JPH0943010A - Sensing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a sensing system by which the concrete failure position of a lifeline is grasped in a short time and whose restoration time is shortened by a method wherein many simple failure acquisition sensors are installed along the lifeline. SOLUTION: For example, slave stations 3 exclusively used for failure detection are installed in various places of water pipes 104 to respective households from a water purification plant 102. Relay stations 4 for failure detection are installed near the slave stations 3. Every slave station 3 detects the damage of every water pipe 104 by means of a simple water pressure sensor which obtains ON-OFF information, and it transmits, by radio, its data to every relay station 4. The data is transmitted, by wire, to a base station 5-1 from every relay station 4, and it is sent to a water supply control center 6 from the base station 5-1 by a radio communication. Since many slave stations 3 are arranged, the damaged point of every water pipe 104 can be specified immediately on the basis of the data. A data and failure-detection base station 12 is installed at the base station 5-1. The salve station 12 has a function to detect data on a water pressure, a flow rate or the like in addition to the function of every slave station 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a monitoring system that takes into account the so-called early restoration of lifelines such as water and gas, which are indispensable to ordinary citizens in their daily lives even when an abnormal situation such as an earthquake occurs. .

[0002]

[Prior Art] In the era when a lifeline is established and a stable life is normal, when the equipment including the supply source is damaged due to an earthquake, etc. Needless to say, there will be enormous impact and damage to the. If abnormalities in pipes that supply water, gas, etc. can be found early, recovery will be quick.

Taking the water supply as an example, the present system configuration will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the water supply facility and the management system. Reference numerals 60, 61 and 62 designate telemeter device slave stations, and 6
Is a master station of the telemeter device, 101 is a water source pond, 102 is a water purification plant, and 105 is a water intake plant. 103 is a water pipe, 10
Reference numeral 4 is a water pipe downstream of the water pipe 103. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a water supply facility management telemeter system corresponding to FIG. 6, 17b is a sensor, 18 is a conversion controller for A / D conversion and serial communication conversion of data collected by the sensor, and 21 is a telemeter device. Is.

Water source pond 101, water purification plant 1 which is the source of water
02, etc., collects and manages necessary data for water management, such as water level, water pressure, and flow rate, as shown in FIG.

However, the water pipe 10 supplied to each home
4 is damaged by an earthquake accident, etc., and even if water leaks, there is no equipment such as a sensor and telemeter that mechanically identifies the location of failure, or even if it is installed, the number is very small and highly accurate. It is difficult to detect the location.

Since it takes a huge amount of cost to construct a fine system by arranging a large number of sensors and telemeter slave stations 60, the number has to be limited. Therefore, it takes a long time to recover due to the delay in finding the faulty part.

[0008] In such equipment, a public line is often used as a line for transmitting and receiving data, or a radio line and a public line are used together. In addition, the power source that drives the terminals that collect data from the sensors (hereinafter referred to as slave stations) is mostly commercial power sources, and both are likely to go down in a major disaster such as the Great Hanshin Earthquake (1995). It was

The normal wide area water supply management system which does not cause an abnormal situation is currently adopted by the waterworks department of each prefecture and is operating as a monitoring system. Out of this system
If there is some failure (damage) in the liquid supply pipe (eg, water pipe) that is supplying water to each household, analyze the range of the collected data to identify the location of the failure. However, it is of course possible to obtain the accuracy of grasping the failure point in proportion to the number of installed sensors and telemeters. Although it is still enough in normal times, the function of this equipment may become paralyzed when an abnormal situation occurs due to an earthquake or the like and many accidents occur.

[0010]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention, as described above, grasps a concrete failure position on a lifeline represented by a water supply system in a short time, and shortens the recovery time of the system. The purpose is to We also propose a system that enables reliable system operation even in the event of disruption of the public line or power failure due to a disaster.
In other words, the power of the sensor slave stations that detect failures etc. should always be kept in the best state, and it should be possible to collect information from the sensor slave stations even in the event of a major disaster where the function of the system management center is stopped due to the disaster. To do.

