water supply system

Abstract

To provide a water supply system that can predict abnormalities in the water supply equipment. [Solution] The water supply device BP1 has a first storage device 51 that temporarily stores operating status data of the water supply device BP1, and a second storage device 52 that stores error event data indicating an operating error alarm issued from the control unit 27 of the water supply device BP1. The monitoring device 1 is configured to predict abnormalities in the water supply device BP1 from the operating status data of the water supply device BP1.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a water supply system for supplying water to buildings such as office buildings, apartment houses, and houses, and particularly to a water supply system provided with a water supply device and a monitoring device for predicting abnormalities thereof.

Background Art

[0002] A water supply device is widely used as a pump device for supplying water to buildings such as office buildings, apartment houses, and houses. This water supply device generally includes a pump for pumping water, an electric motor for driving the pump, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the electric motor. The water supply device is connected directly to the main water pipe or via a water receiving tank, and supplies the water supplied from the main water pipe to water supply fixtures (for example, faucets) in the building.

[0003] The installation space for the water supply device at the customer's site is limited. Due to such a market background, there is a tendency to make the water supply device more compact and reduce unnecessary costs rather than aiming for high-class, resulting in a trend of reducing parts. On the other hand, since the water supply device plays an important role in supporting people's lives, when a malfunction occurs in the components of the water supply device, the control unit of the water supply device issues an alarm to prevent the water supply device from stopping operation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the causes of the malfunction of the water supply device are various, and it is difficult for the control unit of the water supply device to detect all abnormalities. In particular, in order to prevent the operation stop caused by the abnormality of the water supply device, it is necessary to predict the abnormality of the water supply device.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a water supply system that can predict abnormalities in the water supply equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one embodiment, a water supply system is provided, comprising a water supply device and a monitoring device for the water supply device, wherein the water supply device has a first storage device for temporarily storing operating status data of the water supply device and a second storage device for storing error event data indicating an operating error alarm issued from the control unit of the water supply device, and the monitoring device is configured to predict abnormalities in the water supply device from the operating status data of the water supply device.

[0008] In one embodiment, the storage capacity of the first storage device is smaller than the storage capacity of the second storage device. In one embodiment, the monitoring device includes a communication device that communicates with the water supply device, an analysis model constructed by machine learning using training data including the operating status data and the error event data, a storage device that stores a program, and a computing device that inputs the operating status data of the water supply device into the analysis model and outputs an abnormality prediction result for the water supply device from the analysis model. In one embodiment, the operating status data included in the training data includes the date and time of pump operation, cumulative operating time of pump, cumulative number of pump starts, discharge pressure of pump, and magnitude and frequency of the current supplied to the electric motor for driving the pump. In one embodiment, the abnormality prediction result includes analysis result data that presents predicted operating error alarms for the water supply device. In one embodiment, the monitoring device is configured to perform the machine learning according to the instructions included in the program. In one embodiment, the monitoring device is configured to create a maintenance suggestion file based on the anomaly prediction result. In one embodiment, the monitoring device is configured to periodically acquire the operating status data of the water supply device and store the operating status data in the storage device, thereby constructing an operating status history in the storage device. In one embodiment, the monitoring device is configured to determine the timing and appropriate time for maintenance of the water supply device based on the operating status history. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The first storage device is provided for temporarily storing operating status data, thus reducing its storage capacity. As a result, the control unit of the water supply system can be made more compact. The analysis model can analyze the operating status data of the water supply system to predict abnormalities in the system. The abnormality prediction results include analysis data that presents predicted operating error alarms for the water supply system, so the monitoring device can provide information necessary for the maintenance or repair of the water supply system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a water supply system including multiple water supply devices and monitoring devices. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a water supply system. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a maintenance proposal file. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a water supply system including a plurality of water supply devices and a monitoring device. The water supply system includes a plurality of water supply devices BP1, BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5, and a monitoring device 1 that monitors the operation of the plurality of water supply devices BP1, BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5. The plurality of water supply devices BP1 to BP5 are connected to the monitoring device 1 by a communication system such as the Internet or a local area network. In this embodiment, five water supply devices BP1 to BP5 are connected to the monitoring device 1 by a communication system, but the number of water supply devices is not limited to this embodiment. In one embodiment, only one water supply device may be connected to the monitoring device 1.

