JP6005449B2 - Gas meter cutoff judgment device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas meter interruption determination device, and more particularly to a gas meter interruption determination device that enables a multistage interruption method corresponding to seismic intensity.

  Conventionally, an iron ball contact-type seismic intensity switch has been used as a gas meter shut-off device when an earthquake occurs (for example, Patent Document 1). The iron ball contact type seismic intensity switch according to the same literature stores an iron ball in the box, and turns on the contact that is electrically connected to the shut-off valve by rolling of the ball due to the vibration of the box due to an earthquake or the like. Thereby, a specific trigger signal is transmitted to the shutoff valve to shut off the gas flow path.

Also, in some gas meters with communication functions, if the shut-off valve is activated due to an earthquake, etc., the shut-off valve is automatically restored after the end of the earthquake, and gas supply continues if there is no abnormality such as a slight gas leak or gas pressure drop However, some have a function of operating the shut-off valve again if there is an abnormality.
However, it may be desirable to limit automatic restoration, especially when the magnitude of the earthquake is large and there is a fire or the like around it. For this reason, a gas shut-off device has been proposed that has a function of limiting the automatic return operation when a wireless module that can communicate with an adjacent gas meter is built in the gas meter and a fire alarm signal is received (for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-48634 JP 2008-123153 A

According to the technology of Literature 2, various information from adjacent gas meters can be received smoothly, and it is possible to determine whether or not the return operation is possible based on the surrounding situation, for example, the surrounding fire occurrence situation, when an abnormality such as an earthquake occurs. By prohibiting the return of the shut-off device depending on the situation, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of secondary disasters and suppress the spread of damage.
However, in the technique of the same literature, each meter requires a facility / device for communicating with an adjacent meter, resulting in an increase in cost and hindering popularization. In addition, this document does not disclose multistage shut-off / return response corresponding to the magnitude of the earthquake.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is summarized as follows. That is, the meter cutoff determination device according to the present invention is
(1) A meter shut-off determination device mounted on a gas meter that shuts off a meter based on a value detected by a seismic sensor when an earthquake occurs,
A sensor module and a shut-off processing module;
The sensor module
An acceleration sensor as a seismic sensor;
A seismic intensity equivalent value calculating means for calculating a seismic intensity equivalent value based on an acceleration sensor detection value associated with the occurrence of an earthquake;
A blocking signal transmitting means for transmitting a specific blocking signal to the blocking processing module when the seismic intensity equivalent value or more,
Seismic intensity information transmitting means for transmitting seismic intensity equivalent value information to the cutoff processing module side after the end of the earthquake,
The blocking processing module
A cutoff signal receiving means and a seismic intensity information receiving means for receiving a specific cutoff signal and seismic intensity equivalent value information from the sensor module side, respectively;
A multi-stage interception determination means for selecting a response method corresponding to the acquired seismic intensity equivalent value from a plurality of earthquake response methods set in advance;
And a shutoff command means for receiving a shutoff signal from the shutoff signal transmitting means and the multistage shutoff determining means and instructing a meter shutoff.

With the configuration of the present invention, the following processing functions (a) to (c) are possible.
(A) In the sensor module (seismic sensor), the acceleration value of the acceleration sensor is acquired, and arithmetic processing is performed to acquire seismic intensity equivalent value information.
(B) Signals are exchanged between the sensor module (seismic sensor) and the shutoff processing module.
(C) Corresponding to different seismic intensity equivalent values, the process after the meter shut-off in the shut-off processing module (whether manual return or automatic return is possible) is changed.

The specific processing content of (b) above is
(i) A sensor module (seismic sensor) that uses the same ON-OFF signal as the “specific ON-OFF signal” output from a conventional hard sphere-type seismic device in the event of an earthquake equivalent to or greater than a specific seismic intensity. (See invention of (2) described later).
(ii) After the trigger signal transmission in (i), the sensor module communicates with the interception processing module after a period of time that the earthquake has subsided, and the quantitative value information corresponding to the seismic intensity acquired by the sensor module is stored in the interception processing module. Output.
(iii) In the shutoff processing module, a return method after shutting off the meter is determined according to different seismic intensity equivalent values.

