KR100553579B1 - Remote metering apparatus having a function of compensating temperature and pressure errors for a gas meter - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a remote metering device having a temperature compensation function configured to integrate a function of remotely reading a city gas meter and a function of correcting an error according to temperature and pressure included in the metering value. The present invention is applied to a gas-capacity city gas meter that measures the flow rate of gas in a membrane-driven manner, and remotely reads the meter guide value indicating the amount of gas used and changes the temperature and pressure included in the remotely read meter guide value. The present invention provides a remote meter reading device having an on-pressure correction function that can accurately read a gas usage by correcting an error according to the result. The temperature sensing unit and the remote metering unit are installed for each gas meter of the customer. The remote meter detects meter readings by optical, magnetic, or image reading. The pressure sensing unit is installed for each gas meter or for each regional repeater. The metering correction unit calculates the gas consumption by correcting the meter guide value by applying the error correction coefficient according to the temperature and the magnitude of the pressure provided from the temperature sensing unit and the pressure sensing unit. The meter readings and the corrected gas consumption are transmitted to the local repeater via the communication unit, and each regional repeater transmits the above information to the central gas supplier's central computer.

Description

Remote metering apparatus having a function of compensating temperature and pressure errors for a gas meter}

1 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional film gas meter.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional film gas meter.

Figure 3 shows the configuration of a remote meter reading system having a temperature correction function according to the present invention.

4a and 4b show the installation state of the optical remote meter with a temperature sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a flow chart of a remote meter reading procedure applying the temperature (pressure) correction performed in the remote meter of the present invention installed in the gas meter of the consumer.

6 is a waveform diagram of a light detection signal output from an infrared sensing element while a consumer uses city gas.

** Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawings **

100, 100 ': Remote metering terminal 110, 110': Gas meter

112: instructions numerals 120, 120 ': temperature sensing section

130, 130 ': Remote meter reading unit 140, 140': Weighing

150, 150 ': communication unit 200, 200': local repeater

210, 210 ': Pressure sensing unit 220: Wired / wireless communication network

230: central computer

The present invention relates to a remote meter reading system applied to the gas meter, and more particularly to a remote meter reading system having a temperature and / or pressure correction function.

The supply rate system of city gas is based on a certain weight, but when it is supplied to a general consumer, it is gaseous, so it is impossible to measure the weight of city gas with a simple metering device. City gas suppliers use capacitive gas meters that supply volume to consumers and measure volume. In particular, for the domestic city gas meter, the membrane gas meter, which is a kind of capacity type, occupies almost the majority.

There is a problem that city gas companies in each region have an error that cannot be ignored between the quantity purchased from KOGAS and its customers. There can be many reasons for the error between the city gas company's purchase volume and sales volume. The main reason for this is the error between the temperature and pressure thresholds that city gas companies apply when sending gas from the local regulator to each consumer and the temperature and pressure values of the actual metering on the consumer's gas meter. In Korea, the reference temperature and pressure are 0 ℃ and 1 atm, and the gas is sent at a gauge pressure of 20-25 millibars in consideration of the decrease in gas pressure from the constant pressure to the gas meter of each consumer. As the gas density changes under the influence of ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure during transportation of city gas to each customer through the pipe, the meter reading of the gas meter varies from day to night. In particular, the influence of atmospheric pressure also extends to the film type gas meter described later, but the influence of atmospheric pressure on the operation of the constant pressure pressure is greater. In addition, the internal volumetric container of the capacitive gas meter is flexible, so that the meter reading varies according to the change of the ambient temperature and pressure. This results in economic losses for the supplier or consumer. Other sources of metering errors include tolerances of membrane gas meters installed at each customer, and finally gas leakage.

1 and 2 show an example of a film type gas meter, which is one type of a dry gas meter and currently occupies most of the city gas meter in Korea. The gas meter has a housing 8 in which two gas chambers 4 and 4 'are attached to each other in a shape back to each other. One gas chamber 4 or 4 'is covered with a diaphragm 2 or 2' and sealed, which diaphragm 2 or 2 'is also connected to the pivotal arm 10, which is pivotal 10 ) Is connected to a pivot 12 or 13 extending upwards of the housing 8. The diaphragm of the opposite gas chamber has the same connection structure. The pivot shafts 12 and 13 are connected to the crank mechanism 6. As shown in the figure, the crank mechanism 6 is attached to the crank arm 16 mounted on the upper end of the rotation shaft 7 and the rotation shafts 12, 13, respectively, to one point 15 of the crank arm 16. It consists of a first link (18, 20) and a second link (18, 20) connected at the same time. Accordingly, the crank mechanism 6 rotates the crank arm 16 and the rotation shaft 7 by the first and second links 18 and 20 complementarily operate by the rotation of the rotation shafts 12 and 13. . That is, the rotational motion of the pair of rotational shafts 12, 13 connected to the rotational arms for both gas chambers 4, 4 'is converted into the circular motion by the crank mechanism 6. A rotating shaft 7 is connected to the crank mechanism 6 so that the rotating shaft 7 rotates corresponding to the circular motion period of the crank mechanism 6. And the rotary shaft 7 is combined with the meter wheels indicating the meter reading value of gas consumption. In addition, each of the gas chambers 4 and 4 'is provided with a rotary on / off valve 14 to allow gas to flow in and out alternately.