[0012] The monitoring device 1 comprises a communication device 2 that communicates with multiple water supply devices BP1 to BP5, a storage device 7 that stores an analysis model 5, a database 6, and a program 8, and an arithmetic unit 9 that performs calculations according to the instructions contained in the program 8. The monitoring device 1 consists of at least one computer. The storage device 7 comprises a main memory such as random access memory (RAM) and an auxiliary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD). Examples of the arithmetic unit 9 include a CPU (central processing unit) and a GPU (graphics processing unit). However, the specific configuration of the monitoring device 1 is not limited to these examples.

[0013] Water supply systems BP1 to BP5 are pump systems used to supply water to buildings such as office buildings, apartment buildings, and houses. Since each of the BP1 to BP5 water supply systems has the same basic configuration, the specific configuration of water supply system BP1 will be described below. The following description of water supply system BP1 also applies to the other water supply systems BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5.

[0014] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the water supply device BP1. As shown in Figure 1, the suction port of the water supply device BP1 is connected to a water supply source 14, such as a main water pipe or a water tank, via an introduction pipe 15. A water distribution pipe 17 is connected to the discharge port of the water supply device BP1, and this water distribution pipe 17 communicates with water supply fixtures (e.g., faucets) located inside the building. The water supply device BP1 is a pumping device for pressurizing water from the water supply source 14 and supplying it to each water supply fixture in the building.

[0015] The water supply device BP1 includes a pump 20 that pressurizes water supplied from a water supply source 14 via an inlet pipe 15, an electric motor 23 as a drive source for driving the pump 20, an inverter 25 which is an example of a variable speed device for the electric motor 23, a control unit 27 that controls the water supply operation of the water supply device BP1 (i.e., the operation of the pump 20), a check valve 30 located downstream of the pump 20, a flow detector (flow switch) 34 located downstream of the check valve 30, a discharge side pressure sensor 36, and a pressure tank 37.

[0016] The check valve 30 is installed in the discharge pipe 38 connected to the discharge port of the pump 20 and is a valve for preventing backflow of water when the pump 20 stops. The flow detector 34 is a device for detecting when the flow rate of water flowing through the discharge pipe 38 is below a predetermined small flow rate. The discharge-side pressure sensor 36 is a water pressure measuring instrument for measuring the discharge-side pressure of the pump 20. The pressure tank 37 is a pressure retainer for maintaining the discharge-side pressure while the pump 20 is stopped. The water distribution pipe 17 is connected to the discharge pipe 38.

[0017] One end of a suction pipe 39 is connected to the suction port of the pump 20, and the other end of the suction pipe 39 is connected to the inlet pipe 15. A backflow preventer and a suction-side pressure sensor may be attached to the suction pipe 39. This backflow preventer is installed to prevent water from flowing back into the inlet pipe 15.

[0018] Water is supplied from the water supply source 14 to the pump 20 through the introduction pipe 15 and the suction pipe 39. When the electric motor 23 drives the pump 20, the pump 20 pressurizes the water and supplies water to the building. A part of the water pressurized by the pump 20 is stored in the pressure tank 37. When the operation of the pump 20 stops, the water pressure in the water distribution pipe 17 is maintained by the pressure tank 37.

[0019] The water supply device BP1 may include a bypass pipe 41 that bypasses the pump 20. The upstream end of the bypass pipe 41 is connected to the suction pipe 39, and the downstream end of the bypass pipe 41 is connected to the discharge pipe 38. A check valve 46 is attached to the bypass pipe 41 to prevent the backflow of water in the bypass pipe 41. This bypass pipe 41 is provided to enable water supply only with the inflow pressure.

