Water meter

Abstract

To provide a water meter that converts an analog metered value in a direct reading type water meter into a digital metered value at a low cost, and can transmit flow rate integration information to the outside.SOLUTION: A water meter comprises: a magnetic substance which rotates corresponding to a used amount of water, generates a magnetic field in a direction orthogonal to a rotation direction; rotational position calculating means which opposes the magnetic substance to detect the magnetic field as a sinusoidal voltage signal having a phase different by 90 degrees, and calculates a rotational position of the magnetic substance; measuring means for measuring a flow rate of water on the basis of a moving direction and a moving amount of the rotational position of the magnetic substance calculated by the rotational position calculating means; and communication means for transmitting the flow rate measurement information measured by the calculating means to the outside via radio communication and receiving a signal from outside.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a water meter. [Background technology]

[0002] A direct-reading or circular-reading water meter has a liter hand with a magnet attached to the pointer of the display panel, and a magnetic sensor means is arranged above the liter hand via a cover glass that covers the display panel, and the liter hand has a pair of magnets attached opposite each other with their magnetic poles in the axial direction of the pointer, while the magnetic sensor means is composed of two magnetic sensors that are positioned so that their detection outputs have a phase difference of 90° with respect to each of the magnets attached to the rotating liter hand, and a hybrid water meter that measures the flow rate based on the detection output is known (Patent Document 1).

[0003] In a water meter comprising a lower case having an impeller that rotates due to inflow water, and an upper case having an indication unit mounted on the lower case and measuring and displaying the flow rate based on the rotation of the impeller, the indication unit has a unit board incorporated in the upper case, and the unit board comprises a rotation detection unit that detects the rotation of the impeller, a control unit that calculates the flow rate based on the rotation speed of the impeller detected by the rotation detection unit, a measurement display unit that displays the flow rate value calculated by the control unit, an external output unit that transmits the flow rate value to the outside, and a power supply unit that supplies power to the rotation detection unit, control unit, measurement display unit and external output unit (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-92493 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-179325 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention provides a low-cost direct-reading water meter that can convert analog measurement values ​​into digital measurement values ​​and transmit flow rate measurement information to the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the water meter according to claim 1 comprises: A magnetic body that rotates according to the amount of water used and generates a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation; a rotational position calculation means for detecting the magnetic field as a sinusoidal voltage signal having a phase difference of 90 degrees, the rotational position of the magnetic body being calculated by the detection means; a measuring means for measuring a flow rate of the water based on a moving direction and a moving amount of the rotational position of the magnetic body calculated by the rotational position calculating means; A communication means for transmitting the flow rate measurement information measured by the measuring means to an outside via wireless communication and receiving a signal from an outside, It is characterized by:

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is the water meter described in claim 1, The magnetic body is disk-shaped and magnetized so that the S pole and the N pole are adjacent and facing each other, and is rotatably attached to one end of a gear train that transmits the rotation of an impeller that rotates in response to the water flow. It is characterized by:

[0008] The invention described in claim 3 is the water meter described in claim 1, the rotational position calculation means is arranged in two units so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees on the center line of the magnetic body, and calculates quadrant information, which is information indicating an angular region in which the rotational position of the magnetic body exists, from sinusoidal voltage signals output from the respective rotational position calculation means and having a phase difference of 90 degrees; It is characterized by:

[0009] The invention as set forth in claim 4 is the water meter as set forth in claim 3, The quadrant information is the angle region divided into N (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3 and less than 10). It is characterized by:

[0010] The invention described in claim 5 is the water meter described in claim 4, The measuring means determines a rotation direction of the magnetic body based on a change direction of the quadrant information, and measures a flow rate of the water by integrating the change of the quadrant information. It is characterized by:

[0011] The invention as recited in claim 6 is the water meter as recited in claim 5, The measuring means measures the flow rate of the water at a time interval obtained by dividing the minimum rotation period of the magnetic body by N. It is characterized by:

[0012] The invention described in claim 7 is the water meter described in any one of claims 1 to 6, the rotational position calculation means, the integrating means and the communication means are integrated on an integral substrate and are disposed on an indication unit that displays the flow rate measurement information and are sealed from the outside. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 1, it is possible to convert analog measurement values ​​in a direct-reading water meter into digital measurement values ​​at low cost and transmit flow measurement information to a cloud device.

[0014] According to the invention as recited in claim 2, the device is small and can rotate stably.