When gas enters either gas chamber 4 or 4 ', the diaphragm of the gas chamber expands and is pushed back by the pressure of the gas, and the backward movement of the diaphragm is rotated with the pivotal arm 10. It is transmitted to the crank mechanism 6 via the coaxial 12. Since the rotary shaft 7 and the rotary on / off valve 14 are rotated by the circular motion of the crank mechanism 6, the gas is alternately supplied to the gas chambers 4 and 4 'and then discharged. Supply gas to the gas equipment connected to the And since the rotary shaft 7 is continuously rotated by the gas supplied to the gas chamber (4, 4 ') alternately, the number wheel connected to the rotary shaft 7 is rotated to use the gas used in the gas equipment of the consumer I can weigh it.

In such a film type gas meter, when the ambient temperature and the atmospheric pressure are different, the weight of the gas supplied for each rotation of the rotating shaft 7 is also different. The volume of gas of unit weight increases with higher temperature. The unit weight of gas increases in volume if the ambient temperature is high. This is the cause of error caused by temperature. On the other hand, the diaphragms 2 and 2 'are generally made of a rubber film 2a, and both sides of the center part are covered with a round tin plate. The retraction degree of the diaphragms 2 and 2 'is the gas pressure in the chambers 4 and 4', which are the spaces inside the diaphragms 2 and 2 ', and the outer space 5 which is the outer space of the diaphragms 2 and 2'. , 5 ') is the difference between atmospheric pressures. That is, the amount of gas supplied at the time of one rotation of the rotating shaft 7 varies depending on the magnitude of the atmospheric pressure of the outer spaces 5 and 5 '. This point causes the error due to atmospheric pressure. In addition, the rubber material also contributes to a small cause of the occurrence of the viscosity error, the elongation is slightly different depending on the temperature.

However, since the conventional gas meter is mechanically driven, there is no realistic way to compensate for errors caused by temperature and pressure changes (hereinafter, referred to as 'temperature pressure compensation'). Even if a means of error correction could be made, it would be a very expensive device, exceeding the economic losses due to temperature and pressure changes. Therefore, almost all city gas metering devices except for large-capacity consumers do not have a special error correction device.

On the other hand, in recent years, various attempts have been actively made for the remote meter reading of a gas meter for the efficiency of gas meter reading. The remote meter reading method of gas meter is classified according to the sensing method that finds the guide value of the numeric display part of the gas meter. There is an optical or magnetic meter reading method, and there is an image reading type remote meter reading method that counts the guide value of the meter number with a camera and counts it as a digital value by applying character recognition technology. The image reading remote reading method is introduced, for example, in Korean Patent Application No. 10-2000-0017058 (name of the invention: meter reading system by digital camera and automatic recognition program). This method is disadvantageous in that it requires a camera to read an image and employs a character recognition technology. Magnetic field has the disadvantage of poor sensing accuracy. Considering the requirements such as economy, stability of operation, long life, low power consumption, the method of constructing an optical sensor using an infrared light emitting device and an infrared sensing device has been evaluated as a realistic and competitive technology. As a related art related to the rotation speed counting device of the meter wheel using light sensing method, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0287540 (Invention name: device for generating signal usage of meter by light sensing), Korean Patent Publication No. 2000 -0066245 (name of the invention: the speed counter of the meter wheel), Republic of Korea Utility Model Registration No. 20-0273026 (name of the invention: the speed counter of the meter wheel).

Whatever technique is used for remote meter reading, whether it is a mechanical or electronic gas meter, is common in that it converts the amount of gas meter into digital data. In the meantime, the gas consumption error due to temperature and pressure changes is almost impossible to correct because the meter guide value is not digital data. However, the meter's remote reading converts meter readings into digital data. Therefore, when applying the meter remote metering technology, it can be said that the prerequisite for applying the error correction technology of the gas consumption according to the temperature and pressure change is prepared. However, none of the known remote meter reading devices has a function of correcting errors caused by temperature or pressure.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote metering device incorporating a function of correcting a temperature and pressure error and a remote metering function. That is, it is applied to the gas-capacity city gas meter which measures the flow rate of gas in a membrane-driven manner, and remotely reads the meter guide value indicating gas usage, and changes the temperature and pressure included in the remotely read meter guide value. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote meter reading device having a temperature correction function that can accurately read the gas usage by correcting the error according to the error.

