WO2020235324A1 - Height difference measurement device and height difference measurement method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention proposes technology with which it is possible to measure a very small difference in height or inclination using an inexpensive device, even between locations where such measurement was difficult in the prior art, with the addition of the latest air pressure sensor technology while incorporating a well-known mode of thinking pertaining to communication tubes. Specifically, a difference in air pressure between measurement positions replaces a change in height of a communicating liquid in the interior, an amplified air pressure difference is measured as a change in the weight of the liquid, and the measured pressure difference (air pressure difference) is converted back to a change in a height difference from a ground surface. In addition, the results of the aforementioned process are successively displayed as a function of the position, and the undulation or slope of the ground surface is measured in centimeters across the entirety of a discretionary wide area of the ground surface. The present invention has a broad range of applications, such as in engineering, construction, and agriculture, in which highly precise measurement of undulations and slopes is necessary.

Description

Height difference measuring device and height difference measuring method

The present invention is a device for measuring the height difference and unevenness of the ground and ground used for construction, civil engineering or agriculture, and a measuring method using the device, and can measure the height difference and unevenness intermittently in a dot pattern. Instead, it can be displayed continuously in one or two dimensions.

It is very important to know the slope, unevenness, and height difference of the ground in the field construction in agriculture, the construction of high-rise buildings, and the civil engineering construction work such as road maintenance. In paddy rice cultivation in agriculture, the slope and unevenness of the ground make a difference in the inundation of seedlings, affect their growth, and cause deterioration in quality. In addition, when constructing high-rise buildings and highways, even a slight inclination of the foundation causes the building to become fragile, leading to a decrease in seismic resistance and durability.

Until now, in order to measure such a height difference, a person with a qualification as a surveyor can use a large-scale device with two people or use an expensive laser that can measure a short distance. It is generally performed with the device used, the cost for measurement is high, and it is technically difficult to measure easily.

Therefore, conventionally, as a method of easily measuring undulations, inclinations, etc., a method of applying the principle of communication pipe has been proposed, and many proposals have been made to improve convenience while maintaining the same basic principle. It was.

For example, Patent Document 1 uses a hose in which a communication pipe is filled with water, a transparent pipe at both ends, and a scale plate attached to a side portion of the transparent pipe. By reading the position of the liquid tip in these transparent tubes from the scale plate and measuring the difference in the scale for each position, it is possible to measure the height difference and unevenness of each part.

However, in such a method, when the position of the measuring part is changed, the liquid level on the other reference side also changes, and both liquid levels change, so that not only is it difficult to measure, but also the height difference is large. Occasionally, the liquid inside could overflow, making it cumbersome to carry and handle.

Patent Document 2 relates to an apparatus or method for measuring height differences at points scattered in the horizontal direction, which is used for track-related construction in the construction industry. According to this Patent Document 2, a measurement water tank and a reference water tank are provided, water is sent from a water supply tank placed near the reference water tank to each water tank, and water overflows from the measurement water tank at each point to keep the water surface constant and the water surface. The height difference is measured from the difference between. Since this method circulates water, it has been shown that it is possible to prevent a specific gravity error due to a difference in water temperature. However, when this method is used, since a specific position is first determined and measurement is performed at that position, it is not easy to change the position or increase or decrease the measurement point, and the measurement is lacking in flexibility. In addition, there is a possibility that water overflows at each position at all times, and there is a problem that it is necessary to clean up the water area each time.
Further, Patent Document 3 states that not only the height difference between places but also the amount of change in the height difference in the plane can be measured, and it is possible to measure from a minute height difference to a large height difference in spite of its small size. However, it basically includes the same problems as those of Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above.

By the way, in recent years, along with the progress of microfabrication technology for silicon wafers and metals, the accuracy of barometric pressure sensors has been improved (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). Recently, this barometric pressure sensor is mounted on a wristwatch or the like and may be used for mountain climbing or the like. Such an altimeter is considered to be made possible by the progress of this barometric pressure sensor technology. Therefore, it may be possible to measure the height difference as the object of the present invention by using such a barometric pressure sensor. However, in consideration of fluctuations in wind and airflow, the technical object of the present invention of measuring a height difference of several cm even between places 100 m away cannot be reached by such a barometric pressure sensor alone. ..

Real Kaihei 4-51618 Patent No. 3938560 Patent No. 5824570

An object of the present invention is to measure a height difference or an altitude difference of several centimeters between places separated by several meters to several hundred meters, which is very troublesome and inconvenient in the conventional measurement. Even if there are things, there is no device that can be obtained at low cost and used easily.

As described in the background technique, the method of measuring with the water surface open using the principle of the conventional communication pipe requires labor and time to continuously measure multiple points. That is, in the communication pipe method, since the measurement method is such that the liquid level is exposed to the atmosphere, the liquid level fluctuates greatly depending on the height difference, and it is necessary to set the length of the measuring pipe corresponding to the height difference. Therefore, not only is it difficult to move, transport, and install, but if the height difference is predicted incorrectly, liquid overflow will occur, and if it is insufficient, liquid replenishment will be required, and it has been widely used until now. There was no.

Further, although there is no practical example used for the height difference measurement as the object of the present invention, it is possible that the barometric pressure sensor can be used as it is, but as described above, the barometric pressure fluctuation is the height difference as it is. Since it becomes an error, the measurement error is large under the condition where the air flow is turbulent, and it is difficult to measure.

Cause of difficulty of height difference measured by the pressure sensor is essentially because the density of the air is small, because the density of air is only 0.00129g per 1 cm ^3. That is, when measuring the height difference due to atmospheric pressure, it is necessary to capture a pressure change of 0.00129 g with a height difference per 1 cm. This is 0.126 Pa when converted to pressure units, which is a value that is difficult to measure with modern barometric pressure measurement technology. Moreover, when considering outdoor measurements, considering the effects of wind and turbulence of airflow, even if MEMS ((Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technology has made great progress, only barometers can be used for height differences over a wide area. It is considered impossible to use it and capture it with an error of several centimeters.

