JP5162953B2 - Flow measuring device and program thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow rate measuring device used for a gas meter or the like that measures an instantaneous flow rate value or an integrated flow rate value of a combustible gas such as city gas or LP gas.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 11, this type of flow rate measuring device includes a flow rate measuring means 3 for measuring the flow rate of the gas flowing in the flow path of the flow rate measuring device, and a series of flows generated as the gas appliances burn. The registered instrument flow rate pattern table 4 for storing the gas flow rate pattern, the pattern extraction means 5 for extracting the flow rate pattern of the currently operating gas instrument from the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3, and the registered instrument flow rate pattern table 4. A flow rate pattern of the gas appliance currently in operation and a flow rate pattern of the gas appliance currently in operation extracted by the pattern extraction means 5 to identify the gas appliance currently in operation, and a registered appliance flow rate pattern table The data extracted by the pattern extraction means 5 (preferably, when the appliance not registered in 4 operates and the appliance discrimination means 9 cannot discriminate the active appliance) Is composed of a registration means 10 for registering an average value of the flow rate pattern) in a plurality of times in the registration instrument flow pattern table 4 (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  When the registration means 10 detects an unregistered flow rate pattern, if the gas appliance is an appliance that operates frequently, the registration means 10 remotely transmits data such as a flow rate pattern and the appliance name that are considered to be a new appliance using a communication line. Is received from the center and registered in the registered instrument flow rate pattern table 4.

  As a result, the flow rate measuring device 1 is normally used for about 10 years. Therefore, assuming that there is a possibility that a new gas appliance will be sold even after the flow rate measuring device 1 is installed, the gas appliance released after such market introduction. It is possible to cope with the discrimination.

In other words, when a new instrument is released after the flow measurement device is installed, the instrument is operated several times separately to acquire the flow pattern of the instrument from a remote center and use it for subsequent discrimination. It is.
JP 2003-148728 A

  However, the conventional configuration has the following problems. The gas appliance includes a gas appliance such as a gas table that allows a user to change the gas flow rate by operating a thermal power control lever, and an electronic control such as a fan heater. There are gas appliances that change the gas flow rate (over 2 seconds), and gas appliances that change a fixed amount in a short time (for example, within 6 seconds), such as full-open / half-open control of the gas stove.

  In addition, a constant gas flow rate is consumed at the time of ignition (ON) like a gas oven, but a constant gas flow rate is constantly used like a gas appliance that cooks repeatedly by turning on and off (OFF) or a small gas water heater. Some gas appliances consume. As described above, the gas flow rate change pattern after ignition can be divided into patterns of no control, ON / OFF control, gradual, abrupt (constant value), and abrupt (undefined value) depending on the gas appliance. Since the gas table can be changed in any way, it is assumed that the gas table has three patterns of gradual, steep (constant value), and steep (undefined value).

  Further, in the conventional configuration, a flow pattern that seems to be a new instrument and data such as the instrument name are received from a remote center using a communication line and registered in the registered instrument flow pattern table 4. . For this reason, since it is necessary to store the patterns of all gas appliances on the center side, a large amount of information must be registered on the center side, and a lot of storage means are required.

  In addition, the flow rate measuring device 1 needs to be able to communicate with the center in advance. Therefore, the flow rate measuring device 1 must be provided with means for communicating with the center. This increases the number of parts constituting the flow measuring device 1 and increases the cost.

  In addition, even if the gas appliance is operated to acquire a control pattern from the gas appliance without communicating with the center, the timing for controlling the gas appliance such as a fan heater is not constant. Gas appliances such as gas tables can be varied in any way, making it difficult to get all the control patterns that the user will use. For a gas oven such as a gas oven that periodically repeats ON / OFF, it is necessary to continue to operate to some extent, so that extra gas is used for the amount of operation.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problem, and further, without actually communicating with the center, information necessary for the flow rate measuring device to be connected downstream from the control flow rate pattern and determine the gas appliance to be used. Even if information is acquired by operating the gas appliance, the object is to minimize the gas flow rate consumed by the gas appliance.

