Electronic water meter capable of adjusting triggering level of sensors, and adjustment method for using the same

Abstract

A method for adjusting a trigger level is applied to an electronic water meter having at least two sensors and corresponding blade modules, and includes: sensing the rotation of the blade modules by the two sensors respectively and generating two sensing signals respectively; determining the flow rate of the fluid inside the electronic water meter based on the two sensing signals; obtaining a reference value and standard deviation corresponding to the current flow rate; calculating the flow rate of the fluid based on the two sensing signals, the reference value and the standard deviation; and, when the flow rate is determined to have changed, re-obtaining the corresponding reference value and standard deviation, and continuing to calculate the flow rate of the fluid based on the two sensing signals and the re-obtained reference value and standard deviation.

Claims

1. An electronic water meter with a sensor-based trigger level adjustment function, comprising: An upper housing has an upper pivot groove at the center of its bottom and a sensing module inside, the sensing module having at least a first sensor and a second sensor; a blade module has a linkage cover and an impeller extending from one side of the linkage cover, the linkage cover having an upper pivot at its center and a metal plate on one side, wherein the blade module is pivotally connected to the upper pivot groove on the bottom surface of the upper housing through the upper pivot. A flow carrier is configured to house the blade module. The inner bottom surface of the flow carrier has a lower pivot, and the flow carrier is pivotally connected to a lower pivot groove on the bottom surface of the blade module through the lower pivot, so that the blade module rotates under the force of the flow carrier. A processor is electrically connected to the first sensor and the second sensor, and records a plurality of level reference values ​​and a plurality of standard deviations, wherein the plurality of level reference values ​​and the plurality of standard deviations correspond to different flow rates. The plurality of standard deviations are each composed of an upper limit value and a lower limit value, and the plurality of flow rates correspond to the standard deviation of the same flow rate as predefined. The predefined standard deviation is a distinguishable range of level reference value variation and noise caused by wear estimated during the lifespan of the electronic water meter. The first sensor and the second sensor are configured to sense the metal plate when the blade module rotates and generate a first sensing signal and a second sensing signal respectively. The processor is configured to determine the flow rate of the fluid inside the electronic water meter based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal, obtain a corresponding reference value and a corresponding standard deviation associated with the flow rate from the plurality of level reference values ​​and the plurality of standard deviations, and calculate the flow rate of the fluid based on the first sensing signal, the second sensing signal, the corresponding reference value and the corresponding standard deviation.

2. The electronic water meter as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of level reference values ​​correspond to the intensity of the sensing signals of the first sensor and the second sensor, and the plurality of level reference values ​​are proportional to the plurality of flow rates.

3. The electronic water meter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of standard deviations are each composed of an upper limit and a lower limit, and the plurality of standard deviations are inversely proportional to the plurality of flow velocities.

4. The electronic water meter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to set a sensing state of the first sensor or the second sensor to a high potential when the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal is greater than the sum of the upper limit of the corresponding reference value and the corresponding standard deviation, and to set the sensing state of the first sensor or the second sensor to a low potential when the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal is less than the sum of the lower limit of the corresponding reference value and the corresponding standard deviation, and to control a flow counter to increment or decrement by one when a state transition of a finite state machine of the sensing module is determined based on the sensing state of the first sensor and the sensing state of the second sensor.

5. The electronic water meter as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor records seven reference values ​​and seven standard deviations, the seven reference values ​​and the seven standard deviations corresponding to seven flow rate points.

6. The electronic water meter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to determine the linear change of the flow rate based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal and adjust the corresponding reference value and the corresponding standard deviation, and to issue an alarm signal when the flow rate changes normally, the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal are not zero, but the sensing state of the first sensor and the second sensor remains at a low potential.

7. The electronic water meter as claimed in claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to increment the flow count by one when it is determined, based on the sensing state of the first sensor and the sensing state of the second sensor, that the finite state machine has continuously undergone forward transitions for a preset number of times, and to decrement the flow count by one when it is determined, based on the sensing state of the first sensor and the sensing state of the second sensor, that the finite state machine has continuously undergone reverse transitions for the preset number of times.

8. A method for adjusting the trigger level of an electronic water meter as shown in claim 1, comprising: Step a) The first sensor and the second sensor sense the metal plate when the blade module rotates, and generate the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal respectively; Step b) The processor determines the flow rate of the fluid inside the electronic water meter based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal; Step c) The processor obtains the corresponding reference value and the corresponding standard deviation for the flow rate from the plurality of level reference values ​​and the plurality of standard deviations, wherein the plurality of standard deviations are each composed of an upper limit value and a lower limit value, and the plurality of flow rates correspond to the same flow rate with a predefined standard deviation; wherein the predefined standard deviation is a distinguishable range of level reference value variation and noise caused by wear estimated during the lifespan of the electronic water meter; Step d) The processor calculates the flow rate of the fluid based on the first sensing signal, the second sensing signal, the corresponding reference value, and the corresponding standard deviation; and Step e) When the flow rate is determined to have changed, the processor re-executes steps c) and d) based on the changed flow rate.

9. The adjustment method as described in claim 8, wherein the plurality of level reference values ​​correspond to the intensity of the sensing signals of the first sensor and the second sensor, and the plurality of level reference values ​​are proportional to the plurality of flow velocities.

10. The adjustment method as described in claim 9, wherein the plurality of standard deviations are inversely proportional to the plurality of flow rates.

11. The adjustment method as described in claim 9, wherein step d) comprises: Step d1) When the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal is greater than the sum of the upper limit of the corresponding reference value and the corresponding standard deviation, set a sensing state of the first sensor or the second sensor to a high potential; Step d2) When the first sensing signal or the second sensing signal is less than the sum of the lower limit of the corresponding reference value and the corresponding standard deviation, set the sensing state of the first sensor or the second sensor to a low potential; Step d3) Determine whether a finite state machine of the sensing module has undergone a state transition based on the sensing state of the first sensor and the sensing state of the second sensor; and Step d4) When it is determined that the finite state machine has undergone a state transition, control a flow counter to increment or decrement by one.

12. The adjustment method as described in claim 11, further comprising: Step f) Determine the linear change of the flow rate based on the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal; Step g) Adjust the corresponding reference value and the corresponding standard deviation based on the linear change of the flow rate; and Step h) When the flow rate changes normally, the first sensing signal and the second sensing signal are not zero, but the sensing state of the first sensor and the second sensor remains at a low potential, issue a warning signal.

13. The adjustment method as described in claim 11, wherein step d4) comprises: When the finite state machine continuously undergoes a preset number of forward transitions based on the sensing states of the first sensor and the second sensor, the flow count is incremented by one; and when the finite state machine continuously undergoes a preset number of reverse transitions based on the sensing states of the first sensor and the second sensor, the flow count is decremented by one.

Images