate is the same as the flow rate at time T05 130 [L / h], but the difference value calculated by the first calculation means 7 is 3 [ L / h] or more (S502), and since it has already been determined that the appliance discriminating means 6 discriminates (S521), the next (after 2 seconds) measurement is awaited.

At time T07, the flow rate measuring means 3 measures (S501) the flow rate is the same as the flow rate at time T05 (130 [L / h]), and the difference value calculated by the first calculating means 7 is 0 [ L / h] is lower than 3 [L / h] (S502). Here, since it is determined that the appliance discriminating means 9 starts to operate at time T01 (S521), the second calculating means 8 determines the flow rate (130 [L / h) at the current time T07. ]) And the flow rate difference (130 [L / h]) from the flow rate (0 [L / h]) at time T0 4 seconds before the time T01 determined to be determined is calculated (S504), and appliance discriminating means 9 changes the process according to the contents to be discriminated (S505), and in the case of activation discrimination, reads the discrimination value stored in the appliance information storage means (S506), and the appliance having the maximum flow rate close to the calculated flow rate difference It is searched whether or not exists (S507). In this embodiment, since the flow rate is closest to the fan heater, it is determined that the fan heater has started operation (S508).

Here, the determination that the flow rate difference calculated by the second calculation unit 8 to determine the appliance that has started operation is close to the maximum flow rate that is the discrimination value stored in the appliance information storage unit 6 is: In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the absolute value of the difference between the two is within an allowable value (5 [L / h]). The permissible value may be different for each instrument, or may be registered as a discrimination value in the instrument information storage unit. Therefore, when the difference between the flow rate difference calculated by the second calculation means 8 and the maximum flow rate that is the discrimination value is not within the allowable range, the appliance discrimination means 6 is not registered in the appliance information storage means 6. It is determined that the instrument has started operating (S509). In addition, if the flow rate difference is given a range and the flow rate difference calculated from the predetermined flow rate (50 [L / h]) is small, and there is an instrument that is already operating, an unregistered instrument is It may be determined not as operating but as control of the instrument in operation.

In the present embodiment, if the gas stove starts to operate between time T10 and time T14, the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 at time T11 is 225 [L / h], and the first calculating means 7 Since the difference value to be calculated is 85 [L / h] and is larger than 3 [L / h] (S502), the appliance discriminating means 6 changes the flow rate at the time when the difference value becomes 3 [L / h] or less for the first time thereafter. It is determined to discriminate the generated instrument (S521). Further, since the difference value is positive (S522), it is determined that the appliance that has started the operation is specified (S52 4 ).

From time T12 to T14, the flow rate measuring means 3 measures to start the gas stove operation (S501). The flow rate gradually increases and the difference value is 3 [L / h] or more (S502). Since it is also determined that the means 6 determines (S521), the next measurement (after 2 seconds) is awaited. At time T15, the flow rate measuring means 3 measures (S501) the flow rate is the same flow rate (245 L / h) as the flow rate at time T14, but the difference value calculated by the first calculating means 7 is 3 [ L / h] or more (S502), and since it has already been determined that the appliance discriminating means 6 discriminates (S521), the next (after 2 seconds) measurement is awaited.

At time T16, the flow rate measuring means 3 measures (S501) the flow rate is the same as the flow rate at time T14 (245 L / h), and the difference value calculated by the first calculating means 7 is 0 [L / h] is lower than 3 [L / h] (S502). Here, since it has been determined that the appliance discriminating means 6 starts to operate at time T11 (S521), the second calculation means 8 determines the flow rate at the current time T16 (245 [L / h ] And the flow rate difference (115 [L / h]) from the flow rate (130 [L / h]) at the time T1 4 seconds before the time T11 when it is determined to be determined (S504), and the appliance discriminating means 6 changes the process according to the content to be discriminated (S505), and in the case of activation discrimination, reads the discriminant value stored in the appliance information storage means (S506), and the appliance having the maximum flow rate close to the calculated flow rate difference It is searched whether or not exists (S507). In this embodiment, since the flow rate is closest to the gas stove, it is determined that the gas stove has started operation (S508).

