JPH07208633A - Two-way valve inspecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To periodically inspect gas in a daily unuse time zone or a specified flow rate time zone during drive and recover slight shut-off trouble due to the increase of a bi-directional valve in friction. CONSTITUTION:A daily unuse time zone or a given flow rate time zone is memorized in a memory means 22 with a flow sensor 11 and a clock 14. At the time when a preset inspection time comes, a flow rate in the unused time zone or the given flow rate time zone is achknowledged and the operation of a two-way valve 3, after shut off and open is confirmed with an answer means 7. If the two-way valve 3 cannot be shut off, shut-off operation is done with a pressure rise means 21 used in opening the valve.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inspection device for a bidirectional valve provided in a pressure regulator or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional bidirectional valve inspection device will be described by taking a gas meter with a safety function (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer meter) as an example. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 is a bidirectional valve drive means. The fluid flow path 9 includes a flow sensor 11, a pressure sensor 10 and a bidirectional valve 3 provided between the inlet 19 and the outlet 20. Pressure sensor 10, flow rate sensor 11 and clock unit 1
4, the safety condition storage means 16 and the answer means 7 have their outputs connected to the safety judgment means 15, and the outputs of the safety judgment means 15 are connected to the valve drive means 8 and the alarm means 18. The output of the alarm means 18 is connected to the remote operation means 17 installed in the facility management center at a remote place, and the output of the remote operation means 17 is connected to the safety judgment means 15.

The safety judgment means 15 and the warning means 1
8 and the remote control means 17 are connected so that they can communicate with each other using a telephone line, a dedicated communication line or the like.

The output of the valve drive means 8 is connected to the closed switching means 5, the open switching means 6 and the boosting means 21. The drive circuit when the bidirectional valve 3 is shut off is the circuit of the closing switching means 5 from the positive electrode of the battery 2, the terminal 12 of the bidirectional valve 3, the electromagnetic coil 4, the terminal 13, the closing switching means 5, and the negative electrode of the battery. The drive circuit for opening the bidirectional valve 3 is the battery 2
From the positive electrode to the open switching means 6, the boosting means 21, the terminal 12 of the bidirectional valve 3, the electromagnetic coil 4, the terminal 13, the boosting means 21, the open switching means 6 and the battery negative electrode circuit. The answer means 7 measures the position of the plunger 32 of the bidirectional valve 3 by the change of the inductance of the electromagnetic coil 4, the change of the magnetic field, etc. to determine whether the bidirectional valve 3 is in the open position or the closed position. Then, an opening completion or interruption completion signal is issued to notify the safety judgment means.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bidirectional valve 3. There is a fluid passage from a fluid inlet 36 to a passage 39 opened / closed by the valve 34 and an outlet 37, and the permanent magnet 30 is a plunger made of iron. A valve 32 is held in an open position by a shaft 32 that sucks 31 and connects to the plunger 31. An electromagnetic coil 4 is excited only when the valve is operated. When a current is applied so that the electromagnetic coil generates a magnetic field in the direction opposite to the polarity of the permanent magnet 30, the plunger 31 generates a repulsive force and separates from the magnet and pushes the valve 34 down to bring it into close contact with the valve seat 38, thereby establishing a fluid passage. Cut off. Next, even if the current flowing through the electromagnetic coil 4 is cut off, the valve is kept closed by the force of the spring 35 and the pressure of the fluid on the inlet 36 side. The contact plate 33 is a valve-side support for the spring 35.

Next, when opening the valve 34, the electromagnetic coil 4
When the electric current of is passed in the opposite direction, the permanent magnet 30 and the plunger 3
Even if the attraction force is generated between the two to pull up the plunger 31 and the exciting current of the electromagnetic coil is cut off, the permanent magnet 30 holds the plunger 31 in the attracted position, so that the valve 34 is held in the open state. In FIG. 4, the bidirectional valve driving means 1 detects the pressure of the fluid flowing in the flow path 9 with the sensor 10 and transmits it to the safety judging means 15, and the safety storage means 1
When it deviates from the permissible pressure stored in 6 and when the flow rate deviates from the permissible continuation time for each flow rate stored in the safety storage means 16 by the flow rate sensor 11 and the input from the clock unit 14, it is judged as abnormal and abnormal. An abnormality is displayed on the alarm means 18 and the remote operation means 17 is notified that an abnormality has occurred.

