JPS58114197A - Meter sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a meter sensor, and particularly to a meter sensor for interfering with automatic meter reading of usage of water, gas, electricity, etc. via a communication line.

In order to automatically read the amount of water, gas, electricity, etc. used by each user from a meter reading center via a communication line, a meter is equipped with a signal generator that sends an electrical signal indicating the flow rate, and a meter is equipped with a signal generator that sends an electrical signal indicating the flow rate. A meter sensor has been developed that generates an electrical signal indicating an integrated flow rate from an incoming electrical signal and sends the electrical signal indicating the integrated flow value to a communication line in response to a read signal from a meter reading center. At the meter reading center, the integrated flow rate value for each user can be detected by the electrical signals sent from each meter sensor, and therefore the usage amount for a predetermined period can be known.

The meter signal is generated by detecting the rotational speed of a magnet attached to a rotating body that rotates at a speed proportional to the flow rate per unit time using a magnetic sensor, and generating pulses with a pulse number proportional to the flow rate. Send a signal. The meter sensor that receives this pulse signal generates a digital signal indicating the cumulative flow rate by counting the number of pulses, and sends this to the meter to display the cumulative flow value. Communicate a digital signal indicating the integrated flow rate according to the signal.
Send IK.

Conventional meter sensors only have the function of sending signals in response to calls from the meter reading center; however, meter sensors that are connected to only one meter can only communicate via one-way calls from the meter reading center. If such one-way call communication is possible, automatic meter reading will be possible.

On the other hand, if an abnormally excessive flow rate occurs due to the user's carelessness or intention, or due to a malfunction of the meter being used, the user should be immediately notified, and the meter reading center should immediately issue an OWR. The meter sensor sends a call signal indicating the occurrence of excessive flow, etc. to the meter reading center, and in response to the call signal, the meter reading center reads an alarm signal from the meter sensor indicating the details of the accident, thereby minimizing damage from the accident. It is necessary to take action. In this case, it is economically desirable to provide the meter sensor with the function of escaping the flow rate accumulation signal as well as the function of making a call and sending out an alarm signal.

That is, the meter sensor must be capable of receiving a command signal indicating either a flow rate accumulation signal or an alarm signal and transmitting a corresponding signal, and must therefore be capable of bidirectional paging communication. However, conventional meter sensors can only communicate by calling in one direction, and there is a problem in that they cannot send out calls or alarm signals in the event of an accident, in addition to the rounded flow rate integration signal of meter reading.

The purpose of the fIA of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a meter sensor that can immediately send alarm information to a meter reading center in meter reading information in response to the occurrence of an accident.

The meter sensor of the present invention includes an integrating means that receives a pulse signal indicating a measured value of flow rate from a meter, counts the pulse signal, and sends out an integrated signal, and a time measuring means that generates a time signal at which a pulse appears at every predetermined time. an overflow detection means that determines whether or not there is a flow rate exceeding a predetermined upper limit at each of the integrated signal and the predetermined time, and sends out an overflow signal indicating the occurrence of an excess flow rate; and at least the overflow signal. an alarm means for sending out an alarm signal indicating the occurrence of an abnormality including the above, a circuit for outputting a calling signal indicating the appearance of the above-mentioned alarm signal, and a circuit for receiving a command signal sent from an external device and in accordance with the designation of the command signal. and input/output means having a circuit for outputting a response signal including either one of the integration signal and the alarm signal.

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows an example of automatic gas meter reading.

Gas passes through a solenoid valve 12 and a gas meter 13) gas equipment 14
When a gas leak alarm 1115 attached to each gas machine A14 detects a gas leak, it generates a pulse and sends it to the alarm circuit 5 of the meter sensor 1. The gas meter 13 sends a flow rate signal having a pulse number proportional to the gas flow rate to the counter 2 of the meter sensor 1. The counter 2 counts the pulses of the flow rate signal and transmits the integrated signal of parallel pulses indicating the integrated value of the gas flow rate to the gas meter 13. It is sent to the overcurrent detection circuit 4 and the message assembly circuit 9. The gas meter 13 receives the integration signal and displays the gas flow integration value. Overcurrent detection circuit 4
receives the integration signal and the pulse signal sent from the timer circuit 3 at predetermined time intervals, and generates an overcurrent signal when an overflow exceeding a predetermined limit is detected and sends the alarm circuit 5 to the alarm circuit 5.
send to When the alarm circuit 5 receives a pulse signal from the overflow detection circuit 4 or the gas leak alarm 15, it sends a calling signal to the calling circuit 6).It also sends an alarm signal indicating the details of the accident to the message assembly circuit 9. If it is necessary to stop the gas, the power to the solenoid valve 12 is switched to close the valve and stop the gas flow. The calling circuit 6 receives the calling signal and transmits it to the calling terminal 1.
The switch circuit connected to 0 and the control circuit 8 receive a signal indicating that the call should be stopped, and the call is made! and a switch circuit that disconnects the calling signal from the l1ilO. When the calling signal is sent from the calling end 10 to the meter reading center via the communication line, the meter reading center sends a telegram signal to the input/output end 11 specifying the escape of the alarm signal. The telegram signal sent from the meter reading center consists of a command signal consisting of serial pulses in a predetermined format, and a bladder evacuation signal that appears at the end of this command signal.

