KR101327422B1 - Gas flow meter with telecommunication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gas flowmeter with a radio communication function, more particularly, to a gas flowmeter for measuring the flow rate of fluid flowing from an inlet (10) toward an outlet (11). The gas flowmeter with the radio communication function comprises: an antenna part (100) for receiving radio signals; a sensor part (200) having one or more sensors (210) in the inlet (10) to sense flow rate information; a control part for transmitting the flow rate information sensed by the sensor part (200) according to the radio signals receiving from the antenna part (100); and a power part. [Reference numerals] (100) Antenna part;(200) Sensor part;(311) First signal conversion part;(312) First baseband signal processing part;(321) Gas flux coefficient circuit part;(322) Second baseband signal processing part;(323) Second signal conversion part;(330) Memory part

Description

Gas flow meter with radio communication function {Gas flow meter with telecommunication apparatus}

The present invention relates to a gas flowmeter having a radio wave communication function, and more particularly, the sensor and the antenna unit in the gas flow meter, the electromagnetic wave for communication is transmitted to the inside of the gas pipe using the gas pipe as a medium, The present invention relates to a gas flowmeter having a radio wave communication function capable of effectively transmitting gas flow rate information to a distant place because of the low influence of electromagnetic waves and external obstacles.

The gas flow meter for measuring the amount of gas used in the home has an inlet through which the fluid enters and an outlet through which the fluid exits, and measures the flow rate exiting from the inlet to the outlet, and integrates and displays the result.

Such gas flowmeters can be broadly classified into mechanical gas flowmeters and electronic gas flowmeters.

The mechanical gas flow meter may be configured using a plurality of disks coupled to the reduction gear and the reduction gear, and the disks rotate in proportion to the flow rate so that the disks are used in the number of 0 to 9, that is, the gas. , Displays the flow rate of the fluid. In addition, the electronic gas flowmeter refers to a gas flowmeter to display the flow rate digitally by using a sensor for making a signal proportional to the flow rate and a flow rate sensing circuit for processing the same.

In order to read the calculated flow rate, there is a method in which the meter reads the flow rate display number of the gas flow meter visually, or the flow rate is measured by communicating with the gas flow meter at a remote location.

However, the method of reading the calculated flow rate by visually checking the flow rate indication number of the gas flow meter by the naked eye has a inconvenience in that it takes too much time and labor, and the remote meter reading method in remote places collects the flow signal. There is a hassle to install a separate wired communication line between the device and the gas flow meter.

In addition, even when using a wireless communication, since the gas flowmeter is often attached to the wall of the building, when communicating with the outside, there is a disadvantage that a smooth communication is not made by various structures.

In addition, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-0017541 ("Remote data collection method using the Internet", hereinafter referred to as Document 1) is a method of collecting various data generated from a distant place. The method of use is disclosed.

However, as described above, it is cumbersome to install a separate wired or wireless communication line, and even in the process of wired or wireless communication, electromagnetic interference from external waves or obstacles is generated so that the flow rate information can be accurately and accurately. It is impossible to convey.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2002-0017541 (published date 2002.03.07.)

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a gas flow meter with a sensor unit and an antenna unit for the electromagnetic wave for communication using a gas pipe as a medium, the gas pipe It is to provide a gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function that can effectively transmit the information of the gas flow meter to a distant place by reducing the influence of external electromagnetic waves and the influence of external obstacles by being transmitted inside.

Gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention, in the gas flow meter for measuring the flow rate of the fluid flowing from the inlet 10 side to the outlet 11 side, the antenna unit 100 for receiving a radio wave signal ), At least one sensor 210 is provided at the inlet 10, and the sensor unit 200 for sensing flow rate information and the sensor unit according to the radio signal received from the antenna unit 100. It characterized in that it comprises a control unit 300 and the power supply unit 400 for transmitting the flow rate information sensed from the 200.

Preferably, the antenna unit 100 converts the radio signal into an electrical signal and transmits the signal to the controller 300.

Preferably, the controller 300 includes a first signal converter 311 and the first signal converter for demodulating and converting the electrical signal received from the antenna unit 100 into a baseband signal. And a first baseband signal processor 312 for recovering the communication message of the baseband signal received from 311).