In order to solve the above problems, the height difference measuring device and the height difference measuring method of the present invention are based on the well-known concept of communication pipes, and the barometric pressure sensor technology using MEMS is used. Utilizing progress, the height difference of the measurement position is replaced with the height change of the communicating liquid inside, and the liquid weight corresponding to the height change of the liquid is measured and measured as the pressure difference (or atmospheric pressure difference). The pressure difference is replaced with the height difference again to obtain the height difference change of the ground, etc., and the result is continuously displayed as a function of the place.

Specifically, one or both ends of a pipe filled with a liquid such as water or silicone oil are sealed, and pressure sensors are placed on one or both of the sealed ends. When sealing both ends, be sure to leave a gas portion at at least one end, and when sealing only one end, place a pressure sensor on the sealed side.

In the measurement method, first, both ends are once fixed in position and set as the initial position. The pressure at its initial position is measured, then one is fixed and the other end is moved. Next, the pressure is measured again at the destination. Then, the difference between the pressure at the initial position and the pressure at the moving destination is obtained, and hPa is converted to cm. The obtained value in cm units is corrected to obtain the height difference between the initial position and the moving destination. Since this pressure difference measurement uses the concept of a communication pipe, it can be measured from a very long distance, and the pressure is transmitted at the speed of sound, so that the response is very quick.

At that time, the distance between the initial position of the moved end and the moved destination is measured by a laser range finder, a walking measure, or the like, and the height difference from the initial position of the moved destination is expressed by a function of the distance. This data is transmitted to a personal computer or tablet by WiFi or the like, and displayed as a graph of the height difference with respect to the distance.

In addition, the end of the pipe can be moved by a person carrying it to the destination where it should be measured, but it is carried by an automatically traveling mobile robot, and the position of the mobile robot is determined by GPS, a geomagnetic sensor, and a gyro sensor. It is also possible to represent the height difference at each position three-dimensionally in cm units by performing measurement with a device including an acceleration sensor and the like. However, since the pressure data fluctuates during movement, it is possible to suppress the variation in data by temporarily suspending the movement for pressure measurement.

When automatic measurement is performed with a robot or the like, it is possible to automatically move all the way to a distant place without human involvement, so if an appropriate algorithm is built, the area where measurement is required is finite over the entire surface. You can set points and measure. If the height difference measured at each point can be connected between points by mathematical analysis by the finite element method and the height difference between points can be inferred, the entire surface of the measurement area can be used as a three-dimensional measured value. You will be able to do it.

Further, when the present invention is incorporated into a conventionally used tape measure for distance measurement, the distance and the height difference or the horizontal position difference can be measured at the same time. In other words, the tape measure drawer plate or band has a pipe-like structure, or a pipe is attached to the pipe, and the pipe is filled with liquid, and a pressure sensor is embedded at one end, using the same method as described above. , The pressure difference is measured, and the distance and the height difference are obtained at the same time. When this height difference is displayed on the liquid crystal together with the distance, the inclination of the ground and the unevenness can be measured easily and inexpensively together with the distance.

By using the present invention, it is possible to measure the height difference and undulations of the ground surface and buildings with high accuracy of several centimeters even if they are several hundred meters apart, and at that time, the distance is also measured at the same time. By doing so, it is possible to easily measure a minute inclination such as a very large building, which was impossible to measure in the past.

In addition, it is possible to easily measure the height difference in a curved place, which could not be known without repeating the measurement many times, as long as the tip of the pipe can be moved. For example, if you want to know the slope of a curved road to a position 100 m ahead, or the difference in height between the road that passes through the front side of the building and the road that passes through the back side, simply move the tip of the pipe from the front side to the back side. It can be measured easily and quickly.

It is also conceivable to use the present invention for disaster prevention such as landslides. Since the device using the present invention can be manufactured at a very low cost, if it is installed in an area where there is a risk of slipping in various places and constantly monitored by WiFi or the like, a slight change in height occurring on the ground surface can be detected. Since it can be caught, it is possible to predict the landslide before the ground slides significantly, and it is possible to prevent a disaster.

Further, in the present invention, one end of the pipe can be opened for measurement, but since both ends are sealed so that measurement can be performed, it is easy to carry, easy to store, and less likely to cause a failure. There is also an effect.

In the present invention, the operator can carry the end of the pipe from a reference position in order to know the height difference of each place, but the algorithm used in the automatic vacuum cleaner is applied to the mobile robot. If you install a GPS or geomagnetic sensor to know the position of the mobile robot and clarify the location where you moved, you can measure the height difference two-dimensionally over a certain area. Throughout, height difference data can be obtained in the form of a function with position. By performing mathematical processing such as the finite element method on this data, the undulations and slopes over the entire area are continuously clarified, and three-dimensional data that is extremely effective in civil engineering and construction is created. be able to.

Also, length measurement can be easily done with a tape measure or convex that is used on a daily basis, but it is difficult to measure how much the height difference is in that place compared to other places. As an example of exerting a familiar effect, when considering drainage of an air conditioner or the like, the floor may be tilted even if the drainage pipe is tilted slightly parallel to the floor, and drainage may not be successful. In such a case, the height difference of the horizontal position is important, but even if a spirit level is used, it is difficult to compare with a distant place, and it is not easy to make a hole in the wall for the drainage pipe.