[0015] According to the invention as recited in claim 3, the change in the quadrant of the magnetic body can be observed to calculate the rotational position of the magnetic body.

[0016] According to the invention as recited in claim 4, the rotation direction of the magnetic body can be identified.

[0017] According to the invention as recited in claim 5, forward and reverse rotation can be determined from the change in quadrant of the magnetic body, and the flow rate of water can be measured.

[0018] According to the invention as set forth in claim 6, it is possible to suppress the energy consumption of the measuring means.

[0019] According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the rotational position calculation means, the measurement means and the communication means can be protected from moisture, sand, mud and the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a water meter according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a flow rate measuring unit of the water meter according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the water meter according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] (a) is a schematic plan view showing the indication unit of a water meter, and (b) is a diagram explaining the measurement of flow rate using a 1-liter needle. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2A is a diagram for explaining the configuration and output signals of a magnetic sensor, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of sinusoidal voltage signals output from two magnetic sensors and having a phase difference of 90 degrees. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of dividing the angle (0 degrees to 360 degrees) of one revolution of a magnetic body. [Figure 7] FIG. 13A is a diagram showing an example of a change in quadrant information when the magnetic body rotates in the forward direction, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing an example of a change in quadrant information when the magnetic body rotates in the reverse direction. [Figure 8] (a) is a diagram showing route B which performs wireless communication with a HEMS-GW (Home Energy Management System gateway), and (b) is a diagram showing route A and IoT route which perform wireless communication with a power meter that forms a multi-hop mesh network. [Figure 9]4 is a flowchart showing the process flow of measuring flow rate in a water meter and transmitting flow rate measurement information. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Next, specific examples of the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the following explanation using the drawings, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and the ratios of the dimensions, etc. may differ from the actual ones, and in order to facilitate understanding, illustrations other than those of components necessary for the explanation have been omitted as appropriate.

[0022] (1) Water meter configuration Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a water meter 1 according to this embodiment, Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram showing an example of a flow rate measuring section 100 of a water meter 1 according to this embodiment, Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a water meter 1 according to this embodiment, Figure 4(a) is a schematic plan view showing an indication unit 30 of a water meter 1, (b) is a diagram explaining measurement of flow rate using a 1 liter needle 36, Figure 5(a) is a diagram explaining the configuration and output signal of a magnetic sensor 41, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of sinusoidal voltage signals output from two magnetic sensors 41 with a phase difference of 90 degrees. The overall configuration and operation of the water meter 1 according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0023] (1.1) Overall configuration of water meter 1, the water meter 1 includes a flow rate measurement unit 100 that measures the flow rate of water flowing through a flow path, a communication unit 200 that transmits the measured flow rate integrated data to the outside via wireless communication and receives signals from the outside, a meter storage unit 300 that stores information used for various processes of the water meter 1, and a meter control unit 400 that comprehensively controls the operation of the water meter 1. The water meter 1 measures the flow rate of water flowing through a flow path as a digital measurement value and transmits the measured flow rate measurement data to the cloud via route A for communication with a power meter, or via an IoT route for communication with a meter other than power (hereinafter referred to as a power meter, etc.), or via route B for communication with a gateway device or a Home Energy Management System (EMS) device. Here, examples of the Energy Management System (EMS) include a Home Energy Management System (HEMS), a Mansion Energy Management System (MEMS), a Building Energy Management System (BEMS), a Factory Energy Management System (FEMS), and a Cluster / Community Energy Management System (CEMS) depending on the object to be managed. HEMS is for homes, MEMS is for apartment buildings, BEMS is for commercial buildings, FEMS is for factories, and CEMS is for the entire region that includes all of the above.

[0024] (1.2) Flow Meter 2, the flow rate measuring section 100 of the water meter 1 has a lower case 10 with an inlet 11 and an outlet 12 formed at both ends, and an inner case 20 is housed within the lower case 10. A plurality of inlet nozzles 21 and outlet nozzles 22 are provided in the inner case 20, and an impeller support member 23 is erected in the center of the inner bottom of the inner case 20. An impeller 24 having a magnet M1 at the upper shaft portion is rotatably supported by the impeller support member 23.

[0025] An indication unit 30 is provided above the impeller 24 via a gasket G1. The indication unit 30 includes a register box 31, a lower base plate 32, an upper base plate 33, a magnet gear 34 to which a magnet M2 is attached, a gear train 35, a 1-liter hand 36 which indicates the water flow rate in 1-liter units, a 10-liter hand 37 which indicates the water flow rate in 10-liter units, a 1m 3 It is composed of a number wheel 38 which indicates the water flow rate in units, and a glass plate 39 attached via an O-ring S1, and is capable of displaying analog measured values ​​in a direct reading format. In addition, the magnet M2 of the magnetic gear 34 and the magnet M1 of the impeller 24 face each other and are magnetically coupled (magnetically coupled).

