Specific instrument identification method

Abstract

This disclosure provides a method for identifying specific gas appliances that can improve the accuracy of identifying the type of gas appliance. [Solution] The method for determining a specific appliance in this disclosure includes: a first step of detecting a stable gas flow rate based on the gas flow rate measured at predetermined time intervals; a second step of determining the average gas flow rate after detecting the stable gas flow rate in the first step; and a third step of determining that a gas appliance that has started operation is a specific appliance if the increase in the gas flow rate relative to the average flow rate is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value, or if the decrease in the gas flow rate relative to the average flow rate is greater than or equal to a second predetermined value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a specific appliance determination method for determining the types of gas appliances using gas.

Background Art

[0002] Normally, a gas meter is connected to a plurality of gas appliances, and the gas passing through the gas meter is supplied to the plurality of gas appliances. By determining the types of the gas appliances being used among the plurality of gas appliances, it becomes possible to provide users with the gas consumption amount for each appliance and the safety information for each appliance, and it becomes possible to expand the scope of services provided by gas utilities.

[0003] The gas meter measures the gas flow rate at regular time intervals, and by comparing the pattern of the change in the measured gas flow rate with the pattern of the change in the gas flow rate previously obtained for each type of gas appliance, there is a method for determining the type of the gas appliance being used. For example, there is a method of detecting a change in the gas flow rate specific to the start of operation for each type of gas appliance and determining which type of gas appliance is operating by detecting this change.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, even for gas appliances of different types, there are those with similar gas flow rate ranges in use, and it is not easy to determine the types of such gas appliances.

[0006] Therefore, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which a detection device is attached to gas appliances with similar gas flow rate ranges among several gas appliances to detect whether or not the gas appliance is operating. In this configuration of Patent Document 1, a detection device is required.

[0007] This disclosure was made to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a method for identifying specific gas appliances that can improve the accuracy of identifying the type of gas appliance without providing a detection device for detecting whether or not the gas appliance is operating. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The method for determining a specific appliance in this disclosure includes: a first step of detecting a stable gas flow rate based on the gas flow rate measured at predetermined time intervals; a second step of determining the average gas flow rate after detecting the stable flow rate in the first step; and a third step of determining that a gas appliance that has started operation is a specific appliance if the increase in the gas flow rate relative to the average flow rate is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value, or if the decrease in the gas flow rate relative to the average flow rate is greater than or equal to a second predetermined value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The specific appliance identification method in this disclosure has the configuration described above and can perform gas appliance identification that improves the accuracy of identifying the type of gas appliance without providing a detection device for detecting whether or not the gas appliance is operating. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Block diagram showing the configuration of the gas meter in Embodiment 1 [Figure 2] Flowchart for explaining the operation of the device identification unit in Embodiment 1 [Figure 3] (1) A graph showing the gas consumption since the start of use of a specific appliance, (2) A diagram showing the measurement count and flow rate values ​​from the same graph in a table format. [Figure 4](1) A graph showing the gas consumption since the start of use of a specific appliance, (2) A diagram showing the measurement count and flow rate values ​​from the same graph in a table format. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] (Knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) With the practical application of so-called ultrasonic flowmeters, which utilize the propagation time of ultrasonic waves to measure instantaneous flow rates, a technology has been developed to identify the type of gas appliance by analyzing the measured flow rate change pattern.

[0012] Gas appliances refer to types based on differences in category according to their intended use, such as fan heaters, dryers (clothes dryers), gas stoves (gas cooktops), water heaters, gas stoves, and gas floor heating.

[0013] However, even within the same type of gas appliance, differences in model, output (number), manufacturer, etc., can result in variations in gas flow rate and its changes. Therefore, the selection criteria for each type are set within a certain range so that gas appliances of the same type can be selected as the same type. Consequently, even for different types of gas appliances, there may be a range of common selection criteria. If an appliance falls within this common range, it cannot be selected as a single type, and multiple types must be selected. In particular, for fan heaters and dryers, the range of gas flow rates is similar, and the common range of selection criteria is wide, making it difficult to identify which type an appliance belongs to in the type selection section.

[0014] The inventors discovered that in certain gas appliances, after a period of stable flow rate, the flow rate increases or decreases depending on the operating mode. They found that this phenomenon could be used to identify the appliance, which constitutes the subject matter of this disclosure.

[0015] Therefore, this disclosure provides a gas meter capable of identifying a specific gas appliance based on changes in flow rate within a predetermined period after the start of operation.

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, detailed descriptions that are not necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters or duplicate descriptions of substantially the same configurations may be omitted.

[0017] Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0018] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 will be described using FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0019] [1-1. Configuration] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a configuration example of the gas meter according to the present embodiment.

[0020] The gas meter 1 includes a flow path 10, a flow rate measurement unit 11, and a control unit 12. A plurality of types of gas appliances 21 to 23 are connected to the flow path 10 via an external pipe 10b. That is, the flow path 10 is a common gas flow path that supplies gas to a plurality of types of gas appliances 21 to 23. Although not shown, the gas meter 1 may be provided with known configurations other than the flow rate measurement unit 11 and the control device 12.