By integrating the present invention with a tape measure or convex, it becomes a very inexpensive device, and it becomes possible to easily measure the horizontal difference at a relatively distant place, so that work such as drilling that requires horizontal can be performed. It will be accurate and will be highly effective in various everyday situations.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the height difference measuring apparatus of this invention and its implementation method. (Example 1) It is explanatory drawing which showed the height difference measuring apparatus of this invention and its implementation method. (Example 2) (a) It is explanatory drawing which showed the height difference measuring apparatus of this invention and its implementation method. (Example 3) (b) This is a type example of Example 3 in which a slight modification is made to Example 3. It is a figure which showed the measurement data obtained in the experiment for verifying the apparatus of this invention. It is a 3D perspective view which showed the height difference measuring apparatus of this invention. (Example 4) It is a figure which briefly explained the internal structure of Example 4. It is a 3D perspective view which showed the height difference measuring apparatus of this invention. (Example 5)

The height difference measuring device and the height difference measuring method of the present invention are basically based on the idea of a communicating pipe that the liquid level of the communicating pipe is equal, which has been known for a long time. Moreover, in addition to that, by utilizing the remarkable progress of barometric pressure measurement technology using the MEMS (Micro Electrical Mechanical System) barometric pressure sensor module in recent years, even at a distance of 100 m, the inclination and height of the ground can be increased by several centimeters. He invented a method that can catch the difference.

By replacing the altitude difference between the initial position and the measurement position on the ground surface with a change in liquid weight using the principle of communication pipes, the pressure difference corresponding to the altitude difference is amplified to about 775 times and measured. is there. By this method, an altitude of several centimeters becomes a measurable pressure difference, and the pressure difference is replaced with the height difference of the ground surface.

In other words, it is a high-resolution height difference measuring device and measuring method that is structurally very simple, yet has high accuracy and a wide dynamic range.
The invention will be disclosed by showing specific embodiments below and showing each typical embodiment.

FIG. 1 is Example 1 of the first embodiment showing the height difference measuring device of the present invention and the measuring method thereof. Reference numeral 101 in the figure is a reference container, and one end of the pipe 107 may be used as it is, but in the first embodiment, a special container is provided to form an end portion. A space portion 102 and a liquid portion 103 exist inside the reference container 101. Further, an electric opening / closing valve 104 is attached to the reference container 101. Further, in the first embodiment, the pressure sensor 105 is provided in the space portion 102 of the reference container 101. The reference container 101 is supported by a pedestal 106 for fixing.

The liquid in the reference container 101 is connected to the measuring container 108 in a movable state by a pipe 107 filled with the liquid. The measuring container 108 may be used in the same shape as the pipe 107, but it is more convenient to insert the pressure sensor or the like by making the end portion slightly thicker. Further, the measuring container 108 is made to have an inner diameter smaller than that of the reference container 101, and the area of the liquid surface in contact with the liquid portion 110 of the space portion 109 is such that the space portion 102 of the reference container 101 is in contact with the liquid portion 103. It is sufficiently smaller than the area of the surface. A pressure sensor 111 having a MEMS structure is attached to the inside of the measuring container 108, but is hermetically shielded from the outside, and only a signal line for data retrieval is pulled out from the measuring container 108 to the outside. There is. This signal line is drawn into an electronic circuit 112 attached to the outside.

The electronic circuit 112 is equipped with an electronic module capable of WiFi communication, and includes digital data obtained from the pressure sensor 111, temperature data obtained from the temperature sensor attached to the pressure sensor in the first embodiment, and a laser. The data of the length measuring device 114 is sent to the tablet terminal 113 by WiFi, and the height difference and the distance are displayed on the liquid crystal screen.

The measuring container 108 is provided with a laser length measuring machine 114 so that the distance from the reference container 101 can always be measured, and the distance from the reference container 101 is substituted for the initial position of the measuring container 108 for measurement. .. Wheels 115 are attached to the measuring container 108 so that the measurement container 108 can roll and move on the ground 116, and the pressure sensor 111 can measure the pressure while measuring the distance between the reference container 101 and the measuring container 108. You can do it.

The height difference measuring device configuration of the first embodiment according to the present invention is as described above, but the method of performing height difference measurement will be described next.

First, fix the reference container 101 and the measurement container 108 and determine the initial position. In the present embodiment, the measuring container 108 is moved to measure the height difference between the initial position and the post-movement position of the measuring container 108. First, an instruction is given to the electric on-off valve 104 to open it so that the atmospheric pressure and the air pressure of the space portion 102 are the same. In the first embodiment, an electric opening / closing valve is used, but of course a manual valve may be used. This atmospheric pressure is measured by the pressure sensor 105. This atmospheric pressure is corrected when it fluctuates greatly during height difference measurement, and it is a correction value unless a large change in atmospheric pressure occurs due to long-term measurement or sudden passage of low pressure. Is not so large and most are within the margin of error.

Normally, the reference container 101 and the measurement container 108 are brought close to each other to determine the initial position. FIG. 1 shows a state after moving the measuring container 108. The pressure sensor 111 is measured at this moving position. At the same time, the distance between the temperature of the temperature sensor attached to the pressure sensor and the reference container 101 of the laser length measuring machine 114 is also measured. Since the laser length measuring machine 114 is used for the distance due to this movement, the initial position of the measuring container 108 and the distance after the movement should be measured, but the initial position of the measuring container 108 is replaced by the reference container 101. It is a thing. The temperature measurement is for correcting the pressure data when the temperature changes significantly, and the temperature change does not occur so much during normal measurement.

The pressure data, the temperature data, and the distance data obtained from the laser length measuring device 114 are collected in the electronic circuit 112 and wirelessly transmitted to the tablet terminal 113 by WiFi. In the tablet terminal, WiFi reception, data processing, and liquid crystal display are performed by a program written in Processing, which is a language compatible with TCP and UDP.

