JPH0749857B2 - Gas shutoff device - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas shutoff device that automatically shuts off a gas passage when an abnormality occurs to prevent an accident such as an explosion or poisoning caused by city gas or propane gas. It is about.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a gas cutoff device for preventing a gas accident has been emphasized, and a conventional gas cutoff device will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 as one embodiment thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, a gas meter 2 in the gas supply line 1, a flow rate measuring means 3 for issuing a signal according to the amount of gas passing through the gas meter 2, and a shutoff means 4 for stopping the gas supply.
And a control unit 5 for determining a use state from the flow rate signal of the flow rate measuring means 3, determining that there is an abnormality when a preset and stored gas proper use condition is deviated, and issuing a cutoff signal to the shutoff means 4. I have it.

A configuration example of the control unit 5 is shown in FIG. The control unit 5 inputs a flow rate signal from the flow rate measuring means 3 to detect a usage state of gas, and an initial condition for setting appropriate usage conditions in advance according to the number of the gas meter 2. A setting unit 7, a gas proper use condition setting unit 8 that stores the initial setting condition, and an abnormality determination unit 9 that compares the signal from the use state detection unit 6 with the gas proper use condition to make a determination.
And a signal from the abnormality determination unit 9 causes the shutoff unit 4
And a cut-off control unit 10 that outputs a cut-off signal.

The proper gas usage conditions that are the basis of the abnormality determination are the total flow rate set according to the capacity of each gas meter, the individual maximum flow rate,
It is an item such as safety continuous use time, and the total flow rate is the total gas flow rate that passes through the gas meter within the predetermined measurement period.
When the predetermined value which is initially set is exceeded when the gas hose is pulled out or the combustion of the gas appliance is extinguished, the shutoff means 4 is activated. The individual maximum flow rate is to detect how many gas appliances are currently used by detecting the change in gas flow rate for each predetermined measurement period, and identify how much gas is consumed by each, and determine the maximum gas among them. When the consumption exceeds the set value, the shut-off means 4
It outputs a shutoff signal to prevent gas leaks such as cracks in the gas hose and burning out when the gas plug is half-opened. In addition, the safety continuous use time is the continuous usable time set for each range from the statistical data of the time when the gas appliance in a certain combustion range is continuously used, and the data from the use state detection unit 6 is When the set time is exceeded, a cutoff signal is sent to the cutoff means 4 to ensure safety when forgetting to turn off the gas appliance.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the configuration as described above, the proper gas usage conditions are uniformly determined only by the initial value depending on the capacity of the gas meter installed in the gas pipe, and therefore each home where the meter is installed has However, there was a problem that it was not possible to properly satisfy all the special conditions, the presence or absence of gas appliances used, and the usage conditions according to the season.

The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and automatically measures the flow rate pattern of gas actually used in each home for a predetermined period according to an instruction signal from a gas supplier, and at the same time, matches the actual condition of each home. By redesigning the determination condition, it is possible to provide a safer gas shutoff device. In addition, by sending an instruction signal from the gas supplier for each season, it is possible to measure the flow pattern for each season and at the same time reset the stable conditions that match that season. Can be provided.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the gas shutoff device of the present invention is
A flow rate measuring unit that emits a signal according to the amount of passing gas of a gas meter provided in the gas supply line, a use state detecting unit that detects a use state of gas by a flow rate signal sent from the flow rate measuring unit, and a predetermined period of time. A timer unit that counts, a communication control unit that outputs an activation signal that activates the timer unit in response to an instruction signal from a gas supplier, etc.
A usage state storage unit that stores a gas usage state according to a signal from the usage state detection unit while the timer unit is operating, and a gas proper usage condition that is changed and stored as a gas proper usage condition according to the contents of the usage state storage unit. A change storage unit, a gas proper use condition storage unit that sucks up the stored contents of the gas proper use condition change storage unit by the start signal, and exchanges the stored contents, and stores the gas proper use conditions in advance as initial values. A condition setting unit, a gas proper use condition setting unit that compares the initial condition of the initial condition setting unit and the gas proper use condition of the gas proper use condition storage unit, and sets the gas proper use condition to be used; An abnormality determination unit that compares the signal of the state detection unit and the gas proper use condition of the gas proper use condition setting unit to determine whether or not there is an abnormality, and the abnormality determination unit is determined to be abnormal. If there boss, a cut-off control unit for outputting a blocking signal, in which a structure of blocking means for blocking the gas passage in accordance with the blocking signal from the gating controller.

Effect The present invention has the above-described configuration, and at the beginning of installation in each home, the flow rate monitoring is started under the conditions set in the initial condition setting unit, and then a start signal is applied to the timer unit by issuing an instruction signal from the gas supplier. Then, at the same time when the counting for the predetermined period is started, the gas usage pattern during the timer counting period is measured by the operation of the usage state storage unit. That is, during this period, the measured values such as the total flow rate, individual maximum flow rate, and safety continuous use time are updated, and the measurement data is sent to the gas proper use condition change storage section at the same time when the timer count ends, It is stored as usage condition data. Also, the data stored in the gas proper use condition change storage section at the same time when the start signal is applied to the timer section is stored in the gas proper use condition storage section, which is the next storage section, in the gas proper use condition storage section. The data is sequentially sent to the gas proper use condition setting unit, whereby the gas proper use condition is stored in each storage unit.

