Gas Remote Monitoring System

Abstract

To provide a monitoring system capable of monitoring whether or not a worker is exposed to a noxious gas from a remote site at a real time, and quickly notifying an administrator of information on the fact if exposed.SOLUTION: A monitoring system comprises: a potable type gas monitor 1; a GPS mounting portable terminal 2 that is connected to this gas monitor 1 in radio, receives gas information g from the gas monitor 1, and transmits the gas information g and position information p to a management server 3; and a management server 3 that stores the gas information g and the position information p transmitted from the portable terminal 2, in which the gas information g and the position information p on a wave page provided by the management server 3 can be monitored. The management server 3 transmits a warning mail to which the gas information g and the position information p are attached, to a communication terminal T of an administrator when a gas concentration is at an abnormal value level and the management server receives the gas information g and the position information p requiring outgoing of the warning.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a remote gas monitoring system that can monitor in real time from a remote location whether a worker is exposed to a toxic gas or an oxygen-deficient atmosphere in order to protect the workers who work in environments where toxic gases may be generated or oxygen may be deficient, and that can take appropriate and prompt action if the worker is exposed. [Background technology]

[0002] For safety reasons, workers who work in environments where toxic gases may be generated usually carry portable gas monitors. Conventional portable gas monitors sound an alarm when they detect toxic gas. However, this alarm is only for the worker who carries the monitor, and some gas monitors store the measured values ​​inside the monitor itself. In either case, the manager cannot immediately know the gas information unless he is in the vicinity of the worker. For this reason, it is not possible to prevent accidents in which workers ignore the alarm sounding of the gas monitor and end up suffering from gas poisoning, and it is also not possible to locate workers who are unable to move due to gas poisoning and perform appropriate rescue.

[0003] In response to such problems, the following have been proposed as monitoring systems or danger notification systems for notifying outside parties (such as administrators) of information detected by gas monitors. Patent Document 1 proposes a monitoring system in which docking stations are distributed and installed in specified areas to be monitored, gas monitors are attached to these docking stations, the information is collected in a data server, the results are analyzed and communicated to the outside world (for example, sending a warning message to security personnel).

[0004] Patent Document 2 also proposes a danger warning system in which a portable danger warning device equipped with a current location detection unit, a surrounding gas concentration detection unit, and a warning information generation unit that generates warning information indicating that the gas concentration has exceeded a threshold value is carried by a worker at the site, and the warning information is transmitted from the portable danger warning device together with location information to a danger warning device (management server).The danger warning device determines the worker's level of danger, and reports gas generation and its location to a mobile information terminal device carried by a person (worker or other person) near the site. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-175709 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-280262 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques have the following problems. The system in Patent Document 1 collects information from gas monitors in a data server via a docking station, analyzes the results, and sends warning messages, etc. However, there are problems such as: (i) it requires dedicated equipment such as a docking station, and moreover, the docking stations need to be installed in predetermined areas where monitoring is performed, making it poorly versatile and increasing the equipment costs; (ii) it lacks real-time capabilities because the gas monitor needs to be set in the docking station; and (iii) the gas information obtained is not associated with location information. In particular, problems (ii) and (iii) mean that managers cannot obtain detailed information about workers who are currently exposed to toxic gases. Furthermore, the system of Patent Document 2 also requires a dedicated portable danger alarm device, which results in poor versatility and high equipment costs.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a gas monitoring system that solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and that can acquire gas information and location information of the location where a worker is working without using a dedicated device, monitor in real time from a remote location whether the worker is exposed to a toxic gas or an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, and, if exposed, immediately report the gas information and location information to a manager. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has the following features. [1] A system comprising: a portable gas monitor (1); a GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) that is wirelessly connected to the portable gas monitor (1) and receives gas information (g) from the portable gas monitor (1), associates the gas information (g) with location information (p) acquired by a GPS function, and transmits the gas information (g) and the location information (p) to a management server (3); and a management server (3) that stores the gas information (g) and the location information (p) transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2); A remote gas monitoring system characterized in that it enables gas information (g) and location information (p) to be monitored in real time on a web page provided by a management server (3). [2] The remote gas monitoring system according to [1] above, characterized in that the gas information (g) and location information (p) stored in the management server (3) are displayed on a map on a web page provided by the management server (3).

[0009] [3] A system comprising: a portable gas monitor (1); a GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) that is wirelessly connected to the portable gas monitor (1) and receives gas information (g) from the portable gas monitor (1), associates the gas information (g) with location information (p) acquired by a GPS function, and transmits the gas information (g) and the location information (p) to a management server (3); and a management server (3) that stores the gas information (g) and the location information (p) transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2); A remote gas monitoring system characterized in that when a management server (3) receives gas information (g) and location information (p) indicating that the gas concentration is at an abnormal level and that an alarm must be issued, the management server (3) transmits an alarm email including the gas information (g) and location information (p) to a communication terminal (T) of an administrator whose email address has been registered in advance.

[0010] [4] A system comprising: a portable gas monitor (1); a GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) that is wirelessly connected to the portable gas monitor (1) and receives gas information (g) from the portable gas monitor (1), associates the gas information (g) with location information (p) acquired by a GPS function, and transmits the gas information (g) and the location information (p) to a management server (3); and a management server (3) that stores the gas information (g) and the location information (p) transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2); The gas information (g) and the location information (p) can be monitored in real time on a web page provided by the management server (3), A remote gas monitoring system characterized in that when a management server (3) receives gas information (g) and location information (p) indicating that the gas concentration is at an abnormal level and that an alarm must be issued, the management server (3) transmits an alarm email including the gas information (g) and location information (p) to a communication terminal (T) of an administrator whose email address has been registered in advance.