According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, which is applied to a capacitive city gas meter for measuring the amount of city gas used in a mechanical membrane driving method, converting the gas consumption guide value of the meter into an electrical signal Remote meter reading unit for outputting a digital value; A temperature sensing unit installed inside or outside the city gas pipe at the point where the city gas meter is installed or adjacent to the pipe to sense a temperature of the city gas passing through the gas meter and output the digital value; Connected to the remote reading unit and the temperature sensing unit, respectively, using a temperature value provided by the temperature sensing unit and an error correction logic according to temperature, correcting the digital guide value provided by the remote reading unit to calculate a corrected gas consumption amount. A metering correction unit accumulating the digital guide value and the corrected gas consumption; And a communication unit which receives the digital guide value and the data regarding the corrected gas consumption from the metering correction unit and transmits it with the customer information to the city gas supplier system, wherein the error correction logic is the city measured by the temperature sensing unit. The city gas by applying a correction factor, obtained through an experiment, to the digital guide value of the remote meter reading unit corresponding to the magnitude of the error between the gas temperature value and the reference temperature applied by the city gas supplier to each customer when supplying the city gas. A remote meter reading device is provided which minimizes the error between the city gas weight supplied by the supplier and the gas consumption of each consumer transmitted to the city gas supplier system. In the remote meter reading device, it is preferable to further include an air pressure sensing unit for measuring the atmospheric pressure of the area where the meter is installed and outputs the digital value. In this case, the metering correction unit further corrects the digital guide value by further using an error correction logic according to atmospheric pressure in calculating the corrected gas consumption.

According to a configuration example of the metering correction unit of the remote meter reading device, the metering correction unit may include a nonvolatile memory storing an error correction logic according to the temperature or an error correction logic according to the temperature and pressure; Calculating the gas consumption by applying the error correction logic based on the temperature value and the atmospheric pressure value and calculating the cumulative value of the digital guidance value and the corrected gas consumption. ; And a memory for storing the digital guide value and the accumulated value of the corrected gas consumption. In addition, the remote reading unit by using an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor or a switching means to electrically rotate the number of rotation of the number wheel of the number plate of the meter or the number of motion of the internal parts of the meter for the movement corresponding to the rotation period of the number wheel It can be a remote meter reading means for converting the signal into a digital value. As another example, the remote meter reading unit may be a remote meter reading means for photographing the guide value of the numeric keypad with a camera and then converting it into a digital value by applying a character recognition technology.

When the remote reading unit is configured using a light sensing method, the remote reading unit is attached to a portion of an outer surface of a specific number wheel below the decimal point of the meter, and reflects infrared incident light while rotating with the number wheel. part; Two independent holes are formed on one surface of the case made of an opaque material, and an infrared light emitting device emitting infrared light is provided in the first hole and a proportional amount of infrared light is introduced into the second hole. An optical sensor unit having an infrared sensing element for outputting an electrical signal; A housing for fixing the optical sensor unit, the optical sensor fixing housing having a structure in which the optical sensor unit is detachably coupled to the meter while the optical sensor unit is placed on a rotation path of the number wheel to which the light reflection unit is attached; And checking the output signal of the infrared sensing element to determine whether there is a rotation of the number wheel with the light reflecting portion, and for each revolution of the number wheel, a numerical value corresponding to the number of digits of the number wheel is measured until now. Cumulative value of the new meter guide value is accumulated in the guide value, and the numerical value is multiplied by the error correction coefficient corresponding to the current temperature and / or barometric pressure information provided from the temperature sensing unit and / or the air pressure sensing unit. Accumulate the value to the corrected gas consumption value up to now to calculate a cumulative value of the new gas consumption value, and provide the cumulative value of the meter guide value and the gas consumption value to the communication unit at a set time or in response to an external request. It can be configured with a microcomputer. Here, at least a portion of the housing covering the weighing numerical part and the meter device information recording part is transparent so that it can be read from the outside, and in particular, the housing preferably has an infrared cut-off function for blocking the transmission of external infrared rays.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a remote meter reading terminal is installed one by one in the capacity city gas meter of each consumer to measure the amount of city gas in a mechanical operation; A regional repeater installed one for each region of a predetermined radius; And it is connected to the local repeater, there is provided a remote meter reading device having a configuration comprising a pressure sensing unit for measuring the atmospheric pressure of the area to provide to the local repeater in the form of a digital value.

In this remote meter reading device, the remote meter reading terminal, the remote meter reading unit for converting the gas consumption guide value of the meter into an electrical signal and output as a digital value; A temperature sensing unit installed inside or outside the city gas pipe at the point where the city gas meter is installed or adjacent to the pipe to sense a temperature of the city gas passing through the gas meter and output the digital value; The remote meter reading unit is connected to the remote metering unit and the temperature sensing unit using an error correction logic according to temperature and / or pressure based on a temperature value provided by the temperature sensing unit and an air pressure value transmitted through the communication unit. A metering correction unit for correcting the digital guide value provided and calculating a corrected gas consumption amount and accumulating the digital guide value and the corrected gas consumption amount; And a communication unit which receives the digital guide value and the data regarding the corrected gas consumption from the metering correction unit and transmits it with the customer information to the local repeater.