In the first embodiment, the pipe 107 is translucent and contains water containing a colored antifreeze liquid. The reason why the pipe 107 can be visualized is that when air bubbles are mixed into the inside of the pipe 107 for some reason, the color changes promptly to know that. However, since it is possible to recognize air bubbles to some extent without coloring, the liquid is colored as necessary. The reason for preventing the inclusion of air bubbles is that if the air bubbles cause the liquid in the pipe 107 to be interrupted even partially, a large error will occur in the measurement.

Since the measuring container 108 is placed on the wheel 115 and the pipe 107 is flexible, the measuring container 108 can move freely on the ground 116 over the undulations. As shown in FIG. 1, at the moving position of the measuring container 108, the ground 116 is dented from the initial position. Therefore, from the principle of the communication pipe, in order to maintain a constant water level, the liquid level of the reference container 101 tends to fall, and the liquid level in the measuring container 108 tends to rise. However, since the space portion 108 is closed, those forces act as pressure on the space portion 108 and compress the space portion. Therefore, when the pressure of the space portion 109 of the measuring container 108 is measured, a water pressure difference corresponding to the undulations of the ground is generated between the pressure and the initial pressure, and this pressure difference can be converted into the height difference of the ground 116 again. ..

The area of the reference container 101 in contact with the space portion 102 of the liquid portion 103 is larger than the area of the measurement container 108 in contact with the space portion 109 of the liquid portion 110, but this is because the measurement container 108 changes due to the unevenness of the ground 116. This is to suppress the change in the liquid level in the reference container 101 as small as possible, and the change in the liquid level between the reference container 101 and the measurement container 108 is a correction value after the pressure measurement. That is, the actual height difference is obtained by adding and subtracting the amount of the liquid level of the reference container 101 lowered and the amount of the liquid level of the measuring container 108 raised from the height difference obtained from the pressure. Therefore, if the liquid level of the reference container 101 can be limited to the change in the error range, the change in the liquid level of the reference container 101 can be ignored, and the correction is completed only by referring to the liquid level of the measurement container 108, and both are referred to. The effort can be halved.

In this embodiment, since the reference container 101 is opened to the atmosphere and the atmospheric pressure is measured under constant conditions, a very stable measured value can be obtained, but there are some problems. One is that opening and closing the electric open / close valve is troublesome, and if you forget to open it at the time of measurement, the measured value will be different depending on whether it is opened or not, and it may cause a big error. Although it can be used, there are still issues to be improved.

Also, when water is used as the liquid inside the pipe 107. Since the reference container 101 is open to the atmosphere, water evaporates and dissipates, and if the amount of water is not always paid attention, the amount of water decreases and the measurement is hindered. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the first embodiment, the use of water as the internal liquid is stopped, and an attempt is made to use a liquid that does not easily evaporate, such as silicone oil. However, in the first embodiment, the liquid is hard to evaporate. Since the pipe is not always sealed, there is a problem that it takes a lot of time and effort to clean up the reference container 101 because the liquid leaks out when the reference container 101 falls down in some way.

FIG. 2 is Example 2 of the second embodiment showing the height difference measuring device of the present invention and the measuring method thereof. A major improvement from the first embodiment, the first embodiment, is that the opening / closing operation of the reference container performed in the first embodiment is stopped and the entire pipe is always kept in a sealed state. By doing so, the pipe part of this device is completely isolated from the outside air, which not only improves the convenience of carrying, but also eliminates the need to open and close the valve for each measurement, and measurement due to forgetting to open the valve. Can be prevented from failing.

However, on the other hand, since the reference container is not opened to the atmosphere, the pressure applied to the liquid level in the pipe of the reference container is no longer the atmospheric pressure that keeps a stable constant value, and is the same as the pressure applied in the measurement container. The pressure in the reference vessel also changes. Therefore, it is necessary to always measure the pressure and liquid level of both the reference container and the measuring container, or calculate the other from the pressure and liquid level of either one and make a correction.

In FIG. 2, the reference container 201 and the measurement container 207 are enlarged ends of the pipe 206, and a liquid is injected, and space portions 205 and 210 are formed in the reference container 201 and the measurement container 207. ing. Further, the liquid portions 203 and 208 form a liquid surface in contact with the space portions 205 and 210. Silicone oil is injected into the upper part of the water mixed with the antifreeze liquid in the vicinity of the liquid level, and the water fills the pipe 206.

In the distance measurement, the pulse output from the rotary encoder 215 attached to the shaft of the wheel 214 is sent to the electronic circuit 211, counted, multiplied by a coefficient, and converted into a distance. In addition, pressure and temperature data from the barometric pressure sensor 209 are also sent to this electronic circuit 211, and this information is interpreted and processed by a notebook-type PC 212 via a wireless module such as ZigBee, and the liquid crystal screen. Is displayed in.

In the second embodiment, the hose 206 filled with the liquid during movement is wound around the axis of the wheel 214 via a weak spring (not displayed) so as not to interfere with the measurement. Therefore, when the pipe 206 has been pulled out by a required distance and then returned to its original state, it can be wound back to its original state by the force of a spring. Further, in the second embodiment, the barometric pressure sensor 202 is also provided in the reference container 201, but the pressure information of only one of the barometric pressure sensor 209 of the measuring container 207 and the barometric pressure sensor 202 of the reference container 201 is also used for analysis calculation. It is possible to measure the height difference.

The measuring method is almost the same as that of the first embodiment, but the procedure is as follows. At the start of measurement, the positions of the reference container 201 and the measurement container 207 are first fixed to be the initial positions, and the pressure and temperature values of the barometric pressure sensors 202 and 209 at this time are read and used as the initial pressure and temperature. Next, the measuring container is moved by a required distance, and the pressure and temperature values at the post-movement position are measured and used as the post-movement pressure and temperature. At that time, the pulse of the rotary encoder 215 attached to the wheel 214 is also counted, and the distance traveled is obtained from that value. In the second embodiment, the measuring container 207 is moved, but the height difference can be measured by moving the reference container 201 for measurement.