If the gas meter shut-off / return control is divided between the “sensor module (seismic sensor)” and the “shut-off processing module” in the event of an earthquake, a plurality of different values corresponding to seismic intensity equivalent values will be used. In order to employ post-meter shut-off processing, the following three methods are usually considered.
(A-1) Output signals from different output ports on the sensor module side corresponding to different seismic intensity equivalent values, or
(A-2) In response to different seismic intensity equivalent values, send different patterns of cut-off signals from the sensor module side.

(B) The communication is constantly performed between the sensor module and the shutoff processing module, the seismic intensity equivalent value information acquired by the sensor module is transmitted to the shutoff processing module, and the processing is judged by the shutoff processing module.
However, in the method (a-1), when the seismic intensity equivalent value is 3 or more, the number of signal IFs between the 3 or more sensor modules and the shut-off processing module corresponding to the signal output from 3 or more different output ports. Is required, and there are multiple inputs on the shutdown processing module side.
In addition, in the method (a-2), when corresponding to two or more different seismic intensity equivalent values, the input waveform processing on the cutoff processing module side becomes complicated in order to discriminate the cutoff signals of two or more different patterns. There's a problem.
In addition, in the method (b), power consumption associated with constant communication becomes a problem.

On the other hand, according to the method of the present invention, the IF of the trigger signal, the configuration of the IF that performs communication between the sensor module and the shut-off processing module does not change, so there is no need to increase the IF.
Moreover, since only one type of trigger signal is processed, the input waveform processing on the cutoff processing module side is simple.
Furthermore, since it has the characteristic that it is not necessary to always communicate between a sensor module and the interruption | blocking process module, the efficient structure of the interface between both modules can be enabled.

  (2) In the above invention, the specific cutoff signal and the seismic intensity equivalent value information are configured to be transmitted through different signal lines.

(3) In each of the above inventions, the earthquake response method includes warning and meter return determination.
(4) In each of the above inventions, the predetermined seismic intensity equivalent value is seismic intensity 5+.

(5) In each of the above inventions, the meter return determination is a seismic intensity equivalent value,
When the seismic intensity is equivalent to 5 or higher, manual return and automatic return enable judgment,
When the seismic intensity is less than 6, manual return is possible, automatic return is impossible,
When the seismic intensity is higher than 6
It is characterized by being.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that not only the meter shutoff but also the case where the contents of the return process after the shutoff differ depending on the seismic intensity.
In addition, since the sensor module and the shut-off processing module are divided, for example, the sensor module can be replaced with a sensor element incorporating the latest technology.

  Further, in the invention of transmitting and receiving the cut-off signal and the signal for obtaining the seismic intensity equivalent value via independent signal lines, it is not necessary to always communicate, so that power saving can be achieved and the gas meter is mounted on the gas meter. Battery consumption can be reduced as much as possible, and the life of the apparatus can be extended.

It is a figure which shows the control block structure of the gas meter interruption | blocking determination apparatus 1 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the gas meter 10 carrying the gas meter interruption | blocking determination apparatus 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the gas meter 20 carrying the gas meter interruption | blocking determination apparatus 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the meter interruption | blocking determination flow of the gas meter 10 which has an automatic return function. It is a figure which shows a part (blocking determination part) of the meter interruption | blocking determination flow of the gas meter 20 which does not have an automatic return function.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. Needless to say, the scope of the present invention is described in the claims and is not limited to the following embodiments.

  With reference to FIG. 1 thru | or 2 (b), the gas meter interruption | blocking determination apparatus 1 (henceforth abbreviated as the interruption | blocking determination apparatus 1 hereafter) which concerns on this embodiment is an apparatus mounted in the housing | casing of the gas meter 10 or 20, The sensor module 2 and the shut-off processing module 3 are composed of two independent modules.

The sensor module 2 receives an acceleration sensor 2a for detecting an earthquake and a detection signal from the acceleration sensor 2a to obtain an SI value, and further adds other information to calculate a seismic intensity equivalent value corresponding to the seismic intensity. When the equivalent value calculation unit 2b, the meter cutoff condition using the acceleration value and the seismic intensity equivalent value, the specific signal transmission unit 2c that immediately transmits a specific signal to the cutoff processing module side, and the cutoff processing module side after the earthquake ends A seismic intensity information transmitting unit 2d that transmits seismic intensity equivalent value information is provided as a main component.
In addition, about the calculation content of a seismic intensity equivalent value, it is disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-255052, for example.