In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a flow rate measuring device according to the present invention includes a flow rate measuring unit that measures a fluid flow rate at regular time intervals, a registration start time designating unit, a registration end time designating unit, and a motion instrument. A registration means for discriminating a control pattern and registering it in the appliance information storage means , wherein the registration means is a time from a time designated by the registration start time designation means to a time designated by the registration end time designation means. The control pattern of the operating instrument is determined based on the number of times the operating instrument has been operated and the content of the operation .

  As a result, the number of times that the operating gas appliance is operated from the time specified by the registration start time specifying means to the time specified by the registration end time specifying means has what control pattern the operating gas appliance has. Therefore, since it is not necessary to operate the gas appliance for a long time so that the control pattern is reproduced, the gas flow rate consumed by the gas appliance for registration can be minimized. Furthermore, since the user (registrant) does not perform an operation to reproduce all the control patterns, the complexity for the registrant is reduced.

  Since the flow rate measuring device and the program thereof according to the present invention discriminates the gas appliance to be used by connecting the flow rate measuring device to the downstream pipe from the control flow rate pattern, the gas information can be actually measured without communicating with the center. Even if information is acquired by operating the instrument, the gas flow rate consumed by the gas instrument can be minimized.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate measuring means for measuring a gas flow rate at regular time intervals, an instrument information storage means for storing instrument information, and a flow rate calculating means for calculating a time change amount of the measured flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means. Appliance discriminating means for discriminating an operating gas appliance based on the appliance information and the time variation of the measured flow rate, registration start time designating means, registration end time designating means, and instrument information storage means And the control pattern of the operating gas appliance is determined by the number of times the operating gas appliance is operated from the time specified by the registration start time specifying means to the time specified by the registration end time specifying means. In addition, the control pattern also includes a registration unit that registers in the appliance information storage unit.

  As a result, the number of times that the operating gas appliance is operated from the time specified by the registration start time specifying means to the time specified by the registration end time specifying means has what control pattern the operating gas appliance has. Therefore, since it is not necessary to operate the gas appliance for a long time so that the control pattern is reproduced, the gas flow rate consumed by the gas appliance for registration can be minimized. Furthermore, since the user (registrant) does not perform an operation to reproduce all the control patterns, the complexity for the registrant is reduced.

  In particular, the flow rate calculation unit of the flow measurement device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a first calculation unit that calculates a difference value between the measured flow rate value and a predetermined time (N), or The first calculation means, the measured flow rate (Qa) before the time (N) before the time a when the difference value is greater than a predetermined positive threshold, and the absolute value of the difference value after the time a Is the second computing means for calculating the flow rate difference (Qb−Qa) from the measured flow rate (Qb) at time b when the value becomes smaller than the positive threshold value. It includes at least one of the measured flow rate (Qb) or the flow rate difference (Qb-Qa), and the instrument information is the time change amount of the measured flow rate calculated during the time, and The effect is obtained.

  That is, when the number of operating instruments before the flow rate change is zero, the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means is the gas flow rate consumed by the gas appliance that has caused the current flow rate change. When there are one or more operating instruments before the flow rate change, and when there are zero operating instruments before the flow rate change, the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means is the gas appliance that caused the current flow rate change. In this case, the gas flow rate consumed by the gas appliance already in operation is the same as the gas flow rate immediately before the flow rate change occurs. By taking this into account, it is possible to simplify the calculation of the gas flow consumed by the gas appliance that caused the current flow rate change.

  The reason for this is that even if the control of the gas appliance already in operation occurs at the same timing as the start of operation, the flow rate change at the start of operation is larger in the ratio of the flow rate value compared to the flow rate change by control, so the latter This is because the flow rate error can be minimized by giving priority to the above.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in particular, the flow rate measuring device according to the first or second aspect of the invention shuts off the gas when the flow rate calculation means calculates the amount of time change in the measured flow rate, and supplies the gas again after a predetermined time has elapsed. The following effects are obtained by providing the blocking means.