In the present embodiment, if the gas stove stops operating between time T20 and time T22, the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 at time T21 is 190 [L / h], and the first calculating means 7 difference value calculation - since 5 5 [L / h] and becomes absolute value is greater than 3 [L / h] (S502 ), appliance determination unit 6 for the first time difference value thereafter is equal to or less than 3 [L / h] It is determined that the appliance that has caused the flow rate change at the time is determined (S521). Further, since the difference value is negative (S522), it is determined that the device whose operation has been stopped is specified (S524).

At time T22, the flow rate measuring means 3 measures to start the gas stove operation (S501).
) Since the flow rate gradually increases and the difference value is 3 [L / h] or more (S502), and it is already determined that the appliance discriminating means 6 discriminates (S521), the next (after 2 seconds) Wait for measurement. At time T23, the flow rate measuring means 3 measures (S501) the flow rate is the same as the flow rate at time T22 (130 L / h), but the difference value calculated by the first calculating means 7 is 3 [ L / h] or more (S502), and since it has already been determined that the appliance discriminating means 6 discriminates (S521), the next (after 2 seconds) measurement is awaited.

At time T24, the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 (S501) is the same flow rate (130 L / h) as the flow rate at time T14, and the difference value calculated by the first calculating means 7 is 0 [L / h] is lower than 3 [L / h] (S502). Here, since it has been determined that the appliance discriminating means 6 identifies the appliance that has stopped operating at time T21 (S503), the second computing means 8 determines the flow rate at the current time T24 (130 [L / h ] And the flow rate difference (115 [L / h]) from the flow rate ( 245 [L / h]) at time T2 4 seconds before the time T21 when it is determined to be discriminated (115) (S504). 9 changes the process according to the contents to be discriminated (S505), and searches whether there is an appliance operating with the flow rate difference calculated among the appliances currently operating (fan heater and gas stove). In this embodiment, since the flow rate is closest to the gas stove (S512), it is determined that the operation of the gas stove has been stopped (S513). Here, when there is no appliance that operates at a close flow rate, it is determined that the user has controlled the operation of the operating appliance, and the flow rate of the operating appliance is changed (S514).

  The reason why the time interval of the difference calculated by the first calculation means 7 is set to 4 seconds is because the following is taken into consideration. In FIG. 4, it is assumed that the change in the gas flow rate changes in accordance with the measurement timing of the flow rate measuring means 3, but that is not the case. That is, the gas appliance starts and stops regardless of the measurement timing. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit 3 when the timing measured by the flow rate measurement unit 3 and the timing at which the flow rate changes due to the operation of the instrument are different.

  Then, the flow rate calculated by the second calculation means 8 when the time interval of the difference value is 2 seconds is regarded as a flow rate change changed between time T00 ′ and time T06 ′. / H] and the change in the flow rate of the instrument cannot be accurately captured. Furthermore, since the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 is the average of the current time and the flow velocity two seconds ago, the current flow rate is affected by the flow rate two seconds ago. Therefore, the flow rate 4 seconds before that is not affected at all is taken as a reference for the difference value.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the appliance discriminating means 6 monitors the difference value calculated by the first calculating means in real time, and stores the flow rate difference and appliance information required by the second calculating means 8 as necessary. By comparing the discriminant value registered in the means, it is possible to identify the appliance that caused the flow rate change.

  Also, depending on the gas appliance, the startup time may be long, so even if you know the change in the difference value for a specific time (for example, 2 seconds), which appliance corresponds to the amount of change? It may be difficult to make a judgment because the flow rate of the process is unknown. In the conventional flow rate measuring apparatus for such an instrument, an accurate determination is made by changing the difference time according to the registered instrument in the instrument registration storage means.

Specifically, if there is no difference value close to the maximum flow rate (determination value) stored in the appliance information storage means, the difference time is incremented and the difference is obtained until a calculated value that matches the determination value is obtained. It has a function of repeating increments and comparisons of values, and even when it is impossible to discriminate by a 2-second difference, the appliance is discriminated by automatically incrementing the difference time. In this case, when the difference value in the middle of the change is the same as the determination value, the device determination unit 6 determines that the wrong device has been operated.