Therefore, in other words, the present invention proposes a crisis management system that protects a lifeline system from a disaster.

Further, the present invention enables a sensor for detecting a fault position to be added without changing the already installed system, and these objects can be achieved at low cost without enormous equipment cost. Achieve this and provide a particularly effective system in the event of a disaster.

Not only the failure detection but also the conventional sensor or the like capable of detecting the analog amount of various data can be merged with the slave station capable of collecting the data.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is equipped with a large number of sensors for detecting a failure or the like along the lifeline to increase the number of slave stations capable of collecting data. It is designed so that the failure location can be grasped.

That is, in addition to the conventional sensors for collecting various data, a large number of simple failure collection sensors are provided along the lifeline, and the failure location can be identified quickly based on the failure data from these simple sensors dedicated to failure detection. It was possible.

If necessary, the drive power source of the slave station dedicated to the failure detection is supplied by a battery so that the slave station operates stably even if the commercial power source fails.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In addition to conventional sensors for collecting various data, the present invention provides a large number of simple failure collection sensors along a lifeline, and based on the failure data from these simple sensors dedicated to failure detection, This makes it possible to identify the location of failure.

The drive power supply for the slave station dedicated to the failure detection is supplied by a battery so that it can operate stably even if the commercial power supply fails.

By standardizing the data format, it can be incorporated into an already installed system.

By integrating a sensor capable of detecting an analog amount such as water pressure data and a slave station capable of collecting data, not only failure detection but also normal water supply management information is collected to facilitate the operation.

A control and data transmission line is a multi-core cable line between the slave station and the base station and a wireless line between the base station and the center.

The base station employs a floating system in which the primary power source is a commercial power source and two power sources of a solar battery, and is used while charging the battery. The present invention protects the system from a disaster. The present invention is not limited to a water supply system, but a city gas system or the like. Although it can be applied to various lifelines, a water supply system will be described as a typical example in the embodiments described below.

1 to 5 are drawings for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire water supply system corresponding to FIG.

First, the overall system configuration will be briefly described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The water supply is managed by a reservoir 101, a water purification plant 102,
Telemeter slave stations 60, 61, 62 and a telemeter master station in the center 6 which are necessary for operating the system are installed in the water intake 105 and the like. The system required for such water management has been introduced by all local governments. Water supply means 10 to supply water to each household
3, 104 are laid.

In the present invention, a sensor and a telemeter arranged at various places of the water pipe 104 stretched like a mesh are used to grasp where the accident such as breakage of the water pipe occurred. Such a failure detection sensor is constructed by laying water pipes at every manhole unit such as a water supply valve and a fire hydrant, and transmitting the information to a water management center.

In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, 3 is a failure detection dedicated slave station equipped with a sensor for detecting breakage of a water pipe based on ON / OFF binary information such as presence / absence of water pressure, and 4 is failure detection. A dedicated slave station relay station, 12 is a data / failure detection slave station equipped with a sensor for detecting values such as water level, water pressure, and flow rate in addition to the function of the failure detection dedicated slave station 3, 5-1 and 5-2. 5-n
Is a base station that collects information from the failure detection dedicated slave station 3 and information from the data / failure detection slave station 12 and wirelessly transmits it to the water management center, and 6 is a water management center including a telemeter master station. In addition, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6 indicate the same parts as those in FIG.

Reservoir 101, water purification plant 102, water intake plant 10
As in the case of No. 5, as in the conventional case, the data at each of these locations is sent from the telemeter slave stations 60, 61, 62 to the water supply management center 6. The center 6 monitors these data and controls the water supply valve (7 in FIG. 4). Water pipe 104 stretched around to supply water for each home from the water purification plant 104
Failure detection slave stations 3 are installed at various locations. A failure detection station relay station 4 is installed near the failure detection dedicated slave station 3. In the failure detection dedicated slave station 3, a simple water pressure sensor that obtains ON / OFF information detects breakage of the water pipe 104 based on a change in water pressure, and wirelessly transmits the data to the relay station 4, and from the relay station by wire. , And to the water supply management center 6 by wireless transmission from the base station 5-1. Since a large number of slave stations 3 dedicated to failure detection are arranged, the water pipe 104 is based on this data.
The damaged part of can be identified quickly.