  The acceleration sensor 2a is a sensor that detects accelerations in the X, Y, and Z axes orthogonal to each other. For example, a device that detects a change in capacitance between the sensor element movable portion and the fixed portion can be used. The acceleration signals detected by the sensors are all taken into the calculation unit 2b via a filter (not shown) for extracting a predetermined frequency component, a signal conversion unit for A / D converting and outputting the detection signal, and the like.

  Based on the seismic intensity equivalent value information, the interruption processing module 3 includes a cutoff signal receiving part 3a that receives a specific signal (trigger signal) from the sensor module side, a seismic intensity information receiving part 3b that also receives a seismic intensity equivalent value information signal, and Blocking determination unit 3c that performs multistage return determination after termination, and a blocking command that transmits a blocking command signal to the blocking valve 6 based on a trigger signal from the blocking signal receiving unit 3a or a determination result of the blocking determination unit 3c 3d as a main component.

  In addition, each part structure of the sensor module 2 except the acceleration sensor 2a and the interruption | blocking process module 3 is each mountable with the apparatus which has a microcomputer as a main structure provided with CPU, RAM, ROM, a clock circuit, an auxiliary memory part, etc. . The trigger signal and the seismic intensity equivalent value information signal are associated with the input / output of the microcomputer so as to be output via independent signal lines 4 and 5, respectively. For example, the signal line 4 can use trigger ON-OFF, and the signal line 5 can use SPI, I2C, RS-232C, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 2, a gas meter 10 has a housing in which the above-described shut-off determining device 1, a shut-off valve 6 for shutting off gas supply in response to a command from the shut-off determining device 1, and a gas flow path 11 route. A pressure sensor 7 that detects the pressure in the gas flow path 5 and a communication I / F for returning the shut-off valve 6 according to a command from the monitoring center are provided as main components.
The shut-off valve 6 is a two-way valve, each of which includes a valve body, a plunger, and a spring that are not shown in the figure, and when not energized, the plunger is attracted by a magnet of a self-holding solenoid and is opened. .

When the valve is closed, the plunger is separated from the magnet by the restoring force of the spring and shuts off the valve body by energization by the shut-off signal. When the valve is opened, the plunger is pulled back by energization with the opposite polarity to that at the time of shutoff, and the valve is kept open.
Further, at the time of manual return, the manual return button 6a is pressed to attract the plunger to the magnet, thereby opening the valve. In the case of automatic return, the meter automatically checks for leaks after shutoff, and if there is no leak, the valve is opened by energizing the bidirectional valve.

  Referring to FIG. 2B, the shutoff valve 21 of the gas meter 20 is not a bidirectional valve and does not have an automatic return function. Further, the communication I / F mounted on the gas meter 10 is not provided. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the gas meter 10, repeated description is omitted.

  The gas meter cutoff determination device 1 is configured as described above. Next, a meter cutoff multistage flow in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following flow, the seismic intensity equivalent value (Ie) shows an example of determining whether the meter is shut off or whether there is an automatic return, etc., with the seismic intensity equivalent to 5 strong, the seismic intensity 6 weak or the equivalent seismic intensity equivalent to 6 strong as the reference value. Not limited to this, other criteria can be used.

With the occurrence of an earthquake (S101), the acceleration value is detected by the acceleration sensor 2a (S102). The detected value is sent to the seismic intensity equivalent value calculation unit 2b, where the SI value is obtained, and the seismic intensity equivalent value (Ie) is calculated based on the seismic intensity estimation formula based on the SI value (S103).
It is determined whether Ie is greater than or equal to seismic intensity 5 (S104). If the seismic intensity is not more than 5 (NO in S103), the shut-off process is not performed and the process returns to S101 and monitoring is continued.
If the seismic intensity is equal to or higher than 5 (YES in S103), a meter cutoff signal is transmitted from the seismic intensity information transmitting unit 2d to the cutoff signal receiving unit 3a via the signal line 4 (S105), and the meter is shut down ( S106).

  When a considerable time has elapsed since the occurrence of the earthquake and it is determined that the earthquake has ended (Y in S107), mutual communication is performed between the cutoff signal receiving unit 3a and the seismic intensity information transmitting unit 2d, and the cutoff signal receiving unit 3a displays the seismic intensity equivalent value. Obtain (S108). Communication during this time is performed via the communication line 5.

