JPH0128293B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a fuel cutoff control device using a microcomputer powered by a battery.

Conventionally, there have not been many fuel cutoff control devices that use batteries as a power source.

This fuel cutoff control device is installed at the entrance of the gas supply path, for example, as seen in gas meters in general homes, and is designed to prevent a relatively large amount of gas from leaking, which could lead to an explosion due to the flow rate, when gas continuously flows out. If it is determined that there is a problem, the supply route is automatically shut off.

In addition, by installing a microcomputer in such a device and making it multifunctional, it will be possible to detect more abnormal conditions (for example, opening a gas valve, forgetting to turn off appliances, and signals from earthquake detectors). Gas explosions and other dangers can be prevented, but if appropriate measures are taken when shutting off (for example, there is a function to shut off by inputting a signal from an earthquake detector, etc.) (Not only does it require extensive inspection work, but it also makes it impossible to take specific measures.) In order to do this, it is necessary to display many reasons for the shutoff.

Furthermore, for example, if the system has a function of detecting a suspected minute gas leak from a gas pipe, it is not necessary to shut off the fuel, but it is necessary to issue an alarm. However, since there is no problem in using gas appliances, there is a possibility that they may be left unused for a relatively long period of time, and it is necessary to maintain an alarm during that time. In addition to displaying a large number of shutoff reasons and maintaining the display for a long period of time, the display element must be self-luminous and can be seen outdoors under natural light or in the dark. Providing a large number of display elements has the disadvantage that the battery voltage suddenly drops during display, causing the display function to disappear.

The present invention aims to eliminate these drawbacks, and to make it possible to display more reasons with a smaller number of displays, as well as to reduce power consumption and improve the recognition level of the display. be.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a display unit that displays the reason for shutoff in binary display data, a sensor input unit that inputs a fuel flow rate signal, flow rate data for determining shutoff, and information on this flow rate data. The basic configuration includes a storage section that stores display data corresponding to the type, and a main control section that drives the display section when the signal from the sensor input section becomes flow rate data. A large number of interruption reasons can be displayed intermittently.

1 and 3 regarding one embodiment of the present invention.
This will be explained using figures.

In the figure, 1 is a power supply unit consisting of a battery, 2 is a clock generator unit that generates a clock signal that is a reference for time counting, 3 is a sensor input unit that inputs a fuel flow signal, and 4 is a display unit that displays a plurality of different states. A display section consisting of a light emitting diode and a liquid crystal display for displaying the cause of an abnormality; 5 a cutoff section consisting of a self-holding electromagnetic valve that cuts off the fuel supply path; 6 a main control section consisting of a microcomputer; 7 an earthquake sensor, for example. This is an external sensor input section that inputs external sensors such as.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained.

First, when the power supply section 1 is turned on, the entire control device becomes operational. The main control unit 6 consists of a microcomputer, which inputs the flow rate signal from the sensor input unit 3 and the clock signal from the clock generation unit 2, and measures the fuel flow rate per unit time from the number of flow rate signals at arbitrary time intervals. do. Flow rate data that serves as a reference for shutting off or displaying an alarm is registered in advance in the microcomputer, and the measurement results are compared with the flow rate data. The registered flow rate is, for example, data on the maximum flow rate that must not be exceeded under normal usage conditions, as specified by the gas meter in each home in the gas supply route (exceeding this value is when the gas valve is opened). ), or if the elapsed time at the same flow rate exceeds the time specified by that flow rate, there is flow rate data to determine that the appliance was forgotten to be turned off and shut off. . As a result of the comparison, for example, if the maximum flow rate data is exceeded, the data is outputted to the display unit 4 so as to display the display shown in Figure 3 A, and if the time exceeds the time at the same flow rate, the data is output to the display unit 4. , also provides a cutoff output to the cutoff section 5. In addition, if a small flow rate with no risk of explosion is detected continuously for a long period of time, there is a suspicion of leakage from the gas piping, so for example, the displayed data shown in Figure 3 C is output. . Furthermore, if there is a signal from the external sensor input section and the cutoff condition (such as when the signal is input continuously for a predetermined period of time) is satisfied, the display data shown in FIG. 3D is output. In this way, various flow rate data is registered in the main control unit as a basis for shutoffs, alarms, etc., and this flow rate data can be used to detect things such as opening a gas valve, forgetting to turn off an appliance, or leaking from gas piping. Depending on the type of event, display data is output to notify the reason. If this display data is displayed in binary format,
For example, if there are three LEDs on the display, seven reasons can be displayed. After outputting the display data, the display section 4 can be turned on intermittently (for example, for 0.02 seconds every 2 seconds) by an internal timer of the microcomputer.

In this way, the flow rate data that serves as the basis for shutoffs and alarms is registered in the main control unit, and in addition to detecting gas valves being opened, appliances forgotten to be turned off, and leaks from piping, the types of flow rate data can also be detected. By outputting the corresponding binary display data to the display unit, many reasons for abnormality can be reported using a small number of display elements, and the display output can be easily operated intermittently using the microcomputer's internal timer. can be carried out.

Figure 2 is based on the block diagram in Figure 1.
This is a specific example. The same numbers as in FIG. 1 indicate the same contents. Reference numeral 8 denotes a crystal oscillator whose frequency is divided by a counter 19 to generate a clock pulse with a period of 0.1 seconds at the _I1 input terminal of the main controller 6, for example. Reference numeral 9 denotes a reed switch for measuring the flow rate of fuel, which is installed close to a meter such that a magnet moves back and forth depending on the gas flow rate, for example, and a transistor 10 responds to the operation of the reed switch 9. Therefore, the main control unit 6 calculates the fuel flow rate per unit time at any given time based on the number of pulses coming into the input terminal of _I3 and the time counted by the clock pulses coming into the input terminal of _I1 . can be measured. 11 to 13 are transistors connected to each other, and light emitting diodes (LEDs) 14,
15 and 16, and these are controlled by output terminals O ₁ , O ₂ , and O ₃ of the main control section 6. 17 is a transistor for driving the self-holding shutoff valve 18; Reference numeral 20 denotes a transistor that turns on and off in response to a signal input to an external sensor terminal 21.

As described above, the fuel cutoff control device of the present invention provides the following effects.

By outputting the flow rate data registered in advance in the microcomputer that serves as a reference for shutoffs or alarms and the corresponding binary display data to the display section, more shutoff events can be reported using a smaller number of display elements. In addition to making intermittent notifications easy, it consumes less power and improves the level of recognition of notifications.The reason for the interruption can be clearly understood, and appropriate measures can be taken in a short period of time. More reliable maintenance is possible, and
Since power consumption is low even during display, the alarm display can be maintained for a long period of time.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a fuel cutoff control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a specific embodiment of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 explains the operating state of the display section. It is a diagram. 1...Power supply section, 3...Sensor input section, 4...
Display unit, 5...blocking unit, 6...main control unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A power supply section consisting of a battery, a sensor input section that inputs a fuel flow rate signal, a cutoff section that cuts off the fuel supply path, a display section that displays the reason for the cutoff in binary display data, the display section, and the cutoff section. an output terminal for driving each of the sections, an input terminal for inputting a signal from the sensor input section, and a data storage section in which a plurality of flow rate data serving as a reference for at least driving the cutoff section are registered in advance, and the sensor input section a main control section that intermittently outputs display data related to the flow rate data to the display section when the signal becomes the flow rate data.