[0020] The control unit 27 controls the operation of the pump 20 by controlling the operations of the inverter 25 and the electric motor 23. More specifically, the control unit 27 controls the rotational speed of the pump 20 based on the output signal of the discharge side pressure sensor 36. Generally, the rotational speed of the pump 20 is controlled so that the pressure signal measured by the discharge side pressure sensor 36 matches the set target pressure, and discharge side pressure constant control is performed to make the discharge side pressure of the pump 20 constant. Also, by appropriately changing the target value of the discharge side pressure of the pump 20, estimated end pressure constant control is performed, which estimates the water pressure while controlling so that the water pressure in the water supply fixture arranged at the most downstream (end) in the building becomes constant.

[0021] The control unit 27 controls the start-up and stop of the pump 20. In one embodiment, when the pressure measured by the discharge side pressure sensor 36 becomes lower than the set start-up pressure, the control unit 27 starts the pump 20, and when the flow detector 34 detects that the flow rate of the water flowing through the discharge pipe 38 is below a predetermined small water volume, the pressure tank 37 is pressurized to stop the pump 20. In the water supply device BP1 of this embodiment, when the pump 20 performs fixed-speed operation, the inverter 25, which is a variable-speed device, may not be provided.

[0022] The control unit 27 includes a first storage device 51 for temporarily storing operating status data of the water supply device BP1, and a second storage device 52 for storing error event data indicating operating error alarms issued by the control unit 27 of the water supply device BP1. The operating status data includes information indicating the operating status of the water supply device BP1, and includes, for example, the operating date and time of the pump 20 (e.g., the date, time, and season when the pump 20 was started and stopped), the cumulative operating time of the pump 20, the cumulative number of times the pump 20 was started, the discharge pressure of the pump 20, and the magnitude and frequency of the current supplied to the electric motor 23.

[0023] The control unit 27 is configured to update the operating status data stored in the first storage device 51 each time a predetermined data acquisition period has elapsed. That is, the control unit 27 stores the operating status data acquired during a certain data acquisition period in the first storage device 51, and when that data acquisition period has elapsed, it erases the operating status data in the first storage device 51 and newly stores the operating status data acquired during the next data acquisition period in the first storage device 51. Therefore, each time a data acquisition period has elapsed, the operating status data in the first storage device 51 is replaced with new data. The data acquisition period is the length of time over which the operating status data is acquired.

[0024] In response to this, each time an operation error alarm is issued from the control unit 27, error event data indicating that operation error alarm is stored in the second storage device 52. The error event data is not erased and is accumulated in the second storage device 52. The operation error alarm is issued by the control unit 27 when it detects an abnormality in the water supply device BP1 (for example, excessive starting frequency of the pump 20, abnormal discharge pressure). The error event data includes the date on which the operation error alarm was issued.

[0025] Since the operating status data is periodically erased from the first storage device 51, the storage capacity of the first storage device 51 can be kept small. In this embodiment, the storage capacity of the first storage device 51 is smaller than the storage capacity of the second storage device 52. The first storage device 51 and the second storage device 52 may be physically different storage devices, or they may be two virtual storage devices built within a single storage device. In one embodiment, the first storage device 51 is composed of volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), and the second storage device 52 is composed of non-volatile memory such as flash memory.

[0026] The control unit 27 is comprised of a computer. The control unit 27 further includes an arithmetic unit 60 that performs calculations according to instructions contained in a program stored in the first storage device 51, or the second storage device 52, or other storage devices (not shown) within the control unit 27.

[0027] The control unit 27 of the water supply system BP1 transmits the operating status data of the water supply system BP1 to the monitoring device 1 shown in Figure 1 before erasing the data from the first storage device 51. The operating status data is stored as time-series data in the database 6 within the storage device 7 of the monitoring device 1. Furthermore, the control unit 27 of the water supply system BP1 transmits error event data of the water supply system BP1 to the monitoring device 1 periodically or irregularly. The error event data is also similarly stored as time-series data in the database 6 within the storage device 7 of the monitoring device 1.