In addition, the regional repeater periodically receives the digital guide value of each customer and the corrected gas consumption from each remote metering terminal in the installed area to the city gas supplier system, and transmits the atmospheric pressure value provided by the pressure sensing unit in the region. Send to each remote meter reading terminal. One local repeater installed in a particular region and a plurality of the remote metering terminals installed in the region may be combined into any one of a wireless communication method, a wire communication method and a wired / wireless hybrid communication method.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 3 shows the configuration of a remote meter reading system having a temperature correction function according to the present invention. In Korea, for example, there is one city gas supplier for each regional region such as Seoul and Busan. A city gas supplier divides its area into a number of unit areas and installs local repeaters (200, 200 ', ..) in each unit area. The regional repeaters 200 installed in each unit area are connected to the central computer 230 of the city gas supply company through a wired communication network, a wireless communication network (eg, data communication using a mobile phone communication network) or a wired / wireless communication network 220. Within one unit area there may be, for example, tens to thousands of households of city gas consumers. One gas meter (110, 110 ') is installed in each consumer furniture. And each gas meter is installed one remote metering terminal (100, 100 ').

The remote metering terminal 100 is attached to the city gas meter 110 that measures the flow rate of the gas flowing through the city gas pipe in a membrane-driven manner, and digitally guides the value increasing in proportion to the gas consumption by a mechanical driving mechanism. It converts into an electrical signal and corrects the error according to temperature or the temperature and pressure to serve as a local repeater 200. To perform this role, the remote metering terminal 100 is provided with a temperature sensing unit 120, a remote metering unit 130, a metering correction unit 140, a communication unit 150. The temperature sensing unit 120 and the remote meter reading unit 130 are installed in a manner that is attached to the gas meter 110. These temperature sensing unit 120 and the remote meter reading unit 130 is connected to the metering correction unit 140, respectively. And the metering correction unit 140 is connected to the communication unit 150. In the drawings, basic components such as a power supply and the like are not shown. The local repeater 200 installed in one unit area and the communication unit 150 of the remote meter reading terminals installed in each customer in the area are coupled in a wired or wireless communication manner to enable data communication.

The temperature sensing unit 120 measures the temperature of the city gas and is installed inside or outside the city gas pipe or outside the pipe. There is an error within ± 1 ° C between the temperature of the city gas flowing in the pipe and the ambient temperature outside the pipe. Since the temperature to be measured using the temperature sensing unit 120 is the temperature of the city gas itself, the above temperature difference may be considered when the installation position of the temperature sensing unit 120 is the outer surface of the pipe or the outside adjacent to the pipe. The configuration of the temperature sensing unit 120 may vary. The temperature sensing unit 120 is a temperature sensor for converting a temperature into an electrical signal and an electrical circuit (for example, a bridge circuit and an A / D converter) for converting an electrical signal output from the temperature sensor into a digital value corresponding to the temperature value. Can be configured. There is no restriction in the temperature sensor that can be used, and since the temperature measurement value can be provided as a digital value, it is only necessary to convert the temperature value into an electric signal and output it, for example, a metal temperature resistor such as a thermocouple or platinum, or a nonmetal A temperature resistor (thermistor), a semiconductor temperature sensor, a radial temperature measuring instrument, a metal core type temperature sensor, etc. are mentioned.

The remote metering unit 130 has a function of converting the meter guide value (the value of which the error correction is not performed according to the temperature or pressure change) indicating the gas consumption of the city gas meter into an electrical signal and providing it as a digital value. As a means, any type of remote meter can be applied. For example, the remote reading unit 130, as mentioned above, using a light sensor, a magnetic sensor or a switching means, etc., a specific number wheel of the number plate indicating the direction of the city gas meter (any number wheel below the decimal point) It can be configured as a remote meter reading method of counting a digital value by changing the number of motion of the internal parts of the meter to the electric signal corresponding to the number of revolutions or the rotation period of the number wheel. Another configuration example of the remote metering unit 130 may be a remote meter reading method of taking a guide value of the number plate of the meter with a camera and then converting it into a digital value by applying a character recognition technology.

The metering correction unit 140 serves to accurately calculate the actual gas consumption by compensating for the error of the guide value of the meter provided by the remote metering unit 130 or the temperature and the air pressure. The error correction of the gas consumption may be performed using only the temperature information, or may also use not only the temperature but also the atmospheric pressure information. For the latter method, in addition to the temperature sensing unit 120, a means for providing air pressure information is further required. Although the necessary air pressure information is related to the place where the gas meter 110 is installed, the air pressure information, unlike temperature information, is less likely to vary depending on the position. In order to obtain the most accurate barometric pressure information, each gas meter 110 should be provided with a pressure sensing unit for measuring the air pressure. However, this method is expensive. In order to reduce costs, one air pressure sensing unit 210 is installed for each local repeater 200, and the air pressure information measured by the air pressure sensing unit 210 in all the remote metering terminals in the unit area managed by the local repeater 200. Can be used in common. Furthermore, it may be considered to utilize the barometric pressure data provided by the Korea Meteorological Administration. Any of the above three ways can be applied to the present invention. 3 illustrates the second scheme above. The usable pressure sensor is not particularly limited as long as it can convert the measured air pressure value into an electrical signal and provide it in the form of a digital value. For example, capacitive pressure sensors, strain gauge type pressure sensors, semiconductor resistance type pressure sensors, piezoelectric element type pressure sensors, and the like may be examples.