Preferably, the control unit 300 is configured to include a gas flow rate circuit unit 321 for converting the flow rate information sensed from the sensor unit 200 to an electrical signal and to transmit to the control unit 300. It is done.

Preferably, the control unit 300 is a second baseband signal processing unit 322 and the second baseband signal for converting the electrical signal received from the gas flow coefficient circuit unit 321 to a baseband signal (Baseband signal) And a second signal converter 323 for modulating the baseband signal received from the processor 322 and converting the baseband signal into a radio wave signal.

Preferably, the control unit 300 guides the radio wave signal received from the second signal conversion unit 323 to either the inlet 10 side or the outlet 11 side. .

Preferably, the control unit 300 stores the database of the baseband signal converted from the electrical signal received from the gas flow coefficient circuit unit 321 by the second baseband signal processing unit 322 to store a database. It is characterized in that it further comprises a memory unit 330.

More preferably, the power supply unit 400 further comprises a generator 410, the generator 410 generates electricity using the fluid flowing from the inlet 10 side to the outlet 11 side. And, it is characterized in that for supplying the generated electricity to the power supply unit 400.

Gas flow meter having a radio communication function of the present invention according to the above configuration is provided with a sensor unit and an antenna unit in the gas flow meter, the electromagnetic wave for communication is transferred to the inside of the gas pipe using the gas pipe as a medium, the external By minimizing the effects of electromagnetic waves, it is possible to collect information of the gas flow meter.

In addition, there is no influence of external obstacles such as concrete, and the electromagnetic wave is less attenuated, so that it can be effectively transmitted to a distant place, and by converting the kinetic energy according to the flow of fluid flowing inside the gas pipe into electric energy, This eliminates the need to install additional power supplies.

In addition, it is possible to reduce the cost of the flow meter reading, it is also possible to increase the efficiency of the work.

1 is a view schematically showing a gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view illustrating a radio wave communication process of a gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view schematically illustrating a radio wave reception process of a gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a radio wave transmission process of a gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a gas flow meter having a radio communication function of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following drawings are provided by way of example so that those skilled in the art can fully understand the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the following drawings, but may be embodied in other forms. In addition, like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, the technical and scientific terms used herein will be understood by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. Descriptions of known functions and configurations that may be unnecessarily blurred are omitted.

1 is a view briefly showing a gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1 will be described in detail a gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Gas flow meter 1 having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an antenna unit 100, the sensor unit 200, the control unit 300 and the power supply unit 400, inlet 10 The flow rate of the fluid flowing from the side to the outlet 11 side can be measured.

The power supply unit 400 supplies electricity for driving the control unit 300, and the power supply unit 400 may use a disposable battery, a rechargeable battery, or electricity supplied through an electric line from the outside. However, the disposable battery is inconvenient to be replaced at the end of its life, and the method of receiving electricity through the electric line from the outside has the trouble of installing an additional electric line. Accordingly, the power supply unit 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention may convert the kinetic energy of the fluid flowing from the inlet 10 side of the gas flow meter 1 to the outlet 11 side into electrical energy. The generator 410 may be further included. The power supply unit 400 may supply the electricity generated from the generator 410 to a rechargeable battery, and drive the control unit 300 through the battery.

The antenna unit 100 is attached to the body of the gas flow meter 1, receives a radio signal, converts the radio signal into an electrical signal and transmits it to the control unit 300. In this case, the propagation signal refers to the propagation signal transmitted from the inlet 10 side or the outlet 11 side of the gas flow meter 1. That is, the antenna unit 100 may receive the radio wave signal transmitted through a pipe connected to the inlet 10 and the outlet 11, and convert the radio wave signal into an electric signal.

The control unit 300 may recover the electrical signal received from the antenna unit 100 into a communication message to grasp the received communication message. To this end, the control unit 300 is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. As described above, the first signal converter 311 and the first baseband signal processor 312 may be configured.

The first signal converter 311 may demodulate the electrical signal received from the antenna unit 100 and convert the demodulated signal into a baseband signal. In detail, the electrical signal may be received from the antenna unit 100 to remove the carrier signal included in the electrical signal to find the baseband signal of the electrical signal that has been transmitted in the form of the first radio signal.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the first signal converter 311 includes an amplitude demodulator for amplitude demodulation, a phase demodulator for phase demodulation, and a frequency demodulator for frequency demodulation to remove a carrier signal included in the electrical signal. The radio signal received by the antenna unit 100 may correspond to a modulated digital communication method such as frequency shift keying (FSK), phase shift keying (PSK), and amplitude shift keying (ASK). The digital demodulation method may be used to convert the baseband signal. The method of demodulating the electrical signal and converting it into the baseband signal is only a well known technique.

