JPH02207396A - Card type water supplying device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save labor for checking a meter and collecting a charge and to reduce labor cost by buying a card by paying the charge in advance and receiving water supply only for permitted water supply quantity written to the card. CONSTITUTION:All permitted water supply data added to the card are fetched to a memory 23 by inserting a bought card 11 to a device 20 and the permitted water supply data added to the card are erased. Then, the card is discharged. Each time a flow meter 52 transmits a signal corresponding to unit using quantity, the unit using quantity is subtracted from the permitted water supply data stored in the memory 23 and when the permitted water supply data stored in the memory 23 go to zero, a valve 51 is closed. Then, the water supply is stopped. Thus, the labor for checking the meter, demanding the charge and collecting the charge can be saved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION "Field of Industrial Application" The present invention relates to a card-type water supply device for supplying water from, for example, city waterworks on the premise of paying a fee.

``Conventional technology'' Traditionally, in the water supply system, meter readers determined the amount of water used based on the readings from the integrating meters installed at each customer, issued a bill to each customer according to the amount used, and collected the charges. ing.

``Problem to be solved by the invention'' Conventionally, charges have been calculated and billed based on past usage, which is time-consuming. In particular, meter reading takes a lot of effort, so the labor cost is high.

Furthermore, even though invoices have been issued and billed, there are cases where payments are not made, making it difficult to collect fees.

An object of the present invention is to provide a card-type water supply device that can save the time and effort required for meter reading, billing, and collection of fees.

"Means for Solving the Problem" In this invention, the consumer pays a fee in advance and purchases a card with water supply permission data written on it, and by inserting this card into the device, the device opens the valve and receives water supply. control to the extent possible. Along with this, each time the flow meter sends a signal representing the unit usage amount, the unit usage amount is subtracted from the water supply permission data written on the card, and when the water supply permission data reaches zero, the valve is controlled to be closed. It is something.

Here, in the first invention of this application, by inserting the purchased card into the device, all of the water supply permit data attached to the card is imported into the memory device, the water supply permit data attached to the card is erased, and the card is ejected. Each time the flow rate needle sends a signal corresponding to the unit usage amount, the unit usage amount is subtracted from the water supply permission data stored in the memory device, and when the water supply permission data stored in the storage device becomes zero, the valve is closed and the water supply starts. This paper proposes a card-type water supply device that operates to stop the water.

In the second invention of this application, by inserting the purchased card into the device, the card is held inside the device, and the 2i!
! Each time the meter sends a signal corresponding to the unit usage amount, the unit usage amount is subtracted from the water supply permission data written on the card, and when the water supply permission data written on the card becomes zero, the card data is erase and eject the
This paper proposes a card-type water supply device that operates to close a valve and stop water supply.

In the third invention of the second application, the purchased card is inserted into the device and an arbitrary value is set in the setting device within the range of water supply permission data written on the card.

The water supply permission data on the card is rewritten by subtracting the value set in the setting device, and is discharged from the inside of the device.

In this way, in any of the first, second, and third inventions of this application, a consumer purchases a card by paying a fee in advance, and supplies only the water supply permission amount written on the card. Can receive.

This eliminates the hassle of meter reading and fee collection, and can significantly reduce personnel costs.

In addition, since water cannot be supplied without purchasing a card, it is no longer possible to receive water without paying the fee, which eliminates fraudulent activities.

Further, according to the first invention of this application, when a purchased card is inserted, all of the water supply permit data written on the card is taken into the memory device, and at that point the record on the card is erased and discharged.

Therefore, the structure of the device can be simplified since no external operations are required.

According to the second invention of this application, since the water supply permission amount written on the card is rewritten according to the usage amount, the card can be returned at any time. Therefore, even if the card is only used for a short period of time or if the card is moved, the card will not be wasted, which is convenient for the customer.

Furthermore, according to the third invention of this application, any value within the range of the permitted water supply amount written on the card can be input into the device, and the card is returned after input.

Therefore, this case is also convenient because the card will not be wasted if the card is only used for a short period of time or when moving.

"Example" FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the first invention of this application.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 indicates a card reading device. By inserting the card 11 into the card reading device 10, the water supply permission amount written in the form of magnetic data on the card 11 is read and taken into the controller 20.