[0011] [5] The remote gas monitoring system according to [4] above, characterized in that the gas information (g) and location information (p) stored in the management server (3) are displayed on a map on a web page provided by the management server (3). [6] A remote gas monitoring system according to any one of the above [3] to [5], characterized in that the management server (3) sends two or more alarm emails with different alarm levels to the manager's communication terminal (T) depending on the gas concentration of the gas information (g). [7] A remote gas monitoring system according to any one of the above [3] to [6], characterized in that a dead time is provided in the transmission of an alarm email from the management server (3) to the manager's communication terminal (T).

[0012] [8] In any one of the above remote gas monitoring systems [3] to [7], the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) regularly transmits the gas information (g) and its location information (p) received from the portable gas monitor (1) to the management server (3) in a fixed form, and when it receives from the portable gas monitor (1) specified gas information (g) whose gas concentration is at an abnormal level, immediately transmits the gas information (g) and its location information (p) to the management server (3) by interrupt processing.

[0013] [9] In the remote gas monitoring system described in [8] above, the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) receives gas information (g) from the portable gas monitor (1) at regular intervals, associates this with location information (p) acquired by the GPS function, and determines whether the gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at an abnormal level. Then, it transmits the gas information (g) and its location information (p) to the management server (3) in accordance with the following conditions (i) and (ii); (i) At regular intervals, all gas information (g) and its location information (p) received from the portable gas monitor (1) during the regular interval are collectively transmitted to the management server (3). (ii) When gas information (g) in which the gas concentration is at an abnormal level and satisfies certain conditions is received from the portable gas monitor (1), the gas information (g) and its location information (p) are immediately transmitted to the management server (3) as information requiring the issuance of an alarm. A remote monitoring system characterized in that the management server (3), upon receiving the gas information (g) and location information (p) of (ii) above, transmits an alarm email including the gas information (g) and location information (p) to the manager's communication terminal (T).

[0014]

[10] In the remote gas monitoring system of [9] above, the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) determines whether the gas concentration of the gas information (g) is at an abnormal level using a gas concentration threshold set in one or more stages, and compares the gas information (g) with the previously received gas information (g0). If the gas information (g) satisfies the following conditions (a) and (b), it immediately transmits the gas information (g) and its location information (p) to the management server (3) as information requiring an alarm to be issued, and if the gas information (g) satisfies the following conditions (a) and (c), it immediately transmits the gas information (g) and its location information (p) received after a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous transmission of the gas information (g) and its location information (p) requiring an alarm to the management server (3) as information requiring an alarm to be issued. (a) The gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at an abnormal level. (i) The abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the gas information (g) is one or more levels higher than the abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the previously received gas information (g0) (however, this includes the case where "the gas concentration in the gas information (g0) is not at an abnormal value level, but the gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at an abnormal value level"). (c) The abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at the same level as the abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the previously received gas information (g0) or is at least one level lower.

[0015]

[11] A remote gas monitoring system according to any one of the above [1] to

[10] , characterized in that the GPS-equipped portable terminal (2) can selectively connect wirelessly to portable gas monitors (1) from multiple manufacturers using a single application.

[12] A method for identifying the location of a harmful gas leak within a facility, comprising using any one of the gas remote monitoring systems [1] to

[11] above, and identifying the location of the harmful gas leak within a facility based on the gas information (g) and location information (p) accumulated in a management server (3). Effect of the Invention

[0016] The remote gas monitoring system of the present invention can obtain gas information and location information of the location where the worker is working without using a dedicated device, and can monitor in real time from a remote location whether the worker is exposed to a toxic gas or an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, and if the worker is exposed, can immediately notify the manager of the gas information and location information. This allows appropriate and prompt response such as warning the worker, confirming his / her safety, and rescuing him / her. In addition, the equipment configuration only requires a portable gas monitor with wireless communication function and a general-purpose mobile terminal equipped with GPS, and does not require a dedicated device as in the conventional technology, making it a low-cost system. Furthermore, according to the present invention, gas information and location information are associated (linked) and stored in the management server, and data accumulated over a certain period of time can be obtained, making it possible to quantitatively grasp the location of toxic gas generation and the type and concentration of the gas, and therefore to identify toxic gas leak locations that require repair (leaks caused by aging equipment, etc.). [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing one embodiment of a remote gas monitoring system according to the present invention. [Figure 2-1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the configuration and functions of a portable gas monitor and a GPS-equipped portable terminal in one embodiment of the remote gas monitoring system of the present invention. [Figure 2-2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration and functions of a management server in an embodiment of a remote gas monitoring system according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the processing mode of gas information g in the GPS-equipped mobile terminal and the timing of data transmission to the management server in the embodiment of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a real-time display screen (real-time monitoring screen) in which gas information and location information are displayed on a map on a web page provided by the management server in the embodiment of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5]FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the transition of gas concentration in gas information g received by a GPS-equipped mobile terminal from a portable gas monitor and the timing of sending an alarm email from a management server in the embodiment of FIG. 2, in the case where a dead time is provided for sending an alarm email. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a warning mail sent from the management server to the communication terminal of the manager in the embodiment of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search screen when searching data (gas information g and location information p) stored in the management server on a web page in the embodiment of FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] 1 is a system configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the remote gas monitoring system of the present invention. This monitoring system includes a portable gas monitor 1, a GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 that is wirelessly connected to the portable gas monitor 1, receives gas information g from the portable gas monitor 1, associates the gas information g with location information p acquired by a GPS function, and transmits the gas information g and location information p to a management server 3, and a management server 3 that stores the gas information g and location information p transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2. The gas information g and location information p can be monitored in real time on a web page provided (generated) by the management server 3, and when the management server 3 receives the gas information g and location information p that indicate an abnormal gas concentration level (for example, a value exceeding a threshold) and requires the issuance of an alarm, the management server 3 immediately transmits an alarm email with the gas information g and location information p attached to a communication terminal T of a manager whose email address has been registered in advance. Here, in the present invention, the terms “gas information g and its location information p” and “gas information g and location information p” refer to the gas information g and location information p associated as described above in the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2.