[0026] A magnetic body 40 is fixedly attached to the 1-liter hand 36 on the rotation center axis 36c (see FIG. 4) of the 1-liter hand 36, and a magnetic sensor 41 is arranged above the magnetic body 40 with a glass plate 39 in between. As shown in FIG. 3, the output of the magnetic sensor 41 is input to an angle calculation unit 42 that calculates the rotational position of the magnetic body 40. In this embodiment, the magnetic sensor 41 and the angle calculation unit 42 function as a rotational position calculation means. The angle θ indicating the rotational position of the magnetic body 40 calculated by the angle calculation unit 42 is input to an integrating unit 43 as a measuring means, and the flow rate of water is measured as a digital measurement value based on the change in the rotational position of the magnetic body 40. In this embodiment, the magnetic sensor 41, the angle calculation unit 42, and the integrating unit 43 are integrated on an integrated substrate (not shown) and arranged on the upper surface of the glass plate 39 while being sealed from the outside.

[0027] (magnetic material) The magnetic body 40 is fixedly attached to the 1 liter needle 36 and rotates integrally with the 1 liter needle 36. As shown in Fig. 4, the magnetic body 40 is disk-shaped in a plan view and is magnetized so that the S pole and N pole are adjacent to each other and face each other, generating a magnetic field in a direction intersecting with the rotation center axis 36c of the 1 liter needle 36. The 1 liter needle 36 has 10 graduations (0 to 9: see Fig. 6), and each graduation indicates the flow rate of 1 liter.

[0028] (Magnetic sensor) As shown in Figure 4(b), two magnetic sensors 41 (labeled as magnetic sensor 1 and magnetic sensor 2 in Figures 5 and 7) are arranged facing the magnetic body 40 and forming an angle of approximately 90 degrees on the center line of the magnetic body 40. As shown in Fig. 5(a), the magnetic sensor 41 has resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 forming a bridge circuit, and outputs a sinusoidal voltage signal in response to a change in the magnetic field. In this embodiment, two magnetic sensors 41 are arranged on the center line of the magnetic body 40 at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, and therefore each magnetic sensor 41 outputs a sinusoidal voltage signal (sin θ, cos θ) that is out of phase with each other by 90 degrees, as shown in Fig. 5(b).

[0029] (Quadrant information) 6 is a diagram showing an example of dividing the angle (0 degrees to 360 degrees) of one revolution of the magnetic body 40. The quadrant information is angle regions obtained by dividing the angle (0 degrees to 360 degrees) of one revolution of the magnetic body 40 into N (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3 and less than 10), and in this embodiment, the number of divisions N is 4. By dividing it into four, four angle regions A1, A2, A3, and A4 are formed, as shown in FIG. The angle region A1 is 0 degrees to 90 degrees (first quadrant), the angle region A2 is 90 degrees to 180 degrees (second quadrant), the angle region A3 is 180 degrees to 270 degrees (third quadrant), and the angle region A4 is 270 degrees to 360 degrees (fourth quadrant).

[0030] The sine wave voltage signals output from each magnetic sensor 41 and differing in phase by 90 degrees are input to an angle calculation unit 42 (see FIG. 3) having a processor including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and quadrant information (first quadrant, second quadrant, third quadrant, fourth quadrant) indicating the angle regions A1, A2, A3, A4 in which the rotational position of the magnetic body 40 exists is calculated from the sine wave voltage signals differing in phase by 90 degrees. Specifically, the sinusoidal voltage signals output from the magnetic sensor 41 and differing in phase by 90 degrees are regarded as sine (sin) θ and cosine (cos) θ, respectively (see FIG. 4(b)), and the angle θ, which is the rotational position of the magnetic body 40, is calculated by finding the value of arctan(sinθ / cosθ).