The safety judging means 15 sends a valve shutoff signal to the valve driving means 8 to turn on the closing switching means 5 for a certain period of time, from the battery 2 to the closing switching means 5 and the bidirectional valve 3.
A current is supplied to the terminal 12, the electromagnetic coil 4, the terminal 13, the closing switching means 5, and the battery 2 to shut off the bidirectional valve 3 to stop the fluid in the flow path 4. The answer means 7 detects that the valve 3 is shut off by a change in the inductance of the electromagnetic coil and causes the safety determination means 15 to check whether the valve operation is abnormal. Further, if there is an abnormality in the valve operation, the safety judgment means 15 displays the occurrence of the abnormality on the alarm means 18 and informs the manager via the remote control means 17.

Next, the fluid supply management center, in which the remote control means 17 is installed, informs the user of the abnormality of the bidirectional valve driving means 1 at the fluid use site by telephone or the like to eliminate the cause of the abnormality. After removing the cause of the abnormality, the valve opening signal is sent to the bidirectional valve driving means 1. The safety determination means 15 of the bidirectional valve drive means 1 connects and disconnects the open switching means 6 for a certain period of time, from the battery 2 to the open switching means 6, the primary side of the step-up transformer (not shown) in the step-up means 21, the battery. The current of the circuit up to 2 is made into a pulsed current, a high voltage is induced on the secondary side of the step-up transformer, and the capacitor is charged after rectification. Then, the boosted and rectified high voltage is applied from the terminal 13 of the bidirectional valve 3 through the electromagnetic coil 4 to the terminal 12 to excite the electromagnetic coil in a direction opposite to that at the time of shutting off. The current required for the opening operation of the bidirectional valve overcomes the fluid pressure on the inlet 36 side and the force of the spring, and therefore requires a larger value than the current for the shutoff operation. If the bidirectional valve is operated with the same voltage when shutting off and when it is opened, an unnecessarily large current will flow when shutting down, resulting in wasteful consumption of battery current. During operation, an appropriate current required for operation is supplied to the bidirectional valve 3 via the boosting means.

When the operation check of the bidirectional valve is performed, the user is contacted by a means such as a telephone to temporarily stop the use of gas, and the remote operation means 17 sends an inspection signal to operate the bidirectional valve. I was doing an inspection.

[0010]

However, the above conventional structure has the following problems.

(1) The operation check of the two-way shutoff valve cannot be automatically performed periodically by selecting when the fluid is not used.

(2) If the mechanical operation resistance of the valve during the closing operation of the bidirectional valve 3 increases for some reason and the valve cannot be closed, the same voltage is applied even if the closing operation is performed again. In this case, since it is not possible to supply electric power enough to overcome the mechanical operation resistance, the shutoff valve is unlikely to recover.

(3) When the fluid is continuously used for 24 hours, the operation check of the bidirectional shutoff valve cannot be automatically performed on a regular basis.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems. (1) A time period during which a fluid is not used in a day is investigated for a certain period of time, and the fluid is actually used during that time period. The first purpose is to reliably check the operation of the two-way shutoff valve after confirming that there is no such problem.

(2) When the drive resistance at the time of shutting off the bidirectional valve 3 increases for some reason and the operating energy is insufficient to shut it off, the operating voltage at the time of shutting off is increased to increase the operating energy, and the operation energy is increased. A second object is to enable a proper shut-off operation.

(3) Even when gas is continuously used for 24 hours, such as when a gas appliance is continuously ignited, or in an apartment house where people with different life patterns gather and live. Check the time zone of the usage flow rate below the specified value for a certain period of time, and after confirming that the usage flow rate is below the usage flow rate within the usage time zone of the specified usage flow rate, the bidirectional valve turns the shut-off state 2-3.
Even if it is maintained for 2 seconds, the condition that does not hinder the gas use is secured and the operation check of the bidirectional shutoff valve is automatically performed periodically, and the usage flow rate is expected to increase suddenly when in the shutoff state. A third object is to interrupt the shutoff state and open the bidirectional valve when the pressure is reduced, so as not to hinder the use of gas.