The command signal may include a code specifying the sending of an alarm signal as described above, or may include a code specifying sending the integration signal. Also, the read signal is the rising edge of the pulse D
K] Start sending a message from meter sensor 1. The input/output circuit 7 includes a switch circuit that receives the message signal from the message assembly circuit 9 and connects it to the input/output terminal 11, and a switch circuit that receives the message signal sent from the meter reading center via the input/output terminal 11. It is provided with a switch circuit that connects it to the control circuit 8. The control circuit 8 receives the telegram signal from the meter reading center, sends a control signal for transmitting the telegram to the telegram assembling circuit 9, and sends a calling stop signal to the calling circuit 6.

The message assembling circuit 9 creates a message signal containing either an integration signal or an alarm signal according to the designation of the control signal, and sends it to the input/output circuit 7-\. In the block diagram of FIG. 1, in order to avoid the drawing from becoming cluttered and difficult to read, locations where a plurality of signals are sent in parallel are also shown as a single signal line.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of the transient detection circuit 4 of the meter sensor 1 shown in FIG.

The register circuit 16, which receives the integration signal sent from the counter 2, stores the integration signal by inserting it into memory every time it receives a pulse signal from the timer circuit 3, and sends it to one input terminal of the subtracter 17. Furthermore, it is read and stored when the pulse signal from the previous timer circuit 3 is received, and the nine integrated signal is sent to the other input terminal of the subtracter 17. The subtracter 17 sends a flow rate signal indicating the flow rate between each pulse signal from the timer circuit 3 to the comparison circuit 18 . When the comparison circuit 18 receives the pulse signal from the timer circuit 3, if the flow rate signal sent from the subtracter 17 exceeds a predetermined flow rate value, the comparator circuit 18 outputs a high level (hereinafter abbreviated as H). If the flow rate is less than or equal to the flow rate value, a determination signal having a low level (hereinafter abbreviated as "low") is sent to the AND gate 19 and the counter 20.The AND gate 19 is applied with the above-described determination signal and the pulse signal from the timer circuit 3. When the determination signal is L, the counter 20 is reset by the output signal of the AND circuit 19.The counter circuit 20 counts the warpage pulses while the determination signal continues to be H, and counts the warping pulses a predetermined number of times. When the value exceeds , a transient signal that becomes H and holds it is generated and sent to the alarm circuit 5.

Therefore, the overcurrent detection circuit 4 shown in FIG. 2 first detects an overcurrent within a predetermined time, and generates a transient signal when the overcurrent continues to occur for a predetermined number of times. Note that the counter circuit 20t can be reset by applying a reset signal from the outside.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the alarm circuit 5 of the meter sensor 1 shown in FIG. 1. The display section 21 displays the overcurrent detection circuit 4. When a pulse signal is received from the gas leak alarm 15 or the battery check circuit 22, the source of the pulse signal is displayed on a lamp or liquid crystal display to inform the user.The battery check circuit 22 is the power source for the meter sensor. This is a voltage comparison circuit that generates a pulse signal that becomes H when the battery voltage becomes lower than a predetermined value, indicating battery deterioration. In addition, the signals from the overcurrent detection circuit 4' and the gas leak alarm 15 are sent to the OR gate 23, paralleled with the signal from the battery check circuit 22, and sent as an alarm signal to the message assembly circuit 9. be done. The signal sent out by the OR gate 23 is applied to the OR gate 25 and the switch circuit 24. The switch circuit 24 is
When the signal from the OR gate 23 becomes H, a power source is connected to the solenoid of the solenoid valve 12, and the solenoid valve 12 is closed to stop the gas flow. OR game) 25ti, OR gate 2
3 and the battery check circuit 22, a logical OR signal of both is sent to the buzzer 26 and the calling circuit 6. Therefore, if at least one of gas leakage, overflow, or battery deterioration occurs, an indication will be displayed on the display, a buzzer will sound, and a call signal and alarm signal will be sent. The gas flow is stopped when at least one of the flows occurs.

FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration and a time chart illustrating the operation of the meter sensor 10 control circuit 8 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. The signal 1 sent from the input/output circuit 7 is a code D that includes a start code S and a designated code that appear after the mark MO of a predetermined time width.

The signal separation circuit 27, which is a telegram signal in which a command signal consisting of a command signal and an end code E, and a readout signal that rises at the time of day appears, is equipped with a serial-to-parallel conversion circuit, and converts the command signal of signal a into serial-to-parallel signal. A signal bl that is passed through a circuit and converted into a parallel signal, and further includes a parallel designation code Ds' from which start code S, end code E, parity bit, etc. are removed.
It is sent to the decoder circuit 28. After receiving the command signal,
The signal separation circuit 27 sends the read signal appearing thereafter to the rough 0 tube 29 as a signal C through a monostable multivibrator 36. The designation code D1 that appears in the signal is a code that designates either the integration signal or the alarm signal (1), and the decoder circuit 28 outputs a pulse when the designation code Dl designates the integration signal (or alarm signal). generates a signal g<h or signal h) in which the signal g<h rises.