The base station 5-1 has a data / fault detection slave station 1
2 are provided. The data / fault detection slave station 12 has a function of detecting data such as water pressure and flow rate in addition to the function of the fault detection slave station 3. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, one base station 5-1 includes six failure detection dedicated slave stations 3 and one data / failure detection slave station 12.

Next, regarding the configuration of the fault detection slave station 3,
Description will be made with reference to FIG.

A pressure sensor 9 is attached to the water pipe 104, and this sensor 9 has a function of outputting electrical ON / OFF information above and below water pressure with a reference value set for failure detection as a boundary. If the pressure in the water pipe 104 is equal to or higher than the specified value, then O
The FF state is output, and if it is equal to or less than the specified value, the ON state is output. The ON / OFF information from the pressure sensor 9 is received by the control data converter 10. The control data converter 10 is the base station 5
-1 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) converts data into a required format (for example, a low-frequency single signal) by a built-in microcomputer (not shown) in response to the control of the data request. This signal is converted into a radio wave by the wireless transmitter / receiver 11 (for example, a transmission device such as a weak radio device), received by the repeater 4 radio installed near the upper manhole (not shown), and converted into a low frequency signal or the like. After that, through the cable, the base station 5-1
Transmitted to. The base station 5-1 stores the fetched data in a predetermined area of the memory. Details of the base station 5 will be described later.

Here, the radio device 11 installed near the water pipe 104 has a weak radio wave radio device (for example, radio wave intensity of 500 mW / 3 m or less in a frequency band up to 300 MHz) that does not require a license for installation. This is advantageous in installing a large number of detector slave stations 3, but the distance between the wireless device 11 and the repeater 4 is as short as several meters or less, so that sufficient transmission is possible.

The main reason for establishing a wireless line between the fault detection slave station 3 and the relay station 4 is that even if the information collection function of the water management center 6 and the functions of the base stations 5-1, 2 and n are stopped in the event of an abnormality. Handy data transmitter / receiver that people can carry around
3 is intended for use. The handy type transmitter / receiver 13 can receive the radio wave of the wireless transmitter 11 and detect a failure location.

Since the power supply 1 to the slave station 3 for failure detection is a battery, it is desirable to have a circuit configuration that minimizes the current consumption. As an example, a circuit for operating a lithium battery or the like and constantly monitoring the voltage is provided, and has a function of notifying the water management center 6 via the base station 5-1 of the information when the voltage falls below a specified voltage. At this time, for example, a commercially available voltage detection IC is used as a device having a function of notifying the information when the voltage becomes lower than the specified voltage.

Next, the structure of the data / fault detection slave station 12,
The operation will be described with reference to FIG.

The pressure data sensor 17 is constructed by combining the following two types of sensors.

One is a pressure sensor having a function of taking out ON / OFF value information for judging whether pressure is applied or not. The other is a pressure sensor, if the pressure is applied, the measured value information of the analog quantity. It is a pressure data sensor with a function that can be taken out as.

This operation fetches the output information of the pressure data sensor 17 into the data converter 18. The analog value of the output information from the pressure data sensor 17 is the data converter 1
8 microcomputer (not shown) A / D input section (not shown)
The analog signal is converted into a digital signal by the control signal from the base station 5-1 and converted into a serial signal by the SCI (serial communication interface) unit (not shown) of the same microcomputer. It is sent via cable to the base station 5-1.