Normally, the temperature does not change much in a short time measurement, so the temperature correction is slight, but if the temperature changes significantly when the measuring container 207 is moved, the pressure is based on Boyle-Charles' law. By utilizing the fact that is proportional to the absolute temperature, the pressure after movement is corrected by comparing the temperature at the initial position with the temperature after movement. Since silicon oil with low vapor pressure is floated on the surfaces of the liquid parts 203 and 208, it is not necessary to correct the vapor pressure by temperature, but water is used as it is for the entire liquid part without using silicon oil. If so, it is also necessary to correct the vapor pressure if the temperature changes significantly.

The pressure data obtained from the barometric pressure sensor 202 and the barometric pressure sensor 209 is normalized by adding the above-mentioned correction, and then the post-movement pressure and the initial pressure are compared to derive the height difference of the ground 213. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the measuring container 207 is moved, when the horizontal height (altitude) of the position after the movement is lower than the initial position of the measuring container 207 on the ground 213, the measurement is performed. The liquid level between the space portion 210 and the liquid portion 208 of the container 207 tries to return to the liquid level at the initial position by the amount that the ground 213 is lowered, and is pushed by the liquid in the pipe. , The space portion 210 is pressurized.

On the other hand, the space portion 205 of the reference container 201 is depressurized by the pulling force of the liquid in the pipe 206 from the initial position because the position of the measurement container 207 is lowered. When the contact area between the liquid portion 203 and the space portion 205 in the reference container 201 is sufficiently larger than the contact area between the liquid portion 208 and the space portion 210 in the measurement container 207, the contact area in the reference container 201 The liquid level change is smaller than the liquid level change of the measuring container 207.

In that case, since the volume change of the space portion 205 of the reference container 201 hardly changes with respect to the slight undulation of the ground 213, the pressure inside the reference container 201 also hardly changes, so that the method is the same as that of the first embodiment. The height difference can be measured. However, since the pressures of both the reference container 201 and the measurement container 207 change for a large undulation change, it is necessary to calculate the height difference by referring to the pressure data of both the barometric pressure sensor 202 and the barometric pressure sensor 209. At the same time, correction of changes in the liquid levels of the reference container 210 and the measurement container 207 must be added.

On the other hand, when measuring with either one of the pressure sensors, the inner diameters of the measuring container 207 and the reference container 201 are made the same, and the areas of the space portions 205 and 210 in contact with the liquid portions 203 and 208 are made the same. By doing so, since the amount of liquid in the pipe 206 is constant, the amount of decrease or increase in the liquid level of one becomes the same value as that of the other. In this way, one liquid level change is measured, the other is predicted, and the height difference is derived by numerical calculation.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the problem associated with the on-off valve for opening one side as in the first embodiment is eliminated, but since there are closed spaces at both ends, the liquid level and pressure change in both spaces are eliminated. The troublesome problem that the monitoring of the is required remains.

This embodiment was born in the process of improving the problems and problems of Examples 1 and 2, and includes new findings that improve convenience and eliminate the need for monitoring the liquid level. Is done. While repeating the development experiments of Example 1 and Example 2, it happened that a method like this example was possible, and while based on the concept of communication pipes, there was space on one side. It has reached a completely new way of thinking that goes beyond the concept of communication pipes to measure atmospheric pressure in the absence of air pressure. However, it is possible that a minute space remains inside the MEMS type pressure sensor, but in that case, as an improvement of Example 2, a very fine space is created in the pressure gauge. It is said that the liquid level change due to compression and expansion was suppressed to an error range by forming it in the measuring part, but it is not clear at present.

(A) of FIG. 3 is one of the third embodiments of the height difference measuring device and the measuring method thereof of the present invention, and is disclosed as Example 3. In the third embodiment, the measuring container 308 is attached to a mobile robot 312 that can be remotely controlled and moved. Moreover, the reference container 302 has no space portion, and the MEMS type barometric pressure sensor 303 is immersed in the reference container 302 and sealed. In this embodiment, the liquid uses silicone oil having a specific gravity close to 1 and low viscosity.

The reference container 302 and the measurement container 308 are attached to both ends of the pipe 309. For the reference container 302 and the measurement container 308, the end portion of the pipe 309 may be used as it is, but it is easier to insert the barometric pressure sensor 303 in the reference container 302 by slightly expanding the space. The measuring container 308 is shaped like a container because it is easy to make the space portion 311. As described above, in the measuring container 308, unlike the reference container 302, a space portion 311 is formed, and a liquid level is formed between the measuring container 308 and the liquid portion 310. Further, the pipe 309 is totally sealed and shielded from the outside air.

The measuring container 308 is mounted on the mobile robot 312, moves on the ground 314, and transmits information on unevenness and undulations to the barometric pressure sensor 303 arranged on the inner surface of the reference container 302 via the silicon oil in the pipe 309. The measurement data by the barometric pressure sensor 303 is transmitted to the measurement module 301, processed, and displayed as the height difference of the ground 314.

In the third embodiment, the reference container 302 is supported by the support column 304, the pipe 309 is wound by the winder 307, and the pipe 309 is taken in and out by a command to the motor 306. At that time, the distance can be calculated from the relationship between the rotation speed of the motor and the winding diameter. Therefore, the pipes 309 are laminated in one row and wound up. In order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the pipe 309, the reference container 302 and the measurement module 301 are integrated and rotate in the direction of the mobile robot 312, and the bearing 305 is used to facilitate the rotation. Has been done.