The first signal converter 311 may demodulate the electric signal into a baseband signal by demodulating it according to a preset communication protocol. The preset communication protocol may include a length and a decimal point of a current data string. Means a communication protocol that defines the position of the flow rate, the unit of the flow rate, the position of the start and end of the data stream, etc., which is just one embodiment of the present invention.

The first baseband signal processing unit 312 may recover a communication message of the baseband signal received from the first signal conversion unit 311, and in the sensor unit 200 according to the restored communication message. The sensed flow rate information may be transmitted to the outside. For example, the communication message may include a command such as "send flow data up to now."

The control unit 300 is received by the sensor unit 200 to receive the communication message from the antenna unit 100 and to transmit flow rate information of the gas flow meter 1 corresponding to the communication message. It may be configured to further include a memory unit 330 for storing the database flow rate information.

In this case, in order to transmit the flow rate information corresponding to the communication message, the flow rate information sensed by the sensor unit 200 may be converted into a radio wave signal for communication and transmitted.

To this end, the controller 300 further includes a gas flow coefficient circuit unit 321, a second baseband signal processor 322, and a second signal converter 323, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Can be done.

The sensor unit 200 may include at least one sensor 210 at the inlet 10 to sense flow rate information of the gas flow meter 1. In other words, at least one sensor 210 may be provided at a pipe connected to the inlet 10 and the outlet 11 to sense the flow rate of the fluid flowing therethrough. One embodiment of the sensor 210 is a magnetic sensor, the magnetic sensor is a separate detection for detecting the rotation when the windmill for the flow sensor with a small magnet is rotated in proportion to the flow rate A sensor may be configured to detect the flow rate of the gas flow meter 1. This is only one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the flow rate information includes a variety of information such as the current instantaneous flow rate, cumulative flow rate information.

The gas flow rate coefficient circuit part 321 converts the flow rate information sensed by the sensor part 200 into an electrical signal to convert the flow rate information sensed by the sensor part 200 into a second baseband signal processor 322 of the control part 300, that is, the control part 300. Can be delivered to. In other words, the gas flow rate coefficient circuit part 321 generates a pulse proportional to the flow rate or operates a counter that calculates a cumulative flow rate according to the flow rate information sensed by the sensor unit 200. May be converted into the electrical signal.

The second baseband signal processing unit 322 may convert the electrical signal received from the gas flow coefficient circuit unit 321 into a baseband signal, which is the flow rate sensed by the sensor unit 200. To send information. The second baseband signal processor 322 converts the electrical signal into the baseband signal according to a preset communication protocol. The communication protocol includes a length of a data string, a position and display method of a decimal point, a unit of flow rate, It means a rule that defines the position of the beginning and end of the data string, which is just one embodiment of the present invention.

In other words, the controller 300 may convert the flow rate information sensed by the sensor unit 200 into the baseband signal, store the database in the memory unit 330, and store the database in the memory unit 330. When there is a request for the flow rate information through, the baseband signal corresponding to the second signal converter 323 may be transmitted and transmitted.

The second signal converter 323 may modulate the baseband signal received from the second baseband signal processor 322 and convert the baseband signal into a radio wave signal for communication. The carrier signal can be added to convert the radio wave signal. The second signal converter 323 may include a component such as a power amplifier to generate a radio wave signal having a sufficient magnitude, and the frequency of the carrier signal is transmitted through an inside of a pipe connected to the gas flow meter 1. Since the frequency that can be effectively transmitted is selected, it can be selected differently according to the pipe provided. In addition, the second signal conversion unit 323, as shown in Figure 4, in order to modulate for converting the baseband signal to the radio signal, an amplitude modulator for amplitude modulation, a phase modulator for modulating the phase and frequency modulation The baseband signal may be converted into the radio wave signal by applying frequency shift keying (FSK), phase shift keying (PSK), and amplitude shift keying (ASK) according to a digital communication scheme. . The method of converting the baseband signal into the radio signal is only a well known technique.