Next, the configuration and operation of the base station 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes the relay station 4 and data.
A scanner that sequentially collects data from the fault detection slave station 12,
Data from the plurality of slave stations, that is, the relay station 4 and the data / fault detection slave station 12 are sequentially (temporarily, for example, 1 to 2 sec) sequentially connected to a line (cable here) under the control of the microcomputer 23 and the line controller 22. . Reference numeral 21 is a data conversion unit configured by an encoder for data from the slave station, which is an SCI.
It is composed of a conversion unit, a data conversion unit, and a station number addition collation unit. 22
Is a line controller, 23 is a microcomputer for controlling the whole, and 24 is a read-only memory storing a program for operating the microcomputer 23. Two
5 is a memory, 26 is a serial communication conversion unit, 27 is a station number addition collating device, 28 is a modem, 29 is a wireless device, 30 is a power supply device, 31 is a solar battery, and the primary side power supply is a commercial power supply and a solar battery 31. The power supply is operated in a floating state by a secondary power supply battery (not shown). When the commercial power supply is abnormal, the solar cell 31 floats, and when the commercial power supply is abnormal at night, power is supplied from the battery.

Next, the operation of this base station will be described in detail.

The cycle in which the base station 5 takes in the data of the failure detection slave station 3 and the data / failure detection slave station 12 is programmed at a timing which does not overlap with the data collection from the water supply management center 6 which controls this system. Set.

For example, the water management center 6 wirelessly collects data for the base station 5 on the hour. In addition, it is possible to freely collect by collecting software arbitrarily.

The ON / OFF information indicating the presence / absence of a failure sent to the base station 5 is input to the data converter 21 via the scanner 20. The collected data is sent by the SCI conversion unit and data conversion unit in the data conversion unit 21 and the station number addition collation unit. In the SCI conversion unit, the serial signal sent from the relay station 4 and the data / fault detection slave station 12 is sent by the microcomputer. The data is converted into parallel so that it can be stored in the memory, and the data conversion unit converts the parallel data into the O of the slave station 3 dedicated to failure detection.
The N / OFF signal and the data / data from the fault detection slave station 12 are converted into a fixed format. The station number addition collating unit includes a plurality of slave stations managed by the base station, that is, a plurality of relay stations 4
A station number is added to identify the data / fault detection slave station 12.

The microcomputer 23 is a central part for controlling the entire base station 5 and processing data, and this function is a ROM.
It operates with the program written in 24. Memory 25
Stores the data of a plurality of slave stations in each address in a predetermined format. In this way, the data of each slave station is temporarily stored in the predetermined area of the base station memory unit 25 in the predetermined format in the order of the station number of the slave station and the data value. This state is controlled by the base station, for example, maximum 7
The same is done for local stations.

The SCI converter 26 converts the collected data stored in the memory 25 into a serial signal again and transmits it to the next modem 28. On the other hand, the station number addition collating unit 27 is a base station 5 for the telemeter master station of the water management center 6.
Set and collate station numbers 1 to 5-n. The modem 28 controls the telemeter master station of the water supply management center 6 and the base station 5 and performs modulation / demodulation for transmitting / receiving data via a wireless line. The data modulated by the modem 28 is the radio 29
Is sent to the water supply management center 6.

When the base station 5 collects the data from the sensor 17 of the data / fault detection slave station 12, a signal indicating "to collect data from now on" is given to the corresponding station.
Applicable slave station for this signal (use the station number for discrimination)
Sends its station number and data to the base station 5. This process is repeated for all slave stations under the control of one base station.

At the water management center 6, water management can be carried out smoothly by immediately analyzing the collected data with a computer (not shown) or the like, grasping the accident site position and analyzing the data value. The control device of the center 6 calls the base station at a predetermined time, collects data for each base station, processes the collected data in real time by the processing device, displays, alarm sounds, etc. Tell the operator in detail about the abnormal point.