[0019] Another form of remote gas monitoring system of the present invention comprises a portable gas monitor 1 as described above, a GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2, and a management server 3, and is configured to either: (i) enable real-time monitoring of gas information g and location information p on a web page provided (generated) by the management server 3; or (ii) when the management server 3 receives gas information g and location information p in which the gas concentration is at an abnormal level (e.g., a value exceeding a threshold value) and requires the issuance of an alarm, immediately send an alarm email containing the gas information g and location information p to the communication terminal T of an administrator whose email address has been registered in advance.

[0020] The GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 is, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, etc. The portable gas monitor 1 and the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 are basically carried by one operator, and thus, the gas information g acquired by the portable gas monitor 1 and the position information p acquired by the GPS function of the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 can be associated (linked) and used. Generally, one GPS-equipped portable terminal is assigned one ID, so that multiple sets of GPS-equipped portable terminals 2 and portable gas monitors 1 (multiple workers) can be monitored. The portable gas monitor 1 may be one having general functions that have been conventionally used, but since it is connected to the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 by short-distance wireless communication, it is necessary to have a communication section (communication unit) required for this. Any method of short-distance wireless communication is acceptable, but since it is connected wirelessly to a GPS-equipped portable terminal carried by the same worker, Bluetooth (registered trademark) is particularly preferable. Therefore, in this embodiment, a case in which the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 is connected to the portable gas monitor 1 by short-distance wireless communication via Bluetooth will be described as an example.

[0021] It is preferable that the portable gas monitor 1 be able to selectively use different models of portable gas monitors for the following reasons: (i) the types of gases that can be measured differ depending on the model (especially models from different manufacturers; the same applies below); (ii) the usability in the gas measurement target area (factory, etc.) differs depending on the model; and (iii) it is better not to limit the use to one model since the cost and reliability differ depending on the model. For this reason, the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 is designed to be able to selectively connect to portable gas monitors 1 of multiple models (multiple manufacturers) with one application. In this case, the application is created to be compatible with the Bluetooth communication protocol of each model (manufacturer), and the model to be used (one model) can be selected from the multiple models that are made connectable. Thus, the equipment configuration of the monitoring system of this embodiment is characterized in that it does not use dedicated devices such as portable hazard detection devices, but uses a Bluetooth-compatible portable gas monitor 1 and a general-purpose GPS-equipped portable terminal 2, and that the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 can be connected to multiple models (multiple manufacturers) of portable gas monitors 1 using a single application.

[0022] The GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 has a function of receiving gas information g from the portable gas monitor 1 at regular intervals (e.g., every 2 seconds), associating (linking) this gas information g with position information p acquired by its own GPS function, and transmitting the information to the management server 3, and preferably has the following functions as data transmission functions for the management server 3: (1) regularly transmitting the gas information g and its position information p received from the portable gas monitor 1 in a regular format to the management server 3 (regular data transmission), and (2) immediately transmitting the gas information g and its position information p to the management server 3 by interrupt processing when predetermined gas information g with an abnormal gas concentration is received from the portable gas monitor 1 (immediate transmission of abnormal data). Here, the data transmission in (2) is executed immediately when predetermined gas information g with an abnormal gas concentration is received from the portable gas monitor 1, regardless of the regular data transmission in (1), in order to notify that the gas concentration is a gas concentration that requires the issuance of an alarm.

[0023] In addition, in a more specific and preferred embodiment, the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 has a function of determining whether the gas concentration of the gas information g is at an abnormal level (for example, using a gas concentration threshold value) and transmitting the gas information g and its location information p to the management server 3 in accordance with the following conditions (i) and (ii). (i) In order to reduce battery consumption in the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2, all gas information g and its location information p received from the portable gas monitor 1 within a certain period of time (for example, every few to 10 minutes) are collectively transmitted to the management server 3. In other words, the regular data transmission described in (1) above is performed. (ii) When gas information g in which the gas concentration is at an abnormal level and satisfies certain conditions is received from the portable gas monitor 1, the gas information g and its location information p are immediately transmitted to the management server 3 as information requiring an alarm. In other words, the abnormal data in (2) above is immediately transmitted.

[0024] In a more specific and preferred embodiment, the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 determines whether the gas concentration of the gas information g is at an abnormal level using a gas concentration threshold set in one or more stages, and compares the gas information g with the previously received gas information g0 (i.e., in the case where gas information g is received from the portable gas monitor 1 every two seconds, the gas information g0 received two seconds ago).If the gas information g satisfies the following conditions (a) and (b), it immediately transmits the gas information g and its location information p to the management server 3 as information requiring an alarm to be issued, and if the gas information g satisfies the following conditions (a) and (c), it has the function of immediately transmitting the gas information g and its location information p received after a predetermined time has elapsed since the last time the gas information g and location information p requiring an alarm were sent to the management server 3, as information requiring an alarm to be issued. (A) The gas concentration of gas information g is at an abnormal level. (a) The abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the gas information g is at least one level higher than the abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the previously received gas information g0. However, this case also includes the case where "the gas concentration in the gas information g0 is not at an abnormal value level, but is at an abnormal value level." (c) The abnormal value level of the gas concentration of the gas information g is at the same level as the abnormal value level of the gas concentration of the previously received gas information g0, or is at least one level lower.

[0025] In determining whether a gas concentration is at an abnormal level using a gas concentration threshold, if the object to be measured by the portable gas monitor 1 is a toxic gas such as CO, a gas concentration below the threshold is a normal value, and a gas concentration exceeding the threshold is an abnormal value. On the other hand, if the object to be measured is oxygen, a gas concentration above the threshold is a normal value, and a gas concentration below the threshold is an abnormal value. However, in the embodiment of Figure 2 described later, a case will be described in which the object to be measured is a toxic gas such as CO, and a gas concentration below the threshold is a normal value, and a gas concentration exceeding the threshold is an abnormal value.