In addition, data is sent from the measurement module to the computer 315 by WiFi wireless communication, a graph of distance and height difference is drawn, and measurement is performed while moving the reference container 302 position to a predetermined position in three dimensions. I also try to draw a nice graph. However, in practice, it is troublesome to move the reference container 302, so at present, a method of measuring the circumference of the reference container 302 as a center is used, but in this case, the support column is A method is used in which only one container is provided in the center so that the reference container 302 can rotate and is supported.

In Example 3 (a), the method of filling the reference container 302 with a liquid and moving the measuring container 308 was adopted, but the measuring container 308 was filled with the liquid and the pressure sensor was immersed therein. It is also possible to measure the pressure and determine the height difference from the pressure difference. In that case, a space portion must be provided in the reference container 302. In addition, if the mobile robot 312 is equipped with a GPS or geomagnetic sensor and the data is transmitted to the computer 315 together with the pressure and temperature data, the height difference of the entire area can be measured, and a three-dimensional map is easy. Can be drawn on.

In order to show this content more clearly, it is shown graphically as (b) in FIG. Those common to (a) and (b) use the same number.

In (b) of FIG. 3, unlike (a), the reference container 302 is not filled with the liquid, the space portion 315 exists, is in contact with the liquid portion 316, and is sealed from the outside air by the sealing plug 317. There is. On the other hand, the measuring container 308 is filled with a liquid, and the barometric pressure sensor 318 is immersed. The digital signal of the barometric pressure sensor is transmitted to the electronic module 320. Further, since the pulse data from the encoder 321 attached to the axle of the mobile robot is also transmitted to the electronic module 320, it is possible to measure the distance of how much the measuring container 308 has moved from this number of pulses.

These data are processed by the electronic module 320, transmitted to the computer 315 by WiFi, processed, and displayed on the display device.

In this embodiment, (a) describes a method of determining the distance from the rotation speed of the motor 306 on the reference container 302 side, but in (b), the rotary encoder 321 is attached to the shaft of the mobile robot 312. The method of calculating the distance from the value was described.

In addition, the measurement should be performed by moving 0.1 m, for example, resting for 0.5 seconds, and measuring the pressure during the rest, and it is desirable to measure the pressure while repeating the movement and the rest. Since the pipe 309 sways during the movement, the pressure fluctuation noise becomes large, and if it is used as the measurement data, the original correct data becomes unclear and the desired result cannot be obtained. It is necessary to determine the amount of movement and the rest time in consideration of how smooth the surface to be measured is, how rough it is, and how high-definition height difference map is to be created.

In this embodiment, the barometric pressure sensors 303 and 318 are used, but many of the barometric pressure sensors currently produced as commercial products can measure from about 300 hPa to about 1300 hPa. In this embodiment, since the height difference is measured in the vertical direction, it is desirable that the barometric pressure sensor operates between the upper limit and the lower limit.

Therefore, the air pressure inside the pipe is reduced by about 500 hPa to settle the initial atmospheric pressure center at about 800 hPa so that 500 hPa can be measured up and down. By reducing the pressure inside the pipe in this way, it is possible to measure a height difference of 5 m in the vertical direction.

In the present invention, if the pipe is sealed and silicon oil is used as the liquid that fills the inside of the pipe, a vacuum of Torricelli does not occur, so that the measurement can be performed even if the height difference is 10 m or more. However, for that purpose, it is necessary to use a pressure sensor that can withstand a pressure having a differential pressure greater than 1000 hPa. It is necessary to decide what kind of pressure sensor to select depending on the measurement target and the measurement accuracy and minimum measurement resolution at that time.

In the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, one end of the pipe 309 is filled with a liquid, and the barometric pressure sensor 303 or 318 is immersed in the liquid. Therefore, the liquid sealed inside the pipe 309 is in a state where it cannot move, and there is no change in the volume of the liquid surface or the space portion. Therefore, there is an epoch-making feature that there is no need to make corrections due to changes in the liquid level or pressure changes in the space as in the first and second embodiments.

Then, regarding why the communication pipe does not require space at both ends, one possibility is that a minute space remains inside the MEMS pressure sensor. As another way of thinking, it is possible that the same way of thinking as the pressure applied to the body when diving under the sea can be applied. We have to wait for future research to decide which is the correct way of thinking, but in practice, it seems that there is no problem in practical use because the correct height difference result can be obtained.

Therefore, in FIG. 4, the pipe length is 5 m, the moving position of the measuring container 308 of the third embodiment (b) is fixed, the measuring container is vertically moved in the vertical direction, and the height thereof is measured with a ruler. Is a comparison. The height difference measured by the ruler is shown on the horizontal axis, and the height difference measured by the present invention is shown on the vertical axis. The black circles indicate the measured values as absolute values, and the solid straight line extending from the 0 point connects the points where the height difference by the ruler and the height difference by the apparatus of the present invention coincide. On the other hand, the dotted line is an approximate line connecting the measured values of the black circles.

As can be seen in FIG. 4, the height difference due to the ruler is about 8% larger than the height difference according to the present invention. This may be because the specific gravity of the liquid sealed in the pipe is less than 1, or because the barometric pressure sensor is immersed in silicon oil to measure the barometric pressure, the viscosity and other factors have an effect. However, as a result of repeated experiments several times, almost reproducibility was obtained and the linearity was not deviated, so this value was used as the correction value. That is, when the present Example 3 is used. In order to match the value obtained from the apparatus of the present invention with the height difference of the ruler, it is necessary to multiply by 1.08 as a correction coefficient.

FIG. 5 shows Example 4, which is the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The basic idea is not different from the examples described so far. It can be said that the application development of the third embodiment is that one end of the pipe is filled with a liquid, a space portion in contact with the liquid is provided at the other end, and the barometric pressure sensor is inserted toward the end filled with the liquid. The third embodiment is simplified so as to be suitable for general household use, and the purpose is to expand the use. That is, it can be said that the fourth embodiment has an expanded function so that the height difference can be measured in addition to the distance measurement of a commercially available convex or tape measure.

