JPH0743133B2 - Gas shutoff device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a gas shutoff that automatically shuts off a gas passage in an abnormal condition to prevent an accident such as an explosion or poisoning due to city gas or propane gas. Regarding the device.

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional gas shutoff device of this type, as shown in FIG.
Gas meter 2 in the gas supply line 1 and flow rate measuring means 3 for issuing a signal according to the amount of gas passing through the gas meter 3.
And a cutoff means 4 for stopping the supply of gas is provided, and the cutoff means is judged to be abnormal if the usage condition is judged by the flow rate signal of the flow rate measurement means 3 and deviates from the preset and stored proper gas usage condition. 4 was equipped with a control unit for issuing a closing signal.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of this conventional control unit. Those having the same numbers as in FIG. 5 are components having the same function. The control unit 5 includes a use state detection unit 6 that receives the flow rate signal from the flow rate measuring unit 3 and detects the use state of gas, and an initial condition that sets appropriate use conditions in advance according to the number of the gas meter. It comprises a setting unit 7 and a proper use condition judging unit 8 which outputs an interruption signal when the signal from the use state detecting unit deviates from the gas proper use condition and judges that the gas is abnormal.

Here, the proper use condition indicates each condition item such as a total flow rate set according to the capacity of each gas meter, an individual maximum flow rate, and a safe continuous use time. The total flow rate condition is to activate the shut-off means when the total gas flow rate that passes through the gas meter within the predetermined measurement period exceeds a predetermined value that is initially set when the gas hose is pulled out or the gas appliances burn out. . The individual maximum flow rate condition is to detect the gas flow rate change for each predetermined measurement period, identify how many kinds of gas appliances are currently used, and identify how much gas consumption is used for each, and determine the maximum gas among them. When the consumption exceeds a predetermined set value, a shutoff signal is output to the shut-off means to deal with gas leakage such as cracking of the gas hose and combustion extinction when the gas plug is half opened. In addition, the safe continuous use time condition refers to the continuous usable time set for each range from the statistical data of the time that a gas appliance in a certain combustion range is continuously used, and the data from the usage state detection unit is When the set time is exceeded, an operation signal is sent to the shutoff means to ensure safety even when the gas appliance is forgotten to be turned off.

As described above, the usage state detection unit 6 observes the total flow rate, the individual maximum flow rate, and the continuous use time, and the appropriate use condition determination unit 8 performs the comparison determination with the initial value to determine the gas supply system. An abnormality was detected.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above-mentioned configuration, since the proper use condition is uniformly determined only by the initial value depending on the capacity of the gas meter installed in the gas pipe, it is not possible to use it in a home where the meter is installed. There was a problem that special conditions were not incorporated.

The present invention solves such a conventional problem, by measuring the flow rate pattern of the gas actually used in each home for a predetermined period of time, and resetting the judgment condition that is a strict eye, but matches the actual condition, An object is to provide a safe gas shutoff device.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the gas shutoff device of the present invention is
Flow rate measuring means that emits a signal according to the amount of gas passing through a gas meter provided in the gas supply line, a usage state detection unit that detects the usage state of gas by the flow rate signal sent from the flow rate measuring means, and proper gas usage conditions Is set as an initial value in advance, an appropriate use condition determination unit that outputs an interruption signal when the signal of the use state detection unit deviates from the gas proper use condition and outputs a cutoff signal, and a timer that counts a predetermined period. A start signal applying means for activating the timer, a use state storage section for storing a gas use state during the timer operation by a flow rate signal sent from the flow rate measuring means, and a gas use state actually measured by the use state storage section The maximum value updated and the maximum value updated at the end of the timer operation or the initial value already set to the value obtained by multiplying the maximum value by a predetermined coefficient Comparing the values, select the smaller one and change it as a new gas proper use condition in the proper use condition judging unit. Proper use condition changing unit, margin ratio of the condition changed by the proper use condition changing unit to the gas use state. And a shutoff device for shutting off the gas passage in response to a shutoff signal from the control unit.

Operation According to the present invention, when the activation signal is applied to the timer, the present invention starts counting for a predetermined period, and at the same time, the gas usage pattern during the timer operation is measured by the operation of the usage state storage unit. That is, during this period, the measured values of the above-mentioned total flow rate, individual maximum flow rate, continuous use time, etc. are updated, and at the same time as the timer ends, the final data is compared and judged with the initial value by the proper use condition changing unit, The predetermined gas proper use condition is newly set. After that, the proper use condition determination unit compares the new set condition with the signal from the use state detection unit, and when the condition is not satisfied, determines that the condition is abnormal and activates the shutoff means. Further, the margin rate detecting section detects how much margin the condition changed by the gas proper use condition changing section has with respect to the actual gas use state, and when the margin exceeds a predetermined range. The timer is restarted, and the gas usage pattern is stored again and the conditions are reset.

