JPH0321858B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a water meter equipped with a water leakage detection function for detecting water leakage from water pipes.

A typical underground water leakage detection method that has been in practical use for some time is the method using a listening rod. In other words, you can place a listening rod on the ground where the pipe is buried, directly contact the buried pipe through a bored hole, or place it on a part exposed above the ground such as a fire hydrant or water meter. The vibration sound transmitted from the listening stick is mechanically amplified using a method of contacting the sound rod, and a person listens to the sound and determines whether it is a water leak sound or not.

In addition, an acceleration signal detector that can obtain electrical signals instead of a listening stick can be used in the same way as above, and the electrical signals obtained by contacting the ground, buried pipes, exposed parts of the ground, etc., can be amplified, and the electrical signals can be amplified and transmitted to people through a headphone. heard,
A method is used in which a person determines whether there is a water leak by converting the signal strength into a meter reading.

Furthermore, a method using a pressure-to-electricity converter has been proposed for the purpose of increasing the sensitivity of the detected vibration sound and effectively picking up high-frequency vibrations that are highly attenuated.

However, when performing water leakage detection work, these methods require temporarily removing the fire hydrant outlet or household water meter and installing a pressure-to-electrical converter. Disadvantages include the time-consuming process of attaching and detaching the pipes, hygienic problems due to the risk of contamination with foreign matter during attaching and detaching, and the need to bleed air after restoration due to air getting into the indoor piping. The most fatal drawback is that water is cut off during work.

Furthermore, a method has been proposed in which a watertight box containing a pressure-to-electricity converter is attached to a water faucet, and vibrations are extracted while the box is filled with water. However, this method has the following drawbacks. In other words, installation methods that match the various faucet structures and dimensions are required, connections made of soft rubber or vinyl may attenuate high frequency components, and faucets have movable parts such as adjustable faucets. In this case, this method cannot be used because pressure cannot be applied.

The present invention provides a water meter with a water leak detection function that can solve these drawbacks.

Generally, water usage fees are based on a pay-as-you-go system, so a water meter is installed in each contracted household.

Therefore, the present invention integrates a water leak detection section including a pressure-electrical converter and a water meter, and installs the water meter in place of the conventional water meter. It aims to solve problems.

Previously, it could take up to two years to conduct a patrol survey of Quanpen Street, meaning that underground water leaks that occurred immediately after the survey would not be discovered until two years later.

According to the present invention, since the water leakage detection function is semi-permanently fixed and installed in the water meter, the water leakage detection work can be performed in a short time.

In other words, it is a simple task for the worker to carry the water leak determination device and connect its input signal line to the output terminal of the pressure-to-electrical converter attached to the water meter according to the present invention.

For example, if the two-year cycle of leak detection were changed to the two-month cycle, the national average water leak rate of 18.9% in 1975 would decrease to 5.04%.

In other words, if we divide the locations where water leaks occur into water distribution pipes and water supply pipes, the number of leaks is about 90%, and the amount of water leaks is about 90%.
80% is water supply pipes. Therefore, the national average water leakage rate
Of the 18.9%, 80%, or 15.12%, is the leakage rate in the water supply pipe, and the remaining 20%, or 3.78
% is the water leakage rate in water pipes.

Assuming that the probability of water leakage occurring over time is uniformly distributed, the amount of water leakage will be reduced to 1/12 by shortening the conventional two-year cycle to a two-monthly cycle, so 15.12 % x 1/12 = 1.26% is the water leakage rate in the water supply pipes, making the total 5.04% including the 3.78% water leakage rate in the distribution pipes.

As described above, according to the present invention, by installing a water meter incorporating a water leak detection function such as a pressure-to-electrical converter, there is an extremely large advantage that water leaks can be detected quickly and easily.

In addition, as has already been done in some areas, there is a trend in the near future for water meter reading operations to shift to a centralized meter reading method using a telemeter system using telephone lines, but it is expected that water meter reading operations will shift to a centralized meter reading method using a telemeter system using a telephone line. The water meter has the advantage of being able to easily transmit a water leakage detection signal even in response to a call from a central control center at any time, unlike a system in which it is attached and detached each time a water leakage investigation is performed.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a water meter incorporating a pressure-to-electricity converter, in which A is a side view and B is a plan view.