[0026] The management server 3 associates and stores the gas information g and the position information p transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2. The gas information g and the position information p are sequentially posted on a web page provided (generated) by the management server 3, and an administrator or the like can access the information on a communication terminal T with a display such as a personal computer or a mobile terminal. X By accessing this web page via the Internet, it is possible to monitor in real time on the web page. In other words, it is possible to remotely monitor in real time whether a worker carrying a gas monitor is being exposed to toxic gases. On this web page, gas information g and location information p are displayed on a map.

[0027] When the management server 3 receives gas information g and location information p in which the gas concentration is at an abnormal level (e.g., a value exceeding a threshold value) and an alarm is required, such as the gas information g and location information p described above in (ii), the gas information g and location information p with the alarm are posted on a webpage, and an alarm email with the gas information g and location information p is immediately sent to a communication terminal T, such as a personal computer or smartphone of the administrator, whose email address has been registered in advance. In other words, the management server 3 has the function of storing the gas information g and location information p sent from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2, posting it on a webpage, and sending an alert email containing the gas information g and location information p to the administrator's communication terminal T.

[0028] By sending the above-mentioned warning email, the manager is notified that a worker carrying a gas monitor has been exposed to toxic gas. This allows appropriate and prompt response, such as warning the worker, confirming his / her safety, and rescuing him / her, to be taken. For example, it is possible to prevent a disaster in which a worker ignores the alarm sounding of the gas monitor and ends up suffering from gas poisoning. It is also possible to locate a worker who is unable to move due to gas poisoning and quickly rescue him / her, thereby mitigating the extent of the damage. Furthermore, the gas information g and the location information p for a certain period (for example, about one year) are associated (linked) and stored in the management server 3. This stored data makes it possible to quantitatively grasp the location of toxic gas generation and the type and concentration of the gas, and therefore to identify toxic gas leak locations that require repair (leaks caused by aging equipment, etc.). The management server 3 may be installed in a management center or the like, or may be installed on online storage.

[0029] FIG. 2 (FIG. 2-1 and FIG. 2-2) is a block diagram for explaining the configurations and functions of a portable gas monitor 1, a GPS-equipped portable terminal 2, and a management server 3 in one embodiment of a remote gas monitoring system of the present invention. The portable gas monitor 1 has the functions of a general gas monitor and therefore includes a gas sensor 10, a gas information generation unit 11, a display processing unit 12, a display unit 13, etc., and further includes a communication unit 14 (Bluetooth communication unit) for short-range wireless communication of the generated gas information g to a GPS-equipped portable terminal 2.

[0030] The GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 is equipped, as a terminal controller, with a short-range communication unit 20 that receives gas information g transmitted from the portable gas monitor 1 via Bluetooth, a GPS acquisition unit 26 that acquires location information p by GPS, an information processing unit 21 that associates (links) the gas information g received from the portable gas monitor 1 with the location information p acquired by GPS, an abnormal data determination unit 22 that determines whether the gas concentration of the gas information g is at an abnormal value level and, if the gas concentration of the gas information g is at an abnormal value level, sets a dead time under specified conditions for transmission to the management server 3, a transmission data generation unit 23 that creates data to be transmitted to the management server 3, a transmission control unit 24 that controls data transmission to the management server 3, and a long-range communication unit 25 that transmits the associated gas information g and location information p to the management server 3 via a mobile phone communication line, the Internet, etc.

[0031] The GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 further includes a terminal input unit 27a, a terminal output unit 27b, a terminal control unit 27c, and a terminal storage unit 27d, and also includes a touch panel 28a, a display 28b, and a speaker 28c as input / output devices. The terminal control unit 27c executes application programs installed in a computer in the mobile terminal, and controls the entire terminal. The terminal storage unit 27d is configured to be able to store various information. As mentioned earlier, the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 has applications created to be compatible with the Bluetooth communication protocols of multiple models (multiple manufacturers), and one application can selectively connect to multiple models (multiple manufacturers) of portable gas monitors 1.

[0032] The management server 3 includes a transmission data discrimination unit 30 that discriminates gas abnormality data transmissions, i.e., data transmissions of gas information g and position information p in which the gas concentration is at an abnormal value level and an alarm needs to be issued (immediate transmission of abnormal data as described in (2) above), from among data transmissions from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2, a warning mail generation unit 31 that creates a warning mail with the gas information g and position information p of the gas abnormality data transmissions discriminated by the transmission data discrimination unit 30 and transmits it to the communication terminal T of the administrator, a database unit 32 that stores the gas information g and position information p transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2, a web page generation unit 33 that generates a web page on which the gas information g and position information p are posted, and a web server unit 34 that provides the web page generated by the web page generation unit 33 to the outside via the Internet. The database unit 32 includes a gas information database 320 and a position information database 321, and the web page generation unit 33 includes a gas information management unit 330 and a position information management unit 331. The GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 and the communication terminal T X The communication with the communication terminal T and the transmission of the warning mail to the communication terminal T are both performed via the communication module 35.

[0033] Next, the actual usage and operation of the monitoring system of the above-mentioned embodiment will be described. In the following description, the time intervals and dead times for data transmission are described as every 2 seconds, every 10 minutes, 5 minutes, and 2 minutes, but the time intervals and dead times for data transmission are not limited to these and can be set to any value. The same applies to the threshold values ​​of gas concentration (CO concentration 50 ppm, 100 ppm). The portable gas monitor 1 has general functions that have been conventionally used, and gas information g is generated by a gas information generation unit 11 based on the gas concentration detected by a gas sensor 10, and this gas information g is transmitted to a GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 via a communication unit 14 every two seconds.