Embodiments Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, those having the same numbers as those in FIG. 6 are components having the same function. The control unit 14 inputs a flow rate signal from the flow rate measuring means 3 similar to the conventional one and detects a usage state of gas, and an initial condition setting unit 7 that presets gas proper usage conditions as initial values. And an appropriate use condition determination unit 8 that outputs an interruption signal by determining that the signal from the use state detection unit deviates from the gas proper use condition and determines that it is abnormal
A timer 9 for counting a predetermined period of time, a start signal applying means 10 for starting the timer, and a use state storage section 11 for storing a gas use state during the timer operation by a flow rate signal sent from the flow rate measuring means. , The maximum value of the gas usage state actually measured in the usage state storage unit 11 is updated and the maximum value updated at the end of the operation of the timer 9 or an initial value which is already set to a value obtained by multiplying the maximum value by a predetermined coefficient In the proper use condition changing unit 12 that selects a smaller value by comparing with the appropriate use condition determining unit 8 and newly changes the gas proper use condition in the proper use condition determining unit 8, and in the proper use condition changing unit 12 for the gas use state. It is composed of a margin ratio detection unit 13 that detects the margin ratio of the changed condition.

In the above configuration, when the activation signal applying means 10 (for example, a push button switch or the like) is activated, an activation signal is sent to the timer, and the timer receives the signal and starts counting for a predetermined period. The predetermined period may be set in advance or may be set arbitrarily,
For example, the span is one week or one month. At the same time when this timer is activated, the use state storage unit 11
The gas use pattern, that is, the total flow rate, the individual maximum flow rate, and the continuous use period are stored. The gas proper use condition changing unit 12 stores the maximum value of the actually measured gas use pattern, and therefore updates the data.
In this way, when the timer has finished counting, the final data is sent from the usage state storage section 11 to the proper usage condition changing section 12. In this change unit, the initial condition and the final data are compared, and the smaller value is selected, that is, a new proper usage condition is set again on the safer side. In other words, until the above-mentioned timer count ends, the proper use condition determination unit compares the current gas use state with a preset initial value to determine an abnormal state. After the condition is newly set based on the pattern measurement result, the abnormal state is judged by comparing with the reset value. Here, when it is determined that there is an abnormality, a cutoff signal is output, the cutoff means is activated, and the gas passage is closed.

In the above, the final data is used as it is for the comparison with the initial value, but it is also possible to multiply by a predetermined coefficient for comparison. It takes into consideration the safety factor in actual use.

By the way, in the margin ratio detecting unit 13, after the judgment condition is changed by the proper use condition changing unit 12, the signal from the use state detecting unit 6 is compared with the changed use condition, and the set condition is set. Detect the margin rate for the actual use of. That is, the gas usage state changes due to seasonal changes, changes in the family structure of ordinary households, etc., and the initially set value does not always remain appropriate. Therefore,
Check the transition of the actual gas usage situation in the margin rate detection unit, and if it exceeds a certain range, judge that the condition reset last time is not appropriate now and learn the gas usage pattern again. Execute it and set the proper conditions at this point. It is desirable to make this determination based on the result that the margin ratio exceeds the predetermined range for a certain period of time.

FIG. 2 shows the variation of the margin rate, in which the vertical axis represents the margin rate and the horizontal axis represents the elapsed time. At time t0, the proper usage conditions are set and the margin ratio detector starts operating. Then, at time t1, it is below the predetermined margin rate shown by the broken line. That is, it has deviated from the predetermined range. At this time, or at a time when the period of time when the temperature is below the certain level continues to some extent, the activation signal applying means is restarted to relearn the gas use pattern. The determination condition during re-learning may be the previous setting condition or the initial value.

In this figure, the case where the margin ratio is less than or equal to the predetermined margin ratio is shown, but conversely, the present invention can be applied even when the margin ratio exceeds a certain margin ratio, and re-learning is performed when a gas appliance is disposed of and is no longer used. Therefore, it is possible to set the abnormality determination condition more severely.

The control unit described above can be easily realized by using a calculation or judgment function by a program operation of a microcomputer or the like. Hereinafter, FIG. 3 shows a schematic program flow.

When the program starts, an initial value is set as a gas proper use condition in A, a flow rate is measured in B, and a use state of the gas as described above is detected in C. And D
Determines whether the timer for a predetermined period is counting,
When counting, E is used to store the gas usage state. That is, the maximum value of the usage state of the gas corresponding to each usage condition is stored and updated. Then, at F, each gas proper use condition is determined. If not counting, jump to F immediately. In G, when the result of the determination in F is abnormal, it jumps to the shutoff signal output in H, and further resets the timer count in S. That is, if the gas usage state exceeds the initial condition, it is meaningless to continue storing data because of an abnormality, so the timer is stopped. When it is not abnormal, it is checked in I whether the proper use condition changing unit has been operated, and when it is operated, it is judged in J whether the margin rate of the gas use state is within a predetermined range. If it is within the range, the flow returns to h1, that is, the flow rate measuring unit of B. When the margin ratio is out of the range, the re-learning pre-processing is performed by K, that is, the timer is set to a predetermined measurement period, the change means is cleared, and the process branches to h2. When the changing unit has not been operated in I, it is determined in L whether or not the timer has finished counting, and when it ends, the use state stored in M and the initial condition are compared.
Next, N is used to change the gas proper use condition to a predetermined value. As described above, the value obtained by multiplying the stored maximum value of each pattern by a predetermined safety coefficient is compared with the initial value, and the smaller value is selected and reset. After that, in F, the reset value is treated as a proper gas usage condition, and is compared with the detected value. If the timer count is not completed at L, the process branches to O to determine whether the timer is currently counting. When the counting is in progress, the counting continues as it is in P, and when it is not counting, the presence or absence of the start signal is determined in Q. When the activation signal is input, the timer count is started by R. The h2 mentioned above indicates this R part. If there is no activation signal, it returns to h1 again. By executing this program flow, the function of the control unit of the gas shutoff device of the present invention can be realized.