The controller 20 is constituted by a microcomputer. As is well known, a microcomputer includes a central processing unit 21, a ROM 22 containing programs for operating the central processing unit 21 in a predetermined order, and a card 1.
RA used for storing data read from 1.
M23 and input boat 24. a display controller 26A that controls the drive of the output port 25 and the remaining amount indicator 30;
Light emitting indicators D + , D i , D 3. It is composed of a drive circuit 26B of Da, a buzzer driver 26C2 contact signal transmitter 26D, and a valve controller 26E.

The water supply permission data read by the card reader 10 is taken in from the input port 24 and stored in a predetermined storage area 23A of the RAM 23.

Therefore, this storage area 23A will be hereinafter referred to as a storage device 23A for storing water supply permission data or simply a storage device 23A.

When the water supply permission data is written in the storage device 23A, the value of the water supply permission data is transferred to the remaining amount display 3° through the output port 25 according to the program written in the central processing unit 21 or the ROM 22, and the remaining amount display is displayed. 30
Display the value of the water supply permit data.

The remaining amount indicator 30 can be configured by, for example, a numeric display using a liquid crystal display element.

When writing the water supply permission data taken in from the card reader 10 to the memory device 23A, if there is any remaining water supply permission data written previously in the memory device 23A, the value read this time is added to the remaining value and written. It turns out. This addition and rewriting processing is performed by the central processing unit 21, so that the card reading device 10 can read a plurality of newly purchased cards in succession.

On the other hand, when the water supply permission data is written in the storage device 23A, the central processing unit 21 gives an open signal to the valve controller 26H, and controls the valve 51 provided in the water supply channel 50 to open. Note that the valve 51 can be configured to be opened and closed by a motor 53, for example, and the motor 53 is automatically stopped by the limit switch 4 at the closed position and the open position, and remains at that position until a reverse drive signal is input. stand by. Therefore, the structure is such that no power is consumed to maintain the state in either the open or closed position.

Reference numerals 41 and 42 indicate indicators for displaying the open and closed states of the valve 51, and depending on the lighting state thereof, it is indicated whether the valve 51 is in the open or closed state.

A flow meter 52 is provided in the water supply channel 50 in the same way as the valve 51 . The flow meter 52 used has a structure that emits one pulse every time the integrated value of the flow rate reaches a unit amount, for example, 1 cubic meter. Flowmeters that emit a pulse every time the integrated value of the flow rate reaches a predetermined unit amount are already commercially available, and any known flowmeter can be used.

The flow rate detection signal output from the flow meter 52 is input to input port 2.
4 to the controller 20. When the controller 20 receives a pulse indicating that the flow rate has reached the specified value from the flowmeter 52, it subtracts 1 from the water supply permission data stored in the memory 23A, and displays the water supply permission data on the remaining amount display 30. Display remaining amount.

The operation of subtracting 1 from the water supply permission data stored in the memory 23A every time a pulse is transmitted from the flowmeter 52 and the addition operation when writing the water supply permission data to the memory 23A are performed by the central processing bag f. ! 21 does, therefore,
The central processing unit 21 constitutes an arithmetic unit, and the drive circuit 2
6B constitutes a drive circuit that drives the light emitting displays DI, Dt, Ds, and Da.

The light emitting indicator D1 is a pilot indicator that indicates the presence or absence of commercial power supply, and indicates that commercial power is present when lit, and indicates a power outage when turned off.

Luminous indicator D! is a remaining amount zero indicator that lights up when the remaining amount of water supply permission data in the storage device 23A becomes zero, and indicates that the remaining amount is zero.

The light-emitting indicator is a low remaining amount indicator that lights up when the remaining amount of water supply permission data stored in the memory 23A becomes less than, for example, 3 cubic meters, and indicates that the remaining amount of water supply permission data is low. shows.

When this low remaining amount indicator lights up, the contact signal transmitter 26D is simultaneously driven and outputs a contact signal to the external terminal T0. This contact signal activates, for example, a separately provided highly visible light-emitting display and a sounding body such as a buzzer to alert the consumer. The buzzer BZ shown in the figure is activated, for example, when the card 11 is inserted into the card reader 10 or when a flow pulse is input from the flow meter 52 to the controller 20.
It is provided to notify that the device is operating normally by making a short sound about two or three times when the display on the remaining amount indicator 30 changes.