  It is necessary to operate the gas appliance for several hours in order for the flow measuring device to recognize the operation of the gas appliance. However, in order for the registrant to know the timing when the flow measuring device recognizes the operation of the gas appliance, it is necessary to provide the flow measuring device with a separate notification means. Furthermore, when the notification method is visual, if there is only one registrant, the gas appliance and the flow rate measuring device must be moved back and forth. If there are multiple registrants, it will cost that much.

Therefore, the flow rate measuring device recognizes the operation of the gas appliance if the flame state of the ignited gas appliance is misfiring by stopping the gas at the timing when the operation of the gas appliance is recognized. Can be considered. Therefore, even one registrant does not have to travel between the gas appliance and the flow rate measuring device, and the gas appliance can consume gas as much as necessary for the recognition of the operation. Can be prevented.

  In the fourth invention, in particular, the flow rate measuring device according to any one of the first to third aspects further includes an informing means for changing a color to be displayed every time the gas appliance is operated within the time. Thus, even when the registrant forgets the number of operations, the number of times can be easily visually confirmed by the color notified by the notification means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the flow rate measuring means of the flow rate measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is an instrument at the moment when the flow rate is changed by a configuration using an ultrasonic flowmeter as an 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 a sixth 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 6 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 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration of a flow rate measuring apparatus according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a measurement flow path for supplying gas to a plurality of gas appliances (for example, a fan heater, a gas table, a stove, and a gas oven) is disposed inside the flow rate measuring device 1. The measurement channel mainly includes a gas shut-off valve 12 that shuts off the measurement channel itself when there is an abnormality, a display unit 13 that provides visual notification to the user, and a flow rate that detects the gas flow rate flowing through the measurement channel. A measuring unit is arranged. Further, inside the flow rate measuring device 1, a control unit 15 that inputs the output of the flow rate measuring unit and controls the gas cutoff valve 12 is provided.

  The control unit 15 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 16, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 17, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 18, and an input / output port 19, which are connected to each other by a bus 20. ing. The input / output port 19 is connected to a flow rate measurement unit, a drive circuit 21 that drives the gas cutoff valve 12, and a drive circuit 22 that drives the display unit 13. In the control unit 15, the CPU 16 uses the RAM 18 as a working area, stores the program in the ROM 17, and executes a program, thereby realizing the function as the flow rate measuring device 1.

  Here, the operation of the flow rate measuring unit will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the measurement flow path 11 has a rectangular cross section, and a pair of ultrasonic transmitters / receivers 24 and 25 are sandwiched between the measurement flow path 11 and a wall surface perpendicular to the gas flow direction of the measurement flow path 11. 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 and receivers 24 and 25, measuring the difference in the propagation time of the ultrasonic waves in the forward direction and the reverse direction with respect to the fluid flow at regular intervals, 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 speed of sound, the flow velocity V at time T of the measurement point is expressed by the equation (1) V = (L / 2cosφ) ((1 / t1)-(1 / t2))
It is. Furthermore, since the gas flowing in the measurement flow path 11 suddenly changes depending on the point at which the flow velocity is measured, it may be larger or smaller than the flow velocity seen from the entire flow path. An average of the measured flow velocity V ′ is used as a measured flow rate (hereinafter referred to as a flow rate) measured by the flow rate measuring unit 14. In addition, regarding the flow rate measurement unit 14 of the present invention, ultrasonic measurement means are used, but as a measurement method, other flow measurement 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, and some gas appliances 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 consumption of the battery increases, and the measurement interval equivalent to the membrane method used in the conventional gas meter is a two-digit order second interval. Then, it becomes difficult to judge by looking at the difference in flow rate change of the algorithm of the present invention, and in the present invention, measurement is performed at intervals of 2 seconds as a well-balanced time in terms of cost and performance of instrument discrimination.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram illustrating functions of the flow rate measuring device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in this figure, the flow rate measuring device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a flow rate measuring unit 3 that first measures a gas flow rate, and an instrument information storage unit 31 that stores various types of information for performing instrument discrimination related to the present invention. It has. The flow rate measuring means 3 is realized by a flow rate measuring unit and a control unit 15,
The instrument information storage unit 31 is realized by the RAM 18.