  Furthermore, when an appliance whose judgment value is not registered in the appliance information storage means (for example, a rice cooker, the maximum flow rate is 60 [L / h]) is operated, the difference value is a gas table, a fan heater or the like. Since it is smaller than the maximum flow rate, while the rice cooker is operating, the difference value is continuously calculated while the difference time is incremented. This means that the first calculation means 7 for calculating the difference value is continuously driven, and the battery is consumed wastefully.

  In this regard, in the present embodiment, the difference value is not calculated until a difference value that matches the determination value is obtained. In this embodiment, the difference value from the flow rate Qa four seconds ago is a predetermined value (3 [ L / h]), the difference in flow rate (Qb) between the flow rate Qa before 4 seconds and the flow rate Qb when the difference value becomes smaller than a predetermined value (3 [L / h]). Since only -Qa) needs to be calculated, the amount of calculation is reduced, and if it does not coincide with this flow rate difference, it can be regarded as a gas appliance that does not exist in the judgment value. Thus, the flow rate measuring device can take measures for making a determination with higher accuracy, such as notifying the appliance information storage means of the notification by the display means 4.

(Embodiment 2)
In the present embodiment, stop determination between time T21 and time T24 of the first embodiment is performed when the difference value (4 second interval) calculated by the first calculation means 7 is larger than the previous difference value. That's it. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the flow rate measuring device in the present embodiment.

When the instrument stops, the instrument stops by shutting off the gas that was flowing to the combustion section. Therefore, it should be completed within 2 seconds if it is extremely short. However, considering that the timing of the measurement deviates from the timing of stopping the instrument, the time that can be expected to be completed is within 4 seconds. Furthermore, since the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 is the average of the current flow rate and the current flow rate 2 seconds before, the longest time for grasping the entire flow rate change when the instrument is stopped is 6 seconds. Further, since the time interval of the difference value is 4 seconds, it takes 10 seconds at worst to wait for the difference determination value to be 3 [L / h] or less in order for the appliance discrimination means 6 to discriminate the stopped appliance. In addition to this, the law of inertia holds, and the flow rate should actually show a more gradual characteristic that is affected by the reaction of the fluid due to the interruption, but in this embodiment, the consideration of that part is ignored. .

  Again, since the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 is affected by the flow velocity before 2 seconds, the flow rate measured even if the actual device is stopped and the flow rate is stable and the flow rate is after the device stops. I'll be addicted. Specifically, in FIG. 4, the instrument stops at the actual time T21, and the flow velocity should instantaneously go to 130 [L / h], but the flow velocity measured by the influence of timing is 135 [L / h]. Thus, 190 [L / h] was measured by averaging.

  In this case, the difference value (time interval is 4 seconds) calculated by the first calculating means is 55 [L / h] at T21, 110 [L / h] at T22, 60 [L / h] at T23, and at T24. 0 [L / h]. In the first embodiment, the process waits until T24. However, since the difference value is larger than the previous difference value at T23, stop determination is made at this point. That is, the time required for stop determination can be shortened. This is peculiar when it is determined that the operation is stopped, because it is not applicable because some devices have a flow rate that decreases until they stabilize, such as a gas stove. Note that the time interval of the difference value may be 2 seconds.

Specifically, the flow of the operation will be described. When the absolute value of the difference value calculated by the first calculation means 7 is 3 [L / h] or more (S501) and the difference value is negative (S522), It is determined that the appliance discriminating means 9 performs the stop discrimination (S52 3 ). Only when it is determined that the stop determination is performed instead of the start determination (S531), the difference value calculated from the subsequent flow rate measurement (S501) is larger than the difference value calculated last time (2 seconds before). When this happens (S532), the second calculation means 8 calculates the flow rate difference between the flow rate 4 seconds before the time when the difference value has changed and the current flow rate (S504), and the appliance discrimination means 6 operates. The flow rate of the device inside is confirmed (S511), a device that operates at the same flow rate as the calculated flow rate is searched (S512), and if there is a corresponding device, it is determined that the device has stopped (S513).