In the case of applying the method of installing the air pressure sensing unit for each gas meter 110, the metering correction unit 140 is connected to the remote reading unit 130, the temperature sensing unit 120, and the air pressure sensing unit, respectively. You will be provided with digital guidance, temperature and barometric pressure. When the air pressure sensing unit 210 is installed for each local repeater 200 as illustrated in FIG. 3, the metering compensation unit 140 transmits the air pressure sensing unit 210 which the local repeater 200 transmits through the communication unit 150. You should be provided with a barometric value of. In this case, in consideration of the fact that the burden of data communication is reduced and the air pressure does not change greatly instantaneously, it is preferable to set a time interval appropriately provided with the air pressure value from the local repeater 200. On the other hand, when the error correction using the regional pressure value made by the Meteorological Agency, the error correction function may still be placed in the metering correction unit 140, otherwise it may be placed in the central computer 230 of the city gas supplier. In the former case, it is necessary to deliver the Meteorological Agency data to the metering correction unit 140. In the latter case, the error correction coefficient and the error correction program according to the size of the air pressure should be embedded in the central computer 230 to perform data processing for a separate air pressure error correction.

It will be described on the premise that the measurement correction unit 140 has the error correction function according to the temperature and air pressure. The metering correction unit 140 has a built-in correction coefficient data according to the size of the temperature and air pressure in order to calculate a more accurate gas consumption. For example, when the lowest number wheel rotates once, if the temperature at that time is higher than the reference temperature (0 ° C), the volume of gas of the unit weight becomes larger, so that the customer is counted as if more gas is used with a smaller weight. A smaller value is applied as a correction factor to correct the usage error due to high temperatures. If the temperature is lower than the reference temperature, on the contrary, a value greater than 1 can be applied as the correction factor.

Similar principles apply to barometric pressures. However, the error due to the air pressure needs to consider both the influence of the constant pressure and each gas meter. First, considering the influence on the gas meter, when the lowest number wheel rotates once, if the air pressure at that time is higher than the reference pressure (1 atmosphere, 1013 millibars), less gas than the reference weight would have been supplied. A smaller value is used as the correction factor. On the other hand, the atmospheric pressure effect on the constant pressure machine is the opposite of that on the gas meter. That is, since the pressure of the gas itself becomes the 'set pressure + atmospheric pressure' of the pressure regulator, if the atmospheric pressure is high, the absolute pressure of the gas itself will increase and the density will be increased, so that a larger amount than the reference weight will be supplied. Should be applied. If the current barometric pressure is lower than the standard barometric pressure, the above applies. Therefore, for error correction by air pressure, it is desirable to apply an error correction factor that considers both the effect of atmospheric pressure on the gas meter and the effect on the constant pressure.

 Since the magnitude of the error correction coefficient applied to each temperature value and barometric pressure value may be affected by the characteristics of the gas meter used, it is desirable to obtain a large number of experiments under various conditions. The correction coefficient according to the temperature and air pressure is prepared in the form of a lookup table and embedded in the weighing correction unit 140.

The metering correction unit 140 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a ROM for storing correction coefficient data according to temperature and air pressure. The ROM is also equipped with an error correction program that calculates the corrected gas consumption by applying a correction factor for temperature and / or barometric pressure whenever the meter reading changes (i.e. each time the number wheel rotates). The weighing correction unit 140 also includes a computing device, which executes an error correction logic (correction coefficient data and an error correction program) stored in the ROM of the digital guide value provided by the remote reading unit 130. It is calculated by the used gas consumption. This operation is performed whenever there is a rise in the digital guide value, or at regular intervals. Further, the calculating device calculates each cumulative value of the corrected gas consumption obtained by executing the digital guide value and the error correction logic provided from the remote meter reading unit 130. The metering correction unit 140 further includes a memory for use as a storage space for performing the above calculation and storing the digital guide value and the accumulated value of the corrected gas consumption. The metering correction unit 140 may be implemented using, for example, a microprocessor having a ROM and an internal memory, a digital signal processor, and a peripheral circuit for input / output.

The communication unit 150 receives data on the cumulative value of the corrected gas consumption calculated by the metering correction unit 140 and the cumulative value of the digital guide value provided by the remote metering unit 130 together with the customer information, and sends it to the local repeater 200. send. Preferably, the communication unit 150 and the local repeater 200 are combined in a wireless communication method, but in a situation where a home network is universally used in the future, such as power line communication or a wireless LAN method, the local repeater 200 and the remote terminal may be mixed with wired or wireless. It may be combined in a way. In addition, the communication unit 150 has a function of receiving the air pressure value from the local repeater 200 and transmits it to the metering correction unit 140.

The regional repeater 200 receives the digital guideline value and the corrected gas consumption of the gas meter 110 of the corresponding customer from each remote metering terminal 100 in the installed area and transmits it to the central computer 230 of the city gas supplier. do. That is, the local repeater 200 transmits the digital guide value and the corrected gas consumption according to the customers in response to the central computer 230 requesting monthly usage to charge gas for each customer. The data communication cycle between the communication unit 150 and the local repeater 200 and the data communication cycle or time point between the local repeater 200 and the central computer 230 may be flexibly operated in consideration of the necessity of communication or the amount of data traffic. . The regional repeater 200 also has a function of transmitting the atmospheric pressure value provided by the air pressure sensing unit 210 to each remote metering terminal in the unit area as mentioned above.