  The flow rate measuring device 1 further includes a first calculation unit 32a, a second calculation unit 32b, a device determination unit 9, a registration unit 10, a registration start time designation unit 33a, and a registration end time designation unit 33b, which are flow rate calculation units 32. And. The first calculation means 32a is calculation means for calculating the difference between the current flow rate value and the measurement flow rate value measured twice (4 seconds) before the measurement flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit 3 every 2 seconds. . The second calculating means 32b has a measured flow rate (Qa) 4 seconds before the time a when the difference value calculated by the first calculating means 32a is greater than a predetermined positive threshold, and the first after the time a. The flow rate difference (Qb−Qa) from the measured flow rate (Qb) at time b when the absolute value of the difference value calculated by the calculation means 32a becomes smaller than the positive threshold is realized by the control unit 15. Is done.

  The appliance discriminating means 9 monitors the difference value calculated by the first calculating means 32a, and calculates the flow rate difference calculated by the second calculating means 32b when necessary and the judgment value stored in the appliance information storage means 31. In comparison, the gas appliance that has started operation is determined. In addition, for the determined gas appliance, the amount of gas used for each gas appliance operating every 2 seconds is calculated. Further, even when the operating gas appliance stops, the difference value calculated by the first calculation means 32a is monitored, and when necessary, the flow rate difference calculated by the second calculation means 32b and the gas usage for each gas appliance. The gas appliance which stopped compared with the quantity is specified. The control unit 15 can manage the flow rate used by the operating gas appliance.

The registration unit 10 stores various types of information for performing appliance discrimination related to the present invention in the appliance information storage unit 31. The registration start time designation means designates the processing start of the registration means 10, and the registration end time designation means designates the end of the processing of the registration means 10 and designates the timing for storing various information in the appliance information storage means 31. It is means to do. Although not shown, the flow rate measuring device 1 includes an input unit so that the user can specify the start and end of registration according to the user's intention, and the operation timing of the registration unit 10 when the user inputs to the input unit. Can be specified. The registration unit 10 is realized by the control unit 15.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the information stored in the appliance information storage means 31 is determined for each gas appliance by the maximum flow rate when the appliance is operated, the minimum flow rate when the gas appliance is operated, and the control pattern. Store as a value. This discriminant value is registered by registration means (described later). The method for registering the discriminant value by the registration means 10 is registered by actually operating the gas appliance and collecting numerical values. 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 the present embodiment, it is the same as the flow rate difference (Qb−Qa) calculated by the second computing means 32b.

  The flow rate measuring device 1 further shuts off the gas when the flow rate calculation means 32 calculates the flow rate difference (Qb−Qa), which is the amount of time change of the measured flow rate, and then shuts off the gas supply means 34 that supplies the gas again after a predetermined time has elapsed. And a notification means 35 that changes the color displayed to the user depending on the number of operations of the gas appliance operated between the time a designated by the registration start time designation means 33a and the time b designated by the registration end time designation means 33b. . The shut-off means 34 is realized by the drive circuit 21, the control unit 15, and the gas shut-off valve 12.

  Next, a part of the time characteristic of the gas flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 when the gas appliance shown in FIGS. 5 to 8 is operated is shown. FIG. 5 shows time characteristics when the fan heater is operated. As can be seen from FIG. 5, a certain gas flow rate flows by the hot dash function immediately after startup, and thereafter the gas flow rate (time characteristic) changes depending on the outside air temperature and operation setting. In FIG. 5, from about 130 [L / h] The gas flow rate changes while taking a certain amount of time up to around 40 [L / h] (between the 70th and 116th seconds). In addition, since the timing at which this flow rate change occurs depends on the outside air temperature / operation setting, the timing at which the flow rate change occurs cannot be estimated in advance.

  FIG. 6 shows time characteristics when a gas oven (oven) is operated. As can be seen from FIG. 6, it can be seen that the device is operating while repeating ON / OFF. In addition, regarding ON / OFF repetition, the ON time interval, the OFF time interval, and the like vary depending on the oven setting, the internal temperature, and the like, and thus cannot be estimated in advance.