[0028] The other water supply devices BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5 shown in Figure 1 also periodically transmit their operating status data to the monitoring device 1, similar to water supply device BP1. The monitoring device 1 periodically acquires the operating status data of water supply devices BP1 to BP5 and stores the operating status data in the storage device 7, thereby building an operating status history for each water supply device BP1 to BP5 in the storage device 7.

[0029] Similar to water supply unit BP1, error event data from water supply units BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5 are sent periodically or irregularly from water supply units BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5 to monitoring unit 1 and stored in database 6 of storage device 7. Error event data for water supply units BP1 to BP5 are accumulated in database 6 for each water supply unit BP1 to BP5. Error event data indicating that an operational error alarm has been issued is used as the correct label for the machine learning training data described below.

[0030] The monitoring device 1 creates training data containing operating status data and error event data for water supply devices BP1, BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5 stored in the database 6 of the storage device 7, and creates an analysis model 5 by performing machine learning using this training data. The analysis model 5 created by machine learning is stored in the storage device 7 as a trained model. The operating status data of water supply devices BP1, BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5 included in the training data is used as explanatory variables in machine learning, and the error event data of water supply devices BP1, BP2, BP3, BP4, and BP5 included in the training data is used as the target variable (ground truth label) in machine learning.

[0031] Machine learning is performed by the arithmetic unit 9 according to instructions contained in a program 8 pre-stored in the memory device 7. Machine learning is not particularly limited as long as the intended analysis model 5 can be constructed. Examples of machine learning include deep learning, SVR (support vector regression), PLS (partial least squares), random forest, and decision tree. For example, deep learning is a machine learning method that uses a neural network consisting of an input layer, two or more hidden layers, and an output layer. In one embodiment, the analysis model 5 is a trained model consisting of a neural network constructed by deep learning.

[0032] The training data includes error event data and operating status data for multiple water supply devices BP1 to BP5 shown in Figure 1. However, in one embodiment, it may also include error event data and operating status data for multiple other water supply devices not connected to the monitoring device 1. In this case, the monitoring device 1 acquires training data including error event data and operating status data for multiple other water supply devices and constructs the analysis model 5 by performing machine learning using that training data.

[0033] The monitoring device 1 can predict abnormalities in water supply devices BP1 to BP5 based on their respective operating status data. For example, if the water supply device to be monitored is water supply device BP1, the arithmetic unit 9 of the monitoring device 1 operates as follows, according to the instructions contained in the program 8 in the storage device 7. The arithmetic unit 9 extracts the operating status data of the monitored water supply device BP1 from the database 6 in the storage device 7, inputs the operating status data of water supply device BP1 into the analysis model 5, and outputs the abnormality prediction result for water supply device BP1 from the analysis model 5.

[0034] The anomaly prediction results include analysis data that presents predicted operating error alarms for the water supply unit BP1. For example, when the current operating status data of the water supply unit BP1 is input to analysis model 5, analysis model 5 submits analysis data that presents a prediction of an operating error alarm indicating an anomaly in the discharge side pressure. Therefore, the user of the water supply unit BP1 can request inspection or maintenance of the water supply unit BP1 from the pump manufacturer based on the anomaly prediction results shown in the analysis data, thereby preventing the water supply unit BP1 from shutting down.

[0035] The arithmetic unit 9 of the monitoring device 1 is configured to create a maintenance suggestion file based on the abnormality prediction results, in accordance with the instructions contained in the program 8 stored in the storage device 7. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a maintenance suggestion file. As shown in Figure 3, the maintenance suggestion file indicates the predicted operating error alarms of the water supply device BP1 (in the example shown in Figure 3, excessive starting frequency of the pump 20). The maintenance suggestion file in this embodiment consists of an electronic file.