[0017]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention achieves the above objects. (1) Non-use time zone storage means for receiving inputs from a flow rate sensor and a clock section, flow rate sensor and non-use time zone storage means It is provided with a non-use confirmation means for receiving an input from the safety judgment means and an output connected to the safety judgment means.

(2) A switching means is provided for using the boosting means for the opening operation in the case of an abnormal disconnection.

(3) Low flow rate time zone storage means for receiving inputs from the flow rate sensor and the clock section, flow rate confirmation means for receiving inputs from the flow rate sensor and low flow rate time zone storage means, and connecting outputs to the safety judgment means, In order to ensure the confirmation of the drive of the bidirectional valve, the safety judgment means that issues a command to open the valve immediately after the valve is opened for a certain period of time after the valve is closed and the flow path pressure drops to a specified value. And the function of.

[0020]

The present invention has the above-described structure. (1) The non-use time zone storage means receives the input from the flow rate sensor and the clock section and stores the daily fluid use pattern for a certain period of time, and the daily fluid use frequency is the highest. Judge the lesser hours. Then, on the predetermined operation confirmation day of the bidirectional valve, the non-use time zone signal is output to the non-use time confirmation means during the minimum use frequency time zone of the fluid. The non-use confirmation means that receives the signal confirms that the fluid is not actually flowing by the flow rate sensor, and sends a signal to the safety determination means to confirm the operation of the bidirectional shutoff valve. The safety judgment means shuts off the bidirectional valve, confirms that the shutoff has been performed by the answer means, then opens the bidirectional valve, confirms that the opening has been performed by the answer means, and then the remote control means Notify a certain management center about the abnormality.

(2) When the safety judging means performs the shutoff operation of the bidirectional valve, and the bidirectional valve cannot perform the shutoff operation for some reason, the safety judging means confirms the failure of the shutoff by the answer means, and again. The shut-off operation is performed, but in this case, the booster that operates when the bidirectional valve is opened is operated, the polarity of the current is changed by the switching means, and then the voltage is applied to the bidirectional valve and the current is bidirectionally multiplied by several times the current. Shut off the valve. In addition, the safety judgment unit notifies the remote control means that the bidirectional valve has been shut off via the booster means, so the management center having the remote control means operates the remote control means to boost the shut-off operation. Operate the bidirectional valve several times, and if the cause of the failure is a minor mechanical friction failure, repair it and then close the switching means with a regular voltage to shut it off. I can confirm.

(3) The low flow rate time zone storage means receives the inputs from the flow rate sensor and the clock section and cumulatively stores the daily fluid use pattern for a certain period of time, so that the time zone in which the daily fluid use flow rate is the smallest is stored. to decide. Then, on the predetermined operation confirmation day of the bidirectional valve, the bidirectional valve confirmation signal is output to the flow rate confirmation means during the minimum use flow rate time zone. The flow rate confirmation means that has received the signal confirms with the flow rate sensor that the flow rate of the fluid that is actually flowing is the lowest value, and sends a signal to the safety determination means to confirm the operation of the bidirectional shutoff valve. The safety judgment means checks the pressure of the flow path, shuts off the bidirectional valve,
Confirm by an answer means that the blocking was done. When the bidirectional valve shuts off, a small amount of gas is still used and the pressure downstream of the valve gradually decreases. When this decrease in pressure drops to a value that is higher than the minimum permissible value during combustion of the gas appliance, the bidirectional valve is opened, and after confirming that the opening has been done with the answer means, the remote operation means Notify a certain management center about the abnormality.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, 22 is a non-use time zone storage means, 23 is a non-use operation confirmation means, and 24 is a safety judgment means provided with a signal processing function from the non-use confirmation means 23.