  FIG. 7 shows the time characteristics when a stove capable of full open / half open setting is operated, and the stove setting is changed from the half open setting to the full open setting around 300 seconds. In FIG. 7, the gas flow rate changes in a short time from around 60 [L / h] to around 120 [L / h]. When the setting is changed from fully open to half open, the gas flow rate changes in a short time from around 120 [L / h] to around 60 [L / h], and this setting change is arbitrarily performed by the user. Therefore, the timing at which the flow rate change occurs cannot be estimated in advance.

  FIG. 8 shows time characteristics when the gas table is operated. At this time, after the gas table is ignited, the heating power adjustment lever is changed from “strong” → “medium” → “weak” → “medium” → “strong” → “weak” → “strong”. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the user can change the gas flow rate as well as the timing of the control by the user with the heating power adjustment lever. And since the user can operate the heating power adjusting lever slowly or suddenly, the time interval of the change can be freely changed.

As can be seen from FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the pattern of the time characteristic of the gas flow rate after ignition (no control, ON / OFF control, gradual, sudden (constant value), sudden (undefined value)) varies depending on the gas appliance. And the timing at which the flow rate change by this control occurs is not fixed. Furthermore, for example, the gas table can be controlled in any way, so that an enormous amount of data is required to store all the patterns. In the embodiment of the present invention, how the gas appliance is operated during the period from the input to the registration start time designating unit 33a until the input to the registration end time designating unit 33b (this is called a registration period). The flow rate measuring device 1 discriminates the control pattern of the gas appliance depending on what is to be done. Therefore, the flow rate measuring device 1 can recognize the control pattern only by operating the gas appliance for a short time.

  Next, the operation of the flow rate measuring device in the present embodiment will be described. Here, a description will be given using the flowcharts of FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 9C.

  First, in order to register the gas appliance by the user (registrant), when the registration start time designation means 33a is input and the registration start is designated (S501), the registration means 10 is connected downstream of the flow rate measuring device 1. Transition to a state of registering instrument information of a new gas instrument. Then, the registration is set as unconfirmed, and the number of times the gas appliance is operated in the state is initialized (set to 0) (S502). Here, the registration work has not yet been completed, and the registrant has not entered the registration end time designating means 33b and the registration end has not been designated (S503). Every two seconds (S504), the flow rate measuring means 3 Then, the flow rate of the gas flowing through the measurement channel 11 is measured (S505).

  Here, since the gas does not flow through the measurement flow path until the gas appliance to be registered is operated, even if the first calculation means 32a calculates the difference from the gas flow rate 4 seconds ago (S506), the difference value is In addition to being less than 3 [L / h] at 0 [L / h] (S507), since the initial registration is unconfirmed (S521), two seconds after the next gas flow rate measurement is waited.

  In the present embodiment, a method of registering the appliance information of the fan heater shown in FIG. FIG. 10 shows the time characteristics of the gas flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring means 3 for about 20 seconds from the start of operation when the fan heater of FIG. 5 is operated. As can be seen from FIG. 10, after a while after ignition, the gas flow rate flowing in the measurement flow path becomes stable and takes a constant value. In a stable state, the difference value from 4 seconds before calculated by the first calculation means 32a is also 3 [L / h] or less at time T07. Note that the gas flow rate is stabilized several seconds after ignition in the oven, the stove, and the gas table. However, this does not take into account the case where the user operates the gas power control lever of the gas table constantly or the gas stove is constantly switched between full open and half open.

  Therefore, if the fan heater is operated during the registration period, the 4-second difference value calculated by the first calculation means 32a at time T01 becomes larger than 3 [L / h], and the registration is not confirmed at present ( (S508) Since the 4-second difference value is also positive (S509), registration is confirmed, and the number of registration confirmations (number of operations) is also counted (S510). If the 4-second difference value is negative, the user is informed that registration is not possible because the flow rate measuring device 1 is in an abnormal state (S511).