Here, in this embodiment, data transmission between the center 6 and the base station 5 and between the failure detection dedicated slave station 3 and the relay station 4 is performed by a wireless line, and between the relay station 4 and the base station 5. The connection between the data / fault detection slave station 12 and the base station 5 is a cable connection. The reason for using this as a cable is
Because the distance between the relay station and the base station is usually several hundred meters or more, if you configure wireless communication between them, you have to use strong radio waves that are legally regulated. It is not limited to cables.
Which of public line, wireless communication, and optical cable is used as the communication means during this period is selected depending on the characteristics of the system. Moreover, you may make it the structure which combined these. If the line connecting the slave station and the base station is configured by a wireless line, the system can be operated more reliably even if a situation such as disconnection of a public line or disconnection of a cable occurs.

In the above description, as an example, in FIG. 1, the fault detection dedicated slave station 3 is assigned to one base station and the base station 5-1.
6 stations and one data / fault detection station 12 are connected.
It is possible to change the number of slave stations with respect to the base station depending on the capability of the base station. As an example, a typical water management system in a large city has 250 base stations.
Station, the failure detection dedicated slave station 3 managed by one base station
1 station, data / fault detection slave station 12 (total of 20 slave stations)
00) is practical. That is, since the data / fault detection slave station that manages the analog amount data of the base station is an expensive system, one data / fault detection slave station and n
(For example, up to 8 stations) makes it possible to manage disasters in a finely tuned manner and to manage changes in a well-balanced manner during normal times. An excellent management system can be constructed economically.

Next, the handy transceiver 13 mentioned above will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

Even if the water management center 6, the base station 5, etc. stop functioning due to a disaster such as an earthquake, the slave station 3 dedicated to failure detection is driven by a lithium battery or the like, and the data collection slave station 4 is also wireless. By driving with a lithium battery or the like, data of the failure detection sensor (pressure switch) and the pressure value measurement sensor (pressure sensor) can be collected. This is done by bringing the handy type transceiver 13 created so as to collect this information close to the failure detection slave station or the data collection slave station, and receiving the radio waves from the slave station to collect the data. A specific example will be described below.

First, a handy type transceiver is set up (power ON, station number setting of slave station: station number corresponding to a predetermined installed slave station is set by a personal computer or the like a).
After that, by pressing SW corresponding to power ON of the key operation unit c, a power ON signal is generated in the control unit d, and the radio device f is generated.
And is sent as a radio wave from the antenna g. (Since the radio used is a weak type that does not require a license, bring the antenna and slave station closer to within 3 m.) The slave station receives the radio wave from the handy type data transceiver and sets the station number. If it is the same station number signal as above, the sensor (including the pressure switch) and the parts that were not supplied during standby such as the transmitter (in standby mode, power is supplied only to the parts required for reception to prevent battery consumption). Power) to the handy type transceiver. The handy type transceiver receives the signal, converts it into a display signal in the data conversion section e, lights the power ON lamp in the data display section h, and informs the operator of the state of the slave station. Next, the operator presses the "measurement" key on the key operation part c of the handy type transceiver to instruct the slave station to send the sensor status data to the handy type transceiver. The slave station that received this command is in the status of the sensor (ON for failure detection only /
The OFF information, the slave station for data collection, converts the analog information of the sensor into a signal such as A / D conversion 18 and then sends it out through the wireless device. This data is received by a handy type transmitter / receiver, and after necessary data conversion processing, it is taken into the personal computer a via the I / F section b, and after being subjected to necessary processing, it is used by the water manager in various ways. To be done.

In the above description, the failure detection dedicated station 3 has been described, but it goes without saying that the data / failure detection failure detection slave station 12 can also be realized by using this power source as a battery and providing a radio device.

The situation can be grasped by repeating such an operation at the place where the slave station is installed. Here, reference numerals representing the failure detection information from the failure detection dedicated slave station 3 are shown in FIGS.
Aligned with the code configuration used in the conventional system shown in (the specific bit of the plurality of bits that represents the analog amount of the telemeter information of the conventional equipment is used as the failure detection bit) and the transmission speed etc. have already been installed. The present invention can be implemented without making a drastic change in the conventional system by adapting to the equipment of (1) and integrating the system with an existing system.