[0021] The flow rate measurement unit 11 measures the gas flow rate (instantaneous flow rate) flowing in the flow path 10 at predetermined time intervals and outputs it as flow rate data to the control unit 12. Typically, an ultrasonic flow meter can be cited as the flow rate measurement unit 11. The ultrasonic flow meter transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the gas flowing in the flow path 10 at regular time intervals, thereby measuring the gas flow rate and outputting it as flow rate data. The specific configuration of the ultrasonic flow meter is not particularly limited, and a known configuration can be used.

[0022] The control unit 12 is composed of a microcomputer or microcontroller, and includes a CPU and memory (ROM and RAM). The CPU can control the entire gas meter 1 by executing a control program stored in the memory. In addition to the control program, various other information can be stored in the memory. The control unit 12 may be composed of a single control device that provides centralized control, or it may be composed of multiple control devices that cooperate with each other to provide distributed control.

[0023] The control unit 12 can, for example, calculate and store the amount of gas used at predetermined intervals from the gas flow rate measured by the flow rate measurement unit 11. The gas meter 1 may also have a function to transmit information such as the cumulative value of gas usage to a monitoring device (computer) at a monitoring center (not shown). In this embodiment, the control unit 12 also functions as an appliance identification unit 15.

[0024] The device discrimination unit 15 consists of a flow rate storage unit 15a that stores the flow rate measured at predetermined intervals by the flow rate measurement unit 11 in a time series, a difference value calculation unit 15b that calculates the difference between the flow rate before and after the flow rate stored in the flow rate storage unit 15a, a first determination unit that determines whether the difference value calculated by the difference value calculation unit 15b within a first predetermined period satisfies predetermined conditions, an average flow rate calculation unit 15d that calculates the average flow rate if the first determination unit determines that the predetermined conditions are met, and a second determination unit 15e that determines whether the difference between the absolute value of the maximum or minimum flow rate and the average flow rate within a second predetermined period is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

[0025] [1-2. Operation] The operation and function of the gas meter configured as described above will be explained below.

[0026] Figures 3 and 4 show graphs of the change in gas consumption and measured flow rate values ​​immediately after starting operation of a specific gas appliance, such as a gas dryer. The difference between Figure 3 and Figure 4 is due to the different operating modes. In the graphs shown in Figures 3(1) and 4(1), the horizontal axis represents the number of measurements taken by the flow rate measurement unit 11 at predetermined time intervals (e.g., 0.5 seconds), with the start of operation being 1 and going up to 21. The vertical axis represents the measured flow rate value for each measurement taken by the flow rate measurement unit 11. In addition, the tables shown in Figures 3(2) and 4(2) indicate the measurement times in which the measured flow rate value, the difference value (described later), and the maximum and minimum flow rates were measured for each measurement time in the graphs shown in Figures 3(1) and 4(1) with a circle (○).

[0027] For the sake of simplicity, Figures 3 and 4 show the same measured flow rate for measurement cycles 1 through 11, while the measured flow rate from measurement cycle 12 onwards increases or decreases depending on the operating mode.

[0028] The method for identifying devices by the device identification unit 15 will be explained below using the flowchart shown in Figure 2, and the graphs and tables shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0029] The appliance identification unit 15 monitors the measured flow rate measured at predetermined intervals by the flow rate measurement unit 11 and determines whether the gas appliance should start operating based on whether the flow rate has reached a predetermined value (51.82 L / h) or higher (S101). If it is determined that the appliance should start operating (Yes in S101), the flow rate storage unit 15a stores the time when the measured flow rate value was 0 as the flow rate for measurement round 1, and thereafter stores the measured flow rate values ​​at predetermined intervals in chronological order from measurement round 1 to 21 (S102).

[0030] In the case of the flow rate change shown in Figure 3, the flow rate storage unit 15a works backward from point A, where a predetermined value (51.82 L / h) or higher was measured, and stores the flow rate values ​​measured from measurement 1 to 21, with point B, where the flow rate was 0, being designated as measurement 1. The same applies to the flow rate change shown in Figure 4.

[0031] When the measured flow rate values ​​for measurement cycles 1 to 21 are stored in the flow rate storage unit 15a, the first determination unit 15c extracts the measured flow rate values ​​corresponding to the first predetermined period (in this embodiment, the measured flow rate values ​​for measurement cycles 3 to 12) (S103) and determines whether or not there is a stable flow rate (S104).

[0032] In this embodiment, as a method for determining whether or not there is a stable flow rate, the difference value calculation unit 15b calculates the difference value of the flow rate before and after the measurement within the first predetermined period, and if the difference value is less than or equal to a predetermined value ΔQ (10L) for a predetermined number of consecutive times (6 times), it is determined that there is a stable flow rate.

[0033] The table in Figure 3(2) shows the difference value ΔQ(n) before and after each measurement. As can be seen from Figure 3(2), the difference value was 10L or less for seven consecutive measurements between measurement times 4 and 11, indicating that the condition for stable flow rate is met.