Initial conditions are set in the first year of installation, but after the second year, when an instruction signal is output from the gas supplier, the data measured in the previous year and stored as gas proper use conditions are compared with the initial conditions. The predetermined gas proper use condition is newly set. At the same time, the measurement of the gas usage pattern for a predetermined period of the year is started.

Example A gas shutoff device according to an example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a gas shutoff device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 3 is a flow rate measuring means for emitting a signal according to the flow rate of the passing gas in the gas meter, 6 is a use state detecting section for inputting the flow rate signal from the flow rate measuring means 3 to detect the use state of gas, and 12 is A communication control unit that outputs a start signal in response to an instruction signal from a gas supplier, 11 is a timer unit that counts a predetermined period by a start signal from the communication control unit 12, and 13 is a usage state detection during operation of the timer unit 11. A usage status storage unit that stores a gas usage status in response to a signal from the unit 6, a reference numeral 14 is a proper gas usage condition storage memory that changes and stores appropriate gas usage conditions according to the contents of the usage status storage unit 13, and a communication control unit 15 When a start signal is issued from the unit 12, a gas proper use condition storage unit that sucks up the stored contents of the gas proper use condition change storage unit 14 and replaces and stores the stored contents,
Reference numeral 7 is an initial condition setting section for setting gas proper use conditions as initial values in advance, and 16 is a gas actually used by comparing the initial condition of the initial condition setting section 7 with the gas proper use condition of the gas proper use condition storage section 15. An appropriate gas use condition setting section for determining and setting an appropriate use condition, and 9 is an abnormality for comparing the signal of the usage state detection unit 6 with the gas proper use condition of the gas appropriate use condition setting section 16 to determine whether or not there is an abnormality. A determination unit, 10 is a shutoff control unit that outputs a shutoff signal in response to an abnormality signal from the abnormality determination unit 9, and 4 is a shutoff unit that shuts off the gas passage in response to a shutoff signal from the shutoff control unit 10.

In the gas shutoff device configured as described above, when the gas shutoff device is installed in each home, the initial conditions set in the initial condition setting unit 7 are set in the gas proper use condition setting unit 16 and the abnormality determining unit is set. At 9, the signal from the usage state detector 6 is compared with the initial condition to monitor whether there is a flow rate abnormality. When it is determined that there is an abnormality, the shutoff control unit 10 issues a shutoff signal to the shutoff means 4 to shut off the gas passage. The gas proper use condition setting unit 16 compares the use condition stored in the gas proper use condition storage unit 15 with the initial condition and sets the smaller value, but initially the gas proper use condition storage unit 15 stores the maximum value. Since the values are stored, the initial conditions are always set in the gas proper use condition setting unit 16. The gas appropriate use condition change storage unit 14 also initially stores the maximum value as a use condition.

After the gas shutoff device of the present invention is installed, a predetermined time (in the embodiment, an appropriate time is set between summer and winter and between winter and summer).
When a command signal is sent from the gas supplier to the communication control unit 12 of the gas cutoff device of each home through the telephone line, the contents of the gas proper use condition change storage unit 14 are changed to the gas proper use condition storage unit 15
The contents of the gas proper use condition storage unit 15 are transferred to the gas proper use condition setting unit 16, and at the same time, the timer unit 11 operates. That is, the operation of the usage state storage unit 13 that stores the gas usage state during the timer operation period by the activation signal from the communication control unit 12 and the change of the stored contents of the gas proper use condition storage unit 15 and the gas proper use condition setting unit 16 The gas proper use conditions are reset.

At the same time as the timer unit 11 starts counting for a predetermined period by the activation signal from the communication control unit 12, the usage state storage unit 13 displays the usage pattern of the gas from the usage state detection unit 6, that is, the total flow rate, the individual maximum flow rate, and the continuous usage time. Remember
When the timer count for a predetermined period ends, the data of each gas use pattern actually measured in the gas proper use condition change storage unit 14 is changed to an appropriate use condition and stored.