Water supplied from the water meter inlet 2 passes through the metering section 3 and is supplied to the consumer from the water meter outlet 4. 1 is a display section.

A pressure-to-electricity converter 5 is attached to the water meter inlet 2. 6 is a pressure receiving part, 7 is a detection circuit for amplifying the output of the pressure-to-electricity converter, and 8 is a small long-life battery that serves as a power source for the pressure-to-electricity converter and the detection circuit;
Reference numeral 9 denotes a waterproof or drip-proof terminal for outputting electrical signals to the outside.

In the above example, only the pressure-to-electrical converter and its detection circuit are installed inside the water meter, and water leak detection is performed using an external device, but it is also possible to install a water leak detection circuit individually inside the water meter. is also possible. This is because recent advances in electronic technology have made it possible to downsize the device, making it possible to detect water leaks more easily and reliably.

FIG. 2 is a layout diagram showing the installation of a water meter incorporating a water leak determination circuit in addition to a pressure-electrical converter.

A water supply pipe 13 is connected from the water pipe 11 to the water supply pipe 12 by means of a water distribution valve 12.
branches, and the water supply pipe is connected to the water meter 15 via the stop valve 14.
connected to. The water meter 15 incorporates a water leakage detector consisting of a pressure-to-electricity converter, a small long-life battery, and a water leakage determination circuit, and is provided with a terminal 16 for signal confirmation.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the circuit configuration of a water leakage detector, in which the output signal of the pressure-electrical converter 5
2 to the bandpass filter 23,
Low frequency signals and high frequency signals other than the vibration frequency due to water leakage are cut.

Next, the peak value discrimination circuit 24 distinguishes only signals having a certain magnitude or more, and the clock pulse generation circuit 24
It is applied to the determination circuit 26 together with the output pulse No. 5.

26, by determining that there is a water leak only when the output from the peak value discrimination circuit occurs continuously for a certain period of time, the sound of running water, the sound of passing cars,
Distinguish it from other intermittent sounds.

The output of the determination circuit 26 is stored in the storage circuit 27 and further displayed on the display section 28. Display section 28
consists of light emitting diodes, liquid crystals, etc. that display the output of the judgment circuit.

Further, the terminals 16 and 17 are used for recording and transmitting water leakage detection signals, and this also enables centralized control using a telemeter system.

As explained above, according to the present invention, water leakage can be easily and reliably detected by providing a water leakage detection section including a pressure-electrical converter as an integral structure with a water meter, and furthermore, water leakage can be detected easily and reliably. It is possible to obtain a water meter with a rational water leakage detection function that also enables centralized control of water.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a water meter incorporating a pressure-electrical converter, Figure 2 is a layout diagram showing an example of a water meter incorporating a water leak detector, and Figure 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a water meter incorporating a water leak detector. The figure is a block diagram showing an example of the circuit configuration of a water leakage detector. 1...Display section, 5...Pressure-electricity converter, 6...
...Pressure receiving part, 7...Detection circuit, 8...Battery, 9,1
6, 17...Output terminal, 11...Water pipe, 13...
... Water supply pipe, 15 ... Water meter, 22 ... Amplification circuit,
23... Band pass filter, 24... Peak value discrimination circuit, 25... Clock pulse generation circuit, 27
...Memory circuit, 28...Display section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Having an inlet and an outlet connected to a water supply pipe,
A water meter that measures the amount of water flowing from the inlet to the outlet using a measuring section, comprising: a pressure-electrical converter that is integrally attached to the inside of the flow section from the inlet to the outlet and detects water leakage vibrations occurring in the water pipe; A peak value discrimination circuit detects a signal of a certain magnitude or more based on the output from the pressure-electrical converter, a clock pulse generation circuit generates a clock pulse of a constant period, and detection is performed by the peak value discrimination circuit. a determination circuit that inputs the detected signal and determines whether the detected signal time is longer than a certain time based on a clock pulse from a clock pulse generation circuit, and determines that there is a water leak if it is longer than a certain time; A water meter characterized in that a display section for displaying results and are integrally attached.