The light-emitting indicator D4 can be, for example, a card error indicator that indicates that the card 11 was not read normally.

Reference numeral 70 indicates a power supply circuit. In this example, the power supply circuit 70 is provided with a power failure detection circuit 73 and a power supply switching circuit 74, so that when the commercial power supply fails, two batteries 71 and 72 back up the operation of the device. In this case, one of the two batteries 71 is connected to the circuit when the power switching circuit 74 is switched immediately after a power outage is detected, and is used as a power source for closing the valve 53. When valve 51 reaches closure, battery 71 is disconnected from the circuit to avoid depletion.

Furthermore, the battery 72 backs up the RAM 23 to avoid loss of memory. When the power outage is resolved, power is supplied to each part from the commercial power source and normal operation resumes.

The reason why the valve 51 is closed immediately after a power outage is as follows.

If the valve 51 is kept open during a power outage, the controller 20 must maintain normal operation in this state, that is, monitor the remaining amount of water supply permission data and ensure that the remaining amount is zero. It is necessary to perform an operation to close the valve 51 upon detecting that the value has been reached.

Since the controller 20 can be configured by a microcomputer, power consumption is small. Therefore, the backup battery 72 can maintain operation of the controller for several months (at least).

However, the lifespan of the backup battery 72 is limited, so if a power outage is intentionally continued, for example by cutting the power cord, the battery 72 will eventually reach a breakdown. During this time, the controller 20 has continued to operate normally, so the valve 51 remains open unless there is a chance that the remaining amount of water supply permission data becomes zero.

Therefore, if the battery 72 breaks down while the valve 51 is open, the controller 20 will remain inactive and the valve 51 will remain open, allowing water to be supplied without inserting a card. becomes. As a result, fraud can be committed.

Therefore, in the embodiment of this invention, when a power outage is detected, the battery 7
The valve 51 is controlled to be closed using the electric power of 1, and the water supply is stopped during a power outage, making it impossible to carry out unauthorized operations.

Furthermore, it is not necessary to maintain the controller 20 in a normal operating state by closing the valve 51 during a power outage. Therefore, the battery 72 only needs to back up the RAM 23, which reduces the consumption of the battery 72. You also get the advantage of being able to.

Note that during a power outage, the closed state is not completely closed, but it is also possible to continue supplying water with an opening degree of, for example, about 5 to 10% when fully opened.

By continuing to supply water for a short time during a power outage in this way, it is possible to reduce the inconvenience caused to customers who experience a real power outage.

When the water supply permission data is read from the card 11, the controller 20 outputs a signal to erase the data, and
Delete water supply permit data. Along with this, output port 2
A marker signal is output from 5 to operate a marker 12 provided in a card reading device 10, thereby adding a mark to the card 11 indicating that it has been used. As a mark indicating that the card has been used, a punch hole may be formed, or a heat-sensitive material may be coated on the card 11, and this heat-sensitive material may be heated by a thermal head to change color to indicate that the card has been used. .

FIG. 2 shows a flow chart outlining the program of the microcomputer used in the embodiment of the first invention.

When the power is turned on, the remaining amount of water supply permission data left in the memory 23A is displayed on the display 30 in step (2). If there is no water supply permission data in the memory 23A, step ■
Then, the contact signals are set to OFF, the low remaining amount indicator D2 is set to OFF, and the remaining amount zero indicator D2 is set to ON, the valve 51 is closed, and the presence or absence of insertion of the card 11 is checked in step (2). If the card 11 is not inserted, the process returns to step (2).

When the card 11 is inserted, the process moves from step ■ to [phase], and if there is no error in reading the card 11, step [
phase], it is determined whether or not the card 11 has water supply permission data. If there is no water supply permission data on the card 11, jump to step [phase] and transfer the card 11 to the card reader 10.
discharge from.

Step 17 if card 11 has water supply permit data
The water supply permission data of the card 11 is added to the remaining amount data stored in the storage device 23A to calculate a new remaining amount.