The same components as those of the conventional example will be described with the same reference numerals. The non-use time zone storage means 22 receives an input signal from the flow rate sensor 11 and the clock unit 14, and outputs it to the non-use time confirmation means 23. Non-use confirmation means 23
Receives an input signal from the flow rate sensor 11 and the non-use time zone storage means 22, and outputs it to the safety determination means 24.

In the above structure, the non-use time zone storage means 22 receives input signals from the flow rate sensor 11 and the clock unit 14, accumulates and stores the daily fluid use patterns for a predetermined period, and statistically stores the daily use patterns. Memorize the non-use time period between. Then, a valve drive confirmation signal is output to the non-use confirmation means 23 in a predetermined period set in advance, for example, in a non-use time zone during one day of every month. The non-use confirmation means 23 receives the signal from the non-use time zone storage means 22, confirms that the flow sensor 11 does not actually flow the fluid, and outputs a valve drive confirmation signal to the safety judgment means 24. . Safety judgment means 24
Sends a shutoff signal to the valve driving means 8 to close the closing switching means 5 for a certain period of time to shut off the bidirectional valve 3. The shutoff operation of the bidirectional valve 3 is confirmed by the answer means 7, and the safety judgment means 24 is notified of the shutoff completion.

Next, the safety judging means 24 sends an open signal to the valve driving means 8 to intermittently open the open switching means 6 to cause the boosting means 21 to generate a direct current of a negative high voltage, and the bidirectional valve 3
Is applied to the electromagnetic coil 4 to cause the opening operation. The safety judgment means 24 detects that the bidirectional valve 3 has been opened and sends it to the safety judgment means 24. The safety judgment means 24 remotely operates the alarm means 18 to confirm that the bidirectional valve 3 has normally operated. Inform the means 17 and inform the administrator.

According to the configuration of this embodiment, the non-use time zone storage means 22 statistically grasps the non-use time zone of the day,
An operation confirmation signal of the bidirectional valve 3 is issued, and the confirmation means 2 when not in use
Since 3 shuts off after confirming that the fluid is not actually used, the user is not shut off while using the fluid. In addition, there is an advantage that there is less chance of erroneously determining that the supply of the fluid is stopped by starting the use while checking the operation of the bidirectional valve 3.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 25 is a valve drive means to which a control function of the switching means 26 is added. When the shutoff command for the bidirectional valve 3 is received from the safety judgment means 24, the closed switching means 5 is closed. Next, when a cutoff re-execution command is received, an operation command is transmitted to the open switching unit 6 and the boosting unit 21, and a polarity reversal and switching command to the boosting circuit is transmitted to the switching unit 26. When an open command is received, an operation command is transmitted to the open switching means 6 and the boosting means 21, and a switching command to the boosting circuit is transmitted to the switching means 26. The switching means 26 is the electromagnetic coil 4 of the bidirectional valve 3.
It functions to switch the electric circuit supplied to. That is, when the bidirectional valve 3 is shut off in response to the operation command of the valve driving means 25, the input from the close switching means 5 is connected so that the terminal 12 is positive and the positive terminal 13 is negative. When the opening operation command of the bidirectional valve 3 is received, the input from the boosting means 21 is connected so that the terminal 13 becomes positive and the terminal 12 becomes negative. When the bidirectional valve 3 does not shut off during the drive check, the input from the booster 21 is connected so that the terminal 12 is positive and the terminal 13 is negative. The safety judgment means 24 which has received the drive inspection command of the bidirectional valve 3 issued from the non-use time storage means 22 or the remote control means 17 issues a drive inspection command to the valve drive means 25. The valve driving means 25 sends an operation signal to the closing switching means 5 and the switching means 26 for a certain period of time to shut off the bidirectional valve 3. The answer means 7 measures the inductance of the electromagnetic coil 4 to check whether or not the interruption has been made, and sends a signal indicating whether or not the interruption is successful to the safety judgment means 24. When the shutoff completion signal is received from the answer means 7, the safety judgment means 24 sends a valve opening signal to the valve drive means 25, and the valve drive means 25 operates the open switching means 6 and the boosting means 21 for a certain time, and the switching means 2
6 is switched to the pressure increasing means 21 side, and the bidirectional valve 3 is opened. Further, the safety judgment means 24 sends a re-cutoff signal to the valve drive means 25 when the shutoff failure signal comes from the answer means 7, the valve drive means 25 operates the open switching means 6 and the boosting means 21, and the switching means 26 raises the pressure. The polarity of the output of the means 21 is reversed and the boosted current is applied to the electromagnetic coil 4 as a shutoff signal to shut off the bidirectional valve 3. In this case, it is also possible to increase the cut-off power by raising the boosted voltage from the time of the opening operation. The answer means 7 confirms the shutoff operation of the bidirectional valve 3, and if the shutoff is successful, the result is transmitted to the management center via the warning means and the remote control means. The management center repeats disconnection and opening several times by using the boosting means by communication again, and then operates the closed switching means 5 which is a normal disconnection means to check whether or not the disconnection operation is performed at a normal voltage. In the unlikely event that the safety judgment means 15 displays an abnormality on the alarm means 18 if the interruption cannot be achieved even by the interruption operation with the boost voltage,
Since the information is transmitted to the remote control means 17, the administrator can check the two-way valve 3
Will be replaced.