The control unit 300 may induce the radio wave signal received from the second signal conversion unit 323 to either the inlet 10 side or the outlet 11 side. The signal propagates through a pipe connected to the gas flow meter 1. In addition, the control unit 300 is attached to the body of the gas flow meter 1, may be provided in a separate protective box in order to protect by electric and mechanical shock.

In other words, the controller 300 may recover the communication message of the radio signal received from the antenna unit 100 and transmit flow rate information corresponding to the communication message. Means the flow rate information sensed from the sensor unit 200.

In addition, the control unit 300 may further include a display unit and an operation unit, and the display unit may include a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and the like, and the flow rate information sensed by the sensor unit 200 may be used. It can represent the state of the gas flow meter (1) according. The operation unit may be composed of operation buttons attached to the gas flow meter 10 in order to operate the operation of the gas flow meter 1, in addition to the communication message of the radio signal received from the antenna unit 100, The flow rate information generated from the sensor unit 200 may be transmitted to the meter reading unit by operating an operation of the gas flow meter 1 through an operation button of the manipulation unit.

Gas flow meter 1 having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits the flow rate information sensed through the sensor unit 200 in real time, or a communication message received through the antenna unit 100 Accordingly, the corresponding flow rate information can be transmitted to the meter reading unit. In this case, the flow rate information transmitted to the meter reading unit may be a flow rate detected in real time, or may be cumulative flow rate information stored in the memory unit 330.

In addition, the gas flow meter 1 having a radio wave communication function according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits the flow rate information detected by the sensor unit 200 or receives a communication message through the antenna unit 100. In this case, a first signal converter 311, a first baseband signal processor 312, a second baseband signal processor 322, and a second signal converter are included in the controller 300 so that a separate communication line is not required. By providing the unit 323, communication can be made through a pipe inside the gas flow meter (1).

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, And various modifications and changes may be made thereto by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described, and all of the equivalents or equivalents of the claims, as well as the following claims, belong to the scope of the present invention .

1: gas flow meter with radio communication function
10: inlet 11: outlet
100: antenna unit
200: sensor unit
300:
311: first signal converter 312: first baseband signal processor
321: gas flow coefficient circuit portion 322: second signal conversion portion
323: second baseband signal processing unit
330: memory
400: power supply

Claims (8)

In the gas flow meter for measuring the flow rate of the fluid flowing from the inlet 10 side to the outlet 11 side,
An antenna unit for receiving a radio signal;
At least one sensor 210 is provided on the inlet 10 side, the sensor unit 200 for sensing the flow rate information;
A control unit (300) for transmitting the flow rate information sensed from the sensor unit (200) according to the radio wave signal received from the antenna unit (100); And
A power supply unit 400;
And,
The control unit 300
A gas flow coefficient circuit unit 321 for converting the flow rate information sensed by the sensor unit 200 into an electric signal and transferring the converted flow signal to the control unit 300;
A second baseband signal processor 322 for converting the electrical signal received from the gas flow coefficient circuit part 321 into a baseband signal;
And a second signal converter 323 for modulating the baseband signal received from the second baseband signal processor 322 and converting the baseband signal into a radio wave signal. Gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function, characterized in that it guides the received radio wave signal in any one of the inlet (10) side or the outlet (11) side.
The method of claim 1,
The antenna unit 100
The gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function, characterized in that for converting the radio signal into an electrical signal to transmit to the control unit (300).
The method of claim 2,
The control unit 300
A first signal converter 311 which demodulates the electric signal received from the antenna unit 100 and converts the electric signal into a baseband signal; And
A first baseband signal processor (312) for recovering a communication message of the baseband signal received from the first signal converter (311);
Gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function, characterized in that consisting of.
delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
The control unit 300
The second baseband signal processing unit 322 further comprises a memory unit 330 for storing the baseband signal obtained by converting the baseband signal converted from the electrical signal received from the gas flow coefficient circuit unit 321 into a database. Gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function, characterized in that.
The method of claim 1,
The power supply unit 400
It further comprises a generator 410,
The generator 410 is
Gas flow meter having a radio wave communication function, characterized in that to generate electricity by using the fluid flowing from the inlet (10) side to the outlet (11) side, and to supply the generated electricity to the power supply (400).

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