[0034] If a stable flow rate is determined (Yes in process S104), the average flow rate calculation unit 15d calculates the average flow rate Qm (S105). In the example shown in Figure 3(2), the average flow rate Qm (=100.4 L / h) is calculated by averaging the eight measured flow rates Q(4) to Q(11) from measurement rounds 4 to 11. If a stable flow rate is not determined (No in process S104), the process is terminated.

[0035] In this embodiment, the average flow rate was calculated using all flow rate values ​​where the difference between the measurement cycles was less than or equal to a predetermined value ΔQ. However, the average flow rate may also be calculated by averaging the flow rate values ​​excluding the maximum and minimum values.

[0036] Next, when the average flow rate Qm is determined in process S105, the second determination unit 15e extracts the measured flow rate values ​​corresponding to the second predetermined period (in this embodiment, the measured flow rate values ​​from measurement times 9 to 20) (S106), determines the maximum flow rate Qmax during this second predetermined period (S107), and determines whether the absolute value of the difference between this and the average flow rate Qm, |Qm-Qmax|, is greater than or equal to a predetermined value ΔQa (for example, 20 L / h) (S108).

[0037] Then, if the difference between the average flow rate Qm and the maximum flow rate Qmax is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined value ΔQa (Yes in process S108), the gas appliance that has started operation is determined to be a specific appliance (S109). In the case of the flow rate change shown in Figure 3, the maximum value is 157 L / h in measurement cycle 14, and |Qm-Qmax|=56.6 L / h, so it is determined to be a specific gas appliance. Also, in the case of the flow rate change shown in Figure 4, the maximum value is 102 L / h in measurement cycle 11, and |Qm-Qmax|=1.6 L / h, so it is not determined to be a specific gas appliance in process S108.

[0038] If the difference between the average flow rate Qm and the maximum flow rate Qmax is not determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined value ΔQa (No in process S108), the minimum flow rate Qmin during the second predetermined period is determined (S110), and it is determined whether the absolute value of the difference between this and the average flow rate Qm, |Qm-Qmin|, is greater than or equal to a predetermined value ΔQb (for example, 10 L / h) (S111).

[0039] Then, if the difference between the average flow rate Qm and the minimum flow rate Qmin is determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined value ΔQb (Yes in process S111), the gas appliance that has started operation is determined to be a specific appliance (S109). In the case of the flow rate change shown in Figure 4, it was not determined to be a specific gas appliance in process S108, but the minimum value is 80 L / h in measurement cycle 14, and |Qm-Qmax|=20.4 L / h, so it will be determined to be a specific gas appliance.

[0040] As described above, according to this embodiment, a specific device can be identified based on the magnitude of the increase or decrease in flow rate after a stable flow rate has been detected.

[0041] Note that the predetermined values ​​ΔQa and ΔQb may be the same. Also, the starting point of the second predetermined period may be included within the first predetermined period.

[0042] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the gas meter 1 includes a flow rate measuring unit 11 that measures the flow rate at predetermined intervals, and an appliance identification unit 15 that identifies a gas appliance based on the change in flow rate measured by the flow rate measuring unit 11. The appliance identification unit 15 calculates the difference between the current and previous flow rate values ​​measured by the flow rate measuring unit 11, and if the flow rate at which the difference value is within a predetermined value is measured consecutively a predetermined number of times or more within a first predetermined period after the gas appliance has started operating, it calculates the average flow rate at which the difference value is within a predetermined value. If the absolute value of the difference between the maximum or minimum flow rate and the average flow rate within a second predetermined period starting after the start of the first predetermined period is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, it determines that the gas appliance that has started operating is a specific appliance. Thus, a specific gas appliance can be identified based on the magnitude of the increase or decrease in flow rate after a stable flow rate has been detected. [Industrial applicability]

[0043] This disclosure is useful as a gas meter that can improve the accuracy of identifying the type of gas appliance without providing a detection device for detecting whether or not the gas appliance is operating. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1. Gas meter 11 Flow Measurement Unit 15 Instrument discrimination section

Claims

1. A first step of detecting the stable flow rate of the gas based on the gas flow rate measured at predetermined intervals, After detecting the stable flow rate in the first step, a second step is performed to determine the average flow rate of the gas, A third step in which the gas appliance that has started operation is determined to be a specified appliance when the increase in the gas flow rate relative to the average flow rate is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value, or when the decrease in the gas flow rate relative to the average flow rate is greater than or equal to a second predetermined value, A method for determining specific devices, including the method for determining specific devices.

2. The first step involves calculating the difference between two consecutive gas flow rates measured at predetermined time intervals, and detecting the stable flow rate when the difference value is less than or equal to a predetermined value for six consecutive times. The method for determining a specific device according to claim 1.

3. The third step determines that a gas appliance that has started operation is a specified appliance if, within a predetermined period, the increase in the gas flow rate relative to the average flow rate is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value, or the decrease in the gas flow rate relative to the average flow rate is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value. The method for determining a specific device according to claim 1 or 2.

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