For example, suppose that the first gas supply operator after installing the gas shutoff device receives an instruction signal from the time when summer changes to winter, the gas proper use condition setting unit 16 includes the gas proper use condition storage unit 15 and the initial condition. The initial condition of the initial condition setting unit 7 is set by comparison with the setting unit 7, and the gas proper use condition according to the actually measured gas use pattern in the winter period is changed by the operation of the timer unit 11 and the use state storage unit 13 Storage unit 14
Memorized in. Next, when the second instruction signal from the gas supplier is received at the time of changing from winter to summer, the initial conditions are set in the gas proper use condition setting unit 16 similarly to the first time, and the gas proper use condition is set. The winter use condition stored in the change storage unit 14 is sent to and stored in the gas proper use condition storage unit 15. At the same time, by operating the timer unit 11 and the use state storage unit 13, the proper gas use condition change storage unit 14 stores the proper gas use condition based on the gas use pattern measurement during the summer.
As described above, the gas usage patterns in winter and summer are stored in the respective memory units, and when the instruction signal from the gas supplier is received at the time when the second year changes from summer to winter, the communication control unit
By the start signal from 12, the last winter use condition stored in the proper gas use condition storage unit 15 and the initial condition of the initial condition setting unit 7 are compared, and the smaller value is set in the proper gas use condition setting unit 16. It Also, the proper gas usage condition change storage unit
The summer use conditions stored in 14 are sent to and stored in the gas proper use condition storage unit 15. At the same time, the gas use pattern in the second winter period is measured by the operation of the timer unit 11 and the use state storage unit 13, and at the end of the timer counting, the winter proper gas use condition is changed to the gas proper use condition change storage unit.
Stored in 14. After that, every time the gas supplier issues an instruction signal, the setting content of the gas proper use condition setting section 16 is reset to the gas proper use condition actually measured and stored at the same time last year, and at the same time, the gas of the year is reset. The actual measurement of the usage state is started. That is, by sending an instruction signal from the gas supplier to the gas shutoff device of this embodiment at each home at an appropriate time, the most suitable gas use condition at that time is set in each home and the gas use state is monitored. To be done. It means that the gas supplier need only send the same signal at the same time regardless of the year and time of installation of the gas shutoff device in each home.

In the embodiment, the season is divided into two, winter and summer, but it is set to 1 by increasing the gas proper use condition storage unit 15.
By dividing the year into four, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, it is possible to reset the gas usage conditions and change each storage unit suitable for each season, and it is possible to provide a more appropriate and safe gas shutoff device.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As described above, the gas shutoff device of the present invention is provided with the conventional gas shutoff device including a timer unit for counting a predetermined period and a start signal for starting the timer unit in response to an instruction signal from a gas supplier or the like. A communication control unit that outputs, a use state storage unit that stores a gas use state while the timer unit is operating, and a gas proper use condition change memory that changes / stores gas proper use conditions according to the contents of the use state storage unit. Section, a gas proper use condition storage section that sucks up the stored content of the gas proper use condition change storage section by the start signal and exchanges the stored content, and stores it, and a gas proper use condition and initial state of the gas proper use condition storage section. By comparing the conditions and setting the proper gas usage conditions to be used, a proper gas usage condition setting section is provided, so that the gas meter capacity (number of items) is used for uniform determination. The actual gas usage pattern in each season of each household is actually measured, and the appropriate gas usage suitable for the season of the year is based on the gas usage pattern of the same period one year ago. As the condition is reset every year, the gas usage condition is monitored under the optimal gas usage condition of each home,
It is possible to judge an abnormality, and when the abnormality occurs, the gas supply is stopped by the operation of the shutoff means, so that it is possible to further increase the safety for preventing a dangerous gas accident such as gas explosion or gas poisoning.

In addition, for the setting of the proper gas usage conditions, there is no mistake in setting because the usage conditions that are actually measured and stored in each home are automatically set by the signal signal from the gas supplier, etc. It is not necessary to send an instruction signal by distinguishing the installation year and installation time of the home gas shutoff device, and the same signal can be used to reset the gas proper use condition and store the gas use state in each home.

[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 block diagram of a conventional gas shutoff device, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional gas shutoff device. 11 …… Timer section, 12 …… Communication control section, 13 …… Use state storage section, 14 …… Gas proper use condition change storage section, 15 …… Gas proper use condition storage section, 16 …… Gas proper use condition setting Department.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A 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, and a usage state detecting section for detecting a gas usage state by a flow rate signal sent from the flow rate measuring means. A timer unit that counts a predetermined period, a communication control unit that outputs an activation signal that activates the timer unit in response to an instruction signal from a gas supplier, and the usage state detection unit while the timer unit is operating. From the signal from the use state storage unit that stores the gas use state, a gas proper use condition change storage unit that changes / stores as a gas proper use condition according to the contents of the use state storage unit, and the gas by the start signal Appropriate use condition change storage part that absorbs the stored contents of the appropriate use condition change storage part and exchanges the stored contents and stores them A proper gas use condition setting unit that compares the initial condition setting unit to be set according to the initial condition of the initial condition setting unit and the gas proper use condition of the gas proper use condition storage unit and sets the gas proper use condition to be used And an abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not there is an abnormality by comparing the signal of the usage state detection unit and the gas proper use condition of the gas proper use condition setting unit, and a disconnection signal when the abnormality determination unit determines that there is an abnormality. And a shutoff means for shutting off the gas passage in response to a shutoff signal from the shutoff controller.