FIG. 4 shows a control unit according to another embodiment of the present invention, and blocks having the same numbers as those in FIG. 1 represent components having the same function. The 15 control units include 16 warning signal generation units, and output a warning signal according to the signal from the margin ratio detection unit 13. That is, if the gas usage pattern changes due to changes in various conditions and it has not reached the area of abnormality determination, but the margin ratio for the condition reset by learning exceeds a predetermined range, the user is made to recognize the condition. Issue a warning for. Further, by transmitting this warning signal to a predetermined device, it is possible to detect a change in the gas usage pattern outside or at a remote place.

A method of activating re-learning based on the tendency of the margin rate to change over time is also effective.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the gas cutoff device of the present invention has the following effects.

(1) By constantly monitoring the gas usage state and comparing it with the set appropriate usage conditions, it is possible to detect gas leaks and combustion extinction. If the conditions are exceeded, it is judged that there is an abnormality. In this case, the shutoff means is activated to stop the gas supply, so that it is possible to prevent a dangerous state such as gas explosion or gas poisoning.

(2) The start signal is used to observe the actual usage pattern of the gas supply system in which the gas meter is installed for a predetermined period of time, and the maximum value is compared with the initial value to determine the predetermined value (for example, the smaller value) as appropriate. Since it is reset as a usage condition, compared to the condition that was uniformly determined by the capacity (number of gas meters) of the gas meter, individual special conditions are also taken into consideration, and the safety level against gas accidents is further increased. You can

(3) Further, by performing the re-learning by the operation of the margin ratio detecting unit, it is possible to set the proper use condition according to the current use state before the gas shutoff is reached. Therefore, the user of the gas shutoff device of the present invention can automatically correct the judgment conditions suitable for the actual use state without shutting off the gas during use, ensuring safety and convenience in use. Is further improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gas shutoff device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a change with time of a margin ratio, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic program flow of a control unit of the device, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a gas shutoff device according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional gas shutoff device, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conventional control unit. 2 ... Gas meter, 3 ... Flow rate measuring means, 4 ... Shutoff means, 6 ... Usage state detecting section, 7 ... Initial condition setting section, 8
...... Appropriate use condition determination unit, 9 ...... Timer, 10 ...... Starting signal applying means, 11 ...... Use state storage unit, 12 ...... Appropriate use condition changing unit, 13 ...... Margin ratio detection unit, 14 ...... Control Department, 16 ...
… Alarm signal generator.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-53-49339 (JP, A) JP-A-56-97747 (JP, A) Actual opening Sho-53-166133 (JP, U) Actual opening Sho-59- 181957 (JP, U)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. Flow rate measuring means for emitting a signal according to the amount of passing gas of a gas meter provided in a gas supply line,
A usage state detection unit that detects the usage state of gas with a flow rate signal sent from the flow rate measurement unit, an initial condition setting unit that sets gas proper usage conditions as initial values in advance, and a signal from the usage condition detection unit is the gas proper use If the condition is not met, it is judged to be abnormal and an appropriate use condition determination unit that outputs a cutoff signal, a timer that counts a predetermined time, a start signal applying unit that starts the timer, a flow rate signal sent from the flow rate measuring unit, and the timer operates. A usage state storage unit that stores the gas usage state inside, the maximum value of the gas usage state actually measured in the usage state storage unit is updated, and the maximum value or the maximum value that is updated at the end of the timer operation is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient. The selected value is compared with the already set initial value and the smaller value is selected to newly change it as the proper gas usage condition in the proper usage condition determination section. Proper use condition changing unit, a control unit including a margin ratio detecting unit for detecting a margin ratio of the condition changed by the proper use condition changing unit for the gas use state, and a gas passage according to a cutoff signal from the control unit. And a gas shutoff device for shutting off the gas. 2. The gas cutoff device according to claim 1, wherein the timer is restarted by the activation signal applying means when the detection signal in the margin rate detection unit deviates from a predetermined range. 3. The gas shutoff device according to claim 1, further comprising a warning signal generating means for issuing a warning signal when the detection signal in the margin ratio detecting section deviates from a predetermined range.