Corresponding to the seismic intensity equivalent value, the determination of the automatic return operation is performed by classifying into the following three methods (S109).
First, when the estimated value is equivalent to a seismic intensity of 5 or higher, it is determined whether or not there is a pipe leak due to the pressure sensor in the pipe (S110). (S111).
If it is determined that there is a leak (N in S110), an operation that does not automatically return and cannot be manually returned is performed. In this case, an alarm is issued (S112).

If the estimated value is equivalent to a seismic intensity of 6 or less in S109, the meter is not automatically returned, but an operation to allow manual return is performed.
Furthermore, when the estimated value is equal to or higher than seismic intensity 6 or higher in S109, an operation that does not automatically return and cannot be manually returned is performed.

Referring to FIG. 4, the meter cutoff multistage flow in the case of the gas meter 20 having no automatic return function is the same as FIG. 3 from S101 to S108 in FIG. 3 (S201).
In S202 corresponding to S109, the return determination is classified into the following three methods corresponding to the seismic intensity equivalent values.
First, when the seismic intensity equivalent value is equivalent to a seismic intensity of 5 or higher, the presence or absence of pipe leakage by the pressure sensor in the pipe is determined (S203). When it is determined that there is no leakage (Y in S203), the manual return button The meter can be manually returned by pressing 21a (S204). If it is determined that there is a leak (N in S203), an alarm is displayed without setting the manual return enabled state (S205).

  If the seismic intensity equivalent value is equal to or greater than the seismic intensity of 6 or less in S202, an operation not allowing manual return is performed.

  The present invention is widely applicable not only to gas meters but also to measuring instruments, flow rate control valves, and the like that need to be shut off when an earthquake occurs and then return.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gas meter interruption | blocking determination apparatus 2 ... Sensor module 2a ... Acceleration sensor 2b ... Seismic intensity equivalent value calculating part 2c ... Specific signal transmission part 2d ... Seismic intensity information transmission part 3 ...... Blocking processing module 3a ... Blocking signal receiving unit 3b ... Seismic intensity information receiving unit 3c ... Blocking determining unit 3d ... Blocking command unit 6, 21 ... Blocking valve 6a, 21a ... Manual return button 7 ... Pressure sensor 10, 20 ... Gas meter

Claims (5)

A meter shut-off determination device mounted on a gas meter that shuts off a meter based on a detection value of a seismic sensor at the time of an earthquake,
A sensor module and a shut-off processing module;
The sensor module
An acceleration sensor as a seismic sensor;
A seismic intensity equivalent value calculating means for calculating a seismic intensity equivalent value based on an acceleration sensor detection value associated with the occurrence of an earthquake;
A blocking signal transmitting means for transmitting a specific blocking signal to the blocking processing module when the seismic intensity equivalent value or more,
Seismic intensity information transmitting means for transmitting seismic intensity equivalent value information to the cutoff processing module side after the end of the earthquake,
The blocking processing module
A cutoff signal receiving means and a seismic intensity information receiving means for receiving a specific cutoff signal and seismic intensity equivalent value information from the sensor module side, respectively;
A multi-stage cutoff judging means for selecting a processing means after meter shutoff corresponding to the acquired seismic intensity equivalent value from a plurality of pre-set metering means after earthquake shutoff ,
A cutoff command means for receiving a cutoff signal from the cutoff signal transmission means and the multi-stage cutoff judgment means and commanding the cutoff of the meter,
The block processing module
In the event of an earthquake, a meter cutoff command is issued in response to a specific cutoff signal from the sensor module,
After the end of the earthquake, receive the seismic intensity equivalent value information from the sensor module and command the response by the processing means after the selected meter shut off,
A blockage judging device configured as described above . Wherein a specific cut-off signal, blocking determination apparatus according to claim 1, and the seismic intensity corresponding value information, characterized by being configured to transmit via respective independent signal lines. The interruption determination device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processing means after the earthquake-time meter interruption is means including alarm notification and meter return determination.   The interruption determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined seismic intensity equivalent value is seismic intensity 5 strong. The meter return determination is a seismic intensity equivalent value,
When the seismic intensity is equivalent to 5 or higher, manual return and automatic return enable judgment,
When the seismic intensity is less than 6, manual return is possible, automatic return is impossible,
When the seismic intensity is higher than 6
The interruption determination device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein

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