According to the configuration of this embodiment, when a disconnection failure is found during the drive inspection of the bidirectional valve 3, the high voltage of the boosting means 21 used during the opening operation of the bidirectional valve 3 is the high voltage of the bidirectional valve 3. Since it is used for shutting off, even if the frictional resistance during the operation of the plunger 31 of the bidirectional valve 3 increases, the valve can be shut off by driving with a force several times higher than that in the normal state. Further, when the cutoff operation fails once and the cutoff operation is performed using the booster circuit, the driving operation of the bidirectional valve 3 is repeated several times, so that the friction resistance of the plunger 31 decreases and the normal voltage is reduced. Since it can be moved by, there is an effect that replacement of the bidirectional valve 3 is reduced.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 27 is a low flow rate time zone storage means, and 28
Is a flow rate confirmation means. Reference numeral 29 is a safety judgment means which receives a pressure signal from the pressure sensor 10 and adds a function of issuing a command to open the bidirectional valve when the gas pressure drops to a specified pressure. The low flow rate time zone storage means 27 is the flow rate sensor 1
The gas use pattern is cumulatively stored every day for a certain period of time such as one month in response to the signal from 1 and the clock unit 14, and the gas use time zone below a predetermined flow rate is judged and stored during the day. Then, for example, when the inspection period defined as one month interval or the like comes, the minimum gas use time zone is output to the flow rate confirmation means 28. In the flow rate confirmation means 28, the flow rate sensor 11 confirms that the amount of gas used has become equal to or less than a predetermined amount, and outputs a drive confirmation signal for the bidirectional valve 3 to the safety determination means 29. If the safety determination means 29 has a pressure equal to or higher than a preset pressure, has a sufficient amount of gas in the pipe on the downstream side of the bidirectional valve, and has a flow rate confirmed by the flow rate confirmation means 28, the bidirectional valve 3 is set to 2 to 3 times. After judging that it will be within the allowable range of pressure change under normal conditions even if shut off for a second,
A drive inspection command is issued to the valve drive means 8. The valve drive means 8 performs the same operation as described in the conventional example to confirm the drive of the bidirectional valve 3. In addition, when the unexpected use of gas starts during this interruption and the gas pressure rapidly drops to the specified pressure,
Immediately, the pressure sensor 10 detects it, stops the shutoff operation on the way, and opens the bidirectional valve 3.

According to the structure of this embodiment, the operation of the bidirectional valve can be inspected if the amount of gas used is less than the predetermined flow rate. Further, when the flow rate used during the shutoff of the bidirectional valve 3 suddenly increases, the gas pressure rapidly drops, but this is detected by the pressure sensor 10, the shutoff maintenance is stopped midway, and the opening operation of the bidirectional valve 3 is stopped. Since it is performed, there is an effect that the drive confirmation of the bidirectional valve 3 can be periodically performed in a 24-hour continuous use state without causing a problem of extinguishing of the combustion equipment due to lack of gas.