  Since the 4-second difference value does not become 3 [L / h] or less until time T07, the next measurement after 2 seconds is awaited during that time. When the gas flow rate is stabilized at time T07 and the 4-second difference value is 3 [L / h] or less (S507), the flow rate measuring device 1 is changed from the unregistered state to the registered confirmed state in S510. (S521), the second calculating means 32b calculates the flow rate difference (130 [L / h]) between the gas flow rate at time T07 and the gas flow rate value 4 seconds before time T01 (S522), and the number of registration confirmations (S523), the color notified by the notification means 35 is changed (S524a to S524c). And the interruption | blocking means 34 closes a gas cutoff valve, and stops the gas which flows into the measurement flow path 11 forcibly (S525).

  At this time, the fan heater misfires because the gas is shut off. Since the fan heater has misfired, the user temporarily stops the fan heater assuming that the flow measuring device 1 detects the operation of the fan heater. If the fan heater is not controlled and the control pattern is constant, the input to the registration end time designating means 33b may be performed as it is. However, the fan heater has a control pattern in which the flow rate changes slowly. Then, operate again.

  At this time, the flow rate measuring device 1 stops the shutoff so that the measurement flow path that has been shut off, for example, after 5 seconds has passed (S526) after shutting off the gas (S527), and can detect the operation of the fan heater. If registration is unconfirmed, the state is changed (S528). Then, the user operates the fan heater again and waits for the gas, which is a signal that the flow measuring device 1 has detected the operation of the fan heater, to be shut off.

  When the flow measuring device 1 detects the operation of the fan heater twice, the user inputs to the registration end time designating unit 33b. When the input to the registration end time designation unit 33b is performed (S503), the registration unit 10 calculates the flow rate difference (130 [L / h]) calculated by the second calculation unit 32b in the first operation of the fan heater. The maximum flow rate to be registered in the appliance information storage unit 31 is determined (S551). Then, the control pattern to be registered in the appliance information storage unit 31 is determined based on the number of registration confirmations (S552, S553a to S553c). In the case of the fan heater, the same operation is performed for the two operations, so the flow rate difference calculated by the second computing means 32b is the same for both the first and second operations. Therefore, the registration unit 10 determines that the control pattern of the fan heater (the gas appliance operated during the registration period) is moderate (S553c).

  Then, the registration unit 10 registers the appliance information in the appliance information storage unit 31 (S554), and since the registration is completed, the notification indicating the number of operation confirmations displayed by the notification unit is ended (S555). Although the minimum flow rate is not determined for the fan heater, in the present embodiment, the registration means 10 has a default minimum flow rate 30 [L / h] for a gas appliance having a gentle control pattern in advance. The value is the minimum flow rate.

  With the above procedure, the fan heater is registered in the flow rate measuring device 1 as a gas appliance having a gradual control pattern.

  Next, a method for registering the appliance information of the stove in the appliance information storage means 31 will be described. Basically, the stove is operated twice during the registration period as in the case of the fan heater. The difference from the case of the fan heater is that the stove is ignited at the fully open setting at the first operation. And the second time ignites the stove with a half-open setting. As a result, the flow rate difference calculated by the second calculation means 32b is different between the first time and the second time in S553b (S553b), so that the registration means 10 controls the gas table (the gas appliance operated during the registration period). The pattern is determined to be steep (a constant value: the value is the flow rate difference at the fully open setting−the flow rate difference at the half open setting) (S553d). Then, the flow rate difference at the second time is determined as the minimum flow rate (S553e) and registered in the appliance information storage means 31.

  If the gas appliance is an oven, operate the oven three times during the registration period. Since the oven is ON / OFF controlled, the flow rate difference is the same for all three times. Therefore, even if the first and second flow rate differences are compared after the input to the registration end time designating means 33b (S553f), the values are the same, so the oven (the gas appliance operated during the registration period) ) Is determined to be ON / OFF control (cycle) (S553g). In this case, since the minimum flow rate cannot be determined, the present embodiment sets the same value as the maximum flow rate.

When the gas appliance is a gas table, it is basically operated three times during the registration period as in the case of the oven. The difference from the oven is that when the first operation is performed, the heating power adjustment lever is set to “strong” and is operated without operating the lever after ignition. In the second operation, the heating power adjustment lever is set to “weak” immediately after ignition. " Accordingly, in the case of the gas table in FIG. 8, the second flow rate difference can be set to about 20 [L / h].