This new remaining amount is displayed on the remaining amount display 30 in step [share], and in step [phase], the marker 12 provided on the card reader 10 is activated to write a used mark on the card 11, and in step [share] to eject card 11.

After ejecting the card 11, the process returns to step (2), and the routine of steps (2)-(2)-(2)-(2)-(2)-(2)-(2) is normally repeated.

When a flow rate pulse is output from the flowmeter 52 in this state, the routine branches to step ■-[stock], the remaining amount data in the memory 23A is decremented by 1, and the new remaining amount is displayed in step [phase]. display on the device 30.

For example, when the value of the remaining amount is smaller than 3 cubic meters, step ■ branches to step @, the contact signal is turned on, the low remaining amount indicator D2 is turned on, the remaining amount zero indicator OX is set to OFF, and the remaining amount is set to the specified amount. In this state, the routine of ■−■−■−＠−■−■−[phase]−■−■ is executed, and each time a flow rate pulse is input, steps from ■ to ■ Jump to and see if the remaining amount becomes zero or not.
The operation of determining whether or not the card 11 is inserted is repeatedly executed.

From the above, the configuration and operation of the first invention will be understood.

FIG. 3 shows the second invention of this application.

In the second invention of this application, the card 11 is transferred to the card reading device 1.
0, and each time a flow rate pulse is output from the flow meter 52, the water supply permission data written on the card 11 is decreased by one, and the memory of the card 11 is rewritten, so that the water supply permission data on the card 11 becomes zero. A case is shown in which the card 11 is ejected when the card 11 is reached.

The major difference in configuration from the first invention is that a card ejection switch 8o is added to the input boat 24.

Other parts common to those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals.

The card 11 is ejected from the card reading device 210 by operating the card ejection switch 8o at any time. At this time, the water supply permission data on the card 11 has been rewritten to a value from which the amount consumed up to that point has been subtracted.

Therefore, according to the second invention, the card 11 can be ejected as needed, so when moving or renting a room for a short period of time, the card 11 can be ejected as needed.
1 can be ejected, and the card can be used again at the transfer destination, resulting in an effect that does not result in wastage.

Since the other configurations and operations are substantially the same as those of the first invention, further detailed explanation will be omitted. Incidentally, an outline of the microcomputer program used in the second invention is shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the third invention. In this third invention, the input port 24 of the controller 20 is provided with a card ejection switch 80, a usage amount setting switch 81, and a cancellation switch 82, and the drive circuit This invention is different from the first invention and the second invention in that 26B is provided with a card remaining amount indicator and a data remaining amount indicator in the memory 23B.

In other words, in the third invention, an arbitrary amount of water supply permission data written in the card 11 can be written in the storage device 23A, the water supply permission data of the card 11 is subtracted by the set amount, and the subtracted new The water supply permission data is rewritten in the card 11 and discharged.

Specifically, when the card 11 is inserted into the card reading device 10, the card reading device IO reads the water supply permission data written on the card 11, and this water supply permission data is read by the RA.
It is temporarily stored in the storage area 23B of M23.

Next, the usage amount setting switch 81 is operated. This usage amount setting switch 81 can be a push button switch, and each time the push button switch is pressed, the usage amount increases by 1 cubic meter, and an arbitrary amount is set. At this time, the card remaining amount indicator Ds lights up, indicating that the remaining amount of the card 11 is displayed on the remaining amount indicator 30. Therefore, the desired amount is set using this display.

With the set value determined, operate the card ejection switch 8°. By operating the card ejection switch 80, the controller 20 writes the set value to the water supply permission data stored in the memory 23A and subtracts the set value from the data value of the card 11 stored in the storage area 23B. , transfers the subtraction result to the card reading device 10, rewrites the data value written on the card 11, and ejects the card 11 from the card reading device 10. At this time, a drive signal is sent to the marker 12, and a mark corresponding to the remaining amount is attached to the display portion of the card 11.

When the set amount of data is added to the memory 23B, the remaining amount display 30 displays the amount of water supply data stored in the memory 23A. At the same time, the card remaining amount display 30 is turned off, and the remaining amount display D6 is lit in its place, indicating that the remaining amount display 30 is the value stored in the memory 23A.