[0036] The storage device 7 of the monitoring device 1 pre-stores the contact information (telephone number, email address, etc.) of the users of water supply units BP1 to BP5. The arithmetic unit 9 of the monitoring device 1, following the instructions contained in the program 8 stored in the storage device 7, issues commands to the communication device 2 to send a maintenance suggestion file to the external terminal device 200 of the user of water supply unit BP1 via a communication system such as the internet. The user of water supply unit BP1 can learn about the predicted operating error alarms for water supply unit BP1 from the contents of the maintenance suggestion file.

[0037] The monitoring device 1 periodically acquires operating status data of the water supply system BP1 to be monitored and stores the operating status data of the water supply system BP1 in the storage device 7, thereby building an operating status history in the storage device 7. Based on the operating status history of the water supply system BP1, the monitoring device 1 determines the maintenance timing and suitable time slots for the water supply system BP1.

[0038] The operating status history includes time-series data of the operating dates and times of pump 20 within the operating status data of the water supply system BP1 (e.g., the date, time, and season when pump 20 was started and stopped). Therefore, the monitoring device 1 can determine the desirable maintenance period and the appropriate time for maintenance based on the dates and times when pump 20 of the water supply system BP1 is stopped. The desirable maintenance period is a time when the utilization rate of pump 20 is low. The appropriate time for maintenance is a time that allows sufficient time to be allocated for the maintenance. Maintenance personnel can perform maintenance smoothly without burdening the user of the water supply system BP1 during the maintenance period and time indicated by the monitoring device 1.

[0039] The embodiments described above are intended to enable persons with ordinary skill in the art to implement the present invention. Various modifications of the above embodiments can be made naturally by those skilled in the art, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention can be applied to other embodiments as well. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but is to be interpreted in the broadest sense according to the technical idea defined by the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0040] BP1, BP2, BP3, BP4, BP5 Water supply equipment 1 Monitoring device 2. Communication device 5. Analysis Model 6 Databases 7 Storage device 8 Programs 9 Arithmetic unit 14 Water sources 15 Introductory tube 17 Water pipe 20 pumps 23 Electric motor 25 Inverter 27 Control Unit 30 Check valve 34. Flow detector (flow switch) 36 Discharge-side pressure sensor 37 Pressure Tank 38 Discharge pipe 39 Suction pipe 41 Bypass pipe 46 Check valve 51 1st storage device 52. Second Memory Measure 60 Arithmetic unit 200 External terminal devices

Claims

1. Water supply equipment, The water supply system is equipped with a monitoring device, The water supply device is A first storage device for temporarily storing the operating status data of the water supply device, It has a second storage device that stores error event data indicating an operation error alarm issued from the control unit of the water supply device, A water supply system comprising a monitoring device configured to predict abnormalities in the water supply system from operating status data of the water supply system.

2. The water supply system according to claim 1, wherein the storage capacity of the first storage device is smaller than the storage capacity of the second storage device.

3. The aforementioned monitoring device is A communication device that communicates with the aforementioned water supply device, An analytical model constructed by machine learning using training data including the aforementioned operating status data and the aforementioned error event data, and a storage device in which a program is stored, The water supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a calculation device that inputs operating status data of the water supply device into the analysis model and outputs abnormality prediction results for the water supply device from the model.

4. The water supply system according to claim 3, wherein the operating status data included in the training data includes the date and time of pump operation, cumulative operating time of pump, cumulative number of pump starts, discharge pressure of pump, and magnitude and frequency of the current supplied to the electric motor for driving the pump.

5. The water supply system according to claim 3, wherein the abnormality prediction result includes analysis result data that presents predicted operating error alarms for the water supply device.

6. The water supply system according to claim 3, wherein the monitoring device is configured to perform the machine learning according to the instructions included in the program.

7. The water supply system according to claim 3, wherein the monitoring device is configured to create a maintenance suggestion file based on the abnormality prediction result.

8. The water supply system according to claim 3, wherein the monitoring device is configured to periodically acquire the operating status data of the water supply system and store the operating status data in the storage device to build an operating status history in the storage device.

9. The water supply system according to claim 8, wherein the monitoring device is configured to determine the maintenance timing and suitable time for maintenance of the water supply device based on the operating status history.

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