As described in FIG. 5, there is a liquid reservoir inside the winder 501, and a pipe 504 is pulled out from the liquid reservoir and connected to the measuring container 505. The pipe 504 is adhered to the scaler 503, and the pipe 504 is completely sealed from the outside by a closing stopper 506. The measuring container 505 is sealed so that the liquid is in contact with the space, and neither the liquid nor the gas constituting the space leaks out.

In FIG. 5, since only the appearance can be seen, the internal state is simplified and shown by FIG. In FIG. 6, for the sake of clarity of explanation, the same parts as those shown in FIG. 5 are represented by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 6, a pipe 504 is wound inside the winder 501, and a coil spring 603 and a scaler portion 503 (see FIG. 5, not shown in FIG. 6) are connected to each other. The pipe 504 is connected to the reference container 605, and the reference container 605 is filled with the same liquid as the liquid injected into the pipe. In Example 4, a silicone oil having a relatively low viscosity is used as the liquid. The pipe 504 is connected to the measuring container 505, and the inside of the measuring container is divided into a space portion 608 and a liquid portion 609. The pipe 504 including the reference container 605 and the measuring container 505 is completely sealed from the outside air by the closing stopper 506.

As a usage, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the object to be measured 611 is in front of the winder 501 and you want to know the height difference and the distance of its horizontal position, the initial position before starting the measurement is , The position of the winder 501 in a fixed state, and when the switch (not shown) is turned on, a display appears and the height difference is displayed as 0 cm. In FIG. 6, there are some undulations, and the display is + Hcm. The distance is L cm reading from the scaler. When the measuring container 505 is moved to the object to be measured 611, the winder 501 is fixed, so that the reference container 605 installed inside is also fixed.

The stopper 502 in FIG. 5 temporarily stops the movement of the scaler 503 and the pipe 504. When the reset button 508 is reset at this position, the position of the measuring container 505 becomes 0, and then the height difference becomes 0. It is possible to measure the relative height difference from the moved place. If the measuring container 505 is moved without resetting, the height difference from the initial position will be obtained.

FIG. 7 is Example 5 which is the fifth embodiment. This Example 5 is basically the same idea as the Example 4, but is devised so that it can be used by lying down. By doing so, there is an advantage that the liquid crystal display is easy to see and the installation is stable.

In FIG. 7, a pipe 706 is wound inside the winder 701, and one end of this pipe is connected to the reference container 703 and the other end is connected to the measuring container 707. The measuring container 707 is filled with a liquid, the barometric pressure sensor 708 is immersed in the liquid, and the terminal portion is taken out to the outside. The inside of the reference container 703 at the other end is divided into a liquid part and a space part, and the space part is sealed with a closing stopper 702. Therefore, the pipe 706 is completely sealed from the outside air.

Since the pipe 706 is flexible, it can move freely in all directions and the flexible signal line is adhered. This signal line is for driving the barometric pressure sensor 708, and is composed of a voltage line, a ground line, and a signal line composed of SCL and SDA. The position where the measuring container 707 is pulled to the winder 701 is the initial position, the distance pulled out from the measuring container 707 is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 710, and at the same time, the position where the measuring container 707 swings up and down and the initial position are The height difference is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 710.

The function of the stopper 709 is the same as that of the fourth embodiment, the pull-out position is fixed, and the function of the reset button 704 is used when the position after movement is set to 0 and the initialization is reset.

As described above, by using the height difference measuring device of the present invention, the height difference of rice fields and fields can be easily and inexpensively measured three-dimensionally over a required area. Therefore, it can be used for various purposes such as drainage and flattening of rice fields. Also, at construction and civil engineering sites, it is very easy to measure the height difference between a curved road and the adjacent road, and even in a place that is not directly visible, the height difference can be measured as long as a pipe can be passed through. It will be greatly used. In terms of safety measures, if the present invention can be used to constantly monitor when taking measures such as landslides, advance notice can be made at a very low cost, which is considered to be very effective for disaster prediction. ..

In addition, if it is used for home use, it is possible to easily measure the height difference at a distant place, which was difficult to measure until now, in relation to the distance, as if it were a tape measure. It can be used for various purposes such as measuring the inclination of a gutter in a bent place.

101, 302, 605 Reference container 108, 315, 608 Space part 110, 316, 609 Liquid part 107, 309, 504 Pipe 108, 308, 505 Measuring container 111 Pressure sensor 209, 318, 604 Barometric pressure sensor 112 Electronic circuit 215,321 Rotary encoder 306 Motor 307,501 Winder 312 Mobile robot

Claims (19)