4A and 4B illustrate a remote meter reading apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention configured by adding an on-pressure correction function to an optical remote meter. The figure shows an example in which the remote metering device is applied to the gas capacity (membrane) type city gas meter 310.

First, in the membrane type city gas meter, the number plate 312 of the meter 310, which is the object of the remote meter reading, will be briefly described. The number plate 312 is located in front of the meter, and the lowest number wheel 312a coupled to the rotational shaft 7 and a plurality of number wheels coupled through the reduction gear next to each other are disposed adjacent to each other. It is configured to represent an integer part and 1 to 3 decimal places. One wheel is drum-shaped and the outer surface is marked with numbers from 0 to 9. When the city gas is used, as the rotary shaft 7 rotates as described above, the lowest number wheel rotates in proportion to the gas usage. The lowest number wheel rotates at the highest speed, and the higher the upper digit, the slower the number wheel rotates. The speed ratio of a number wheel to the number wheel above it is 10 to 1.

The optical remote reading terminal 300 is a light reflecting portion 312c attached to a portion of the outer surface of the lowest number wheel 312a, the light reflecting portion is irradiated with light to convert the reflection of light into an electrical signal to convert the light reflecting portion 312c Built-in optical sensor unit 330 for producing information corresponding to the number of revolutions of the number wheel (312a) attached, and the optical sensor unit 330, the number wheel (312a) is attached to the light reflecting portion (312c) The optical sensor unit 330 is placed on the rotation path of the optical sensor fixing housing having a structure that is detachably coupled to the meter (310). The fixing housing is preferably at least transparent to the outside of the meter number plate 312 and the portion covering the meter device information recording portion. In addition, the fixing housing 334 preferably has an infrared cut-off function for blocking the transmission of external infrared rays to the inside. Details will be described later.

These components work together to act as the remote meter reading unit 130. In addition, the remote reading terminal 300 has a temperature sensor 320 attached to the outer surface of the city gas pipe. The optical sensor unit 330 and the temperature sensor 320 are electrically connected to the microcomputer 340 functioning as the digital metering unit 140 via the A / D converter. The microcomputer 340 is connected to the wireless communication unit 350 serving as the communication unit 150. Although not shown, the optical remote reading terminal 300, of course, is also provided with a power supply (including a battery) for supplying power for the operation of each component. In addition, the light reflection portion 312c does not necessarily need to be attached to the lowest number wheel, but may be attached to a higher number wheel. The microcomputer 340, the wireless communication unit 350, and the power supply unit may be mounted on a printed circuit board (not shown) to form a single wireless communication unit 350.

 One rotation of the number wheel 312a with the light reflecting portion 312c is a section (hereinafter referred to as “reflection section”) and the light reflecting portion 312c attached to the outer surface of the number wheel 312a. Is not the same as the section (hereinafter referred to as an 'reflective section') is the same as having passed through the optical sensor unit 330 once.

The optical sensor unit 330 includes a light emitting element 332a such as an infrared light emitting diode and an infrared sensing element 332b such as a photodiode or a phototransistor. The infrared light emitting element 332a intermittently emits infrared light by receiving driving power. The infrared sensing element 332b outputs an electrical signal proportional to the amount of infrared light applied to the infrared sensing element 332b. The light emitted from the infrared light emitting element 332a is configured to be detected by the infrared sensing element 332b only when it is reflected by the light reflection part 312c. To this end, the case 332e is made of an opaque material, and on one side thereof, an infrared light emitting element 332a and an infrared sensing element 332b are provided in each of two independent holes 332c and 332d.

When the infrared light included in the natural light passes through the housing and enters the infrared sensing element 332b, a sensing error may occur due to light interference. In order to block the sensing error, a method of attaching an infrared ray blocking film to the housing 334, a method of depositing an infrared ray blocking material on the housing 334, and a housing 334 using a raw material mixed with an infrared ray blocking material to the housing injection material. Method of making, or having two sheets of polarizing film, one sheet is attached to the entire surface of the housing 334 and the other sheet is installed at the inlet of the second hole 332d in which the infrared sensing element 332b is installed to be perpendicular to each other. It is preferable to use a method or the like so that the housing 334 has a function of preventing infrared rays from being transmitted inside. Furthermore, the near-infrared filter 332f selectively transmits only infrared rays of the wavelength band that the infrared sensing element 332b can detect at the inlet of the second hole 332d in which the infrared sensing element 332b is installed, and blocks the light of the remaining wavelength bands from passing through. ), More completely prevents the sensing error caused by external infrared interference.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a remote meter reading procedure using temperature (pressure) correction performed by the microcomputer 340 of the remote meter reader of the present invention installed in a gas meter of a consumer. While the consumer uses the city gas, if there is no external light noise, the light detection signal output from the infrared sensing element 332b may have a waveform diagram as shown in FIG. 6. After the initialization (S10), the microcomputer 340 receives the output signal of the infrared sensing element 332b of the light sensing unit 330 (S12) and the numeric wheel 312a to which the light reflection unit 312c is attached. By counting the number of times the reflection section and the non-reflection section is repeated, it is determined one rotation of the number wheel (312a) (S14). When it is determined that the number wheel 312a is rotated one time, the current temperature measured by the temperature sensor 320 is read as a digital value (S16), and a correction coefficient corresponding to the current temperature value is stored in the ROM. Read from the look-up table for the temperature correction coefficient (S18). Then, the microcomputer 340 calculates a new cumulative value of the meter guide value by adding a number corresponding to one revolution of the number wheel 312a to the accumulated meter guide value up to now. For example, if the number wheel 312a corresponds to the second decimal place, 0.01 may be added to the cumulative meter reading value up to now, and 0.1 may be added to the first decimal place. In addition, the microcomputer 340 calculates a value obtained by multiplying the number corresponding to one rotation of the number wheel 312a by the temperature correction coefficient read from the lookup table, and corrects the value to the present time calculated by compensating for the temperature error. The new cumulative value of the corrected gas consumption is calculated by adding to the gas consumption.