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a change over time in the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, the fan heater operates from time T31 to time T32, and the gas table (third port) operates from time T41 to time T42. 9 and 10 separately show the flow rate changes of the fan heater and the gas table for the flow rate change of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the amount of gas used for the fan heater is controlled at the timing when the operation of the gas table starts.

  As described above, in some gas appliances, the flow rate is controlled electronically or manually in order to adjust the temperature, water temperature, and thermal power. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, in the case of a fan heater, the amount of gas used is changed by electronic control from the maximum flow rate to the minimum flow rate. The gas table is also changed from the maximum flow rate to the minimum flow rate by the user. As for gas stoves, many gas stoves can be switched between full open and half open to adjust the strength of warming. The maximum flow rate is the previous flow rate, and the minimum flow rate is the half-open flow rate.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the flow rate measuring apparatus in the present embodiment. Note that the operation itself is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, and the portion of S514 is changed as shown in FIG.

In the discrimination algorithm of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment, the appliance discriminating means 6 discriminates at time T53 that the other appliances are operated at a flow rate of 50 [L / h]. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, when the gas table is stopped after time T53, the flow rate difference calculated by the second calculation means 8 in S504 is 80 [L / h], and the flow rate of the instrument in operation is Even if it is confirmed, the appliance that is still operating (S511) cannot be determined that the operating appliance has stopped at 130 [L / h] of the fan heater and 50 [L / h] of the unregistered appliance (S512).

  Therefore, it is confirmed whether or not an unregistered instrument is operating (S601). If it is operating, the instrument information storage means is referred to (S602), and whether there is an instrument having a maximum flow rate close to the calculated flow rate difference. Whether or not is searched (S603). In the present embodiment, since the flow rate is closest to the gas table, it is determined that the third opening of the gas stove has started operation (S604). If a device having a close flow rate is not registered, it is determined as control of the device in operation as in the first embodiment (S605).

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the gas table is not controlled, and the gas table is stopped before the fan heater.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the difference value exceeds the determination value and the gas appliance has a state change, the appliance discriminating means determines each gas appliance in order to determine which gas appliance is registered. If there is no matching value in this determination, the difference time is incremented and compared with the increment of the difference value until a calculated value that matches the determination value is obtained. The instrument is discriminated by automatically incrementing the difference time even if the instrument data is indistinguishable by the difference of 2 seconds.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 12 shows an example of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 when the water heater operates. As shown in FIG. 12, the water heater has an operation such that the amount of gas used is large unlike a fan heater or a gas table, and the difference value calculated by the first calculation means 7 does not become 3 [L / h] or less. Sometimes. It is also an instrument that allows the user to change the amount of water and the hot water supply temperature in real time.

When the water heater is operated, the difference value is not limited to 3 [L / h] or less. For example, after detecting the negative difference value, the flow rate before the water heater operation and the time of this detection are detected. If the flow rate difference with the flow rate of 200 [L / h] or less, the appliance discriminating means 6 discriminates that the water heater has stopped, and if a negative flow rate difference is detected after that, The flow rate difference calculated by the second calculation means 8 is compared with the discrimination value stored in the appliance information storage means, and the appliance that has started operating while the water heater is operating is discriminated. . Note that this determination is applied not only to the water heater, but also to the floor heating and bathroom dryer.

  The means described above are implemented in the form of a program for cooperating hardware resources such as a CPU (or microcomputer), RAM, ROM, storage / recording device, electrical / information device equipped with I / O, computer, server, etc. May be. In the form of a program, new functions can be distributed / updated and installed easily by recording them on a recording medium such as magnetic media or optical media or distributing them using a communication line such as the Internet.

  As described above, the flow rate measuring device and the program according to the present invention can accurately calculate the amount of gas used (flow rate) at each time by the gas appliance connected downstream of the gas meter. It can also be applied to security and other uses for monitoring proper use.