[0034] Typically, the portable gas monitor 1 and the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 are carried by a single worker, who turns on the portable gas monitor 1 and launches the application installed on the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2. At this time, since the application can selectively connect to multiple models (multiple manufacturers) of portable gas monitors 1, the application selects which manufacturer and serial number of the device to connect to and starts communication with the portable gas monitor 1. When communication is started, gas information g acquired by the portable gas monitor 1 is transmitted to the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 every two seconds.

[0035] Gas information g transmitted every two seconds from the portable gas monitor 1 to the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 is processed in the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 as follows. The gas information g received through the short-distance communication unit 20 is associated (linked) with the location information p acquired by the GPS acquisition unit 26 in the information processing unit 21, and then the gas information g and the location information p are sent to the transmission data generation unit 23 to generate stationary transmission data, and "stationary transmission data" including all the gas information g and location information p within each 10-minute period is generated. This stationary transmission data is then transmitted from the transmission control unit 24 to the management server 3 at 10-minute intervals. That is, the data for those 10 minutes (gas information g and location information p) is transmitted collectively at 10-minute intervals. The reason for transmitting the data collectively in this manner is to reduce battery consumption of the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2.

[0036] In addition to the above-mentioned regular transmission data, the information processing unit 21 transmits the gas information g and the position information p to the abnormal data determination unit 22 every two seconds. In this abnormal data determination unit 22, the threshold value of the gas concentration is set at two levels, and the threshold value of level 1 (first alarm level): 50 ppm and the threshold value of level 2 (second alarm level): 100 ppm are set as the CO concentration, so that a CO gas concentration of more than 50 ppm and not more than 100 ppm is "abnormal value level 1", and more than 100 ppm is "abnormal value level 2". In the abnormal data determination unit 22, using these threshold values, it is determined whether the gas concentration of the gas information g is at an abnormal value level, and if the gas concentration of the gas information g is at an abnormal value level, a dead time is set under a predetermined condition, and then the gas information g (gas information g with a gas concentration at an abnormal value level) and the position information p are transmitted to the transmission data generation unit 23, and the transmission data generation unit 23 generates "instant transmission data" to be immediately transmitted to the management server 3 as information requiring an alarm. This instantaneous transmission data is then instantly transmitted from the transmission control unit 24 to the management server 3. The reason for providing the dead time as described above is to prevent continuous transmission of an alarm mail, which is sent to the manager's communication terminal T based on the reception of the "instantaneous transmission data" by the management server 3. As will be described later, continuous transmission of alarm mail to the manager's communication terminal T may result in a large consumption of the battery of the communication terminal T.

[0037] 3 shows the processing mode of the gas information g in the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 and the timing of data transmission to the management server 3 in this embodiment. The operation of the monitoring system of this embodiment will be described based on this FIG. 3. The gas information g that the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 receives from the portable gas monitor 1 every 2 seconds is collectively transmitted to the management server 3 as regular transmission data at 10-minute intervals as described above. Completely separate from the regular data transmission at 10-minute intervals, abnormal data is transmitted to the management server 3 in the following form in order to notify the manager's communication terminal T of an alarm. That is, the gas information g transmitted to the abnormal data determination unit 22 is determined whether the gas concentration is at an abnormal value level using a gas concentration threshold value (step S1), and if it is determined not to be at an abnormal value level, the information is not transmitted to the management server 3. On the other hand, if it is determined to be at an abnormal value level, the abnormal value level of the gas concentration of that gas information g is compared with the abnormal value level of the gas concentration of the gas information g0 previously received (received 2 seconds ago) (step S2), and if the level is one or more steps higher than the abnormal value level of the gas information g0, for example, if the gas concentration of that gas information g is "abnormal value level 2" and the gas concentration of the gas information g0 is "abnormal value level 1", or if the gas concentration of that gas information g is "abnormal value level 1" and the gas concentration of the gas information g0 is not at the abnormal value level, then the gas information g and its location information p are immediately transmitted to the management server 3 as information requiring the issuance of an alarm. On the other hand, if the abnormal value level of the gas information g is the same as or one level lower than the abnormal value level of the gas information g0, for example, if the gas concentration of the gas information g is "abnormal value level 1" and the gas concentration of the gas information g0 is also "abnormal value level 1", or if the gas concentration of the gas information g is "abnormal value level 1" and the gas concentration of the gas information g0 is "abnormal value level 2", the elapsed time from the last time the gas information g and the position information p requiring the issuance of an alarm were transmitted to the management server 3 is confirmed (step S3), and a predetermined dead time is set for transmission to the management server 3. In other words, if the predetermined time has not elapsed since the last time the gas information g and the position information p requiring the issuance of an alarm were transmitted to the management server 3, transmission to the management server 3 is not performed.In contrast, if a predetermined time has passed since the gas information g and location information p requiring an alarm were last sent to the management server 3, the gas information g and its location information p are immediately sent to the management server 3 as information requiring an alarm.

[0038] Here, the "predetermined time" of the dead time corresponds to the alarm level from the management server 3 to the mobile terminal T of the manager based on the real-time transmission to the management server 3, and is set to 5 minutes when the gas concentration of the gas information g is "abnormal value level 1", and 2 minutes when the gas concentration of the gas information g is "abnormal value level 2". That is, when the gas concentration of the gas information g is "abnormal value level 1", if 5 minutes or more have passed since the gas information g and the location information p that require an alarm were last transmitted to the management server 3, the gas information g and the location information p are immediately transmitted to the management server 3 as information that requires an alarm. Also, when the gas concentration of the gas information g is "abnormal value level 2", if 2 minutes or more have passed since the gas information g and the location information p that require an alarm were last transmitted to the management server 3, the gas information g and the location information p are immediately transmitted to the management server 3 as information that requires an alarm.