1. At least one end of the liquid-injected pipe (or tube) can be opened and closed with respect to the atmosphere, and the other end of the pipe is closed to provide a pressure sensor so that the pressure inside the pipe can be measured. The possible end is named the O end, open to the atmosphere, the other closed end is named the S end, and the pressure inside the pipe at the S end is measured continuously or intermittently by the pressure sensor. , Either the S end or the O end is moved, and the horizontal position height difference (hereinafter referred to as the height difference) of the moved O end or the S end is obtained from the change in the pressure measurement value by the pressure sensor. Height difference measuring device and height difference measuring method
2. An on-off valve is provided at the O-end of the device, and a barometric pressure sensor is provided in the pipe near the O-end. At least when the pressure is measured by the pressure sensor at the S-end, the on-off valve is open. The height difference measuring device and height difference measuring method according to claim 1, wherein the atmospheric pressure is measured by the pressure sensor at the O end and the height difference is corrected as necessary.
3. For measurement, the on-off valve is opened and closed electrically before the first measurement of the height difference measurement, and the on-off valve is closed and closed electrically after the measurement work of the height difference measurement is completed. The height difference measuring device and height difference measuring method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the on-off valve opening / closing command is issued by being incorporated in a program or by manually switching input.
4. A pipe (or tube) filled with liquid and sealed with spaces at both ends, both ends are named B end and M end, a pressure sensor is provided at the M end so that the internal pressure can be measured, and the B end position is set. Fixed, the M end is moved from the initial position, and at the position after the movement, the pressure change value from the initial position is sequentially measured by the pressure sensor, and the pressure change value is multiplied by a coefficient. Is a horizontal height difference from the initial position of the M end, and is a height difference measuring device and a height difference measuring method.
5. A pressure sensor is also provided at the B end so that the pressure can be measured in the same manner as the M end, the position of the B end is fixed, the M end is moved from the initial position, and the pressure with respect to the initial position is sequentially applied. The change value is obtained by the sensors at both the B end and the M end, the change value of the pressure at the M end is corrected by the change value of the pressure at the B end, and then a coefficient is added to the change value of the pressure at the M end. The height difference measuring device and height difference measuring method according to claim 4, wherein the product is used as the height difference from the initial position of the M end.
6. A space is provided at one end of the pipe (or tube), and the other end is filled with a liquid so that there is no space and sealed, and a pressure sensor is provided inside the pipe filled with the liquid to continue the pressure. Alternatively, it is possible to measure intermittently, first fix the positions of both ends of the pipe, measure the initial pressure with the pressure sensor, and then move either end to measure the pressure after movement. The height difference is a height difference from the first fixed position of the moved pipe end, which is a value obtained by measuring the difference between the initial pressure and the pressure after the movement and multiplying the value by a coefficient. Measuring device and height difference measurement method
7. The pressure sensor for measuring the pressure inside the pipe is a pressure sensor having a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) structure, and at least the MEMS portion is enclosed inside the pipe according to claim 1 or 4. Alternatively, the height difference measuring device according to claim 6.
8. 1 or 4, wherein the liquid is water or silicon oil containing antifreeze, and at least the liquid portion in contact with the space portion in the pipe and the portion in contact with the pressure sensor are silicon oil. Alternatively, the height difference measuring device according to claim 6.
9. Each time the pipe end moves, the distance between the position before the movement and the position after the movement of the moving pipe end is measured and sequentially recorded at the same time as the height difference so that the height difference for each distance can be referred to. The height difference measuring device and the height difference measuring method according to claim 1, 4 and 6, wherein the height difference is measured.
10. The pipe end on the moving side is arranged near the wheel axis of the walking distance measuring device (road measure), and the distance is measured by the road measure and the height difference obtained from the height difference measuring device is used at each moving place. The height difference measuring device and height difference measuring method according to claim 9, wherein the undulations and inclinations of the ground can be measured.
11. A moving device that can be controlled from the outside is connected to the moving end side of the pipe so that the moved position can be specified by the relationship with the state before the move or the relationship with the initial position. The height difference measuring device and height difference measuring method according to claim 1, claim 4 or claim 6, wherein the height difference is measured at the position where the height difference is measured.
12. The height according to claim 11, wherein sensor modules of a GPS, a geomagnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor are attached to the mobile device so that the position and the moving state of the mobile device can be wirelessly transmitted. Difference measuring device
13. The movement is repeated with a temporary stop in between, and at the time of the temporary stop, one or more pressure measurements are performed, and an operation of removing the noise component of the pressure accompanying the movement is incorporated. The height difference measuring method according to claim 9 to 12.
14. A pipe that can be taken in and out by the take-up structure part is provided with a space in which gas or air is collected at one end, and the other end is filled with liquid and sealed, and one end filled with the liquid is filled with liquid. The structure is such that the MEMS type pressure sensor is immersed in liquid, the state in which the pipe is wound at the position where the winding structure portion is placed is set as the initial position, and the pressure measured by the pressure sensor at the initial position is set. Is the initial pressure, and with the initial position of the take-up structure portion fixed, the removable pipe is pulled out, the tip of the pipe is moved, the position after the movement is set as the measurement position, and the measurement position is used. The pressure obtained from the pressure sensor is used as the measured pressure, the distance is measured from the length of the pipe by pulling out the pipe, the difference between the initial pressure and the measured pressure is converted into a length unit, and a coefficient is multiplied. A height difference measuring device and a height difference measuring method, characterized in that the height difference is measured at the same time as the distance as the height difference from the initial position at the measurement position.
15. The pipe is configured so that the pipe filled with the liquid is located inside the winding structure portion and has a space in which the air or gas is accumulated at the tip of the inside of the pipe to be drawn out, and the winding structure is formed. The height difference measuring apparatus according to claim 14, wherein an indicator for displaying the distance and the height difference is provided on the outer surface of the above.
16. 14. A 14th claim, wherein a barometric pressure sensor is arranged in a tip portion of the pipe taken in and out of the take-up structure portion, and at least two signal lines are joined or adhered to the pipe and integrated. Described height difference measuring device
17. The signal line is composed of at least a VDD line and a GND line that supply a voltage, and data obtained from the barometric pressure sensor is transmitted and received to the winding structure portion side, and a display device and a display device are displayed on the winding structure portion side. The height difference measuring device and height difference measuring method according to claim 16, wherein a power supply is provided.
18. The height difference measuring apparatus according to claim 4, claim 6 and claim 14, wherein the inside of the sealed pipe is depressurized to an approximate center pressure within a measurable range of the pressure sensor.
19. The high and low of claims 1 and 4 and 6 and 14, characterized in that the pipe is transparent or translucent so that the liquid inside can be distinguished from the mixed gas. Difference measuring device

Images