  Therefore, since it is understood that the values are different when the first and second flow rate differences are compared in S553f, the registration means 10 suddenly changes the control pattern of the gas table (the gas appliance operated during the registration period) ( It can be determined that both (undefined value) and moderate. Note that one of the reasons for determining whether the difference from the previous 4 seconds is small (3 [L / h] or less) is to allow the user to operate with a margin after ignition. This is because the operation may not be in time if the difference from a very short time (for example, 2 seconds before) is used.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the number of times the gas appliance is operated during the registration period, and the gas appliance to be controlled is operated by changing the gas flow rate flowing at the time of ignition by the user. A control pattern can be taught to the flow measurement device 1. This can be taught even by a gas appliance such as a fan heater, which does not know when the control is performed, without being operated until the control is actually performed, so that unnecessary gas combustion can be eliminated. Moreover, since it is not necessary to show all the control patterns to the flow measuring device 1 also in the gas table, it is possible to eliminate useless gas combustion.

  Further, when the flow measuring device 1 detects the operation of the gas appliance, the gas is cut off, so that a user in the vicinity of the gas appliance located away from the flow measuring device 1 can reliably detect the gas appliance misfiring. In addition to being able to know, since there is no need to confirm with the flow rate measuring device 1, the complexity of the registration work can be reduced.

  Furthermore, depending on the ignition method, the gas table may misfire immediately after ignition without closing the shut-off valve. In this case, the safety device (not shown) disappears and the gas table automatically shuts off the gas. In this case, the flow rate of the gas flowing through the measurement channel is the same as that when the gas is blocked by the shut-off valve. In that case, since it is not known whether ignition has failed and the safety device is working and the gas is shut off, or the flow measuring device 1 accurately detects the operation of the gas appliance and shuts off, the flow measuring device 1 By changing the color to be displayed according to the number of times the notification means 35 detects the operation, the registrant can identify the both by confirming the color.

  The flow rate measuring device 1 distinguishes and recognizes the control pattern for each gas appliance. For example, even when there is a fan heater and a stove having the same maximum flow rate, the control pattern is seen, so that the discrimination is wrong at the time of ignition. Even if it is, the determination result can be corrected.

  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 Functional block diagram of the flow rate measuring apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention The figure which shows the information memorize | stored in the instrument information storage means in Embodiment 1 of this invention The figure which shows the time characteristic of the gas flow volume which flows at the time of the fan heater operation | movement in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the time characteristic of the gas flow volume which flows at the time of gas oven operation | movement in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the time characteristic of the gas flow volume which flows at the time of the gas stove operation | movement in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the time characteristic of the gas flow volume which flows at the time of the gas table operation | movement in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Flowchart of the flow rate measuring device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Flowchart of the flow rate measuring device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Flowchart of the flow rate measuring device in Embodiment 1 of the present invention The figure which shows 20 seconds after ignition of the time characteristic of the gas flow rate which flows at the time of the fan heater operation | movement in Embodiment 1 of this invention Configuration diagram of a conventional flow measurement device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Flow measurement means 9 Appliance discrimination means 10 Registration means 31 Appliance information storage means 32 Flow rate calculation means 32a First calculation means 32b Second calculation means 33a Registration start time designation means 33b Registration end time designation means 34 Blocking means 35 Notification means

Claims (4)

A flow rate measuring means for measuring the flow rate of the fluid at regular time intervals;
Registration start time designation means;
Registration end time designation means;
It comprises a registration means for discriminating the control pattern of the operating instrument and registering it in the instrument information storage means ,
The registration unit is configured to control the operation tool based on the number of times the operation tool is operated and the operation content from the time specified by the registration start time specification unit to the time specified by the registration end time specification unit. It determines the flow rate measuring device. 2. The flow measurement according to claim 1, further comprising: a shut-off unit that shuts off the fluid when a time change amount of the flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring unit becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value and then supplies the fluid again after a predetermined time has elapsed. apparatus. Flow rate measuring device according to claim 1 or 2 further comprising a notification means for changing the color to thus display the number of operating the operation device. The flow rate measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the flow rate measuring means uses an ultrasonic flowmeter.

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