On the other hand, the 7-rip 70 knob 29 is set at the rising edge of the pulse of the signal C, generates a signal d in which the pulse rises at the time, and sends it to the oscillator 30. When the pulse of the signal d rises, the oscillator 30 generates black and white pulses of a predetermined period and sends them to the counter circuit 31 as a signal e. The counter circuit 31 counts the pulses of the signal C and generates a signal fi in which a pulse appears when the counted value reaches a predetermined number m.
Send to lipflop 29. Since the flip 70 knob 29 is reset when a pulse appears on the signal f, the signal d
The pulse falls and the generation of the clock pulse of oscillation 11) 30 is stopped, and at the same time, the inverted signal p of the signal dt'' resets the count value of the Kawanta time Wlr31 to zero and 1.The above control circuit 8 generates Among the signals to be transmitted, the signal p is sent to the calling circuit 6 as a calling stop signal, and at the rising edge of the pulse, the switch circuit switches to stop sending out the calling signal. Also, the signals g+ ht p and et are connected in parallel. The generated signal is sent to the message assembly circuit 9 as a control signal.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the message assembly circuit 9 of the meter sensor l shown in FIG. 1.

The integration signal and alarm signal sent from the counter 2 and alarm circuit 5, respectively, are applied to gate circuits 32 and 33, respectively. The additional signal generation circuit 34 generates a predetermined additional signal for configuring a portion of the telegram of the predetermined format other than that allocated to the integration signal or the alarm signal. Among the additional signals, identification signals for distinguishing between the integration signal and the alarm signal are applied to the gate circuits 32 and 33, respectively, and fixed signals such as a message start code and a message end code are added regardless of the signal distinction. is applied to the parallel-to-serial conversion circuit 35. The above-described integration signal, alarm signal, and additional signal are connected to the parallel-to-serial conversion circuit 35, some of them via the gate circuit 32 or 33, so as to form a predetermined format. And in the gate circuits 32 and 33,
Signals g and h of the control signals are respectively connected. When the pulse of the signal g<h or h) rises, it passes through the gate circuit 32 (or 33) and the true signal (or alarm signal) and identification signal are transferred to the parallel-to-serial conversion circuit 35.
A fixed signal is further added to form a parallel signal in a predetermined format. The parallel-serial conversion circuit 35 is
At the falling edge of the pulse of the signal p, that is, at time A in the time chart of FIG. Sequentially sent to input/output circuit 7
put out. The number m of clock pulses of the signal C is determined to be equal to the length (the number of bits) of the predetermined format. Therefore, the message assembling circuit 9 shown in FIG. 5 generates and sends a message signal in a predetermined format that includes the specified one of the cumulative signal, hot alarm signal, and warning signal.

Although Figure 1 shows an example of automatic meter reading for gas, similar operations can be performed for water, electricity, etc. by using a meter that generates a pulse signal with a pulse number proportional to the flow rate. That is clear. If the gas meter 13 is equipped with a mechanical display mechanism, there is no need to receive the integration signal from the counter 2.

As explained above, the present invention is provided with a means for processing and transmitting a warning signal when an accident occurs, so that in addition to meter reading information, warning information can be sent to a meter reading center in immediate response to the occurrence of an accident. This has the effect of realizing a meter sensor.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention, #l! 2
Figures 1 and 3 respectively show the meter sensor 1 shown in Figure 1.
FIGS. 4(1) and 4(b) are block diagrams each showing an example of the configuration of the control circuit 8 of the meter sensor 1 shown in FIG. Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of the message assembly circuit 9 of the meter sensor 1 shown in Figure 1.Meter sensor 2...
... Counter, 3. Old... Timer circuit, 4...
・Overcurrent detection circuit, 5...Alarm circuit, 6...
... Calling circuit, 7... Input/output circuit, Death...
・Control circuit, 9...Telegram assembly circuit, 10...
... Calling end, 11 ... Input/output end, 12 ...
・・・Solenoid valve, 13・Curve・Gas meter, 15・・・・
・Gas leak alarm table 1 ￥-Z 9 dormitory 5 k

Claims (1)

[Claims] an integrating means that receives a pulse signal indicating a measured value of flow rate from a meter, counts the pulse signal, and sends out an integrated signal; a timer that generates a time signal sound in which a pulse appears at every predetermined time; an overflow detection means that receives a time signal, determines at each predetermined time whether there is a flow rate exceeding a predetermined upper limit, and sends out an overflow signal indicating the occurrence of an overflow rate; and at least the overflow signal. an alarm means for sending out an alarm signal indicating the occurrence of an abnormality, including a circuit for outputting a calling signal indicating the appearance of the alarm signal, and a circuit for receiving a command signal sent from an external device, A meter sensor comprising: an input/output means having a circuit for outputting a response signal including either an integration signal or the alarm signal.