[0031] (Accumulation of flow rate) FIG. 7(a) is a diagram showing an example of a change in quadrant information when the magnetic body 40 rotates forward, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of a change in quadrant information when the magnetic body 40 rotates backward. The angle θ, which is the rotational position of the magnetic body 40, is input as quadrant information to the integrating unit 43 (see FIG. 3). The integrating unit 43 is composed of a processing circuit mainly consisting of a processor including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and determines whether the rotation is forward or reverse based on the change in the quadrant information (first quadrant, second quadrant, third quadrant, fourth quadrant), and adds or subtracts water flow rate data according to the change in quadrant. For example, as shown in Figure 7(a), if the quadrant information changes in the following order: first quadrant → second quadrant → third quadrant → fourth quadrant → first quadrant →..., it is determined to be a positive rotation, and as shown in Figure 7(b), if the quadrant information changes in the following order: fourth quadrant → third quadrant → second quadrant → first quadrant → fourth quadrant →..., it is determined to be a negative rotation.

[0032] If the change in the quadrant information changes from the first quadrant to the second quadrant, it is determined that the rotation is forward and 2.5 liters are added to the water flow rate, and if the change is from the second quadrant to the third quadrant, another 2.5 liters are added. If the change in the quadrant information changes from the first quadrant to the fourth quadrant, it is determined that the rotation is reversed and 2.5 liters are subtracted from the water flow rate, and if the change is from the fourth quadrant to the third quadrant, another 2.5 liters are subtracted. In this way, the movement of the magnetic body 40 through the quadrants is counted to measure the water flow rate.

[0033] (Flow rate measurement timing) The timing for driving the magnetic sensor 41 to measure the angle of the magnetic body 40 is set to a time interval T obtained by dividing the minimum rotation period of the magnetic body 40 by a division number N (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3 and less than 10) into which the angle of one revolution of the magnetic body 40 is divided. In this embodiment, the division number N is 4, and the time interval T corresponds to the time it takes for the magnetic body 40 to move through one angle region (quadrant) when rotating at the minimum rotation period (maximum rotation speed).

[0034] By setting the time interval T for measuring the angle of the magnetic body 40 in this manner, the number of angular region (quadrant) movements due to the rotation of the magnetic body 40 accompanying the passage of time (one sampling time) from any measurement time to the next measurement time can be made equal to or less than 1. More specifically, even if the magnetic body 40 is rotating at the maximum number of rotations, the time interval T is set so that the magnetic body 40 present in a certain angular region (quadrant) does not move to two or more angular regions (quadrant) ahead, skipping an adjacent angular region (quadrant), after one sampling time has elapsed.

[0035] Furthermore, by setting the measurement time interval T in this way when the magnetic body 40 is rotating at the maximum rotation speed, the number of times the magnetic sensor 41 is driven while the magnetic body 40 is located in the angular regions A1, A2, A3, A4 (first quadrant, second quadrant, third quadrant, fourth quadrant) can be reduced to one. That is, it is possible to reduce the number of times the magnetic sensor 41 is driven when measuring the rotation speed of the magnetic body 40, thereby suppressing energy consumption.

[0036] The flow rate measurement data to which the water flow rate has been added or subtracted is stored in the meter storage unit 300 in association with the measurement time.

[0037] (1.3) Communications Department The communication unit 200 has a communication module with a wireless communication function, and transmits flow measurement data by wirelessly communicating with a power meter or the like (route A, IoT route), or a gateway device or an EMS (Energy Management System) device (route B). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the communication unit 200 transmits the water flow rate measurement data retrieved from the meter storage unit 300 by wireless communication with a Home Energy Management System gateway (HEMS-GW) (route B). In addition, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the communication unit 200 transmits the water flow rate measurement data retrieved from the meter memory unit 300 by wireless communication with power meters and the like that form the multi-hop mesh network (route A, IoT route).

[0038] (1.4) Meter memory section The meter storage unit 300 stores information used for various processes of the water meter 1. Specifically, the meter storage unit 300 stores, for example, measurement information in which water flow rate data measured by the flow measurement unit 100 is associated with the measurement time. The meter storage unit 300 also stores flow rate measurement information in which integrated data of the flow rate for each predetermined time interval, such as every 30 minutes, is associated with the measurement date and measurement time (time information in hours, minutes, and seconds).

[0039] (1.5) Meter control section The meter control unit 400 is a processor including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and performs overall control of the water meter 1. The meter control unit 400 associates the water flow rate data measured by the flow measurement unit 100 with time information and stores it in the meter storage unit 300 as water flow rate measurement information. Furthermore, the meter control unit 400 calculates an integrated amount of flow rate for every 30 minutes, for example, and stores integrated flow rate information in which the integrated amount of flow rate is associated with the measurement date and measurement time in the meter storage unit 300. Furthermore, the meter control unit 400 controls communication with the power meter via the above-mentioned route A and IoT route via the communication unit 200, and also controls communication with the gateway device or the EMS device via route B. The meter control unit 400, for example, controls the communication unit 200 to notify a gateway device or an EMS device of an 8-bit property value notification message including the measurement date, measurement time, and integrated flow rate via route B every 24 hours.

[0040] (2) Operation of water meters FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing for measuring flow rate in the water meter 1 and transmitting flow rate measurement information. The water meter 1 according to this embodiment performs a measurement process for electrically measuring the flow rate of water flowing through a flow path, and a communication process for transmitting integrated data of the measured water flow rate to the outside via wireless communication.

[0041] (Measurement processing) When the meter control unit 400 is started, the water meter 1 first clears the flow rate integrated data, and starts processing by reading the date and time from the timer of the processor of the meter control unit 400 (S101).

[0042] When water is consumed, impeller 24, which is rotatably supported on inner case 20 of water meter 1, rotates, and 1-liter pointer 36 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of impeller 24. At this time, magnetic body 40, which is fixed on rotation center axis 36c of 1-liter pointer 36, rotates together with 1-liter pointer 36. When magnetic body 40 rotates, two magnetic sensors 41, which are arranged above magnetic body 40 so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees on the center line of magnetic body 40, output sinusoidal voltage signals (sin θ, cos θ) that are out of phase with each other by 90 degrees.

[0043] Then, the sinusoidal voltage signal output from the magnetic sensor 41 is read (S102), and it is determined whether the impeller 24 is rotating (S103). Specifically, first, the angle θ, which is the rotational position of the magnetic body 40, is calculated by finding the arctan (sinθ / cosθ) value from the sine (sinθ) voltage signal and cosine (cosθ) voltage signal output from the magnetic sensor 41, and the angle θ is stored as quadrant information in the meter storage unit 300. Next, after one sampling time has elapsed, the angle θ, which is the rotational position of the magnetic body 40, is similarly calculated to obtain the quadrant information. Then, based on the initial quadrant information stored in the meter storage unit 300 and the change in the quadrant information after one sampling time has elapsed, it is determined whether the impeller 24 is rotating (S103).

[0044] If the impeller 24 is rotating (S103; Yes), it is determined whether the impeller 24 is rotating in the forward direction (S104). If the change in the quadrant information is "+ (plus)", it is determined to be rotating in the forward direction (S104; Yes), and if it is "- (minus)", it is determined to be rotating in the reverse direction (S104; No). If the impeller 24 is rotating in the forward direction (S104; Yes), the flow rate is increased (S105), and if the impeller 24 is rotating in the reverse direction (S104; No), the flow rate is decreased (S106). Here, if the quadrant information is "+1 (e.g., a change from the first quadrant to the second quadrant)", 2.5 liters is increased as the water flow rate. Also, if the quadrant information is "-1 (e.g., a change from the first quadrant to the fourth quadrant)", 2.5 liters is decreased as the water flow rate.

[0045] Next, the added or subtracted value is stored in the meter storage unit 300 (S107), and the next communication process is executed. On the other hand, if the impeller 24 is not rotating (S103; No), the process returns to step S102.

[0046] In the communication process, a timer interrupt process is executed at predetermined time intervals to receive a transmission request from a gateway device or an EMS device (S108). If the timer interrupt is not confirmed as a transmission request (S108; No), the process returns to step S102 of the measurement process. If the timer interrupt is confirmed (S108; Yes), the communication process is executed.

[0047] (Communication processing) In the communication process (S109), the water flow rate measurement information is retrieved from the meter storage unit 300, and the flow rate measurement information is transmitted to the gateway device or the EMS device by wireless communication in a predetermined telegram format. The above describes communication on route B. On route A and IoT route, data is transmitted via wireless communication to power meters and other devices that form a multi-hop mesh network.

[0048] In this way, according to the water meter 1 of this embodiment, water flow measurement information can be transmitted by wireless communication by switching between two communication profiles: route A, which communicates with power meters etc. that form a multi-hop mesh network, IoT route, and route B, which communicates with a gateway device or an EMS device.

[0049] (3) Functions and Effects of Water Meters A magnetic body 40, which is disk-shaped in a plan view and magnetized so that the S pole and N pole face each other adjacently, is fixedly attached on the rotation center axis 36c of the 1-liter hand 36, and two magnetic sensors 41 are arranged above the magnetic body 40 so as to face the magnetic body 40 and form an angle of approximately 90 degrees on the center line of the magnetic body 40. As a result, when the 1-liter hand 36 rotates, the magnetic sensors 41 output sine wave voltage signals with a phase difference of 90 degrees, and quadrant information (first quadrant, second quadrant, third quadrant, fourth quadrant) indicating the angle regions A1, A2, A3, A4 in which the rotation position of the magnetic body 40 exists is calculated. Then, the forward or reverse rotation of the impeller 24 is determined based on the change in the quadrant information, and the water flow rate measurement information can be obtained by adding or subtracting the water flow rate in 2.5 liter units. In this way, the analog measurement value in a direct-reading water meter can be converted into a digital measurement value. The time interval T (one sampling time) for driving the magnetic sensor 41 to measure the angle of the magnetic body 40 is set to the time interval T obtained by dividing the minimum rotation period of the magnetic body 40 by the number of divisions N (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3 and less than 10) into which the angle of one revolution of the magnetic body 40 is divided. As a result, when the magnetic body 40 is rotating at the maximum rotation speed, the magnetic sensor 41 is driven only once while the magnetic body 40 is located in the angle regions A1, A2, A3, A4 (first quadrant, second quadrant, third quadrant, fourth quadrant), making it possible to reduce energy consumption. The communication unit 200 has a communication module with wireless communication capabilities, and performs wireless communication with a power meter, etc. (route A, IoT route), or a gateway device or EMS device (route B), and transmits the flow measurement information measured as a digital measurement value by the flow measurement unit 100 to the cloud.

[0050] In this embodiment, a water meter has been described in which a magnetic body 40 that is disk-shaped in a planar view and magnetized so that its south pole and north pole are adjacently facing each other is attached to the rotational axis 36c of the 1-liter needle 36, and two magnetic sensors 41, 41 output sinusoidal wave voltage signals that are shifted in phase by 90° as the 1-liter needle 36 rotates. However, the magnetic body 40 may also be attached to the rotational axis 37c of the 10-liter needle 37. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Water meter 100 Flow rate measuring section 10 lower case, 20 inner case, 21 inlet nozzle, 22 outlet nozzle, 23 impeller support member, 24 impeller, 30 indication unit, 31 register box, 32 lower base plate, 33 upper base plate, 34 magnet gear, 35 gear train, 36 1 liter hand, 37 10 liter hand, 38 number wheel, 39 glass plate, 40 magnetic body, 41 magnetic sensor, 42... Angle calculation unit, 43... Integration unit 200 Communications Department 300 Meter memory section 400 Meter control unit

Claims

1. A magnetic body that rotates according to the amount of water used and generates a magnetic field in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation; a rotational position calculation means for detecting the magnetic field as a sinusoidal voltage signal having a phase difference of 90 degrees, the rotational position of the magnetic body being calculated by the detection means; a measuring means for measuring a flow rate of the water based on a moving direction and a moving amount of the rotational position of the magnetic body calculated by the rotational position calculating means; A communication means for transmitting the flow rate measurement information measured by the measuring means to an outside via wireless communication and receiving a signal from an outside, 2. A water meter comprising:

2. The magnetic body is disk-shaped and magnetized so that the S pole and the N pole are adjacent and facing each other, and is rotatably attached to one end of a gear train that transmits the rotation of an impeller that rotates in response to a water flow.

2. The water meter according to claim 1.

3. the rotational position calculation means is arranged in two units so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees on the center line of the magnetic body, and calculates quadrant information, which is information indicating an angular region in which the rotational position of the magnetic body exists, from sinusoidal voltage signals output from the respective rotational position calculation means and which are out of phase with each other by 90 degrees; 2. The water meter according to claim 1.

4. The quadrant information is the angle region divided into N (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3 and less than 10).

4. The water meter according to claim 3.

5. The measuring means determines a rotation direction of the magnetic body based on a change direction of the quadrant information, and measures a flow rate of the water by integrating the change of the quadrant information.

5. The water meter according to claim 4.

6. The measuring means integrates the flow rate of the water over a time interval obtained by dividing the minimum rotation period of the magnetic body by N.

6. The water meter according to claim 5.

7. the rotational position calculation means, the measurement means and the communication means are integrated on an integral substrate and are disposed on an indication unit that displays the flow rate measurement information and sealed from the outside.

7. The water meter according to claim 1, wherein the water meter is a water meter having a first insulating layer and a second insulating layer.

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