Configuration diagram of a flow rate measuring device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Flow rate measurement unit configuration diagram in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Data structure figure memorize | stored in the instrument information storage means in Embodiment 1 of this invention The characteristic view which shows the time change of the flow volume which the flow volume measurement means in Embodiment 1 of this invention measures Flowchart of the flow rate measuring device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The characteristic view which shows the time change of the flow volume which the flow volume measurement means in Embodiment 1 of this invention measures Flowchart of the flow rate measuring device in Embodiment 2 of the present invention The characteristic view which shows the time change of the flow volume which the flow volume measurement means in Embodiment 3 of this invention measures The characteristic view which shows the time change of the flow volume of the fan heater in Embodiment 3 of this invention The characteristic which shows the time change of the flow volume of the gas table in Embodiment 3 of this invention. Flowchart of the flow rate measuring device in Embodiment 3 of the present invention The characteristic view which shows the time change of the flow volume which a flow measurement means measures when the water heater in Embodiment 4 of this invention operate | moves. Discrimination method conceptual diagram of conventional flow measurement devices

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flow measuring device 2 Gas shut-off valve 3 Flow measuring means 4 Display part 5 Seismic device 6 Instrument discriminating means 7 1st calculating means 8 2nd calculating means 10 Registration means 11 Control circuit 12 Measurement flow path 13, 14 Ultrasonic wave Transceiver

Claims (8)

A flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate at regular time intervals;
Appliance information storage means for storing the judgment value ;
A first calculation unit that calculates a difference value between the flow rate value output from the flow rate measurement unit and the flow rate value measured by the flow rate measurement unit a predetermined time before each measurement;
The flow rate before the predetermined time from the first time when the difference value becomes larger than a predetermined positive threshold, and the second when the absolute value of the difference value becomes smaller than the positive threshold after the first time . Second calculating means for calculating a first flow rate difference from the flow rate at the time of
A flow rate measuring apparatus comprising: an instrument discriminating unit that compares the first flow rate difference with the determination value and discriminates an instrument that is connected to the downstream side of the flow rate measuring unit and is activated at the first time. Said second calculating means, a third time before the predetermined time than the flow rate of the difference value is smaller than a predetermined negative threshold value, the difference value after the third time than the negative threshold Calculate the second flow rate difference from the increased flow rate at the fourth time,
2. The flow rate according to claim 1, wherein the appliance discriminating unit compares the second flow rate difference with the judgment value and discriminates an appliance connected to the downstream side of the flow rate measuring unit and stopped at the third time. Measuring device. The second calculating means includes a flow rate before the predetermined time from a third time when the difference value becomes smaller than a predetermined negative threshold, and a time when the difference value becomes the minimum value after the third time. Calculating a third flow rate difference from the flow rate at the fourth time which is the next measurement time of the flow rate measurement of
The flow rate according to claim 1, wherein the appliance discriminating means discriminates an appliance connected to the downstream side of the flow rate measuring means and stopped at the third time by comparing the third flow rate difference with the judgment value. Measuring device. The appliance discriminating means is connected to the downstream side of the flow rate measuring means and only when there is no appliance candidate activated at the first time, the second or third flow difference and the judgment value. The flow rate measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the device is determined by comparing The appliance discriminating means is
When only determining the stop of the specific instrument when determining the operation of the specific instrument, and comparing the flow before and after the start of the specific instrument,
When the latter is larger, it is determined that another device is activated while the specific device is operating, and the second or third flow rate difference calculated after the specific device is stopped is compared with the determination value. The flow rate measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the device that is activated while the specific device is operating is discriminated. The flow rate measuring apparatus, the second flow rate difference between one of the third flow rate difference, the first Re not Neu claims 2 to 5 comprising a registering means for registering as the decision value and the flow rate difference The flow rate measuring device according to claim 1. The flow rate measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate measuring unit uses an ultrasonic flowmeter as an instantaneous flow rate measuring unit. The program which makes a computer perform at least one part of the flow measuring device of any one of Claim 1 to 7.

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