[0039] In the management server 3, the gas information g and location information p data (regular transmission data, instantaneous transmission data) received from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 through the communication module 35 are stored in the database section 32, and the following (I) and (II) are executed based on this received data. (I) The gas information g and the location information p received from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 are sequentially posted on a web page provided (generated) by the management server 3, and the gas information g and the location information p can be monitored in real time on this web page. X By accessing a web page, such real-time monitoring can be performed. (II) When gas information g and location information p (i.e., real-time transmission data from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2) indicating that the gas concentration is at an abnormal level and that an alarm must be issued is received from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2, an alarm email containing the gas information g and location information p is sent to the manager's communication terminal T (such as a personal computer or smartphone) whose email address has been registered in advance, to notify the manager that a worker has been exposed to toxic gas. In this case, it is preferable that an alarm email with two or more different alarm levels is sent to the manager's communication terminal T according to the gas concentration of the gas information g.

[0040] Regarding (I) above, a webpage generating unit 33 generates a webpage on which gas information g and location information p (preferably gas information g and location information p with an alarm attached) are posted, and this webpage is usually in a format in which the gas information g and location information p are displayed on a map. For example, Google (registered trademark) Maps can be used as the map. In this case, map data is obtained from Google Maps API via communication module 35 in order to plot the location information p on Google Maps. This webpage can be accessed by an administrator or the like using a communication terminal T with a display such as a personal computer or a mobile terminal. X The data can be viewed by accessing the web server unit 34 via the Internet, and it is possible to monitor in real time whether or not workers are being exposed to toxic gases. In addition to real-time information, past information (such as alarm history) stored in database unit 32 can be posted on the webpage, and in this case, webpage generation unit 33 obtains necessary information from database unit 32 (gas information database 320, location information database 321) and generates the webpage. In webpage generation unit 33, information necessary for the webpage (information received in real time from GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 and information obtained from database unit 32) is managed by gas information management unit 330 and location information management unit 331, respectively, and used to generate the webpage.

[0041] FIG. 4 shows an example of a real-time display screen (real-time monitoring screen) in which gas information g and location information p are displayed on a map on a web page. In this case, the location information of four workers (users 1, 2, 3, 4) who each carry a portable gas monitor 1 and a GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 is displayed on the map on the screen as four marks, and detailed information on the detected gas is displayed by clicking on each mark on the map. Furthermore, the screen displays "status of each user" (gas information) and "recent alarm history", and when the gas concentration reaches an abnormal value level (for example, CO concentration exceeds 50 ppm), the alarm information is displayed in "recent alarm history". Note that this real-time monitoring screen is not limited to FIG. 4 and can take various forms. Therefore, for example, the real-time monitoring screen in FIG. 4 does not display alarms divided into one-stage alarm and two-stage alarm, but such display is possible as necessary.

[0042] As for the above (II), the transmission data discriminator 30 discriminates (determines) whether the data received from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 through the communication module 35 is "regular transmission data" or "instant transmission data" (i.e., transmission data of gas information g of an abnormal value level that requires an alarm and its location information p), and if it is determined to be "instant transmission data", the alarm mail generator 31 generates an alarm mail with the gas information g and location information p attached, and transmits (instant transmission) it to the manager's communication terminal T via the mail server 4. That is, when the management server 3 receives the above "instant transmission data", an alarm mail is automatically created, and this alarm mail is immediately transmitted to the manager's communication terminal T. In this alarm mail, for example, the type of gas and the gas concentration detection level are displayed as gas information, and the position coordinates of the detected location are displayed as location information. Here, the warning email is issued in two stages (first stage alarm, second stage alarm) corresponding to the above-mentioned gas concentration abnormal value levels 1 and 2. That is, when the gas concentration is abnormal value level 1 (above the level 1 threshold to below the level 2 threshold), a first stage alarm email is sent, and when the gas concentration subsequently increases further to abnormal value level 2 (above the level 2 threshold), a second stage alarm email is sent as a higher level alarm.

[0043] Furthermore, the "instant transmission data" transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal 2 has a dead time as described above, and this dead time is directly reflected in the transmission of the warning email. If the gas concentration continues to exceed the threshold of level 1 or level 2, and warning emails are continually transmitted to the manager's communication terminal T, this may result in a large consumption of the battery of the communication terminal T and the inability to operate the terminal. Therefore, in both the case of one-stage warning email and two-stage warning email, once a warning email is transmitted, no warning email is transmitted for a certain period of time even if the gas concentration continues to exceed the threshold, and if the gas concentration still exceeds the threshold after the certain period of time has elapsed, a warning email is transmitted again. In other words, a dead time is provided for the transmission of warning emails.

[0044] As described above, the dead time is set by the abnormal data determination unit 22 of the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2, and is directly reflected in the transmission of the alarm email by the management server 3, thereby providing a dead time for the transmission of the alarm email. Fig. 5 illustrates an example of the transition of the gas concentration in the gas information g received by the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 from the portable gas monitor 1 and the timing of the transmission of the alarm email from the management server 3 when such a dead time is provided, and the solid line in the figure indicates the transition of the gas concentration (CO concentration in this case) in the gas information g successively received by the GPS-equipped portable terminal 2 from the portable gas monitor 1. In the example of FIG. 5, when the gas concentration exceeds the threshold of level 1 (CO concentration exceeds 50 ppm), a first-stage alarm email (1a) is sent. After that, even if the gas concentration continues to exceed the threshold of level 1 (but is below the threshold of level 2), an alarm email is not sent for a time (dead time) of t1. If the gas concentration still exceeds the threshold of level 1 after t1 has elapsed, a first-stage alarm email (1b) is sent again. After that, even if the gas concentration continues to exceed the threshold of level 1, a first-stage alarm email (1b) is sent every t1 in the same manner. In addition, if the gas concentration becomes below the threshold of level 1 after sending the first-stage alarm email (1b) and then exceeds the threshold of level 1 again, a first-stage alarm email (1a) is sent again. Here, t1 (dead time) in the case of a first-stage alarm email is set to 5 minutes.