Note that if you wish to cancel the setting after setting an arbitrary usage amount using the usage amount setting switch 81, operate the cancel switch 82. By operating the cancel switch 82, the setting value input with the setting switch 81 is erased and returned to the original state. In this state, the settings can be reset, and the card 11 can be ejected by operating the card ejection switch 80.

FIG. 6 shows an outline of the microcomputer program used in the embodiment of the third invention. The feature of this program is that it determines whether or not the cancel switch 82 has been operated in step ■, and that the usage amount setting switch 81 is determined in step ■.
Determine whether or not the has been operated, and if so, step ■
The set value is increased by +1, the result is displayed on the remaining amount display 30, and the water supply permission data of the card 11 stored in the storage area 23B is decreased by 1, and the card ejection switch 82 is operated in step (2). The point is to determine whether or not.

"Effects of the Invention" As explained above, according to the present invention, since the card 11 is purchased and water is supplied using the card 11, no labor is required to collect the fee. In particular, since it is not necessary to read the usage amount every month, the time and effort required for meter reading can be saved.Therefore, significant labor savings can be achieved.

Furthermore, since the system allows water to be supplied after purchasing a card, there is no possibility of non-payment of water charges. Furthermore, since the valve 51 is controlled to be closed during a power outage, even if an attempt is made to commit fraud by unplugging the commercial power supply that supplies power to the controller 20, that fraud will be eliminated.

Furthermore, according to the first invention of this application, the card reading device 10
The card 11 simply reads the water supply permission data recorded on the card and at the same time marks the card 11 as used. Therefore, the structure of Regulation '8820 can be simplified.

Further, according to the second invention of this application, the card 11 can be ejected at any time during use, so the card 11 will not be wasted when moving.

Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to set an arbitrary amount of water supply within the range of the value of the water supply permission data recorded on the card 11, so that the card is not wasted when moving in this case as well. Therefore, it can be used conveniently for consumers as well.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the first invention of this application, Fig. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the outline of the microcomputer program used in the first invention of this application, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the first invention of this application. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the outline of the microcomputer program used in the embodiment of the second invention, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the embodiment of the second invention of this application. A block diagram showing the embodiment, FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the outline of the program of the microcomputer used in the third invention. 10: Card reader, 11: Card, 12: Marker,
20; Controller, 23A: Memory device, 30: Remaining amount indicator, 4
0: Valve control device, 50: Water supply channel, 51: Valve, 52: Flow meter, 80: Card discharge switch, 81: Usage amount setting switch, 82: Cancellation switch.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A. A card reader that reads the water supply permit data attached to the card; B. A memory device that stores the water supply permit data read by the card reader; C. A flowmeter installed in the water supply channel. an arithmetic processing device that subtracts the unit usage amount from the water supply permission value stored in the storage device each time a measurement signal representing the unit usage amount is transmitted, and rewrites the stored value in the storage device to the result of the subtraction; a remaining amount indicator that displays the water supply permission value stored in the storage device; and E. a valve control device that controls the valve provided in the water supply channel to a closed state when the water supply permission value stored in the storage device reaches zero. A card-type water supply device characterized by comprising the following. (2) A. A card reading device that reads the water supply permit data attached to the card; B. A memory device that stores the water supply permit data read by this card reader; and C. A flowmeter that corresponds to the unit usage amount. D. A calculation device that subtracts a value corresponding to the unit usage amount from the water supply permission data stored in the storage device each time a signal is transmitted; and D. A rewriting device that rewrites the water supply permission data on the card with the calculation result of the calculation device. E. A valve control device that controls a valve provided in the water supply channel to a closed state when the calculation result of the calculation device is zero, and F. A card discharge device that discharges the card when the calculation result of the calculation device is zero. A card-type water supply device characterized by comprising a device and the following. (3) A. A card reader that reads the water supply permit data attached to the card; B. A setting switch that sets any value within the range of the water supply permit data read by this card reader; C. The above card reader. A calculation device that subtracts the value set by the setting switch from the water supply permission data read by the device; D. A card rewriting device that rewrites the water supply permission data on the card to the calculation result calculated by the calculation device; E. A card discharge switch that discharges the card after the water supply permission data on the card has been rewritten; F. A valve control device that closes a valve provided in the water supply channel when the calculation result of the calculation device is zero. A card-type water supply device characterized by: