Rainfall monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a rainfall monitoring system with which it is possible to accurately grasp occurrence of flood damage and monitor rainfall in a surrounding district before buildings are flooded.SOLUTION: A rainfall monitoring system 1 comprises: a surfacing detection unit 10 for detecting the surfacing of a float 16 due to rain water in the surrounding of a housing complex H; and a rainfall monitoring server 30 communicably connected to the surfacing detection unit 10. The surfacing detection unit 10 includes a reservoir case 11 for storing rain water, a float switch 15, and a drain tube 21 for discharging rain water. The rainfall monitoring server 30 includes a surfacing detection signal acquisition unit 31a for acquiring a surfacing detection signal and a surfacing detection time, a flooding determination unit 31b for determining the flood state of the housing complex H on the basis of the surfacing detection signal, a rainfall calculation unit 31c for calculating a rainfall on the basis of the surfacing detection time when the housing complex H is not flooded, and a monitoring result output unit 31e.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a rainfall monitoring system, and particularly to a rainfall monitoring system for monitoring rainfall around a building.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the awareness of crisis against natural disasters including earthquakes and abnormal weather has been increasing. In particular, the necessity of disaster prevention measures regarding flood disasters occurring over a wide area from the upstream to the downstream of a river has been attracting attention. Along with this, the construction of a flood monitoring system capable of quickly grasping the damage situation in the disaster area has been promoted. Specifically, a system has been proposed in which, when heavy rain or a river flood occurs, the damage situation is digitized using sensors, intensively monitored at a remote location, and the damage situation is evaluated.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a flood occurrence warning system including a water level sensor attached to the outer wall of a house, an alarm device, and system control means. Specifically, when flooding occurs due to heavy rain or a river flood, the occurrence of flooding is detected by a water level sensor attached to a predetermined height of the house, and a flood occurrence signal is output. Further, the system control means intensively monitors the flood occurrence signal, determines the flood level, and generates a caution signal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The flood occurrence warning system disclosed in Patent Document 1 can efficiently monitor the damage situation in the disaster area. However, in the flood occurrence warning system disclosed in Patent Document 1, it was not possible to grasp that the rainfall was increasing before the actual damage occurred. Therefore, the countermeasures were delayed, and there was a risk of the damage expanding.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a rainfall monitoring system that can accurately grasp the occurrence of flooding damage and can monitor the rainfall in the surrounding area before the flooding occurs.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] According to the rainfall monitoring system of the present invention, the above problems are solved by a rainfall monitoring system including a floating detection unit that detects the floating of a floating body due to rainwater around a building and outputs a floating detection signal, and a rainfall monitoring device communicatively connected to the floating detection unit. The floating detection unit includes a storage case for storing the rainwater, a float switch for detecting the floating of the floating body due to the rainwater stored in the storage case, and drainage means for draining the rainwater from the storage case when a predetermined amount of rainwater is stored in the storage case. The rainfall monitoring device includes a floating detection signal acquisition unit that acquires the floating detection signal and the floating detection time when the floating detection signal is acquired, a flooding determination unit that determines the flooding state of the building based on the floating detection signal, a rainfall calculation unit that calculates the rainfall based on the floating detection time when it is determined by the flooding determination unit that the building is not flooded, and a monitoring result output unit that outputs the determination result of the flooding determination unit and the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the rainfall monitoring system includes a floating detection unit that detects the floating of the floating body due to rainwater and a rainfall monitoring device. The rainfall monitoring device has a flooding determination unit that determines the flooding state of the building based on the floating detection signal, and a rainfall calculation unit that calculates the rainfall based on the floating detection time. Therefore, it is possible to monitor the rainfall without adding a sensor for measuring the rainfall. As a result, the rainfall monitoring system can accurately grasp the occurrence of flood damage and can also grasp the rainfall in the surrounding area before the flood occurs.

[0009] Further, the rainfall calculation unit may calculate the rainfall based on the time interval between the predetermined amount and the floating detection time. According to the above configuration, it is possible to monitor the rainfall without adding a sensor for measuring the rainfall, and it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost of the rainfall monitoring system.

[0010] Further, the drainage means is a drain pipe that discharges the rainwater stored in the storage case from the storage case. The drain pipe has a rainwater suction port located at the lower end inside the storage case, a rainwater discharge port located below the lower end of the storage case outside the storage case, and a connection portion located above the water level of the rainwater when the floating of the floating body is detected and connecting between the rainwater suction port and the rainwater discharge port. According to the above configuration, since the rainwater stored in the storage case can be drained by the principle of siphon, the configuration of the rainfall monitoring system can be simplified, and an increase in the cost of the rainfall monitoring system can be suppressed.

[0011] Further, the connection portion may penetrate through a through hole formed in the side wall of the storage case. According to the above configuration, since the drain pipe penetrates from the side wall of the storage case to the outside, the storage case can be miniaturized and the time interval for rainfall calculation can be shortened.

[0012] Further, the flooding determination unit may determine that the building has been flooded based on continuously obtaining the floating detection signal for a predetermined time or longer. According to the above configuration, since the flooding state of the building can be easily determined based on the floating detection signal, it is possible to suppress an increase in the cost of the rainfall monitoring system.

[0013] Further, the rainfall monitoring device may include a map information storage unit that stores map information, and the monitoring result output unit may output a rainfall map in which the determination result of the flooding determination unit and the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit are superimposed on the map information. According to the above configuration, since the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit is displayed together with the map information, it is possible to accurately grasp the occurrence of flood damage and to monitor the rainfall in the surrounding area before the occurrence of flood damage.

[0014] Further, the rainfall monitoring device may include an external rainfall information acquisition unit that acquires rainfall observation information from an external information providing device via a telecommunication line, and the monitoring result output unit may superimpose the rainfall observation information on the rainfall map and output it. According to the above configuration, since rainfall observation information (for example, AMeDAS data) is acquired from an external information providing device and displayed on the rainfall map, it is possible to enrich the amount of rainfall information in the surrounding area of the building.

Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rainfall monitoring system that can accurately grasp the occurrence of flood damage and can monitor the rainfall in the surrounding area before the occurrence of flooding.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8, a rainfall monitoring system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, this embodiment) will be described. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. That is, the present invention can be changed and improved without departing from its gist, and it goes without saying that equivalents of the present invention are included therein.

[0018] The rainfall monitoring system 1 of the present invention is used to grasp the occurrence of flood damage and monitor the rainfall in the surrounding area of the building before flooding. In addition, the rainfall monitoring system 1 of the present invention is used to complement the rainfall information of AMeDAS (Automated Meteorological Data Accquisition System), which is an existing ground meteorological observation system, and obtain highly accurate rainfall information.

[0019] <<Overall Configuration of Rainfall Monitoring System 1>> FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the rainfall monitoring system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the rainfall monitoring system 1 includes a floating detection unit 10 disposed in an apartment house H, a rainfall monitoring server 30 connected to be mutually communicable via a communication line NW available to the public, an AMeDAS data server 40, and a rainfall monitoring terminal 50.

[0020] The floating detection unit 10 is attached to the foundation of the apartment house H, detects the floating of a floating body (float 16) due to rainwater around the apartment house H, and outputs a floating detection signal. The floating detection signal is used to grasp the state of flooding under the floor or above the floor of the apartment house H. Further, the floating detection signal is used to calculate the rainfall amount around the apartment house H. The floating detection signal is transmitted to a rainfall monitoring server 30 described later via a relay device (not shown) in the apartment house H. In FIG. 1, the floating detection unit 10 is attached to the apartment house H, but is not limited thereto. The floating detection unit 10 is preferably disposed at a location suitable for monitoring flooding and rainfall, and may be attached to a factory, commercial facility, or levee. The apartment house H corresponds to a building.

[0021] The rainfall monitoring server 30 is an information communication server that collects floating detection signals output by a plurality of floating detection units 10, determines the flooding state, and monitors the rainfall amount. Further, the rainfall monitoring server 30 transmits the determination result of the flooding state and the calculation result of the rainfall amount to the rainfall monitoring terminal 50 in response to a request transmitted from the rainfall monitoring terminal 50. Thereby, it is possible to accurately grasp the occurrence of flood damage and to monitor the rainfall amount in the surrounding area. The rainfall monitoring server 30 is a cloud server, but is not limited thereto. The rainfall monitoring server 30 may be composed of a plurality of information communication servers. The rainfall monitoring server 30 corresponds to a rainfall monitoring device.

[0022] The AMeDAS data server 40 is an information communication server that stores meteorological observation information acquired by AMeDAS, which is a meteorological observation system operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The AMeDAS data server 40 stores temperature, wind direction and speed, rainfall amount, etc. at about 1300 observation points provided throughout Japan at 10-minute intervals and provides them to the public via the communication line NW.

[0023] In response to a request from the rainfall monitoring server 30, the AMeDAS data server 40 transmits rainfall observation information to the rainfall monitoring server 30. The rainfall monitoring server 30 can receive the rainfall observation information and output it together with the determination result of the inundation state and the calculation result of the rainfall described above, making it possible to monitor the rainfall in the surrounding area with higher accuracy. The AMeDAS data server 40 corresponds to an information providing device.

[0024] The rainfall monitoring terminal 50 is an information communication device operated by the user of the rainfall monitoring system 1. The user may be a resident of the apartment house H, a member of a flood control organization that monitors the disaster situation in the area, or a meteorological forecaster who conducts meteorological observations. The determination result of the inundation state, the calculation result of the rainfall, and the AMeDAS data described above are output to the rainfall monitoring terminal 50. The rainfall monitoring terminal 50 is a desktop terminal, but is not limited thereto. The rainfall monitoring terminal 50 may be a notebook terminal or a tablet terminal.

[0025] The communication line NW is a publicly available telecommunication line, for example, an Internet line. Also, the communication line NW may be a wireless LAN (wireless LAN) line, or may have a configuration in which a plurality of types of telecommunication lines are connected via a gateway device.

[0026] <<Floating detection unit 10>> Next, the floating detection unit 10 will be described. FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic diagrams for explaining the floating detection unit 10. FIG. 2 shows the floating detection unit 10 in a state where there is little rainwater storage, and FIG. 3 shows the floating detection unit 10 in a state where there is a large amount of rainwater storage. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the floating detection unit 10 mainly includes a storage case 11 for storing rainwater, a float switch 15, and a drain tube 21.

[0027] The storage case 11 is a case body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The storage case 11 is provided with a side wall 13 on its side portion and a bottom wall 14 on its lower end portion, and the side wall 13 and the bottom wall 14 form a rainwater storage space. Further, an opening 12 through which rainwater can enter is formed above the storage case 11. A filtration unit (not shown) may be provided below the opening 12. By providing the filtration unit, it is possible to prevent dust and foreign matter from entering the interior of the storage case 11.

[0028] A through hole 13a is formed at the position of the height L3 of the side wall 13. The through hole 13a is inserted with a drain tube 21 described later, and water leakage of the rainwater stored in the storage case 11 is suppressed by a packing 13b.

[0029] The storage case 11 houses a float switch 15 and a drain tube 21 therein. The float switch 15 detects the floating of a float 16 due to rainwater stored inside the storage case 11 and outputs a floating detection signal. The float switch 15 mainly includes a float 16 (floating body), a slide shaft 17, a lower stopper 18, an upper stopper 19, and an output cable 20.

[0030] The float 16 is a floating member that floats by the buoyancy of rainwater. The float 16 is a foamed resin molded body, but is not limited thereto. The float 16 may be made of cork or wood. Further, the float 16 may be a hollow molded body filled with a gas such as helium. The float 16 has an annular shape in plan view, and an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface are formed. In other words, the float 16 has a through hole penetrating in the vertical direction, and the slide shaft 17 penetrates therethrough. Therefore, the float 16 can slide up and down with respect to the slide shaft 17.

[0031] Inside the float 16, a permanent magnet 16a is built in. When the float 16 floats due to the buoyancy of rainwater, the permanent magnet 16a rises together with the float 16 and activates a reed switch built in a slide shaft 17 described later. To explain in detail, as shown in Fig. 2, when the water surface S is located below the height L2, the reed switch does not operate. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3, when the water surface S reaches the height L2, the permanent magnet 16a activates the reed switch. Thereby, the float switch 15 outputs a floating detection signal. The height L2 corresponds to the water level of rainwater when the floating detection unit 10 detects the floating of the float 16.

[0032] The permanent magnet 16a is a ferrite magnet, but is not limited thereto. The permanent magnet 16a only needs to be able to activate the reed switch when the float 16 floats, and may be a neodymium magnet or a samarium cobalt magnet.

[0033] The slide shaft 17 is a long shaft body extending vertically and passes through the center of the float 16. A lower stopper 18 is provided at the lower end of the slide shaft 17, and an upper stopper 19 is provided at the upper end. The lower stopper 18 and the upper stopper 19 support and regulate the float 16 so that the float 16 is interposed therebetween. Specifically, the lower stopper 18 supports the float 16 from below when the float 16 descends. On the other hand, the upper stopper 19 regulates the upper limit position of the float 16 when the float 16 floats.

[0034] A reed switch (not shown) is built inside the slide shaft 17. The reed switch is composed of a glass tube and reed pieces made of a pair of ferromagnetic bodies enclosed inside the glass tube. Therefore, when the float 16 floats, the tips of the pair of reed pieces are joined by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 16a, and a floating detection signal is output. An inert gas such as nitrogen is enclosed inside the glass tube. The inert gas suppresses the aging deterioration of the reed pieces.

[0035] The output cable 20 outputs the floating detection signal output by the reed switch built in the slide shaft 17 to the relay device arranged in the apartment house H. The floating detection signal is transmitted to the rainfall monitoring server 30 via the relay device and the communication line NW described above.

[0036] When a predetermined amount of rainwater is stored in the storage case 11, the drainage tube 21 drains the rainwater according to the principle of siphon. Specifically described, the drainage tube 21 has a rainwater suction port 21a, a rainwater discharge port 21b, and a connection part 21c. The rainwater suction port 21a is located at the lower end inside the storage case 11 and sucks up the rainwater stored inside the storage case 11. On the other hand, the rainwater discharge port 21b is located outside the storage case 11 below the lower end of the storage case 11 (height L0 in FIG. 2) and discharges the rainwater. The connection part 21c passes through the through hole 13a formed in the side wall 13 at a height L3 above the height L2 which is the water level at which the floating of the float 16 is detected. Therefore, when there is no flooding in the apartment house H, when the rainwater is stored inside the storage case 11 up to a water level higher than the height L3, the rainwater is sucked up from the rainwater suction port 21a, passes through the connection part 21c, and is discharged from the rainwater discharge port 21b. As will be described later, by repeatedly storing and draining rainwater in the storage case 11, it becomes possible to calculate the rainfall in the surrounding area of the apartment house H. The drainage tube 21 corresponds to drainage means and a drain pipe.

[0037] Also, by positioning the drainage tube 21 outside the storage case 11 through the through hole 13a formed in the side wall 13 of the storage case 11, miniaturization of the storage case 11 is realized. As a result, the time interval at which the floating detection signal is output is shortened, and it becomes possible to improve the monitoring accuracy of rainfall. Note that the drainage tube 21 is made of synthetic rubber, but is not limited thereto. As long as it can drain the rainwater stored in the storage case 11, it may be a metal drain pipe.

[0038] Figures 4 and 5 show the changes in the water level in the storage case 11 due to rainwater. Figure 4 shows the change in the water surface when there is no flooding in the apartment house H, and Figure 5 shows the change in the water surface when flooding occurs. When there is no flooding, the water surface of the rainwater in the storage case 11 rises with the passage of time. When the water surface reaches the height L2, the floating detection unit 10 detects the floating of the float 16 and outputs a floating detection signal at time T1.

[0039] Subsequently, the water surface of the rainwater in the storage case 11 further rises and reaches the height L3 at time T2. As a result, the rainwater in the storage case 11 is sucked up from the rainwater inlet 21a of the drain tube 21 and discharged from the rainwater outlet 21b. Therefore, the floating detection signal stops, the water surface of the rainwater in the storage case 11 drops, and becomes the height L1 at time T3.

[0040] If the rainfall continues, the water surface of the rainwater in the storage case 11 rises again and reaches the height L2 at time T4. The floating detection unit 10 detects the floating of the float 16 and outputs a floating detection signal again. In this way, when a predetermined amount of rainwater is stored in the storage case 11, the rainwater is drained, and the floating detection signal is repeatedly output. Therefore, when the bottom area of the storage case 11 is S, the water levels of the rainwater at times T1 and T4 are L1, and the water levels of the rainwater at times T2 and T5 are L3, the rainfall amount V can be calculated by the following formula (1) by the rain amount monitoring server 30 described later. V = S×(L3 - L1) / (T4 - T1) (1)

[0041] Here, S×(L3 - L1) indicating the storage amount of rainwater can be set to a fixed value obtained in advance by experiments or the like and corresponds to a predetermined amount. Also, in formula (1), since the time required for draining the rainwater (the time from time T2 to time T3) is sufficiently short compared to the time from T1 to T4, the rainfall amount during drainage can be ignored.

[0042] Next, the case where the apartment house H is flooded will be described with reference to FIG. 5. First, as time passes, the water level of the rainwater in the storage case 11 rises. Then, when the water level reaches the height L2, the floating detection unit 10 detects the floating of the float 16 and outputs a floating detection signal at time T1.

[0043] Subsequently, the water level of the rainwater in the storage case 11 further rises and reaches the height L3 at time T2. Here, when the storage case 11 is covered with rainwater due to flooding, the principle of the siphon is not applied, so the rainwater in the storage case 11 is not drained through the drain tube 21. Therefore, the water level of the rainwater in the storage case 11 continues to rise, reaches the same height as the opening 12 at time T2', and thereafter, the height of the water level of the rainwater does not change, and the output of the floating detection signal continues. The rainfall monitoring server 30 described later can determine the flooding situation of the apartment house H based on the continuous acquisition of the floating detection signal. In other words, the rainfall monitoring server 30 can grasp the occurrence of flooding and monitor the rainfall amount.

[0044] <<Rainfall Monitoring Server 30>> Next, the rainfall monitoring server 30 will be described. FIG. 6 shows the functional configuration of the rainfall monitoring server 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the rainfall monitoring server 30 mainly includes a control device 31 that controls the rainfall monitoring server 30 and a storage device 32.

[0045] The storage device 32 is a non-volatile auxiliary storage device composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like. The storage device 32 stores a measured rainfall storage unit 32a, an external rainfall information storage unit 32b, a map information storage unit 32c, and a rainfall monitoring program 32d executed by the control device 31.

[0046] The measured rainfall storage unit 32a stores the location information (latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the apartment house H where the floating detection unit 10 is disposed, the rainfall amount calculated by the rainfall calculation unit 31c described later, the calculation date and time, and the determination result of the flooding determination unit 31b. The external rainfall information storage unit 32b stores the rainfall observation information obtained by the rainfall monitoring server 30 from the Amedas data server 40, specifically, the location information of the observation site, the rainfall amount, and the observation date and time.

[0047] The map information storage unit 32c stores map information of the whole country. The map information is a city planning map capable of discriminating the land use form, but is not limited thereto. The map may be a topographic map with contour lines drawn. The rainfall monitoring program 32d is an application program executed by the control device 31, and is a program that causes the CPU of the control device 31 to execute the rainfall monitoring process described later with reference to FIG. 7.

[0048] The control device 31 has a CPU, a volatile memory, and a non-volatile memory, and is a control circuit that controls the rainfall monitoring server 30. The CPU of the control device 31 loads the rainfall monitoring program 32d stored in the storage device 32 into the volatile memory and sequentially executes it. Thereby, the control device 31 functions as a floating detection signal acquisition unit 31a, a flooding determination unit 31b, a rainfall calculation unit 31c, an external rainfall information acquisition unit 31d, and a monitoring result output unit 31e, which will be described later.

[0049] The floating detection signal acquisition unit 31a acquires the floating detection signal output by the floating detection unit 10 and the floating detection time when the floating detection signal is acquired. Specifically, the floating detection signal acquisition unit 31a receives the floating detection signal output by the floating detection unit 10 via the relay device and the communication line NW arranged in the apartment house H, and acquires the time at the time of reception.

[0050] The flooding determination unit 31b determines the flooding state of the apartment house H based on the floating detection signal. Specifically, the flooding determination unit 31b determines that the apartment house H is flooded when rainwater is not drained from the storage case 11 arranged in the apartment house H, that is, when the floating detection signal is continuously acquired for a predetermined time or more. However, without being limited thereto, the flooding determination unit 31b may determine the flooding situation of the apartment house H by performing a predetermined arithmetic process on the floating detection time.

[0051] When the inundation determination unit 31b determines that the apartment house H is not inundated, the rainfall calculation unit 31c calculates the rainfall based on the floating detection time. Specifically, the rainfall calculation unit 31c calculates the rainfall around the apartment house H by dividing the rainfall stored in the storage case 11 by the time interval of the floating detection time according to the above-described formula (1).

[0052] The external rainfall information acquisition unit 31d acquires rainfall observation information for the whole of Japan from the AMeDAS data server 40 via the communication line NW. Thereby, it becomes possible to grasp the rainfall in a wide area including the basin of the river. In addition, the external rainfall information acquisition unit 31d may acquire rainfall prediction information in addition to the rainfall observation information. Thereby, it becomes possible to predict in advance the damage situation due to inundation in the future and suppress in advance the occurrence of damage due to inundation.

[0053] The monitoring result output unit 31e outputs the determination result of the inundation determination unit 31b and the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit 31c. Specifically, the monitoring result output unit 31e transmits and outputs the determination result of the inundation determination unit 31b and the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit 31c to the rainfall monitoring terminal 50 via the communication line NW. In addition, the monitoring result output unit 31e outputs the determination result of the inundation determination unit 31b and the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit 31c to the measured rainfall storage unit 32a.

[0054] In addition, the monitoring result output unit 31e can generate a rainfall map screen 51 (see FIG. 8) in which the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit 31c is superimposed on the map information stored in the map information storage unit 32c, and output this to the rainfall monitoring terminal 50. Further, the monitoring result output unit 31e may superimpose the rainfall observation information acquired by the external rainfall information acquisition unit 31d on the rainfall map screen 51 and output it to the rainfall monitoring terminal 50.

[0055] <<Flow of Rainfall Monitoring Process>> Next, the flow of the rainfall monitoring process executed by the control device 31 will be described. FIG. 7 shows the flow of rainfall monitoring processing. First, the control device 31 determines whether it has acquired the floating detection signal output by the floating detection unit 10 (step S10). Specifically, the control device 31 determines whether it has received the floating detection signal output by the floating detection unit 10 via the relay device and the communication line NW arranged in the apartment house H. When it is determined that the floating detection signal has not been acquired (step S10: No), the control device 31 waits until the floating detection signal is acquired.

[0056] When it is determined that the floating detection signal has been acquired (step S10: Yes), the control device 31 determines the flooding situation of the apartment house H (step S11). Specifically, the control device 31 determines the flooding situation of the apartment house H by determining whether the floating detection signal is continuously output.

[0057] When it is determined that the apartment house H is not flooded (step S11: No), the control device 31 calculates the rainfall (step S12). Specifically, the control device 31 calculates the rainfall based on the time interval between the rainwater storage amount and the floating detection time. More specifically, the control device 31 calculates the rainfall according to the above formula (1).

[0058] Finally, the control device 31 outputs the calculation result of the rainfall (step S13). Specifically, the control device 31 generates a rainfall map in which the calculation result of the rainfall is superimposed on the map information and transmits it to the rainfall monitoring terminal 50. Also, the control device 31 stores the calculation result of the rainfall in the measured rainfall storage unit 32a. On the other hand, when it is determined that the apartment house H is flooded (step S11: Yes), the control device 31 outputs a flood warning indicating that flooding has occurred (step S14). Specifically, the control device 31 transmits the flood warning to the rainfall monitoring terminal 50. Also, the control device 31 stores the flood warning in the measured rainfall storage unit 32a.

[0059] <<Rainfall Map Screen 51>> Next, the rainfall map screen 51 output to the display unit of the rainfall monitoring terminal 50 will be described. FIG. 8 shows an example of the rainfall map screen 51. As shown in FIG. 8, on the rainfall map screen 51, a map display 52 of the area to be monitored, the rainfall calculation result superimposed on the rainfall measurement point 53 of the map display 52, and the rainfall observation information superimposed on the AMeDAS observation point 54 are displayed.

[0060] The operator of the rainfall monitoring terminal 50 can display the rainfall map screen 51 on the display unit of the rainfall monitoring terminal 50 by selecting the area to be monitored. On the rainfall map screen 51, the rainfall calculation result is displayed in a display mode corresponding to the rainfall calculated by the rainfall monitoring server 30. Specifically, the rainfall calculation result is displayed in different display colors according to the calculated rainfall. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 53a indicates a rainfall measurement point where the calculated rainfall is small, reference numeral 53b indicates a rainfall measurement point where the calculated rainfall is medium, and reference numeral 53c indicates a rainfall measurement point where the calculated rainfall is large.

[0061] Also, on the rainfall map screen 51, the rainfall observation information corresponding to the rainfall for each observation station acquired from the AMeDAS data server 40 is displayed in a display mode corresponding thereto. Specifically, the rainfall observation information is displayed in different display colors according to the observed rainfall.

[0062] Further, information indicating the occurrence of flooding may be displayed on the rainfall map screen 51. Specifically, a flood warning indicating that flooding has occurred is superimposed and displayed on the rainfall map screen 51. Thereby, the operator of the rainfall monitoring terminal 50 can accurately grasp the occurrence of flood damage and can monitor the rainfall in the surrounding area. Also, by superimposing and displaying the rainfall observation information acquired from the AMeDAS data server 40 on the rainfall map screen 51, it becomes possible to enrich the rainfall information of the area to be monitored.

[0063] The above describes the rainfall monitoring system 1 according to this embodiment. The above-described embodiment is merely an example for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and does not limit the present invention. That is, the present invention can be changed and improved without departing from its gist, and it goes without saying that equivalents thereof are included in the present invention.

[0064] In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the rainfall monitoring server 30 performs flooding determination and rainfall calculation based on the floating detection signal output by the floating detection unit 10, but it is not limited thereto. A relay device disposed in the apartment house H may perform flooding determination and rainfall calculation, and output the flooding determination result and the rainfall calculation result to the rainfall monitoring server 30 (in this case, the relay device and the rainfall monitoring server 30 correspond to the rainfall monitoring device). Further, the rainfall monitoring server 30 may be composed of a plurality of information communication servers connected via the communication line NW. Even in such a case, the operator of the rainfall monitoring terminal 50 can grasp the occurrence of flood damage by accessing the rainfall monitoring server 30 and monitor the rainfall in the surrounding area.

[0065] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the floating detection unit 10 has been described as including the drainage tube 21 that drains rainwater based on the principle of a siphon, but it is not limited thereto. The floating detection unit 10 may have drainage means that rotates to drain rainwater when a predetermined amount of rainwater is stored, like a bamboo water fountain. Even in such a case, the rainfall in the storage case 11 can be calculated.

[0066] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the floating detection signal acquisition unit 31a of the rainfall monitoring server 30 has been described as acquiring the time when the floating detection signal output by the floating detection unit 10 is received as the floating detection time, but it is not limited thereto. It is also possible to acquire the time when the floating detection unit 10 detects the floating of the float 16 and transmit it to the rainfall monitoring server 30 together with the floating detection signal.