[0045] After that, if the gas concentration further increases and exceeds the threshold value of level 2 (CO concentration exceeds 100 ppm), a two-stage alarm email (2a) is immediately sent. Since a two-stage alarm is a situation where the danger level is higher than a one-stage alarm and it is necessary to immediately notify the administrator, as shown in FIG. 5, even if it is within t1 (5 minutes) from the transmission of the one-stage alarm email (1a), a two-stage alarm email (2a) is immediately sent. After that, even if the gas concentration continues to exceed the threshold value of level 2, an alarm email is not sent for a time (dead time) of t2, and if the gas concentration still exceeds the threshold value of level 2 after t2 has passed, a two-stage alarm email (2b) is sent again. After that, even if the gas concentration continues to exceed the threshold value of level 2, a two-stage alarm email (2b) is sent every t2 in the same manner. As mentioned above, a two-stage warning is a more dangerous situation than a one-stage warning, so t2 (dead time) for a two-stage warning email is set to 2 minutes, which is shorter than t1 (dead time) for a one-stage warning email.

[0046] In addition, if the gas concentration falls to a level above the threshold of level 1 within two minutes after the two-stage warning email (2a) is sent and continues to fall in that state, a one-stage warning email (1b) will be sent every t1 (five minutes) after the two-stage warning email (2a) is sent. As shown in Figure 5, for both the first and second alarms, even if the gas concentration drops from above the threshold to below the threshold, no email is sent to inform the operator that the concentration has fallen below the threshold. This is because, for example, even if the gas concentration drops below the threshold, it is possible that the operator has collapsed, and in practice, when an alarm email is received, the administrator should always contact the operator directly to confirm their safety.

[0047] Fig. 6 shows an example of an alert email sent from the management server 3 to the manager's communication terminal T, which displays a message that an alarm level gas has been detected in a gas detector (portable gas monitor) used by a certain user (worker), and asks the user to check on the worker's safety. The message also displays the location of the gas detection (location information that can be confirmed on a website) and the gas warning content (gas information such as the type of gas and gas concentration detection level). The content of this alert email is also not limited to that shown in Fig. 6, and can take various forms. Note that the boxed descriptions in Fig. 6 explain the meaning of each display section. When a manager receives this warning email, they will call the workers to confirm their safety and instruct them to evacuate to a safe location. If the phone is not working, they will assume that the worker has collapsed and head to a rescue site using the worker's location information.

[0048] In addition, the management server 3 (database unit 32) stores and accumulates gas information g and location information p for a certain period (for example, about one year) in association (linked) relation. Conventionally, past information from a gas monitor has not been recorded, or even if it has been recorded, it is time-series data, so it has not been possible to quantitatively grasp what kind of gas was detected at what location, how frequently, and at what concentration level. In contrast, the management server 3 constituting the present invention accumulates gas information g and location information p in the database unit 32 and can be browsed, so it is possible to quantitatively grasp what kind of gas was detected at what location, how frequently, and at what concentration level, and therefore it is possible to identify toxic gas leak locations that require repair (leak locations due to deterioration of equipment, etc.).

[0049] In addition, since the gas information g and the location information p are accumulated in the management server 3 (database unit 32) as described above, such accumulated past data can be searched on a web page. FIG. 7 shows an example of the search screen, which allows the gas information g and the location information p during a certain period to be displayed on a map. On this search screen, when the period for which data is to be extracted, the gas type (select from among "oxygen", "carbon monoxide", "hydrogen sulfide", and "flammable gas"), and the measurement result (select from among "one-stage alarm or higher", "two-stage alarm or higher", and "all") are selected, the gas information g and the location information p of users 1 and 2 during the period for which data is to be extracted are displayed on the map on the screen. In FIG. 7, "carbon monoxide" is selected as the gas type and "one-stage alarm or higher" is selected as the measurement result, so that the points where one-stage and two-stage alarms were issued for carbon monoxide during the certain period are displayed with marks. Each row of detailed information (gas information, location information) shown in the table at the bottom of the screen corresponds one-to-one to multiple marks on the map, and by clicking on each mark on the map, detailed information is displayed, which can be used to match each row in the table at the bottom of the screen. In the table at the middle of the screen, "Show / Hide" and "Download" are buttons, and "Show / Hide" is a button that allows you to select whether or not to display this user's information on the map, and clicking it switches between showing and hiding. "Download" is a button for downloading this information as a CSV file, etc. Note that the search screen is not limited to that shown in Figure 7, and can take various forms.

[0050] In the present invention, by having one ID for each GPS-equipped portable terminal, multiple sets of GPS-equipped portable terminals 2 and portable gas monitors 1, that is, multiple workers, can be monitored. As mentioned above, other embodiments of the present invention may do either of the following: [i] gas information g and location information p can be monitored in real time on a web page provided (generated) by the management server 3; and [ii] when the management server 3 receives gas information g and location information p in which the gas concentration is at an abnormal level and an alarm is required, the management server 3 sends an alarm email containing the gas information g and location information p to the communication terminal T of an administrator whose email address has been registered in advance. In addition, the alarm email sent to the administrator's communication terminal T may be a single-stage alarm email, or three or more stages of alarm emails with different alarm levels (e.g., a single-stage alarm email, a two-stage alarm email, a three-stage alarm email) may be sent depending on the gas concentration of the gas information g. In addition to CO as exemplified in the above-described embodiment, gases whose concentrations can be measured by the gas monitor include, for example, oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, and combustible gases. The remote gas monitoring system of the present invention can be applied to any gas being measured. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1. Portable gas monitor 2. GPS-equipped mobile device 3 Management Server 4. Mail Server 10 Gas Sensor 11 Gas information generation unit 12 Display processing section 13 Display section 14 Communications Department 20 Near Field Communication Department 21 Information Processing Section 22 Abnormal data judgment unit 23 Transmission data generation unit 24 Transmission control section 25 Telecommunications Department 26 GPS acquisition section 27a Terminal input section 27b Terminal output section 27c Terminal control unit 27d Terminal memory section 28a Touch Panel 28b Display 28c Speaker 30 Transmission data discrimination section 31 Warning mail generation unit 32 Database Department 33 Web page generation unit 34 Web Server Section 35 Communication Module 320 Gas Information Database 321 Location Database 330 Gas Information Management Department 331 Location information management department T,T X Communication terminal g Gas Information p Location information