[0033]

As is apparent from the above description, the bidirectional valve inspection device of the present invention has the following effects.

(1) Accumulation of daily flow rate change patterns for a fixed period of time is performed, and drive check is performed after confirming that fluid is not actually used during the time when fluid is not used. The operation of the bidirectional valve can be inspected at predetermined intervals without interrupting the operation.

(2) For a bidirectional valve that has been used for a long time in an open state and mechanical friction has increased for some reason, making it difficult to shut it off, the boosting means used at the time of opening is diverted to shut off with a large amount of electric power. By performing the operation and overcoming the mechanical friction to perform the cutoff operation, it is possible to reduce the mechanical friction.
The minor failure of the bidirectional valve can be recovered.

(3) The flow rate change pattern is accumulated and stored every day for a certain period of time, and it is confirmed that the fluid usage is actually below a predetermined value during the minimum fluid usage time. It is judged that the decrease value is within the allowable range, the drive inspection is performed, and if the usage amount increases during the drive inspection, the bidirectional valve is opened immediately so that the fluid use is not interrupted. , It is possible to check the drive of the bidirectional valve every predetermined period.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a bidirectional valve check device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a bidirectional valve check device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a bidirectional valve check device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a conventional bidirectional valve drive device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a bidirectional valve used in the conventional example and the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bidirectional valve driving means 2 Battery 3 Bidirectional valve 5 Closed switching means 6 Open switching means 7 Answer means 10 Pressure sensor 11 Flow rate sensor 14 Clock part 15 Safety judgment means 21 Boosting means 26 Switching means 28 Flow rate confirmation means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A flow rate sensor for a fluid, a clock section, and a signal from the flow rate sensor and the clock section stores a daily fluid usage pattern within a certain period of time, and the fluid usage frequency is set at each preset inspection time. , The operation pattern storage section that outputs the lowest time zone, the non-use operation confirmation means that confirms that the usage flow rate is zero when the lowest frequency signal is used, the bidirectional valve drive means, and the electromagnetic A bidirectional valve that shuts off or opens the fluid in the direction of the current flowing through the coil, an answer means that checks and confirms the shutoff or opening operation of the bidirectional valve, and a bidirectional signal that is received from the operation check means when not in use. A two-way valve inspection device comprising a safety judgment means for outputting a valve shut-off signal and receiving a shut-off confirmation signal from the answer means for outputting a two-way valve open signal. 2. A bidirectional valve for shutting off or opening a fluid in the direction of a current flowing through an electromagnetic coil, a battery, a closing switching means for shutting off the bidirectional valve, and a battery power source which is frequently opened and closed during an open operation. Open switching means for supplying a pulse current to the boosting means, a boosting means for generating a high voltage on the secondary side by the pulse current to rectify and generate a high voltage DC power supply, and a current of the boosting means for opening the bidirectional valve. Switching means for operating, answer means for checking and confirming shutoff or opening operation of the bidirectional valve, and confirmation of shutoff of the bidirectional valve and shutting off the boosting means by the switching means when the shutoff operation is not performed. A bidirectional valve inspection device having a safety judgment means for performing a shutoff operation when used for operation. 3. A fluid flow rate sensor, a clock section, a daily use pattern for a fixed period of time, and a usage pattern memory for outputting a time zone in which the fluid usage flow rate is below a prescribed value at each preset inspection time. Part, a two-way valve that can be shut off or opened in the direction of the current flowing through the electromagnetic coil, and the flow rate sensor confirmed that the flow rate was below the specified value in the time zone when the flow rate of the fluid used was below the specified value. After that, a flow rate confirmation means for issuing an open / close check signal for the bidirectional valve, an answer means for checking by checking the shutoff or opening operation of the bidirectional valve, a fluid pressure sensor, and an open / close check signal for the flow rate check means are received. Emits a signal to shut off the bidirectional valve,
Further, the bidirectional valve opening signal is issued in response to the shutoff completion signal of the answer means, and the bidirectional valve opening signal is issued even when the fluid pressure drops below an allowable value after the bidirectional valve is shut off. A bidirectional valve inspection device having a safety determination means having a pressure detection return function.