[0067] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the flooding determination unit 31b has been described as determining that the apartment house H is flooded when it continuously acquires a floating detection signal for a predetermined time or longer. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the floating detection unit 10 outputs a drainage signal indicating that the rainwater in the storage case 11 has been drained, the flooding determination unit 31b may determine that the apartment house H is flooded when a drainage signal is not acquired even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the floating detection signal is acquired.

[0068] Also, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described as acquiring rainfall observation information from the AMeDAS data server 40. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The rainfall monitoring server 30 may acquire flood information provided by a disaster prevention information providing center. Further, the rainfall monitoring server 30 may acquire radar meteorological observation data, meteorological satellite observation data, etc. from an external information providing server and superimpose and display them on the rainfall map screen 51.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0069] 1 Rainfall monitoring system 10 Floating detection unit 11 Storage case 12 Opening 13 Side wall 13a Through hole 13b Packing 14 Bottom wall 15 Float switch 16 Float 16a Permanent magnet 17 Slide shaft 18 Lower stopper 19 Upper stopper 20 Output cable 21 Drainage tube (drainage means, drain pipe) 21a Rainwater inlet 21b Rainwater outlet 21c Connection part 30 Rainfall monitoring server (rainfall monitoring device) 31 Control device 31a Floating detection signal acquisition unit 31b Flooding determination unit 31c Rainfall calculation unit 31d External rainfall information acquisition unit 31e Monitoring result output unit 32 Memory device 32a Measured rainfall memory unit 32b External rainfall information memory unit 32c Map information memory unit 32d Rainfall monitoring program 40 AMeDAS data server (information providing device) 50 Rainfall monitoring terminal 51 Rainfall map screen 52 Map display 53, 53a, 53b, 53c Rainfall measurement points 54 Observation point H Apartment building NW Communication line S Water surface

Claims

1. A rainfall monitoring system comprising a floating detection unit that detects the floating of a floating body due to rainwater around a building and outputs a floating detection signal, and a rainfall monitoring device communicatively connected to the floating detection unit, wherein the floating detection unit includes a storage case for storing the rainwater, a float switch for detecting the floating of the floating body due to the rainwater stored in the storage case, and drainage means for draining the rainwater from the storage case when a predetermined amount of rainwater is stored in the storage case, the rainfall monitoring device includes a floating detection signal acquisition unit that acquires the floating detection signal and the floating detection time when the floating detection signal is acquired, a flooding determination unit that determines the flooding state of the building based on the floating detection signal, a rainfall calculation unit that calculates the rainfall based on the floating detection time when it is determined by the flooding determination unit that the building is not flooded, and a monitoring result output unit that outputs the determination result of the flooding determination unit and the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit. A rainfall monitoring system characterized by having these components.

2. The rainfall monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the rainfall calculation unit calculates the rainfall based on the time interval between the predetermined amount and the floating detection time.

3. The drainage means is a drain pipe for discharging the rainwater stored in the storage case from the storage case, and the drain pipe includes a rainwater suction port located at the lower end inside the storage case, a rainwater discharge port located outside the storage case and below the lower end of the storage case, and a connecting portion located above the water level of the rainwater when the floating of the floating body is detected and connecting between the rainwater suction port and the rainwater discharge port. The rainfall monitoring system according to claim 2, characterized by having these components.

4. The rainfall monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the connecting portion penetrates through a through hole formed in the side wall of the storage case.

5. The rainfall monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the flooding determination unit determines that the building is flooded based on continuously acquiring the floating detection signal for a predetermined time or more.

6. The rainfall monitoring device has a map information storage unit for storing map information, and the monitoring result output unit outputs a rainfall map in which the determination result of the flooding determination unit and the calculation result of the rainfall calculation unit are superimposed on the map information. The rainfall monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized by having this feature.

7. The rainfall monitoring device has an external rainfall information acquisition unit that acquires rainfall observation information from an external information providing device via a telecommunication line, The monitoring result output unit outputs the rainfall monitoring system according to claim 6, characterized in that the rainfall observation information is superimposed on the rainfall map and output.

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