[0056]

As described above, since the data collection slave station of the failure detection sensor is inexpensive, a large number of data collection slave stations can be arranged in one system. Therefore, when a disaster occurs, the failure location can be grasped quickly and concretely. You can build a system. That is, the system recovery time can be shortened.

Failure detection In the slave station, the presence / absence of a failure can be detected with a handy type transceiver, and even if the data collection from the center is no longer possible due to a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake disaster, the location of the failure can be identified. It is possible to take corrective action immediately. As a result, each home or business establishment can reduce damages due to water cutoff, gas leaks, etc.

In the present invention, in preparation for a disaster such as an earthquake, not only the battery-operated slave station but also the base station has a commercial power source and two solar battery power sources, and the floating system is used while charging the battery. The system can be operated without being affected by.

Further, the present invention enables a sensor for detecting a fault position to be added without changing the already installed system, and the system can be constructed inexpensively without enormous equipment cost. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a water supply management system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing an example of a water supply management system configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration block diagram of a failure detection dedicated slave station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration block diagram of a data / fault detection slave station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration block diagram of a base station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a configuration of a conventional water supply management system.

FIG. 7 is a system diagram showing an example of a conventional water supply management system configuration.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a handy type transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 Failure detection slave stations, 4 relay stations, 5 base stations, 6
Water management center, 9 pressure sensor, 12 data / fault detection slave station, 13 handy receiver, 17 data pressure sensor, 101 reservoir, 102 water purification plant, 103 water pipe, 104 water pipe, 105 water intake plant

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI Technical display location G08C 17/00 G08C 17/00 Z H01L 31/04 H01L 31/04 Q H04L 12/24 9466-5K H04L 11 / 08 12/26

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A failure detection dedicated slave station, which is arranged only along a sensing target of a system, for performing only failure detection, and at least two functions: data detection and failure detection, which are arranged along a sensing target of the same system. A slave station having: a slave station having the data detection and failure detection functions; and a base station collecting detection data from the failure detection dedicated slave station,
A sensing system comprising a center that performs system management based on data of the base station. 2. A failure detection slave station that wirelessly transmits a result of failure detection by arranging a plurality of the sensors along a sensing target of the system, and receives a failure detection result in the vicinity of the failure detection slave station to a base station. A repeater for transmission, a data / fault detection slave station having a fault detection and data detection function for the sensing target, and a base station for collecting detection data from the data / fault detection slave station and the fault detection dedicated slave station And a center that performs system management based on the data of the base station. 3. A failure detection-dedicated slave station having a pressure sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a prescribed pressure and a radio for wirelessly transmitting the data from the pressure sensor, the slave station being arranged at a plurality of arbitrary positions of the liquid supply pipe. A repeater that receives data from the failure detection dedicated slave station and transmits it to the base station, a pressure sensor that is arranged at an arbitrary position of the liquid transfer pipe, and detects at least the presence or absence of pressure of a specified value, and the pressure value. A data / fault detection slave station having a sensor for detecting and a driver / receiver for transmitting data from these lines to a base station, and sequentially scanning data from at least the data / fault detection slave station and the fault detection dedicated slave station And a scanner, a signal converter for converting the data into a signal, a base station having a radio for wirelessly transmitting the data converted by the signal converter, and a system for performing system management based on the data of the base station. Sensing system characterized in that it consists of terpolymers. 4. The sensing system according to claim 3, wherein the drive power source for the slave station dedicated to failure detection is supplied by a battery. 5. A sensing system according to claim 3, wherein the base station drive power supply comprises a solar cell, a commercial power supply, and a battery, and selectively supplies them from these as required. 6. A fault detection dedicated slave station arranged only along a sensing target of the system for performing fault detection, a base station for collecting detection data of the slave station, and a system based on the data of the base station. A handy type transceiver, which is a sensing system including a management center and receives data from the slave station to obtain information. 7. A sensing system comprising a slave station having data detection and function along a sensing target of the system, a base station for collecting the slave station detection data, and a center for system management based on the data of the base station. A handy type transceiver, wherein the system receives data from the slave station and obtains information.