In the case where pressure correction is applied in addition to temperature correction, although not shown in FIG. 5, the microcomputer 340 is obtained from the current air pressure or the meteorological office measured by the air pressure sensing unit 210 installed near the gas meter 310 or a local repeater. A current air pressure information is also received and a correction factor corresponding to the air pressure value is read out from the ROM lookup table.

The microcomputer 340 continuously accumulates the meter guide value and the corrected gas consumption while repeating such a procedure every time the number wheel 312a having the light reflection part 312c is attached to the microcomputer 340. Then, when it is time to transmit to the local repeater 200 or when the local repeater 200 requests the transmission, the microcomputer 340 stores the cumulative value of the meter guide value and the corrected gas consumption stored in the memory of the wireless communication unit 350 Transmit to the local repeater 200 through).

Through this process, when the gas supplier receives the meter guide value and the corrected gas consumption value of each consumer from the regional repeater 200 in each unit region, the gas fee is charged based on the corrected gas consumption but is different from the meter guide value. Information on how much error has occurred can also be provided. The customer will be charged exactly for the weight he uses, and he can also compare how much of the error in the metered value is due to the amount used as the billing standard.

In the above, the case in which the on-pressure correction function is integrated into the optical remote detector has been described as an example. However, those skilled in the art can easily apply the on-pressure correction function to other types of remote detectors such as magnetic field or image reading. will be.

The present invention can improve the adequacy and rationality of the rate gas rate by minimizing the amount of error in city gas sales caused by the difference in temperature or pressure. As a result, consumer confidence in gas rates can be increased. In particular, the present invention can be added to the conventional remote meter reading system by adding a sensor such as a temperature sensor or barometric pressure sensor and further prepare the degree of the program to implement the temperature correction logic. Therefore, the present invention can be a very economical solution because the cost burden of adding the on-pressure correction function is significantly low.

Although the present invention has been described above according to an embodiment of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims (12)