Claims

1. The system comprises: a portable gas monitor (1); a GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) that is wirelessly connected to the portable gas monitor (1), receives gas information (g) from the portable gas monitor (1), associates the gas information (g) with location information (p) acquired by a GPS function, and transmits the gas information (g) and the location information (p) to a management server (3); and a management server (3) that stores the gas information (g) and the location information (p) transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2), The GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) receives gas information (g) from the portable gas monitor (1) at regular intervals, associates this with location information (p) acquired by the GPS function, and determines whether the gas concentration of the gas information (g) is at an abnormal level using a gas concentration threshold set at one or more levels. It also compares the gas information (g) with previously received gas information (g 0 ), and transmits the gas information (g) and its location information (p) to a management server (3) in accordance with the following conditions (i) and (ii); (i) At regular intervals, all gas information (g) and its location information (p) received from the portable gas monitor (1) during the regular interval are collectively transmitted to the management server (3). (ii) If the gas information (g) satisfies the following conditions (a) and (b), the gas information (g) and its location information (p) are sent to the management server (3) as information requiring the issuance of an alarm, and if the gas information (g) satisfies the following conditions (a) and (c), the gas information (g) and its location information (p) received after a predetermined time has elapsed since the last time the gas information (g) and location information (p) requiring the issuance of an alarm were sent to the management server (3), are sent to the management server (3) as information requiring the issuance of an alarm. (a) The gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at an abnormal level. (i) The abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at least one level higher than the abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the previously received gas information (g 0 ) (including the case where the gas concentration in the gas information (g 0 ) is not at an abnormal value level, but is at an abnormal value level). (c) The abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at the same level as the abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the previously received gas information (g 0 ) or is at least one level lower. A remote gas monitoring system characterized in that, when the management server (3) receives the gas information (g) and location information (p) of (ii) above, it transmits an alarm email including the gas information (g) and location information (p) to the communication terminal (T) of the manager, whose email address has been registered in advance.

2. The system comprises: a portable gas monitor (1); a GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) that is wirelessly connected to the portable gas monitor (1), receives gas information (g) from the portable gas monitor (1), associates the gas information (g) with location information (p) acquired by a GPS function, and transmits the gas information (g) and the location information (p) to a management server (3); and a management server (3) that stores the gas information (g) and the location information (p) transmitted from the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2), The management server (3) enables real-time monitoring of gas information (g) and location information (p) on a web page provided by the management server (3), The GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) receives gas information (g) from the portable gas monitor (1) at regular intervals, associates this with location information (p) acquired by the GPS function, and determines whether the gas concentration of the gas information (g) is at an abnormal level using a gas concentration threshold set at one or more levels. It also compares the gas information (g) with previously received gas information (g 0 ), and transmits the gas information (g) and its location information (p) to a management server (3) in accordance with the following conditions (i) and (ii); (i) At regular intervals, all gas information (g) and its location information (p) received from the portable gas monitor (1) during the regular interval are collectively transmitted to the management server (3). (ii) If the gas information (g) satisfies the following conditions (a) and (b), the gas information (g) and its location information (p) are sent to the management server (3) as information requiring the issuance of an alarm, and if the gas information (g) satisfies the following conditions (a) and (c), the gas information (g) and its location information (p) received after a predetermined time has elapsed since the last time the gas information (g) and location information (p) requiring the issuance of an alarm were sent to the management server (3), are sent to the management server (3) as information requiring the issuance of an alarm. (a) The gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at an abnormal level. (i) The abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at least one level higher than the abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the previously received gas information (g 0 ) (including the case where the gas concentration in the gas information (g 0 ) is not at an abnormal value level, but is at an abnormal value level). (c) The abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the gas information (g) is at the same level as the abnormal value level of the gas concentration in the previously received gas information (g 0 ) or is at least one level lower. A remote gas monitoring system characterized in that, when the management server (3) receives the gas information (g) and location information (p) of (ii) above, it transmits an alarm email including the gas information (g) and location information (p) to the communication terminal (T) of the manager, whose email address has been registered in advance.

3. The gas remote monitoring system according to claim 2, characterized in that the gas information (g) and location information (p) stored in the management server (3) are displayed on a map on a web page provided by the management server (3).

4. 4. A remote gas monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the management server (3) sends to the manager's communication terminal (T) two or more warning emails with different warning levels according to the gas concentration of the gas information (g).

5. 5. The remote gas monitoring system according to claim 1, further comprising a dead time provided for sending an alarm mail from the management server (3) to the communication terminal (T) of the manager.

6. A remote gas monitoring system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the GPS-equipped mobile terminal (2) is capable of selectively wirelessly connecting to portable gas monitors (1) from multiple manufacturers using a single application.

7. A method for identifying a hazardous gas leak location within a facility, comprising the steps of: using a remote gas monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and identifying a hazardous gas leak location within a facility based on gas information (g) and location information (p) stored in a management server (3).

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