As applied to a capacitive city gas meter that measures the amount of city gas used by a mechanical membrane driving method, A remote reading unit for converting the gas consumption guide value of the meter into an electrical signal and outputting the digital value; A temperature sensing unit installed inside or outside the city gas pipe at the point where the city gas meter is installed or adjacent to the pipe to sense a temperature of the city gas passing through the gas meter and output the digital value; Connected to the remote reading unit and the temperature sensing unit, respectively, using a temperature value provided by the temperature sensing unit and an error correction logic according to temperature, correcting the digital guide value provided by the remote reading unit to calculate a corrected gas consumption amount. A metering correction unit accumulating the digital guide value and the corrected gas consumption; And And a communication unit which receives the digital guide value and the data on the corrected gas consumption from the metering correction unit and transmits it with the customer information to the city gas supplier system. The error correction logic corresponds to a magnitude of an error between the city gas temperature value measured by the temperature sensing unit and a reference temperature applied by the city gas supplier when supplying the city gas to each customer. And applying the digital guide value of the remote reading unit to minimize the error between the city gas weight supplied by the city gas supplier and the gas consumption of each customer transmitted to the city gas supplier system. The air pressure sensing unit of claim 1, further comprising an air pressure sensing unit for measuring the atmospheric pressure in the area where the meter is installed and outputting the digital value, and the metering correction unit further uses an error correction logic according to atmospheric pressure in calculating the corrected gas consumption. Remote meter reading device characterized in that for correcting the digital guide value. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the weighing correction unit comprises: a nonvolatile memory configured to store an error correction logic according to the temperature or an error correction logic according to the temperature and pressure; Calculating the gas consumption by applying the error correction logic based on the temperature value and the atmospheric pressure value, and calculating the cumulative value of the digital guidance value and the corrected gas consumption. ; And a memory for storing the digital guide value and the accumulated value of the corrected gas consumption. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensing unit comprises at least one selected from a thermocouple, a metal temperature resistor such as platinum, a nonmetal temperature resistor (thermistor), a semiconductor temperature sensor, a radial temperature sensor, and a metal core temperature sensor. Remote meter reading device characterized in that used as a temperature sensor. According to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the remote reading unit a) by using an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor or a switching means to perform a movement corresponding to the number of revolutions of the number wheel or the rotation period of the number wheel of the meter; Remote metering means for converting the number of motions of the internal parts of the meter to an electrical signal and counting it as a digital value, and b) a remote for photographing the guide value of the meter number plate with a camera and converting it into a digital value by applying character recognition technology. Remote meter reading device, characterized in that any one of the meter reading means. According to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the remote reading unit, the light reflecting portion which is attached to a portion of the outer surface of the specific number wheel of the lower point of the meter, and reflects infrared incident light while rotating with the number wheel; Two independent holes are formed on one surface of the case made of an opaque material, and an infrared light emitting device emitting infrared light is provided in the first hole and a proportional amount of infrared light is introduced into the second hole. An optical sensor unit having an infrared sensing element for outputting an electrical signal; A housing for fixing the optical sensor unit, the optical sensor fixing housing having a structure in which the optical sensor unit is detachably coupled to the meter while the optical sensor unit is placed on a rotation path of the number wheel to which the light reflection unit is attached; And checking the output signal of the infrared sensing element to determine whether there is a rotation of the number wheel with the light reflecting portion, and for each revolution of the number wheel, a numerical value corresponding to the number of digits of the number wheel is measured until now. Cumulative value of the new meter guide value is accumulated in the guide value, and the numerical value is multiplied by the error correction coefficient corresponding to the current temperature and / or barometric pressure information provided from the temperature sensing unit and / or the air pressure sensing unit. Accumulate the value to the corrected gas consumption value up to now to calculate a cumulative value of the new gas consumption value, and provide the cumulative value of the meter guide value and the gas consumption value to the communication unit at a set time or in response to an external request. Remote meter reading device characterized in that it comprises a micom. 7. The housing of claim 6, wherein the housing covering at least the weighing digit and the meter device information recording portion is transparent so that it can be read from the outside, and in particular has an infrared cut-off function for blocking the transmission of external infrared rays. Remote meter reading device characterized in that. The method according to claim 7, wherein the housing is a) a method of making an injection molding using an injection material mixed with an infrared blocking powder in a transparent plastic resin, b) made of a transparent plastic resin and the infrared blocking material deposited on the outer or inner surface or infrared A method of adhering the blocking film, c) a method of opaque treatment except for the portion covering the number plate, d) two sheets of polarizing film, one sheet is attached to the entire surface of the housing and the other sheet is the infrared sensing element. Installed at the inlet of the installed second hole, but the remote meter reading device characterized in that it has the infrared cut-off function made by any one of the methods to be installed at right angles to each other. A remote meter reading terminal installed one by one for each customer of a capacity-type city gas meter for measuring the amount of city gas used in a mechanical operation method; A regional repeater installed one for each region of a predetermined radius; And It is connected to the local repeater, and has a configuration including a pressure sensing unit for measuring the atmospheric pressure of the area and providing it to the local repeater in the form of a digital value, The remote meter reading terminal, the remote meter reading unit for converting the gas consumption guide value of the meter into an electrical signal to output a digital value; A temperature sensing unit installed inside or outside the city gas pipe at the point where the city gas meter is installed or adjacent to the pipe to sense a temperature of the city gas passing through the gas meter and output the digital value; The remote meter reading unit is connected to the remote metering unit and the temperature sensing unit, respectively, using an error correction logic according to temperature and / or pressure based on a temperature value provided by the temperature sensing unit and an air pressure value received through the communication unit. A metering correction unit for correcting the digital guide value provided and calculating a corrected gas consumption amount and accumulating the digital guide value and the corrected gas consumption amount; And a communication unit which receives the digital guide value and the data regarding the corrected gas consumption from the metering correction unit and transmits it with the customer information to the local repeater. The regional repeater periodically receives the digital guide value of each customer and the corrected gas consumption from each remote metering terminal in the installed area and transmits it to the city gas supplier system, and transmits the atmospheric pressure value provided by the air pressure sensing unit in each area within the region. Remote meter reading device, characterized in that for transmitting to a remote meter reading terminal. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the remote reading unit comprises: a) an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, or a switching means for the internal parts of the meter for a movement corresponding to the number of revolutions of the number wheel of the meter number plate or the rotation period of the number wheel; Remote meter reading means for converting the number of movements into an electrical signal to count as a digital value, and b) any of the remote meter reading stage that photographs the guide value of the meter number plate with a camera and converts it into a digital value by applying a character recognition technology. Remote meter reading device characterized in that one. 11. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein the weighing correction unit comprises: a nonvolatile memory for storing an error correction logic according to the temperature and pressure; Calculating the corrected gas consumption by applying the error correction logic based on the temperature value and the atmospheric pressure value to the digital guide value provided by the remote reading unit, and comparing the digital guide value and the corrected gas consumption amount. A computing device for calculating a cumulative value; And a memory for storing the digital guide value and the accumulated value of the corrected gas consumption. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein one local repeater installed in a particular region and the plurality of remote metering terminals installed in the region are combined into any one of a wireless communication method, a wired communication method and a wired / wireless hybrid communication method. Remote meter reading device.

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